12 Jun 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 12 June 2022:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
Social Issues
1. ‘Why is DCP’s nod required for filing POCSO FIRs?’
B. GS 2 Related
Polity and Governance
1. Places of Worship Act and the contesting claims
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ECONOMY
1. What are SEBI’s concerns around crypto assets?
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Why are economic stakes high in West Asia?
HEALTH
1. Mix and match dose
F. Prelims Facts
1. High-speed rail network’s first train to arrive soon
G. Tidbits
1. India-Russia deal on radio equipment
2. New norms for celebrity endorsements
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

‘Why is DCP’s nod required for filing POCSO FIRs?’

Context:

The Mumbai police issued a circular making it mandatory for permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) before registering an FIR in POCSO cases.

What is Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act)?

• POCSO Act Punishment for the child used for pornographic purposes and committed under section 9.
• The accused is punishable with any form of imprisonment for a minimum of eight years, which may extend to ten years and a fine.

Know more about Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act)

Need of the Recent Circular:

• Police said that the mechanism was put in place to ensure that there is no misuse of law and not to protect the accused or delay registration of cases.
• It said that police noticed several cases under POCSO of molestation were registered over property disputes, old rivalry, financial transactions that went wrong or personal disputes.

Concerns with the Circular:

• The circular is criticized for being overriding the objective of the law.
• It does not realize how difficult it is to register an FIR in these cases where the accused is often known to the family.
• The law has mandated the registration of an FIR when a complaint is received.
• So by adding the condition of getting the DCP’s permission, the accused will get ample time to threaten and pressure the victim and her family.
• No one has thought of the trauma of a child who has shown courage by coming to the police, and now there are these layers before filing an FIR.
• When the police receive information about an offense, an FIR has to be registered immediately. This circular is a great disservice and is contrary to the law.
• In all the time that is taken to get the permission from the DCP, the accused, who is more often than not known to the accused and the family, will threaten the child and more time will be lost. Who was consulted before taking out the circular.”

B. GS 2 Related

Places of Worship Act and the contesting claims

Context:

• The legal battle over the validity of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991 is gaining steam in the Supreme Court.
• Several petitions have been filed in the top court questioning the law’s role, as they say in perpetuating the “crimes of the barbaric invaders”.
• The many bodies have countered that a dent in the 1991 Act would be the first blow to the secular fabric.
• Know more about Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991

C. GS 3 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

What are SEBI’s concerns around crypto assets?

Category: GS 3, ECONOMY

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to mobilization of resources 

Prelims: About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Crypto Assets

Mains: Views of SEBI and RBI on crypto assets and the government’s stand towards cryptocurrencies.

Context

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is said to have suggested to the Parliamentary Standing Committee that considering the nature of its technology, regulation of crypto assets would be difficult.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

• SEBI is the regulatory body for the securities and commodities market.

• SEBI was established in 1988 through a resolution and was conferred the statutory status in 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.

• It works under the aegis of the Union Finance Ministry.

To read more about – SEBI

Crypto Assets

• Crypto assets are complete digital assets that use public ledgers over the internet to prove ownership. 

• Crypto assets basically include cryptocurrencies, DeFi (decentralised finance) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). 

• They use cryptography, peer-to-peer networks and distributed ledger technology (DLT) such as blockchain to create, verify and secure transactions. 

• Crypto assets generally operate independently of a central bank, central authority or government.

To know more about – Virtual Digital Assets

SEBI’s views about crypto assets

• SEBI has cautioned about the challenges associated with regulating crypto assets as they “are maintained in decentralised distributed ledgers, which are nested in computer nodes spread all across the globe.”

• SEBI has highlighted the need for different regulators to take care of different aspects of a crypto asset market. 

• Crypto exchanges are one such aspect. 

• During cross-border transactions, these exchanges would enable the use of a cryptocurrency as a bridge to convert one nation’s official currency to another. 

• SEBI has recommended bringing these exchanges under the regulatory purview of the RBI. 

• SEBI aims to implement the Know Your Customer (KYC) or Anti-Money Laundering (AML) or Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) norms. 

• RBI has been using these guidelines in regulating banks to prevent them from being used by criminal elements.

• SEBI has recommended the extension of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 to crypto assets to protect the interests of the crypto assets subscribers or customers 

• SEBI has also sought clarity on whether cryptocurrencies can be legally classified as securities. 

• At present cryptos are not classified as securities.

• SEBI has held that crypto assets are not part of the definition of what constitutes as securities under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act of 1956 (SCRA). 

• SEBI Act recognises only those items as securities that are recognised as securities under the SCRA.

RBI’s views on crypto assets

• As per the reports, RBI officials feel that cryptocurrencies could lead to “dollarisation” of a part of the economy as most of them are dollar-denominated and issued by foreign private entities and this would work against India’s sovereign interest. 

• The RBI in the past has viewed cryptocurrencies as a threat to financial stability.

• The RBI in 2018 had banned financial institutions such as banks from facilitating transactions involving cryptocurrencies which was struck down by the Supreme Court.

• Experts linked this stance of RBI to a possible undermining of its ability to regulate the money supply in the economy.

The Government’s stand on crypto assets

• The government’s stand towards cryptos has undergone considerable changes, however, there is still ambiguity around what it really wants to do. 

• A Bill that was to be proposed in 2021 (which was not passed) signalled its intention to outrightly ban cryptocurrencies.

• It is clear that the government doesn’t consider cryptocurrencies desirable 

• An inter-ministerial report had recommended an outright ban. 

• Cryptos were and are considered problematic as they can easily evade official scrutiny, bypass and weaken the monetary system, and fuel illegal trade. 

• However, in 2022 the Finance Minister imposed a tax for the first time on crypto assets. 

• The tax, at 30%, was seen at first to settle the question of the legality of such currencies and brought hope to the crypto industry. But the Finance Minister clarified that taxability was an issue that is not to be linked to legitimacy.

• Meanwhile, the Sinha-led committee has been undertaking extensive interactions in this regard with the financial regulator as well as the representatives of the crypto industry. 

• Further, RBI would issue a Bill that aims to set up a facilitative framework for creation of the official digital currency soon.

Why are economic stakes high in West Asia?

Category: GS 2, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global groupings or agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Mains: India’s relation with West Asian Countries and its significance

Context

A diplomatic fallout between India and West Asian countries due to provocative and communally charged comments made by former spokespersons of a party in India.

Details

• Various West Asian nations such as Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE along with the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)and the six-memberGulf Cooperation Council (GCC)expressed strong reactions to the derogatory remarks made on Islam and the Prophet Muhammed. 
• Indian officials have asserted that the government stood by the country’s traditional values and respected all religions. 
• The Indian diplomats are also entrusted to reach out to individual OIC member states and reassure them of India’s position of an ‘inclusive’ approach to all communities.

Significance of West Asia to India

• India’s cultural, economic and trade ties with West Asian countries are deep and strong. 
• Starting from maritime trade, the exchange of goods, services and cultures between the people of the Gulf region including those on the western shores of the Arabian Sea and the people of India’s southern and western States has a history of several millennia and predates even the foundation of the Islamic faith.
• The West Asian countries acted as land trade bridge to early European empires such as Greece and Rome 
• Flourishing trade in spices, cloth, silk and indigo in exchange for gold and silver is well documented.
• During the British colonial era, the rupee served as legal tender in many Gulf countries until the middle of the 20th century. 
• It also said that the commercial exploitation of oil in the Gulf region during the colonial era started to alter the balance of trade flows between India and the West Asian countries
• At present, the West Asian countries collectively account for about 16% of India’s total bilateral merchandise trade and contribute about 60% of India’s crude oil supplies. 
• Investments from sovereign wealth funds and other large investors from the GCC have increased steadily in recent years

India’s dependence on West Asian countries for its energy requirements

• Domestic crude production has been reducing recently and constitutes less than 20% of India’s oil requirement.
• This has compelled India to increase its imports to balance the gap 
• As per the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) ‘India’s oil imports: Trends in diversification’ paper (April 2022) suggest that the share of the Gulf countries in India’s total imports of crude oil has remained steady at about 60% over the last 15 years. 
• The ORF study points out that in 2020-21, the top oil exporter to India was Iraq, with a share of more than 22% followed by Saudi Arabia (18%).
• The UAE, Kuwait and Oman were other Gulf countries among the top-10 suppliers of crude oil to India in the FY 2021.
• The major share of India’s refineries has historically been configured to process the sulphur-heavy sour grades of crude that are produced in the Gulf region.
• According to data compiled by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), as the sweeter (low sulphur) grades of oil such as Brent are comparatively expensive, India’s crude imports have gradually shifted towards the Oman and Dubai sour grades, 
• While the ratio of sour grades to sweet grades was 57:43 in the FY 2001, the gap between sour crude to Brent had widened to 75.62:24.38 in the FY March 2022.

India’s non-oil trade with West Asian Countries

• Between 2017 and 2021, Iran and the GCC member states such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar constituted about 15.3% share of India’s cumulative two-way merchandise trade of $3.98 trillion
• Out of the $609 billion of exports and imports that the seven countries accounted for in this period, the UAE contributed about 7% ($277.4 billion) making it one of India’s largest trading partners. 
• Followed by Saudi Arabia with $153 billion. 
• The West Asian region is a crucial market for various Indian commodities such as tea, basmati rice, electrical equipment, apparel, and machinery. 
• Recently, India and the UAE signed a CEPA to increase the total value of bilateral trade in goods to more than $100 billion in five years and help trade in services breach the $15 billion mark over the same period. 
• The trade pact will help Indian exporters gain preferential market access on 99% of the country’s exports to the UAE in value terms, especially to labour-intensive sectors such as gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, sports goods, plastics, furniture, agricultural and wood products, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and automobiles
• With CEPA in place with the UAE, India is trying to seal a wider Free Trade Agreement with the GCC as a whole. 
• As the region is a key hub to markets in Africa, India is interested to gain tariff-free access for its exports to the Gulf region along with its exports to countries in Africa.

Status of Indian diaspora and remittances

• The West Asian countries are among the largest overseas jobs providers for Indians, with over 89 lakh Indians working in Gulf economies. 
• The UAE (comprising seven emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah) houses over 34 lakh Indians and accounts for the largest percentage of NRIs in the region.
• Saudi Arabia houses over 26 lakh and Kuwait about 10 lakh Indians. 
• Indians are involved in a vast range of job categories in the region which include construction labor, oil industry workers, nurses and doctors, hospitality industry and finance professionals.
• The remittances sent back home by these NRIs in 2017, accounted for about 55% of the total $68.97 billion in inward remittances received in India from across the world that year.

Mix and match dose

Category: GS 2, HEALTH

Syllabus: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Mains: Scientific evidence for the use of heterogeneous booster doses and their advantages

Context

The increase in the number of COVID Cases and breakthrough infections have brought back the debate on the heterologous booster doses.

Current strategy followed

• The government is extending its vaccination through its healthcare network only for senior citizens and a few other categories such as frontline workers and healthcare workers. 
• The private sector has been given permission to vaccinate eligible groups with the precautionary dose for a price. 

Homologous dose v/s Heterologous dose

• Homologous booster dose refers to the inoculation of the same vaccine that was administered as the primary dose.
• Heterologous booster dose refers to the inoculation of any vaccine other than the primary dose.

Advantages of heterologous booster dose

• Scientific evidence has proved that heterologous booster doses have resulted in a better and more efficient immunogenic response.
• An article in eBioMedicine of the Lancet Discovery Science, which conducted a clinical trial proved the immunogenicity and safety of heterologous vaccination and encouraged further studies on heterologous vaccination schedules.
• According to the New England Journal of Medicine, heterologous boost strategies offered various immunologic advantages and increased the longevity of protection provided by the currently available vaccines.
• Demonstrating with the AstraZeneca base vaccine supplemented by an mRNA vaccine booster, they concluded that “the heterologous boost immunisation strategy provides an immune response that may prove to be beneficial for durable prevention and control of COVID-19.”
• A study conducted in Chile and published in Lancet Global Health also re-emphasised the need to come to a conclusion about the most effective booster to be used.
• It said that heterologous boosters without a doubt showed higher vaccine effectiveness for all outcomes thus providing additional support for a mix and match approach.
• In the NEJM paper, the authors pointed out that “an option to use heterologous booster vaccines could simplify the logistics of administering such vaccines as they could be administered regardless of the primary series.”
• Several options of vaccines have now entered the market and are now available across the spectrum, made from various vaccine candidates. 
• While the availability in numbers might be low, the fact that there are more vaccines available in the market is likely to level the playing field.

Path ahead

• A Jara Lancet paper highlights how the results of the study provide insights to policymakers about the management of the booster dose strategy after two doses of CoronaVac vaccination.
• Scientists and policymakers must strive to best utilise the available vaccines to attain maximum attainable benefit. 
• A mix and match vaccination strategy or the heterologous approach seems to be a realistic policy in this regard
• The governments across the world including in India must look to switch to a heterologous booster regimen to reach more individuals 
• Extending heterologous booster doses will also facilitate health administrators to deploy newer vaccines in the market thereby resolving the problems of shortages of vaccines.

F. Prelims Facts

High-speed rail network’s first train to arrive soon

Context: The first high-speed train of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) was scheduled recently.

Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS):

• RRTS is a new, dedicated, high speed, high capacity, comfortable commuter service connecting regional nodes in the National Capital Region.
• It is a project of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
  • NCRTC is a joint venture company of the Government of India and the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.
• It is different from conventional Railway as it will provide reliable, high frequency, point to point regional travel at high speed along dedicated path way.
• RRTS is different from metro as it caters to passengers looking to travel a relatively longer distance with fewer stops and at higher speed.
• It is one of the three rapid rail corridors planned under Phase I of the Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS)

G. Tidbits

India-Russia deal on radio equipment

• Radio technical Systems (RTS) of Russia has signed a large-scale contract with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the supply of radio equipment.
• The Russian company will manufacture 34 sets of instrument landing system (ILS) 734 for the modernisation of 24 airports in India, the Russian Embassy in India said.
• The contract comes amid the war in Ukraine and pressure from the West on India to diversify its dependence for defense needs.

New norms for celebrity endorsements

• The government has tightened norms for endorsers, including celebrities and sportspersons, as they are now required to make material connection disclosures and undertake due diligence while doing advertisements.
• According to new guidelines released by the Consumer Affairs Ministry, endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, belief or experience of the endorsers.
• The endorsers have to make material connection disclosures and failing to do so will attract penalty under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
• Material disclosures mean any relationship that materially affects the weight or credibility of any endorsement which a reasonable consumer would not expect.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Difficulty Level: Medium

Q1. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to Alluri Sitaram Raju?

1. He led the Rampa Rebellion opposing the enactment of the 1882 Madras Forest Act.

2. He was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement and persuaded people to wear khadi.

Options:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer:C

Explanation:

• Alluri Seetharama Raju laid down his life to break the shackles of the motherland.
• The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency of Madras Presidency, British India. 
• Raju was inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement and persuaded people to wear khadi and give up drinking. He also asserted that India could be liberated only by the use of force, not non-violence.

• Hence both the statements are correct

Difficulty Level: Medium

Q2. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to Zonal Councils in India?

1. The Zonal councils are Constitutional bodies provided for under article 263 of the Indian Constitution.

2. The Union Home Minister is the common chairman of the zonal councils.
3. The union territory of Lakshadweep is a member of the western zonal council

Option:

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

Answer:B

Explanation:

• The Zonal Councils are statutory (rather than constitutional) institutions. They were founded by a Parliamentary Act in 1956, known as the States Reorganization Act. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• The Central Government’s Home Minister serves as the common chairperson of the five zonal councils. By rotation, each chief minister serves as vice-chairman of the council, maintaining office for one year at a time. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are not members of any of the Zonal Councils. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Q3. The term ‘Peace clause’ is used frequently with respect to which of the following international organizations?

1. International Monetary Fund
2. United Nations Security Council
3. World Trade Organization
4. International Atomic Energy Agency

Answer:C

Explanation:

• A peace clause is a mechanism that protects a developing country’s food procurement programs against action from World trade organization (WTO) members in case subsidy ceilings are breached. 
• It is a mechanism that protects a developing country’s food procurement programs against action from World trade organization (WTO) members in case subsidy ceilings are breached.

• Hence option C is correct.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Q4. Which of the following countries is not part of the Five Eyes alliance?

1. Canada
2. Japan
3. Australia
4. New Zealand

Answer:B

Explanation:

• The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an alliance of intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• It is the most well known of all espionage alliances in the world.
• Hence option B is correct.

PYQ (2019)

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Q5. ‘RNA interference (RNAi) technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

1. It is used in developing gene silencing therapies.
2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.
3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.
4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Answer:A

Explanation:

• ‘RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology gained popularity due to its application of gene silencing therapies associated with diseases such as cancer. 
• RNAi is a gene-silencing method that uses double-stranded RNA to suppress protein production in target cells. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• mRNA vaccines have become a promising platform for cancer immunotherapy. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• mRNAs encoding antigens and/or adjuvants can be used as vaccines to evoke protective immunity against infectious diseases (prophylactic vaccines), or to harness the immune system to fight cancer (therapeutic vaccines).Hence, It cannot be used to develop hormone replacement therapies. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
• RNA interference is also utilized to develop agricultural plants that are resistant to plant viruses such as RNA and DNA viruses, viroids, insects, and other fungal diseases. Hence statement 4 is correct.

Watch the detailed explanation of the questions in the video below:

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Discuss the concerns voiced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) over regulation of cryptos. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

2. Should celebrities be held accountable for the brands they endorse? Critically examine. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 12 June 2022:- Download PDF Here