CNA 17 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. At SCO meet, Modi and Sharif spar over transit trade access C. GS 3 Related D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INDIAN SOCIETY 1. Declining Fertility Rate MODERN INDIAN HISTORY 1. Periyar E.V. Ramasamy GOVERNANCE 1. Breakfast Scheme by TamilNadu F. Prelims Facts 1. Maharaja Hari Singh G. Tidbits 1. Sri Lanka set to revive and upgrade FTA with India: Ranil 2. IAF to fly AN-32 on blended biodiesel for 200 hours 3. ‘3 killed every day in road crashes’ H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. At SCO meet, Modi and Sharif spar over transit trade access
Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Prelims: About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Mains: Significance of SCO and important takeaways from the SCO meeting at Samarkand.
Context: Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Key takeaways from the meeting
- During the meeting, citing the example of Pakistan denying India the transit trade access by land to Afghanistan and Central Asia, the Indian Prime Minister (PM) held that “better regional connectivity is possible only if members grant each other full transit rights”.
- Further, the PM also reiterated the significance of better cooperation in the Eurasian region in the backdrop of the Ukraine war.
- He also highlighted the unprecedented energy and food crisis that has been caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict.
- Further, the PM talked about the initiatives on manufacturing that India is planning to initiate when India assumes the chair of the SCO and hosts the summit in mid-2023.
- PM Modi told Mr. Putin that the “era of war” is over and this reflected India’s growing discomfort with the Russian aggression in Ukraine for the first time in public.
- The Indian PM also told the Russian leader that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue are the things that touch the world.
- The Russian President said that Russia understands India’s “concerns” over its war in Ukraine.
- The Russian President also highlighted the need for a visa-free travel deal between India and Russia.
- Indian leaders and officials also took part in a bilateral meeting with Turkey and ways to deepen economic linkages between the two countries were also discussed.
Significance of SCO
- Highlighting the significance of SCO, the PM of India said that “SCO has an important role in developing reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains.”
- The PM also pointed out that SCO member countries account for about 30% of global GDP, and 40% of the world’s population.
- SCO, according to the PM, also played a significant role in ensuring “food security” as most of the grain exporting countries globally are SCO countries.
- The PM endorsed the “cultivation and consumption of millets” as one of the solutions for the existing food insecurity challenges.
Transit issues between India and Pakistan
- In recent years, Pakistan has limited land-based access between India and Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries. This impedes the growth of economic ties between the countries.
- Further, Pakistan has even restricted the movement of humanitarian aid from India to Afghanistan.
- Recently, the delays by Pakistan in granting transit access have led to delays in India’s plan to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.
- To counter the challenges, India has involved itself in the development of Iran’s Chabahar port as an alternative to Pakistan for the land route to Central Asia and Russia.
- Pakistan’s new Prime Minister countered the concerns raised by the Indian PM on transit issues by saying that a structured SCO approach towards connectivity is required in the region and if there is connectivity, transit rights will automatically be processed.
Nut graf: The recent SCO meeting at Samarkand has gained a lot of significance as it is taking place on the sidelines of various existing challenges on account of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic along with other issues such as floods in Pakistan, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and continuing standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh.
C. GS 3 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Syllabus: Population and associated Issues
Mains: Socio-cultural and economic implications of declining fertility rate in India
Context: The newly released World Population Prospects notes the global decline of the fertility rate from three in 1990 to 2.3 in 2021.
Introduction:
- Population across the world, in terms of numbers, has been steadily increasing, despite the consistent decline in average global fertility over the past 7 decades.
- As per World Population Prospects 2022, the average number of children per woman in the reproductive age group has declined by 50%, from an average of five children per woman in 1951 to 2.4 children in 2020.
Disparity in Growth Rate:
- Poorer countries are transitioning a lot faster than the richer nations.
- Britain took 130 years to transition from a fertility rate of 05 per woman in 1800 to 02 in 1930, whereas South Korea took 20 years from 1965 to 1985 to achieve the same.
- Sub-Saharan African countries are expected to contribute more than half the population growth after 2050 and grow through 2100.
- Most advanced economies have their fertility rate below the replacement rate of 2.1, with South Korea reporting the lowest at 1.05 children per woman.
Fertility Rate in India:
- India’s total fertility rate (TFR) declined below replacement level for the first time to 2.0 in 2021 with a drop of 10% in just 05 years as per National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data.
- TFR is the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her childbearing years if she bore children at the current age-specific fertility rates.
- India’s fertility rate was six per woman at the time of Independence, with the government launching the family planning programme in 1952, it was reduced to 4.9 in 1976.
- As per NFHS-05, only 05 States have a fertility rate above the replacement rate: Bihar (3), Meghalaya (2.9), Uttar Pradesh (2.4), Jharkhand (2.3), and Manipur (2.2).
- Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the lowest fertility rates in India.
- The steady dip in fertility rates has been explained as an effect of increased use of contraception, more years of average schooling, better health care, and an increase in the mean marriage age of women.
- There is a significant increase in the current use of any modern contraceptive method, which stands at 56.5 percent in 2019-21 against 47.8 percent in 2015-16.
Image Source: NFHS-5 Report
Economic Implications of Declining Fertility Rate:
Positive Implications:
- Lower fertility rates can be viewed as both a cause and consequence of economic development in countries which are in the earlier stages of demographic transition.
- Women’s education improves with lower fertility, which in turn lowers the fertility of the next generations.
- Better infrastructure development leads to better health care, and education and fertility drops and income rises.
- The spiral of lower fertility leads to a higher working-age population than that of the dependent age groups which boosts income and investment.
- The falling fertility rate will also lead to lower pressure on land, water and other resources and would also contribute to achieving environmental goals.
- A lower fertility rate will have a positive effect on inflation through higher wages due to the lower labour supply.
Negative Implications:
- In the last stage of the demographic transition, the huge working-age population moves to old age, supported by fewer workers.
- Japan was the first country to experience the implications of falling fertility rates. The increasing dependency ratio has led to near zero GDP growth since the 1990s, and it is facing fiscal challenges to meet rising social security costs.
- Other Asian countries such as South Korea are now reporting lower fertility than Japan.
- The impact of fertility drop on productivity is also highly debated. While a higher level of education and technological advancement in areas including artificial intelligence could increase the productivity of the lower working age population.
- An ageing population will also affect global interest rates negatively as the share of people over 50 years will form almost 40% of the population by 2100.
- There will be increased pressure on public finance due to a high dependency ratio.
Dealing with fertility decline:
- The fall in fertility around the globe needs scientific and sustainable policies for mitigation.
- Labour market reforms with more encouragement to working women to have more children and non-working mothers to enter the labour market could arrest the fall in labour participation and fertility rate.
- Countries across the globe are experimenting with policies to boost fertility.
- For example, Germany is allowing more parental leave and benefits to boost births. Denmark offers state-funded IVF for women below 40 years.
Nut Graf: The below replacement level fertility rate results in a smaller dividend window than expected. Therefore, countries need to focus on measures to ensure sustained labour supply despite lower fertility. Although India’s working-age population will continue to grow, it would need to keep an eye on fertility dips.
Category: MODERN INDIAN HISTORY
Syllabus: Significant events, Personalities,
Mains: Social reform movements
Context: Periyar E.V. Ramasamy’s birth anniversary on September 17 is celebrated as Social Justice Day by the state of Tamil Nadu.
Introduction:
- Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy was a respected Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and the political party Dravidar Kazhagam.
- He fought against Brahmanical dominance, oppression of women and caste prevalence.
- He later came to be called “Periyar”, which in Tamil means ‘respected one’ or ‘elder’. He was also popularly referred to as Thanthai Periyar.
- In 2021, the Tamil Nadu government started to celebrate the birth anniversary of Periyar as ‘Social Justice Day’.
Concepts propounded by Periyar:
- Periyar promoted the principles of rationalism and self-respect and opposed the exploitation and marginalisation of the people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India.
- Periyar is often referred to as an iconoclast, for the rebellious nature of his ideas and the vigour with which he acted.
- He strongly opposed Kula Kalvi Thittam introduced by the then Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari. Kula Kalvi Thittam proposed to impose on schoolchildren a method of education, wherein students would learn their family’s profession as part of the school curriculum. Periyar felt that it would encourage divisions based on caste.
- Periyar’s vision was about inclusive growth and freedom of individuals. He presented rationalism as a solid foundation for thinking along these lines.
- He advocated ‘Priesthood for all castes’ to change the caste dynamic in society.
Read more on Periyar EV Ramasamy.
Nut Graf: Concepts propounded by Periyar stand as exemplary precedents at a time when polarisation and populism do not enable sensible conversations in any public sphere. It is important to create open spaces for discussions to create a society with social justice at its core.
1. Breakfast Scheme by TamilNadu
Syllabus: Government policies and Interventions
Mains: Policies on integrated child development
Context: Tamil Nadu government recently started Free Breakfast Scheme For Government School Students.
Introduction:
- Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin launched the first phase of a state-wide free breakfast programme in Madurai for the students in Classes one to five in selected state government schools.
- The scheme will benefit approximately 1.14 lakh children in the initial phase at a total cost of Rs 33.56 crore.
- The scheme has targeted providing schoolchildren with an average of 293 calories and an average protein input of 9.85 gm per day.
Significance of the scheme:
- This scheme has far-reaching consequences for school education and public health.
- Multiple studies acknowledge the importance of a daily breakfast as the most important meal of the day.
- Regular and nutritious breakfast has a positive effect on students, affecting their ability to focus, learn and retain information. This results in an improvement in their school performance, behaviour and cognition.
- A regular breakfast also takes care of diet quality, micronutrient sufficiency, anaemia and height and weight issues in children.
- It fosters social and gender equality as all children get the same food and must eat together and boost female attendance in schools.
- The Union government’s midday meal guidelines prescribe between 450-700 cals per child per day, and a protein intake of 12-20 gm per day. The ongoing mid-day meal scheme along with the new breakfast scheme provides an average of 846 cal and nearly 28 gm of protein a day.
- This scheme is also in line with the progressive Dravidian model which started the midday meals scheme, conceptualised by the Justice Party in 1920 under the British regime and enhanced by successive state governments post-independence.
- A study on the intergenerational benefits of India’s Midday Meal Scheme shows children of scheme beneficiaries show better growth overall.
- As per National Family Health Survey-5, several states across the country have reversed course and recorded worsening levels of child malnutrition.
Way Forward:
- The government must avoid the errors of omission and commission including pilferage, poor quality of food, delays in sanctioning funds, and caste-related disruptions to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme.
- Community monitoring, social audits, decentralised grievance redress systems, and public display of information on beneficiaries and menus can aid in addressing the above-mentioned problems.
- Provision of nutritious food in schools for free shall not be considered a freebie, but the foremost duty of a government to ensure no child goes hungry.
Nut Graf: Child hunger is a major problem in India and initiatives such as the free breakfast scheme and the mid-day meal scheme are very crucial for nation building ensuring the growth and development of children.
F. Prelims Facts
Syllabus: GS-1, Indian History; Significant personalities
Prelims: Facts about Maharaja Hari Singh and Instrument of Accession
Context: Lieutenant Governor of J&K has announced that the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh would be celebrated and declared a holiday in the Union Territory.
Maharaja Hari Singh
- Hari Singh was born on 23 September 1895 in Jammu.
- Maharaja Hari Singh was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Hari Singh became the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir post the death of his uncle Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1925.
- Maharaja Hari Singh attended the First Round Table Conference in London in 1930.
- In 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India, thereby ending the intense fight between India and Pakistan for that princely state.
- Maharaja Hari Singh consented to accede his realm to the Dominion of India by signing an Instrument of Accession in accordance with the Indian Independence Act of 1947.
G. Tidbits
1. Sri Lanka set to revive and upgrade FTA with India: Ranil
- Sri Lankan President said that Sri Lanka will revive its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India and upgrade it to a “comprehensive economic and technological partnership”.
- The current Indo-Sri Lanka FTA came into effect in 2000 and even after several rounds of bilateral discussions, the two countries are yet to reach an agreement on its upgraded version.
- The proposals of both versions of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which was later called the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement had triggered strong resistance within Sri Lanka, as the critics felt that it would impact Sri Lankans’ job prospects.
- Sri Lankan President further added that “Sri Lanka looks forward to trade integration in various areas with the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership (RCEP), with the EU, but the cornerstone of this is to achieve trade integration with India.”
- Furthermore, the President of the island nation said that the potential for bilateral cooperation is huge in areas such as power grid connection, offshore wind energy, the solar power plant at Sampur and the renewable energy projects on three islands of the Jaffna Peninsula.
2. IAF to fly AN-32 on blended biodiesel for 200 hours
- In line with the efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to fly an AN-32 transport aircraft modified to operate on 10% blended biodiesel for 200 flight hours in the next six months.
- The aircraft took flight on biodiesel blended with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for the first time in December 2018 and has so far flown 65 hours with a 10% blend of biofuel and the performance has been very satisfactory.
- A Dornier aircraft is also undergoing ground tests after it had been cleared by Honeywell, the manufacturer of the engine, for use of 50% biofuel.
- Globally, the aviation industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
- The fuel consumption of the IAF for 2021-22 was said to be over 6.2 lakh kilo litres, which accounted for about 15 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide.
3. ‘3 killed every day in road crashes’
Image Source: The Hindu
- According to the Delhi Traffic Police’s Delhi Road Crash Report 2021, an average of three persons were killed every day in Delhi due to road accidents over the last two years.
- In 2021, most of the victims killed in road crashes were pedestrians.
- Overspeeding is said to be one of the key reasons for the high number of fatal accidents, especially on the National Highways and other major arterial roads.
- Police officials suggest a road safety initiative for two-wheeler riders at the State level can be initiated along with the provision of free-to-use helmets at important junctions and metro stations with a use-and-return policy to tackle the rising number of fatalities.
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Samarkand declaration was recently signed by members of which grouping? (Level – Easy)
- Collective Security Treaty Organisation
- Eastern Economic Forum
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Shanghai Cooperation Organization
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- The Samarkand Declaration was signed by the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
- The Samarkand Declaration advocated a “commitment to peaceful settlement of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation.”
Q2. Consider the following statements: (Level – Medium)
- Land, that is to say, rights in or over land, falls under the concurrent list of the 7th schedule.
- Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) are intended to perform the same role for property transactions as the SEBI does for security transactions in the capital markets.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Land, that is to say, rights in or over land, land tenures including the relation of landlord and tenant, and the collection of rents; transfer and alienation of agricultural land; land improvement and agricultural loans; colonization falls under the State list of the 7th schedule.
- Statement 2 is correct, Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) are intended to perform the same role for your property transactions as the SEBI does for security transactions in the capital markets.
Q3. Arrange the following from east to west: (Level – Difficult)
- Ashgabat
- Astana
- Bishkek
- Dushanbe
Options:
- 1-2-3-4
- 2-4-1-3
- 3-2-4-1
- 4-2-1-3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
Q4. Which of the following statements is/are incorrect? (Level – Difficult)
- The greenhouse effect is an anthropogenic induced phenomenon that is responsible for heating of earth’s surface and atmosphere.
- Without the greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature would be -18 degrees Celsius.
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that maintains the temperature of the earth to sustain life.
- Statement 2 is correct, Currently, the average temperature of the Earth’s surface is 15 degree Celsius and without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature of the Earth’s surface would decrease to − 18 degree Celsius.
Q5. With reference to Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, consider the following statements: (Level – Medium) PYQ (2022)
- Private and public hospitals must adopt it.
- As it aims to achieve universal health coverage, every citizen of India should be part of it ultimately.
- It has seamless portability across the country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is not correct, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is not mandatory for adoption by private and public hospitals and it would be voluntary.
- Statement 2 is not correct, The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.
- It will bridge the existing gap amongst different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem through digital highways.
- Statement 3 is correct, ABDM ensures seamless national portability in the provision of health services.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- What role have the schemes such as midday meal played in increasing the gross enrollment ratio across the schools in the country? Also identify some of the lacunas that exist in this scheme. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-2; Governance)
- India is fast emerging as the world’s biggest hope in the field of renewable energy. Comment. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-3; Energy)
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CNA 17 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
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