23 Mar 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 23 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Russia and China vow to deepen relations
C. GS 3 Related
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
SOCIAL JUSTICE
1. The road to ending tuberculosis
ENVIRONMENT
1. IPCC Synthesis report
F. Prelims Facts
1. Exercise Cobra Warrior
2. Abel Prize
G. Tidbits
1. Indian Army to reintroduce millets in rations of soldiers
2. Chandrayaan 3 likely to be launched in mid-2023: ISRO
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS 2 Related

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Russia and China vow to deepen relations

Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries

Mains: Developments in Russia and China relations and their geopolitical implication

Context

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia and held strategic meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Key outcomes of the meeting

• Post the meeting the leaders of China and Russia announced a broad long-term blueprint for deepening their relations and pledged to collaborate to counter the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy and any attempts to politicise multilateral platforms.
• A joint statement released after the meetings also expressed concern over NATO’s growing military-security ties with various Asia-Pacific countries and said that the two countries oppose the formation of exclusive bloc structures in the Asia-Pacific region which promotes bloc politics and camp confrontation. 
  • China in the past had referred to the “Quad” as an exclusive bloc and the latest statement accused the U.S. of following “a Cold War mentality”.
  • The statement also used the term “Asia-Pacific” instead of “Indo-Pacific”.
• The joint statement further stated that China and Russia are committed to building an equal, open and inclusive security system in the Asia-Pacific region that does not target other countries.
• The statement has also criticised the West over their involvement in Ukraine and said that both countries are against the practice of seeking military, political and other advantages which are detrimental to the legitimate security interests of other countries.
• The countries also expressed willingness to collaborate in multilateral groupings such as BRICS, and efforts to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping.

Economic cooperation

• The President of Russia and his Chinese counterpart declared an enduring economic partnership and discussed the prospects of bringing more Russian energy to China and more Chinese companies to Russia.  
• The two countries also announced a “Plan to Promote the Key Elements of Russian-Chinese Economic Cooperation until 2030.”
• According to the Russian President, both sides have agreed to a package of 80 crucial and favourable bilateral projects in diverse fields worth around $165 billion.
• Russia is a strategic supplier of oil, natural gas, LNG, coal, and electricity to China and an agreement has been reached on a second Power of Siberia gas pipeline across Mongolia. 

China’s Solomon port deal

Image Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

• Meanwhile, a state-backed Chinese company named China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has been granted a contract to develop a key port in the Solomon Islands.
• The contract is to upgrade an international port in Honiara and the project is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• The U.S. and its allies such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, have raised concerns about China building a naval base in the region ever since the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with China in 2022.
• However, both China as well as Solomon Islands have said that the pact would not lead to the establishment of a permanent Chinese naval base.

Nut graf: The visit of the Chinese President to Russia, following bilateral meetings and the joint pledges made post the meetings have gained significance as the differences between the U.S. and its allies on one hand and Russia and China on the opposite hand seem to be growing.

Category: ENVIRONMENT

1. IPCC Synthesis report

Syllabus: International Environment Agencies & Agreements

Mains: Key findings of sixth assessment report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

Context: The IPCC released its Synthesis Report for the Sixth Assessment Cycle.

Introduction:

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Synthesis Report for the Sixth Assessment Cycle on March 20 in Interlaken, Switzerland. 
• This Synthesis Report (SYR) of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) summarises the state of knowledge of climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. 
• It integrates the main findings of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) based on contributions from the three Working Groups.
  • WG I evaluated the physical science basis of climate change; WG II evaluated the impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, and WG III evaluated the mitigation.

Highlights of the report:

• The report highlights the urgency of drastically reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and thereby limiting rising global temperatures by 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels, set by the Paris Agreement.
  • The report says that the planet’s best chance to keep temperatures below 1.5°C is to ensure greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to 48% of 2019 levels by 2030 and 99% by 2050. 
• The report also recognises the impact of the rise in temperature which has made people much more susceptible to food insecurity and water shortages with vulnerable populations disproportionately facing the brunt of climate change. 

Image Source: IPCC

• The report, therefore, stressed the need for financial resolution for a more equitable world. 
• The report stresses the need for finance to flow from developed countries to developing countries and the need to compensate countries that are poised to lose the most from climate change, to help them build resilience.
• The report also emphasised the role of financial investments to achieve climate goals and encouraged public funding through central banks, government and financial regulators to reduce emissions, scale up climate resilience and protect marginalised communities.
• The report highlighted the benefits of climate-resilient development in mitigating the effects of climate change and also in providing wider benefits. 
• Access to clean energy, improving air quality, increasing employment opportunities, boosting healthcare through technology, and delivering equity are among the report’s recommended goals to help adapt to climate change. 

Implications for India:

• The IPCC Synthesis Report underscores the urgency of action to address climate change and its impacts, particularly in countries like India that are already vulnerable to its effects. 
• It highlights the need for a concerted effort by governments, businesses, and individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the changing climate, and build resilience to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
• The report has been “welcomed” by India, which noted that several parts support its stance that unequal contributions are to blame for the climate crisis and that climate justice must underpin mitigation and adaptation. 
• Several messages emerge in the report that are salient for India as it suggests a strategy that emphasises “climate-resilient development.”  
• However, India’s priority should be to minimise loss and damage in terms of lives, livelihood and biodiversity, and accelerate equitable action and adaptation. 
  • As a developing country, India can lower its per-capita emissions through energy efficiency policies already being implemented in almost every sector. 
  • It can also decarbonise the energy sector by using cleaner options like solar and renewable energy.

Read more on Climate Change in India

Nut Graf: The ‘Synthesis Report’ from IPCC recognizes the interdependence of climate, ecosystems and biodiversity, and human societies and highlights the insufficient pace and scale of climate action to tackle climate change.

2. Abel Prize

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Prelims: About Abel Prize

Context

Argentine-American Luis A. Caffarelli, an expert in “partial differential equations” which can explain phenomena such as water flow and population growth has been awarded the Abel Prize 2023.

Abel Prize

• The Abel Prize recognises pioneering achievements in the field of mathematics.
• The prize is named after Niels Henrik Abel who is considered Norway’s greatest mathematician.
• The Abel Prize was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2002, on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of Niels Henrik Abel.
• The Abel Prize is awarded every year to facilitate outstanding mathematicians.
• The Abel Prize is given by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, on behalf of the Ministry of Education of the Norwegian Parliament.

2. Chandrayaan 3 likely to be launched in mid-2023: ISRO

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath announced that the launch of Chandrayaan-3 and the Aditya L1 will likely take place by the middle of 2023. 
  • Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission and Aditya L1 is India’s first-ever solar mission. 
• According to ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 which is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 would demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. 
• As per the ISRO Chairman, the key objective of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is to demonstrate a precise landing which requires a lot of work including building new instruments, better algorithms and strengthening the failure modes.
• ISRO is also discussing a possible mission to the moon with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
• ISRO Chairman also confirmed that there is a good opportunity to launch a mission to explore Venus by 2028.

Read more about – Chandrayaan-3

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements with regard to the High Seas: (Level – Easy)

1. UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) defined the rights and duties of countries in the oceans, the extent of ocean areas over which countries could claim sovereignty, and the legal status of marine resources.
2. UNCLOS established exclusive economic zones (EEZ), ocean areas up to 200 miles from the coastline, where a country would have exclusive rights over all economic resources such as fish, oil, minerals, and gas.
3. The high seas are the areas beyond the EEZ of any country.

Choose the correct code:

1. Only one statement is wrong
2. Two statements are wrong
3. All statements are wrong
4. None of the statements is wrong

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, UNCLOS defined the rights and duties of countries in the oceans, the extent of ocean areas over which countries could claim sovereignty, and the legal status of marine resources.
  • UNCLOS also specified general rules for a range of activities in the oceans such as navigation, scientific research, and deep-sea mining.
• Statement 2 is not correct, The treaty established exclusive economic zones (EEZ), ocean areas up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastline, where a country would have exclusive rights over all economic resources such as fish, oil, minerals, and gas.
• Statement 3 is correct, The high seas are the areas beyond the EEZ of any country.

Q2. Consider the following statements with regard to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy 
Code (IBC): (Level – Moderate)

1. It is a reform enacted in 2016 which amalgamates various laws relating to the insolvency resolution of business firms.
2. Section 53 of the Code prescribes an order of priority in which proceeds will be distributed to the creditors based on the liquidation value.
3. Financial creditors like banks have the last claim until exhaustion.

Choose the correct code:

1. 1 & 3 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 1 & 2 only
4. All of the above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) is the bankruptcy law of India which seeks to consolidate the existing framework by creating a single law for insolvency and bankruptcy.
• Statement 2 is correct, Section 53 of the Code prescribes an order of priority in which proceeds will be distributed to the creditors based on the liquidation value. 
  • According to this waterfall mechanism, secured financial creditors rank the highest in the order of priority followed by unsecured financial creditors, government dues and operational creditors.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The creditors receive proceeds under the resolution plan in order of the mentioned priority and hence financial creditors like banks have the first claim until exhaustion. 

Q3. Consider the following statements with regard to different generations of telecom 
communications: (Level – Easy)

1. 1G was launched in the 1980s and worked on analogue radio signals and supported only voice calls.
2. 2G was launched in the 1990s which uses digital radio signals and supports both voice and data transmission with a bandwidth of 64 Kbps.
3. 3G was launched in the 2000s with a speed of 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps and it has the ability to transmit telephone signals including digitised voice, video calls and conferencing.

Choose the correct code:

1. Only one statement is wrong
2. Two statements are wrong
3. All statements are wrong
4. None of the statements is wrong

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, 1G was launched in the 1980s and worked on analogue radio signals and supported only voice calls. 
• Statement 2 is correct, 2G was launched in the 1990s which uses digital radio signals and supports both voice and data transmission with a bandwidth of 64 Kbps.
• Statement 3 is correct, 3G was launched in the 2000s with a speed of 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps and it has the ability to transmit telephone signals including digitised voice, video calls and conferencing.

Q4. Consider the following statements with regard to the Padma awards & Bharat 
Ratna: (Level – Easy)

1. Padma awards were instituted in 1954.
2. The Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
3. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year.

Choose the correct code:

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 only
4. 1, 2 & 3

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct, Padma Awards were instituted in the year 1954. 
  • The award is given in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. 
• Statement 2 is correct, The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.
• Statement 3 is not correct, The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.

Q5. The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of 
(Level – Easy) PYQ (2020)

1. brown forest soil
2. fissure volcanic rock
3. granite and schist
4. shale and limestone

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Black Cotton soil is often referred to as “regur”.
• The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of fissure volcanic rock.
• Volcanic rocks that developed in the Deccan Plateau are the parent material for the majority of the black soil (Rajmahal trap and Deccan).

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. “The road to ending the TB epidemic needs proactive intervention in key areas”. Discuss. (150 words; 10 marks) (GS-2; Health)
2. Discuss how the Russia and China relationship impacts India’s interest in the Indo-Pacific. (150 words; 10 marks) (GS-2; International Relations)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 23 March 2023:- Download PDF Here