22 Mar 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 22 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
HEALTH
1. Rajasthan’s Right to Health Bill
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. Understanding waste-to-energy plants
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. An objective look at a China-led framework
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. A grave mistake in Great Nicobar
F. Prelims Facts
1. INS Androth
G. Tidbits
1. 3 States chip in to stop illegal sand mining in Chambal sanctuary
2. Parliamentary panel pulls up Railways over losses incurred
3. IMF clears $3-billion bailout for Sri Lanka
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. A grave mistake in Great Nicobar

Syllabus: GS-3, Environment conservation.

Mains: Development project in Great Nicobar and its consequences.

Prelims: Great Nicobar.

Details:

  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given clearance to a mega project in the southern part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • The NITI Aayog will steer the project and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation is the project proponent.
  • The project is titled β€˜Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island’. Its objective is to develop:
    • An international transshipment port of 14.2 mTEU cargo capacity at Galathea BayΒ 
    • An international airport for 4000 passengers (during peak hours)
    • A 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant
    • An ecotourism and residential township of nearly 160 sq km
  • Moreover, offices of multinational corporations will be established by clearing a million trees in tropical rainforests.

Also read: Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

Background Details:

  • The Great Nicobar is located approximately 1650 km from Chennai and 40 nautical miles from the international shipping route.
  • The project to establish a transshipment facility and free trade zone on the island began in September 2020.
  • In December 2021, the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was placed in the public domain for comments and discussion. It was followed by quick approvals, clearances, exemptions, and de-notification.
  • The Great Nicobar Island has a population of around 8000. The island will attract around three lakh people, once the project is completed.
  • The island is spread over 900 sq km and was declared a biosphere reserve in 1989. In 2013, it was included in UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme.
  • Notably, more than three-fourths of the island is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation.

Also read: Island Development Agency – IDA

Associated Concerns:

  • The environmental and ecological cost of the urbanization project in Great Nicobar (a region known for marine and terrestrial diversity) is significantly higher. Thus, it is argued that calling it β€˜holistic’ would be a misnomer.
  • It is suggested that the objective to convert the island into a commercial hub is nothing less than an β€˜ecocide’.
  • It will impact the rights of vulnerable tribal communities that depend on forests for survival like the Shompen and Nicobarese.
  • As per the EIA report, compensatory afforestation will be carried out in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. It should be noted that far-field afforestation is not much significant.
  • The project will destroy vast stretches of coral reefs.Β 
  • The report recommends the transplantation of corals but transplanted corals have a low survival rate and are susceptible to bleaching.
  • The Great Nicobar is tectonically unstable. It is located in close proximity to the Ring of Fire and the Tsunami of 26 December 2004.
  • The EIA report fails to mention scientific studies before and after the 2004 earthquake. The coastline sank several meters during the earthquake.Β 
  • The satellite studies show that the region is gradually regaining its original height. The report disregards this tectonic instability around the island.

Conclusion:

  • It should be noted that growth in terms of GDP makes no sense if it results in the irretrievable loss of natural capital.
  • India is championing conservation, sustainability, and green development models on international fora. But unsustainable projects will dilute such efforts.

Also read: List of Biosphere Reserves in India

Nut Graf: The clearance of mega development projects in Great Nicobar Island has raised several concerns about the environmental and ecological cost of the project. It is suggested that the vision of the β€˜green development model’ should become the guiding principle for future economic activities.

F. Prelims Facts

1. INS Androth

Syllabus: GS-3; Security; Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.Β 

Prelims: About INS Androth

Context

The INS Androth was launched in Kolkata.

INS Androth

  • INS Androth is an anti-submarine warfare craft.
  • INS Androth is the second in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) projects.
  • INS Androth is named after Androth or Andrott Island which is the largest and the longest island in the Lakshadweep archipelago.
  • It is built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for the Indian Navy.
  • The contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence and GRSE in April 2019.Β 
    • INS Arnala was the first of the eight indigenously-built ASW SWC.
    • These Arnala-class of ships are expected to replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of the Indian Navy.
  • The ASW SWC ships are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations, Mine Laying operations and subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.
  • INS Androth and ASW SWC ships are 77.6 metres long, have a displacement of 900 tons and can achieve maximum speeds of close to 25 knots.
  • These ships are propelled by three diesel-driven water jets.

G. Tidbits

1. 3 States chip in to stop illegal sand mining in Chambal sanctuary

  • Three States namely Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have begun a joint action to put an end to the illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary, situated at the trijunction of these states.Β 
  • Coordination between the three States was discussed at a high-level meeting in Jaipur with special emphasis on protecting the fragile ecosystem critical for the breeding of Gharials.
    • National Chambal Sanctuary is known for the critically endangered Gharial populations. Gharials are a species of fish-eating crocodiles.
  • Illegal sand mining is threatening the flora and fauna of the sanctuary and close collaborations are required to address the issues associated with illegal mining.
  • The Chambal river which is a tributary of River Yamuna cuts through the mazes of ravines and hills in the sanctuary which is also listed as an β€œImportant Bird and Biodiversity Area” and is also a proposed Ramsar site.

2. Parliamentary panel pulls up Railways over losses incurred

  • The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways has expressed concerns over the significant drop in the net revenue of the Indian Railways.
  • In FY2021-22, the Railways recorded a negative net revenue or loss of about β‚Ή15,024.58 crores.Β 
  • In the Demands for Grants Report, the committee noted that the Railways’ net revenues are experiencing a downward trend, except in 2014-15, when it witnessed an increase of 8.20%.
    • The committee has said that the continuous decline in revenues is an indicator of internal deficiencies in the overall planning and management of Railways.
  • The operating ratio which is another determinant of the financial health of the Railways has also been persistently high and it reached 107.39%, the highest ever, in 2021-22.
    • The operating ratio indicates how much the Railways spends to earn one rupee.
  • The Railways however has said that the sharp increase in the losses is mainly due to an increase in staff cost due to the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission in 2016-17 and 2017-18, and the adverse impacts of the COVID pandemic.
  • The committee has recommended the Ministry of Railways initiate remedial actions to address the leakages and correct the trend of declining net revenues
    • The committee has also urged the Ministry to explore other non-fare revenues such as advertisements or hoardings, monetisation of surplus railway land, and setting up ATMs at stations.

3. IMF clears $3-billion bailout for Sri Lanka

  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cleared a $3-billion Extended Fund Facility for Sri Lanka, which is struggling to recover from an economic meltdown.
  • The IMF package will help Sri Lanka access up to $7 billion in funding from IMF and various other International Financial Institutions.
  • According to the IMF, the key objectives of the bailout package are to restore macroeconomic stability, improve debt sustainability, protect financial stability, and initiate structural reforms to unlock Sri Lanka’s growth potential.
  • An IMF β€œgovernance diagnostic mission” has also started assessing Sri Lanka’s governance and anti-corruption framework in its first such exercise in Asia.
  • Sri Lanka’s top three bilateral creditors namely India, Japan and China played a key role in unlocking the IMF assistance to the country, by providing financing assurances.

For more information on this topic, refer to the following article:

UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis dated 03 Mar 2023

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of these statements is/are correct? (Level – Easy)
  1. Navroz is celebrated on spring equinox day.
  2. Ugadi is mainly celebrated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
  3. Gudi Padwa marks the beginning of the harvest of Rabi crops.

Options:

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

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct, Navroz/Nowruz is the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated on the spring equinox day.
  • Statement 2 is correct, Ugadi is mainly celebrated in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Statement 3 is correct, Gudi Padwa, also known as Samvatsara Padvo or the Maharashtrian New Year marks the beginning of harvest season for Rabi crops.
Q2. How many of these statements are correct? (Level – Difficult)
  1. The Chambal river is the right-bank tributary of the Yamuna river.
  2. The Yamuna Action Plan is being undertaken with the assistance of AFD (French Development Agency).
  3. Yamuna passes through 4 states of India.

Options:

  1. Only 1 statement
  2. Only 2 statements
  3. All 3 statements
  4. None of the statements
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct, Chambal river is the right-bank tributary of the Yamuna river.
  • Statement 2 is not correct, The Yamuna Action Plan is being undertaken with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
  • Statement 3 is correct, the Yamuna river mainly flows through 4 Indian states namely Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Q3. How many of these statements are correct? (Level – Moderate)
  1. Deep Earthquakes affect large geographical areas and are stronger than shallow earthquakes.
  2. The epicentre is the point in the Earth’s crust where the earthquake originated.

Options:

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

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is not correct, Shallow quakes tend to be more dangerous and damaging compared to deeper quakes as seismic waves from deep quakes have to travel farther to reach the surface and hence would have lost their energy.
  • Statement 2 is not correct, The focus is the place inside Earth’s crust where an earthquake originates.Β 
    • The point on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus is the epicentre.
Q4. Which of the following correctly defines β€œWindfall Taxes”? (Level – Easy)
  1. It is a wealth tax imposed on people with wealth more than a threshold, as decided by the Government.
  2. It is a tax on imported items when the market price of these items in the country of import is less than their country of origin.
  3. It is a tax on companies and sectors that record sudden profits due to unexpected circumstances.
  4. It is the tax imposed on stock traders on their gains in the stock market.
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Windfall profits are an unexpected rise in profits of a company as a consequence of an external incident which might be due to long-term or short-term reasons and not because of a business decision.Β 
  • A tax imposed on such an unanticipated rise in profits is called a windfall profit tax.
Q5. Consider the following pairs: (Level – Easy) [PYQ 2020]

Β Β Β Β International agreements Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Subjects

  1. Alma Ata declarationΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Health care of the people
  2. Hague convention Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Biological and chemical weapon
  3. Talanoa declarationΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Global climate change
  4. Under 2 coalitionΒ  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Β  Child rightsΒ 

Which of the pair given above is/are correctly matched?

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

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Pair 1 is correct, The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 identified primary health care as the key to the attainment of the goal of Health for All.Β 
  • Pair 2 is not correct, The Hague Convention is a treaty that gives the basic framework for dealing with children who are abducted between member countries.Β 
  • Pair 3 is correct, The Talanoa declaration is a process which would help countries implement their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by the end of 2020.
    • Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) are reductions in greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • Pair 4 is not correct, The Under2 Coalition is the largest global network of states, regions, provinces and other subnational governments committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement.

CNA 22 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

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