12 Mar 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 12 March 2021:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. EC files FIR over fake news on hacking of EVMs
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. India, Japan space agencies review ties
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. ‘Economies to see pre-Covid activity only by ‘22’
2. ‘Govt. owning bad bank is more capital efficient’
3. Petition in HC seeks expansion of ambit of electric vehicles scheme
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. Working towards climate justice in a non-ideal world
F. Prelims Facts
1. Mission divine
G. Tidbits
1. Saving the sea giants
2. Killing two birds with one stone
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. India, Japan space agencies review ties

Context:

  • Bilateral meeting between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Background:

India-Japan space collaboration:

  • India and Japan are working on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission.
    • The Lunar Polar Exploration mission is a robotic lunar mission concept by the Indian Space Research Organisation and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024.

Details:

  • Indian and Japanese space agencies have reviewed cooperation in earth observation, lunar cooperation and satellite navigation, and also agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in “space situational awareness and professional exchange programme”.
  • With respect to earth observation collaboration, ISRO and JAXA have signed an Implementing Arrangement for collaborative activities on rice crop area and air quality monitoring using satellite data.

Additional information:

Space diplomacy:

Italy:

  • India and Italy have decided to explore opportunities in earth observation, space science and robotic and human exploration.

Australia:

  • India and Australia are in discussions for Australia to host vital tracking infrastructure to support India’s planned Gaganyaan manned space flight mission.
  • Such space diplomacy will only help further consolidate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Australia.

2. ‘Govt. owning bad bank is more capital efficient’

Context:

Background:

Non Performing Assets issue in India:

  • According to the figures released by the RBI, the total size of bad loans in the balance sheets of Indian banks at a gross level was around Rs. 9 lakh crore as of March 31, 2020.
  • The proportion of banks’ gross non-performing assets is expected to rise sharply from 7.5% of gross advances in September 2020 to at least 13.5% of gross advances in September 2021 given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bad bank:

  • The proposed bad bank will be based on an asset management company-asset reconstruction company model to absorb the stressed assets in the banking system.
  • The bad bank will purchase Non-performing assets (NPAs) from banks at a discount. The entity will then attempt to achieve resolution in such accounts through a professional approach.

For more information on this refer to:

CNA dated Feb 7, 2021.

Details:

  • Amid confusing reports about the control of the proposed bad bank, a report from the Bank of America has argued for a government ownership model given the following benefits.
    • State-funding of bad banks would be more capital efficient. Government ownership would not impact the fiscal numbers; as otherwise, the government will have to keep on recapitalising the state-owned lenders which would strain the already fragile fiscal position of the country. The public sector banks would be the biggest beneficiaries of the proposed bad bank.
    • State ownership would help speed up the implementation of the proposed bad bank as there would not be the need to incentivize the private sector and wait.
    • Also, the state backed bad bank is expected to lower the credit costs for the banks. As per the Bank of America report, a state backed bad bank could lower the credit charge on banks to a fifth in the worst-case scenario from the 100% now.

3. Petition in HC seeks expansion of ambit of electric vehicles scheme

Context:

Details:

  • The petition seeks to ask the government to allocate a part of the unutilised funds from the FAME India Phase-II Scheme for promoting and incentivising demand for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and construction and operation of hydrogen refuelling stations.
    • There has been inadequate utilization of budget allocation made towards the FAME scheme. Out of a total budget of Rs. 700 crore for setting up charging infrastructure, only Rs.20 crore has been disbursed until now.

Significance of hydrogen energy:

  • The adoption of hydrogen as a fuel will help reduce the dependence of India’s transport sector on imported oil and gas.
  • The hydrogen energy system can be conceived as a circular process. Hydrogen can be manufactured by the hydrolysis of water using renewable energy. This would make hydrogen a truly sustainable fuel source.
  • The emission or by-product of hydrogen gas is water vapour. This would help decarbonize the energy mix. This augurs well for mitigating the GHG emissions.

National Hydrogen Energy Mission:

  • The government has announced a National Hydrogen Energy Mission [NHEM] during the budget speech in February 2021.
  • The National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM) will draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy source. NHEM initiative will capitalise on one of the most abundant elements on earth (Hydrogen) for a cleaner alternative fuel option.
  • The National Hydrogen Energy Mission will focus on the generation of hydrogen from green power resources and will aim to link India’s growing renewable capacity with the hydrogen economy.

Conclusion:

  • The government should support and incentivize alternate fuel technologies, such as hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles.

G. Tidbits

1. Saving the sea giants

  • A recent study published in Nature states that the global population of sharks and rays has decreased by over 70% in the past five decades. This can be attributed to their intentional hunting and also due to the rising instances of by-catch during fishing expeditions.
  • India is now the second-largest shark fishing nation in the world, following Indonesia.
  • In a conservation attempt, whale sharks were included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, rendering the capture and killing of whale sharks a cognisable offence. It was the first-ever species to be protected under this act, after which the Ganges Shark, speartooth shark were added to the list.
  • The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. It is the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate.
  • The whale shark is found in the open waters of the tropical oceans. They feed almost exclusively on plankton and small fishes, and pose no threat to humans.

2. Killing two birds with one stone

  • The authorities in Assam’s Hailakandi district have made the house sparrow the mascot of Hailakandi’s SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) programme.
    • Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program, better known as SVEEP, is the flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
    • SVEEP’s primary goal is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.
    • The programme is based on multiple general as well as targeted interventions which are designed according to the socio-economic, cultural and demographic profile of the state as well as the history of electoral participation in previous rounds of elections and learning thereof.
  • It will spread awareness about the need to conserve the small bird and also motivate the voters to exercise their franchise.

Also read: Electoral reforms in India

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to defamation?
  1. In India, defamation is both a civil and a criminal offence.
  2. The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of the criminal provisions of defamation in the Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India case.

Options:

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deal with defamation in India.
  • The Supreme Court in the Subramanian Swamy v. Union of India case has ruled that the criminal provisions of defamation are constitutionally valid and are not in conflict with the right to free speech.
  • The Court held that Section 499 is not an excessive restriction under Article 19(2). It held that society is a collection of individuals, and what affects individuals also affects society as a whole. Hence, it held that it is valid to treat defamation as a public wrong. It held that criminal defamation is not a disproportionate restriction on free speech, because the protection of reputation is a fundamental right as well as a human right.
  • The Court reaffirmed the right to reputation as a part of the right to life under Article 21. Using the principle of ‘balancing of fundamental rights’, the court held that the right to freedom and speech and expression cannot be “allowed so much room that even reputation of an individual which is a constituent of Article 21 would have no entry into that area”.
Q2. The joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission is a joint collaboration between India 
and which other country?
  1. Japan
  2. USA
  3. Russia
  4. France
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

  • India and Japan are working on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission.
  • The Lunar Polar Exploration mission is a robotic lunar mission concept by the Indian Space Research Organisation and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024.
Q3. What are the advantages of hydrogen as a fuel?
  1. Ease of storage
  2. High energy density
  3. Higher safety
  4. Non-polluting
  5. Renewable source

Options:

  1. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
  2. 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
  3. 2, 4 and 5 only
  4. 2, 3 and 5 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

Advantages of hydrogen as a fuel:

  • Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight.
  • Its usage can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus help improve environmental quality. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe and despite the challenges associated with its extraction from water, it is a uniquely abundant and renewable source of energy, perfect for our future zero-carbon needs for combined heat and power supplies. Hydrogen can be produced from diverse domestic resources with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Challenges in using hydrogen as a fuel:

  • Hydrogen’s energy content by volume is low. This makes storing hydrogen a challenge because it requires high pressures, low temperatures, or chemical processes to be stored compactly. Because hydrogen has a lower volumetric energy density than gasoline, storing this much hydrogen on a vehicle currently requires a larger tank at a higher pressure than other gaseous fuels.
  • Hydrogen has a wide range of flammable concentrations in air and lower ignition energy than gasoline or natural gas, which means it can ignite more easily.
Q4. Which of the following pairs of temple and associated school of architecture is 
incorrectly matched?
  1. Lingaraja Temple: Kalinga style
  2. Kandariya Mahadeva Temple: Khajuraho school
  3. Modhera Sun Temple: Solanki school
  4. Meenakshi Temple, Madurai: Vijayanagara school
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Meenakshi temple in Madurai is based on the Nayaka school of architecture.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. Enumerate India’s stand with respect to Global Climate Action and list the actions taken by India in this direction. Also analyze the major challenges for India when it comes to climate action. (15 marks, 250 words) (GS Paper 3/Environment and Ecology)
  2. The government should support and incentivize alternate fuel technologies to help meet climate action commitments but also galvanize the economy and ensure environmental sustainability. Elucidate. (10 marks, 150 words) (GS Paper 3/Economy)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 12 March 2021:- Download PDF Here

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