CNA 1st June 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. ‘It’s time to define limits of sedition’ INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. Thousands of Rohingya protest at Bhashan Char 2. As births decline, China to allow couples to have third child C. GS 3 Related DEFENCE 1. Defence Ministry notifies 108 negative imports ECONOMY 1. GDP shrinks by 7.3%; Q4 uptick moderates 2020-21 carnage D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials GOVERNANCE 1. Ending encryption F. Prelims Facts 1. Decision soon on oxygen use for industrial purposes G. Tidbits 1. Recognising caste-based violence against women H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. ‘It’s time to define limits of sedition’
Context:
The Supreme Court (SC) asserted that it was time to define the limits of sedition.
Background:
The SC, while doing so protected two Television channels from any coercive action by the Andhra Pradesh government for their reportage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the State.
Details:
- A three-judge SC Bench pointed out indiscriminate use of the sedition law against critics, journalists, social media users, activists and citizens for airing grievances about the governments’ COVID-19 management, or even for seeking help to gain medical access.
- It was asserted that the ambit and parameters of the provisions of Sections 124A (sedition), 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code 1860 would require interpretation.
- It said, limits must be defined particularly in the context of the right of the electronic and print media to communicate news, information and the rights, even those that may be critical of the prevailing regime in any part of the nation.
- Besides, the SC had categorically told the States not to initiate penal action against the critics of COVID-19 management measures in an earlier order.
- It ordered to immediately cease any direct and indirect threats of prosecution and arrest to citizens, who air their grievances.
What is Sedition?
The IPC Section 124 A says, “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.
Read more on the origin, cases, arguments against the sedition law comprehensively covered in 6th March 2020 CNA.
For an in-depth understanding of the Sedition Law, watch Explained: Sedition Law (Sec 124A IPC).
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Thousands of Rohingya protest at Bhashan Char
Context:
Several thousand Rohingya staged protests against living conditions on the Bhashan Char island – a cyclone-prone island off Bangladesh.
- The protest coincided with an inspection visit by officials from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
Details:
- Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar in 2017 have been made to live in refugee camps near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
- About 8,50,000 people live in poor and cramped conditions in the Cox Bazar region in Bangladesh.
- In December 2020, the Rohingyas were moved to the Bhashan Char island from vast camps on the mainland.
- Bangladesh has shifted 18,000 out of a planned 1,00,000 refugees to the low-lying silt island of Bhashan Char from the Cox’s Bazar region.
Read more on this issue covered in the 13th December 2020 Comprehensive News Analysis.
Issue:
- Bhasan Char is vulnerable to going under water from tides and flooding.
- Much of it gets submerged during the monsoon.
- Located near the mouth of the river Meghna where it flows into the Bay of Bengal, Bhasan Char surfaced only in 2006 from the sediment deposited by the river.
2. As births decline, China to allow couples to have third child
Context:
China will for the first time allow couples to have a third child.
Details:
- The latest decision comes in a further relaxation of family planning rules five years after a “two-child policy” failed to boost birth rates.
- The announcement comes as a part of the major policy measures to actively address the ageing of the population.
- It comes in the backdrop of the release of China’s once-in-a-decade population census that pointed to an alarming decline in births.
- According to the census, the age group of 60 and over constitute 18.70% of the population.
- Those in the 15-59 age group were down by 6.79% since 2010 and accounting for 63.35% of the population.
- China’s workforce in the 15-59 age bracket peaked at 925 million in 2011.
- That number was down to 894 million in this census and would drop to 700 million by 2050.
- Forecasts say the population in China could peak in the next couple of years and most likely by 2025, when India will become the world’s most populous country.
China’s Concerns:
- China introduced a “two-child policy” in 2016, but the wide consensus is that it failed to have the desired impact.
- Financial pressure is considered one main reason.
- The ageing crisis might be the biggest challenge the Chinese nation faces in the next century.
- The projected drop in the working-age population by 2050 is also a major concern.
C. GS 3 Related
1. Defence Ministry notifies 108 negative imports
Context:
The Defence Ministry has notified the second negative import list.
Details:
- The negative import list has been renamed as the ‘positive indigenisation list’.
- The 108 items in the list can now be only purchased from indigenous sources.
- The new list takes the total number on the list to 209.
- Indigenisation of defence purchases is planned to be implemented progressively with effect from December 2021 to December 2025.
Second positive indigenisation list:
- It comprises complex systems, sensors, simulator, weapons and ammunitions like helicopters, next generation corvettes, Air Borne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, tank engines, medium power radar for mountains, Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) weapon systems and many more such items.
- It lays special focus on weapons and systems which are currently under development/trials and are likely to translate into firm orders in the future.
- Import substitution of ammunition which is a recurring requirement has been given special focus.
Significance:
- The government wants to reduce the dependence on imported items in defence and give a push to the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
- The domestic industry is given the opportunity to manufacture for fulfilling the needs of the armed forces.
- The manufacturers could be private sector players or Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
- It provides an excellent opportunity for start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
1. GDP shrinks by 7.3%; Q4 uptick moderates 2020-21 carnage
Context:
India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 7.3% in 2020-21, as per provisional National Income estimates released by the National Statistical Office.
Details:
- This is the first full-year contraction in the Indian economy in the last four decades since 1979-80, when GDP had shrunk by 5.2 per cent.
- GDP growth in 2019-20, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was 4%.
- The Gross Value Added (GVA) shrank 6.2% in 2020-21, compared to a 4.1% rise in 2019-20.
- Only two sectors recorded positive GVA growth — agriculture, forestry and fishing, which rose 3.6%, and electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services (up 1.9%).
- According to economists, these numbers would moderate growth prospects for 2021-22 through the base effect, even as the burden of the virus is hurting economic activity.
- The combination of the second wave and the revised base effect may imply a lower GDP growth for the Indian economy for 2021-22.
Fiscal Deficit:
- Higher tax collections helped arrest fiscal deficit (excess of government expenditure over revenue) at 9.3 per cent of the GDP in FY21 as against 9.5 per cent projected previously.
- Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the fiscal deficit had soared to a seven-year high of 4.6 per cent of GDP in 2019-20 mainly due to poor revenue growth.
- The government has pegged the fiscal deficit during the current 2021-22 fiscal at 6.8 per cent of GDP.
Note:
- The National Statistical Office has attributed the improvement over its earlier growth estimates, to the improved performance of indicators, used in the compilation of GVA, in the fourth quarter of 2020-21.
- The NSO also warned that data collection had been impacted as much as any other activity by the pandemic, so its estimates could undergo sharp revisions.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Context:
- WhatsApp has moved the Delhi High Court against the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021.
For information on this development refer to:
UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis 27th May 2021
Details:
- The one major cause for concern raised by WhatsApp is Rule 4(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
- Rule 4(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 imposes an obligation on significant social media intermediaries providing a messaging function, to ensure traceability of the originator of information on their platforms.
- A “significant social media intermediary” is one with more than 50 lakh registered users.
- Failure to implement the traceability obligation by the intermediaries can lead to them being held responsible for any illicit content on their platforms and thus the companies could lose their ‘safe harbour’ protection.
- The safe harbour protection gives the social media intermediaries protection against liability (civil as well as criminal) for content posted on their platform by third party users. The safe harbour protection is granted under Section 79 of the IT Act.
- Rule 4(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 imposes an obligation on significant social media intermediaries providing a messaging function, to ensure traceability of the originator of information on their platforms.
WhatsApp’s arguments:
- WhatsApp’s argument is that the traceability provision of the new rules would require it to break its end-to-end encryption service which would amount to the encroachment of user privacy.
- End-to-end encryption service allows messages to be read only by the sender and the receiver thus enabling privacy protections.
Government’s argument:
- The Government primarily relies on the argument that privacy is not an absolute right, and that the traceability obligation is only a reasonable restriction on the right to privacy.
- The government argues that the traceability provision is in line with the K.S. Puttaswamy judgment which held that any restriction to the right of privacy must be necessary, proportionate and includes safeguards against abuse.
- The government’s main line of argument in favour of the traceability guidelines is that such powers would be vital to law enforcement in dealing with and tackling harmful online content.
- The Ministry of Electronics and IT has stated that the traceability measure will be used by law enforcement as the “last resort” and in the absence of any alternatives. Also, it will only be used in specific situations, such as for prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of offences related to the sovereignty and integrity of India, child sexual abuse material, etc.
- The intermediaries are mandated to undertake traceability subject to an order being passed by a court or government agency.
For related information on the K.S. Puttaswamy case, refer to:
Puttaswamy Case – Important SC Judgements for UPSC
Counter arguments:
- The article discusses some of the major concerns regarding the new IT rules.
Against the judiciary’s observations in the K.S. Puttaswamy case:
- As against the government’s claim that the concerned provision is in line with the K.S. Puttaswamy judgement, the article argues that a closer analysis reveals that the traceability provision in fact goes against the basic tenets of the judgement.
- The Supreme Court of India in the K.S. Puttaswamy judgement has clarified that any restriction on the right to privacy must be necessary, proportionate and includes safeguards against abuse.
Not proportionate:
- The general obligation to enable traceability as a systemic feature is not proportionate.
- There could be an immense adverse impact of the traceability provision on the general digital ecosystem in terms of the overall cybersecurity and privacy concerns.
- The general weakening of the encryption regime would compromise the privacy and security of all individuals at all times, despite no illegal activity on their part.
Lack of safeguards:
- The Rules lack effective safeguards by failing to provide any system of independent oversight over tracing requests made by the executive.
- The lack of safeguards like independent or judicial oversight in enforcing traceability would allow government agencies to seek user’s identity and this could compromise the anonymity of whistle-blowers and journalistic sources.
Availability of alternate avenues for government:
- The Government already has numerous alternative means of securing relevant information to investigate online offences.
- The Government is empowered to seek access to encrypted data under Section 69(3) of the IT Act, and Rules 17 and 13 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009 under which intermediaries are required to assist the administration with decryption when they have the technical ability to do so and when law enforcement has no other alternative.
- The administration is also empowered to seek unencrypted data, metadata and digital trails from intermediaries.
- The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee report of 2018 recognizes the surveillance powers of the Government as being vast and overreaching.
Lack of scrutiny:
- There has been a lack of adequate consultation with the stakeholders prior to the introduction of the traceability provision under the new rules.
- Ideally, the new Rules should have been put through a period of consultation before being notified.
Conclusion:
- While there are problems in the digital ecosystem that are often exacerbated or created by the way intermediaries function, ill-considered regulation such as the new IT Rules is not the way forward.
- While the weakening of encryption systems will no doubt make it easy for law enforcement agencies in dealing with online challenges, the costs involved in weakening the encryption regime seem to be high.
- The Government needs to revisit the provisions on traceability and instead revise and reform the IT Act, 2000 in line with existing global best practices, also legislate the long-pending Data Protection Bill. This would be a more viable long term solution to tackle the challenges in the digital ecosystem.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Decision soon on oxygen use for industrial purposes
What’s in News?
The government would take a decision to lift restrictions on the use of liquid oxygen for industrial purposes as soon as possible.
- In the backdrop of a shortage of oxygen supply for treating the COVID-19 patients, the Centre had banned the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes.
Read more on this topic covered in UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis. April 19th, 2021.
G. Tidbits
1. Recognising caste-based violence against women
Intersectionality:
- Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.
- Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage. Examples of these factors include gender, caste, sex, race, class, sexuality, religion, disability and physical appearance. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing.
Intersectional approach to feminism:
- An intersectional approach to feminism acknowledges that while women share similar experiences of discrimination, harassment, sexism, inequality and oppression on the basis of their sex and gender, not all women are equally disadvantaged or have equal access to resources, power and privilege.
- For example, intersectional discrimination faced by black women in the U.S., intersectional discrimination faced by women from SC and ST classes in India.
- Thus intersectionality approach seeks to recognise the multiple grounds of marginalisation faced by women.
Patan Jamal Vali v. State of Andhra Pradesh case:
- The Supreme Court in its judgement in the Patan Jamal Vali v. State of Andhra Pradesh case addresses this intersectionality of caste, gender and disability.
- The Supreme Court, argued for such an intersectional approach, to take into account the multiple marginalities that the rape victim had to face and which could have contributed to her facing sexual violence. It noted how multiple sources of oppression operated cumulatively to produce a specific experience of subordination for the blind Dalit woman.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following pairs:
- Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary: Tamil Nadu
- Pench Tiger Reserve: Arunachal Pradesh
- Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary: West Bengal
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
- 1 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is located in Tamil Nadu.
- Pench Tiger Reserve is located in Madhya Pradesh.
- Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Assam.
Q2. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- The original Constitution did not contain provisions with respect to tribunals. The 44th Amendment Act of 1976 added a new Part which deals with tribunals.
- Tribunals under Article 323 A can be established by any ‘Appropriate Legislature’ by passing a law.
- The chairman and members of the State Administrative Tribunals (SATs) are appointed by the Governor after consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2 and 3
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- The original Constitution did not contain provisions with respect to tribunals. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added a new Part which deals with tribunals.
- Parliament alone, by passing a law can establish tribunals under Article 323 A.
- Article 323-A of the Constitution provides for the establishment of administrative tribunals by a parliament law for the adjudication or trial of disputes and complaints relating to the recruitment and conditions of service of government servants under the central government and the state government including the employee of any local or other authority within the territory of India or under the control of the government of India or of a corporation owned or controlled by the government.
- The chairman and members of the State Administrative Tribunals (SATs) are appointed by the President after consultation with the Governor of the state concerned.
Q3. Arrange the following hills from East to West:
- Naga Hills
- Mikir Hills
- Jaintia Hills
- Garo Hills
Options:
- 1-2-3-4
- 2-3-4-1
- 3-4-1-2
- 4-1-2-3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
Q4. The chairman and members of National Human Rights Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a committee consisting of
- Prime Minister
- Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament
- Central Home Minister
Options:
- 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2 and 4 only
- 1, 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
The chairman and members of the National Human Rights Commission are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a committee consisting of:
- Prime Minister
- Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament
- Central Home Minister
Q5. In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found? (UPSC 2016)
- Cambay Basin
- Cauvery Basin
- Krishna-Godavari Basin
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1 and 2 only
- 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
In India, shale gas resources are found in Cambay Basin, Cauvery Basin as well as Krishna-Godavari Basin.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Caste-based violence against women needs to be recognised in India. In the light of this statement, evaluate how effective is the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. (250 words; 15 marks) [GS-1, Social Issues].
- Israel and Palestine will have to seek a solution through non-violence and could take a leaf out of India’s book. Examine the statement. (250 words; 15 marks) [GS-2, International Relations].
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 1st June 2021:- Download PDF Here
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