09 Nov 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

Nov 9th, 2021, CNA:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. The long road to net zero
DEFENCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY
1. ‘Inclusive maritime region must’
ECONOMY
1. ‘India now ahead of China in financial inclusion metrics’
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Breaking down the hype around Metaverse
SOCIAL ISSUES
1. A vital cog in Bongaigaon’s response to malnutrition
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. It’s time to engage in ‘lawfare’
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. No Quota without quantifiable data
F. Prelims Facts
1. UNESCO picks Srinagar as creative city
2. 90 Zika cases in U.P.; Delhi too on alert
G. Tidbits
1. Flood-hit Chennai braces for intense spell of showers
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: DEFENCE AND INTERNAL SECURITY

1. ‘Inclusive maritime region must’

Context:

• Indian Defence Secretary’s address at the third edition of the Goa Maritime Conclave hosted by the Indian Navy.
  • Goa Maritime Conclave has seen participation from the Navy chiefs and heads of maritime agencies of Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
  • The theme for this year’s conclave is “Maritime security and emerging non-traditional threats: a case for proactive role for IOR Navies”.

Details:

• Defence Secretary warned against the unprecedented expansion of conventional Navies that could start a new era of arms race.
• He also expressed concerns over the enhancement of maritime presence and passages in the Indian Ocean region. This was in reference to China which has not only increased its forays into the Indian Ocean Region, but has also set up a base in Djibouti and is expanding its Navy at an unprecedented rate.
• He called on all the nations of the region to adhere to international rules and laws governing the seas and understand each other’s interests and sensitivities and act accordingly. He called on the participant nations to respect the legitimate maritime security concerns of India.
• The Defence Secretary called for a free, open and inclusive Indian Ocean maritime region as a prerequisite for peace and prosperity of the region.

India’s efforts in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR):

• India has set up joint coastal radar surveillance systems in coordination with other countries in the region. It has also collaborated with other countries on information exchange for maritime domain awareness in the region and capacity building.
  • Example – India’s Information Fusion Centre for IOR (IFC-IOR) located in Gurugram has several international liaison officers.
• Indian Navy has been the first responder in case of natural disasters in the region. It has been working for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the region and has also been a net security provider for many small island nations in the region.
• India has supplied essential maritime hardware like equipment, vessels and aircraft to friendly nations in the region.

Category: ECONOMY

1. ‘India now ahead of China in financial inclusion metrics’

Context:

• State Bank of India (SBI) research report on financial inclusion metrics in India.

Details:

• Major financial inclusion metrics like number of bank branches, number of banking outlets in villages/Banking Correspondents, no. of operating bank accounts, number of persons with deposit accounts at banks, mobile and Internet banking (digital) transactions have registered impressive improvements over the last five years.
• India’s performance in some of these metrics has been better compared with emerging economy peers and even some of the advanced economies, as per the report.
• Notably, almost two-thirds of the newly opened no-frills bank accounts are operational in rural and semi-urban areas.
• Highlighting the social significance of financial inclusion, the report notes that States with higher financial inclusion/more bank accounts have also seen a perceptible decline in crime along with a meaningful drop in consumption of alcohol and tobaccos.

Additional information:

• The Cash to GDP in % terms stands at 14.3% as of March 2021. This is higher than the pre-demonetisation phase where it stood at 11.9% in March 2016.
  • One of the stated objectives for demonetisation was the push for digital payments in order to reduce the currency to GDP ratio.
• India’s cash to GDP ratio is very high vis-a-vis other nations. This is an indicator of the Indian economy’s high dependence on cash.

Category: SOCIAL ISSUES

1. A vital cog in Bongaigaon’s response to malnutrition

Context

Project Sampoorna was successfully implemented in the Bongaigaon district of Assam.

What is Project Sampoorna?

• Project Sampoorna was developed by the Bongaigaon District Administration to combat malnutrition with the goal of empowering mothers and raising healthy children.
• Under the initiative, 2 numbers of 200 ml milk packets and 3 eggs were provided weekly to the district’s total of 2500 malnourished children.
• In addition, 140 mothers of malnourished children were given two large and four little chicks to help them maintain their families. This was gradually passed on to the remaining mothers.

Significance of Project Sampoorna: 

• The Sampoorna project has resulted in a reduction in child malnutrition with an almost minimal financial commitment. 
• Sampoorna is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, as well as those laid out by UN Secretary General António Guterres at the Food Systems Summit.
• It focuses on the need for resilient food systems and social protection.

Other Measures taken by Bongaigaon District to Reduce Malnutrition: 

• POSHAN Abhiyaan: Poshan Abhiyaan, also known as the National Nutrition Mission (NNM), was launched in 2018 with the aim of tackling the malnutrition problem prevalent in India.
• Project Saubhagya: It was designed to reduce the maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate of the district.

Challenges in addressing Child Nutrition: 

1. Health Concerns: The highest risk factor for a high-risk pregnancy is anaemia which is usually nutritional. 
2. Vicious Cycle of Malnutrition: A malnourished child grows into an unhealthy adolescent, and then an anaemic pregnant young woman gives birth to an asphyxiated low birth weight baby. This becomes a vicious cycle. 
3. Social Evils: The child struggles further for nutrition. The major hindrance to the project was patriarchy which affects the mother’s decision making powers indirectly affecting the child’s nutrition levels also. 
4. Structural Challenges: District Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) typically contain up to 20 beds, and taking in 200 children with severe acute malnutrition on a monthly basis is not feasible. After being discharged and if not properly managed, the treated youngster may revert to a Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) condition.

Way Forward

• Buddy Mothers Model: Identification of the mother of a healthy child of the same Anganwadi Centre (AWC) and pairing her with the target mother.
• Focus on Local Nutritional Practices: Local practices related to nutrition could also be discussed. 
• Women Empowerment Model: Mothers have to be empowered financially for sustained results. They have to be enrolled in Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). 

Additional Information

What is Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)?

• According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is defined as a low weight-for-height ratio or a mid-upper arm circumference of less than 115 mm, or the presence of nutritional oedema.
• Due to their weaker immune systems, children with SAM are nine times more likely to die in the event of an illness.
• States that have the maximum number of SAM children are Uttar Pradesh (3,98,359), followed by Bihar (2,79,427).

Important Government Schemes to Tackle Malnutrition: 

1. Scheme for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) which began in 1975, seeks to provide food, preschool education, primary healthcare, vaccination, health check-ups, and referral services to children under the age of six and their mothers.
2. The National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013 intends to promote food and nutrition security for the most disadvantaged people by establishing a legal right to food through its accompanying schemes and programmes.
3. The Mid-day Meal (MDM) Programme attempts to increase schoolchildren’s nutritional status, which has a direct and beneficial influence on enrolment, retention, and attendance.
4. Under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Rs.6,000 is given directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women in order to provide better delivery facilities.

For detailed information on the above topics refer to the following article:

UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis of 30 Sep 2021
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. It’s time to engage in ‘lawfare’

Context

• International law encompasses a wide range of security challenges from terrorism to marine security. 
• The UN Charter recognises the maintenance of “international peace and security” as a primary goal of the organisation in Article 1(1).

Instances where India has ably used international law for its national security objectives:

1. The Kulbhushan Jadhav case when it dragged Pakistan to the International Court of Justice.
2. In developing international law to counter terrorism.

India’s failure to fully appreciate the usage of international law 

1. India did not use its right to self-defense in response to the Pulwama attack. Instead, India used a contentious policy known as “non-military pre-emptive action.”
2. After the Pulwama attack, instead of suspending the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) obligation towards Pakistan along security lines, India used Section 8A(1) of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, to increase customs duties on all Pakistani products to 200%.
   1. Under international law contained in the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade, countries can deviate from their MFN obligations on grounds of national security.
3. India claims it is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention and hence wants to expel the Rohingya refugees. In international refugee law, one of the exceptions to the non-refoulement principle is national security.
   1. Non-refoulement is a principle of international law that forbids a government from returning refugees to countries where they face a clear threat of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs, or other factors.
   2. If India wants to expel the Rohingyas, it should build a case along similar lines, demonstrating how they pose a national security risk.
4. India has seldom utilised international law to exert pressure on the Taliban rule in order to advance India’s interests.
   1. For example, India may have argued that SAARC could temporarily suspend Afghanistan’s membership based on its implicit powers under international law.

Reasons for international law remaining at the margins of foreign policymaking in India:

1. Absence of International Lawyers: There is marginal involvement of international lawyers in foreign policymaking. 
2. Lack of Expertise: Apart from the External Affairs Ministry, there are several other Ministries like Commerce and Finance that also deal with different facets of international law. They have negligible expertise in international law. 
3. Systemic neglect of the study of international law: Institutions created to undertake cutting-edge research in this discipline have institutionalised mediocrity and university centres mandated to develop the stream suffer from uninspiring leadership and systemic apathy. 
4. Domain Experts failed to popularise International Law: Many of the outstanding international law scholars that India has produced prefer to converse with domain experts only. Thus, they have failed in popularising international law among the larger public. 

Conclusion:

• If India aspires to become a global power, it must employ ‘lawfare,’ or the utilization of the law as a national security weapon.
• India should spend heavily on international law capacity building in order to mainstream international law in foreign policymaking.

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. No Quota without quantifiable data

In the context of the Madras High Court’s recent verdict of quashing the 10.5% special reservation for Vanniyakula Kshatriyas within the overall 20% quota for Most Backward Classes (MBC) and Denotified Communities (DNC), the article discusses the importance of quantifiable data as a prerequisite for reservation in education and employment.

This issue has been discussed previously in the following article:

CNA dated Nov 7, 2021: Reservation on quota

2. 90 Zika cases in U.P.; Delhi too on alert

Zika:

• Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness that is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the same species that transmits the dengue and chikungunya viruses. Unlike malaria-carrying mosquitoes, Aedes is most active during the day.
• A majority of those infected with the Zika virus disease either remain asymptomatic (up to 80%) or show mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body ache and joint pains.
• First discovered in 1947, the mosquito-borne virus reached epidemic proportions in Brazil in 2015, when thousands of babies were born with microcephaly, a disorder that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains.
• There is no vaccine or drug available to prevent or treat the Zika virus disease at present.

Context:

• There has been a notable rise in the number of Zika virus cases in Uttar Pradesh.
• Delhi has been placed on alert on the possible spread of the Zika virus.

Q.1 Consider the following statements with regards to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network:

Q.2 Consider the following statements with regards to the Padma awards conferred by the 
Government of India:

Q.3 Sportsperson Emma Raducanu became famous throughout the world for which of the 
following achievements?

Q.4 As per NASA’s definition, a meteor storm must have at least

Q.5 The Ninth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution of India during the prime 
ministership of (UPSC- 2019)