Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Aging factory – on China’s population decline

GS Paper 2

• There is hardly any autonomy at the panchayat level
• Appointments, Disappointments – on SC collegium

GS Paper 3

• Chexit, in parts: Reshoring, friend-shoring and billions of dollars in sops

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Centre releases endorsement guidelines for Celebs and Social Media Influencers
• Chargesheets need not be put in public domain: Supreme Court
• Govt to combine CGHS with Ayushman Bharat
• ABCD campaign: Wayanad becomes country’s first district to provide basic documents to all tribal people
• A century later, a clearer picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor
• IPCC Working Group III Report highlights the importance of lifestyle in climate discourse
• What constitutes a trademark violation: Subway vs Suberb in Delhi High Court
• Rare species of duck sighted in Manipur’s Loktak lake after over 90 years

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Aging factory – on China’s population decline

News– The article explains declining population in China and its impact on Chinese economy

What are some facts and statistics about the declining population of China?

China’s population declined by 8,50,000 in 2022. Births in China last year dropped by more than 10% to 9.56 million.

China has been making efforts to boost birth rates that have been declining since the government introduced a harsh “one-child policy” in 1980. The belated introduction in 2016 of a “two-child policy” was not successful.

How is the declining population impacting the Chinese economy?

China’s economy is already feeling the impact of demographic change. The 16-59 working age population in 2022 was 875 million. It is a decline of around 75 million since 2010.

Wages are rising. Labour-intensive jobs are moving out, predominantly to Southeast Asia.

The above-60 population has increased. The number of elderly will peak by 2050 at 35% of the population. China’s National Working Commission on Ageing estimates spending on health care for the elderly will take up 26% of the GDP by 2050.

China is on track to follow Japan’s example of a prolonged period of a shrinking workforce with declining growth. The proportion of child and elderly populations in China as of 2020 was similar to Japan’s in 1990. Moreover, China reached this inflection point faster.

What are lessons for India?

India’s proportion of child and elderly population in 2020 was similar to China’s in 1980. It was the time when its economic boom started in China.

That was made possible only by taking advantage of demographic dividend by investing heavily in health care and education.

GS Paper 2

There is hardly any autonomy at the panchayat level

News– The article explains the issue of state government control over functioning of panchayats.

Recently, an up-sarpanch in Telangana’s committed suicide due to indebtedness. He had taken out a loan to undertake development works in the village and was unable to pay after the State government’s inordinate delay in releasing bill payments.

How State governments exercise considerable discretionary authority and influence over panchayats?

Issue of funding– Gram panchayats remain fiscally dependent on grants from the State and the Centre for everyday activities. Broadly, panchayats have three main sources of funds — their own sources of revenue, grants in aid, and discretionary or scheme-based funds.

Their own sources of revenue constitute a tiny proportion of overall panchayat funds. In Telangana, less than a quarter of a panchayat’s revenue comes from its own sources of revenue.

Further, access to discretionary grants for panchayats remains dependent on political and bureaucratic connections.

Even when higher levels of government allocate funds to local governments, sarpanchs need help in accessing them. An inordinate delay in transferring approved funds to panchayat accounts stalls local development.

There are also severe constraints on panchayats for using the funds allocated to them. State governments often impose spending limits on various expenditures through panchayat funds. In almost all States, there is a system of double authorisation for spending panchayat funds. Apart from sarpanchs, disbursal of payments requires bureaucratic concurrence.

Interference of higher authorities– State governments also bind local governments’ through the local bureaucracy. Approval for public works projects often requires technical approval from the engineering department and administrative approval from local officials of the rural development department.

Higher-level politicians and bureaucrats often intervene in selecting beneficiaries for government programmes and limiting the power of sarpanches further.

Sarpanchs need to have good relationships with politicians and local bureaucrats if they want access to discretionary resources, timely disbursement of funds.

The ability of sarpanches to exercise administrative control over local employees is also limited. In many States, the recruitment of local functionaries is conducted at the district or block level. Often the sarpanch does not even have the power to dismiss these local-level employees.

Dismissal process– Sarpanchs can be dismissed while in office. Gram Panchayat Acts in many States have empowered district-level bureaucrats, mostly district Collectors, to act against sarpanchs for official misconduct.

Across the country, there are regular instances of bureaucrats deciding to dismiss sarpanchs from office. In Telangana, more than 100 sarpanchs have been dismissed from office in recent years.

Appointments, Disappointments – on SC collegium

News: The article discusses the lacunae in the appointment of judges and measures needed to resolve it.

What are the different problems with the appointment of judges in the Courts?

Amongst other criteria, judges of the SC or HC are also appointed on the basis of region, religion, caste and gender. 

Further, it has also been seen that the chances of those people for appointment increases who have better political connections or their relatives are already judges. At times, the religion of the person is also misused for the appointment.

This concern was also highlighted in the 80th report in 1979 by the Law Commission. The report said wrong appointments of judges have affected the image of courts. They have also undermined the confidence of the people in the courts.

The report further said that a person appointed not on merit but because of favouritism or other considerations can hardly have respect for the bar and can hardly give proper judgements.

The Law Commission in its 230th Report (2009) said for the HCs that it appears that this high office is patronised.

A person, whose near relation or well-wisher is or had been a judge in the higher courts or is a senior advocate or is a political high-up, stands a better chance of elevation.

What are other concerns with the appointment of judges?

The appointment of judges is done through the Collegium system. This system is not transparent and there are hardly any reasons provided behind the selection or rejection of the names by the Collegium.

However, the Collegium of the SC has recently taken a transparent decision though providing reasons to reiterate its recommendation on the appointment of five advocates as high court judges, and has gone public for both its reiteration and the government’s objection.

What can be the source of action?

SC should not only be transparent for a few names but it must make public its recommendations and its reasoned response to government objections on all names.

It must also provide reasons for why it did not reiterate some of the names the government rejected, and why it changed its mind on some of the names that it rejected which the government sent back on for its reconsideration.

Therefore, bringing transparency in the appointment, selection, and rejection of the judges is needed for the democratic institution like the courts to work efficiently.

GS Paper 3

Chexit, in parts: Reshoring, friend-shoring and billions of dollars in sops

News– The article explains the shift of numerous factories and supply-chain dependence away from China.

China is facing weakening growth, following a decade-long, progressive slowdown

What are the steps taken by East Asian countries to relocate their business away from China?

Japan is paying its firms to move their factories from China. It has also introduced a new economic security law covering 14 sectors deemed to be part of societal infrastructure.

South Korea and Taiwan have comparable programmes that target mainly China.

So, Asia’s three most industrialised countries are offering incentives to move their companies out of China and back to their home base.

What are the recent examples of companies relocating their business away from China?

Some 250 Japanese companies are reported to have left China in recent years. The trend is accelerating. It is not limited to Japanese companies.

According to one report, 135 companies moved out of China just last year and relocated plants making semiconductors, motor vehicles, appliances, and clothing. Sony has partly re-located its smartphone production to Thailand.

South Korean companies too have been not just re-shoring but “friend-shoring” as well. Samsung has opted for Vietnam. Malaysia has benefited from 32 projects relocated from China.

What is the reason behind relocating firms from China?

China’s aggressive behaviour is compelling the firms to look for alternate options. A visa ban has hit both Japan and South Korea. South Korea’s Lotte retail chain, Sweden’s Ericsson, and Australian wine-makers have been impacted by Chinese policies.

Global firms see heightened political risk. They are worried about discrimination, rising production costs, stricter environmental rules, and of course disrupted supplies.

Are global firms abandoning China as a production base or as a market?

Foreign direct investment into China actually increased in 2022. Germany’s BASF, for instance, is relocating into China.

The Financial Times report shows how interlocked the Apple production network is with the Chinese ecosystem. Countries like the US and India that have tried to restrict imports from China have only seen their China trade deficits grow.

What is the scenario of India?

India’s current policy thrust like production-linked incentives, capital subsidies is very much in line with the East Asian.

India ranked seventh on a 2021 UN list for foreign investment. But, it is not the default alternative to China for most global companies.

India must integrate more with East Asia by getting into regional trade arrangements, lowering its tariff walls, and improving the quality of its workforce.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Centre releases endorsement guidelines for Celebs and Social Media Influencers

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre releases endorsement guidelines for Celebs and Social Media Influencers” published in PIB on 20th January 2023.

What is the News?

The Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has released a guide ‘Endorsements Know-hows!’ for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers on social media platforms’.

Why has the government issued these guidelines for influencers and celebrities?

The size of the social-media influencer market in India last year was Rs 1,275 crore and by 2025, it was likely to be Rs 2,800 crore.

Individuals or groups with access to an audience and have the power to affect their purchasing decisions or opinions about a product, service, brand or experience.

There are more than 100,000 social-media influencers of substance, and this calls for a check.

Therefore, the responsibility of the endorsers or other advertisers is to honestly disclose the information that consumers must know before making any purchasing decisions.

What is the major aim of the guidelines?

The guide aims to ensure: that individuals do not mislead their audiences when endorsing products or services and that they are in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act and any associated rules or guidelines.

What are the key provisions of the guidelines?

Clear display of Disclosures: Disclosures must be prominently and clearly displayed in the endorsement, making them extremely hard to miss.

– This includes not only benefits and incentives, but also monetary or other compensation, trips or hotel stays, media barters, coverage and awards, free products, etc.

– Endorsements must be made in simple, clear language and terms such as “advertisement,” “sponsored,” or “paid promotion” can be used.

– They should not endorse any product or service and service in which due diligence has been done by them or that they have not personally used or experienced.

Penalty: For violations of guidelines, the penalty prescribed for misleading advertisements under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 will be applicable. 

– In that case, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) can impose a penalty of up to ₹ 10 lahks on manufacturers, advertisers and endorsers and for repeated offences, a penalty of up to ₹ 50 lahks can be imposed. 

– The CCPA can also prohibit the endorser of a misleading advertisement from making any endorsement for up to one year and for subsequent contravention, prohibition can extend up to three years.

Chargesheets need not be put in public domain: Supreme Court

Source: The post is based on the article “Chargesheets need not be put in public domain: Supreme Court” published in The Hindu on 21st January 2023.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has held the state is not obliged to provide the public free access to chargesheets by uploading them on police or government websites. The court declared chargesheets to be “private documents”

What is a Chargesheet?

According to Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a charge sheet is a report generated by police officers after investigating a case.

It contains all the stringent records right from the commencement of the investigation procedure of lodging an FIR to till the completion of the investigation and preparation of the final report.

It contains the names of the people brought in custody, the charges they are brought in for and the identity of the accusers.

Once the charge sheet has been submitted to a court of law, prosecution proceedings against the accused begin.

Time Limit for filing chargesheet: According to CrPC, the prescribed time limit for filing charge sheet is as follows: Offence triable by Magistrate: 60 days and Offences triable by Sessions Court: 90 days.

– If the charge sheet is not filed within the prescribed time mentioned above, the accused has a right to default bail.

What is the First Information Report(FIR)?

F.I.R. means any information recorded by an on-duty officer given by an aggrieved person or any other person either in writing or made orally about the commission of a Cognizable Offence. 

Based on the information so provided the investigation started. F.I.R. can also be registered by the Judicial Magistrate by giving direction to the concerned jurisdictional area of the Police Station.

Govt to combine CGHS with Ayushman Bharat

Source: The post is based on the article “Govt to combine CGHS with Ayushman Bharat” published in Livemint on 21st January 2023.

What is the News?

National Health Authority(NHA) is in the process of integrating the Central Government Health Scheme(CGHS) with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission(ABDM).

What is the Central Government Health Scheme(CGHS)?

CGHS was started in 1954 with the aim of providing comprehensive healthcare to central government employees and pensioners and their dependent family members. 

The scheme currently covers more than 4.1 million beneficiaries in 75 cities.

What is Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission(ABDM)?

Click Here to read

How is the government planning to integrate CGHS with ABDM?

The government is planning to integrate CGHS with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission(ABDM). This is aimed at creating digital health identification of CGHS beneficiaries and storing their digital health records, thus ensuring quick treatment to the needy.

Under this process, beneficiaries’ CGHS numbers will be mapped with ABHA numbers and digital linking of all health will be recorded. 

What is Ayushman Bharat Health Account(ABHA)?

ABHA is a 14-digit number that allows citizens to access and manage their medical records digitally. 

It creates comprehensive medical history across healthcare providers with citizens sharing relevant health records with ABDM-registered healthcare providers digitally.

ABCD campaign: Wayanad becomes country’s first district to provide basic documents to all tribal people

Source: The post is based on the article “Wayanad becomes country’s first district to provide basic documents to all tribal people” published in The Hindu on 21st January 2023.

What is the News?

Wayanad from Kerala became the first district in the country to provide basic documents and facilities to all tribes people under the (Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation) ABCD campaign.

What is the ABCD campaign?

Under the ABCD campaign, Wayanad district administration has provided basic documents and facilities such as an Aadhaar card, ration card, birth/death certificates, election ID card, bank account and health insurance to all tribes people.

Since all the relevant departments were brought under one roof in a camp, each beneficiary gets all the needed services at the camp itself, saving them the time and effort of visiting several offices.

Apart from these, other services such as income certificates, ownership certificates, age certificates and applications for new pensions were also provided.

A century later, a clearer picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor

Source: The post is based on the article “A century later, a clearer picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor” published in The Hindu on 20th January 2023.

What is the News?

More than 100 years ago, the physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered that solid mercury acts as a superconductor. Now, for the first time, physicists have a complete microscopic understanding of why this is so. 

What is Superconductivity?

Superconductivity is the ability of a material to conduct electricity without any resistance. 

It is observed in many materials when they are cooled below a critical temperature that marks the transition to the superconducting state.

About the superconductivity in Mercury

In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury. Onnes had invented a way to cool materials to absolute zero – the lowest temperature possible. 

Using his technique, he found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current. It was a watershed moment in the history of physics. 

Methodologies to determine superconductivity in mercury: Superconductivity in Mercury can be explained by the following theories:

BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) Theory: In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs.

– These copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature. This could explain why mercury has such a low threshold temperature (around –270°C).

Spin-Orbit Coupling(SOC) Theory: SOC is the way an electron’s energy is affected by the relationship between its spin and its momentum.

– SOC gave a better view of the phonons’ energies and explained why mercury has such a low threshold temperature (approx. –270º C).

Coulomb repulsion (a.k.a. ‘like charges repel’) between two electrons in each pair: The superconducting state is determined by a balance between an attractive interaction between electrons, mediated by phonons and the repulsive Coulomb interaction (electrostatic repulsion between negative charges).

– The electrons are able to overcome their repulsion and pair up because the phonons have a very low frequency and the electrons have a relatively higher frequency, allowing the interacting electrons to avoid each other in time.

– The researchers found that, in mercury, one electron in each pair occupied a higher energy level than the other, a detail that reduced the Coulomb repulsion and nurtured superconductivity.

IPCC Working Group III Report highlights the importance of lifestyle in climate discourse

Source: The post is based on the article “IPCC Working Group III Report highlights the importance of lifestyle in climate discourse” published in PIB on 21st January 2023.

What is the News?

The Co-chair of Working Group III (WG III) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has delivered a lecture on the importance of lifestyle in climate discourse.

What are the key highlights from the lecture?

Importance of Lifestyle in Climate discourse: As an outcome of COP27 at Egypt, the Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan notes the importance of the transition to sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production to address climate change. 

– This is in line with the objectives of Mission LiFE launched by Indian Prime Minister in the presence of the UN Secretary-General in October 2022.

– Global emissions could be reduced by 40%-70% by 2050 while satisfying people’s basic needs for nutrition, mobility and shelter while maintaining wellbeing. This could be achieved by demand-side management and lifestyles supported by infrastructure and technology.

CO2 emissions account for about 75% of global GHG emissions making it the principal GHG to be tackled by climate change actions.

Unequal contributions to historic and current emissions where the contribution of entire Southern Asia is only about 4% of historical cumulative net anthropogenic CO2 emissions between 1850 and 2019, even though the region includes almost 24% of the global population.

Carbon Capture and Storage(CCS) is at the demonstration stage. If brought into use, it would allow the use of fossil fuels to be extended. Unless managed sustainably, bio-energy combined with CCS could also have negative impacts on food security and biodiversity.

Financial flows fall short of investment needs for mitigation. Gaps are particularly large for developing countries. Also, gaps are much wider for adaptation than for mitigation. Investment flows in Southern Asia and Africa is much lower than needed.

Climate resilient development can protect people from the worse impacts of climate change and align climate change action with sustainable development goals.

What constitutes a trademark violation: Subway vs Suberb in Delhi High Court

Source: The post is based on the article “What constitutes a trademark violation: Subway vs Suberb in Delhi High Court” published in Indian Express on 21st January 2023.

What is the News?

The Delhi High Court has ruled that Subway cannot claim “exclusivity” or “monopoly” over “sub”, the first part of its trademark “Subway” when used in the context of eateries which serve sandwiches and similar items. 

What was the case before the court?

Subway moved the Delhi High Court(HC) against Infinity Foods, which uses the name Suberb for its restaurants in Delhi. 

Subway claimed that the brand name and logo “Suberb”, with a yellow and green colour scheme, was identical to its mark “Subway”.

What is a trademark?

A trademark is a symbol, design, word or phrase that is identified with a business. When a trademark is registered, its owner can claim “exclusive rights” on its use.

The Trademark Act,1999 governs the regime on trademarks and their registration. The Act guarantees protection for a trademark that is registered with the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks also known as the trademark registry. 

A trademark is valid for 10 years and can be renewed by the owner indefinitely every 10 years.

About the violation of trademark

Using a registered trademark without the authorisation of the entity that owns the trademark is a violation or infringement of the trademark.

Using a substantially similar mark for similar goods or services could also amount to infringement. In such cases, courts have to determine whether this can cause confusion for consumers between the two.

There are several ways in which a trademark can be infringed. However, the trademark owner has to show that the trademark has a distinct character.

What about the deceptive similarity of trademarks?

The law states that a mark is considered deceptively similar to another mark if it nearly resembles that other mark, confusing the consumer in the process. Such deception can be caused phonetically, structurally or visually.

What about passing off trademarks?

Say, a brand logo is misspelt in a way that’s not easy for the consumer to discern. In such cases, the infringing products need not be identical — but the similarity in the nature, character, and performance of the goods of the rival traders has to be established.

Rare species of duck sighted in Manipur’s Loktak lake after over 90 years

Source: The post is based on the article “Rare species of duck sighted in Manipur’s Loktak lake after over 90 years” published in Indian Express on 19th January 2023.

What is the News?

A rare species of duck, Greater Scaup locally known as Sadangman, was sighted in Loktak lake in Manipur’s Bishnupur district after a gap of over 90 years.

What is Greater Scaup?

Greater Scaup is a medium-sized diving duck species that belongs to the family of Anatidae.

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Geographical distribution: It is distributed in Asia, Europe, the United States, and Canada. It is a rare visitor to the Indian Subcontinent.

Greater Scaup inhabits shallow, freshwater lakes, pools and rivers with grassy shorelines.

They are highly migratory, breeding near arctic regions and migrating to the warmer south from August onwards.

It is known as Scaup in Europe and Bluebill in North America, Greater Scaup breeds in Alaska, Siberia, north Canada and on the eastern side of Europe and they flock to warmer regions during the Winter season.

What is Loktak Lake?

Click Here to read