08 May 2020: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related

Category: WORLD HISTORY

1. Virus attack worse than Pearl Harbor

Context:

Donald Trump has said the COVID-19 pandemic is a worse attack on the U.S. than either Pearl Harbor or 9/11, taking aim once again at China, which he said should have stopped the disease in its tracks.

Details:

• The pandemic has hammered healthcare infrastructure in many parts of the United States, including New York City, and its impact has been particularly severe on the least privileged sections of American society, such as undocumented migrants.
• The U.S. President has ramped up his rhetoric against Beijing.
• China accused the United States of trying to shift blame over the novel coronavirus, after President Donald Trump said the pandemic was a worse “attack” than Pearl Harbor or 9/11.
• Tension between the world’s two biggest economies (the US and China) has reached fever pitch as they have exchanged barbed comments on each other’s handling of the virus.

Pearl Harbor Assault:

• Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, relations between the US and Japan were already worsening.
• In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and, in 1937, it invaded China. This showed  Japan’s manifest expansionist agenda.
• Between December 1937 and January 1938, the “Nanking Massacre” occurred where Japanese soldiers killed and raped Chinese civilians and combatants.
• Japan invaded China and later French Indo-China as it was reliant on imports for oil and other natural resources.
• In July 1941, the US ceased exporting oil to Japan.
• As the negotiations between the US and Japan did not lead to anything concrete, Japan set its task for Pearl Harbor in November 1941.
• The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor killed over 2,300 Americans and destroyed the battleships USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma.
• The Japanese assault on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii in 1941 drew the United States into the Second World War.
• It signalled the official entry of the US into the hostilities, which eventually led to the dropping of nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

9/11 attacks:

• The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center killed about 3,000 people and triggered two decades of war.
• The attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States.
• Terrorists hijacked four passenger airplanes and crashed them onto two towers of the World Trade Center Complex and the Pentagon (HQ of the US Defense department).

B. GS 2 Related

Category: EDUCATION

1. Forum calls for rethink on online teaching

Context:

The Joint Forum for Movement on Education (JFME) has written to the Human Resource Development Minister asking him to rethink the government’s decision to promote online teaching, assessment and examinations as a systemic alternative to formal education.

Details:

• The forum asserts that while academic engagement through e-resources during the period of lockdown is unexceptionable, any attempt to formalise it as online teaching/examination through specific modes is unreasonable and unacceptable.
• It also said that in India, there was lack of institutional support with uneven internet access and non-uniform and non-conducive domestic environment for learning.
• The forum said, education is about continuous human interaction and critical engagement through dialogue and questioning, for which a formal classroom space is essential, urging the Minister to revise circulars and policies in this regard.

Note:

The JFME is an umbrella organisation representing associations of university and college teachers, schoolteachers, non-teaching university staff, students, parents and other organisations working for scientific and democratic education.

“Limitations of Online Learning” has been covered in the Editorials segment of 30^th April 2020 Comprehensive News Analysis. Click here to read.

C. GS 3 Related

Category: DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Vizag gas leak claims 11 lives; over 350 hospitalised

Context:

A gas leak has claimed at least 11 lives and affected thousands of residents in five villages in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG.

Details:

• Styrene monomer gas leaked from a chemical plant belonging to LG Polymers India, whose parent company is LG, the South Korean electronics giant.
• Taking cognizance of the gas leak accident on its own, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Central and State governments to explain the laws applicable to it.

What caused the leak?

• A statement from LG Polymers said that stagnation and changes in temperature inside the storage tank could have resulted in auto polymerization and could have caused vapourisation.

Were safety protocols in place?

• Styrene has to be stored in gas tanks under 20°C to keep it stable.
• The temperature has to be continuously monitored, and any exposure to light or heat may result in polymerisation.
• A team of 15 engineers and officials remained on duty at the factory throughout the lockdown period to monitor it. If temperature rises, inhibitors have to be added to keep the styrene stable.
• At LG Chem, an inhibitor tank is attached to the styrene storage tank but it failed to stabilise it in time. As a safety measure, the styrene tanks are never filled to capacity.

Why could the inhibitor not prevent what happened?

• As the styrene was stagnant for 44 days, officials said, it was possible that some gas accumulated at the ceiling of the storage tank and its temperature rose beyond the specified 20°C, and the styrene started vaporising and escaped. This is called auto-polymerisation.
• However, the exact cause is still being ascertained.
• The company has not explained how the storage tank ruptured and the gas escaped.

Is it under control?

• The leak has been plugged and NDRF teams moved into the five affected villages and have started opening houses to find out if anyone was stranded inside.
• The spread of the gas depends on wind speeds. So far it is estimated that areas within a five kilometre radius have been affected.
• Around 500 kg of chemicals have been airlifted from Gujarat and sent to Visakhapatnam to neutralise the impact of the gas leak.
• A chemical called 4-Tertiary Butylcatchol (PTBC), available with a chemical factory in Gujarat, was arranged to contain the reaction at an early stage.

What is Styrene?

• It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.
• Styrene is an organic compound with the formula C8H8. It is a derivative of benzene (C6H6).
• It is stored in factories as a liquid, but evaporates easily, and has to be kept at temperatures under 20°C.
• Styrene is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

What is styrene used for?

• Styrene is the main raw material for the synthesis of polystyrene, or (C8H8)n.
• Polystyrene, in turn, is a versatile plastic that is used to make parts of various appliances such as refrigerators or micro-ovens; automotive parts; and parts of electronics such as computers; and also to manufacture disposable cups and in food packaging.
• Styrene is also used as an intermediate to produce copolymers — which are polymers derived from one or more species of monomers such as styrene.

What happens when exposed to styrene?

• As per the US-based Environment Protection Agency (EPA), short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.
• It is the mucous membrane that is mainly affected by exposure to styrene gas.
• And long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy.
• It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.
• However, EPA notes that there is no sufficient evidence despite several epidemiology studies indicating there may be an association between styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukaemia and lymphoma.
• Acute exposure to styrene via inhalation at 376 ppm for 25 minutes had resulted in nausea, a sense of inebriation and headache.
• But no studies have been carried out to understand the harmful effects from exposure at extremely high concentrations lasting a couple of hours.
• Currently, no studies have reported deaths from short-term exposure to styrene gas.
• Hence, it is not clear if the deaths were caused by styrene gas or some other chemical or a combination.

What are the symptoms?

• Symptoms include headache, hearing loss, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in concentrating, etc.
• Animal studies, according to the EPA, have reported effects on the Central Nervous System (CNS), liver, kidney, and eye and nasal irritation from inhalation exposure to styrene.

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Band-like clouds seen over Sun’s neighbour

Context:

A group of international astrophysicists have identified cloud bands on the surface of Luhman 16A, one of a pair of binary brown dwarfs in the Vela constellation.

Details:

• The astrophysicists have used an idea put forth nearly two decades ago by Indian astrophysicist Sujan Sengupta that the light emitted by a cloudy brown dwarf, or reflected off an extrasolar planet, will be polarised.
  • He suggested that a polarimetric technique could serve as a potential tool to probe the environment of these objects.
• The group, by using the Very Large Telescope at European Southern Observatory, Chile, found that Luhman 16A had band-like clouds in its atmosphere, whereas the same was not true of Luhman 16B.

Luhman 16:

• Luhman 16 is a binary star system, the third closest system to the Sun after Alpha Centauri and Barnard’s star.
• This pair of brown dwarfs referred to as Luhman 16A and Luhman 16B orbit each other, casting a dim light.
• They are at a distance of about 6.5 light years from the Sun.

Brown Dwarfs:

• Brown dwarfs are also called failed stars, because their masses are intermediate to the largest planets and the smallest main sequence stars.
• Their masses being too small, they are unable to sustain fusion of their hydrogen to produce energy.
• It is believed that some of the more massive brown dwarfs fuse deuterium or lithium and glow faintly.

Significance:

• The researchers have now found the actual structure of the clouds. It is found that they form bands over one of the pair (Luhman 16A) of brown dwarfs.
• Since brown dwarfs glow faintly, the faintness of the glow proved to be providential in finding the cloud bands.
• Unlike a star whose brightness would be too high, or an extrasolar planet orbiting a star, where the extra light from its star would have to be cut off to make the measurement, the light of the brown dwarfs was just right.
• Understanding the cloud system over a brown dwarf can shed light on the pressure, temperature and climate on the surface of the celestial body.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. India needs to enact a COVID-19 law

The editorial throws light upon the lack of coordination between the Union and State governments revealed by the ad-hoc and reactive rule-making, highlighting the need for India to enact a COVID-19 law.

Laws Governing Lockdown:

• The lockdown has been carried out by State governments and district authorities on the directions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, which was intended to provide for the effective management of disasters and matters related to it.
  • Under the Act, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was set up under the leadership of the Prime Minister, and the National Executive Committee (NEC) was chaired by the Home Secretary.
• The NDMA and NEC issued orders directing the Union Ministries, State governments and authorities to take effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
  • It laid out guidelines illustrating which establishments would be closed and which services suspended during the lockdown period.
  • Taking a cue from the guidelines, the State governments and authorities exercised powers under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to issue further directions.
• All these orders constitute the legislative umbrella governing the lockdown.

Issue:

• The invoking of the Disaster Management Act has allowed the Union government to communicate seamlessly with the States. However, serious questions remain whether the Act was originally intended to or is sufficiently capable of addressing the threat of a pandemic.
• Also, the use of the archaic Epidemic Diseases Act reveals the lack of requisite diligence and responsiveness of government authorities in providing novel and innovative policy solutions to address a 21st century problem.
• Another serious failing is that any violation of the orders passed would be prosecutable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code – an ineffective and broad provision dealing with disobedience of an order issued by a public servant.
• The ambiguous orders regarding inter-State movement has left the fate of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to be handled by district administrations with inadequate resources.
• This has also exposed the lack of coordination between the Union and State governments.

Examples from across the globe:

• Many countries have passed laws, setting out unambiguous conditions and legally binding obligations.

United Kingdom:

• The U.K. enacted the Coronavirus Act, 2020, which is a comprehensive legislation dealing with all issues connected with COVID-19.
• The legislation includes emergency registration of healthcare professionals, temporary closure of educational institutions, audio-visual facilities for criminal proceedings, powers to restrict gatherings, and financial assistance to industry.

Singapore:

• Singapore has passed the Infectious Diseases Regulations, 2020.
• It provides for issuance of stay orders which can send ‘at-risk individuals’ to a government-specified accommodation facility.
• As such, under Singaporean law, the violators may be penalised up to $10,000 or face six months imprisonment or both. 
  • In contrast, Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code has a fine amount of ₹200 to ₹1,000 or imprisonment of one to six months.
  • The proceedings under Section 188 can only be initiated by a private complaint and not through a First Information Report.
  • Offences arising out of these guidelines and orders have a weak basis in terms of criminal jurisdiction thereby weakening the objectives of the lockdown.

Way forward:

• In India, both Houses of Parliament functioned till March 23, 2020, when they were adjourned sine die.
  • There were a number of interventions regarding COVID-19 by opposition members through the session.
  • Also, there has been little clarity on a road map to economic recovery.
• In past instances, the Union Government has not shied away from promulgating ordinances.
• These circumstances call out for legislative leadership, to assist and empower States to overcome COVID-19 and to revive their economic, education and public health sectors.
• A consolidated, pro-active policy approach is the need of the hour.
• The Union Government must draft or enact a COVID-19-specific legislation that could address all the issues pre-emptively.

2. Conducting elections during a pandemic

Context:

Polls to nine legislative council seats in Maharashtra will be held on May 21, 2020.

Background:

• Uddhav Thackeray took oath on the 28th of November, 2019 as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He is heading the 3 party coalition of NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena called Maha Vikas Aghadi. The coalition has the majority in the House.
• The elections, scheduled to be held on March 26, 2020, were postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic, by the Election Commission (EC), which used its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, along with Section 153 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Issue:

• As a non-legislator Chief Minister, the current Maharashtra CM is entitled to occupy his office for a period of 6 months.
• He is therefore, under a constitutional mandate to get himself elected. If he is unable to do so “he ceases to be a minister”.
• The issue is that, he completes 6 months in office on the 28th of May 2020.
• A double application of Article 164 (4) to extend this period for another six months was out of the question as the Supreme Court, in S.R. Chaudhuri v. State of Punjab and Ors (August 17, 2001), had declared that it would be tantamount to a subversion of the principle of representative government.

Concerns:

• By deciding to hold elections during a pandemic, the EC has taken up a big responsibility.
• Though only the 288 members of the Vidhan Sabha will be voting in this election, the EC will have to ensure strict implementation of the Health Ministry’s guidelines.
• A bigger cause for concern for the EC are the upcoming Assembly elections for Bihar (which must be concluded by November 29, 2020), West Bengal (May 30, 2021), Assam (May 31, 2021), Kerala (June 1, 2021), Tamil Nadu (May 24, 2021) and Puducherry (June 8, 2021).

What are the options available?

• Unlike the Rajya Sabha/Legislative Council elections which can be postponed indefinitely, the EC can postpone elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for a period of only six months, the constitutionally defined limit between two sessions of the House/Assembly (Article 85(1) and Article 174(1) of the Constitution, respectively).
• For a further period of extension, the executive will be faced with two possibilities.
  1. The first is condition to Article 172(1) whereby during a state of Emergency, an election can be postponed for one year in addition to a period of six months after the Emergency is lifted.
     • The rider, however, is that a state of Emergency can be declared only if there is a threat to the security and sovereignty of the nation, not if there is an epidemic or a pandemic.
  2. The second option is to declare President’s rule in the State, enabled by Article 356(1) of the Constitution.
     • Its limits have been repeatedly defined by the Supreme Court.

Way Forward – South Korea’s Model:

• It is noteworthy that India will not be the only country to hold elections during this pandemic.
• According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, nine countries have already held national elections and referendums during this public health crisis.
• South Korea, being one among them, conducted its national election with 44 million voters in the midst of the pandemic. It is could be a good source of inspiration for the Election Commission.

South Korean Elections:

• South Korea took to prepare a fool-proof plan.
• South Korea disinfected polling centres, and mandated that voters practise physical distancing, wear gloves and masks and use hand sanitisers.
• Voters had their temperatures checked on arrival at the booths.
• Those who had a temperature above 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit were sent to booths in secluded areas.
• The interests of infected voters and the interests of those suspected of having the virus were not ignored: COVID-19-positive voters were allowed to mail their ballots.
• Self-quarantined voters were allowed to vote after 6 p.m.

Conclusion:

• Some experts say that the COVID-19 pandemic could last for two years. Deferring elections for such a long time would be against the spirit of democracy and federalism, which are the basic components of the Constitution. As a result, holding elections seems to be the only way out.
• The EC has a difficult task of sticking to its goal of ‘No Voter Left Behind’ while also ensuring that the elections do not turn into a public health nightmare.
• The EC could adopt targeted measures for older voters who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
• Options like proxy voting under a well-established legal framework, postal voting, and mobile ballot boxes can be explored.

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Water wisdom during a pandemic

Context:

World Water Day was observed on March 22^nd 2020 with the aim to raise awareness on the importance of freshwater and advocate for its sustainable management.

Details:

• There was recognition of the importance of water in hand-washing and personal hygiene practices, an action that is as important as social distancing and nationwide lockdowns in breaking the circuit of coronavirus transmission.
• The theme for 2020 was “Water and Climate Change”.

Water and Climate Change:

• The theme reflects the desire of policymakers to address the impact of climate change on the water sector.
  • Climate change and water are inextricably linked.
  • Water is the primary medium through which climate change impacts trickle down to the community and individual levels, primarily through reduced predictability of water availability.
• Growing populations and their demand for water increase the need for energy-intensive water pumping, transportation and treatment.
• It contributes to the degradation of critical water-dependent carbon sinks such as peatlands.
• Due to climate change, water cycles experience significant change, which reflects in water availability and quality.
• A warmer climate causes more water to evaporate from both land and oceans; in turn, a warmer atmosphere can hold more water (roughly 4% more water for every 1ºF rise in temperature).

Concerns:

• Extreme weather events due to climate change are expected to lead to negative consequences in the water sector, with increased precipitation and run-off (flooding) in certain areas and less precipitation and longer and more severe scarcity of water (droughts) in other areas.
• Wet areas are expected to become wetter and dry areas drier.
• This influences almost all aspects of the economy including drinking water, sanitation, health, food production, energy generation, industrial manufacturing, and environmental sustainability and ultimately the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• In coastal areas, when more freshwater is removed from rivers and aquifers, saltwater will move farther upstream into the river mouth and the aquifer, which will put pressure on the limited freshwater available on the coast, forcing water managers to seek costly alternatives like desalination plants.

Way forward:

• India has come up with climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and appropriate policy measures.
• The government is implementing the ‘National Action Plan on Climate Change’ through eight National Missions, including the Water Mission.
• However, effective policies need the support of the local governments, corporates and NGOs.
• Water resources planning must be given due consideration while dealing with climate impacts.
• As tanks and ponds can store and recharge the excess rainwater to the aquifer, their rejuvenation (desilting) facilitates flood and drought management.
• India needs to revisit its rich tradition and culture of water wisdom in water resources management.
• There is a need for more public awareness on the need for climate-resilient actions, including protecting carbon sinks like oceans, wetlands, peatlands and mangroves.
• Adopting climate-smart agricultural techniques, rainwater harvesting, waste-water reuse, and judicious use of water should be generated and inculcated in each citizen.

Conclusion:

• Water is a common pool natural resource that sustains ecosystems, biodiversity, food security, economies, and society; hence, its judicious use with balancing multiple water needs is significant.
• In developing countries, a large population depends on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, fisheries and forestry for its livelihoods.
• India cannot afford to let climate change-induced hydrological challenges overtake.

G. Tidbits

Nothing here for today!!!

Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Luhman 16:

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to Sundarbans in India:

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the Marginal Cost of Funds based 
Lending Rate (MCLR):

Q4. Consider the following statements with respect to Styrene: