16 Oct 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

Oct 16th, 2021, CNA:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
SOCIETY
1. Hunger Index: poor ranking devoid of ground reality and facts, says Govt.
B. GS 2 Related
HEALTH
1. TB deaths up in pandemic: WHO
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Former CECs flag security concerns over e-voting
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Bhutan, China sign MoU for 3-step process to expedite boundary talks
2. Lebanon on edge after sectarian unrest
C. GS 3 Related
DEFENCE
1. Aim is to make India a military power on its own strength: PM
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ECONOMY
1. Fast forward (Gati Shakti National Master Plan)
2. Tackling terror
F. Prelims Facts
G. Tidbits
1. U.S.-India ministerial dialogue adds focus on climate finance
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Former CECs flag security concerns over e-voting

Context:

Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) is set to carry out an e-voting experiment and the Election Commission of India (EC) is also exploring remote voting.

  • This would involve voting from another location set up by the authorities and not Internet-based voting from home.

Concerns:

  • Former Chief Election Commissioners (CEC) have raised a range of concerns over the idea of online voting and remote voting.
  • If the security of EVMs that are standalone devices is being questioned from time to time, then Internet-based voting would have even more critics.
  • In the case of e-voting, several concerns arise with respect to maintaining the secrecy of ballots and even bringing political parties on board.
  • With respect to the e-voting plan, it is so far not clear how verification of voter identification, maintaining a free voting environment and secrecy of ballots would be maintained.

Security, verification, and anonymity are of utmost importance when it comes to voting. In the case of e-voting, one of the largest complications is that an anonymous vote makes it very difficult to verify whether the result is accurate or if there has been a security compromise.
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Bhutan, China sign MoU for 3-step process to expedite boundary talks

Context:

In a step towards resolving the boundary disputes, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-step roadmap to help speed up talks.

Details:

  • The roadmap “for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiations” is expected to kickstart the progress on the boundary talks process that has been delayed for five years.
  • The delay was first due to the Doklam standoff in 2017 and then the pandemic.

Read more on the Doklam Issue covered in  17 June 2019 CNA.

How does it impact India?

  • The timing is significant for India given the border talks on the standoff at the Line of Actual Control appear to have hit an impasse.

This topic has been covered in Oct 12th, 2021 CNA.

2. Lebanon on edge after sectarian unrest

Context:

Sectarian unrest in Lebanon.

Details:

  • Sectarian politics have divided Lebanon and fuelled civil conflict since independence.
  • At least six people have been shot dead in Beirut as demonstrations related to a probe into 2020’s catastrophic port blast prompted the city’s worst civil violence in years.
  • Shi’ites and Christians have lined up on opposite sides of this standoff.
  • The country is suffering one of the world’s worst-ever economic meltdowns. The latest bloodshed adds to the woes of the country.

Issue:

  • Political tensions have been building over the probe into the explosion, which killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of Beirut.
  • The judge has sought to question a number of senior politicians and security officials, including Hezbollah allies, suspected of negligence that led to the explosion, which was caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate.
    • All have denied wrongdoing.
  • Some of the most prominent suspects sought for questioning on suspicion of negligence are Shi’ite allies of the heavily armed, Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah.
  • Recent shooting erupted as protesters headed to a demonstration called by Hezbollah and its ally Amal to demand the removal of the judge investigating the port blast.
  • Besides, the latest bloodshed takes place against the backdrop of one of the world’s sharpest economic depressions, which spiralled from the meltdown of its financial system in 2019.
  • The collapse, which has driven about three-quarters of Lebanese into poverty and sunk the currency by 90%, was caused by decades of financial mismanagement and corruption by the sectarian elite.
  • Lebanon’s collapse is driving ever more people to emigrate.
    • It is causing a brain drain across the sectarian spectrum which economists say will set back Lebanon for years.
  • Also, Lebanon’s web of sectarian rivalries is complicated by foreign interests.

Way Forward:

  • The new government has vowed to revive negotiations with the IMF to secure a rescue package.
  • But Lebanon must first agree on the size of vast losses in the financial system.
  • It should agree on how the losses should be shared out.

2. Tackling terror

Background

UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis of 9th Oct 2021

Tackling Violence

  • Indian authorities should take urgent steps to protect minority communities (Pandits and the Sikhs) that are being targeted by armed groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Various political forces and civil society should stand in solidarity with the victims.
  • Civil society must take the initiative to foster communal amity and mobilize people across communities against hatred.
  • Political dialogue must be initiated, Statehood should be restored as originally envisaged during the process of dilution, press and political freedoms must be reinstated, thus creating an environment to isolate and tackle terror in the region.

F. Prelims Facts

To be updated shortly!!!

G. Tidbits

1. U.S.-India ministerial dialogue adds focus on climate finance

What’s in News?

India’s Finance Minister and the U.S. Treasury Secretary met for the eighth ministerial meeting of the U.S.-India Economic and Financial partnership.

  • The ministerial held a session dedicated to climate finance for the first time.
  • India and the US reaffirmed the collective developed country goal to mobilise $100 billion annually for developing countries from public and private sources, in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation.
  • With the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow coming up, India has been pushing for rich countries to meet their Paris Accord climate finance commitment of $100 billion per year.

Note:

India has been under pressure, including from the U.S. and U.K., to provide a deadline to reach ‘Net Zero’ emissions. India has so far not made commitments beyond its Paris-related goals and has argued that rich countries must move towards ‘net minus’ commitments.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q.1 With regards to elections in India, consider the following statements and choose the 
incorrect ones:
  1. The state election commissions are responsible for conducting elections to the respective state legislatures.
  2. The NRIs are allowed to vote in the parliamentary elections at the respective Indian embassies.
  3. E-voting is allowed only for service voters in India.

Options:

  1. 1 & 2 only
  2. 2 & 3 only
  3. 1 & 3 only
  4. All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • The Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting elections to the respective state legislatures.
  • The state election commissions are responsible for conducting elections to the municipalities and panchayats within the state.
  • The NRIs are allowed to vote in the parliamentary elections only when they are physically present in their voting constituency.
  • Service voters in India are allowed to vote through proxy or postal ballots.
Q.2 Tuberculosis disease is caused by
  1. Parasite
  2. Virus
  3. Bacteria
  4. Fungi
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Tuberculosis is a contagious infection caused by bacteria that mainly affects the lungs but can also affect any other organ including bone, brain and spine.
  • It is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria.
Q.3 If Thomas Cup is to Badminton, Uber Cup is to
  1. Football
  2. Golf
  3. Badminton
  4. Basketball
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • The Uber Cup, also called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women’s national badminton teams.
  • The Uber Cup is named after a former British woman badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women’s event similar to the men’s.
Q.4 Consider the following statements with regards to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980:
  1. The Supreme Court, in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and Others (1996), have defined forest as, all areas which are recorded as ‘forest’ in any government record, irrespective of ownership, recognition and classification.
  2. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government.
  3. The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the act.

Which of these statements is/are correct?

  1. 1 & 2 only
  2. 2 & 3 only
  3. 1 & 3 only
  4. All of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • The Supreme Court, in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India and Others (1996), have defined forest as, all areas which are recorded as ‘forest’ in any government record, irrespective of ownership, recognition and classification.
  • The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government.
  • The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the Act.

Read more on Forest Conservation Act (FCA 1980) – Objectives and Amendments

Q.5 With reference to the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: (2019)
  1. No High Court shall have the jurisdiction to declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid.
  2. An amendment to the Constitution of India cannot be called into question by the Supreme Court of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Both the Supreme Court and the High Courts declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid if it violates the Indian Constitution.
  • An amendment to the Constitution of India can be called into question, challenged or even struck down by the Supreme Court of India.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. There has been an uptick in violence in J&K recently and the targeted killings of civilians have emerged as a major cause for concern. In this context, what future course of action would you suggest to contain the situation? (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-3, Security]
  2. The success of the Gati Shakti National Master Plan is dependent on the extent of cooperation between Centre and States. Discuss. (250 words; 15 marks)[GS-3, Economy]

Read the previous CNA here.

Oct 16th, 2021, CNA:- Download PDF Here

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