21 Mar 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 21st March 2021:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. India, United States resolve to intensify defence cooperation
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns
2. Mining threat looms over Aravalis in Haryana
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Governing Delhi
INTERNAL SECURITY
1. The row over Myanmar refugees in Mizoram
F. Prelims Facts
1. WCD Ministry to seek ₹37,000 cr. loan to execute schemes
2. Nowruz
3. Indian monsoon 25 million years ago resembled present day Australia’s
4. Petri-dish people?
G. Tidbits
1. ‘20 States complete ease of doing business reforms’
2. Traditional firms lagging on cybersafety: experts
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

2. Mining threat looms over Aravalis in Haryana

Context:

• Haryana State government’s moves to seek Supreme Court’s permission to resume mining in the Aravalli hill region.

Details:

• The State government has moved the Supreme Court to seek permission to begin mining in the Aravalis in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh.
  • Mining has been banned in Gurugram and adjoining districts for more than a decade now as per the Supreme Court orders.

Concerns:

• The environmentalists have strongly opposed legalising of mining in the Aravalis in the National Capital Region based on the following arguments.

Impact on air quality:

• The environmentalists argue that the move to legalize mining could cause colossal damage to the environment, especially when the region is already grappling with poor air quality.
• Faridabad has the worst air quality in Haryana and figures among the most polluted cities in the world. Gurugram, too, had topped the list of most polluted cities in the world in 2018. It is also argued that Gurugram and Faridabad have a high population density, but low per capita forest cover. The ban on mining in Gurugram and Faridabad, had resulted in a significant improvement in the forest cover.
• The destruction of the Aravalis would worsen the NCR air pollution situation. The poor air quality could have a detrimental impact on the city residents’ health.

Impact on groundwater resources:

• The Aravalis with their natural cracks and fissures have the potential to accommodate two million litres of water per hectare in the ground every year.
• The resumption of mining in the region could prove detrimental to the already fast depleting groundwater level in the region posing a water security threat to the residents of the region.

Impact on wildlife:

• The wildlife surveys show that Gurugram and Faridabad hills act as a significant wildlife habitat and corridor, especially for the leopards. There is also movement from and into the Asola wildlife sanctuary. The resumption of mining here will be disastrous for the wildlife.
  • The Aravalli mountain range is a biodiversity hotspot with 400-odd species of trees, shrubs and herbs; 200-odd native and migratory bird species;100-odd butterfly species; 20-odd reptile species and 20-odd mammal species, including leopards.

Desertification:

• The Aravalli mountain range is the only natural barrier against desertification.
• The resumption of mining activity in the region would lead to further deforestation in the region further exacerbating the threat of desertification in the region.

Threat posed by illegal mining:

• A very high number of illegal mining have been reported from the state.
• Mining, when earlier allowed, was carried out in a haphazard manner without adhering to the norms causing huge damage to the environment and the wildlife.

Counter-arguments:

• As per the Economic Survey of Haryana 2020-21, the collection from mining for 2020-21 till January is ₹770.00 crore, the highest since 2005-06. This amounts to a substantial stream of revenue for the state government.
• The mining in this region would not just help meet the demand for construction material but also generate employment.

Way forward:

Selecting suitable areas for mining:

• Mining should not be done in NCR districts adjacent to Delhi which are important wildlife habitats and corridors, have poor air quality and high population. Mining should also not be allowed in thick forest areas. Mining should be confined to isolated hillocks in distant areas with minimal impact on wildlife corridors and air quality.
• This would result in minimum damage to environment and help ensure sustainable development.
• A survey needs to be conducted to identify the possible areas for mining.

Creating conservation zones:

• The government could consider notifying 50,000 acre of Aravalis as deemed forest and retaining all Aravalis in south Haryana as natural conservation zone.

Afforestation measures:

• The government should come up with a three-year road map to take the legal native forest cover in the State to 20% as per the Haryana Forest Department policy target. This move could help offset some of the negative impacts of deforestation carried out for mining operations.

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY

1. The row over Myanmar refugees in Mizoram

Context:

• Following the military coup in Myanmar, at least 1,000 people from the adjoining Chin State of Myanmar are said to have crossed over to Mizoram, fearing a military crackdown.
  • Most of the refugees were deserters from Myanmar’s police and fire services department. They had to flee after joining the civil resistance movement.
  • Most of the refugees waded across the Tiau River that runs along much of Mizoram’s 510-km border with Myanmar.

Concerns:

History of influx:

• Extremism, counter-insurgency and sectarian violence have driven people out of Myanmar into India in the past as well.
• More than 1,200 Buddhists and Christians from Myanmar’s Arakan State had taken refuge in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district in 2017. They fled their homes after the Myanmar Army clashed with the extremist Arakan Army. Thousands of Chins are said to be living in Mizoram for more than 40 years now.
• Manipur, too, has been dealing with the influx issue, for a long time. The villages of the Kuki-Zomi have often had people crossing over from Myanmar.

Porous border:

• Much of the border with Myanmar is without any fence. The tough terrain along the border comes in the way of maintaining airtight vigil along the border.
  • Despite the potential of fences in stemming influx of refugees, some are against the idea of fencing the border, insisting that a fence would make “free movement” of border residents into each other’s country difficult. There are more than 250 villages with about 3,00,000 people living within 10 km of the India-Myanmar border.
  • India and Myanmar had in 2018 agreed to streamline the movement of people within 16 km of the border on either side.

Differences between State government and central government:

• The Centre’s directive is at complete odds with the State government’s stand.
• The Mizoram government favours providing refuge to the Chins, who are ethnically related to the majority Mizos in the State, but the Ministry of Home Affairs has made it clear that “India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol theron”. The Ministry has pointed out that State governments have no powers to grant “refugee status to any foreigner”.
• Mizoram is caught between a humanitarian urge and India’s policy on refugees.

2. Nowruz

• Nowruz is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, which begins on the spring equinox, marking the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian solar calendar.
• It is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups, and falls on or around March 21 of the Gregorian calendar.

3. Indian monsoon 25 million years ago resembled present day Australia’s

• About 180 million years ago, India separated from the supercontinent Gondwana and took a northward journey of about 9,000 km to join Eurasia. The subcontinent moved from the southern hemisphere, crossed the Equator to reach its current position. Due to these changing latitudes, it experienced different climatic conditions.
• India was adapted to an Australian type of monsoon and not the current Indian monsoon system during its voyage. The monsoonal climate in India dates back to only about 25 million years.
• The Australian monsoon alternates between two seasonal phases linked to wind direction. In the winter phase, easterly trade winds bring dry conditions. In the summer, westerly winds bring sustained rainy conditions.

4. Petri-dish people?

• Researchers have induced human stem cells to self-organise and form a human blastocyte – an early stage of the formation of a human embryo.

2. Traditional firms lagging on cybersafety: experts

• Following a recent spurt in cyberattacks related to data theft, fraudulent money transfers, securities or stocks, pharma majors, banking and insurance firms have started seeking cyber-insurance and crime insurance security cover.
  • Cyber-insurance alone may not cover loss of money.
• Traditional and manufacturing companies have been going slow on the issue, as they were giving priority to safeguarding physical assets against vulnerability, cargo in transit, employee safety and money in transit.

Q1. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to Galathea National park?

Q2. The Asola-Bhati wildlife sanctuary is located on the border of which of the following?

Q3. Which of the following of NASA’s mission is aiming to study the interior structure 
of planet mars?

Q4. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct with respect to the ‘Ease of Doing 
Business’ reforms??

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 21st March 2021:- Download PDF Here