07 Jan 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

7 Jan 2021 CNA:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
HEALTH
1. China denies entry to WHO experts
POLITY
1. SC to study anti-conversion laws of Uttarakhand and U.P.
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. China surging ahead, says NITI Aayog.
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Boosting India with maritime domain awareness
2. The quagmire that is Brexit
F. Prelims Facts
G. Tidbits
1. Foundation stone laid for ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Nothing here for today!!!

Category: HEALTH

1. China denies entry to WHO experts

Context:

Details:

  • The WHO team was scheduled to reach Wuhan and investigate the origin and transmission of the virus.
  • China’s decision to deny permit at the eleventh hour has not gone down well with the global body.

WHO response

  • WHO Director-General has expressed his disappointment with the conduct of China.
  • WHO has underlined the importance of the mission and how important it is to conduct an investigation by the global body.
  • Several observes termed this Chinese move as a betrayal considering how the WHO had guarded China during rising tensions about China’s involvement in the spread of the pandemic.
  • The WHO chief had earlier said good words about how China had responded to the outbreak, praised the Chinese leadership for their efforts and commitment. Thus, this move by China has come as a surprise to the WHO.

China’s views

  • China stood by its decision to delay the visit; Chinese Government sources said that tracing of the origin of the virus is no simple task.
  • China hid behind the excuse that they had to undertake certain procedures and make certain arrangements that would ensure that the work of the international expert team in China is done without hiccups.
  • China in recent months has been playing a different tune. The authorities have suggested they will have superintendence over the extent of access given to the international experts and the local scientists have gone on to say that the studies pertaining to the origin of the virus will have to go under critical examination by them before it is made public or taken up for further studies.
  • The State media in China has increasingly backed a narrative suggesting the virus came to China from elsewhere, while some scientists in China have put forth studies indicating that the virus was circulating in other countries, such as Italy, before it made its presence felt in China.

Conclusion:

  • China’s withdrawal of its support will not only hinder an investigation by WHO but will also tarnish the image of China.
  • There have been countries that have been training their guns on China and blaming China for all the hardship faced due to the global lockdown. Thus, China has the responsibility to come out clean by allowing an impartial, objective investigation with regards to the virus’ origin and its transmissibility.

Category: POLITY

1. SC to study anti-conversion laws of Uttarakhand and U.P.

Context:

  • The Supreme Court without issuing a stay has agreed to examine the constitutional validity of laws enacted by certain States that appear to infringe upon a person’s right to marry a person of choice.

Details

  • Several states such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have passed legislations that criminalise religious conversion via marriage and mandate prior official clearance before marrying into another faith, while a few other states have hinted at coming up with such legislations in the near future.
  • The implementation of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, has resulted in the disruption of inter-faith marriages.

Draconian law

  • The state legislations have been criticized by several legal experts for they undermine human dignity and autonomy.
  • The prospect of taking prior permission and the responsibility to carry the burden of proof stating that they were not marrying to convert hasn’t gone down well with legal experts and the civil society.
  • The guilty under these laws will have to serve a 10-year prison sentence. The offences are non-bailable.
  • However, the Bench, which asked the petitioners to go to the respective State High Courts with their challenge, did not stay the implementation of the laws.
  • The laws concerned blatantly violate the fundamental rights of dignity and liberty enshrined under Article 21 in Part three of the Constitution.
  • The state governments have gone ahead in enacting such laws even when the Supreme Court through its series of judgments, including in the Hadiya case, had underlined that the right to marry a person of one’s choice was part of an adult’s privacy.

Conclusion

  • A series of Supreme Court verdicts underline that the choice of a life partner, whether by marriage or outside it, was part of an individual’s “personhood and identity”.

Read previous CNA here.

7 Jan 2021 CNA:- Download PDF Here

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