23 Mar 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 23 Mar 2022:-Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY
1. Anti-conversion Bill cleared amid Oppn. walkout in Haryana
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. The National Land Monetisation Corporation
ENVIRONMENT
1. Recycling heat of datacenters
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY
1. Needed, an Indian Legislative Service
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. A blow to equitable access to essential medicines
F. Prelims Facts
1. Understanding hypersonic weapons
2. President Polls: As they stand
G. Tidbits
1. Govt. raises minimum support price for jute
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Category: ENVIRONMENT

1. Recycling heat of datacenters

Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Prelims: What is a data center?

Mains: Heat Potential of data centers and waste heat recycle project

Context: Microsoft has partnered with Fortum to heat homes, services and businesses in Finland with sustainable waste heat from a new datacenter to be built in Finland.

What is a data center?

  • A data centre is a physical location where businesses keep their mission-critical apps and data, process them, and distribute them to users.
  • It is built on a network of computer and storage resources that allows shared programmes and data to be delivered.
  • Routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers, and application-delivery controllers are the main components of a data centre.
  • Many large datacenters are housed in separate structures. Smaller datacenters can be housed in specially built rooms within buildings that serve several purposes.

Heat Potential of Datacentres:

  • The temperatures in a datacenter’s hot corridors range between 80 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Over 75% of the electricity used in a datacenter is wasted heat.
  • A data centre may supply warmth up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, similar to a gas boiler, but with better energy efficiency than a heat pump in a new home.

Scale of carbon footprint                                                                      

  • Data centres use roughly 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity on a global scale, accounting for more than 1% of overall electricity consumption.
  • According to the International Energy Agency, they account for 0.3 percent of world CO2 emissions.
  • By the end of the decade, datacenter energy use in some nations might account for 15% to 30% of total domestic electricity demand.

What is Microsoft’s plan to cut carbon emissions in Finland?

  • Microsoft’s new initiative will catch the excess heat generated by the new datacentre region and send the clean heat generated by the server cooling process to residences, services, and businesses connected to the district heating system.
  • In Finland, district heating is the most widely used heating method. It’s a technique for capturing heat in a central area and then distributing it to buildings for residential and commercial heating needs.

Significance of Microsoft’s plan

  • According to Microsoft, Finland may meet its CO2 emission reduction targets by using recycled waste heat in conjunction with other carbon reduction measures.
  • The heat recycling system can supply clean heat to households, companies, and public buildings while also lowering CO2 emissions per year.

Which other countries recycle waste heat from datacentres?

  • District heating is widely used in the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as Russia and China, where winter heat demands are considerable. Cold climates are ideal for datacenters.
  • Because they are located in cold locations, they do not require as much cooling in their server rooms. Cold weather is also a benefit, as technology businesses change their focus to providing heat, which isn’t in high demand in warmer weather.

Global Experiences:

  • In Denmark, Facebook is putting its waste heat to good use by heating surrounding homes.
  • Apple is constructing a datacenter in Denmark that will be powered by renewable energy and waste heat to heat surrounding office buildings.
  • Since 2013, the fast fashion store H&M has started delivering waste heat to surrounding households in Denmark, and wants to construct a datacenter capable of heating up to 2,500 residences at full load.

Nut Graf

Positioned at the crossroads of two major trends, digitalization and energy transition, the concept of waste heat recycling from datacenters has the potential to meet the heating demands in cold countries while reducing the carbon footprint.

E. Editorials

Category: POLITY

1. Needed, an Indian Legislative Service

Syllabus: Parliament and State Legislatures—Structure, Functioning, Conduct of Business, Powers & Privileges and Issues Arising out of these.

Prelims: Provisions of Article 98 and Article 312; Role and powers of Secretary-General

Mains: Concerns with the current practice of appointing outsiders as Secretary-Generals

Context:

  • As against the precedent of appointing the Secretary-General of the Upper House from outside the secretariat staff or appointing former bureaucrats, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha had appointed Dr. P.P.K. Ramacharyulu as the 12th Secretary-General of the Upper House.
    • Ramacharyulu was the first-ever Rajya Sabha secretariat staff member who rose to become the Secretary-General of the Upper House.
  • While this move was commendable, the replacement of Ramacharyulu by a former bureaucrat, P.C. Mody, in less than three months is unfortunate.
  • In this context, the article analyzes the concerns associated with the practice of appointing outsiders, mostly retired civil servants, as Secretary-General to the Parliamentary houses.

Secretariats of the Parliamentary houses:

  • Article 98 of the Indian Constitution provides for secretariats for the two houses of the Parliament.
    • As per the provisions of this article, each House of Parliament shall have a separate secretariat staff although there could also be the creation of posts common to both Houses of Parliament.
    • It also states that the parliament may by law regulate the recruitment, and the conditions of service of persons appointed, to the secretarial staff of either House of Parliament.
  • The Secretariat looks after the day-to-day administration and legislative needs of the Parliament. Parliament relies on the efficient functioning of this administrative body to conduct its business smoothly.
  • The Parliamentary Secretariat functions under the direction and control of its Presiding Officer.

Secretary-General:

  • The Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha, functions as the head of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and advisor to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. He is chosen and appointed by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. As advisor to the Chairman in matters concerning Rajya Sabha or its Secretariat, he is the repository of the accumulated wisdom of the House, and the custodian of its culture, traditions and precedents. He is, therefore, expected to possess certain special abilities, traits, orientation and aptitude.
  • As the head of the Secretariat, he is expected to be conversant with all matters that have a reference to the Rajya Sabha and its business; whether they relate to some constitutional issue or some procedure that should be followed in a given situation.
  • The Secretary-General is the third most important functionary of the Rajya Sabha after the Chairman, Rajya Sabha and the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha.
  • The Secretary-General enjoys certain privileges such as freedom from arrest, immunity from criminal proceedings, and any obstruction and breach of their rights would amount to contempt of the House.

Surendra Nath Mukherjee served as the first Secretary (Joint) of the Rajya Sabha. He had served in the Constituent Assembly Secretariat as Joint Secretary and chief draftsman of the Constitution.

Concerns with the current practice of appointing outsiders as Secretary-Generals:

Against the principle of separation of powers:

  • Appointing serving or retired civil servants to the post of Secretary-General amounts to the breach of the principle of separation of power as envisaged under the Indian Constitution and also upheld by the judiciary as a basic structure of the Constitution.
    • Article 98 of the Constitution, by providing for two separate secretariats, emphasizes the principle that the secretariats should be independent of the executive government.
  • A separate and independent secretariat marks a feature of a functioning parliamentary democracy. Appointing civil servants to the post of Secretary-General could undermine the independence of the Secretariat.

Impact its role of holding the executive accountable:

  • In a parliamentary polity like India, apart from passing legislations, the Parliament is also expected to scrutinize the executive’s administrative behaviour. A strong Parliament means a more accountable executive. Appointing former bureaucrats to head important legislature bodies like the Secretariat could lead to a possible conflict of interests.

Lack of knowledge of the functioning of the legislature:

  • The Secretary-General is entrusted with a wide range of duties and functions which necessitate vast knowledge and rich experience of Parliamentary procedures, practices and precedents. Most civil servants may lack this expertise.

Recommendations:

India Legislative Service:

  • There are many legislative bodies in India, ranging from the panchayat, block panchayat, zila parishad, municipal corporations to State legislatures and Union Parliament at the national level. To ensure competent and robust legislative institutions, there is the need to have qualified and well-trained staff to support the legislative functioning.
  • Parliament and State legislative secretariats recruit their pool of bureaucrats separately. There continues to be a lack of a common public recruiting and training agency at the national level.
  • In this direction, the article argues for the creation of a common all-India service cadre —the Indian Legislative Service. This common service could help build a combined and experienced legislative staff cadre, enabling them to serve from across local bodies to Union Parliament.
  • The Rajya Sabha can make use of the powers under Article 312 to such an all-India service common to both the Union and the States.
    • Article 312 states that if the Council of States has declared by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting that it is necessary or expedient in the national interest so to do, Parliament may by law provide for the creation of an all India service, common to the Union and the States, and regulate the recruitment, and the conditions of service of persons appointed, to any such service.

Appointing Secretary-General from within the Secretariat:

In the United Kingdom, the Clerk of the House of Commons has always been appointed from the legislative staff pool created to serve Parliament. The article argues that India too should adopt this practice given that it exemplifies a democratic institutional practice.

Nut Graf
The practice of appointing retired civil servants as Secretary-General of the Parliamentary houses goes against the principle of separation of powers and could undermine the secretariat’s independence and the ability of the Parliament to hold the executive accountable. In this direction, it is advisable that India adopt the practice of appointing the Secretary-General from within the Secretariat staff.

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. A blow to equitable access to essential medicines

Syllabus: Issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights

Prelims: Compulsory licencing; TRIPS agreement

Mains: Concerns with the new proposal on the IPR waiver proposal pending at WTO

Context:

  • The European Union, India, South Africa and the U.S. have announced that a compromise outcome is on the cards on the temporary IPR waiver proposal introduced in the World Trade Organization in October 2020.

Background:

Proposal for temporary IPR waiver:

  • In October 2020, amidst the health emergency caused by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortages in the availability of affordable vaccines, medicines and other medical products, India and South Africa had tabled a proposal in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • Noting that the application and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) were found to be hindering or potentially hindering timely provisioning of affordable medical products to the patients, the proposal sought a temporary waiver for all WTO members on the implementation, application and enforcement of certain provisions of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement in relation to the “prevention, containment or treatment” of COVID-19.
  • The proponents argued that such a waiver would help in rapid scaling up of manufacturing globally and thus help ensure timely access to affordable medical products and would thus facilitate an appropriate response to COVID-19.
  • The main aspect of their argument for the waiver was based on the fact that when human lives are at stake, relevant medical products should be treated as global public goods.

Lack of progress on the proposal:

  • Even after almost 18 months of the proposal, members of the WTO have not been able to finalize the “waiver proposal”.
  • Despite overwhelming support from developing countries, most advanced countries have opposed the proposal based on concerns over what effect this waiver could have on their pharmaceutical companies.

Details:

  • The proposal includes granting compulsory licences to interested companies/countries instead of a blanket IPR waiver.

Compulsory licensing:
  • Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner. It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS Agreement.
  • Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement lists a number of conditions for issuing compulsory licences.
    • Normally the person or company applying for a licence has to have tried, within a reasonable period of time, to negotiate a voluntary licence with the patent holder on reasonable commercial terms. Only if that fails can a compulsory licence be issued, and even when a compulsory licence has been issued, the patent owner has to receive adequate payment.
    • The scope and duration of the licence must be limited to the purpose for which it was granted, it cannot be given exclusively to licensees (e.g. the patent-holder can continue to produce).
    • Article 31(f) provides that the compulsory licences issued by any WTO member must be used “predominantly for the supply of the domestic market”.

  • The new proposal notes that given the current medical urgency, the condition of having to make efforts to obtain voluntary licences with the patent holders before granting compulsory licences on the patented products would be waived.
  • The proposal also provides that WTO members would be able to issue compulsory licences even if they do not currently have the provisions to issue them under their respective national patent laws.
    • India’s patent law allows for the grant of compulsory licences if patent holders charge high prices on the proprietary medicines in the exercise of their monopoly rights.
  • The proposal explicitly mentions that the above provisions could be only used by an “eligible member”, defined as a “developing country member” of the WTO that “had exported less than 10 percent of world exports of COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021”. Thus the new proposal has an export restriction clause.
    • India’s share in global exports of vaccines stands at around 2.4%.

Concerns with the new proposals:

Exclusion concerns:

  • While the proposal removes the export restriction under Article 31(f) of the TRIPS agreement, it still places export restrictions in the form of the eligibility criteria mentioned above.
  • The eligibility criteria defined in the proposal would lead to the exclusion of least developed countries like Bangladesh, which has a growing pharmaceutical industry.

Limited product coverage:

  • Also, the new proposal is applicable to only vaccines as against the original waiver proposal which sought the inclusion of not only medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment but also the methods and the means of manufacturing the products necessary for the prevention, treatment, or containment of COVID-19.

Increased conditions:

  • The new proposal has introduced additional conditions for using the compulsory licences, some of which are well beyond the developing country obligations under the TRIPS Agreement.
  • The new solution mandates notification of all patents covered under the compulsory, details of licensee, the quantity and export destination which was not necessary under the TRIPS provisions.

Doubts over efficacy of the solution:

  • There are concerns over whether the compulsory licences would result in the desired outcome of helping increase vaccine production. Notably, under the compulsory licences framework, the transfer of technology is not ensured. This would make it difficult to scale up the production of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, and medical devices in the developing world, thus constraining their availability at affordable prices.
    • Notably, only 14% of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose. The recent surge of COVID-19 infections in countries like China is a strong warning to the global community that the threat from COVID-19 still remains.

Nut Graf
The compromise outcome being proposed by the E.U. on the temporary IP waiver proposal of India and South Africa at the WTO suffers from serious lacunae given that it has limited product coverage and since compulsory licensing does not ensure technology transfer there are doubts over its effectiveness in helping increase global vaccine production.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Understanding hypersonic weapons

Syllabus: GS 3: Security Challenges: Defense equipment

Prelims: Hypersonic weapons

Context: Recently, the Russian military used a hypersonic weapon to destroy an underground weapons depot in western Ukraine.

What are hypersonic weapons?

  • Hypersonic weapons are manoeuvrable weapons with a top speed of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
  • The speed of sound is Mach 1, and speeds more than Mach 1 are supersonic, while speeds greater than Mach 5 are hypersonic.
  • Hypersonic weapons travel through the atmosphere and can manoeuvre midway, making detection and interception extremely challenging.
  • This means radars and air defences won’t be able to detect them until they’re very close to them, giving them very little time to react.
  • Types of hypersonic weapons:
    • Glide vehicles and cruise missiles are the two major types of these missiles.
    • Because of the difficulties in achieving hypersonic propulsion for missiles, the majority of emphasis is concentrated on the former, which are launched from a rocket before gliding to their target.
    • Scramjet engines utilise the oxygen in the air to provide thrust during flight, allowing the missiles to cruise at a constant speed and altitude.

What is the status of Russian, Chinese and U.S. programmes?

Russia
  • Russia’s Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile system (“Dagger”) has a range of 1,500-2,000 kilometres and can carry a nuclear or conventional payload of 480 kilogrammes.
  • Russia announced that a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile launched from a Severodvinsk submarine in the Barents Sea successfully hit a target 350 kilometres away.
China
  • China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that circled the globe before speeding towards its target, according to the Financial Times.
  • China, on the other hand, has denied having nuclear weapons.
US
  • For decades, the United States has conducted tests on hypersonic weapons.
  • Project Bumper, a two-stage rocket launched in 1949 that reached a speed of Mach 6.7, was the first vehicle to exceed Mach 5.
  • The U.S. has six hypersonic programmes, divided among the Air Force, Army and Navy.
India
  • India has approximately 12 hypersonic wind tunnels capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 13 in operation.
  • As part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) programme, India is developing an indigenous, dual-capable hypersonic cruise missile and successfully tested a Mach 6 scramjet in 2019 and 2020.
  • The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is also being developed in a hypersonic version.
Other countries
  • A number of other countries — including Australia, India, France, Germany, and Japan — are also developing hypersonic weapons technology.

2. President Polls: As they stand

Syllabus: GS2: Polity and Governance: Appointment to various Constitutional Posts – President.

Prelims: President’s election process

Context: The current Indian president’s tenure will end by July 2022 and elections will be conducted for the new President of India.

Election Process of President:

  • The President of India is elected through an electoral college consisting of the elected members of the Parliament of India and the Legislative assemblies of the States of India and the Union territories (having an elected assembly).
  • Each MP and MLA carries a vote:
    • MP’s vote carries a value of 708 votes.
    • The value of MLA’s vote is determined by the population of the state.
  • Hence while the MP vote value remains the same, that of MLA varies from state to state.

G. Tidbits

1. Govt. raises minimum support price for jute

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for raw jute for the 2022-2023 season.
  • The announced price of jute is in line with the principle of fixing the MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements with regards to the International Criminal Court:
  1. Governed by an international treaty called ‘The Rome Statute’, the ICC is the world’s first permanent international criminal court.
  2. India is one of the founding members of the Rome statute.
  3. The ICC does not prosecute those under the age of 18 when a crime was committed.

Choose the incorrect statements:

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 & 3 only
  4. All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal headquartered in The Hague. It is governed by an international statute known as the Rome Statute. The Statute entered into force in July 2002. Hence Statement 1 is correct.
  • It is the first permanent international criminal court in the world. India is not a member of the ICC. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
  • The ICC’s jurisdiction is limited only to natural persons as provided in Article 25 of the Statute. The minimum age of the alleged perpetrator should be 18 years at the time of the commission of the crime. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
Q2. Consider the following statements with regards to Biochemical Oxygen Demand:
  1. BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic wastes present in water.
  2. The higher value of BOD indicates better/purer quality of water.
  3. Since BOD is limited to biodegradable materials, it is not a reliable method of measuring water pollution.

Choose the correct code:

  1. 1 & 2 only
  2. 1 & 3 only
  3. 2 & 3 only
  4. All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • BOD – Biochemical Oxygen Demand is applied to determine the aerobic destructibility of organic substances. BOD measures the amount of oxygen consumed by microorganisms for the process of decomposition of the organic matters in the water bodies.  Hence Statement 1 is correct.
  • It indicates the amount of organic pollution present in an aquatic ecosystem. BOD also measures the chemical oxidation (COD) of inorganic matter. Hence Statement 2 is not correct.
  • The amount of oxygen in a litre of water is measured in milligrammes of oxygen per litre of water. The higher the BOD value, the lower the DO content of the water. BOD is not a reliable method of measuring water pollution because it is limited to biodegradable materials. Hence Statement 3 is correct.
Q3. Which of the following crops are covered under the MSP (Minimum Support Price) mechanism 
by the Government of India?
  1. Raw Jute
  2. Arhar
  3. Soybean
  4. Sunflower seed
  5. Raw cotton

Choose the correct code:

  1. All except 2 & 4
  2. All except 1 & 4
  3. 2, 3 & 4 only
  4. All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

MSP is a form of government intervention to insure the farmers against a steep decline in the prices of their goods and to help them prevent losses. The government of India sets the MSP twice a year for 24 commodities. They are as follows: 

Crops covered under MSP

  • Hence option D is correct.
Q4. ‘No taxation without representation’ is a slogan which originated from which of the 
following events?
  1. French Revolution
  2. American Civil War
  3. Russian Revolution
  4. American Revolution
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • During the American Revolution, the slogan “No Taxation without Representation” was first raised in the Massachusetts Assembly.
  • No taxation without representation was a colonial American slogan in the years running up to the American Revolution.
  • It emphasized the colonists’ position that they were unfairly taxed and lacked proper representation in the British Parliament as Englishmen.
  • Hence option D is correct.
Q5. Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger 
Habitat”?
  1. Corbett
  2. Ranthambore
  3. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam
  4. Sunderbans
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Sundarban has a Critical Tiger Habitat area of 1699.62 sq.
  • Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Core/Critical Tiger Habitat: 3721 Sq. Km
  • Critical ‘tiger’ habitats (CTHs), also known as core areas of tiger reserve, are identified under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), 1972. 
  • Based on scientific evidence, such areas are required to be kept as safe for the purpose of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or such other forest dwellers. 
  • The notification of CTH is done by the state government in consultation with the expert committee constituted for the purpose.
  • Hence option C is correct.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. Elaborate on the merits of having an Indian Legislative Service. How can a new all India service be created in India? (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-2, Polity]
  2. What is a Datacenter? Explain the role played by datacenters in adding to the global carbon footprint. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-2, Environment]

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 23 Mar 2022:-Download PDF Here

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