10 Mar 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 10 Mar 2022:-Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Reviving the inland water transport system for the Northeast
2. UPI123Pay: Payment solution for feature phone users
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ENVIRONMENT
1. Water management needs a hydro-social approach
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1. A new vision for old age care
F. Prelims Facts
1. Cabinet nod for centre for traditional medicine
G. Tidbits
1. Cabinet nod for new firm to monetise land assets
2. Soaring energy prices could hurt growth, consumption, warns S&P
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

2. UPI123Pay: Payment solution for feature phone users

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment.

Prelims: UPI123Pay- features

Mains: Significance of the new UPI123pay payments solution

Context:

  • The Reserve Bank of India launched a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments solution for feature phone users called the ‘UPI123Pay’.

Background:

  • Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was introduced in 2016 as a digital payments platform in the country. Though its coverage has increased exponentially over the years, one of the major challenges has been that the efficient access to UPI is available largely via smartphones.
  • A significant number of feature phone mobile subscribers in the country, which is estimated to be more than 40 crore, are thus finding it difficult to engage in digital transactions.
  • Although mobile payment systems that do not rely on internet connectivity like the ones based on USSD or SMS technology have been present, most users found it difficult to access UPI despite options like the USSD-based process, using the short code of *99#. The USSD-based process was considered cumbersome, with users required to send multiple messages and charged for the same, and also not being supported by all mobile service providers.

Details:

  • The new UPI-based service, UPI123Pay is designed to improve the options for feature phone mobile users to access the UPI platform.
  • Under the new UPI123Pay system, feature phone users will be required to go through an onboarding process where they have to link their bank account to their feature phone and then set a UPI PIN using their debit card for authenticating transactions.
  • After this process, users will be able to use the new UPI facility for person-to-person as well as merchant transactions. They would also be able to undertake operations like mobile recharge, EMI repayment, balance check, among others.
  • The new system offers four distinct payment options that don’t require an internet connection. Interactive Voice Response (IVR), app-based functionality, missed call facility and proximity sound-based payments.
International example:
  • M-PESA, Africa’s leading mobile money service, is one of the few mobile service providers that do not use the internet for financial transactions. M-PESA operates across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Significance:

By bringing the digital payments platform to the feature phone mobile subscribers who had largely remained outside the digital payments landscape and allowing for financial transactions without internet connectivity, this system promotes greater financial inclusion in the Indian economy.

Nut Graf
The new payments solution UPI123Pay is the next logical step in further mainstreaming the digital payments ecosystem in India by easing the participation of the feature phone mobile users in digital payments. This will provide a much-needed impetus to financial inclusion in the Indian economy.

E. Editorials

Category: ENVIRONMENT

1. Water management needs a hydro-social approach

Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

Mains: Depletion of freshwater resources- its factors, key concerns and the way forward.

Freshwater resources are under stress

  • According to the Global Water System Project, launched in 2003 as a joint programme by the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) and Global Environmental Change (GEC) programme, there is an increasing global concern regarding the human-induced change in freshwater sources and its impact on the society.
  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 4th assessment report (2007) showed the link between societal vulnerability and changes in the water systems.
  • It is estimated that the gap between demand and supply of freshwater would reach up to 40% by 2030 if the current trends continue.

Anthropogenic factors impacting freshwater systems

  • Engineering of river channels
  • Irrigation and other consumptive use of water
  • Widespread land use/land cover change
  • Change in aquatic habitat
  • Point and non-point sources of pollution affecting water quality
  • The intra- and inter-basin transfer (IBT)

The intra- and inter-basin transfer (IBT)

  • The intra- and inter-basin transfer (IBT) of water is one of the main hydrological interventions to balance the water scarcity due to the naturally existing unequal distribution of water resources.
  • Recent reports show that there are 110 water transfer mega projects that are being executed or being planned across the world.
  • These projects would create artificial water paths that are twice the length of the earth’s equator and will transfer 1,910 km of water annually.
  • The projects will re-engineer the hydrological system with a high chance of local, regional and global level implications.
  • The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (2009) has recommended a vigilant approach and adherence to sustainability principles set out by the World Commission on Dams during the planning and construction of IBT projects.
  • Inter-basin transfer of water came under the spotlight in India because of a provision made in Budget 2022 for the Ken Betwa river link project.

Key concerns in the Indian context

  • The idea of IBT is to transfer water from the surplus basin to a deficit basin.
    • However, the water demand in the donor basin by taking into account present and future land use, cropping patterns, population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation, and socio-economic development are not analysed.
    • Also, the rainfall in many donor basins is reducing.
  • Concerns about the utilisation of water resources
    • India has created an irrigation potential of 112 million hectares, but the gross irrigated area is 93 million hectares.
    • In 1950-51, canal irrigation contributed 40% of net irrigated area, but by 2014-15, the net irrigated area had reduced to 24%.
    • The average efficiency of irrigation projects in India is only 38% against 50%-60% in the case of developed countries.
  • Consumption of more water
    • Rice and wheat, which account for more than 75% of agricultural production, consume more water than the global average.
    • The agriculture sector constitutes about 90% of total water use in India.
    • Industrial plants consume 2 to 3.5 times more water than in other countries.
    • The domestic sector also sees a 30% to 40% loss of water due to leakage.
  • Greywater is rarely utilised in the country
    • Greywater refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without faecal contamination.
    • 55% to 75% of domestic water use turns into greywater based on the nature of use, climatic conditions, etc. Considering the size of India’s urban population, the amount of greywater generated is very high.
    • The discharge of untreated greywater and industrial effluents into freshwater bodies is cause for concern.
  • Reduction in natural storage capacity and deterioration in catchment efficiency.

Recommendations

  • The idea that the water system is evolving and that the issues are mainly with management and governance has been accepted.
  • Water projects are politically motivated and indicate an interconnectedness with social relations, social power, and technology.
  • It is crucial to include less predictable factors, adopt binary ways of thinking of ‘either or’, and involve non-state actors in decision-making processes.
  • A hybrid water management framework is required, where along with the professionals and policymakers, the individuals, community and society have predefined roles in the value chain.

Nut Graf

Since freshwater resources are under stress with human activities being the chief reason, a hydro-social cycle approach is essential as it repositions the natural hydrological cycle in a human-nature interactive structure.

Category: SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. A new vision for old age care

Syllabus: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population

Mains: Institutions for elderly in India, challenges in their administration and the path ahead.

Institutions for the elderly in India

  • The UN World Population Ageing Report says that India’s ageing population (aged above 60) is estimated to increase to about 20% by 2050 from 8% currently.
    • By 2050, the percentage of elderly people will increase by 326%, with those aged 80 years and above set to increase by 700%, making them the fastest-growing age group in India.
  • India is becoming urbanised at a rapid rate which has resulted in the breaking up of families into smaller units. As a result, many homes and institutions for the elderly have emerged.
  • The care of the elderly is administered by a group of professionals or voluntary organisations interested in this service. These organisations offer both paid and free services.
  • Usually, these institutions are run by NGOs, religious or voluntary organisations with support from the government, or by philanthropists.
  • They provide accommodation, timely care, and a sense of security for the elderly.

The need for regulation

  • Research in Hyderabad on the quality of health in homes for the elderly reveals that,
    • Good intentions and a sense of charity are inadequate in addressing the basic health requirements of the elderly.
    • Nearly 30% of the residents part of the study had vision impairment, however, nearly 90% of this could be resolved by simple, low-cost health interventions like issuing better eyeglasses or cataract surgery.
    • The study listed the impacts of vision impairment, out of which depression was predominant.
      • Those with vision and hearing impairment had a rate of depression that was five times higher than those without.
    • As people get older, and their motor skills weaken, they are at a greater risk of hurting themselves.
      • Instead of planning for accessible and elderly-friendly structures that allow them to operate safely, we reduce their mobility.
    • People with functional skills are suggested to avoid daily activities like cooking, sewing, cleaning, or washing.
      • This reduces their sociability, sense of independence and well-being leading to mental health issues and depression.
    • The quality of service is often questioned as these institutions lack regulations.
    • These institutions lack standard operating procedures, and their measures of healthcare are informal.

Way forward

  • Formulating mechanisms for basic health screening at such homes and public health facilities.
    • This includes blood sugar, blood pressure, periodic vision and hearing screening, and mental health assessment.
    • These can be made inexpensive by the use of innovative ideas such as motorcycle-operated screenings outside public grounds for morning walkers.
  • The next measure is to build formal pathways to address the issues such screenings identify.
    • Hospitals and other healthcare facilities could be utilised for this purpose.
  • Policy support – Robust public policy to support these institutions is important.
    • Health institutions should offer holistic initiatives that are customised for the elderly.
    • The homes for the elderly must be regulated by policy, to make their facilities, buildings and environment elderly- and disabled-friendly.

Nut Graf
As the number of old age care centres is increasing in India, there is an immediate need to regulate the quality at such institutions, which takes into account the impact of these institutions on the mental and overall health of their residents.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Cabinet nod for centre for traditional medicine

Syllabus: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Prelims: WHO GCTM- location

  • The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the World Health Organization-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) at Jamnagar in Gujarat subsequent to the signing of an agreement between the Government of India and the World Health Organization.
  • The WHO GCTM, to be established under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy), will be the first global centre for traditional medicine.
  • This will help position AYUSH systems across the globe while also helping develop specific capacity building in the domain of traditional medicine.

G. Tidbits

1. Cabinet nod for new firm to monetise land assets

  • The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a new government-owned firm to be called the National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC).
  • The NLMC will undertake monetisation of surplus land and building assets of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) as well as government agencies. Apart from this, the NLMC will also advise other government entities to identify their non-core surplus assets and monetise them.
  • The proposal is in pursuance of the 2021-22 Budget announcement for the National Monetisation Pipeline.
  • The monetisation of unused and underused assets is expected to generate substantial revenues for the government.

2. Soaring energy prices could hurt growth, consumption, warns S&P

  • The S&P Global Ratings in a note on the Russia-Ukraine conflict’s impact on Asia has noted that the surge in energy prices due to the conflict could trigger a ‘terms-of-trade’ shock, where import prices rise faster than export prices, for large net energy importers like India, resulting in a hit on current account balances.
  • The high fuel prices would result in higher inflation rates. The higher retail inflation would strain monetary policy and dampen economic growth and stress some bank borrowers. Additionally, this could impact domestic consumption and investment as well.
  • Also, the widening of the conflict or further sanctions, could also damage investor sentiment and push them to seek haven options, resulting in capital outflows from emerging markets, and hitting assets and currencies.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Sarlamkai, Chheih Lam and Cheraw are the popular dance forms of which of these states?
  1. Assam
  2. Mizoram
  3. Sikkim
  4. Nagaland
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Sarlamkai is a dance form originating from the Pawi and Mara communities in the southern part of Mizoram. In older days when the different tribes were constantly at war with each other, a ceremony to deride the vanquished beheaded skull of the enemy was usually held by the victor.
  • Chheihlam is a dance that embodies the spirit of joy and exhilaration. It is performed to the accompaniment of a song called ‘Chheih hla’. People squat around in a circle on the floor, sing to the beat of a drum or bamboo tube while a pair of dancers stand in the middle, recite the song and dance along with the music.
  • Cheraw is a very old traditional dance of the Mizos. It is believed that the dance had already existed way back in the 1st Century A.D., while the Mizos were still somewhere in the Yunan Province of China, before their migration into the Chin Hills in the 13th Century A.D., and eventually to the present Mizoram. In this dance form, men sitting face to face on the ground tap long pairs of horizontal and cross bamboo staves open and close in rhythmic beats. Girls in colourful Mizo costumes of ‘Puanchei’, ‘Kawrchei’, Vakiria’ and ‘Thihna’ dance in and out between the beats of bamboo. This dance is now performed on almost all festive occasions.

Context:

  • The Vice President witnessed traditional dances of Mizoram Sarlamkai, Chheih Lam, and Cheraw, among other cultural performances during his visit to the state.
Q2. Which of the given statements with respect to National Investment and Infrastructure Fund 
(NIIF) is/are correct?
  1. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is India’s first Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).
  2. It is a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors anchored by the Government of India.
  3. NIIF Master Funds primarily invest in operating assets in core infrastructure sectors such as transportation and energy.

Options:

  1. 2 and 3 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1, 2 and 3
  4. None of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • The National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) is India’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund (SWF). The state-owned fund was set up by the Indian Government in the year 2015.
  • It is meant to be a collaborative investment platform for international and Indian investors.
  • The primary goal of setting up NIIF was to optimise the economic impact largely through investing in infrastructure-related projects.
  • NIIF Limited manages over USD 4.5 billion of equity capital commitments across its three funds – Master Fund, Fund of Funds and Strategic Opportunities Fund, each with its distinct investment strategy. NIIF Master Fund primarily invests in operating assets in core infrastructure sectors such as transportation and energy. NIIF Fund of Funds invests in funds managed by best-in-class fund managers focused on some of the most dynamic sectors in India such as climate infrastructure, middle-income & affordable housing, digital consumer platforms and other allied sectors. NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund is a Private Equity fund that aims to build scalable businesses across a range of opportunity long but capital short sectors.
Q3. Merapi volcano, recently seen in News, is located in
  1. Philippines
  2. Japan
  3. Indonesia
  4. Turkey
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Mount Merapi is an active stratovolcano located in Indonesia.
Q4. Arrange the following from North to South:
  1. Pangong Tso Lake
  2. Galwan Valley
  3. Gogra Hot Springs

Options:

  1. 2, 3, 1
  2. 2, 1, 3
  3. 3, 1, 2
  4. 1, 3, 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

dca

Source: The Quint

Q5. If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of The Wildlife Protection Act, 
1972, what is the implication? [UPSC 2020]
  1. A license is required to cultivate that plant.
  2. Such a plant cannot be cultivated under any circumstances.
  3. It is a Genetically Modified crop plant.
  4. Such a plant is invasive and harmful to the ecosystem
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

  • If a particular plant species is placed under Schedule VI of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, it means that a license is required to cultivate that plant.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. Examine the National Water Policy of India and discuss its potential in promoting water use efficiency in agriculture. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-1, Geography]
  2. What are the challenges involved in developing inland water transport in India and its advantages? What steps need to be taken to tap its potential? (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-3, Infrastructure]

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 10 Mar 2022:-Download PDF Here

IAS General Studies Notes Links
Bhuvan Mgnrega Indian Economy Book
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Chauri Chaura Incident Vikram Samvat

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