02 May 2022: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

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CNA 02 May 2022:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. The Delhi dual governance conundrum
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1. The recent woes of the jute industry in West Bengal
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNAL SECURITY
1. Ending AFSPA
GEOGRAPHY
1. Mercury rising
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Funding woes haunt Indian science
F. Prelims Facts
1. e-Shram to help settle workers’ accident claims
2. Keep health facilities prepared for heatwave cases, says Centre
G. Tidbits
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Nut Graf
In the absence of statehood for Delhi, there has been a prolonged confrontation over the relative powers of the territorial administration and the Union government. The 2021 amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, is under challenge before the Supreme Court. As such, a decision on the substantial question of law by a constitution bench is necessary to decide the individual issues before the court.
Nut Graf
As the jute sector provides direct employment to significant workers in the country, the closure of the jute mills is a direct blow to workers and indirectly, to the farmers whose production is used in the mills. With infrastructural development and adequate supply chain availability, the jute industry will surely contribute to ensuring a doubling of farmers’ income by 2022.

E. Editorials

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Ending AFSPA

Syllabus: Security Challenges and their Management

Mains: Security challenges in the north-eastern region of India and the government’s efforts to address these challenges.

Context:

  • The Indian Prime Minister speaking at the ‘peace, unity and development rally’ in Diphu in Assam has indicated the government’s inclination to end the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the whole of the north-eastern region.

Background:

  • Areas notified as ‘disturbed areas’ under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) have been progressively reduced in the last few years, mainly due to the improvement in the security situation and return of peace in the North-eastern region that has seen insurgencies for decades.
  • AFSPA was revoked in Tripura in 2015 and in Meghalaya in 2018.
  • Very recently, the Union Home Ministry considerably reduced areas notified as disturbed areas in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
    • In Assam, AFSPA was removed entirely in 23 districts and partially in one.
    • In Nagaland, AFSPA was removed from 15 police stations in seven districts while 15 police stations were excluded in Manipur.

Significance:

  • The removal of AFSPA from the region would bring immense relief to the citizens of the region given the often-harsh regulations the act resulted in.
  • The removal of AFPSA will also provide an impetus to the region’s economic growth and development.

Recommendations:

Normalize the situation and gradual removal of AFSPA:

  • The administration should work towards further improving the security situation in the area and increasing the development activity. All efforts must be taken to normalize the situation in the region.
  • The gradual removal of AFSPA from the entire region should be the ultimate goal for the administration.

Accountability for excesses and atrocities:

  • The article argues that AFSPA should go entirely because of the impunity it offers armed forces. Since AFSPA offered wide-ranging impunity to the armed forces, there have been a few instances that led to the commission of excesses and atrocities. In this direction, alongside the gradual reduction in the areas under the Act, there should be serious efforts to procure justice for victims of past excesses too.

Political solution to the issue:

  • On the political side, there is the need to work towards a possible political solution to some of the disputes in the form of peace accords, ceasefires and the creation of sub-regional administrative arrangements.

Nut Graf
The progressive reduction in areas notified as ‘disturbed areas’ under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in North-eastern India is a welcome development as it seems to indicate an improvement in the security situation and return of peace in the North-eastern region that has seen insurgencies for decades.

Category: GEOGRAPHY

1. Mercury rising

Syllabus: Important Geophysical Phenomena

Prelims: Heatwave definition; La Nina; Western disturbance, Heat island effect.

Context:

Record heatwave conditions in India:

  • April temperatures over north-west and central India have been the highest in 122 years.
    • The average monthly temperature of April was 35.9 deg Celsius over northwest India and 37.78 deg Celsius over central India.
    • Notably, the temperatures in some sections of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have even breached the mid-40s levels thus recording much higher temperatures than normal.
  • The temperatures are only expected to go higher in May given that May is the hottest month in India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that north and west India will continue to experience record heatwave like conditions.

Heatwave:

  • A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40° C and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4° C.

Reasons for the high temperatures:

Absence of rain from western disturbances:

  • The most important reason for the record heatwave like conditions has been the absence of rain-bearing Western Disturbances.
    • Western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings rain to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
  • Despite five Western Disturbances forming in April, none was strong enough to bring significant rain and bring down the temperatures in North India.

Failure of La Nina to induce rainfall:

  • Generally, La Nina aids rainfall in India, however, this year La Nina has failed to induce rainfall in India.
    • La Nina is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon characterized by colder temperatures in the central Pacific.

Impact of climate change:

  • While individual weather events cannot be linked to climate change. The increasing greenhouse gas levels leading to global warming are no doubt contributing to increased instances of extreme weather events.
  • The fact that while northern and western India witnessed record temperatures, parts of southern and northeastern India witnessed record April rainfalls is indicative of systemic changes in weather patterns in India.

Heat island effect:

  • The heat island effect due to increased urbanization is only adding to the increasing temperature.
    • Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas.
    • Heat islands form as vegetation is replaced by asphalt and concrete for roads, buildings, and other structures necessary to accommodate growing populations. These structures absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes, causing surface temperatures and overall ambient temperatures to rise.

Recommendations:

Better preparedness:

  • The state should have disaster management plans in place to better deal with heatwaves and their impact on health.
  • Private and public workplaces must be better equipped to factor in heatwave risk.

Compensation:

  • Given that heatwaves are contributing to human mortality, heatwave deaths must be treated as a disaster that allows compensation by the state.
    • Data from IMD notes the human toll due to heatwaves in the last 50 years to be over 17,000 people.
Nut Graf
The record heatwave conditions pose serious health challenges. Given that climate change characterized by global warming will only increase such heatwave like conditions, there is a need for more focused disaster management plans to better deal with heatwaves and their impact on health.
Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Funding woes haunt Indian science

Syllabus: Achievements of Indians in Science & Technology; Indigenization of Technology and Developing New Technology.

Mains: Concerns with R&D sector in India

Concerns with R&D sector in India:

Low R&D expenditure:

  • The R&D expenditure in India accounts for only 0.6 to 0.8% of GDP. It has remained at this level over the last decade with no improvement at all.
  • The R&D expenditure in India is much lower than in countries like the United States, China, Japan, the European Union countries and South Korea. While the U.S. and China accounted for 25% and 23%, respectively of the global R&D expenditure, India’s accounted for only 1-3% of the global total.
  • Thus, India continues to suffer from under-funding in R&D.

Low proportion of qualified researchers:

  • India continues to have a very low proportion of qualified researchers, considering its huge population.
    • The World Bank statistics indicate that India had 255 researchers per million people in 2017 in comparison to 8,342 per million in Israel, 7,597 in Sweden and 7,498 in South Korea.

Lopsided expenditure:

  • Much of the total funding available go to organizations like the DRDO, Department of Space and Atomic Energy, leaving only 30 to 40% for agencies such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). This leaves very little funding for supporting the individual investigators.

Absence of vibrant private sector participation:

  • Basic research in India continues to remain primarily sustained by direct funding from the government. There is very little participation from the private sector in Research and Development despite the increasing presence of the private sector in the Indian economy.

National Research Foundation:

  • The National Research Foundation (NRF) is an autonomous body envisaged under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The objective of the NRF is to create, facilitate and promote an environment that fosters research culture in the country.
  • The NRF will look after funding, mentoring, and building ‘quality of research’ in India. The NRF aims to fund researchers working across streams in India. It will help enable and support a vibrant research and innovation culture across HEIs, research labs and other research organizations.
  • Lack of fund allocation has often been cited as one of the biggest reasons behind the lack of researchers in India and NRF aims to cater to the same.

Significance:

  • The NRF will help in the development of a culture of research in the country by undertaking major initiatives to seed and grow research at state universities and other public institutions where research capability is currently limited.
  • Planned to be an autonomous body and therefore less bureaucratic. This will help it overcome the inertia associated with bureaucracy.
  • Notably, NRF will also work in social sciences apart from incentivizing science research. This will go a long way in addressing the neglect of research and development activities in social sciences.
  • NRF is expected to bring thousands of colleges and universities under its ambit. Thus, it will help in the democratization of research and development activities in the country.

Recommendations:

  • India should plan and strategize to ensure atleast 1% of GDP funding to R&D activities in India.
  • The governments must formulate appropriate incentives for the private sector to indulge and invest in R&D activities.
Nut Graf
Science funding is important for the sustainable economic and social development of a country and hence the low expenditure on scientific research remains a major hindrance to India’s vision of becoming a global leader.

F. Prelims Facts

1. e-Shram to help settle workers’ accident claims

Syllabus: GS2: Polity and Governance: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Prelims: e-Shram Portal

Context: 

  • The Union Labor and Employment Ministry is working on a mechanism to process accident insurance claims by unorganized workers registered on the e-Shram portal.

Details:

  • The e-Shram portal was launched with the aim of creating a national database of unorganized workers and to facilitate social security schemes for them. 
  • Linking of Portals: In Budget Speech 2022-2023, Finance Minister announced the linking of four portals — the National Career Service, e-Shram, UDYAM (for those interested in starting MSMEs) and ASEEM (Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping). 
  • Benefits: This linkage has enabled unorganized workers registered on e-Shram to seamlessly register on NCS and look for better job opportunities through NCS.

Know more about the e-Shram Portal.

2. Keep health facilities prepared for heatwave cases, says Centre

Syllabus: GS1: Geography: Important Geophysical phenomena

Prelims: About Heatwave

Context: 

The Health Ministry has advised States and the Union Territories to review the preparedness of health facilities amidst severe heat waves.

What is a heatwave?

  • A heatwave refers to a period of unusually hot weather which lasts for two or more days.
  • Heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more for Plains and at least 30 degree Celsius or more for Hilly regions
  • A severe heatwave is declared if the maximum temperature crosses 47 degrees.
Region Criteria for Heat waves
Plains maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degree Celsius or more
Hilly regions maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 30 degree Celsius or more
Coastal areas maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 37 degree Celsius or more

How does a heat wave occur?

  • A heat wave occurs when high atmospheric pressure moves into a region and lasts for two days.
  • Air from the upper levels of our atmosphere is drawn towards the ground in this situation. It is then compressed, causing temperatures to rise.
  • Other weather systems find it difficult to move into the area due to the high pressure. As a result, wind movement ceases to exist.
  • The high-pressure system also prevents clouds from entering the area, allowing sunlight to heat the system even more.

G. Tidbits

Nothing here for today!!!

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Among the following who are eligible to benefit from the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural 
Employment Guarantee Act"? [2011, Difficulty level: Medium]
  1. Adult members of only the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households
  2. Adult members of below poverty line (BPL) households
  3. Adult members of households of all backward communities
  4. Adult members of any household
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • The Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act is a social security measure designed to protect people’s right to work. 
  • In collaboration with state governments, the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) of the Government of India is overseeing the entire implementation of this scheme. 
  • The eligibility criteria for receiving benefits under the MGNREGA scheme are as follows: 
    • Must be an Indian citizen. 
    • Any citizen who is over the age of 18 at the time of application is eligible. 
    • The applicant must be a member of a rural family. 
    • Applicants must be willing to volunteer for unskilled labour. 
    • Unemployment benefits are available to households who have not been able to find work after 15 days of applying.
  • Hence option D is correct.

 

Q2. 'Recognition of Prior Learning Scheme' is sometimes mentioned in the news with 
reference to [2017, Difficulty level: Easy]
  1. Certifying the skills acquired by construction workers through traditional channels.
  2. Enrolling the persons in Universities for distance learning programmes.
  3. Reserving some skilled jobs to rural and urban poor in some public sector undertakings.
  4. Certifying the skills acquired by trainees under the National Skill Development Programme.
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

  • The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Scheme is an assessment process in which an individual’s existing skills and experience (formal or informal) are evaluated and certified. 
  • The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) was launched in 2016, and RPL is a part of it. It is overseen by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development.
  • Hence option A is correct.

 

Q3. Consider the following events: [2021, Difficulty level: Medium]
  1. The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India.
  2. India’s then largest bank, ‘Imperial Bank of India’, was renamed ‘State Bank of India’.
  3. Air India was nationalized and became the national carrier.
  4. Goa became a part of independent India.

Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?

  1. 4 – 1 – 2 – 3
  2. 3 – 2 – 1 – 4
  3. 4 – 2 – 1 – 3
  4. 3 – 1 – 2 – 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • In 1953, Air India was nationalized. In 1953, the Indian government passed the Air Corporations Act and bought a majority stake in the airline from Tata Sons. 
  •  In 1955, the Government of India nationalized the Imperial Bank of India, with the Reserve Bank of India taking a 60% stake and the name changed to State Bank of India.
  • In 1957, India’s first democratically elected communist party government was formed in a state.
  • In 1961, Goa gained independence from the Portuguese and became an independent state of India. The Indian government launched Operation Vijay on December 18, 1961, to reintegrate Goa into India.
  • Hence option B is correct.

 

Q4. At the national level, which ministry is the nodal agency to ensure effective 
implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition 
of Forest Rights) Act, 2006?  [2021, Difficulty level: Easy]
  1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  2. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
  3. Ministry of Rural Development
  4. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation

  • The Forest Rights and Occupation in Forest Land of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 aims to recognise and vest forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights have not been recorded. 
  • The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the national nodal agency for ensuring the act’s effective implementation.
  • Hence option D is correct.
Q5. Which of the following are regarded as the main features of the "Rule of Law"?  
[2018, Difficulty level: Easy]
  1. Limitation of powers 
  2. Equality before law 
  3. People’s responsibility to the Government 
  4. Liberty and civil rights 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • The concept of “rule of law” originated in England, and India has adopted it. 
  • According to Dicey, the following are the basic characteristics of the Rule of Law: 
    • There are no special rights recognised by law for any individual or group of individuals. 
    • The rule of law forbids the executive from exercising absolute and arbitrary powers. Hence statement 1 is correct. 
    • Law does not recognise any distinction between individuals based on religion, race, sex, or other factors. hence statement 2 is correct.
    • The government is responsible to the people, not the other way around. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
    • Without a fair trial, no one is punished. All of them will be tried in the same court and under the same rules. The purpose of the rule of law in a free society is to protect and advance the individual’s political and civil rights. Hence statement 4 is correct.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. Whether the Supreme Court Judgment (July 2018) can settle the political tussle between the Lt. Governor and elected government of Delhi? Examine. [PYQ:2018, GS2:Polity and Governance]
  2. How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers? [PYQ:2017, GS3: Economy]

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 02 May 2022:- Download PDF Here

IAS General Studies Notes Links
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Article 12 Of Indian Constitution India China Border Name
Pradhanmantri Rojgar Yojna Nirf Ranking
Indian Forest Service Exam Interpol Headquarters
Role Of Agriculture In Indian Economy History Of Railways In India

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