CNA 29 June 2023:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Days after ‘Black Saturday’, Russians take stock C. GS 3 Related SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Euclid set to launch next week in quest for dark energy D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials EDUCATION 1. Rankings, and the Realities of higher education F. Prelims Facts 1. Biofertilizer scheme gets Central govt.’s green light 2. Centre plans ‘market’ scheme to promote sustainable living 3. Cabinet clears NRF Bill to offer strategic direction to research 4. Indian economy resilient despite global risks: RBI G. Tidbits H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
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B. GS 2 Related
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Days after ‘Black Saturday’, Russians take stock
Syllabus: GS-2, International Relations
Syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
Prelims: International Events
Mains: India and its neighbourhood relations
Context: The recent events in Russia, including the armed column of the Wagner private military company marching towards Moscow, have caused global apprehensions.
The implications of any radical challenge, like one posed by the Wagner rebellion, to President Vladimir Putin’s government, can go beyond Russia, potentially impacting the world order.
About the unfolding situations in Russia and its implications:
The Wagner Rebellion Episode:
- Led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner group and a former associate of President Putin, the rebellion sent shockwaves due to its unprecedented nature in Russia.
- The event exposed vulnerabilities within Russian statehood and society, hinting at deeper underlying vulnerabilities.
The Potential Ripple Effects:
- Political scientist Kirill Rogov highlights that unsuccessful military mutinies often precede major historical events such as revolutions, coups, or civil wars.
- The mutiny signifies a divergence in the perception of the “motherland” among those who pledged loyalty, raising questions about the unity of Russia.
- During the mutiny, President Putin emphasized the need for unity and actions that divide the country were denounced as betrayal, with similarity drawn to the upheaval of 1917, resulting in the collapse of the Army, state disintegration, and civil war.
- Political analysts perceive the events as a moment of acute political crisis in 21st-century Russia.
Possible Implications in Russia:
- Political Stability: The country is at war with Ukraine which has been continuing for over a year. The rebellion by the Wagner group exposed cracks within Russian statehood and society, raising concerns about political stability and the unity of the nation.
- Government Response: President Putin’s call for unity and the subsequent crackdown on the rebellion may lead to further consolidation of power, potentially resulting in tighter control over dissent and opposition.
- Public Perception: The events may affect public trust in the government, particularly if grievances raised by the rebels resonate with the broader population, highlighting issues such as corruption and decision-making.
Global Implications:
- Geopolitical Impact: Any instability in Russia could have far-reaching consequences for the global balance of power, affecting international relations and alliances.
- Economic Consequences: Russia is a major player in the global economy, and political upheaval will further raise uncertainties and impact global markets, trade, and investments.
- Security Concerns: Given Russia’s nuclear capabilities and military strength, instability within the country when the country is at war, could raise concerns about regional and global security.
Nut Graf: The brief rebellion by the Wagner private military company in Russia has revealed underlying tensions and vulnerabilities within the country. As Russia navigates this period of uncertainty, the world watches closely, understanding the potential repercussions on global stability.
C. GS 3 Related
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Euclid set to launch next week in quest for dark energy
Syllabus: GS-3, Science and technology
Syllabus: Current events of national and international importance
Prelims: Euclid Mission, Dark Energy
Mains: Science and technology developments and their application and effects in everyday life.
Context: The Euclid Space Telescope, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), is set to embark on an extraordinary mission to survey billions of galaxies and unravel the secrets of the Universe.
This article explores the mission, the significance of the Euclid mission, and its potential to shed light on the remarkable phenomena of dark energy and dark matter.
About Euclid Mission:
The Euclid mission is part of ESA’s ‘Cosmic Vision’ program, which seeks to explore the origin, composition, and fundamental laws governing the Universe.
With its advanced instruments, the mission will survey more than a third of the sky, capturing data from billions of galaxies and their characteristics.
About the components of Euclid:
- Elucid is made up of advanced instruments.
- It is equipped with a 1.2-meter-wide telescope.
- The Euclid Space Telescope carries a visible-wavelength camera (VISible) and a near-infrared camera/spectrometer (NISP).
- The NISP will analyze the motion of galaxies, providing valuable insights into the effects of gravity and the distribution of matter.
- The VISible camera will investigate subtle distortions in the shapes of distant galaxies, enabling scientists to study the interplay between gravity and dark energy.
Potential discoveries and significance:
- Exploring the evolution of the Universe:
- The Euclid mission aims to study the light emitted by galaxies that existed 10 billion years ago, offering a glimpse into the early stages of the Universe’s evolution.
- By analyzing these light emitted billions of years ago, scientists can develop a better understanding of the formation, structure, and development of galaxies over vast cosmic timescales.
- Shedding more light on Dark Energy:
- Dark energy is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the Universe.
- Dark energy constitutes approximately 68% of the Universe and play a significant role in its evolution and shaping its structure.
- The Euclid mission seeks to gather essential data to unravel the mysteries surrounding dark energy and dark matter, providing insights into their nature and influence on the cosmos.
- Shedding more light on Dark Matter:
- Dark matter is an invisible substance that shapes cosmic structures.
- Dark matter, comprising roughly 27% of the Universe, exerts gravitational effects on visible matter, influencing the formation of galaxies and galaxy clusters.
- The Euclid mission aims to gather data that will enhance our understanding of dark matter’s properties, distribution, and its role in the cosmic web.
- Collaboration and Scientific Endeavor:
- The Euclid Consortium has physicists, astronomers, engineers, and managers, to foster collaboration and ensure the mission’s success.
- Combining expertise and resources, the consortium aims to harness the potential of the Euclid Space Telescope to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos.
Nut graf: The Euclid Space Telescope, an ambitious mission to survey billions of galaxies, in unraveling the mysteries of the Universe offer huge potential in the field of science. By exploring the phenomena of dark energy and dark matter, the mission offers mankind the opportunity to expand its understanding of the cosmos, and shape the future of astrophysics and scientific laws.
D. GS 4 Related
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E. Editorials
1. Rankings, and the Realities of higher education
Syllabus: GS-2, Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Prelims: NIRF ranking and its parameters
Mains: Challenges and issues pertaining to Indian higher education
Context: The 8th edition of the NIRF rankings has been released, showcasing the evaluation and ranking of higher education institutions in India.
About NIRF:
- NIRF is a framework developed by the Ministry of Education in India to rank higher education institutions.
- It has been conducted annually since 2016, with the 2023 edition being the eighth consecutive ranking.
- NIRF evaluates institutions in five categories: overall, universities, colleges, research institutions, and innovation.
Parameters for Evaluation:
Institutions are evaluated based on five parameters with varying weightage to access the quality of the college:
- Teaching, learning, and resources (40 %)
- Graduation outcome (25 %)
- Research and professional practices (15 %)
- Outreach and inclusivity (10 %)
- Perception (10 %)
Read more on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in the linked article.
Issues that can be inferred from NIRF ranking:
- Low Participation of Institutions:
- Only 12.3% of higher educational institutions in India actively participated in the NIRF rankings, raising concerns about the limited engagement of the majority of institutions.
- The lack of information on ranking parameters for the remaining 87.7% of institutions is a matter of concern, as it hampers transparency and accountability in the ranking process.
- The rankings exhibit an inherent urban bias, with a limited presence of colleges from rural areas in the top 100 list. This raises questions about the inclusivity and representation of institutions from rural regions.
- Incongruence between Quantity and Quality:
- The concentration of top-ranked colleges in a few states, such as Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Kerala, highlights the disparity between states in terms of quality higher education.
- States with a significant number of colleges, like Uttar Pradesh, face underrepresentation in the top 100 list, indicating the need for quality improvement across all regions.
- Private institutions generally have lower rankings compared to government institutions, indicating a quality gap between these sectors.
- Correlation between Faculty Strength and Rankings:
- There are substantial differences in faculty strength between top-ranked institutions and others. The top 100 universities and colleges have a higher average number of faculty members compared to the remaining institutions.
- Quality education cannot be solely attributed to physical infrastructure; the presence of qualified and sufficient faculty members is vital.
- Many engineering institutions fail to adhere to the prescribed faculty-student ratios, impacting the overall educational experience and quality.
- Scientific Publications:
- The rankings reveal a strong correlation between faculty strength, institutional quality, and scientific publications.
- Only 12.3% of participating institutions contribute to nearly 90% of the scholarly output in the country, indicating a concentration of research productivity among a small proportion of institutions.
- Engineering institutions participating in the rankings contribute significantly to scientific publications in their field.
- The management domain displays a concerning trend, with 50% of participating institutions having zero publications, highlighting the need for research emphasis in this field.
Way forward:
- Strengthen state universities by providing increased funding and resources, improving faculty quality, and fostering research collaborations.
- Address the urban bias in rankings by revising the framework to encourage participation from rural institutions and developing parameters that consider their unique challenges.
- Bridge the quality gap between private and government institutions through initiatives that promote faculty development, research activities, and collaboration.
- Emphasize research and publications by incentivizing institutions, particularly in management, to prioritize research, establish funding programs, and support faculty development.
- Increase budgetary allocations to higher education, allocating more funds for infrastructure development, faculty recruitment, research grants, and scholarships.
Nut Graf: The NIRF India Rankings 2023 highlight issues of low participation, incongruence between quantity and quality, faculty-strength correlation, and the need for increased funding to improve higher education in India.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Biofertilizer scheme gets Central govt.’s green light
Syllabus: GS-3, Agriculture, Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies, Conservation and environmental pollution
Context:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the PM-PRANAM or PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth scheme.
Details:
- The PM-PRANAM scheme was proposed in the 2023-24 union budget.
- The scheme aims to promote the use of nutrient-based biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture.
- It seeks to save soil fertility, reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, and encourage balanced fertilizer usage.
- This is an incentive-based scheme which involves active participation from state governments.
- States that adopt alternative fertilizers will be incentivized through subsidies saved from the reduction of chemical fertilizer usage.
- For example, suppose a state reduces its consumption of conventional fertilizers by three lakh tonnes using green fertilizers, resulting in a subsidy saving of Rs. 3,000 crores; so, for the efforts, the central government will incentivise the state by providing 50% of that subsidy savings.
- Continuation of existing Urea Subsidy Scheme: The urea subsidy scheme will continue, ensuring a consistent supply of urea to farmers at an affordable price, ensuring that farmers have access to essential nutrients for their crops without financial burden.
- Market Development Assistance (MDA) for Organic Fertilizers: The PM-PRANAM scheme includes an allocation of Rs. 1,451.84 crores for Market Development Assistance (MDA).
- MDA aims to promote organic fertilizers derived from Gobardhan plants, which produce fermented organic manures (FOM), liquid FOM, and phosphate-rich organic manures (PROM) as by-products from biogas plants and compressed biogas (CBG) plants.
- Use of Eco-Friendly Option of Urea i.e. Nano Urea Production: The use of nano urea, a more efficient and eco-friendly form of urea, has increased in the country. By 2025-26, eight nano urea plants with a production capacity of 44 crore bottles will be commissioned. Nano urea technology enhances nutrient absorption by crops and reduces nitrogen losses, resulting in increased productivity and cost savings.
- This initiative supports natural/organic farming practices and contributes to rejuvenating soil productivity.
2. Centre plans ‘market’ scheme to promote sustainable living
Syllabus: GS-3, Environment & Ecology; Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Context: The Indian government’s Environment Ministry has brought a draft notification of the proposed ‘Green Credit Scheme’ aimed at incentivizing environmental actions and promoting sustainable living.
Details:
- The scheme has provisions to generate ‘green credits’ for individuals and organizations for their activities such as afforestation, water conservation, waste management, and addressing air pollution.
- These credits can be traded for monetary value. This is a market-based approach to encourage voluntary environmental actions and drive sustainable practices.
- The scheme aims to incentivize individuals, communities, and private sector entities to actively engage in environmentally beneficial activity.
- Eligible Activities for Green Credits: The draft notification identifies eight sectors or activities that qualify for generating green credits.
- These are broadly covered in the following:
- Tree plantation-based credits: Promoting the expansion of green cover through tree plantation and related initiatives.
- Water-based credits: Encouraging water conservation, water harvesting, efficient water use, and wastewater treatment and reuse.
- Sustainable agriculture-based credits: Supporting natural and regenerative agricultural practices, land restoration, and improving soil health and nutritional value of food produced.
- Waste management-based credits: Promoting sustainable waste management practices and driving improvements in waste disposal methods.
- The scheme will contribute to mitigating environmental challenges, such as deforestation, water scarcity, soil degradation, and pollution.
- It seeks to create a balance between ecological conservation and economic development by encouraging the private sector to participate actively.
- This type of model is operational in many countries but what makes this scheme unique is the wide range of activities covered in it giving scope for everyone’s participation.
3. Cabinet clears NRF Bill to offer strategic direction to research
Syllabus: GS 2- Government policies and interventions for development of various sectors.
Context:
The Union Cabinet has granted its approval for the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023, aiming to establish the NRF as the apex body for scientific research in India. This move comes in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP). With this, it is expected to provide strategic direction to scientific endeavours in the country.
Details:
- Establishment of the National Research Foundation: The NRF Bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet, setting the stage for the establishment of the NRF as the apex body for scientific research in India.
- The NRF will play a crucial role in providing high-level strategic direction and coordinating scientific research efforts across the country.
- The NRF will operate under the administrative oversight of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
- The bill is intended to ensure equitable funding and participation.
- Governance Structure:
- Board: The NRF will be governed by a board of eminent researchers and professionals from various scientific fields. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio president. Union Ministers of Science and Technology and Education will serve as ex-officio vice presidents.
- Executive council: The executive council will oversee the operations and decision-making process of the NRF. It will be chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
- Supercede the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB): The NRF Bill will replace the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), which was established by Parliament in 2008, and subsume it into the NRF.
- Consolidation of funding and coordination under a unified framework: The NRF will rectify existing disparities in research funding distribution, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable support for state universities and institutions beyond the prestigious IITs and IISc.
- The NRF Bill seeks to promote private sector involvement and investment in scientific research.
- The NRF will prioritize funding based on research needs and priorities, as determined by the executive council.
- Funding: The government has committed to contribute Rs.10,000 crore over a span of five years.
- Close to Rs. 36000 crore is expected to be received through private contributions.
4. Indian economy resilient despite global risks: RBI
Syllabus: GS 3: Indian economy and issues relating to planning
Context:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released its biannual Financial Stability Report (FSR). The report highlights the strength and resilience of the Indian economy and domestic financial system in rising uncertainty in the global economic landscape.
The report has brought to light positive indicators such as declining non-performing assets (NPAs) and the ability of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) to meet capital requirements under stress scenarios.
Details:
- Declining NPA: The FSR reveals that scheduled commercial banks’ gross non-performing assets ratio reached a 10-year low of 3.9% in March 2023. This decline indicates an improvement in asset quality, reflecting the resilience of the banking sector.
- Robust Capital Reserves: The RBI’s macro stress tests demonstrate that SCBs are well-equipped to comply with minimum capital requirements even in severe stress scenarios. This reflects the prudent financial management and strong capital reserves of Indian banks.
- Resilient Domestic Financial System: While the global financial system is going through a stressful period, particularly due to banking turmoil in the United States and Europe, the Indian financial sector has remained stable and resilient.
- Twin Balance Sheet Advantage: Both the banking and corporate sectors have taken steps to strengthen their balance sheets. The RBI Governor describes it as a ‘twin balance sheet advantage’, which contributes to overall economic growth by fostering a more stable and resilient financial system.
- Positive Economic Outlook: The resilience of the Indian economy, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, provides a positive outlook for future growth.
- Strengthened balance sheets, declining NPAs, and the ability of SCBs to withstand stress scenarios contribute to the overall stability of the Indian economy.
G. Tidbits
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H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Donetsk and Luhansk regions are often seen in the news in the context of
- Tigray War
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Serbia-Kosovo Conflict
- Afghanistan Crisis
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
Russia-Ukraine War. Donetsk and Luhansk regions (together called the Donbas region) are in Eastern Ukraine which borders Russia.
Q2. Consider the following statements w.r.t All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE):
- It is released by NGO Pratham.
- It covers all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory imparting higher education in the country.
- It was initiated in the year 2021.
How many of these statements is/are correct?
- Only one
- Only two
- All three
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 3 are incorrect. The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) was initiated in 2011, during which data for the year 2010-11 was collected. It is released by the Ministry of Education.
Q3. Euclid Space Telescope recently seen in the news is developed by:
- Roscosmos
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- European Space Agency
- Israel Space Agency
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission is set to launch into space on a Falcon9 rocket from SpaceX. The mission is specifically designed to study the dark universe, probing both “dark matter” and “dark energy”.
Q4. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is chaired by:
- Finance Minister
- Minister of Corporate Affairs
- Prime Minister
- Minister of Home Affairs
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
CCEA is one of the standing committees of the cabinet constituted by the government. It is headed by the Prime Minister.
Q5. Financial Stability Report (FSR) is published by the:
- Reserve Bank of India
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- NITI Aayog
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
Financial Stability Report (FSR) is a biannual report published by the Reserve Bank of India.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 29 June 2023:- Download PDF Here
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