CNA 17 Feb 2023:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Mapping General Pervez Musharraf’s legacy C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials ENVIRONMENT 1. Deep sea fish conservation F. Prelims Facts 1. Snow Leopard G. Tidbits 1. Now, no age bar to register for cadaver organ transplant 2. India accounts for 52% of world’s new leprosy patients H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Mapping General Pervez Musharraf’s legacy
Syllabus: India and its neighbourhood- relations
Mains: India-Pakistan Relations
Context
Former President and Army Chief of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf passed away on February 5th, 2023 after a prolonged illness.
Musharraf’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister
- The Army Chief and self-appointed President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf met the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in July 2001 at Agra.
- The two leaders talked about various issues such as the Jammu and Kashmir issue, cross-border terrorism, nuclear risks, the release of prisoners of war, and commercial ties.
- This meeting highlighted the significant differences in the approaches and wisdom of the two leaders.
- The main focus of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was to clear the existing bilateral differences between the countries and develop constructive and productive relationships.
- However, Musharraf’s approaches indicated that he was determined to make India acknowledge that the Jammu and Kashmir conflict was the root cause of all India-Pakistan issues.
- According to Musharraf, the incorporation of Jammu and Kashmir into Pakistan was an unfinished agenda of the Partition of India.
The Kargil ambition
- General Musharraf’s actions in Kargil indicate that his approaches are simplistic and tactical.
- Pakistan’s operation in Kargil was entirely based on the assumption that India would be unwilling to militarily counter Pakistan’s occupation of the Kargil heights.
- Musharraf along with other top leaders of Pakistan had ignored the fact that India would go all out in order to safeguard its northern borders.
- Furthermore, Pakistan failed to predict the reaction from major powers as he expected major powers to put pressure on India to accept a ceasefire thereby enabling Pakistan to occupy the Kargil heights. However, the major powers viewed Pakistan’s actions at Kargil as immature and irresponsible.
- Pakistan was humiliated because of Kargil and General Musharraf who had kept the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the dark during this misadventure of Pakistan began to make plans to oust Nawaz Sharif.
- In October 1999, Musharraf took control of the power in Pakistan and Nawaz Sharif went into exile.
Musharraf’s decline
- Musharraf effectively ruled Pakistan from October 1999 to November 2007.
- In November 2007, Musharraf appointed his successor Ashfaq Kayani as Army Chief.
- Musharraf continued as the President of Pakistan till August 2008, after which he was forced to quit under the threat of impeachment.
- Experts believe that Musharraf drew his power from his position as Army Chief and as he handed over the powers to Ashfaq Kayani he started becoming powerless.
The Indian connect
- Musharraf was a “Mohajir” as his parents migrated to Pakistan from Delhi.
- Mohajir is a term that is used to refer to a Muslim migrant from India.
- Being a Mohajir, Musharraf had to gain the trust of his peers in the army at a time when Pakistan’s army was dominated by Punjabis.
- However, Musharraf’s Mohajir background did not diminish his negative views about India.
- Even after the failure of the Agra summit in 2001, Prime Minister Vajpayee still remained committed to normalising the bilateral relations between the two countries.
- Further, Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore in 1999 is also considered a monumental gesture in this regard.
- It is said that Musharraf had committed in January 2004 not to allow any territory controlled by Pakistan to be used against India and also engaged in back-channel talks on J&K and other issues with India.
- However, there is no evidence about these backchannel talks and their outcomes.
- Additionally, there were talks about the four-point formula for the J&K issue which would have facilitated movement between the two sides of the Line of Control (LoC).
Four-point formula for the J&K issue
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History of political generals in Pakistan
- To date, there have been four instances when Army Chiefs held direct political power in Pakistan.
- Muhammad Ayub Khan, who became the second President of Pakistan, was an army general who seized the Presidency through a military coup in 1958.
- Ayub Khan resigned in 1969 and died in 1974 in Islamabad.
- Yahya Khan, who also was a military general became the third President of Pakistan as he succeeded Ayub Khan in 1969.
- Yahya Khan was forced to resign in January 1971 as Pakistan suffered a defeat at India’s hands.
- Zia-ul-Haq became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup in 1977.
- Zia-ul-Haq died in an air crash in 1988.
- Pervez Musharraf became the tenth President of Pakistan in 1999 and resigned in 2008.
Also read – India – Pakistan Relations
Nut graf: Experts in Pakistan believe that India-Pakistan bilateral relations do not just depend on the resolution of the J&K issue but also expect India to be flexible on all bilateral issues even if it involves sacrificing India’s own interests. Indian backchannel negotiators have however denied any proposal that compromises India’s sovereignty and key interests.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Syllabus: Conservation
Mains: Sustainable fishing practices to harness marine and inland water resources.
Context: The Supreme Court of India gave an interim order on a Special Leave Petition regarding the use of a fishing method called Purse Seine Fishing on January 24, 2023.
Introduction:
- The Supreme Court of India gave permission to fishermen using purse seine fishing gear to fish beyond territorial waters and within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions.
- The Tamil Nadu government in 2022 had banned the use of purse seine nets within its territorial waters by invoking the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulations Act, 1983.
- The Madras High Court upheld the ban in 2018 and 2021 and ever since the fishermen had been demanding to ease the restrictions.
- The Union government has placed no restrictions on this method of fishing.
What is purse seine fishing?
- A purse seine is made of a long wall of netting framed with floating and leadline and having purse rings hanging from the lower edge of the gear, through which runs a purse line made from steel wire or rope which allows the pursing of the net.
- It is used in the open ocean to target dense schools of single-species pelagic (midwater) fish.
- Purse-seine fishing in open water is generally considered to be an efficient form of fishing. It has no contact with the seabed and can have low levels of bycatch (accidental catch of unwanted species).
- Purse seines can also be used to catch fish congregating around fish aggregating devices. This fishing method can result in higher levels of bycatch.
Image Source: afma.gov
Present status of purse seine fishing:
- It is prohibited by Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Odisha, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands in their respective territorial waters of up to 12 nautical miles.
- Maharashtra has issued certain orders for the regulation of purse seine fishing in its territorial waters.
- States like Gujarat, Andhra, Goa, Karnataka, and West Bengal have not imposed any such ban on purse seine fishing.
- The Union government had recommended the lifting of the ban on purse seine fishing in a report submitted by an expert committee in November 2022.
- The expert panel had refused to accept that purse seine fishing caused “serious resource depletion”.
- It had recommended purse-seiners to fish territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) subject to certain conditions.
- The committee has also suggested the framing of a national management plan on purse seine fisheries.
Conditions placed by the Supreme Court:
- Only registered fishing vessels, that is fishing vessels registered under Section 11 of the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act, 1972 and registered with the state government under rules and regulations currently in force in Tamil Nadu will be given permission to do such fishing.
- Permission is given to only those boats where an approved Vessel Tracking System (VTS) has been installed and which shall be kept running during the operating time of the vessels.
- These vessels will be allowed to operate only twice a week, i.e., on Mondays and Thursdays.
- All other restrictions of the non-fishing period will apply to them as applicable to all other fishing activities.
- The vessels shall leave the coastline on or after 8 AM and shall return to the designated place positively by 6 PM the same day.
- Mandatory for all sailors to keep their biometric card/photo ID with them. It will be compulsory for them to provide the VTS code to the Fisheries Department, Marine Police, Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.
- The Fisheries Department of the state shall also give a colour code to these Purse Seine Fishing Boats.
Implications of recent court order on deep sea fish conservation:
- One of the primary ecological arguments against purse seine nets is that they tend to draw only the targeted fish but also at-risk varieties, including turtles.
- This could also be a potential ground for a trade embargo.
- Purse seiners tend to overfish and it is used by affluent and rich fishermen or big fishing companies, as this technology is costly and is beyond the reach of ordinary fishermen. The vast majority of fishermen who are traditionally engaged in fishing for their livelihood cannot afford this technology and depend on traditional methods of fishing.
- Moreover, the uncontrolled use of purse seine nets triggers intense clashes between the fishermen from different coastal villages.
- In some States, this technique is linked to concerns about the decreasing stock of small, pelagic shoaling fish such as sardines, mackerel, anchovies and trevally on the western coasts.
- Merely restricting the purse seiner to fish on two days is not sufficient without regulating the fishing methods used.
- The most recent court ruling appears to disregard the conservation measures and duties that a coastal state is required to take in its EEZ by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- Under Articles 56.1(a) and 56.1(b)(iii) of UNCLOS, coastal states have sovereign rights to ensure that the living and non-living resources of the EEZ are used, conserved and managed, and not subject to overexploitation.
- The recent ruling is also against certain obligations arising from the multilateral and regional conventions which are meant to bring in sustainable fishing practices over a certain period of time, thereby allowing a common resource such as fish to be naturally replenished.
- There are several regional organizations that either prohibit the use of large drift nets or at least call for their prohibition, such as the 1989 Tarawa Declaration of the South Pacific Forum.
- The 1989 Convention for the Prohibition of Fishing with Long Drift Nets in the South Pacific also restricted port access for drift net fishing vessels.
Nut Graf: In a relief to fishermen of Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court conditionally allowed Purse Seine Fishing beyond the territorial waters of the state but within the exclusive economic zone. Uncontrolled fishing using purse seine nets could have several negative consequences on deep-sea fish conservation efforts.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Snow Leopard
Syllabus: GS-3; Ecology and Environment; Biodiversity
Mains: About Snow Leopard
Context
A Snow Leopard was recently sighted for the first time at a height of about 11,120 feet in the Darma valley in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
Snow Leopard
Image Source: Research Gate
- Snow Leopard, classified as Panthera uncia, is a large long-haired Asian cat belonging to the family Felidae.
- The Snow Leopard is known to inhabit the mountains of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
- Snow Leopards are known to have evolved to survive in some of the harshest conditions on Earth.
- Their thick white-gray coat spotted with large black rosettes not just protects them from the cold but also makes them almost invisible in their surroundings providing natural camouflage.
- Snow Leopards are often termed “ghosts of the mountains”.
- IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable
- WPA, 1972 Schedule: Schedule I Protection
Read more about – Snow Leopard
G. Tidbits
1. Now, no age bar to register for cadaver organ transplant
Image Source: The Hindu
- The Union Health Ministry has announced a major change in the organ donation policy of India.
- The clause that people aged over 65 years could not receive cadaver organ transplants has now been removed.
- The government has decided to remove such a clause from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) guidelines because it violates the right to life of individuals.
- Further, an organ recipient was also required to register for a transplant only in the domicile State which the Gujarat High Court had quashed saying that such a policy was discriminatory in nature.
- In line with the High Court judgment, the Union government has removed this clause and now a patient irrespective of domicile State can register in any other State for a transplant.
- Additionally, certain States like Kerala and Maharashtra have been charging registration fees for patients and the Union government has now asked the States to not charge any registration fees from patients.
- A chapter would also be included in the school curriculum which discusses key aspects of organ donation and provides awareness about the same.
- As per the data available with the Union Health Ministry, the number of organ transplants has increased by close to three times to 15,561 in 2022 as compared to 4,990 in 2013.
For more information – National Organ and Tissue Transplant Programme (NOTP)
2. India accounts for 52% of world’s new leprosy patients
- The Union Health Ministry has formulated the National Strategic Plan and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023-2027 for achieving zero cases of leprosy infection by 2030.
- Leprosy is a chronic bacterial infection, which affects the skin, nerves, lungs and eyes.
- According to the Union Health Minister, despite India being declared “Leprosy Eliminated” in 2005, the country still accounts for about 52% of the world’s new leprosy patients.
- It is noted that earlier gains made in the leprosy programme in India were reversed during the COVID-19 pandemic as case detection dropped significantly and the decline in detection has led to an increase in patients with grade 2 disabilities.
- States such as Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu have either one or more districts (total 82 districts) which are yet to achieve leprosy elimination target and account for over 90% of cases in the country.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements: (Level – Difficult)
- The statutory public corporations, or government companies registered under the Companies Act, are regarded as instrumentalities of the State. Employees of such bodies are regarded as employees of the government.
- Employees of an employer who come within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution are government servants.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, A public enterprise incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, 1956 is called a government company. These companies are owned and managed by the central or the state government.
- Statutory Corporations formed under a statute of the Legislature such as Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) are not considered a “company” under the Companies Act, 1956.
- These corporations are incorporated under separate Acts of the Parliament.
- Further, the employees of a Government Company are not the employees of the Central or the State Government.
- Statement 2 is not correct, The statutory bodies are authorities within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution though their employees are not the servants of the Union or of a State.
Q2. 'Twin deficit' often seen in news is related to: (Level – Easy)
- Revenue and Effective Revenue Deficit
- Fiscal and Current Account deficit
- Primary and Fiscal Deficit
- Revenue and Fiscal Deficit
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- A twin deficit refers to a situation when an economy suffers from both Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit.
Q3. With respect to KAVACH, which of the following statements is/are correct? (Level – Moderate)
- KAVACH is a national-level hackathon to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions for addressing cyber security and cybercrime challenges.
- AICTE and BPRD jointly launched the event, during which youth from educational institutions across the country and registered start-ups will participate.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, KAVACH-2023 is a national-level hackathon launched to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions for addressing the cybersecurity and cybercrime challenges of the 21st century.
- Statement 2 is correct, KAVACH-2023 is jointly launched by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) during which youth from educational institutions across the country and registered start-ups will participate to find effective technological solutions for cyber security.
Q4. Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to Nilgai? (Level – Moderate)
- It is categorized as Least Concerned on the IUCN Red List.
- Nilgai is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- Nilgai is the state animal of Delhi.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, Nilgai is categorized as Least Concerned on the IUCN Red List.
- Statement 2 is not correct, Nilgai is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- Statement 3 is correct, Nilgai is the state animal of Delhi.
Q5. Which one of the following is not a digestive enzyme in the human system? (Level – Difficult) PYQ (2007)
- Trypsin
- Gastrin
- Ptyalin
- Pepsin
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Gastrin is a peptide hormone released by parietal cells in the pyloric end of the stomach. These induce the secretion of HCL in the stomach. HCL kills microbes from food material.
- Trypsin is an enzyme that aids digestion.
- Trypsin is an enzyme in the first section of the small intestine that starts the digestion of protein molecules.
- Ptyalin is a kind of amylase enzyme that is secreted by the salivary glands in the buccal cavity.
- It begins the digestion process and breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars.
- Pepsin is a stomach enzyme that serves to digest proteins found in ingested food.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- India witnesses much lesser organ donations than the required numbers. Suggest measures to overcome this gap. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-2, Health)
- Despite the government’s several initiatives, the number of leprosy cases in India isn’t seeing a sharp decline. Elaborate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-2, Health)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 17 Feb 2023:- Download PDF Here
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