CNA 05 Nov 2022:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related INDIAN SOCIETY 1. Elaben Bhatt B. GS 2 Related GOVERNANCE 1. EPFO pension scheme C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials ENVIRONMENT 1. The real issue at COP27 is energy equity POLITY 1. Remote voting F. Prelims Facts 1. Make-II route of defence procuremente G. Tidbits 1. Beidou satellite system 2. G7 Countries H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
1. Elaben Bhatt
Syllabus: Role of Women and Women’s Organization; Significant events and Personalities
Mains: Improving the condition of women to aid poverty alleviation in India
Context: Elaben Bhatt, a noted Gandhian, leading women’s empowerment activist, and renowned founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) passed away at the age of 89.
About Elaben Bhatt:
- Elaben was born on September 7, 1933, in Ahmedabad.
- Her father, Sumant Bhatt, was a lawyer who served as a district judge and was later appointed the Charity Commissioner for Bombay and then Gujarat, where he supervised the work of all charitable organisations, trusts and NGOs.
- Her mother, Vanalila Vyas, served as secretary of the Gujarat branch of the All India Women’s Conference for some time.
- The organisation, founded by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay in 1927, worked for educational and social reforms.
- After graduation, Elaben joined the Textile Labour Association (or Majoor Mahajan).
- TLA, a trade union of mill workers was founded by Anasuya Sarabhai and its constitution was written by Gandhiji.
- Here, Elaben Bhatt learnt the elements of organising, of the importance of a trade union — poor people and workers coming together to give each other strength to create a voice and to negotiate for rights.
- SEWA, the Self Employed Women’s Association was set up by Ela Bhatt in 1972 as a branch of the Textile Labour Association (TLA), a labour union founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918.
- It is a trade union based in Ahmedabad that promotes the rights of low-income, independently employed female workers.
- Elaben Bhatt also served as a Member of the Rajya Sabha and of the Planning Commission of India in the 1980s.
- She served in many international organisations, including Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance organisations, of which she was co-founder and had served as Chairperson.
- She also served as an advisor to the World Bank and addressed the United Nations General Assembly.
- Elaben received numerous accolades and was conferred several national and international awards including Padma Bhushan, Magsaysay Award and the Indira Gandhi Sadbhavna Award.
- She was also a member of “The Elders”, an international group started by Nelson Mandela.
Her work towards Women Empowerment:
- SEWA, pioneered by Elaben Bhatt, was one of the most innovative and successful experiments in India in the field of social development.
- With over 1.6 million participating women, SEWA is the largest organisation of informal workers in the world.
- With an annual membership fee of just Rs 10, SEWA allows anyone who is self-employed to become a member. Its network is spread across 18 Indian states, in other countries in South Asia, South Africa, and Latin America.
- It simultaneously provided employment to women and promoted cooperative production, consumption and marketing of textiles which constituted the core of India’s industrialisation.
- It also decisively influenced the course of trade unionism and the labour movement in India.
- She did not believe that employment for women could be created and sustained by a simple banking device. According to her, any sustainable and rewarding employment must involve women’s participation in the process of production, consumption and distribution. In the process, they should acquire education and skills, create institutions of their own and enhance their bargaining strength.
- As a Rajya Sabha member, she introduced bills for street vendors and home-based workers. Through her efforts, the Street Vendors Bill did become law.
- She produced the first All-India study called Shram Shakti in 1988.
- She propounded two significant theories, namely, the Hundred Mile Principle and the Grahini Theory of International Relations.
- The Hundred Mile Principle involved the “use of products and services primary to life that are solely produced within a radius of hundred miles”.
- The Grahini Theory of International Relations combined such elements as the elimination of poverty and deprivation as an essential requirement for establishing peace, a society free of violence and the need to bring nature into the peace process.
- She has been called a gentle revolutionary. Both her ideas and her actions were revolutionary. She gave the world the path with which to reach out and change the lives of the poorest and she called it “Struggle and Development”.
- This path has been replicated all over India and even in many parts of the world.
Nut Graf: Elaben Bhatt left an indelible mark on the course of the history of social development in India. With SEWA, she started a worldwide movement of women working at the base of the pyramid and changed millions of lives empowering not only poor working women, but also many educated and professional women who joined her movement and took it forward.
B. GS 2 Related
Syllabus: Government Policies & Issues Arising Out of Their Design & Implementation
Mains: Significant social security measures taken by India
Context: The Supreme Court recently upheld the Employees’ Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 as “legal and valid”.
Background:
- The Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 empowered the central government to frame a provident fund scheme.
- In the year 1995, the government promulgated an ordinance for the implementation of the Employees Pension Scheme.
- Employees Pension Scheme 1995 or EPS-95 is a social security scheme by the EPFO. The scheme entitles the employees working in the organised sector to a pension after their retirement at the age of 58 years.
- Employees who are members of EPF automatically become members of EPS.
- Both employer and employee contribute 12% of the employee’s monthly salary (basic wages plus dearness allowance) to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme.
- The pension scheme was initially applicable to employees who draw monthly basic wages up to Rs.6,500.
- The Union government in 1996 amended the act and allowed contribution to be a percentage of the actual salary (not necessarily up to Rs 6,500), provided the employee and the employer had no objection with approval from the Assistant Provident Fund Commissioner.
- The EPFO amended the act in 2014. This amendment had raised the pensionable salary cap to Rs 15,000 a month from Rs 6,500 a month, and allowed only existing members (as on September 1, 2014) along with their employers exercise the option to contribute 8.33 per cent on their actual salaries (if it exceeded the cap) towards the pension fund.
- This was extendable by another six months at the discretion of the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner.
- It also excluded new members who earned above 15,000 rupees and joined after September 2014 from the scheme completely.
- The ongoing legal dispute primarily concerned the amendments made to clause 11 of the EPS-1995.
- An appeal had been filed by the EPFO challenging the decisions of the Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi High Courts quashing the 2014 amendments on the “determination of pensionable salary” under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) of 1995.
Image Source: The Hindu
Supreme Court Judgement:
- The Supreme Court of India upheld the Employees’ Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation as “legal and valid”.
- A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India UU Lalit also read down certain provisions of the scheme, allowing employees to avail of the benefit of the pension scheme which permits employers and employees to make uncapped pension contributions.
- The court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to allow eligible employees who had not opted for enhanced pension coverage prior to the 2014 amendments, to jointly do so with their employers within the next four months.
- The court also struck down a requirement in the 2014 amendments that employees who go beyond the salary threshold of ₹15,000 per month should contribute monthly to the pension scheme at the rate of 1.16% of their salary.
- This provision made under the amendment scheme is held to be ultra vires to the provisions of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, and the court suspended the implementation of this part for six months.
- It is suspended to enable the authorities to make adjustments in the scheme so that the additional contribution can be generated from other legitimate sources within the scope of the Act, which could include enhancing the rate of contribution of the employers, the judgement said.
- The court also held that the amendments would apply to the employees of “exempted establishments” in the list of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), which number over 1,300 companies and entities, in the same manner as for the staff of regular establishments.
- Employees who retired prior to September 1, 2014, without exercising any option as per the 2014 amendment would not be entitled to benefit from this judgement.
Nut Graf: The Supreme Court upheld the Employees’ Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 while reading down certain provisions concerning the current subscribers to the scheme and also extended the deadline to join it. This ruling assumes significance as EPS is one of the largest surviving defined benefits schemes in the world.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
1. The real issue at COP27 is energy equity
Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Prelims: About COP27 and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Mains: Issues with the existing global energy inequalities and its possible solutions at COP27
Context: The 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt starting on the 6th of November 2022.
Background
For detailed background information about this topic, refer to the following article:
UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis dated 30 Oct 2022
Developed countries and their assurances at COP26
- The UNFCCC COP26 was held in Glasgow, Scotland between the 31st of October and the 13th of November in 2021 and on the sidelines of COP26 developed countries announced their intention of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
- However, these announcements and assurances did not match the requirements of limiting the warming to around 1.5°C.
- The developed countries are said to have been responsible for over 50% of the historical CO2 emissions and close to 80% of the global carbon budget to limit warming to under 1.5°C has already been exhausted.
- A huge drama unfolded during the COP26, as several developed countries restored moral grandstanding by talking about the future of their children as developing countries like India were hesitant to single out any one fossil fuel immediately.
- Considering this, the experts feel that developed countries are unlikely to meet the inadequate targets that they have set which would aggregate the existing global energy inequalities.
Global Energy Inequalities
- According to various studies and reports, it is evident that global energy poverty is concentrated in developing countries.
- In 2021 it was observed that over 73.3 crore people had no access to electricity and around 260 crore people did not have proper access to clean fuels and technologies.
- The average per capita energy consumption of the 20 richest countries is 85 times more than that of the 20 poorest countries.
- Further in 2022, the prevailing energy inequalities have been exacerbated by rising energy and food prices.
- This has led to a cost of living crisis in several countries and about 7 crore additional people are estimated to have fallen below the poverty line of $3.20/person/day.
Consequences of Global Energy Inequalities
- The energy inadequacies have had a severe impact on the overall human development in the poorer countries, which can be seen below:
- The average per capita electricity consumption of sub-Saharan Africa per year is about 487 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
- The per capita GDP of these areas is only $1,645 and along with this high infant mortality rate which is found to be 73 per 1000 live births and a high maternal mortality ratio of 534 per 1,00,000 live births are seen in these areas.
- However, the OECD group of countries have a per capita electricity consumption of 7,750 kWh,
- Their per capita GDP is as high as $42,098 and a corresponding infant mortality rate of 7 and a maternal mortality ratio of 18.
- The average per capita electricity consumption of sub-Saharan Africa per year is about 487 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
- The realities of global inequality have been exposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic as many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America witnessed severe agricultural and industrial slowdowns post the pandemic period.
- Further, the inadequate energy infrastructure has also had multidimensional impacts across the developmental indicators of these countries.
- The poor and most vulnerable communities are the most affected sections of the energy-importing countries of the global South. As close to 9 crore people in Asia and Africa, who recently got access to electricity, are not able to afford their energy bills.
Inadequate efforts or actions by the global North to address the issue
- It has been close to three decades since the global North acknowledged the problem of anthropogenic global warming and committed to lead in the UNFCCC, but the amount of decarbonisation has been very little in these countries.
- In the U.S. it is said that around 81% of primary energy is still derived from fossil fuels.
- In Europe fossil fuels still account for about 76% (coal, oil, and natural gas contribute 11%, 31%, and 34% respectively) of energy consumption.
- In July 2022, the European Union announced that the use of natural gas for some uses would be classified as “green and sustainable” but it is said that natural gas accounted for over 7.5 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2020 (23% of the total CO2 emissions by major fossil fuels).
- Further, even coal consumption has increased in the U.S. and the EU by about 3% and 7% respectively.
- However, these developed countries of the global north endorse the idea that green energy offers great business potential for developing countries and dismiss the existing inequalities between developed and developing countries and are seeking a ban on the financing of any of the fossil fuel projects in the poorest and under-developed countries.
Recommendations
- Activists for urgent climate actions must acknowledge the fact that compensating for the energy deficits in the global South via renewable energy alone will be a much a huge challenge.
- The COP27 must be used as a platform by the global South to raise concerns about the prevailing energy poverty, severe global inequalities and inadequate efforts undertaken by the developed countries.
- As the “World Comes Together for Implementation” at COP27, collective and effective climate actions must be undertaken to achieve zero hunger, zero malnutrition, zero poverty, and universal well-being.
- Additionally, as a developing country is hosting COP27, effective discussions must be initiated on equity, common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and relative efforts to mitigate climate change impacts while taking into account the associated losses.
Nut graf: The COP27 is being held at a critical juncture when the prevailing global energy inequalities have been exacerbated by soaring energy and food prices. Addressing these issues has become extremely crucial because there is a strong interdependence between the energy supply and overall human development.
Syllabus: Constitution of India — significant provisions (Citizenship)
Prelims: About Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS)
Mains: Critical evaluation of Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System
Context: The Union government recently said that it was considering various ways to facilitate non-resident Indians (NRI) to cast their votes remotely.
Background
- India with close to 1.35 crore non-resident Indians (NRIs) living across the globe has one of the largest diaspora populations in the world.
- These NRIs sometimes leave the country for short-term work and can miss out on exercising some of their important rights such as voting in the elections held in the country.
- At present, the Election Commission of India (ECI) permits the enrolled overseas citizens of the country to vote in person at the polling stations of their respective constituencies where they have been registered as overseas electors.
- However, it has become very difficult for migrant citizens to fly in just to cast their votes due to the increasing expenses and this has disincentivised individuals to cast their votes.
- During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, only about 25,606 individuals exercised their mandate among the 99,844 registered electors.
- To address this issue a committee was constituted by the ECI in 2014 to look at methods to facilitate the voting of overseas voters and the committee concluded that “proxy voting” was the most feasible means.
- Despite opposition, a Bill was passed to amend the Representation of the People Act to enable “proxy voting” but the Bill lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19).
- Later in 2020, the ECI urged the government to allow NRIs to cast their vote through postal ballots i.e. the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).
- ETPBS allows the NRI voters to cast their vote on a downloaded ETPB and send it to the returning officer of the constituency.
Know more about – Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System or ETPBS
Key advantages of Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS)
- ETPBS offers much-needed flexibility for NRI voters as it negates the higher cost and expenses of travelling back to India to cast their vote.
- ETPBS is also a relatively more trustworthy means of registering votes compared to the proxy method of voting.
- Further, it would be simpler for ECI to implement the postal ballot system as ECI has experience using the postal ballot system for the service voters in the country.
Key concerns
- ETPBS will certainly increase the burden on the embassy or consular officials who are already burdened with the management of the large diaspora of the country.
- Despite being implemented in several democratic countries, the ETPBS option will certainly be difficult to implement in India due to the sheer scale of the Indian diaspora.
- Further, the NRI voters account for a significant share of the electorate in a few States as compared to service personnel who are a limited number in each constituency thus increasing the challenges of management.
- Critics have argued for extending this facility to longer-term migrants as the concept of limiting voters to specific constituencies on account of their residency accounts for discrimination.
- Critics have also argued against extending the ETPBS facility only to overseas migrants and not to internal migrant workers who also have to travel back to their respective constituencies to register their votes.
Nut graf: The Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) is seen as the much-needed solution for the long-standing issues of registering the mandate of NRIs. However, clear and strict regulations must be framed before the scheme is implemented in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
F. Prelims Facts
1. Make-II route of defence procurement
Syllabus: GS03-Indigenization of Technology & Developing New Technology
Prelims: Defence Procurement Procedure
Introduction:
- The Indian Army has approved five Project Sanction Orders (PSOs) for the development of niche technology by the Indian industry under the Make-II route of defence procurement.
- It includes high-frequency man-packed software-defined radios, drone kill systems, infantry training weapon simulators, medium-range precision kill systems and 155mm terminally guided munitions.
Make Category of Capital acquisition:
- The provision of ‘Make’ category of capital acquisition in the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) is a vital pillar for realising the vision behind the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government, by fostering indigenous capabilities through the design & development of required defence equipment by both public and private sector industry/organisation in a faster time frame.
- The ‘Make’ Procedure has the following two sub-categories:
- Make-I (Government Funded): Projects under the ‘Make-I’ sub-category will involve government funding of 90%, released in a phased manner and based on the progress of the scheme, as per terms agreed between MoD and the vendor.
- Make-II (Industry Funded): Projects under the ‘Make-II’ category will involve prototype development of components for which no Government funding will be provided for prototype development purposes.
- The Make-II projects are essentially industry-funded, involving design, development and innovative solutions by Indian vendors for the development of prototypes.
- The Army is already implementing 43 projects under the Make II procedure of capital acquisition.
G. Tidbits
- China recently outlined plans to further expand the global reach of its home-grown Beidou satellite navigation system.
- It is often seen as an alternative to the U.S.’s Global Positioning System (GPS).
- A white paper released by the Chinese government said that it is strengthening regional cooperation with organisations such as ASEAN, the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, over adopting the Beidou satellite (BDS) navigation system.
- China has prioritised the Belt and Road (BRI) countries with respect to the BDS navigation system.
- The BDS now has a “constellation” of 30 satellites in orbit and began its international outreach once the set-up was finished in 2018.
- China is also helping several BRI partners, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka, launch communication satellites.
- Saudi Arabia is using Beidou in surveying and mapping, positioning people and vehicles in the desert.
- China and Russia have signed a strategic framework on their two navigation systems, taking forward a 2015 deal on interoperability between Beidou and GLONASS.
- Pakistan, in 2014, became the first foreign country to set up a Beidou network.
- Beidou has set up the first of three Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) for its network in Thailand in 2013, to serve as a hub for ASEAN.
- Its application in China includes use in guiding drones, autonomous cars, agriculture and forestry, as well as launching with Chinese mobile phone companies, using Chinese chips, and satellite-powered messaging for smartphones that provide connectivity in remote areas.
2. G7 Countries
- The G7 countries and Australia have agreed to set a fixed price once they finalise a price cap on Russian oil rather than adopting a floating rate.
- The U.S.and other G7 nations have been in intense negotiations in recent weeks over the unprecedented plan to put a price cap on seaborne oil shipments, slated to take effect on December 5, 2022, to ensure EU and U.S. sanctions, aimed at limiting Russia’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine, do not throttle the global oil market.
- The floating price system could benefit Russia because the price of Russia’s oil would also rise if Brent spiked due to a cut in oil from Russia, one of the world’s largest petroleum producers.
- This is expected to increase market stability and simplify compliance to minimise the burden on market participants.
Read more on G7 Countries.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. India is a member of which of the following conventions? (Level-Difficult)
- Berne Convention
- Universal Copyright Convention
- UPOV
Options:
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- In India, copyright is protected under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957. To ensure the protection of work across international borders, India has entered into various treaties for securing the global protection of Indians across different countries.
- The most significant ones include:
- Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
- The Universal Copyright Convention (UCC)
- The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants or UPOV is a treaty body with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Its objective is to provide an effective system for plant variety protection.
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- As of December 3, 2021, two intergovernmental organisations and 76 counties were members of UPOV.
- India is not a member of UPOV.
Q2. Which of the following are the exceptions to Infringement under the Copyright Act? (Level-Difficult)
- Reading or recitation in public of reasonable extracts from a published literary work
- The reproduction of any work for the purpose of a judicial proceeding
- Reporting present events in any print media
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- The Copyright Act, 1957 provides for certain exceptions to the infringement of copyright, under Section 52. The provision permits limited use of copyrighted material without the owner’s authorization.
- The following acts shall not constitute an infringement of copyright, namely, —
- The recitation or reading in public of any reasonable extract from the published literary or dramatic work.
- The publication in the collection, primarily composed of non-copyright matter, bonafide intended for the sake of educational institutions.
- Reproduction of the judicial proceeding or of a report of the judicial proceeding.
- Reporting present events in any print media.
- By a cinematographic film or broadcast or by any means of photographs.
Q3. With respect to Polavaram Project, which of the following statements is/are correct? (Level-Medium)
- It is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River.
- The project has been accorded National project status by the Central Government.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been accorded national project status by the central government. This dam across the Godavari River is under construction and located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state and its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States also.
Q4. Foreign Currency Assets (FCA) of the RBI include which of the following? (Level-Medium)
- Deposits with central banks, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) & commercial banks overseas.
- Investments in foreign T-Bills & securities.
- Special drawing rights (SDRs) with the IMF.
Options:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Foreign Currency Assets are maintained as a multi-currency portfolio comprising major currencies, such as, the US dollar, Euro, Pound sterling, Japanese yen, etc. and are valued in terms of US dollars.
- FCA is the largest component of the forex reserve.
- FCA of the RBI includes Deposits with central banks, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) & commercial banks overseas, investments in foreign T-Bills & securities and special drawing rights (SDRs) with the IMF.
Q5. With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements: (Level-Difficult) (PYQ-CSE-2022)
- The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
- Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
- Permanent Observers in the General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Statements 01 and 02 are correct, The United Nations General Assembly may grant non-member states, international organisations, and other entities Permanent Observer Status.
- Statement 03 is correct, Permanent Observers may participate in the sessions and workings of the General Assembly and maintain missions at the UN Headquarters.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- Do you think the government is correct in prioritizing giving voting facilities to NRIs over domestic migrant workers? Give suitable reasons. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-2; Social Justice)
- Ensuring global energy equality needs to be the first step towards fighting against climate change. Elaborate. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-3; Environment)
Read the previous CNA here.
CNA 05 Nov 2022:- Download PDF Here
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