CNA 12 Jan 2023:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related C. GS 3 Related DISASTER MANAGEMENT 1. Why is the land sinking in Joshimath? D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials SOCIAL JUSTICE 1. Child Mortality and Stillbirths INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. China and Taliban F. Prelims Facts 1. Indian Skimmer 2. White tufted royal butterfly G. Tidbits 1. Office of Registrar-General of India following ‘obsolete’ criteria to define Scheduled Tribes 2. U.K., Japan ink defence pact allowing troop deployments H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
C. GS 3 Related
1. Why is the land sinking in Joshimath?
Syllabus: Disaster and disaster management
Prelims: Land subsidence
Mains: Land subsidence in Joshimath – causes, impact, consequences and possible solutions
Context: A few houses in Joshimath town in Uttarakhand started developing cracks in October 2021 and by January 2023, over 700 houses have developed major or minor cracks with over 145 families being moved to safer locations temporarily for safety purposes.
Joshimath
Image Source: Times of India
- Joshimath is located at a height of 6,107 feet in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
- The town has a population of around 23,000 but despite low population, the town has been heavily built-on, with hotels, resorts, and markets as the town hosts several tourists, trekkers and personnel of the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
- Post the Sino-Indian war of 1962, Joshimath has emerged as a strategically significant location because the town leads to various villages along the India-China border.
- Joshimath is also en route to Barahoti which is a disputed territory along the border.
- Joshimath also acts as a gateway to prominent pilgrimage sites and tourist destinations in Uttarakhand such as Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, the international skiing site of Auli, and the Valley of Flowers which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- The instances of land subsidence were first observed in October 2021 near the Chhawani Bazar locality and now the cracks have appeared across the town.
- The situation aggravated towards the beginning of 2023, as various parts of the town witnessed sudden land-sinking and major cracks in houses.
Land subsidence
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Vulnerability of Joshimath
- The Joshimath town lies between two thrusts namely the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the Vaikrita Thrust (VT) and because of the MCT, the area around Joshimath is a seismically active terrain with respect to slope mobility.
- The Joshimath town has also been constructed on the deposits of an old landslide, thus the slopes can be destabilised even due to slight triggers.
- Further, Joshimath town is also categorized under Zone V of India’s seismic zonation scheme, indicating the highest level of risk.
- Additionally, Joshimath experiences extreme weather conditions and the region receives high-intensity, focused rainfall which can result in frequent landslides.
- According to a report released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) in September 2022 the floods that occurred in June 2013 and February 2021 have increased erosion in the Joshimath area. Also, heavy rainfall in October 2021 has aggravated the issue of subsidence and vulnerability to landslides.
Key causes of land subsidence in Joshimath
- Role of the NTPC: The local residents of Joshimath claim that the construction works of the National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) 520-MW Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project have worsened land subsidence in the region.
- In December 2009, a tunnel boring machine punctured an aquifer in an area close to Joshimath and the puncture according to researchers released about 700-800 litres of water per second, which was sufficient enough to meet the requirements of about two million people every day.
- Local residents allege that the water resources in the region started to dry up post the incident. However, there is no scientific evidence which establishes links between the puncture and the land subsidence in the region.
- Char Dham project works: The construction works of the Helang-Marwari bypass by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which is a part of the Char Dham project have also come under scrutiny for destabilising the local topography.
- Geologists have pointed out unscientific slope-cutting as a part of the project works and have said that the heavy construction works are weakening the foundations of Joshimath town.
- Lack of drainage and wastewater disposal systems: According to the 2022 report of Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), the lack of drainage and wastewater disposal systems has also contributed to the problem of land subsidence.
- Experts highlight the fact that around 85% of buildings in the town including those of the Army are not connected to a sewerage system and have soak pits instead.
- The Mishra committee report of 1976 had said that the existence of soak pits could give rise to cavities between soil and boulders and the inadequate drainage systems can result in landslides and land subsidence.
To know more about the Joshimath issue, watch the following video on our Youtube channel:
Interventions by the government
- After experiencing land subsidence decades ago, the then State government (Uttarakhand was then a part of Uttar Pradesh) set up a committee headed by M.C. Mishra to study the causes.
- The Mishra committee report of 1976 had warned against heavy and unscientific construction in the town
- The report also said that the vibrations caused due to blasting and heavy traffic would also lead to disequilibrium in natural factors.
- The Union Earth Sciences Minister announced the establishment of multiple micro-seismic observatory systems in the Joshimath region.
- These observatory systems would study and gather information on whether the area had been suffering from small earthquakes and tremors.
- This is the first instance that micro-seismic observatories are being installed in the Himalayan region of India.
- Further, the Earth Sciences Minister in the recently held India-UK Workshop of Geosciences in New Delhi said that extended research would be undertaken on the physical processes that caused the failure of the brittle layers beneath the crust and sub-crust.
- The Uttarakhand government announced an interim relief of ₹45 crores which accounts for ₹1.5 lakhs for each of the 3,000 families living in Joshimath.
- The state government is also looking to rehabilitate people in such a way that will become an example in the country.
Nut graf: The geological location of Joshimath coupled with the unplanned and rampant constructional works in the town have led to severe land subsidence in the region. The scientific understanding of the processes behind such disasters has become critical to avert such disasters.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
1. Child Mortality and Stillbirths
Syllabus: Issues Relating to Children
Mains: Reasons behind the persistence of high child mortality in India
Context: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) recently released reports on Child Mortality and Stillbirths.
Highlights of the report:
- In 2021, approximately 2.3 million children died during the first month of life – or about 6,400 babies every day.
- These deaths constituted nearly 47 per cent of the 5 million under-five deaths in 2021.
- An estimated 2.1 million children, adolescents and youth aged 5–24 years died in 2021.
- Over half of these deaths occur among adolescents and youth aged 15–24 years.
- More than 80 per cent of under-five deaths and about 70 per cent of all deaths among 5–24-year-olds occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.
- Globally, the under-five mortality rate was 38 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, the rate was 74 deaths per 1,000 live births. Children and youth older than 5 years old also face the highest probability of dying in sub-Saharan Africa.
- In low-income countries, the 2021 under-five mortality rate was 67 deaths per 1,000 live births, versus just 5 deaths per 1,000 live births in high-income countries.
- The under-five mortality rate in the 37 countries classified as fragile and conflict-affected situations was triple the rate in all other countries.
Image Source: UN-IGME-Child-Mortality-Report
Child Mortality in India:
- As per the above UN report, India’s share in these child mortalities was estimated at 7,09,366 under-five deaths; 5,86,787 infant deaths (death before first birthday); and 4,41,801 neonatal deaths.
- The Sample Registration System (SRS), released in September 2022, showed wide inter-State variations in child mortality in India.
- For every 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh was six-fold the rate in Kerala.
- Children in rural areas in any age subgroup have much higher mortality rates than their urban areas.
Reasons behind these deaths:
- Preterm births: The first challenge is children being ‘born too early’ (preterm births), which means they are born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
- ‘Preterm babies’ are two to four times at higher risk of death after birth in comparison to those born after 37 weeks of gestation. Globally, one in every 10 births is preterm.
- In India, one in every six to seven births is preterm. India has a high burden of preterm births.
- Studies have shown that preterm births contribute to one in every six under-five child deaths. However, three out of every four deaths due to preterm birth-related complications are preventable.
- Stillbirths: A baby who dies any time after 22 weeks of pregnancy, but before or during the birth, is classified as a stillborn.
- Globally, an estimated 1.9 million stillbirths happened in 2021.
- In 2021, the absolute estimated number of stillbirths in India (2,86,482) was greater than the death amongst children in 1-59 months of age (2,67,565).
- One of the reasons preterm births and stillbirths do not get due attention is the lack of granular and reliable data. Over decades, while countries have strengthened the mechanisms for tracking child mortality, the data on stillbirths and preterm births are scarce.
- Even at the global level, the first-ever report on stillbirths was released only in October 2020. Experts believe that the problem is the lack of timely, granular data on stillbirths from the block, district and State levels.
- Lack of basic rights: Children are deprived of their basic right to quality health care, vaccinations, proper food and clean water and sanitation. Too many children continue to die because efforts to address preventable communicable and infectious diseases remain inadequate.
- Conflict and emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic also continue to threaten the survival of children.
Way Forward:
- The proposed SDG target for child mortality aims to end, by 2030, preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 deaths per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Quality data is vital to monitoring the survival of children.
- Investing in data collection mechanisms and systems, particularly in conflict-affected situations is an essential component of realising children’s rights and achieving the SDGs.
- For reducing both stillbirths and preterm births, the focus must be on: increasing access to family planning services; improving antepartum services such as health and nutrition, including the intake of iron folic acid by pregnant mothers, providing counselling on the importance of a healthy diet, and optimal nutrition; and identification and management of risk factors.
- The measures to prevent, detect early and manage diseases which put mothers at high risk, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and infections, will also help in reducing preterm births and stillbirths.
- Monitoring labour and functional referral linkages and improving the quality of healthcare services will prevent stillbirths.
- The maternal and perinatal deaths surveillance guidelines need to be effectively implemented and the International Classification of Diseases’ definition for perinatal mortality must be adopted.
- India should also identify the hot spot clusters of stillbirths and preterm births for local and targeted interventions.
- The Union government shall focus on reaching the target set by the National Health Policy of 2017 of investing 2.5% of the GDP on health by 2025.
Nut Graf: Children around the world face vastly different chances of survival. The rates and number of both preterm births and stillbirths are unacceptably high which increases neonatal, infant and child mortalities in India. Focused measures are needed to ensure the survival of the most vulnerable children, and adolescents to end preventable deaths and to deliver the promise of a healthy adulthood.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Syllabus: Effect of Policies & Politics of Developed & Developing Countries on India’s Interests
Mains: Progress of Taliban rule in Afghanistan
Context: Taliban signs first international deal with China for major foreign investment in Afghanistan.
Introduction:
- The Taliban-led administration has signed its first international deal with a Chinese company to extract oil from northern Afghanistan’s Amu Darya basin, marking the government’s first major foreign investment deal.
- The Amu-Darya basin (‘darya’ is the Persian word for river) is a petroleum-rich region covering parts of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Iran.
- The 25-year, $540 million contract was signed with the Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co (CAPEIC).
- The contract is the first major foreign investment deal since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
China’s aims and challenges:
- China has not formally recognised the Taliban administration but it has vowed to support and work with the Islamist rulers on the economic development of Afghanistan.
- China has significant interests in Afghanistan as it is at the centre of a region important for its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
- Therefore, China wants to keep Afghanistan and Central Asia out of the reach of Western countries.
- The U.S. has limited policy options in this region given that it will not engage with the Taliban, has tense relations with China, and has sanctioned Russia.
- The primary security concern of China is potential threats from the relatively small East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group that seeks to liberate Xinjiang Province and the Uyghur people from Chinese government control and impose Islamic rule.
- China has pushed the Taliban to act against these Uyghur-led militant groups operating inside Afghan territory.
- China also aims to protect its current investments and citizens that are working in Afghanistan.
- Attacks on Chinese workers in the recent past have heightened Beijing’s concerns about possible terrorist attacks against Chinese nationals in Afghanistan.
Read more on India-Afghanistan Relations.
Taliban’s Interest:
- Afghanistan is experiencing severe economic hardship. A prolonged economic depression will challenge the authority of the current regime.
- As funding from the United States and Europe has dried up, one of the few economic prospects Afghanistan has in the near future is Chinese investment and support.
- 80% of the budget support of the previous government in Afghanistan came from foreign aid. Foreign support accounted for 40% of the country’s gross domestic product.
- According to the Special Inspector General of Afghanistan Reconstruction, in April 2022, 24 million Afghanistan residents were in dire need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, up from 18.4 million in 2021.
- The Taliban is also aiming to establish a successful Islamic Emirate which needs a functional economy to fund the state and individual factions within the umbrella of the Taliban movement.
- Afghanistan has small and medium-sized mineral fields, most of which remain unexplored. Implementation of the pending projects supported by Chinese investments in related infrastructure will greatly help Afghanistan’s economy.
- At the time, up to 87 million barrels of crude were estimated to be in Amu Darya.
- A Chinese state-owned company is also in talks with the Taliban-led administration over the operation of a copper mine in eastern Logar province.
Read more on India-China Relations.
Nut Graf: Taliban administration recently signed a deal with China for major foreign investment in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s ability to deliver on security promises could determine the future of Afghanistan-China cooperation. But having a foreign power such as China with much sway over domestic matters is always risky for the Taliban.
F. Prelims Facts
Syllabus: GS-3; Environment and Ecology; Biodiversity
Prelims: Indian Skimmer
Context: According to wildlife experts, the Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become a prime and safe habitat for the Indian Skimmer.
Indian Skimmer
Image Source: The Hindu
- The Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) belongs to the family of skimmers, Rynchopidae.
- The Skimmer species were once distributed across the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
- However, much of the Indian Skimmer population is now limited to India and Pakistan.
- In India, the birds belonging to this species of Skimmer are found in the coastal estuaries of western and eastern India.
- The Indian Skimmers can grow up to a length of 40-43 cm and are characterised by black upper parts, white forehead, and a long, thick, bright orange bill.
- This species prefers slow-moving rivers with sandbars, on which they form noisy colonies.
- IUCN Status: Endangered
2. White tufted royal butterfly
Syllabus: GS-3; Environment and Ecology; Biodiversity
Prelims: White tufted royal butterfly
Context: Researchers have found white tufted royal butterfly at Kalliyad in Kannur.
White tufted royal butterfly
Image Source: The Hindu
- White tufted royal butterfly is a rare butterfly species.
- Two subspecies of the lycaenid, White Tufted Royal Pratapa deva are seen in India.
- Pratapa deva deva Moore [1858] is seen in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
- Pratapa deva lila Moore [1888] is known to occur from Uttarakhand, Eastern Himalaya, northeastern India, Myanmar, and Thailand.
- The wingspan of the butterfly is just 32-40 mm.
- The larvae of the butterfly are known to feed on Scurrula parasitica which is a parasitic shrub belonging to the Loranthaceae family.
- Members of this genus of butterflies are known to use plant species of the family Loranthaceae as their larval host plants.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 status: Schedule II protection. Know more about the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in the link.
G. Tidbits
1. Office of Registrar-General of India following ‘obsolete’ criteria to define Scheduled Tribes
- According to reports, the Office of the Registrar-General of India (RGI) is following the set of criteria put in place by the Lokur Committee Report about 60 years ago to define any new communities as Scheduled Tribes (STs).
- As per the existing procedures, approval by the Office of the RGI is compulsory for the inclusion of any community on ST lists.
- The criteria set out by the Lokur Committee Report for defining a community as an ST tribe include:
- Indications of primitive traits
- Distinctive culture
- Geographical isolation
- Shyness of contact with the community at large
- Backwardness.
- According to a task force on Scheduling of Tribes, set up under the leadership of the then Tribal Affairs Secretary in February 2014, the criteria put in place by the Lokur Committee “may have become obsolete considering the process of transition and acculturation”.
- The task force also noted that terms like “primitive and the requirement of primitivity to be a characteristic of ST indicates a condescending attitude by outsiders” as what outsiders consider primitive may not be considered by the tribals themselves.
- The task force recommended changes to the criteria and the Tribal Affairs Ministry in June 2014 came up with a draft Cabinet note which proposed new criteria which include:
- Socio-economic, including educational, backwardness, vis-a-vis, the rest of the population of the State
- Historical geographical isolation which may or may not exist today
- Distinct language/dialect
- Presence of a core culture relating to life-cycle, marriage, songs, dance, paintings, folklore
- Endogamy, or in case of exogamy, marital relationship primarily with other STs (This criterion is for scheduling of a community as ST and not for determining ST status of an individual)
- The draft Cabinet note also proposed, “Communities which have adopted a ‘Hindu’ way of life will not be ineligible merely on this ground.”
2. U.K., Japan ink defence pact allowing troop deployments
- In line with Britain’s “tilt towards the Indo-Pacific” policy, the U.K. and Japan have signed a defence agreement, which will allow the deployment of troops in each other’s countries and increase security cooperation.
- According to the Prime Minister of Britain, the Reciprocal Access Agreement would be significant for both nations as it cements commitment to the Indo-Pacific and underlines joint efforts to bolster economic security, enhance defence cooperation and provide momentum to innovations that create skilled jobs.
- The new pact is regarded as the most significant treaty between the two countries since the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Alliance in 1902.
- The agreement is expected to help both countries to design and deliver larger scale, complex military exercises and deployments.
- More recently, Japan’s F-X fighter jet program was merged with the U.K. and Italy’s “Tempest program” to create the “Global Combat Air Programme”.
- Further, in recent times, the U.K. and Japan had also launched a digital partnership aimed at bolstering cooperation in semiconductors, cyber resilience and online safety.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Article 10 and Article 11 of the Constitution of India deal with:(Level-Moderate)
- Rights of citizenship of a certain person who has migrated to India from Pakistan.
- Continuance of rights of citizenship.
- Parliament to regulate the right of citizenship by law.
- Right to property
Choose the correct option:
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3 only
- 2 and 4 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Article 6 deals with the Rights of Citizenship of individuals who have migrated to India from the territory now included in Pakistan.
- Statement 2 is correct, As per Article 10: Any person who is considered a citizen of India under any of the provisions of this Part shall continue to be citizens and will also be subject to any law made by the Parliament.
- Statement 3 is correct, According to Article 11: The Parliament has the right to make any provision concerning the acquisition and termination of citizenship and any other matter relating to citizenship.
- Statement 4 is not correct, The right to property ceased to be a Fundamental Right by the 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978.
- However, it continues to be a human right in a welfare state, and a constitutional right under Article 300 A of the Constitution.
- Article 300 A provides that no person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law.
Q2. In which of the following wildlife sanctuaries are you most likely to spot the Indian Skimmer? (Level - Moderate)
- Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary
- Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Ghatigaon Wildlife Sanctuary
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Indian Skimmers were once distributed across the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
- However, much of the Indian Skimmer population is now limited to India and Pakistan.
- In India, the birds belonging to this species of Skimmer are found in the coastal estuaries of western and eastern India.
- According to wildlife experts, the Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become a prime and safe habitat for the Indian Skimmer. Recently, Indian Skimmers were sighted in the southern part of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to Beypore Uru: (Level-Difficult)
- It is a handcrafted wooden boat made in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- Khalasis and Odayis are engaged in constructing Beypore Uru.
- This traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication (GI).
Which of the given statements is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 2 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Beypore Uru is a wooden ship/sailing boat/sailing vessel handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala.
- Statement 2 is correct, According to records, various communities are traditionally associated with Uru-making. However, Odayis and Khalasis are prominent communities associated with Uru-making.
- Statement 3 is not correct, The District Tourism Promotion Council of Kozhikode has applied recently for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Beypore Uru.
Q4. Who among the following referred to Swami Vivekananda as the ‘Maker of Modern India’? (Level - Moderate)
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
- Rabindranath Tagore
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had called Vivekananda the “maker of modern India.”
- In order to honour Swami Vivekananda, the Government of India in 1984 declared his birthday (January 12th) as National Youth Day.
Q5. The term ‘Domestic Content Requirement’ is sometimes seen in the news with reference to (PYQ-2017)
- Developing solar power production in our country
- Granting licenses to foreign T.V. channels in our country
- Exporting our food products to other countries
- Permitting foreign educational institutions to set up their campuses in our country
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Domestic content requirement (DCR) mandates the use of solar cells and modules manufactured domestically as per specifications and testing requirements fixed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
- The domestic content requirement (DCR) category, which requires solar projects in India to utilize domestically manufactured solar modules and cells, was instituted with the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Evolving the criteria for the identification of Scheduled Tribes would go a long way in ensuring that only the deserving individuals get government benefits. Comment. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-2; Social Justice)
- The sinking of Joshimath is yet another reminder that economic development often comes at a cost too heavy to bear. Elaborate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-3; Disaster Management)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 12 Jan 2023:- Download PDF Here
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