18 Jun 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. China foils bid to designate LeT deputy chief a terrorist
C. GS 3 Related
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Plea for IP rights waiver for COVID-19 jabs hits a wall
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INDIAN SOCIETY
1. A ‘man’s Parliament’ striving for an inclusive India
F. Prelims Facts
1. Highest single-day rainfall in Mawsynram
G. Tidbits
1. EC wants people to run from one seat
2. 5 mn Indians affected by disasters: UN
3. Off to school through swirling waters
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

1. China foils bid to designate LeT deputy chief a terrorist

Syllabus: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Prelims: About UNSC’s 1267 Committee and sanctions on individuals designated as terrorists

Mains: Impact on the India-China relations due to China’s actions of blocking the terror listing of Abdul Rahman Makki

Context

India expressed dissatisfaction with China for blocking a proposal to list Abdul Rahman Makki as a UN Security Council-designated terrorist. Makki is a Pakistani terror convict linked with the Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamaat-ud-Dawa (LeT/JuD).

Background

• Abdul Rahman Makki is the brother-in-law of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed who is also convicted as the mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks.
  • Makki is wanted for a number of cases of terrorism and terror financing in India and has been designated a wanted terrorist by the government.
• The proposal to list Makki under the UN Security Council sanctions regime was issued to UNSC’s 1267 Committee members under a “no-objection procedure” on June 1st (2022) with a deadline of 16th June.
• However, China waited until the last day to raise objections to the listing.

UNSC’s 1267 Committee  This Committee was set up based on resolution 1267 passed in 1999. The Committee oversees the implementation of the sanctions measures under resolutions 1267, 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. The Committee comprises all 15 members of the Security Council and makes its decision by consensus. The Committee designates individuals and entities who meet the listing criteria set out in the relevant resolutions.

Sanctions imposed on individuals who are designated as terrorists by UNSC

• Assets Freeze
  • All states are mandated to freeze the funds, and financial and economic assets of designated individuals and entities.
• Travel Ban
  • All states are mandated to prevent the entry or transit of these designated individuals through their territories.
• Arms Embargo
  • All states are mandated to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and other materials such as spare parts, technical advice, and training related to military activities to designated individuals.

India’s response against China’s actions

• India has called China’s decision to place a “technical hold” on the listing which was requested by the United States and India as “regrettable” and “extremely unfortunate”.
• India accused China of following double standards in its claims of combating terrorism.
• India also claimed China’s divergence from the commitments reached through the BRICS NSA meeting hosted by China which committed to closer cooperation on combating terrorism.

C. GS 3 Related

Category: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

1. A ‘man’s Parliament’ striving for an inclusive India

Syllabus: Role of women and women’s organization and associated issues

Mains: Challenges to gender inclusivity in India and the way forward

Context

This article evaluates the representation of women in the Indian parliament and other issues with respect to gender inclusivity.

Background

• In 1952, when the Indian Republic held its first Parliamentary session, about 39 women leaders were present in the session challenging the traditional dominance of men in the polity.
  • Women’s representation in the Indian parliament accounted for about 5.5% at a time when women constituted only 1.7% of the total members in the U.S. Congress and 1.1% of the Parliament of the U.K.
• The highly progressive representation of women in parliament is a testament to the contribution of thousands of women across professions, classes, castes, and religions in India’s freedom movement.
• However, post the era of the pinnacle there is a changed discourse on the representation of women and inclusiveness.

Challenges with gender neutrality in Indian legislation 

• The number of women representatives is still considered very small and the Parliament as a workspace continues to be operated exclusively for men due to systemic issues.
• There is an absence of gender-neutral language in parliamentary communications and other discourses in India as it continues to refer to women in leadership positions as Chairmen and party men.
• The Rules of Procedure of the Rajya Sabha continue to refer to the Vice-President of India as the ex-officio Chairman.
  • Further, the Constitution uses male pronouns extensively which signifies a power structure biased towards men.
• In a compilation of ministerial replies to questions from the 17th Lok Sabha so far for 75 women Parliamentarians, it was reported that 84% of the answers that used salutations such as sir/madam referred to women Parliamentarians as ‘sir’. 
  • Whereas in the 15th Lok Sabha, when there was a woman Speaker only 27% of the answers made similar errors, thereby signifying the importance of representation of women. 
• This issue also has its impact on law-making as in the last ten years, there have been very few gender-neutral Acts introduced. 

Various initiatives in the past to ensure gender inclusivity

• The movement for gender inclusivity has gained momentum in the past few years. 
  • The Supreme Court in the National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India, 2014 upheld the rights of all individuals to self-identify their gender.
  • The Court clarified that gender identity did not refer to biological characteristics but rather referred to it as “an innate perception of one’s gender”.
  • Accordingly, people have started declaring their gender identity by specifying their personal pronouns (she/her, he/his, they/them, etc.)
• In 2014, under the leadership of the then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha were made entirely gender-neutral. 
• All the Lok Sabha Committee Heads are referred to as Chairpersons in all documents ever since.

Gender inclusivity in the rest of the world

• Even those countries like Canada, Australia, and the US that legalised universal suffrage after India have undertaken various measures to ensure gender-inclusive legislation and communication.
• Canada’s Department of Justice has provided guidelines for using gender-neutral language in all the documents of legislation.
• The Australian government has incorporated gender-neutrality in its drafting Style Manual.
• In 2007, the U.K.’s House of Commons announced that all laws would be made gender-neutral.

Recommendations for India

• As seen in the past, amendments have played a key role in making documents gender-neutral. Therefore the Indian Parliament must introduce amendments that identify and rectify the past errors.
• India has to ensure transparency in the appointment and promotion process for women staff in Parliament and make sure that their professional growth is not affected by any issues such as harassment and domestic responsibilities.
• After bringing in corrections in the language, focus can be shifted towards deeper issues such as the aspirations and growth of the woman workforce. 
• India can undertake a gender audit to understand the culture, environment, and policies in the workspace.

 

G. Tidbits

1. EC wants people to run from one seat

• The Election Commission (EC) has proposed amending the law to bar people from contesting more than one seat.
  • According to the current electoral law, a candidate is allowed to contest an election from two different constituencies in an election.
• Further, the EC has said that if the ban on contesting from more than one constituency cannot be implemented, then a hefty fine should be imposed on those vacating one of the constituencies and forcing a bypoll.
• This reform was first proposed in 2004.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following rainfall distribution categories by the Indian Meteorological 
Department on an all-India scale:

1. Normal or near normal, when the percentage departure of actual rainfall is +/-10% of LPA, that is, between 96-104% of LPA (Long Period Average).
2. Below normal, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 10% of LPA, that is 90-96% of LPA.
3. Above normal, when actual rainfall is 104-110% of LPA
4. Deficient, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 90% of LPA.
5. Excess, when the departure of actual rainfall is more than 110% of LPA.

Choose the correct code:

1. 1, 2 & 4 only
2. 3, 4 & 5 only
3. 1 & 5 only
4. All of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Normal Rainfall: IMD calls a monsoon season normal when the total amount of rainfall in the country between June and September is within 10%(plus or minus) of the LPA, i.e. between 96-104% of LPA (Long Period Average).
• Below Normal: when total rainfall is less than 10% of LPA, i.e. 90-96% of LPA.
• Above normal: when total rainfall is more than 10% of LPA, i.e. 104-110% of LPA.
• Deficient: when total rainfall is less than 90% of LPA.
• Excess: when total rainfall is more than 110% of LPA.

Q2. Consider the following statements about the properties of Urea:

1. It is acidic in nature.
2. It consists of Nitrogen and Oxygen only.
3. It can be used to supplement cattle feed. 

Choose the correct code:

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 only
4. All of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct, Urea is basic in nature.
• Statement 2 is not correct, Urea (CH4N2O) is an organic chemical made up of nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen.
• Statement 3 is correct, Urea can be used to supplement the diet of cattle and other ruminants. 

Q3. Consider the following statements with regards to the FATF:

1. Grey List has countries that are considered safe havens for supporting terror funding and money laundering.
2. Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put on the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities.
3. FAFT was established in 1989 during the G20 Summit in Paris.

Choose the correct code:

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 1 & 3 only
4. All of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, FATF Grey List has countries that are considered safe havens for supporting terror funding and money laundering.
• Statement 2 is correct, the FATF Black list represents “Non-Compliant or Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs)”.
• Statement 3 is not correct, FATF was established at the G7 Summit of 1989 in Paris with an aim to address loopholes in the global financial system after the member states raised concerns about increasing money laundering activities.

Q4. ‘Amal’ puppet, in the news recently, is on a mission to raise awareness about which 
of the following issues?

1. Syrian refugee crisis
2. Removing IP barriers from Covid vaccines
3. Child labour in Western Africa
4. Increasing Monkeypox cases

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Amal puppet is on a mission to raise awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis.
• The puppet Amal depicts a 10-year-old girl migrant from Syria, who walked 8,000 km looking for her mother in 2021.

Q5. Which one of the following is likely to be the most inflationary in its 
effects? [UPSC 2021]

1. Repayment of public debt 
2. Borrowing from the public to finance a budget deficit 
3. Borrowing from the banks to finance a budget deficit 
4. Creation of new money to finance a budget deficit

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Extremely high rates of inflation are generally associated with high rates of money growth and it is often the result of financing large deficits by printing money.