CNA 19 June 2022:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. The enemy of the deep state 2. Russia’s gateway to global waters C. GS 3 Related DISASTER MANAGEMENT 1. COVID worsened matters in Sundarbans: UN report D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials 1. Why is Agnipath under widespread attack? F. Prelims Facts Biodiversity 1. Glischropus Meghalayanus G. Tidbits 1. 400 under scanner for helping Chinese firms 2. Amrit Sarovar mission could boost infrastructure projects H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
The enemy of the deep state
Category: GS 2, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries
Prelims: About WikiLeaks
Mains: Charges against WikiLeaks founder and the criticism on the extradition of Assange
Context
The British Home Secretary gave his consent to the extradition of WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange from the United Kingdom to the United States.
Background
- Assange is wanted in the U.S. for criminal charges of violating the Espionage Act for WikiLeaks’ move to leak several secret U.S. files in 2010.
- He could face a punishment of up to 175 years of imprisonment for violations of the Espionage Act.
- Assange was held in the U.K.’s Belmarsh prison after the Ecuador Embassy annulled his asylum and citizenship after he stayed for seven years on its premises in London.
- Assange was initially imprisoned for bail violations during his stay in the Ecuador Embassy and got a reprieve from a U.K district judge in January 2021, when she ordered against his extradition to the U.S. due to the concerns about his mental health and the possibility of suicide in a U.S prison due to strict imprisonment conditions.
- The U.S. prosecutors later filed an appeal, and the British High Court in December 2021, ruled in favour of the U.S. after the US administration gave assurance about the terms of Assange’s possible imprisonment. The assurances included,
- That the US would not house him at the ADX Florence in Colorado which is a highest security prison facility that houses terrorists, drug traffickers, and high-profile criminals.
- Also that he could serve his sentence in his native Australia if convicted.
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WikiLeaks
To know more about – WikiLeaks and its revelations |
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Charges against Assange in the US
- The US administration under Barack Obama
- The administration started an investigation of the Manning leaks, and Manning was convicted for violating the Espionage Act and was subjected to rigorous imprisonment
- However, the administration had decided not to initiate any criminal charges against Assange and WikiLeaks.
- The US administration under Donald Trump
- The administration charged Assange with collaborating in a conspiracy with Manning to crack the password of a Defence Department network to publish classified documents and communications on WikiLeaks
- Further, the administration charged Assange with violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and 17 new charges related to the Act at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- These charges carry a maximum sentence of 170 years of imprisonment.
- The Biden administration has made no attempt to reverse these charges.
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Espionage Act of the US
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Criticism against the extradition of Assange
- Following the move to extradite Assange to the US, the whistleblower community has regarded it “as a sad day for western democracy”.
- Further critics add that the U.S. government’s argument that “its Constitution does not protect journalism the government dislikes and that publishing truthful information in the public interest is a criminal act” is a threat to both journalism and democracy.
- Critics also opine that the latest move is a threat to the right to information.
Nut Graf
The trail of the WikiLeaks founder has gained significance as it will determine the future of investigative journalism and also will have severe consequences on the rights of the whistleblower and the freedom of expression.
Russia’s gateway to global waters
Category: GS 2, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries
Prelims: Black sea
Mains: The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca and the significance of the Black Sea to Russia
Context
This article discusses how Russia is trying to restrict Ukraine’s access to its strategic waters.
The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca
- The Treaty was signed in 1774 between the Russian and Ottoman Empires after the 1768-74 war between the two.
- The treaty is considered to have had a significant impact on the global balance of power in the 18th century.
- As part of the treaty, Russia got access to the Black Sea through the Kerch and Azov seaports.
- The treaty marked the start of the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the arrival of the Russians, under Catherine the Great, as a major power in the Black Sea region.
- Through this treaty, Russia also got the official status of being the protector of the Orthodox Christians of the Ottoman Empire.
- This clause also meant that the Crimean Khanate, which had declared independence from the Ottomans, became dependent on Russia.
- In 1783, Prince Grigory Potemkin, a Grand Admiral in the imperial Russian army annexed the Crimean Peninsula in the name of protecting its Christians amidst violent clashes between Christians and Crimean Tatars.
- The annexation guaranteed seamless access to the Black Sea’s warm waters to Russia, thereby helping it become a strong naval power.
- Many find parallels between the 18th century annexation of Crimea and the 2014 annexation which helped Russia retain Sevastopol, which hosts its Black Sea fleet and uses Crimea as a platform for force projection.
Latest developments in Russia-Ukraine conflict
- Post its full scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has further tightened its grip over the Black Sea.
- Russia has gained control over the entire Sea of Azov coast and other port cities such as Mariupol, Berdyansk and Kherson.
Significance of Black Sea to Russia
Image Source: The Hindu
- The Black Sea is important for Russia due to various geo-economic reasons
- Russia’s ports in the Arctic Ocean do not guarantee its connectivity to the rest of the world.
- Russia’s key gateway to the global waters is through the Black Sea, which opens into the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
- At present, Russia’s only naval base outside the erstwhile Soviet Union territories is located in Syria’s Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Russia acknowledges the fact that the Mediterranean sea is currently dominated by NATO and is looking for ways to enhance its presence in the region.
- This makes it even more important for Russia to continue to retain its stronghold over the Black Sea.
- The Black Sea also plays a crucial role in Russia’s economy as it provides the much needed connectivity for Russia to export its hydrocarbons and grains to Turkey and other Asian countries.
- During the Soviet period, Russia dominated the Black Sea, which was then regarded as the ‘Soviet Lake’.
- Balck sea bordering countries such as Ukraine and Georgia were Soviet republics while Bulgaria and Romania were part of the Soviet-led Eastern bloc.
- The only country that was out of the Soviet sphere in the Black Sea region during the Cold War was Turkey and despite Turkey’s control over Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, the 1936 Montreux Convention provided Russia and other Black Sea countries get access to the straits for both commercial and military purposes.
- The change in the balance of power post the breakdown of the Soviet Union has worked in the favour of NATO with Bulgaria and Romania joining NATO and Ukraine and Georgia also being offered NATO membership.
- However, Russia undertook a military intervention in Georgia which ended the country’s NATO dream. And through the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has reasserted its influence over its southern waters.
Nut Graf
Considering the strategic and the geoeconomic significance of the Black Sea to Russia and the shift in the balance of power in the region towards NATO, Russia is looking to retain its influence and control over the Black Sea through force.
C. GS 3 Related
COVID worsened matters in Sundarbans: UN report
Category: GS 3, DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Syllabus: Disaster and disaster management
Mains: The impact of the coincidence of COVID-19 and Cyclone Amphan on Sundarbans
Context
A study funded by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Details
- A report on the impact of COVID-19 funded by the UNDRR across five locations, including the Sundarbans in India, has pointed out that the pandemic and the following measures to contain it have triggered cascading effects on societies and aggravated already existing vulnerabilities.
- The report titled “Understanding and managing cascading and systemic risks: lessons from COVID-19” has provided various findings from five case studies across the world.
- The report includes findings about
- Multiple hazards in the Indian Sundarbans
- Fragile setting in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar
- Challenges on all fronts at the national scale in Indonesia
- Densely populated, urban setting in Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Rural-urban and national-international interlinkages in the maritime region of Togo
Findings on Indian Sundarbans
- The report points out that the people had to bear the dual brunt of COVID-19 and Cyclone Amphan.
- The initial months of the COVID-19 outbreak coincided with the landfall of Cyclone Amphan which is one of the most severe tropical cyclones
- The Cyclone caused about $13 billion of damage, thereby becoming the costliest cyclone ever recorded in the north Indian Ocean.
- The impact of these two hazards occurring simultaneously resulted in economic distress across various spheres
- Example: People in this region such as fishers, crab collectors, honey gatherers, and agriculturalists are heavily dependent on natural resources and the COVID-19 induced restrictions and lockdowns along with the impact of the Cyclone resulted in the loss of livelihood of these communities.
- The COVID-19-induced lockdown affected poorer households in the region significantly.
- Studies suggest that as many as 88% of poorer households’ average weekly local income and 63% of average weekly remittance income were lost due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- The report also notes that the closure of schools on account of Cyclone and COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the disruption in education as people in these areas could not afford online education.
- With economic distress and disruption in education, there is an increase in the incidents of forced child marriage and child labour.
- Also, there has been an increase in the workload of women which has a cascading effect on women’s hygiene and safety.
Nut Graf
The Indian Sundarbans experienced a wide-ranging impact on several sectors due to its interconnectedness and its pre-existing vulnerabilities aggravated due to the coincidence of the COVID-19 pandemic with Cyclone Amphan. This has reiterated the importance of having a better understanding of the interconnections and the vulnerabilities in societies.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Why is Agnipath under widespread attack?
Category: GS 2, GOVERNANCE
Syllabus: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Prelims: About Agnipath scheme
Mains: Critical evaluation of Agnipath Scheme
Context
Following the announcement of the Agnipath Scheme, there have been widespread protests against the scheme especially in States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Telangana.
To know more about Agnipath Scheme
F. Prelims Facts
1. Glischropus Meghalayanus
Syllabus: GS3; Biodiversity
Prelims: Bamboo-dwelling bats and Glischropus meghalayanus
Context
Scientists have discovered a new species of bamboo-dwelling bat in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
Details
- The new species of bamboo-dwelling bat, found near the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, has been named Glischropus Meghalayanus.
- Bamboo-dwelling bats are a particular kind of bats living in the internodes of bamboo with specialised morphological characters that help them to adapt to life inside a bamboo.
- This discovery marks the first report of a thick-thumbed bat not only from India but also from South Asia.
- Thick-thumbed bats of the genus Glischropus are composed of four recognised species from Southeast Asia.
- The newly discovered species is small in size and has a dark brown colour with a sulphur yellow belly.
- Meghalaya houses the highest bat diversity in India with 67 species (out of 131 discovered bat species in India), which is about 51% of total bat species in India because of its unique terrain, vegetation and climate conditions
- The unique caves in Meghalaya have provided roosting opportunities for a large number of bats.
G. Tidbits
1. 400 under scanner for helping Chinese firms
Image Source: The Hindu
- The Union government has recommended disciplinary action against 400 chartered accountants (CAs) and company secretaries (CSs) for their alleged role in incorporating Chinese shell companies in metropolitan cities by flouting norms and rules
- The CAs and CSs against whom disciplinary action has been initiated have supposedly helped incorporate a large number of Chinese-owned or Chinese-run shell companies without adequate compliance of rules and law.
- Since October 2021, about six Chinese companies engaged in telecom, fintech and manufacturing have been raided by the Income Tax authorities over allegations of tax evasion and under-invoicing.
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which is a statutory body that regulates the profession of chartered accountancy in the country, said that “the complaints are being processed in terms of the Chartered Accountants (Procedure of Investigations of Professional and Other Misconduct and Conduct of Cases) Rules, 2007”.
- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had earlier amended the Chartered Accountants Act 1949, the Cost and Work Accountant Act 1959, and the Companies Secretary Act 1980 to introduce more accountability and time-bound disciplinary action against CAs and CSs.
- Much recently the MCA amended the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules, 2014 that makes it mandatory to get a security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) if any individual belonging to a country that shares a boundary with India intends to become director or shareholder in an Indian company.
- The Amrit Sarovar mission is a water conservation mission launched by the Prime Minister aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district in all States as part of the celebrations of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- About 50,000 water bodies are expected to be rejuvenated during the nationwide programme.
- As the project would involve excavation of thousands of tonnes of earth in the form of soil or silt from ponds and tanks, the Union government has urged the Ministry of Railways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to use the excavated soil or silt for their infrastructure projects.
- According to various reports, many railway projects have been paused due to the delay in getting the required quantity of burrow earth and the Amrit Sarovar mission will cater to the requirements of projects being implemented by the NHAI.
2. Amrit Sarovar mission could boost infrastructure projects
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Department-related Standing Committees (DRSCs)? (Level - Medium)
- Currently there are 24 DRSCs with all of them coming under the jurisdiction of the Speaker,
Lok Sabha.
- The term of office of these committees does not exceed five years or the term of the Lok
Sabha whichever is lower.
- The DRSCs consider the Demands for Grants, annual reports and examine bills pertaining to
the related Ministries/Departments and their recommendations are binding.
Which of the above statements is correct?
- a) 1 only
- b) 2 only
- c) 3 only
- d) None of the statements
Answer:
Option d
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Currently there are 24 DRSCs, out of which 8 are placed within the jurisdiction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha and 16 within the jurisdiction of the Speaker, Lok Sabha.
- Statement 2 is not correct, The term of office of each Committee is one year from the date of its constitution
- Statement 3 is not correct, The DRSCs consider the Demands for Grants, annual reports and examine bills pertaining to the related Ministries/Departments and their recommendations are just advisory in nature and hence not binding.
Q2. Which of the following pairs of festival and the associated state are correctly matched?
(Level – Difficult)
Festival State
- Sarhul Jharkhand
- Wanchuwa Assam
- Nongkrem Meghalaya
Options:
- a) 1 and 2 only
- b) 2 and 3 only
- c) 1 and 3 only
- d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer:
Option d
Explanation:
- Sarhul is a spring festival associated with Jharkhand.
- The festival represents the commencement of the new year and according to the tradition, it symbolises marriage between the Earth and the Sun.
- It is celebrated by tribal groups such as Bhumijs, Mundas and Oraons
- Wanshuwa is an important religious festival of the Tiwa tribes of the Karbi Anglong district in Assam.
- The festival is celebrated to mark a good harvest and involves prayers for protection from pests and natural calamities.
- It involves songs, dances and a bunch of rituals performed by people clad in their native attires.
- Nongkrem dance festival is an annual festival associated with Meghalaya.
- Nongkrem dance is a traditional dance form celebrated by the people of the Khasi tribe.
- Nongkrem festival is conducted to honor the goddess Ka Blei Synshar worshipped by the tribe.
Q3. Which of the following statement/s are correct with respect to Goa’s conquest and
Liberation? (Level – Difficult)
- Goa became a Portuguese colony in 1510, when Afonso de Albuquerque captured the city
from the sultan of Bijapur.
- Tristao de Braganca Cunha was a prominent Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from
Goa.
- India annexed the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu through an
armed action codenamed Operation Vijay in 1960.
Options:
- a) 1 and 2 only
- b) 2 and 3 only
- c) 1 and 3 only
- d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer:
Option a
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, The Portuguese conquest of Goa began when Afonso de Albuquerque captured the city in 1510 from the Adil Shahis who was the then Sultan of Bijapur.
- Statement 2 is correct, Tristao de Braganca Cunha was a prominent Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa.
- Statement 3 is not correct, India annexed the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu through an armed action codenamed Operation Vijay in 1961.
Q4. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to the Provisions of the
Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017? (Level – Medium)
- The Maternity leave should not be availed before eight weeks from the date of expected
delivery.
- The act has a provision which requires establishments with 50 or more employees to provide
creche facilities.
- There is a mandatory work from home provision which the employee can avail after the end
of the maternity leave period for up to six months.
Options:
- a) 1 only
- b) 1 and 2 only
- c) 1 and 3 only
- d) 2 only
Answer:
Option b
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, The Maternity leave should not be availed before eight weeks from the date of expected delivery.
- Statement 2 is correct, As per the Act, the establishments employing 50 or more employees are required to provide creche facilities.
- Statement 3 is not correct, Employers may allow eligible Employees to work from home on a case to case basis depending on the nature of work.
PYQ (2019)
Q5. Consider the following statements: (Level - Easy)
- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) exchange rates are calculated by comparing the prices of the
same basket of goods and services in different countries.
- In terms of PPP dollars, India is the sixth largest economy in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- a) 1 only
- b) 2 only
- c) Both 1 and 2
- d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer:
Option a
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct, Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a popular metric used by macroeconomic analysts. It compares different countries’ currencies through a “basket of goods” approach.
- Statement 2 is not correct, In terms of PPP, India is the third-largest economy in the world.
CHECK ANSWERS:-
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
1. Julian Assange’s extradition from UK to US approved by home secretary, would undermine the role of journalists across the world in bringing governments to account. Critically examine. (10 Marks, 150 Words) (GS II – International Relations)
2. Black Sea is critical for Russia for geo-economic reasons. Comment. (10 Marks, 150 Words) (GS II – International Relations)
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CNA 19 June 2022:- Download PDF Here
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