01 Mar 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Land protests over Deocha Pachami coal block
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Russia placed in ‘restricted’ cover list amid conflict: ECGC
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. IPCC warns of multiple climate hazards
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Ukraine’s situation, India’s national interest
CYBER SECURITY
1. Reporting cyber attacks
F. Prelims Facts
1. Adopt Gati Shakti, Modi tells States, private sector
G. Tidbits
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. Land protests over Deocha Pachami coal block

Syllabus: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. 

Prelims: Deocha Pachami coal block

Mains: West Bengal protests over land acquisition

Context: The Bengal government project is facing protests over land acquisition. 

What is the project?

• The West Bengal government’s ambitious Deocha Pachami coal block mining project has run into hurdles over land acquisition and other issues. 
• The State government is planning to start mining at the Deocha Pachami coal block.
• It is considered to be the largest coal block in the country.
• There are around 12 villages in the project area comprising Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Why are locals upset?

• Villagers have been organizing protests and rallies against the project claiming that there is “misleading propaganda” that locals are willing to “give land voluntarily”. 
• Locals, mostly Santhal tribals, have a close affinity with the land, with forests and rely on it for their needs. 
• Activists said that instead of engaging with the people, they were being harassed and had been arrested under false and serious charges. 
• Experts, environmentalists and activists have raised a host of issues concerning the project and the pitfalls of going ahead with plans for open cast mining of coal at a time when there are calls to cut back on fossil fuel to tackle global warming. 

What is the compensation package?

• The Chief Minister of West Bengal insists that the State needs the mining project, saying it will create about one lakh jobs. 
• The State government revised the relief and rehabilitation project to give land losers a better deal. 
• The Chief Minister claimed that families who will be affected by the project have decided to hand over their land willingly.
• Under the revised relief & rehabilitation (R&R) package for the Deocha Pachami coal block, a person having land in the area will get double the market value along with 100% solatium as land cost.
• The long-term residents of the area who are not landowners will be provided with land patta and a compensation package, the Chief Minister announced.

C. GS 3 Related

Category: ECONOMY

1. Russia placed in ‘restricted’ cover list amid conflict: ECGC

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources

Prelims:  About Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC)

Mains: Impact of Russia Ukraine crisis on India

Context: Government-owned ECGC said it had modified the insurance cover category for Indian exports to Russia.

Description:

• The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) has decided to modify the country-risk classification of Russia.
• Revising its underwriting policy on Russia, ECGC has now put that country in the Restricted Cover Category (RCC-I) from the earlier ‘Open Cover’ category.
  • Open cover categories enable policyholders to obtain cover on a more liberalized basis. 
• The corporation clarified that coverage on export to Russia had not been withdrawn.

About Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC):

• ECGC Ltd. is wholly owned by the Government of India.
• It was set up in 1957 with the objective of promoting exports from the country by providing credit risk insurance and related services for exports. 
• ECGC is essentially an export promotion organization, seeking to improve the competitiveness of the Indian exports by providing them with credit insurance covers.
• ECGC provides 
  • a range of insurance covers to Indian exporters
  • different types of credit insurance covers to banks and other financial institutions 
  • Export Factoring facility for MSME sector

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Ukraine’s situation, India’s national interest

Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Mains: How can India take a stand instead of being neutral in the Ukraine crisis.

Context: The Russian President, Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of genocide and announced that he will take measures for demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine. 

Is there any truth in Russia’s claim?

• The United Nations Genocide Convention defined genocide as any of five “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such.” These five acts were: killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children out of the group. Victims are targeted because of their real or perceived membership of a group, not randomly.
• There is no documented evidence of genocide in Ukraine. In fact, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky himself is Jewish.
• The fact is that it is Russia that is invading Ukraine unilaterally, violating international laws.
• Russia’s actions stem from the belief that “Ukraine is an illegitimate country that exists on land that is historically and rightfully Russia’s”.
• Putin also believes that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a geopolitical disaster and that Russia and Ukraine are historically inseparable.  

BRICS Delhi Resolution:

• India recently abstained from voting on UN Security Council Resolution 8979.
• BRICS Summit – New Delhi Declaration resolved commitment to the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of States and reiterates that all conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means and through political and diplomatic efforts in line with international law, in particular the UN Charter. Read more about BRICS in the link.
• It also underscored the inadmissibility of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
• This declaration was also approved and signed by Russia, which was violated when it unilaterally invaded Ukraine.

The Way Forward for New Delhi:

• India needs friends and collaborators but without bowing before any country.
• According to the author, India must take a stand by suggesting Russia withdraw its armed forces from Ukraine in keeping with the Delhi resolution of BRICS. In case Russia is not heeding India’s suggestion, then India must consider the US-proposed draft resolution and should vote in favour of it during adoption. 
• The author also suggests to re-structure the objectives and the priorities of the Quad, outlining a clear strategy to achieve the objectives, and mobilise the resources required.
• Russia’s position on the global stage will be decided by the outcome of the Ukraine invasion where it is facing stiff resistance and falling behind schedule.
• India has the potential capability to meet the Chinese threat and this can become an actual capability with help from the USA.

Category: CYBER SECURITY

1. Reporting cyber attacks

Syllabus: Basics of Cyber Security

Mains: The importance of reporting cyber attacks and measures to prevent them.

Context: The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology indicated that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will soon come out with cyber security regulations.

Cyber Security and its Regulation: 

• Cyber security is the protection of computer systems and networks from information disclosure, theft of, or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
• The regulations are expected to put the onus on organisations to report any cybercrime that may have happened against them, including data leaks.
• Clause 25 in the Data Protection Bill 2021 says that data fiduciaries should report any personal and non-personal data breach incident within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach.
• European Union General Data Protection Regulation also contains a clause for reporting cyber security breaches within a stringent timeline.

Cost of cyber security breaches:

• According to Cybercrime Magazine, if it were measured as a country, then cybercrime — which is predicted to inflict damages totalling $6 trillion globally in 2021 — would be the world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China.
• The need for reporting becomes crucial when the attack is on critical utilities such as power stations, gas pipelines, etc. For example, the ransomware attack against the nationwide gas pipeline in 2021 in the U.S. virtually brought down the transportation of about 45% of all petrol and diesel consumed on the east coast.

Need for Reporting Cyber Security Breaches:

• In order to protect the critical infrastructure from cyber attacks and to take precautionary action, it is important to report cyber attacks on government and state-owned enterprises.
• Reporting also helps cyber security organisations such as CERT in alerting other organisations about cyber security attacks.
• Firms that are yet to take precautionary measures can also take action to protect their critical infrastructure by installing security patches and improving cyber security infrastructure.

Challenges in Reporting:

• There is a challenge in the form of the reluctance of firms in reporting cyber security breaches since it affects their reputation and as a consequence, leads to a fall in the price of their shares.
• There is also the enforcement challenge of identifying cyber security breaches in organisations that have not reported cyber attacks.
• The regulators in most countries including India do not have the capacity to conduct cyber security audits frequently and regularly.
• This provides further incentive for organisations not to report cyber security breaches.

Wayforward:

• There is a need for a comprehensive security audit to identify such incidents that might not have been reported by firms.
• Government can appoint a third-party cyber security auditor for the conduct of periodical cyber security impact assessments among all government departments at the National and State levels.
• This will help in detecting and avoiding cyber security incidents.
• The government can also mandate the publication of periodic security audit reports by private firms.
• Government can also conduct surprise cyber security audits.
• Common Criteria Testing Laboratories and certification bodies are set up across the country to evaluate and certify IT security products. These can be extended for cyber security audits and assessments.
• Private large firms can be encouraged to replicate the cyber security command center of IBM for protecting their key assets.
• These measures can make India on par with EU GDPR regulations.

G. Tidbits

Nothing here for today!!!

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the given statements best describes “NISHTHA”?

1. An integrated scheme for school education focused on improving the quality of education at all levels.
2. A teachers’ training programme launched to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level. 
3. A set of guidelines issued for the Planning and implementation of Digital Education in India.
4. A National Teacher Platform built to host Open Educational Resources (OER) and tools for teachers.

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• NISHTHA is a capacity building programme for “Improving Quality of School Education through Integrated Teacher Training”. 
• It aims to build competencies among all the teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.
• The basic objective of this massive training programme is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.  
• Hence B is the correct option.

Q2. Which of the given statements is/are correct?

1. It is the only one of the six principal organs of the UN that is not located in New York City.
2. All members of the UN are automatically parties to the ICJ statute and this automatically gives the ICJ jurisdiction over disputes involving them.
3. It has 15 judges who are elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council. 
4. India has never been a party to a case at the ICJ. 

Options:

1. 1 and 4 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only 
4. 1, 2 and 3 only

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
• Established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.
•  All members of the UN are automatically parties to the ICJ statute. However, the ICJ does not have jurisdiction over disputes involving them. The ICJ gets jurisdiction only if both parties consent to it. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• The ICJ has 15 judges who are elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council, which vote simultaneously but separately. To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes in both bodies. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
• Elections are held at the UNHQ in New York during the annual UNGA meeting.
• A third of the court is elected every three years. In November 2017, India’s Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).  Hence Statement 4 is not correct.
• Hence C is the correct option.

Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to the ‘Donbas region’ recently 
in the news:

1. The region includes the states of Donetsk and Luhansk.
2. It is an industrial area and is famous for its coal reserves.
3. The region shares its borders with Russia and Belarus.

Which of the given statement/s is/are INCORRECT?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 3 only 
4. 1, 2 and 3

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• Donetsk and Luhansk are two states located in eastern Ukraine, which share a border with Russia. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• This entire region, which includes Donetsk, Luhansk and their respective separatist territories, is generally referred to as the ‘Donbas’ region.
• It is an industrial area and is famous for its coal reserves. Hence Statement 2 is correct.
• Donbas, located on the Russian border adjoining Russia, has a majority Russian-speaking population. It doesn’t share borders with Belarus. Hence Statement 3 is incorrect.

Image source: CBC News

Q4. Which of the given statements with respect to SWIFT is/are correct?

1. It is a messaging network used by banks and financial institutions globally for quick and faultless exchange of information pertaining to financial transactions.
2. It is a global member-owned cooperative that transfers funds between a domestic Indian bank and an overseas bank.
3. SWIFT does not hold any funds or securities.
4. SWIFT does not manage client accounts.

Options:

1. 2, 3 and 4 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only 
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4 

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• SWIFT is a secure financial message carrier that can avoid fraudulent transactions. In other words, it transports messages from one bank to another bank.
• SWIFT is a global messaging software company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
• It is a global member-owned cooperative. SWIFT is the world’s international payment network used by banks and other financial systems to quickly, accurately, and securely send and receive information. Hence Statement 2 is incorrect.
• SWIFT is solely a carrier of messages. It does not hold funds nor does it manage accounts on behalf of customers, nor does it store financial information on an ongoing basis. As a data carrier, SWIFT transports messages between two financial institutions. Hence statements 3 and 4 are correct.

Q5. Which one of the following books of ancient India has the love story of the son of 
the founder of the Sunga dynasty? [UPSC 2016]

1. Swapnavasavadatta
2. Malavikagnimitra 
3. Meghadoota
4. Ratnavali

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Malavikagnimitra is a Sanskrit play by Kalidasa which tells the story of the love of Agnimitra.
• Agnimitra was the Shunga emperor at Vidisha who falls in love with the picture of an exiled servant girl named Malavika.
• When the queen discovers her husband’s passion for this girl, she becomes infuriated and has Malavika imprisoned but as fate would have it, in the end, she is discovered to be of royal birth and is accepted as one of his queens.
• Hence option B is correct.