12 Jul 2024: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

12 July 2024 CNA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
HEALTH
1. Why are dengue cases on the rise worldwide?
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Future investments in India’s EV space
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY
1. Secular remedy
F. Prelims Facts
1. Zika virus: the need to improve surveillance and vector control
G. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
H. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Syllabus: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.

Mains: Roadblocks in adopting EV

Introduction: Government’s Consideration for Extending EV Policy

  • The government is considering expanding its EV policy announced in March to have a retrospective effect.
  • This policy aims to encourage global players to localize production and invest in the domestic ecosystem.
  • The revised policy will extend benefits to entities that have already made investments.
  • The revised policy is expected to be formally announced in August.

The focus of the March Policy:

  • The March policy aimed to provide access to the latest technology and strengthen the EV ecosystem.
  • It encouraged healthy competition by achieving higher production volumes, economies of scale, and lower production costs.
  • The policy mandated that half of the value addition in manufacturing be done domestically within five years.
  • Import duty on EVs as completely built units (CBUs) with a minimum cost, insurance, and freight  (CIF) value of $35,000 was reduced from 70%-100% to 15%.

Need for Investment and Intervention:

  • A Niti Aayog report in 2022 emphasized the need for viable economics for owning and maintaining EVs.
  • The report suggested that a sharper decline in costs would accelerate EV adoption.
  • India faces structural unit cost disadvantages in producing certain cell components, requiring significant capital investment.
  • Bain & Company’s India EV Report (2023) highlighted after-sales service as a major pain point for EV customers.
  • Significant investor support is required to realize the $100 billion-plus EV opportunity in India.

Addressing the Paradigm:

  • The EV policy shares priorities with those in the U.S., China, and Europe, where incentives are provided on a case-by-case basis.
  • The International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook for 2024 pointed out that electric cars are still more expensive than combustion engine equivalents.
  • Europe and the U.S. meet 20%-30% of their EV battery demands through imports, forming a case for integrated production lines.
  • According to Dinesh Abrol, policies should focus on building core manufacturing capabilities domestically.
  • Strengthening domestic players in creating capabilities for critical components is essential for progress.

Nut Graf:  The Indian government plans to expand its EV policy, announced in March, to attract global players and enhance local manufacturing. The revised policy aims to lower costs, boost production, and strengthen the domestic EV ecosystem, fostering sustainable growth and competitiveness.

Syllabus: GS-2, Indian Constitution: Significant Provisions and Basic Structure

Mains: Personal Law vs Secular Law 

Background and Legal Context:

  • Supreme Court Clarification: The Supreme Court of India clarified that divorced Muslim women can seek maintenance under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a secular remedy.
  • 1986 Law Impact: The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, appeared to restrict relief to what is allowed in Muslim personal law, countering the Shah Bano case judgment (1985).

Key Judgments and Interpretations:

  • Constitution Bench Ruling (2001): The 1986 law was upheld but interpreted not to limit Muslim women’s access to secular remedies.
  • High Court Divergence: Various High Courts had differing views on whether Muslim women should use the 1986 Act or Section 125 of the CrPC for maintenance.

Supreme Court’s Recent Verdict:

  • Parallel Provisions: The Court ruled that the 1986 Act’s provisions are in addition to, not in derogation of, the CrPC.
  • Justice Masih’s Opinion: Both personal law and secular remedies should coexist, with CrPC applicable if the woman cannot maintain herself and the 1986 Act obligating the husband to provide support.
  • Justice Nagarathna’s Perspective: The CrPC aims to prevent vagrancy among women by mandating husband support, and the 1986 Act codifies this right without negating other legal rights.

Implications and Significance:

  • Harmonious Interpretation: The verdict expands rights and secularises access to remedies, ensuring Muslim women’s rights under secular law remain intact.
  • Neutralizing Misperceptions: The Court’s decision counters the view that Muslim women’s right to seek maintenance under secular provisions was extinguished in 1986.

Nut Graf: The Supreme Court of India affirmed that divorced Muslim women can seek maintenance under secular laws, alongside personal law provisions, ensuring their rights are preserved and clarifying the impact of the 1986 Act without undermining secular legal remedies.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Zika virus: the need to improve surveillance and vector control

Recent Cases and Responses:

  • At least 15 cases of Zika, including eight pregnant women, were detected in Pune, Maharashtra.
  • Karnataka reports the death of a 74-year-old Zika patient, attributed to other factors.
  • Both states have intensified surveillance and public awareness campaigns.
  • The Union Health Ministry advises states to screen pregnant women and enhance vector-control measures.

Transmission and Symptoms:

  • Zika virus is transmitted primarily through Aedes mosquitoes but can also spread through sexual contact, blood transfusions, and from mother to fetus.
  • Symptoms, if they appear, include rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and headache, typically mild and lasting 2-7 days.

Diagnosis and Challenges:

  • Diagnosis relies on laboratory tests, yet India lacks an approved diagnostic test, causing delays.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) urges increased testing, including for dengue and chikungunya-like symptoms.

Risks and Prevention:

  • Zika can cause severe birth defects, such as microcephaly, and is linked to neurological disorders like Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  • No vaccine is currently available, though research and development efforts are ongoing in India.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2018)
  1. Aadhaar card can be used as proof of citizenship or domicile.
  2. Once issued, the Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation: Both statements are incorrect.

Q2. Consider the following statements: (UPSC 2020)
  1. Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
  2. The state cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing Aadhaar data.
  3. Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
  4. Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 4 only
  2. 2 and 4 only
  3. 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation: Only statements 2 and 4 are correct.

Q3. Prohibition of discrimination on groups of religion etc, Article 15 of the 
Constitution of India is a Fundamental Right classifiable under (UPSC 1995)
  1. the Right to Freedom of Religion
  2. the Right against Exploitation
  3. the Cultural and Educational Rights
  4. the Right to Equality
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation: Prohibition of discrimination against groups of religion, etc. comes under the fundamental right to equality.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the minorities in India. (UPSC 2001)
  1. The Government of India has notified five communities, namely, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians as Minorities.
  2. The National Commission for Minorities was given statutory status in 1993.
  3. The smallest religious minority in India are the Zoroastrians.
  4. The Constitution of India recognises and protects religious and linguistic minorities.

Which of these statement(s) are correct?

  1. 2 and 3
  2. 1 and 4
  3. 2, 3 and 4
  4. 1,2 and 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation: Statements 2, 3 and 4 are correct. Jains are also a recognised minority group in India.

Q5. Consider the following statements. (UPSC 2006)
  1. There is no provision in the Constitution of India to encourage equal pay for equal work for both men and women.
  2. The Constitution of India does not define backward classes.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation: The Directive Principles of State Policy talks about equal pay for equal work for both men and women.

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