9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – December 27th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Archive-Nirbhar India: Ministries must share records with National Archives, which must also get more proactive

GS Paper 2

• Why the government must push ahead on free trade agreements
• Laws and order – Decriminalisation will improve business environment

GS Paper 3

• A warship programme that must go full steam ahead
• Inflation and agency accountability
• Gear up wisely to clamp down on important digital intermediaries

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial
• Year-End Review 2022: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
• Year-End Review 2022: Ministry of Earth Sciences
• Bottlenecks slow progress of ‘one nation one gas grid’
• ‘Create in India,’ says task force on gaming, animation and VFX
• Expedite classification of nomadic tribes in quota lists, panel tells Centre

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Archive-Nirbhar India: Ministries must share records with National Archives, which must also get more proactive

News: Record-keeping is central to modern nation-building. In such situations, the poor state of the National Archives of India is a cause for concern.

About the National Archives of India

NAI is the central repository of the government’s non-classified records.

What are the concerns with the NAI?

-There are big gaps, including important national events such as 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars and the Green Revolution.

-There is an institutional culture of secrecy in NAI. NAI is not even seeking timely declassification. On the other hand, in the US, the records are automatically declassified after 25 years.

-The defence ministry has not shared any files with NAI since 1960. Similarly, multiple other departments including agriculture, rural development, and food and consumer affairs have not shared anything ever.

In other words, the NAI is “losing a large part of our history since Independence”.

How NAI can be effective?

NAI provided invaluable information for the building of Central Vista. Its cartographic treasures can be similarly useful in foreign policy. This can be done by providing a) a clear directive to all ministries to share files with NAI, b) proper strengthening of State-level archives, c) Ensuring proper citizen outreach like that of the UK’s National Archives home page.

GS Paper 2

Why the government must push ahead on free trade agreements

News: The Indian government is increasing its free trade agreement with many countries like Australia, the UAE, etc. FTA will ensure trade benefits to India, but there are also concerns associated with it. 

What are the concerns associated with trade agreements? 

There are non-tariff issues ranging from carbon emission norms, climate action, etc. coming up. 

Therefore, India is concerned that partner countries might impose non-tariff protectionist measures and not allow India to fully take advantage of the trade pacts. 

For example, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CABM) of the European Union. It is meant to target carbon-intensive products such as iron and steel, cement, aluminium and fertilisers. 

CABM will impose tariffs on imported goods on the basis of emissions during their production process. This will ensure that the EU’s climate objectives are not threatened by the production of other countries with less ambitious policies. 

However, this will act as a barrier and burden on Indian exporters. Manufacturers of steel in India will be at a disadvantage when compared to those in the US where lower carbon is emitted. 

What is the way ahead? 

India needs to examine these issues with care and then proceed with negotiations. India’s domestic reform agenda must be aligned with these trade pacts to ensure that the benefits from these trade pacts can be maximised. 

Moreover, India also needs to change its domestic decision such as recently it has decided to raise import duties on non-essential items. It impacts India’s image globally and acts as a counter to trade agreements being made. 

Therefore, India must lower barriers to trade, and seek actively to be a part of global value chains while adopting China plus one strategy. 

Laws and order – Decriminalisation will improve business environment

News: The government has come up with Jan Vishwas Bill in the Parliament. The bill aims at decriminalizing certain offences, thereby, improving the ease of doing business and reducing the judicial burden. 

What are the key provisions of the bill? 

The Bill proposes to remove a two-year imprisonment term under the India Post Office Act of 1898 for sending unpaid postal articles. 

It proposes to omit Section 66A of the IT Act. This provision punishes any person who sends offensive information using a computer or electronic device and sends false information.  

This provision of the IT Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and was struck down in 2015. However, still, various state jurisdictions continued to make arrests under this section. 

Further, the bill also aims to decriminalise certain offences under the Environment Act.  

For example, discharging pollutants in excess of specified standards, handling hazardous substances without adequate safeguards and not allowing the central government to investigate an offence attracted imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of Rs 100,000, or both.

The draft bill has done away with the imprisonment but retains a fine ranging from Rs 500,000 to Rs 5 crore with daily fines for continuous compliance violations. 

These amendments aim at ensuring ease of doing business. However, decriminalising certain offences in the environmental law will degrade India’s natural resources as industries hardly comply with the laws. 

What is the way ahead? 

There is an urgent need for both the Centre and states to ensure that their respective enforcement agencies are informed about the amendments and the latest decision of the SC regarding it.  

This will ensure proper implementation of the laws while improving the ease of doing business. 

GS Paper 3

A warship programme that must go full steam ahead

News: The article explains the issue of the development of aircraft carriers by the Indian navy. 

How can India classify aircraft carriers? 

In terms of size, aircraft carriers can be classified as light, medium and super-carriers. Light carriers can carry up to 25 aircraft, medium-sized around 30 to 50 aircraft, while the super-carriers can carry over 90 aircraft.  

In terms of role, they can be categorised as fleet, escort, air defence, amphibious assault and anti-submarine warfare carriers.  

In terms of the methodology used to launch and recover aircraft, they can be categorised as Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR), Short Take-off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), and vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) carriers. 

What are some facts about aircraft carriers in India? 

India’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant was a light carrier designed for fleet air defence. It could carry between 21 to 23 aircraft.  

Its replacement, INS Viraat was a light fleet air defence carrier. It has an air wing of 26 to 30 aircraft and helicopters.  

INS Vikramaditya is a 45,000 tonnes medium-sized aircraft carrier. It is capable of both fleet air defence and land attack. It can carry up to 30 aircraft and helicopters.  

IAC-1 is almost similar in size, classification, role and capability to INS Vikramaditya. 

What is the near-term plan of the Indian navy? 

IAC has demonstrated India’s capability to design and build the largest and most complex of warships. Few countries have this capability.  

The planning for IAC-I began in the mid-1980s. The ship was commissioned in September 2022. This time period can be shortened if the next carrier is a repeat order.  

The first four carriers had smaller and relatively less capable air wings, as compared to other advanced navies. So, the Indian Navy envisaged a 50,000 tonnes-65,000 tonnes aircraft carrier.  

Due to financial constraints, the Indian navy has decided to shelve this plan. It is considering a repeat order of IAC-1. 

Why repeat order is the optimal strategy for the Indian navy? 

It would ensure that infrastructure, design capability and expertise built through extensive investment and effort are utilised in a proper way. 

It will help in achieving the goal of having three aircraft carriers. First Naval Plan Papers in 1948 stipulated the need for three aircraft carriers for the Indian Navy.  

Similar design and configuration of the two aircraft carriers would also make their operation and maintenance easier. 

What should be the future strategy for the Indian navy? 

In the long term, India should not avoid Chinese capability.  

China’s first two aircraft carriers displace over 65,000 tonnes. It’s third indigenously built carrier displaces 85,000 tonnes. It has a possible air wing of 60-odd aircraft.  

China has future plans for a seven-ship carrier force. It includes ambitions to build nuclear-powered supercarriers of over 1,00,000 tonnes of displacement. 

Inflation and agency accountability

News: The article explains the issues related to the inflation-targeting regime in India. It explains the creation of the concept of inflation targeting across the world. 

How have the concepts of inflation targeting and central bank independence developed? 

Fiat money was invented many centuries ago. It was made by the Central Banks. Despite having many advantages, fiat money and Central Banks faced many issues.  

It led to the creation of the thinking that Central Banks should be independent agencies. It should focus on delivering low, stable and predictable inflation.  

Inflation targeting and central bank independence generally worked well. It rapidly spread from one country to the next.  

There is by now enough evidence that economic performance in a country improves after this reform is implemented. 

What led to the formation of the Monetary Policy Committee in India? 

Many committees like Committee on Financial Sector Reforms, 2009 and Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, 2013, chaired by B N Srikrishna suggested an inflation-targeting regime. 

In 2014, Urjit Patel Committee endorsed the idea of inflation targeting and the statutory Monetary Policy Committee. 

The formal announcement on this was made in the first budget speech of the new government in 2014. The Monetary Policy Framework Agreement was signed in February 2015.  

In September 2016, Parliament amended the RBI Act of 1934 for creating a statutory MPC for maintaining price stability. 

How has it worked for the Indian economy? 

Due to limitations of the Indian financial system, inflation targeting would have worked poorly.  

There are important weaknesses in the Indian bond market and banking sector. The bond-currency-derivatives nexus is missing. The monetary policy transmission is therefore weak.  

Hence, RBI can not deliver on a precise inflation target like developed countries. Instead, the RBI was given a wide goalpost. It was delivering inflation in the range from 2 to 6%. 

For some years, this worked well and India achieved price stability. In recent years, though, there are concerns that inflation has regularly surpassed 6%.  

What is the way forward for the inflation-targeting regime? 

Theoretically, there are four possibilities through which a central bank can fail on its target. These are wrong statistics, wrong forecasts, wrong decisions of MPC, and bad transmission of monetary policy. 

Every time there is a failure in achieving the inflation target, India needs to analyse the cause of the failure. Once the cause is found out, we must undertake remedial action.  

This is the task of Parliament. It must review its contract with the RBI and modify the contract in ways that will ensure better performance by the agent.  

It would be useful to have a public release of the RBI’s self-assessment of its failure and its own views on the required remedial measures. The document should be released in the public domain. 

In addition to the RBI report, the models and data and slideshows used in the MPC meeting should be released.  

Each MPC member should be obliged to write and sign a 1000-word rationale statement that explains her voting decision. It will lead to greater individual accountability of MPC members for their voting decision.

Gear up wisely to clamp down on important digital intermediaries

News: The article explains the Parliamentary Committee report on anti-competitive practices by big tech companies prevalent in digital markets. 

Recently, the Standing Committee on Finance tabled its report on “anti-competitive practices by Big Tech companies”. 

What are the recommendations of the Parliamentary Panel? 

It has recommended the introduction of “Digital Competition Act”. It would ensure a fair and transparent digital ecosystem in India. 

Dedicated “digital market units” should be set up at CCI. It should be staffed with skilled experts to handle issues related to digital markets. 

Any merger or acquisition involving them must be notified to CCI. There is no minimum threshold or local nexus requirement to keep out deals that do not have a substantial impact on competition.  

It has emphasised the need for globally harmonised regulations that govern digital markets. 

A consistent theme of the report is the exceptional growth of the digital economy in India and its bright forecast. 

What is the way forward to ensure fair competition? 

Some level of state intervention may be reasonable to ensure fair competition and the successful coexistence of smaller players. But, a fine balance needs to be struck between the need to regulate and the freedom to innovate. 

India must focus on developing the concept of voluntary and informed concept and make it compatible with the use of Big Data.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial

Source: The post is based on the article “Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial” published in The Hindu on 24th December 2022. 

What is the News?

Scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae.

What is the need for Freezing Coral?

1) As rising ocean temperatures destabilize the delicate ecosystems of Coral scientists are striving to protect coral reefs, 2) The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years. This includes the first-ever bleach during a La Niña phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.

About the new method of cryomesh

Cryogenically frozen coral can be stored and later reintroduced to the wild but the current process requires sophisticated equipment including lasers.

But the scientists used a cryomesh. Scientists used the cryomesh to freeze coral larvae for the first time in the world with Great Barrier Reef coral.

Note: The cryomesh was previously trialled on smaller and larger varieties of the Hawaiian corals. A trial on the larger variety failed.

What is the Cryomesh technology?

The mesh technology will help store coral larvae at -196°C (-320.8°F).

a) This new method could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change, b) The new lightweight “cryomesh” can be manufactured cheaply and better preserves coral, c) The cryomesh technology will actually help to support some of the aquaculture and restoration interventions.

Year-End Review 2022: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

Source: The post is based on the article “Year-End Review -2022: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare” published in PIB on 27th December 2022. 

What is the News?

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched several initiatives and schemes in 2022.

What are the schemes and initiatives launched by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare?

This year India witnessed a) Record food grains and horticulture production, b) Enhancement in budget allocation, c) The government increased the MSP for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other commercial crops, d) Increased the procurement from farmers.

The major schemes operated by the Ministry are, 1) National Mission for Edible Oils – Oil Palm, 2) PM KISAN scheme, 3) ​​Pradhan Mantri Fasal BimaYojana(PMFBY), 4)  Agri Infrastructure Fund, 5) National Beekeeping & Honey Mission(NBHM), 6) Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization(SMAM).

Schemes for the promotion of organic farming in the country: a) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana(PKVY), b) Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati(BPKP) Scheme, c) New Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification: This PGS system is unique in the world and is the largest participatory organic certification programme in the world, d) Jaivikkheti portal: It has been initiated to assist the small and marginal farmers in selling their organic products directly to consumers.

Year-End Review 2022: Ministry of Earth Sciences

Source: The post is based on the article “Year-End Review -2022: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare” published in PIB on 27th December 2022. 

What is the News?

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has launched several initiatives and schemes in 2022.

What are the schemes and initiatives launched by the Ministry of Earth Sciences?

-Six Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) have been commissioned at various locations. Thus taking the total number of DWRs to 35.

-Expansion of South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (SAFFGS) for providing Flash flood guidance to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. SAFFGS, having a high resolution of 4×4 km and covering 30000 watersheds over the Indian region is capable of issuing flash flood threats and risks for the next 6 and 24 hours respectively.

-A very high-resolution (400 metre) Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) integrated with A Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality has been developed showing an accuracy of 88% for predicting extreme pollution events. This is much higher than the estimates available for a similar system across the globe.

-The Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) facility has been established on approx.100 acres of land at Silkheda village in Sehore District of Madhya Pradesh. This facility will study important atmospheric processes particularly: a) Clouds and Convection; b) Land-Atmosphere interactions; c) Aerosol and Radiation; and d) thunderstorms.

–Autonomous coastal water quality “Coastal Observatories” at Kochi and Visakhapatnam along the Indian coast were established in 2022. These house multiple sensors for physical (temperature, salinity, depth, surface current) and water quality (dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll, turbidity, pH, pCO2) parameters.

-A web GIS-based decision support system “Digital Coast – India (D-COIN)” has been developed to house all datasets on coastal and marine pollution, marine litter, shoreline changes, coastal hazards, ecosystems etc. This long-term spatial database would be an invaluable tool for coastal administrators for effective decision-making.

-MoES is setting up a geochronology facility at Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), New Delhi to cater to the need of geoscientists of the country. The geochronology facility has the mandate of developing an internationally-competitive centre for geochronology and isotope geochemistry that will facilitate generation of quality isotopic data for geochronological and isotopic fingerprinting.

Deep Ocean Mission

Sagar Nidhi

Bottlenecks slow progress of ‘one nation one gas grid’

Source: The post is based on the article “Bottlenecks slow progress of ‘one nation one gas grid’” published in the Livemint on 27th December 2022. 

What is the News?

According to the parliamentary panel, the ambitious national gas grid project for an interconnected natural gas network has slowed down, with progress in parts of southwest and southeast India yet to pick up.

Why there is slow progress in one nation one gas grid?

a) Regulatory issues: These issues in the eastern part of India have halted the progress of the project, b) Small companies were given the project they could not complete, c) The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) was also writing off the contracts and seek new bids, d) the proposed gas pipeline from Mallavaram in Andhra Pradesh to Bhilwara in Rajasthan was planned, keeping in view expected supplies from the KG D6 basin. But the decline in gas production from the basin has nearly ended the viability of the pipeline, and e) The matter regarding various statutory approvals for laying natural gas pipelines is under the purview of the state governments or other central ministries.

These bottlenecks in the project come at a time when India is aiming to achieve energy security amid a volatile energy market that has seen Liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices touching record levels a few months ago.

Why LNG is crucial for one nation one gas grid?

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) needs to be converted back to its gaseous state to use as a fuel for power generation, heating and cooking. This process takes place at large import terminals where LNG carriers discharge their LNG cargo before it is transported further to the end-user through a pipeline gas network.

There are five LNG terminals in India—Dahej, Hazira, Dabhol, Kochi and Ennore.

How India can achieve the objectives of one nation one gas grid?

Completion of the linkages: Once the links are interconnected, the ambitious plan of ‘one nation, one gas grid’ would be complete. Further, the completion of the linkages would also enhance the regasification of LNG.

Recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on petroleum and natural gas: The committee observed delay in the progress of the gas grid and recommended a) A Single-window fast-track system for regulatory approvals and clearances, b) The ministry should evolve a project monitoring mechanism in which all stakeholders may be brought, and the project can be monitored and implemented in a time-bound manner.

‘Create in India,’ says task force on gaming, animation and VFX

Source: The post is based on the article “‘Create in India,’ says task force on gaming, animation and VFX” published in The Hindu on 27th December 2022. 

What is the News?

The task force on Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) promotion has submitted its report recently.

About the task force on AVGC promotion

About India’s AVGC sector

India today contributes about $2.5-3 billion of the estimated $260-275 billion worldwide AVGC market.

The Indian market currently employs about 1.85 lakh AVGC professionals and can witness a growth of 14-16% in the next decade. Further, India also require 20 lakh skilled professionals in the AVGC sector in this decade.

What are the major recommendations of the AVGC task force?

The government should a) Conduct a “Create in India” campaign with an exclusive focus on content creation, b) Create an international platform AVGC aimed at attracting foreign direct investment, co-production treaties and innovation in collaboration with international counterparts, c) Facilitate national and regional centres of excellence for skill development, d) Leverage the National Education Policy to develop creative thinking at school level, e) Ministry of Education may advise NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) to create books focusing on subjects relevant to AVGC, f) University Grants Commission (UGC)-recognised curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, g) Memorandum of Cooperation may be signed between India and other developed global AVGC markets, and h) Democratise AVGC technologies by promoting subscription-based pricing models for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), start-ups and institutions.

Expedite classification of nomadic tribes in quota lists, panel tells Centre

Source: The post is based on the article “Expedite classification of nomadic tribes in quota lists, panel tells Centre” published in The Hindu on 27th December 2022. 

What is the News?

The parliamentary panel on Social Justice and Empowerment has highlighted the Centre’s “very slow” process to categorise over 260 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes under the SC/ST/OBC lists.

This has delayed the approval of benefits under the SEED (Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs) launched in February this year.

About the SEED Scheme

What is the performance of the SEED Scheme?

As of now, a total of over 5,400 applications had been received under the SEED, none of which have been approved, and no amount has been sanctioned.

Further, a delay in locating the beneficiaries will increase their suffering, and they would not be able to get the benefit of the prevailing schemes meant for the welfare of SC/STs.

The panel expects the government to expedite this exercise and finish it in a time-bound manner and sought detailed timelines for the same.

About De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes

More than 10 crore Indians from over 1,400 communities are either denotified, nomadic or semi-nomadic. Of this, the Idate Commission had categorised 1,262 communities under SC/ST/OBC lists and 267 communities were left uncategorised.

Even the communities categorised by the Idate Commission are not accurate with many communities appearing in SC lists in one State or district and on the ST list in another.