20 Mar 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 20 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1. Universal Health Coverage
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Slow steps to India-China border tranquillity
F. Prelims Facts
1. Hindu Succession Act
G. Tidbits
1. With family ID, U.P. hopes to plug gaps in delivery of schemes
2. Background radiation higher in Kerala, but no risk: study
3. Difficult to allocate public fund to art and culture: govt.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Slow steps to India-China border tranquillity

Syllabus: India and its Neighborhood – Relations

Mains: Root Causes of Tension Between India-China Relations

Context: This article discusses various attempts to ease the border situation between India and China.

Introduction:

• India and China are moving towards a new agreement to maintain peace and tranquillity along their disputed 4,000 km border. 
• The clash between Indian troops and the Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 and the recent altercation between troops at Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh have highlighted the lingering boundary dispute as well as the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• Clash at Yangtze suggests that new measures may be needed across the LAC, and not just in Ladakh.
• Events in 2020 have destroyed the trust that was built up with patience between 1993 and 2020. The bar for normality in China-India relations is now much higher.

Attempts to ease the border situation:

• Despite tensions, Indian and Chinese Ministers and officials have been meeting with each other regularly.
• India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang recently on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi.
• The two sides have managed to disengage in four of the six points, namely Galwan, Pangong Tso, Gogra Post and near Jianan Pass (PP15). 
  • But two key areas remain unsettled, i.e., the Depsang Bulge and the Charding Ninglung Junction in the Demchok area involve nearly 1,000 square kilometres. 
• The proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas were discussed in an open and constructive manner during the 26th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on China-India Border Affairs, held in Beijing on February 22, 2023.
  • This could create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.
• The discussions have also reportedly taken up the issue of upgrading the border management means to replace the WMCC with a mechanism that will have both military and civilian officers.

Discussions on No-Patrol Zones:

• One proposal that has been discussed is the conversion of other parts of the LAC into similar no-patrol zones. 
  • This could lead to a package settlement in the two remaining areas of Depsang and Charding Nala. 
• The no-patrol zones could be confined to the places where the two sides have overlapping claims. 
• Till 2020, both sides patrolled till the limit of these contending claims and there was a protocol that if the two patrols met, they would stop and display banners to ask the other side to go back to their area. Thereafter, the issue was dealt with through meetings at one of the five designated border meeting points.
• In 2020, Chinese journalist-scholar Qian Feng suggested that the concept of the “zone of actual control” could replace the “line of actual control” in some areas that had no obvious geomorphological features or population. 
• Other areas, too, could be delimited as a “border belt” if they did not require population adjustment.
• Poor demarcation of border areas with no detailed maps has been at the root of the problem. Over the years, the Chinese have been able to shift goalposts at will, especially in relation to the Ladakh border.

Read more on India-China Relations

Nut Graf: India and China are working towards a new agreement to maintain peace along their disputed border. Recent clashes have highlighted the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the need for new measures. Discussions on upgrading border management means and creating no-patrol zones are being explored.

2. Background radiation higher in Kerala, but no risk: study

• A pan-India study conducted by the scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has revealed that in a few areas of Kerala, background radiation levels emitted from natural sources including rocks, sand or mountains, are about three times higher than what has been assumed.
  • However, the higher rate of radiation does not translate to an elevated health risk.
• Radiations are emitted due to the disintegrating nucleus of an unstable element.
• Gamma rays are extremely energetic types of radiation that can pass unobstructed through matter.
  • Gamma radiations are harmless unless present in large concentrated doses.
  • Gamma radiation levels are to be monitored and assessed, especially around nuclear plants along with the average quantity of radiation that plant workers are exposed to.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has specified the maximum radiation exposure levels which have also been adopted by India’s atomic energy institutions.
  • As per the specifications, public exposure levels must not cross 1 milli-Sievert every year and those workers of the plants should not be exposed to over 30 milli-Sievert every year.
• The recent study conducted indicated that the average natural background levels of gamma radiation in India were 94 nGy/hr (nano Gray/hour) (close to 0.8 milli sievert/year).
  • Gray/hour refers to radiation emitted whereas sievert/year indicates biological exposure.
• The last such study, conducted in 1986 had measured the highest radiation exposure at Chavara, Kerala at 3,002 nGy/year whereas the recent study found that the levels in the Kollam district were 9,562 nGy/hr.
  • The high radiation levels in the Kollam district are mainly due to the monazite sands that are high in thorium.

3. Difficult to allocate public fund to art and culture: govt.

• According to the Ministry of Culture, the high disparity in basic rural infrastructure such as health, education and transportation makes it difficult for a developing country such as India to allocate a significant amount of public funds to the promotion of art and culture.
• The observations made by a parliamentary committee have revealed that the allocation for the Ministry of Culture was only about 0.075% of the total Budget for the FY 2023-24 which is significantly less than the allocations in countries like China, the UK, the US, and Australia, which spend about 2%-5% of their Budget for promoting art and culture.
  • However, officials of the Ministry have further said that the majority of the amount allocated to the promotion of art and culture in these countries is sourced from non-government sources.
• Under the Union Budget for 2023-24, the Ministry of Culture has been allocated ₹3,399.65 crores under revenue and ₹285.4 crores under capital heads for prioritised programmes.
• The Ministry is looking at and evolving various innovative methods to maximise the participation of non-government organisations for the promotion and conservation of art and culture in the country.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the below statements are true? (Level – Moderate)

1. The tighter monetary policy is implemented to reduce the inflation in the markets.
2. It is associated with a reduction in the short-term interest rates by the central banks.
3. In India, increasing the Cash Reserve Ratio is an example of tight monetary policy.

Options:

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, Tightening of monetary policy is usually implemented to tackle rising inflation. 
• Statement 2 is not correct, in case of tighter monetary policy, the central banks look to increase short-term interest rates in a bid to shrink the money supply.
• Statement 3 is correct, In India, increasing the cash reserve ratio and the repo rate by RBI is an example of tight monetary policy.

Q2. Identify the country/group based on the below statements: (Level – Easy)

1. India had a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with it since 2011.
2. We conducted the inaugural session of “Veer Guardian” exercise with them in 2023.
3. India has a clean energy partnership, and a nuclear deal with them.

Options:

1. USA
2. Japan
3. European Union
4. Australia

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• The inaugural edition of the bilateral air exercise “Veer Guardian” between the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self Defence Force was conducted in Japan in January 2023.
• Japan and India had signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2011.
• Japan and India had announced the “India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership (CEP)” in March 2022 during the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India.
• The landmark “India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy” came into force in July 2017. The agreement was signed in Tokyo during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra to Japan in November 2016.

Q3. How many of the statements are true regarding the International Criminal Court 
(Level – Moderate)

1. It is the main judicial body of the United Nations.
2. India was one of its founding members.
3. It can take up cases based on Suo moto cognizance.

Options:

1. Only 1 statement
2. Only 2 statements
3. All 3 statements
4. None of the statements

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct, The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal headquartered in The Hague. 
  • The ICC is governed by the Rome Statute
  • The ICC is not part of the UN.
• Statement 2 is not correct, India is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
• Statement 3 is correct, ICC investigates and tries people charged with serious and grave crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.  The ICC can start investigation in three ways: 
  • A state-party brings a case to the Court
  • The Court takes a suo motu cognizance
  • The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) refers a case to the Court.

Q4. Which of the statements are true regarding Convalescent Plasma Therapy? 
(Level – Diffcult)

1. It has been designated as the best cure for the Covid-19 infections.
2. It includes transfusion of only the plasma part of the blood into the patient.
3. The donor must have in the past been infected and should have recovered from the disease.
4. It can be used only for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Options:

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

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct, The WHO recommended against the use of Convalescent Plasma Therapy because such therapies did not increase the clinical improvement or reduce the mortality risk.
• Statement 2 is correct, Under Convalescent Plasma Therapy, convalescent plasma, or blood plasma collected from patients who have recovered from an infection, will be used to treat various infectious diseases.
• Statement 3 is correct, Under Convalescent Plasma Therapy, the donor must have in the past been infected and should have recovered from the disease.
• Statement 4 is not correct, Studies have found that convalescent plasma therapy is associated with a survival benefit in patients with hematologic cancers and few other genetic diseases.

Q5. Consider the following statements: (Level – Easy) [PYQ-2020]

1. The Constitution of India defines its basic structure in terms of federalism, secularism, fundamental rights and democracy.
2. The Constitution of India provides for ‘Judicial review’ to safeguard the citizens’ liberties and to preserve the ideals on which the Constitution is based.

Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2 
4. Neither 1 or 2

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is not correct, In the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case 1973, the Supreme Court laid down a new doctrine of the “Basic Structure of the Constitution”.
  • There is no mention of the term “Basic Structure” anywhere in the Constitution of India.
• Statement 2 is not correct, There is no direct reference to the provision of the “Judicial review” in the constitution which empowers the courts to invalidate laws.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. “We need to re-conceptualize our understanding of Universal Health Care”. Comment. (10 marks;150 words) (GS-2; Health)
2. “Recent NSS Report data suggests India’s path towards universal access to safe and clean water and energy is still several steps away”. Discuss. (10 marks; 150 words) (GS-2; Social Justice)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 20 March 2023:- Download PDF Here