7th June 2020 CNA:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related GEOGRAPHY 1. Tremble after the tremors B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Border meet sets stage for more talks HEALTH 1. Country is still at risk, says WHO expert C. GS 3 Related SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Prevalence of diabetes among women high in southern India ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 1. Poaching doubled during lockdown, says wildlife trade monitoring group D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. Tracking Google ECONOMY 1. Gross Value Added numbers and the economy F. Tidbits 1. India’s solar ferry sails into global contest 2. Deep sea microplastics 3. Suspend import of rubber: UPASI G. Prelims Facts 1. ISRO, ARIES tie up for space monitoring studies 2. A.P. to hold talks with Odisha on water sharing 3. Serotonin triggers desert locust swarms H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Context:
- The National Capital Region has witnessed seven mild earthquakes in the last 20 days.
Details:
- Since May 15 2020, the National Center for Seismology has recorded seven small earthquakes, ranging from 1.8 to 4.5 on the Richter scale, with epicentres at Faridabad, Rohtak and New Delhi.
- The spate of tremors has fuelled speculation of a high-magnitude earthquake in the region.
Misinterpreted threat:
- Some experts have interpreted the recent earthquakes as being a sign that the region was unlikely to have a greater earthquake.
- Earthquakes in this region were due to “release of stress” accumulated from the movement of the Indian tectonic plate and its collision with the Eurasian tectonic plate. The recent tremors would have diffused the accumulated stress, reducing the risk of a more serious earthquake.
- Experts have dismissed the fears of a devastating earthquake claiming the existence of background seismicity level, which continues over a region over time and which is considered normal. Delhi has had a history of only small tremors for the last 40-50 years.
- Consistent tremors would be a cause for concern only if they occurred in regions where tectonic plates met. Only larger faults and larger systems trigger bigger earthquakes.
- The great earthquakes occur mostly along the plate boundaries such as the Sumatra plate boundary [near Indonesia], Andaman plate boundary or Himalaya and California.
Concerns:
Not risk-free:
- Concerns about the risk of a major earthquake in Delhi, however, may not be unfounded. Experts have claimed that an earthquake of 5.5 to 6 magnitude can never be ruled out anywhere, citing the instance of the 1993 earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra.
- Latur though fell under zone 1 of the country’s seismic zonal maps, the category with least risk, still witnessed an earthquake
Himalayan fault line:
- Seismologists and experts have ruled out an immediate threat but warned that the region — situated close to the ‘most active fault line on earth’ — would be at risk in the event of a widely anticipated ‘great’ Himalayan earthquake.
- Several researchers have hypothesised the probability of a great earthquake, something of the magnitude of eight and above, striking the Himalayan region.
- Based on historical, archaeological and geological data, such an event has not taken place in the area for atleast a 1,000 years. This, along with GPS-based modelling of the speed of movement of the Indian plate, suggests that an earthquake is due.
Impact on Delhi:
- A strong earthquake in the Himalayan belt may pose a threat to Delhi-NCR based on the fact that this region is only 150-odd km from the active Himalayan seismic belt.
- The large sediment thickness (loose soil) in the Ganga Alluvial Plains to the north of Delhi tends to amplify the impact of earthquakes. There are concerns about the consequences of a Himalayan earthquake on cities such as Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Banaras and others in the Indo-Gangetic plains.
- Given the presence of high-rises in the area, a large number of buildings and a dense population the impact of an earthquake on Delhi could be devastating.
Way forward:
- Given the threat perception, it is imperative to strictly impose building codes as a precautionary measure.
For more information on this refer: CNA 2ND June 2020.
B. GS 2 Related
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Border Meet sets stage for more talks
Context:
- India and China held crucial talks between senior military commanders in an effort to ease the tension along the border.
Background:
- Since the tension began, both Armies have held dialogues at various levels, including three meetings at the level of Major-General.
- Military experts had already stated that the military talks would not lead to a solution but would set the ground for diplomatic talks to end the impasse.
For more information on this refer: CNA 6th June 2020
Details:
- While the outcome was not known, the talks were not believed to lead to any major breakthrough but only set the stage for further talks.
Indian demands:
- India’s major demand is the restoration of status quo before May, as beginning early May Chinese troops moved in large numbers into Indian territory at Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra in eastern Ladakh.
- China moved armour and artillery close to the Line of Actual Control on its side, a measure which is against the boundary agreements.
1. Country is still at risk, says WHO expert
Context:
- COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Background:
- Though the over 2,00,000 current novel coronavirus cases in India looks huge it is still modest for a country with a population of over 1.3 billion people.
- The measures taken in India, like the nationwide lockdown, had helped to slow transmission.
- The doubling time of cases in India was about three weeks at this stage. Hence, the increase in epidemic though not exponential is still growing.
Challenges:
- WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan and WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director Michael Ryan have noted that though COVID-19 has not “exploded” in India, the risk of it happening remains as the country moves towards exiting the lockdown.
- As the disease generated and gained a foothold in communities, the number of cases could accelerate at any time.
- Specific issues in India regarding a large amount of migration, the dense populations in the urban environment and the fact that many workers had no choice but to go to work every day could lead to a sudden spurt in the number of cases.
- India is a heterogeneous and huge country with very densely populated cities and a much lower density in some rural areas and varying health systems in different States, and these factors posed challenges to the control of COVID-19.
Click here to read more about the World Health Organization (WHO).
Way forward:
- It is important for India to keep track of the growth rate and the doubling time of the cases.
- As the lockdown and restrictions are lifted, it must be ensured that people take all precautions. There is the need for behavioural change at a large level.
C. GS 3 Related
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Prevalence of diabetes among women high in southern India
Context:
- Research study on the prevalence of diabetes in women.
Background:
Rise of diabetes:
- The number of people with diabetes in India increased from 26·0 million in 1990 to 65 million in 2016. The prevalence of diabetes in adults aged 20 years or older in India increased from 5·5% in 1990 to 7·7% in 2016.
- The prevalence in 2016 was highest in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2018.
- Higher levels of diabetes in the southern and eastern parts of India could be linked to diets of “rice-meat-and-fish” and a higher intake of “sweets and snacks” that were rich in trans-fats.
Burden on women:
- Previous studies have found that diabetes-related mortality is higher among women in India.
- Some studies have pointed out to the fact that a skewed gender ratio as well unequal access to medical care has led to the disease being under-reported in women.
Details:
- Researchers have identified districts in India that have the maximum prevalence for diabetes among women.
- The researchers have sourced the data from the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) which provides district-level health indicators for women.
- National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) was the first NHS survey to have collected blood glucose levels in men and women thus helping determine diabetes.
- At least 50 of the 640 districts studied have a high prevalence of diabetes — greater than one in 10 — among women aged 35-49 years.
- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have districts with the highest prevalence.
- The burden is higher in the southern and eastern parts of the country and lowest in central India.
Gender difference:
- Previous studies of the incidence of diabetes in men and women in India have thrown up mixed results with some finding greater evidence of the disease in women, in North India, and others reporting men in South India as more susceptible.
- However, there have also been studies indicating the prevalence of diabetes among women in India not being substantially different from that of men.
Factors at play:
- The data was analysed for understanding disease spread and analysing relationship among disease and socio-economic category, location, number of children, obesity and hypertension among other factors.
Changed lifestyle:
- The prevalence of diabetes among women in their late reproductive ages is highest among those with two or fewer children ever born, who are educated, belonging to economically prosperous households, living in urban areas and hence enjoying changing lifestyle with increased access to high energy (refined and processed) food and development.
Biological factors:
- The study focused on women who were approaching menopause, which was also a period when the risk of obesity, hypertension rose as well as complications from late pregnancy.
- This helped provide a greater perspective on why mortality from diabetes is higher among women.
Significance of the study:
- A greater understanding of the prevalence and causative factors would help design programmes and interventions to lower community-based prevalence of diabetes, especially among women in their late reproductive ages.
Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. Poaching doubled during lockdown, says wildlife trade monitoring group
Context:
- “Indian wildlife amidst the COVID-19 crisis: An analysis of status of poaching and illegal wildlife trade” report by TRAFFIC, a leading wildlife trade monitoring network.
Details:
- The researchers analysed media reports of poaching incidents in a six-week period before the lockdown with those from six weeks during the lockdown.
- The report has recorded a significant increase in poaching in India during the lockdown period. The report notes a rise in reported poaching incidents from 35 to 88.
- The biggest increase in reported poaching was related to ungulates, where the percentage jumped from 22% of total reported cases during pre-lockdown to 44%, during the lockdown period.
- Since the ungulate species are targeted mainly for meat (for self-consumption or for local trade), the increase is presumably due to those poaching for self-consumption or those who are trying to compensate their loss of income by making quick money through poaching.
- The second group of animals where there was a marked increase was ‘small mammals’, including hares, porcupines, pangolins, giant squirrels, civets, monkeys and smaller wild cats.
- Interestingly, there was a slight decrease in the incidence of bird-related seizures. There was less reporting of poaching and illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles, with almost no seizures of these species during the period.
Concerns:
Increased threat:
- The study indicates that despite efforts by law enforcement agencies, wild animal populations in India are being subjected to additional threats during the lockdown period.
- Reports of poaching for consumption and local trade have more than doubled during the lockdown.
Under reporting:
- The report points out that it remains unknown how reporting rates in the media have changed because of the lockdown.
- It is possible that the restrictions on movement could have led to gross under reporting of illegal wild life trade.
Way forward:
- It is imperative that wildlife law enforcement agencies are supported adequately and in a timely manner to help control the increasing threat to wildlife.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
Context:
- Class action lawsuit filed against Google in the U.S.
Lawsuit:
Privacy concerns:
- The lawsuit alleges that Google tracks, collects and identifies the browsing data of even those users who browse the Web privately via, say, the Incognito mode.
- The lawsuit claims that Google accomplishes its surreptitious tracking through near ubiquitous tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and other plug-ins.
- When a user accesses websites that employ these Google tools, Google automatically gets information about the user’s IP address and URL of the site.
Misrepresentation of practices:
- The petition alleges that Google has been misrepresenting its data collection practices.
- The petitioners charge Google with giving false assurances about the ability of users to control what they share with the search engine. The petitioners claim that the users are not aware of the fact that Google is collecting information even when they are in a private view mode but also have no means to avoid its scrutiny.
Against established laws:
- The lawsuit alleges that Google has violated the federal wiretap law as well as a California privacy law.
- The Federal Wiretap Act disallows any intentional interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication.
- The California Invasion of Privacy Act prohibits intentional tapping of communication.
Previous lawsuits:
- A case was filed against Google by Arizona Attorney General in May 2020. The allegation was one of privacy violation by Google, the specific charge being that the company was tracking user location even when the user had turned off location tracking (Passive data collection). This practice allowed Google to obtain users’ location data and use it for its lucrative advertising business.
- In 2016, Google was accused of “surreptitiously scanning Gmail messages for advertising revenues”.
1. Gross Value Added numbers and the economy
Context:
- Provisional estimates of national income for the financial year 2019-20 released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Background:
Changes in national accounting methodology:
- In 2015, India opted to make major changes to its compilation of national accounts and bring the whole process into conformity with the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) of 2008.
- In the new series, in which the base year was shifted to 2011-12 from the earlier 2004-05, GVA at basic prices became the primary measure of output across the economy’s various sectors and when added to net taxes on products amounts to the GDP.
- While India had been measuring GVA earlier, it had done so using ‘factor cost’ and GDP at ‘factor cost’ was the main parameter for measuring the country’s overall economic output till the new methodology was adopted.
Gross Value Added (GVA):
- As per the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA), gross value added, is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to GDP made by an individual producer, industry or sector.
- As part of the data on GVA, the NSO provides both quarterly and annual estimates of output — measured by the gross value added — by economic activity.
- The sectoral classification provides data on eight broad categories of goods produced and services provided in the economy.
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
- Mining and Quarrying
- Manufacturing
- Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and other Utility Services
- Construction
- Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to Broadcasting
- Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communications and Services related to Broadcasting as a sector contributes almost 20% to GVA and is the largest GVA component after the other major services category, Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services.
- Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services
- Public Administration, Defence and other Services.
Details:
- The real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been estimated to have expanded by 4.2% from a year earlier, the slowest pace of growth in 11 years. And GDP growth for the January-March quarter was pegged at 3.1%.
- The release also detailed the estimates of the Gross Value Added, or GVA, at basic prices for the four quarters of 2019.
Concerns:
- The GVA numbers for the first three quarters revealed significant downward revisions from the NSO’s initial estimates.
- While initial estimates are routinely revised based on the updated availability of information, the extent of these revisions has come into focus since they point to a sharper and more widespread slowdown in economic activity over the course of the last financial year than had been previously revealed.
Significance of GVA:
- The GVA data is relevant even though the headline growth always refers to GDP.
Supply conditions:
- GDP is often computed as the sum total of the various expenditures incurred in the economy including private consumption spending, government consumption spending and gross fixed capital formation or investment spending, and hence reflects essentially on the demand conditions in the economy.
- The GVA data is crucial to understand how the various sectors of the real economy are performing. From a policymaker’s perspective, it is vital to have the GVA data to be able to make policy interventions on the supply side wherever necessary.
Global data standard:
- From a global data standards and uniformity perspective, GVA is an integral and necessary parameter in measuring a nation’s economic performance, and any country which seeks to attract capital and investment from overseas does need to conform to the global best practices in national income accounting.
Drawbacks in using GVA:
- As with all economic statistics, the accuracy of GVA as a measure of overall national output is heavily dependent on the sourcing of data and the accuracy of the various data sources.
- GVA is susceptible to vulnerabilities from the use of inappropriate or flawed methodologies.
- In a June 2019 research paper titled ‘India’s GDP Mis-estimation: Likelihood, Magnitudes, Mechanisms, and Implications,’ former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian had claimed that the change in methodology and data sources when India switched its base year to 2011-12 had led to a significant overestimation of growth.
- It was also argued that the value based approach instead of the earlier volume based approach in GVA estimation had affected the measurement of the formal manufacturing sector and thus distorted the outcome.
F. Tidbits
1. India’s solar ferry sails into a global contest
- India’s first solar-powered ferry, Aditya, which became an icon on the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route in Kerala, has been shortlisted for the Gustave Trouvé Award.
- Operated by the Kerala State Water Transport Department (KSWTD), Aditya was built by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, Kochi.
- Gussies Electric Boat Awards were instituted in memory of Gustave Trouvé, a French electrical engineer and pioneer in electric cars and boats.
- The operating cost of Aditya is low and also has a negligible carbon footprint.
- Deep-sea hotspots of biodiversity are also likely to be microplastic hotspots, according to a recent study.
- The researchers have deduced that thermohaline driven currents can cause microplastics to accumulate in the same regions where underwater organisms flock in the benthic region. This is because the currents also supply oxygen and nutrients to the deep-sea benthos.
3. Suspend import of rubber: UPASI
- The natural rubber sector provides livelihood to 1.3 million growers.
- There has been a steep fall in prices in the domestic market for the last eight years and current prices are far below the cost of production. This is because of a surge in imports from south-east Asia.
- Rubber plantations, located mainly in Kerala are struggling to sell the commodity as COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdown have shrunk demand for natural rubber.
- The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has sought suspension of natural rubber (NR) imports for two years and a levy of safeguard duty on imports for three years when the suspension is revoked. This would give time for the local industry to recover.
G. Prelims Facts
1. ISRO, ARIES tie up for space monitoring studies
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital for cooperation in space situational awareness and astrophysics.
2. A.P. to hold talks with Odisha on water sharing
- River Vamsadharais an important east flowing river between Rushikulya and Godavari, in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in India.
- The river originates in Odisha and runs for a distance of about 254 kilometers and joins the Bay of Bengal at Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- Mahendratanaya River is a major tributary river of Vamsadhara.
3. Serotonin triggers desert locust swarms
- The Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, of the Agriculture Ministry handles the locust invasions in India.
- The Food and Agricultural Organization (part of the United Nations, and based in Rome, Italy) co-ordinates and helps nations with advice and funds in combating the locust invasions.
- The ICRISAT Development Centre (IDC) of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is based in Hyderabad.
- Malathion is an insecticide sprayed on the locust swarms. There are concerns over the side-effects of using chemical insecticides.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the following statement/s is/are incorrect?
- Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas.
- Type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and accounts for around 90% of all diabetes cases.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q2. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?
- TRAFFIC was founded as a strategic alliance of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- TRAFFIC’s headquarters is located in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- TRAFFIC promotes sustainable wildlife trade and combats wildlife crime and trafficking.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Q3. Which of the following pairs is not a converging system of plates?
- Eurasian Plate and the Indian Plate
- Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate
- Eurasian and North American Plate
- Nazca Plate and the South American Plate
Q4. Which of the following statement/s is/are incorrect?
- River Vamsadhara is an east flowing river, with its basin spread over the states of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh states.
- River Vamsadhara lies to the south of the Rushikulya river.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Elaborate on the recent changes in the compilation of national accounts in India. Analyze the arguments both in favour of and against the changes made. (15 marks, 250 words)
- In the light of the recent recording of seven small earthquakes in the NCR, there are fears of a high-magnitude earthquake in the region. Evaluate the threat perception for the region. (15 marks, 250 words)
7th June 2020 CNA:- Download PDF Here
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