CNA 9th June 2021:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. New Election Commissioner appointed 2. Take action against illegal adoption: SC 3. New norms for digital content C. GS 3 Related SECURITY 1. Crackdown on fake medicines 2. Rengma Nagas demand autonomous council 3. FBI-run app tricks criminal gangs globally, 800 arrested SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Swathes of Internet go down after cloud outage D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials ETHICS 1. The proportionality principle GOVERNANCE 1. Building trust in governance HEALTH 1. Bring genomic sequencing into the pandemic fight POLITY AND GOVERNANCE 1. State interventions, Lakshadweep’s future F. Prelims Facts 1. This time for Male 2. Shifting the tax burden G. Tidbits 1. Free rice offer boosts vaccination drive 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. New Election Commissioner appointed
Context:
The President of India appointed Anup Chandra Pandey, a retired Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer, to the post of Election Commissioner.
Details:
- Article 324 of the Indian Constitution provides for an Election Commission for the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for the conduct of elections to parliament, state legislatures and to the offices of president and vice president.
- In pursuance of clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution, the President has appointed the Election Commissioner.
Composition of Election Commission:
- The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners.
- When any other EC is so appointed, the CEC acts as the Election Commission’s Chairman.
- The office is held by them for a term of 6 years or until they attain 65 years, whichever is earlier.
- The tenure of office and the conditions of service of all the commissioners shall be determined by the President.
- The chief and the two other election commissioners have the same powers and emoluments including salaries, which are the same as a Supreme Court judge.
- In case of a difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by a majority.
- They can resign at any time by addressing their resignation to the President.
- The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
2. Take action against illegal adoption: SC
Context:
States and the Union Territories have been directed by the Supreme Court to take stringent action against individuals and NGOs who invite people to illegally adopt children orphaned by COVID-19.
Details:
- The government has been directed to step in and prevent private entities from revealing the identities of affected children on social media and inviting people to adopt them.
- Without the involvement of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), it is illegal to invite strangers to adopt children, already traumatised by their personal losses.
This issue has been covered on June 8th, 2021 CNA.
3. New norms for digital content
Context:
The Education Ministry has laid down new guidelines for producing digital education resources for children with disabilities.
Issue:
- The closure of regular schools and learning centres due to COVID-19 has led to special difficulties for many disabled children.
- The pandemic-driven shift to online education has brought to focus lacunae in resources for children with disabilities.
- According to a recent study, more than half of the NCERT textbooks available on the DIKSHA platform were not accessible for visually impaired students.
- Digital Infrastructure for School Education (DIKSHA) is an initiative of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
- It offers engaging learning material relevant to the prescribed school to teachers, students and parents.
Details:
- The guidelines provide strategies to produce supplementary content for varying disabilities, including students who face visual and hearing challenges, those on the autism spectrum, those with intellectual or special learning disabilities, and those with multiple disabilities.
- The new guidelines are based on four guiding principles, stipulating that all resources must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for disabled students.
- It is recommended that all textbooks be made digitally accessible in a phased manner.
- They can be made available in multiple formats such as text, audio, video and sign language with turn-on and turn-off features.
Way Forward:
- The guidelines include an implementation roadmap.
- The next steps are the nomination of an expert technical team to update the DIKSHA platform, followed by training and development of prototypes of the accessible digital textbooks.
- Effective implementation of the guidelines must be ensured.
C. GS 3 Related
1. Crackdown on fake medicines
Context:
More than 1.1 lakh web links, including websites and online marketplaces, have been taken down in an operation against the sale of fake and illicit medicines and medical products.
Details:
- The operation codenamed “Operation Pangea XIV” involved the police, customs and health regulatory authorities of 92 countries.
- The exercise was coordinated by Interpol.
- Indian agencies also participated in the operation.
- It resulted in the removal of the largest number of web links since the first “Operation Pangea” conducted in 2008.
- Raising public awareness of the potential dangers of buying medicines online was also part of Operation Pangea XIV.
Concerns:
- Unauthorized and counterfeit medicines can be dangerous for a number of reasons. They could be ineffective or contaminated.
- These illegally traded products constitute a calculated threat to patients’ health.
- They contain either none of the declared active substances or else less than the amount stated.
- In an attempt to obstruct simple tests, some of them contain active substances in smaller amounts than those stated.
Note:
Central Bureau of Investigation is the nodal body for Interpol in India.
2. Rengma Nagas demand autonomous council
Context:
The Rengma Nagas in Assam have written to Union Home Minister demanding an autonomous district council.
Background:
- Recently, an announcement was made that the Central and State governments would upgrade the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) into a territorial council.
- The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) has said that the proposed plan is not acceptable as it alienates the ancestral land of the Rengma Nagas in Assam.
- The NSCN-IM asserted that Karbi Anglong, earlier known as Rengma Hills, was a victim of an aggressive influx of outsiders for vested interests.
- It highlighted that the Rengma issue was one of the important agendas of the Indo-Naga political talks.
Why are the Rengma Nagas demanding an autonomous district council?
- Rengma Nagas are demanding a separate legislative seat for Rengmas.
- The Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council (RNPC) said that the Rengmas were the first tribal people in Assam to have encountered the British in 1839, but the existing Rengma Hills was eliminated from the political map of the State and replaced with that of Mikir Hills (now Karbi Anglong) in 1951.
- It asserted that during the Burmese invasions of Assam in 1816 and 1819, it was the Rengmas who gave shelter to the Ahom refugees.
- It said that the Rengma Hills was partitioned in 1963 between Assam and Nagaland at the time of the creation of Nagaland State and the Karbis, who were known as Mikirs till 1976, were the indigenous tribal people of Mikir Hills.
- Therefore, the Rengma Hills and Mikir Hills were two separate entities till 1951. Karbis have no history in the Rengma Hills.
- More than 3,000 Rengma Nagas were forced to relocate to relief camps in 2013 after several people were killed in a series of attacks following a call given by a Karbi insurgent group.
- People who are presently living in Rengma Hills are from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. They do not know the Karbi language of Karbi Anglong.
What are Autonomous District Councils?
- As per the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram contain Tribal Areas which are different from the Scheduled Areas.
- Though these areas fall within the executive authority of the state, provision has been made for the creation of the District Councils and regional councils for the exercise of certain legislative and judicial powers.
- Each district is an autonomous district and Governor can modify/divide the boundaries of the said Tribal Areas by notification.
- In Assam, there are 3 Autonomous Councils under the Sixth-Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
- Bodoland Territorial Council
- Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council
- Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council
3. FBI-run app tricks criminal gangs globally, 800 arrested
Context:
FBI unveiled a global sting operation leading to police raids and drug seizures in 16 nations.
Details:
- The operation is known as Trojan Shield.
- Earlier two encrypted platforms – EncroChat and Sky ECC were taken down.
- These had been used by criminal gangs to organise drug trafficking.
- With the gangs looking for a new means of communication, the FBI covertly developed an app called ANOM and installed it on modified mobile phones.
- The sting operation was an unprecedented blow to organised crime in countries around the world.
- More than 32 tonnes of drugs including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamines were seized along with 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars and more than $148 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Swathes of Internet go down after cloud outage
Context:
Dozens of websites briefly went offline around the globe after an outage at the cloud computing service Fastly.
Fastly:
- Fastly is a content delivery network, or CDN.
- It provides vital but behind-the-scenes cloud computing edge servers to many of the web’s popular sites.
- These servers store, or cache, content such as images and video in places around the world so that it is closer to users, allowing them to fetch it more quickly and smoothly.
- CDN helps websites move content using less-congested routes, enabling them to reach consumers faster.
Details:
- Fastly said it had identified a service configuration that triggered disruptions.
- Major futures markets in the U.S. dipped sharply minutes after the outage.
- The incident demonstrates how vital a small number of behind-the-scenes companies are for running the Internet.
Error 503:
- The 503 Service Unavailable error is an HTTP status code that means the website’s server is simply not available right now.
- It means that the server is unable to handle the information request.
- Most of the time, it occurs because the server is too busy or because there’s maintenance being performed on it.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
1. The proportionality principle
Context:
- In the light of the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, the article analyzes the concept of proportionality principle under the just war theory.
Just war theory:
- The just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics.
- The just war theory specifies conditions for morally judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought.
- The two criteria considered under just war theory are “right to go to war” (jus ad bellum) and “right conduct in war” (jus in bello).
Jus ad bellum:
- This considers criteria for judging the morality of going to war.
- Just cause – The reason for going to war needs to be just.
- Just authority – Only duly constituted public authorities may wage war.
- Just intention – The Just Intention (or Right Intention) condition in Just war theory sets a limit to the extent of the war. Even given a Just authority and a Just cause, it is possible for a warring state to go beyond the bounds of its justification. A just war is limited to the pursuit of the avowed just cause. A just war is limited to the pursuit and securing of the Just Cause. This mandates that force may be used only in a truly just cause and solely for that purpose.
- Last resort – Force may be used only after all peaceful and viable alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted or are clearly not practical.
Jus in bello:
- These criteria concern the moral conduct within war. Jus in bello directs how combatants are to act or should act.
- Military necessity – An attack or action must be intended to help in the defeat of the enemy; it must be an attack on a legitimate military objective.
- Distinction – The acts of war should be directed towards enemy combatants and not towards non-combatants caught in circumstances they did not create.
- Proportionality – The attacker must make sure that the harm caused to civilians or civilian property is not excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated by such an attack. This principle is meant to limit excessive and unnecessary death and destruction.
- Fair treatment of prisoners of war or those who no longer pose a threat.
- No immoral methods of warfare – Combatants may not use weapons or other methods of warfare that are considered immoral, such as mass rape or using weapons of mass destruction (e.g., nuclear/biological weapons).
The proportionality principle:
- The proportionality principle requires military commanders to assess two important factors before every military strike.
- They must examine the direct military advantage anticipated from an attack. The target must be a military target, such as a weapons depot. Notably, a seemingly civilian object, used by the adversary for military purposes (for example, a residential building used to store weapons) may also be considered a lawful target.
- The military commanders must assess, based on available information, what the expected collateral damage would be in terms of lives of civilians and civilian property. They must implement all feasible precautions to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian objects.
- The principle of proportionality aims to balance the military needs of states, who fight to protect civilians, with humanitarian imperatives.
Conclusion:
- The just war theory postulates the belief that war, though may have terrible consequences is not always the worst option. Just wars are supposed to be proportional responses to aggression.
- The harmful consequences of a war may be limited with the right conduct. Right conduct will ensure that the costs of war do not exceed the benefits of such a war.
- The just war theory is not intended to justify wars but to prevent them, by showing that going to war, except in certain limited circumstances, is wrong, and thus motivate states to find other ways of resolving conflicts.
- As against the popular notion that all’s fair in war (and love), nations, armies, and individual soldiers at war are expected to adhere to standards of conduct. Armies not showing such legal or moral restraint and acting contrary to the Just war criteria are usually in violation the international rule of law. Such states or individuals must be held accountable by domestic or international law.
1. Building trust in governance
Social trust:
- Social trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity and reliability of others – a “faith in people.”
Significance of social trust:
- As Aristotle observed 2400 years ago, human beings are by nature social creatures. Social trust is the underlying foundation of relationships among individuals, groups, and other components of a society.
- Without trust in others’ actions, people may have to consider too many contingencies and uncertainties to take action, destroying the foundation of community and society. Without social trust, a country’s economy cannot perform well, because transaction costs – costs in undertaking economic transactions by economic entities – would be too high.
- Hence, social trust is a key determinant of social and economic development as well as of human well-being.
Low social trust in governance:
- Historically, Indians have had low social trust and more so when it comes to trust in governance.
Factors contributing to low social trust:
- The past experiences of citizens while availing government services where requests have not been responded to has added to a sense of apprehension when it comes to governance.
- Corruption in the system adds to the apprehension among the citizens.
- The power imbalances wherein the citizens feel that they do not have any recourse for their grievances.
Implications of low trust:
- The low social trust leads to apathy, disengagement and a ‘nothing will happen’ mindset among the citizenry.
- This while discouraging the citizens from availing their legitimate right to service from government agencies and reducing citizen participation in governance also serves to deepen the sense of non-accountability among the government servants.
Measures that can help increase trust:
- Given that trust is experiential, the social trust in governance is built as consumers get consistent information and predictability and quality in the delivery of services, over time, every time.
- The availability of a mechanism to hold the service provider accountable is fundamental to building trust.
- Increased transparency which allows citizens and civil society groups to view the performance data for their localities through open dashboards and empowering citizens to provide a star rating (feedback) upon completion of service can help build social trust in governance.
- The use of e-technology for the delivery of services which reduces the scope for corruption and helps increase transparency in the system is an important intervention to help increase social trust in governance.
Conclusion:
- The government service delivery mechanism should imbibe the above measures to increase social trust in governance. This over time will help ensure that the trust deficit is reversed, and citizen participation increases.
1. Bring genomic sequencing into the pandemic fight
- The article while discussing the significance of genome sequencing in the fight against the pandemic analyzes shortcomings in India’s approach to genome sequencing and suggests remedial measures.
- This topic has been previously dealt with in the following article: UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 23rd May 2021
Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. State interventions, Lakshadweep’s future
- The article argues against the recent policies introduced by the Lakshadweep Administrator in Lakshadweep on the grounds that the new policies with their uni-dimensional focus on economic growth and development seem to be overlooking the environmental fragility and unique cultural geography of the islands.
For information on this issue refer to the following article:
UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 28th May 2021
F. Prelims Facts
Small Island Developing States:
- Fifty-two countries and territories are presently classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by the United Nations OHRLLS.
- The UN-OHRLLS is the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
- The three geographical regions in which SIDS are located are: the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea (AIS).
- The aggregate population of all the SIDS is 65 million, slightly less than 1% of the world’s population, yet this group faces unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.
- Their remote geography makes them extremely reliant on external markets for essential goods. The remoteness from international markets, high transportation costs poses an economic challenge to these nations.
- Climate change and the rising sea levels are an existential threat to these islands. They are also highly vulnerable to hurricanes and cyclones.
Barbados Programme of Action:
- The Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) of 1994 prescribed specific actions that would enable SIDS to achieve sustainable development. The Barbados Declaration contained a statement of political will underpinning these commitments.
SAMOA Pathway:
- The SAMOA Pathway adopted in 2014 recognizes the adverse impacts of climate change and sea-level rise on SIDS’ efforts to achieve economic development, food security, disaster risk reduction and ocean management, among other challenges. The SAMOA Pathway aims to address the unique challenges faced by SIDS and to support their development.
- The gross tax revenue collected by the central government in FY21 has increased over FY20 despite stringent lockdowns amid the COVID-19 first wave.
Graph source: The Hindu
- There has been a rise in contributions from union excise duties even as there has been a sharp drop in the share of corporate taxes. The share of income tax (23.2%) in the gross tax revenue has exceeded the contribution from corporate tax (22.6%). The Central goods and services tax contributed around 22.5%.
Graph source: The Hindu
- This decisive shift in tax burden from the corporate to the masses does not augur well given that the job losses and reduced income levels may push more people into poverty.
- According to the Pew Research Center, the number of poor people in India, with incomes less than $2/day, is estimated to have increased from almost 6 crore to 13.4 crore due to the pandemic.
G. Tidbits
1. Free rice offer boosts vaccination drive
What’s in News?
An administrative circle in Arunachal Pradesh has scaled up vaccination among those above 45 years of age with a free rice offer.
Issue:
- Some districts in the North East are among those with the lowest vaccination coverage in India.
- Rumours such as the COVID-19 vaccines causing impotency and microchips being injected through them have deterred many in the Northeast from taking the vaccine.
- Requests, as well as threats, have not worked in persuading people to take the vaccine.
Details:
- Various strategies are being formulated to improve vaccination coverage.
- Announcing 20 kg of rice free to each person aged 45-plus who came forward to get inoculated has provided a boost to the vaccination drive.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q 1: Consider the following statements:
- An Election Commissioner is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
- An Election Commissioner is removed in the like manner and on the like grounds as the judge of the Supreme Court.
- An Election Commissioner, after his/her term is over, is ineligible to become a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?
- 1 & 2
- 1 & 3
- 2 & 3
- All of the Above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Under Article 324(2) of the Constitution of India, the President of India (on the recommendation from the incumbent Government of India) is empowered to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners.
- The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his office in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court. However, the Constitution is silent about the procedure for removal of the two Election Commissioners. It only provides that they cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the CEC.
- An Election Commissioner, after his/her term is over, can become a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Q 2: Consider the following statements:
- Fifty-two countries and territories are presently classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by the United Nations OHRLLS.
- SIDS were recognized by the UN as a special case for their security issues.
- Trinidad and Tobago, Maldives, Singapore and Bahrain are some of the members of the SIDS.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
- 1 & 2
- 1 & 3
- 2 & 3
- All of the Above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of developing countries that are small island countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges.
- Fifty-two countries and territories are presently classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by the United Nations OHRLLS.
- The SIDS were recognized as a distinct group of developing countries in June 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development.
- The Barbados Programme of Action was produced in 1994 in order to assist the SIDS in their sustainable development efforts.
- The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) represents this group of states.
- The 29th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2005 adopted the World Heritage Programme for SIDS and they have since become a point of focus for World Heritage identification and protection.
- Trinidad and Tobago, Maldives, Singapore and Bahrain are some of the members of the SIDS.
Q 3: Operation Pangea XIV, recently seen in the news, is a:
- global crackdown on illegal medical trade
- research study to evaluate continental drift theory
- oil and gas exploration initiative in the Arctic area
- none of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
The operation codenamed “Operation Pangea XIV” was an exercise coordinated by Interpol for a global crackdown on illegal medical trade.
Q 4: Which of the following is/are correctly matched?
Error Description
- 403 A – server is unable to handle the information request
- 404 B – requested page is not available
- 503 C – resource is forbidden
Select the correct option from below:
- 1-C, 2-B, 3-A
- 1-A, 2-B, 3-C
- 1-B, 2-A, 3-C
- 1-B, 2-C, 3-A
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) standard response code and description:
- Error 403 occurs when the resource is forbidden. It occurs when the web page that is trying to be opened in the web browser is a resource that is not allowed to be accessed.
- Error 404 – Page Not Found error message is an HTTP standard response code, to indicate that the browser was able to communicate with a given server, but the server could not find what was requested. In short, it means, the requested page is not available.
- Error 503 – is an HTTP status code that means that the server is unable to handle the information request. Most of the time, it occurs because the server is too busy or because there’s maintenance being performed on it.
Q 5: Consider the following statements: Attorney General of India can
- take part in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha
- be a member of a committee of the Lok Sabha
- speak in the Lok Sabha
- vote in the Lok Sabha
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? [UPSC 2013]
- 1 only
- 2 and 4 only
- 1, 2 and 3
- 1 and 3 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- The Attorney General of India can take part in the proceedings of the Lok Sabha.
- He/she can be a member of a committee of the Lok Sabha.
- He/she can speak in the Lok Sabha.
- The Attorney General of India has the right to speak and to take part in the proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament or their joint sitting and any committee of the Parliament of which s/he may be named a member but without a right to vote.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- India and Maldives have an opportunity to work together for changing power structures at the UN. Examine. (250 words; 15 marks) [GS-2, International Relations]
- Critically evaluate the development plans that have been proposed for the Lakshadweep islands. (250 words; 15 marks) [GS-2, Polity and Governance]
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CNA 9th June 2021:- Download PDF Here
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