9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – July 9th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• India’s monsoon faces climate change. Earth needs a ‘soft path for water’ now

GS Paper 2

• Which is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena? Answer lies with the Constitution and Supreme Court
• The clock is ticking on the issue of energy poverty

GS Paper 3

• A plan that is much more than just planting trees
• Beating the heat
• Revving up in low gear: The paradoxes in India’s transport sector
• Delayed payments for small firms stifle economic growth

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• National Monuments Authority recommends two sites associated with Dr. Ambedkar to be declared as Monuments of National Importance
• 1 million animal and plant species face extinction threat: Study
• Defence exports touch ₹13,000 crore: official
• Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change celebrates “Hariyali Mahotsav” – Tree Festival
• INS TARKASH – Long Range Overseas Deployment
• PARIMAN: The Geo-Portal for NCR made Public

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

India’s monsoon faces climate change. Earth needs a ‘soft path for water’ now

News: In recent periods, research was released examining the intersection between our global water challenges and other challenges, including climate change, ecosystem impacts, and the failure to provide safe water for all humans.

How does climate change (CC) impact water availability?

Climate change is happening around the world, and some of its most significant impacts will be on water resources. For example, it has altered California’s water availability.

The demand for water will be increased worldwide due to rising temperatures.

Further extreme events, like floods and droughts, are already becoming more severe.

There is evidence that CC will impact snow and ice around the world, including in the Himalayas. This will affect the water availability.

Will climate change impact India’s monsoon as well?

Scientists are concerned that climate change is making monsoons more erratic. It is affecting the timing and severity of the Indian monsoon.

The monsoon is an integral part of refreshing India’s water reservoirs. Therefore, any impact will also alter the water availability in India.

Implications of the water challenges

It will impact peace and security because it would lead to water conflicts worldwide. The number of water conflicts now appears to be increasing.

Historically, the conflicts were restricted between nations but in recent years, the ‘subnational conflicts’ has become prominent. For example, the tension over the Kaveri River in India or between ethnic groups in Africa over access to water and grazing lands.

The ‘water poverty’ or failing to meet the basic needs for everyone to have safe water and sanitation, leads to a lot of problems in human development.

What are the causes of water challenges?

In the 20^th century, we followed the ‘hard path for water’, For example, building physical infrastructure and overlooking water for ecosystems.

There is the problem of ‘Peak water’, which means we are running up against limits in the water available to us. For instance: (1) the entire flow of the Colorado river is consumed in the US, and (2) there is a serious problem of over-drafting of groundwater in India, California, and the Middle East.

What should be done?

There is an alternative approach called ‘soft path for water’ to solve the water challenge. It does not require taking more water out of the natural environment but aims to provide new water sources like the reuse of treated wastewater for reuse and storm water capture.

Further, it also requires more efficient use of water as well as protection of water for natural ecosystems.

Peak water: We should not reach peak limits. Water resources should be managed by adopting the soft path.

Examples of sustainable water management transitions: These practices should be driven locally and democratically by the communities.

Singapore Case: It has adopted water conservation, wastewater treatment and reuse and smart irrigation practices.

California Case: Farmers and households are attempting to use water efficiently.

GS Paper 2

Which is the ‘real’ Shiv Sena? Answer lies with the Constitution and Supreme Court

News: Recently, a tussle in Maharashtra within the Shiv Sena for the control of the party, its election symbol, and the name is ongoing. It has brought into the limelight the legal and constitutional frameworks that manage such situations.

Legal and Constitutional frameworks

Article 324 of the Constitution: Election Commission is vested with the responsibilities of superintendence, direction, and control of elections.

The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968 deals with the matters like allotment of symbols in Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies and recognition of political parties.

Paragraph 15 of this Order empowers the election Commission to recognize the party formed by a splinter or rival groups, based upon the available facts and circumstances of the case.

Issue of party symbol and recognition of factions

The party symbols hold significant importance for political parties. Many voters, who cannot read, form an association with the symbols of parties.

Sadiq Ali v the Election Commission of India (1972): The case involved 2 factions of Indian National Congress (INC). One led by Jagjivan Ram i.e. INC (J), another led by C Subramanium i.e. INC (O).

The Election Commission rules in favor of INC (J) being the recognised political party. The Supreme Court also relied on the data presented to the Commission by INC factions and found that a substantial majority of the members of the Congress in both its legislative wing as well as the organisational wing supported the Congress (J). Thus, SC also concurred with the decision of the Election Commission, with the following observations made by Justice H R Khanna.

Paragraph 15, gives the Commission power to settle such disputes pertaining to symbols between factions of a party. It is entirely legal because this power accrues from Article 324 that creates the Commission and vests in it the power of superintendence over elections.

The clock is ticking on the issue of energy poverty

News: In the recently concluded G-7 Summit, the Prime Minister of India Modi reminded the leaders of the richest economies in the world that all the energy-poor countries should also be able to access energy as much as the rich global north.

The PM raised the bigger issue of global energy governance at G7 because all world energy systems are still tightly controlled by the Atlantic countries. The American dollar runs the global energy landscape.

The western countries build and push all global energy narratives in order to serve their own economic and geopolitical interests. For example, the International Energy Agency (IEA) serves the interests of the rich and developed countries.

What is the status of energy poverty globally?

The Latin American, Asian, and African regions account for around three billion energy-poor people.

In South Asia alone, over one billion people are struggling with extremely limited access to energy, despite the LPG and the LED revolutions in India.

What could be the implications of energy curbs imposed by western nations?

India and many other developed countries have been purchasing discounted Russian oil amid the increasing crude oil prices. But, the G-7 countries want to further tighten the sanctions or completely curb the flow of Russian oil in the global supply system. It would have many implications:

First, Russia accounts for 12.6% of the world’s oil production. It could lead to even higher oil prices. Sri Lanka-like energy shocks may disrupt the nations due to these factors.

Second, a ban could also strengthen the emergence of a parallel international oil market led by Russia and, allegedly, supported by China.

Third, unlike rich countries, most energy deficit countries in the developing world cannot tackle a slump in growth; rise in inflation and unemployment rate, and social unrest. For example, India’s oil import bill soared to $119 billion in the FY2021-22.

What should be done?

Energy access should not be the privilege of the rich only. A poor family also has the same rights on energy.

The G-7 should explore some other ways to tighten the sanctions on Russia instead of weaponizing oil.

Undoubtedly, the world needs a truly global intergovernmental organization dedicated to just energy transition, energy access and justice, and energy and climate. For this, India and China should take the lead. Other large countries like Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey could also be invited to brainstorm for initiating such a body.

Powerful platforms like the G-20 and the BRICS need to focus more on energy access, poverty, and security.

GS Paper 3

A plan that is much more than just planting trees

Context: Forest Landscape Restoration can help in regaining ecological functionality and improving human welfare.

In today’s world, forests need to be celebrated more than ever before. Simultaneously, more forests need to be created and restored.

Deforestation and forest degradation contribute to around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The total area occupied by primary forests in India has decreased by 3.6%.

Many efforts are ongoing for tree plantation, like under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Van Mahotsav. The history of Van Mahotsav goes back to July 1947, when it was first organized by the Punjabi botanist, M.S. Randhawa.

However, there is much debate about the efforts around tree planting.

Generally, governments rely on afforestation and reforestation for growing trees on non-treed land. Now, these strategies have evolved to forest landscape restoration.

What is Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)?

FLR is the process of regaining ecological functionality and improving human welfare on deforested or degraded forest landscapes.

It involves communities when the interventions are designed and executed for the up-gradation of landscapes.

This process ensures the diversity of the native tree species during plantation. As diversity results in more efficient carbon-sequestering than monoculture tree plantations. Moreover, it is beneficial for the livelihood of local communities. For example, in Punjab, native tree species like Jhand (Prosopis cineraria), Desi Kikar (Acacia nilotica), and Pharwan are being planted. Most of these saplings have a high survival rate of 90%, which is very important for sustainable reforestation.

Nearly two billion hectares of degraded land in the world (and 140 million hectares in India) can be restored as forest land.

What are the benefits associated with Tree Plantation?

Environmental benefits

Influencing the carbon cycle and mitigating the effects of climate change. Annually, forests absorb roughly 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. It is 33% of the total CO2 released due to fossil fuel burning.

Regulating the ecosystem.

Community benefits

Planting trees is deeply linked to the ‘wholistic’ well-being of all individuals, the community, and the planet.

First, Forests function as a resource base for goods and services for local communities.

Second, Forests are beneficial for agrarian cultures. According to academics from the World Resources Institute, forest ecosystems enrich soil fertility and water availability, and enhance agricultural productivity.

Third, Tree planting prevents erosion and stems flooding.

Fourth, Sustainable forest crops reduce food insecurity. It empowers women and allows them to gain access to more nutritional diets and new income streams.

Fifth, Agroforestry lessens rural-to-urban migration by increasing resources and household income.

Forest Restoration programs by India and the world

The period of 2021-2030 has been declared as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Bonn Challenge: Launched in 2011, with a global goal to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. India joined it in 2015, with the pledge to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.

Green Skill Development Programme: The program has been launched for the youth, looking for employment and livelihood in the forests and environment.

Telangana has initiated a large-scale tree planting program called ‘Telanganaku Haritha Haram’.

What are the hurdles in Forest Restoration?

Identification of areas for restoration,

A lack of importance accorded to research and scientific strategies in tree planting,

Conflicts of interest among Stakeholders, and financing

What should be done?

Forest landscape restoration must be implemented proactively.

The stakeholders including the community, champions, government, and landowners need to be involved in the process.

All reforestation efforts should consider the local socio-economic context and landscape history of a region.

Vulnerable forest-dependent communities should be included.

The example of the Punjab’s Mansa district should be repeated everywhere in the country.

Beating the heat

Context: Rising temperature is becoming a bigger problem with the days going by. Adapting to and mitigating this challenge is the need of the hour.

The planet’s temperature is rising consistently. Furthermore, an analysis of public weather data suggests that Monsoon temperatures are 0.3 °C higher than average summer temperatures when compared from 1951-80. From 2012-2021, this anomaly rose to 0.4 °C. Whereas, India’s average temperature has risen 0.62 °C from 1901-2020. However, it does not mean a uniform rise in temperature across seasons. Temperature is rising more during winter (January and February) and post-monsoon (October-December).

From 2015-2020, 2,137 people reportedly died due to heat stroke in northwest India. While, southern India had reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh accounting for over half the reported casualties.

The urban heat island effect is contributing to this stress. This phenomenon happens because of concrete surfaces, and dense populations tend to on average be hotter than rural habitations.

What are steps taken by the government to handle heat stress?

Some states, led by Gujarat, have Heat Action Plans (HAP).

The National Disaster Management Authority is working with 23 out of 28 heat-prone States to develop HAPs. HAPs stress changes in the built environment by:

First, using material that keeps the indoors cooler

Second, having an early warning system about heatwaves

Third, improving health infrastructure to treat heat stroke patients.

What should be done?

Governments should take steps to plan infrastructure and housing in ways that recognize the dangers of a warming environment.

India should include financial incentives for effective cooling plans, preferably via Budget outlays.

Revving up in low gear: The paradoxes in India’s transport sector

News: The transport sector is growing leaps and bounds in terms of infrastructure, with huge investments. However, the sector is not producing enough sustainable revenue.

Various measures are taken by the government to improve the transportation sector

Indian Railways (IR)

IR is investing close to 1% of GDP annually. It is a better investment than ever before. Introduction of “semi-high speed” passenger trains, Vista dome coaches on scenic routes, and other major programs are being taken up for upgrading railway stations.

Airways

In the recent past, it has been noticed that no Indian airline is making money. This will create further pressure on fares and therefore more losses

There have been a lot of “incidents” in the aircrafts which has raised concerns about safety.

Further, the staff of Indian airlines is facing pay cuts. In addition, the airline sector is also facing the wrath of high oil prices and high taxes.

Railway Sector

The dedicated freight corridors have made slow progress. There has been a massive overshot in the initial cost estimates.

Annual railway investment is now as much as revenue. Almost none of the investment is from operational surpluses. The bulk will come as budgetary support. Therefore, it could translate into mounting debt.

Roadways

The government is aggressively promoting expressways, inter-modal traffic nodes, and port linkages to address India’s perennial infrastructure deficit.

As per data, truck traffic is reported to have speeded up on the new highways. The introduction of GST has speeded up the process.

Its annual investment is about half what it is for the railways (or 0.5% of GDP).

There is an imbalance between revenue and investment, the latter being about nine times earnings.

The distance moved in a day by the average truck remains well below what it is elsewhere.

The investment is being done out of the Budget, and that too without taking into consideration the primary metric of return on investments.

What are the issues in India’s transport sector?

It has been witnessing stagnant traffic trends vis-a-vis passenger traffic & freight traffic and poor or negative returns.

Further, the sector demands unprecedented levels of investment in the coming future. But there is an imbalance between revenue generation and expenditure.

What should be done?

The government has been investing in all forms of transport. The results of that investment would be visible in the next two-three years in the form of transformational change in the air, on highways and expressways, and on the railways.

Substantial private funding is required for the transport infrastructure.

Further, the traffic growth should justify the investment. Otherwise, the government’s asset monetization program will not deliver the expected outcomes.

Delayed payments for small firms stifle economic growth

News: In recent times, it has been reported that small business owners (MSMEs) are facing delays in payments from big companies and public sector units.

Status of payments to MSMEs

As per data, payments worth Rs 6.3-10.7 lakh crore were delayed to MSMEs during 2020-21.

The average days for the delays of payment to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were estimated to 194, 68 and 46 days respectively.

What are the implications?

There is an erosion of value, for every day that payment is delayed. It locks in the capital that could have been deployed gainfully. The problem is being largely faced by cash-strapped and credit-starved MSMEs.

Micro and small enterprises borrow at comparatively higher costs and often operate in very competitive environments.

The delayed payment led to the foregoing of business opportunities due to lack of liquidity or disrupted cash flows. This is detrimental to the specific firm or enterprise as well as a deterrent to the overall growth of MSMEs. The firms face uncertainty in terms of planning business cycles.

The other types of costs incurred by such supplier firms include the time spent, and the personnel costs employed to recover payments.

The problem of delayed payments gives buyers an advantage that the economy cannot afford.

It increases the burden on the MSMEs. They are forced to work against the smaller supplier firms. Further, it also cripples economic activity for the vast majority of entrepreneurs in the country.

What are the challenges in resolving such challenges?

(1) Although, the government launched the SAMADHAN platform. But there are gaps in the implementation. There are close to one lakh complaints at present on the portal. But the disposal rate is low.

(2) In addition, there are market-based solutions like TReDS, supply chain financing, and in-time credit to ensure amicable supplier-buyer relations while easing cash flows for MSMEs. But the biggest impediment here is that they rest on two preconditions: (i) heightened formality of practices and (ii) buyers’ intent.

What should be done?

(1) The government should bring regulatory interventions like shifting the onus of timely payments onto the buyer firms. The highest levels of government should issue statements that such delays are not in the nation’s interest.

(2)  Efforts should be made to strengthen associations and credit practices of MSMEs. To quicken this, micro and small businesses need to coalesce and work towards gaining sustainable credit terms.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

National Monuments Authority recommends two sites associated with Dr. Ambedkar to be declared as Monuments of National Importance

Source: The post is based on the article “National Monuments Authority recommends two sites associated with Dr. Ambedkar to be declared as Monuments of National Importance” published in PIB on 8th July 2022

What is the News?

The National Monuments Authority(NMA) has recommended two sites associated with Dr. Ambedkar be declared Monuments of National importance. 

Which are those two sites associated with Dr. Ambedkar?

Sankalp Bhumi Banyan tree campus in Vadodara: This is a place where Dr. Ambedkar had taken a resolve to eradicate untouchability on 23rd September, 1917. This place is more than a hundred years old and a witness to the beginning of the social respect revolution heralded by Dr. Ambedkar.

Pratap Rao Bhosale High School in Satara (Maharashtra): This is a place where Bhim Rao Ramji Ambedkar received his primary education. The school register still shows with pride a child student, Bhim Rao’s signatures in Marathi. The school now under Zila Parishad is in very bad condition.

1 million animal and plant species face extinction threat: Study

Source: The post is based on the article “1 million animal and plant species face extinction threat: Study” published in TOI on 9th July 2022

What is the News?

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has released a report titled “Sustainable Use of Wild Species”.

What is the purpose of the report?

The report offers insights into the sustainable use of wild species by reminding the global community how much, human beings are interdependent, with all living beings and why it’s important to conserve them by stopping overexploitation and protecting their habitats.

What are the key findings of the report?

Source: TOI

Dependence on Wildlife Species: 50,000 wild species are used for different human purposes, including more than 10,000 wild species harvested directly for food.

– 70% of the world’s poor are directly dependent on wild species.

– One in five people rely on wild plants, algae, and fungi for their food and income; 

– One in three people – 2.4 billion – rely on fuel wood for cooking.

Non-Extractive use: Even non-extractive uses of wild species are important. For instance, tourism based on observing wild species is an important revenue source.

Cultural Significance: Certain species have cultural importance, as they offer multiple benefits that define tangible and intangible features of people’s cultural heritage.

Threats faced by Wildlife Species:

Overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and deforestation are pushing one million species towards extinction.

Hence, unless humankind improves the sustainable use of nature, the Earth is on its way to losing 12% of its wild tree species, over a thousand wild mammal species, and almost 450 species of sharks and rays among other irreparable harm.

Suggestions given by the report:

Firstly, integration of diverse value systems, equitable distribution of costs and benefits, changes in cultural norms and social values, and effective institutions and governance systems can facilitate the sustainable use of wild species.

Secondly, bringing scientists and indigenous peoples together to learn from each other will strengthen the sustainable use of wild species.

Thirdly, reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, suppressing harmful financial subsidies, supporting small-scale fisheries, adapting to changes in oceanic productivity due to climate change, and proactively creating effective transboundary institutions.

Defence exports touch ₹13,000 crore: official

Source: The post is based on the article “Defence exports touch ₹13,000 crore: official” published in The Hindu on 9th July 2022

What is the News?

India’s defence exports touched a record Rs. 13,000 crores in the 2021-2022 fiscal.

About India’s Defence Exports

For the first time, India’s defence exports have reached Rs 13,000 crore in 2021-2022.

This increase in defense exports is almost “eight times” what it was around five years ago.

The US was a major buyer of India’s defense exports. Other countries were from Southeast Asia, West Asia, and Africa.

The private sector accounted for 70% of the defence exports, while public sector firms accounted for the rest.

Note: Earlier, the private sector used to account for 90%, but now the share of defense public sector units has gone up.

The reason behind the rise in public sector share is due to the Rs 2,500 crore deal that India made with the Philippines for the BrahMos missiles.

What is the Artificial Intelligence in Defence(AIDef) symposium?

Organized by: Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.

Purpose: To showcase the cutting-edge AI-enabled solutions developed by the Industry, start-ups & innovators.

At the event, 75 newly-developed AI products/technologies having applications in defense will also be launched.

The products are in the domains of automation/unmanned/robotics systems, cybersecurity, human behavior analysis, intelligent monitoring system, logistics and supply chain management, speech/voice analysis, and Command, Control, and Communication.

Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change celebrates “Hariyali Mahotsav” – Tree Festival

Source: The post is based on the article “Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change celebrates “Hariyali Mahotsav” – Tree Festival” published in PIB on 8th July 2022

What is the News?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change organized “Hariyali Mahotsav” in New Delhi.

What is Hariyali Mahotsav?

Hariyali Mahotsav is also known as the Tree Festival.

Organized by: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

Aim: To create awareness about the importance of trees and green cover to protect the environment against air pollution and global warming. 

The festival involves planting 75 saplings in 75 urban forest spaces across the country as part of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. 

Significance: Tree plantation is one of the actions towards Lifestyle for Environment(LiFE) as announced by the Prime Minister in CoP 26 at Glasgow.

Steps taken by India to conserve Nature

India has a population of 17% of the world, yet it accounts for only 4% of carbon emissions. While other developed nations with the same percentage of the population account for nearly 60% of carbon emissions.  

India hosts rich biodiversity and in spite of the various anthropogenic challenges faced, the country thrives with 52 tiger reserves and 31 elephant reserves, and many other endemic, vibrant wildlife and rich forests.

India has committed to meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030. 

Under the Soil Health Card Scheme, the Government has issued 23 crores of soil health cards, which shows our commitment to the health of the soil.

INS TARKASH – Long Range Overseas Deployment

Source: The post is based on the article “INS TARKASH – LONG RANGE OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT” published in PIB on 8th July 2022

What is the News?

Indian Navy’s stealth frigate INS Tarkash visited Djibouti as part of her long-range overseas deployment, followed by a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Sudan Navy. 

What is INS Tarkash?

INS Tarkash is a state-of-the-art stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.

Built by: Yantar Shipyard at Kaliningrad, Russia.

Features: It is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing threats in all three dimensions.

– The ship incorporates the latest stealth features such as reduced radar, infra-red, acoustic, and magnetic signatures, thus making it difficult to detect at sea. 

Part of: The ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.

PARIMAN: The Geo-Portal for NCR made Public

Source: The post is based on the article “PARIMAN: The Geo-Portal for NCR made Public” published in PIB on 8th July 2022

What is the News?

The Government of India has decided to make the PARIMAN portal open to the public.

What is PARIMAN?

PARIMAN is a Geo-portal for the National Capital Region(NCR).

Purpose: The portal is a robust system to facilitate better sub-regional and local planning in NCR.

Features: The portal consists of around 179 Layers presented as Line, Point & Polygon features covering details of various sectors like Land Use, Transport, Industries, Water, Power, Health, Shelter, Heritage & Tourism, and Disaster Management.

Developed by: National Informatics Centre(NIC).

The portal was initially for use by NCR participating states and the office of the National Capital Region Planning Board(NCRPB). Now it has been made completely public.