24 Jan 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. A proposal for Indian Environmental Service
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ECONOMY
1. A chance to Support Growth, Fiscal consolidation
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. A stellar fallacy
F. Prelims Facts
1. Gujarat to depict British massacre of tribals
2. ‘Statue of Equality’ gets final touches
G. Tidbits
1. Elephant corridors to be restored in south Bengal
2. Framing policies is the domain of govt. and not courts: Delhi HC
3. Cost overruns
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

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. A proposal for Indian Environmental Service

Syllabus: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment

Prelims: Environmental impact assessment

Mains: Recommendations of T.S.R. Subramanian committee on environmental regulation in India

Context:

• The Supreme Court while hearing a petition calling for the creation of an all India service for the environmental sector has asked the Government if it will create an Indian Environmental Service (IES) as recommended by a committee headed by former Cabinet secretary T.S.R Subramanian in 2014.

T.S.R. Subramanian Report on environment:

• The Subramanian committee was set up in August 2014 to review the existing environmental laws and the procedures followed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The committee suggested several amendments to existing laws and regulations, including those relating to environment, forest, wildlife and coastal zone clearances and even existing institutional structures related to environmental regulation.

Recommendations:

Institutional framework:

• The committee proposed an ‘Environmental Laws (Management) Act’ under which two expert bodies, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and State Environmental Management Authority (SEMA) would be set up at the Central and State levels to provide for environmental clearances for proposed projects in a time bound manner. This would provide for single-window clearance and thus help streamline the environmental regulation process in the country.
• These bodies would acquire the required expertise and incorporate appropriate technology in their functioning.
• The committee also suggested an appellate mechanism against the decisions of NEMA or SEMA, prescribing a three-month deadline to dispose of such appeals.
• The existing Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards are to be integrated into NEMA and SEMA.

Consolidating environmental laws:

• The committee recommended that the Air Act and the Water Act be subsumed within the Environment Protection Act.

Fast tracking important projects:

• The committee recommended a fast track procedure for linear projects (roads, railways and transmission lines), power and mining projects and for projects of national importance. This is meant to accelerate the environmental decision-making process in such critical projects.

National Environment Research institute:

• The committee recommended the setting up of a National Environment Research institute to mainstream the application of high-end technology in environment governance.

Indian Environment Service:

• The committee recommended an Indian Environment Service to recruit qualified and skilled human resources in the environment sector.
• This would help towards development of special expertise in the environmental domain.

• Currently matters of environmental regulation rests on scientists of the Ministry of Environment and Forests as well as bureaucrats from the Indian Administrative Services.

Environmental reconstruction cost:

• The committee recommended the imposition of an environmental reconstruction cost on each project on the basis of the damage caused by it to the environment.
• This amount has to be recovered as a cess or duty from the project proponent during the life of the project. The amount collected could be used for environmental conservation efforts.

Status of the committee recommendations:

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee rejected the report on the grounds that it diluted key aspects of environmental legislation designed to protect the environment.
• Although the Union government never formally accepted the T.S.R Subramanian committee report, many of the committee recommendations have been implicitly making their way into the process of environmental regulation in India.
  • The government has proposed certain amendments to the Forest Conservation laws.
  • The government has set timelines to undertake environmental appraisal of infrastructure projects.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category: ECONOMY

1. A chance to Support Growth, Fiscal consolidation

Syllabus: Indian Economy and Issues relating to planning

Prelims: – Basic determinants of  economic growth; 

Mains:- Need for Fiscal consolidation in India;

Context: – This article examines the basic determinants of economic growth for 2022-2023 and stresses the need for Fiscal Consolidation.

National Statistical Office (NSO) Growth Estimates: –

• The National Statistical Office (NSO) released the first advance national accounts estimates for 2021-22.
• India’s real GDP growth in 2021-22 is estimated at 9.2%. It is 30 basis points lower than the projection by the Reserve Bank of India and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projection of 9.5%.

Basic Determinants of Economic Growth for 2022-23:

Determinant of Growth	Analysis of 2021-22	Prospects for Economic Growth 2022-23
Capacity utilization	Capacity utilization ratio was only 61.7% in the preceding four quarters of 2021-22.	Capacity utilization in India continues to show considerable slack.
Gross Fixed capital formation (GFCF)	The gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) relative to GDP at current prices stands at 29.6% in 2021-22.	Meeting the GFCF target could be challenging given that private sector investment is still weak due to continued uncertainty over the pandemic.
Private final consumption expenditure (PFCE)	PFCE shows a low growth of 6.9% in 2021-22.	PFCE is estimated to drop by 2.9% from the pre-pandemic level, even though growth in FY22 had remained below par.
Real-GDP growth	India’s GDP will grow at 9.2 per cent in the financial year 2021-22 (FY22) as against a contraction of 7.3 per cent in the previous financial year.	Growth in 2022-23 could continue to be constrained by supply-side bottlenecks and high prices of global crude and primary products. It may thus be prudent to expect a real GDP growth in the range of 6%-7%.
Nominal GDP Growth	Implicit price deflator (IPD)-based inflation  was as high as 7.7% in 2021-22.	The nominal GDP is estimated to be higher by almost 4.2% from the budget estimate for FY22.
Fiscal Deficit	The annual growth in the Center’s GTR may be close to 35%, implying a buoyancy of nearly 2. With these buoyant tax revenues, the Government may be able to limit the 2021-22 fiscal deficit to its budgeted level of 6.8% of GDP.	ICRA estimates the GoI’s fiscal deficit at 5.8 percent of the GDP in FY23.

Other Determinants: –

• Corporate income tax (CIT) reform: The major corporate income tax (CIT) reform undertaken in 2019-20 had provided a concessional CIT rate of 15% for fresh investment in manufacturing by domestic companies provided their production took off on or before March 31, 2023.
• GST Compensation: – The GST compensation provision would also come to an end in June 2022. This would cause a major revenue shock at least for some States such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Fiscal Consolidation: –

1. What is Fiscal Consolidation?

• Fiscal consolidation is a process in which the government’s fiscal health improves, as evidenced by a smaller fiscal deficit.
• As the fiscal deficit falls below a tolerable level, improved tax revenue realization and better directed expenditure are key components of fiscal consolidation.
• Know more About Fiscal Consolidation

2. Finance Commission Recommendations on Fiscal Consolidation

• The Fifteenth Finance Commission had suggested a fiscal consolidation path where the Center’s fiscal deficit was benchmarked at 5.5% of GDP for 2022-23. In their pessimistic scenario, it was kept at 6% of GDP.

3. Why Fiscal Consolidation is important?

• In India, the fiscal deficit is the most important indicator of the government’s financial health.
• The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act gives the targets for fiscal consolidation in India.
• It would be appropriate in current economic conditions to consider a graduated return to fiscal consolidation while using fiscal policy to lay the base for faster growth in the years to come.

4. How Fiscal Consolidation can be achieved?

• A high-powered inter-governmental group should be constituted to re-examine the sustainability parameters of debt and fiscal deficit of the central and State governments.
• As per the FC 15, the 2022-23 fiscal deficit for the center was benchmarked at 5.5% of GDP. In their pessimistic scenario, it was kept at 6% of GDP.
• A reduction in the fiscal deficit of about 1% point of GDP from its expected level at 6.8% of GDP in 2021-22 may be considered.
• A stepwise reduction of 0.5% points per year would enable a level of about 4% of GDP by 2025-26.

Recommendations: –

• Expenditure prioritization in 2022-23 should focus on reviving both consumption and investment demand.
• The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) should be reassessed in order to make up for existing deficiencies in relation to the original targets.
• Since consumption demand remains weak, some fiscal support in the form of an urban counterpart to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) may be considered.
• The GST compensation arrangement should be extended by two years in some modified form also considering its impact on the Center’s Budget.
• With respect to non-tax receipts, the scope of the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) may be extended to cover monetisation of government-owned land assets.
• Disinvestment initiatives may have to be accelerated.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Gujarat to depict British massacre of tribals

• In 1922 in Pal and Dadhvaav villages of North Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, the Britishers massacred about 1,200 tribals who had assembled under the leadership of Motilal Tejawat, to protest against the land revenue system imposed by the British and the feudal lords.
• Soldiers from Mewad Bhil Corps under direction from its officer, Major H.G. Saturn, indulged in unprovoked firing on the tribals.
• This incident is considered worse than Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

Context:

• The state of Gujarat will be highlighting a 1922 incident which had resulted in the massacre of about 1200 tribals on its Republic Day Parade tableau. The tableau aims to present the story of bravery and sacrifice of the tribals.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Sri Ramanujacharya:

1. His book Vedarthasangraha is a review and commentary on the Brahma Sutras.
2. His celebrated system of philosophy is known as Visishtadvaita.
3. The ‘Statue of Equality’ being installed to mark his 1,000th birth anniversary is made up of a combination of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc.

Which of the given statement/s is/are INCORRECT?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 only
4. None of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Sri Ramanujacharya was an Indian philosopher and one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism. He is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita subschool of Vedanta.
• He wrote influential texts in Sanskrit. The scholars attribute the following Sanskrit texts to Ramanuja – Vedārthasangraha (“Summary” of the “Vedas meaning”), Sri Bhāshya (a review and commentary on the Brahma Sutras), Bhagavad Gita Bhāshya (a review and commentary on the Bhagavad Gita).
• The ‘Statue of Equality’ being installed to mark Sri Ramanujacharya 1,000th birth anniversary is made up of a combination of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc.

Q2. Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water project has been a source of dispute between which 
of the following states?

1. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
2. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
3. Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
4. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water project has been a source of dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to INSACOG:

1. INSACOG is a consortium of National Laboratories to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2.
2. It is a joint initiative of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
3. The Genomics for Public Health in India (IndiGen) programme was launched by INSACOG in 2020.

Which of the given statement/s is/are correct?

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), jointly initiated by the Union Health Ministry of Health, and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is a consortium of laboratories to monitor the genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2.
• INSACOG is a multi-laboratory, multi-agency, Pan-India network to monitor genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 by a sentinel sequencing effort which is facilitated by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi involving the Central Surveillance Unit (CSU) under Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
• Genomics for Public Health in India (IndiGen) programme was initiated in 2019 by CSIR. The programme aims to undertake whole genome sequencing of thousands of individuals representing diverse ethnic groups from India. The objective is to enable genetic epidemiology and develop public health technologies applications using population genome data.

Q4. Which of the given statement/s with respect to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose is/are correct?

1. He is the author of the book titled “Hind Swaraj” that covers the Indian independence movement from 1920 to 1942.
2. He started a newspaper called “Swaraj”
3. Soon after his release from the prison in Mandalay, he became the general secretary of Indian National Congress.
4. He founded the Naujawan Bharat Sabha in 1939 as a faction within the Congress.

Answer:

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• The book Hind Swaraj was authored by Mahatma Gandhi.
• Naujawan Bharat Sabha which sought to foment revolution against the British Raj by gathering together worker and peasant youths was founded by Bhagat Singh in 1926.

Q5. With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are 
correct?

1. It is spread over two districts.
2. There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3. It is one of the natural habitats of the Great Indian Bustard.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• Desert National Park is a national park situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer. This is one of the largest national parks in India. There is human habitation inside the Park.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Examine the recommendations of the T.S.R Subramanian report on environment and evaluate the merits of the proposed Indian Environmental Service. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-3, Environment and Ecology]
2. Assessment of environmental costs and benefits of projects should not be done in haste. Comment. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-3, Environment and Ecology]