Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• Between two books, a revelatory social history

GS Paper 2

• That Wasn’t a Capital Idea
• India needs a stronger statistical system for better policymaking
• Fiscal federalism needs a look-in by the 16th Finance Commission
• India and the US-China chips war
• Why women bureaucrats lose out on senior posts

GS Paper 3

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

Between two books, a revelatory social history

Source: The post is based on the article “Between two books, a revelatory social history” published in “The Hindu” on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 1 – Indian society

News: When read together, two notable books by journalists can offer insights into various aspects of socio-cultural change in rural and urban India

What are the two books?

The first one is “Blossoms in the Dust” by Kusum Nair, published in 1965. It explores the human factor in Indian development through Nair’s journey to villages across 14 states.

The second one is “Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World” by Snigdha Poonam, published in 2018. It documents Poonam’s experiences in provincial towns in eight northern Indian states.

How journalists provide an alternative understanding of social change in India?

Academic studies of social change in India have been constrained by methodological constraints.

On the other hand, journalists have attempted to document social change by interacting with ordinary people and observing the effects of economic, technological, and political changes on their lives.

They provide a different perspective from academia and a broader understanding of social change in India.

How does Kusum Nair’s book documents social change?

Kusum Nair’s book was written when rural poverty was a pressing issue in India. It explores how villagers responded to the state’s efforts to alleviate poverty through economic and social planning.

She discovered signs of change in old attitudes in different regions, ranging from significant progress to resistance.

How does Snigdha Poonam’s book documents social change?

In Snigdha Poonam’s book, she explores the complex social landscape of young people from ordinary backgrounds in provincial towns of northern India. These youth feel disappointed or disillusioned but are determined to fight for themselves.

They display an entrepreneurial spirit with a relentless pursuit of wealth and power, disregarding social and moral obstacles. Despite facing challenging circumstances, they continue to move forward with determination and without hesitation. But many lack a clear distinction between right and wrong.

How do the two books interpret the social change when read together?

The two books, when read together, depict a materialistic culture that has significantly impacted traditional beliefs and values in India.

Kusum Nair’s journey through rural India in the 20th century reveals that the village held great significance as a place of belonging with emotional and cultural value attached to it.

In Snigdha Poonam’s memoir, she highlights the diminishing ethical framework that belonging to a village might give.

Economic and social changes have overlooked the significance of meaningful education and work. The growth of the market and infrastructure are not accompanied by an educated mind and the prospect of employment. This undermines the social fabric’s ability to uphold its cherished norms and morality.

GS Paper 2

That Wasn’t a Capital Idea

Source– The post is based on the article “That Wasn’t A Capital Idea” published in “The Times of India” on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues pertaining to federalism

Relevance– Constitutional issues related to NCT of Delhi

News- Central government has promulgated an ordinance to overrule the SC judgement regarding the control over services in UT of Delhi.

What are some observations by SC in its judgment regarding the control over services in Delhi?

The executive power of the Union ought not to extend to where there is an elected government.

“Services” are not excluded from Article 239AA(3)(a). The Delhi government would have both legislative and executive power over services

The judgement talks about the role of civil servants, their accountability. It would not be appropriate for ministers who formulate policies to not have the means of implementing them through officials.

SC concluded that services that related to the excluded subjects of “public order, police and land” would remain within the domain of the Union.

IAS and other service officers would be subject to Delhi government control in all other areas of day-to-day governance.

The involvement of the Union of India in the administration of NCTD is limited by constitutional provisions. Any further expansion would be contrary to constitutional governance.

What is the centre response to SC judgement?

The ordinance provides for a ‘National Capital Civil Service Authority’ consisting of the Delhi CM, the chief secretary and principal home secretary. It would decide by majority on postings, transfers and disciplinary proceedings of officers.

GOI has concurrently also filed a review petition against the judgement

What are similar instances where the centre has followed the same approach with regard to the judicial process?

The farm bills and land acquisition amendments were both initially via ordinances and had to be withdrawn.

The ordinance to get around SC’s judgement limiting executive influence in tribunals was struck down in July 2021.

The same method was adopted to grant extensions to the director of the ED after SC curtailed the extension.

Bypassing judicial orders or other laws through ordinance route is a disregard for the judicial and legislative process.

India needs a stronger statistical system for better policymaking

Source– The post is based on the article “India needs a stronger statistical system for better policymaking” published in livemint on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Governance – Government Policies for various sectors

Relevance: Need of data in effective policy making

News- Official statistics provide crucial inputs to policymaking in any modern democracy. The last 75 years have seen change in India’s economy and society  so our statistical system also need to change accordingly.

What are the issues with respect to the present statistical system?

Firstly, the statistical system has been politicized and has largely lost its independence. While all governments have been complicit, the credibility of the statistical system is now under threat.

For example, 2017-18 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)  was junked without any public debate.In their absence, we are using national accounts and inflation data that is more than a decade old .

Similarly, for the first time after independence, India is unlikely to have the decennial population Census amounts to another attempt at denying access to vital data.

Data on caste as part of the SECC 2011 is yet to be released despite demands from the general public and academic community.

Secondly, even when data has been released, there were attempts to denigrate and delegitimize it. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is an example which faced unnecessary and irrelevant criticism .

Finally, for every official statistics, there is plenty of alternative data that is thrown up to raise doubts on the credibility of official statistics. Provident fund and pensions data was used to discredit the official employment statistics and create an alternative narrative.

What is the way forward?

Data-sets on employment, poverty, inequality, education and even basic population numbers are essential inputs for several government programmes.

Public availability of such data would let researchers generate debates on various important matters of governance.

In fact, credible data is no less essential to a democracy than a free press.

The need of the hour is to strengthen the country’s statistical system to reflect these changes and provide better-quality data.

An essential prerequisite for this is that the system is given the independence needed to generate data without fear or favour.

Fiscal federalism needs a look-in by the 16th Finance Commission

Source– The post is based on the article “Fiscal federalism needs a look-in by the 16th Finance Commission” published in live Mint on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2-Fiscal Federalism

Relevance: Appointment of The Sixteenth Finance Commission (16th FC)

News- The soon-to-be-appointed 16^th Finance Commission will have to tackle problems in Centre-state relations ,solve issues of centralization and delegation of funds to lower levels.

What are the challenging issues in Fiscal Federalism?

First, there is the intersecting domain of the Finance Commission and Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council. The latter’s decisions impact the own tax revenue flows of states and, more importantly, the size of the central tax revenue pool .

Second, the demands for greater centralization of expenditure assignment is another issue. India has a quasi-federal system. For purposes of legislation, regulation and administration, Schedule 7 of the Constitution assigns  47 subjects to the Concurrent List.

Third, there is the issue of externalities. If social benefits or losses can spill over across boundaries of a lower-level jurisdiction, it requires assignment of the subject to a higher-level jurisdiction with wider spatial coverage.

Fourth is the third tier of government.where it is left to the states to decide what functions from the state list in the 7th schedule should be further delegated and assigned to local governments.

Finally, equity considerations may require greater centralization to enable the provision of comparable levels of public or merit services for all citizens in a country.

What is Way forward?

Most of these problems haven been sorted out and GST has now emerged as a large and buoyant source of revenue for both the Centre and states.

Vijay Kelkar, chairman of the 13th FC, suggested that consolidated funds should be created for PRIs and ULBs, funded by earmarking a share of the central GST and state GST for them.

The capacity of local-level institutions should be strengthened

A change in the assignment of subjects under schedule 7, whether towards greater centralization or greater decentralization, will entail constitutional amendments.

India and the US-China chips war

Source: The post is based on the article “India and the US-China chips war” published in The Indian Express on 30^th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – International Relations – Effect of Policies & Politics of Developed & Developing Countries on India’s Interests

Relevance: concerns with the semiconductor industry

News: The article explains about the concerns associated with the semiconductor industry.

What are the geopolitical issues involved with the semiconductors?

Read Here: Highlight the reasons behind the China-Taiwan stand-off. What lessons can India take from it? and Taiwan matters more than we’d like to tell ourselves

How is the US trying to control the dominance of China and increase its dominance in the semiconductor industry?

The US has – 1) denied semiconductor technology to China to prevent it from gaining high tech dominance over the world, and 2) pumped up its own domestic capacity for making chips.

During the Trump Administration, Chinese telecom giant Huawei and its several ancillaries were deemed as a threat to US national security, leading to restrictions on their access to chips from US companies.

The Biden Administration maintained restrictions and introduced its own measure, which cut the world’s largest manufacturer of 5G phones and other Chinese companies from accessing semiconductors made using American tools and software.

The US has also collaborated with key partners to limit China’s access to chip technology.

According to the data, China’s chip imports from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (members of the US-led “Chip 4 Alliance”) have declined by 20% in the first five months of 2023.

The US also passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which allocated $280 billion in new funding for domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing.

The US has moved towards semiconductor friendshoring in the Quad, where the members committed themselves to building “resilient, diverse and secure supply chains of critical and emerging technologies”.

How is the US and India partnering in the field of semiconductors?

Both nations have announced the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET)

The two countries have also agreed to strengthen bilateral collaboration on resilient supply chains, support the development of a semiconductor design, manufacturing, and fabrication ecosystem in India, etc.

An MoU was signed between the two nations on Semiconductor Supply Chain and Innovation Partnership to promote commercial opportunities, research, talent, and skill development.

As part of these developments, Micron Technology, a leading US semiconductor firm, announced a proposed investment of up to $825 million to build a facility in India, with the Indian government combined investment value to $2.75 billion.

What are the challenges with India in manufacturing chips?

Currently, India lacks the capability to provide 24×7 power and consistent water supply, essential for chip making industry. There is also a lack of skilled workforce.

The Indian government has also shown reluctance in pursuing a free trade agreement and a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan, which is hindering to attract investments from TSMC, the world’s biggest chip maker.

Hence, the absence of a complete “chip ecosystem” is one of the reasons why major international chip makers have not yet shown interest in establishing operations in India, despite the government’s willingness to promote the industry.

Must Read: India’s semiconductor mission might need a compass and India’s push for semiconductors

What can be the way ahead for India?

It could take India 10-20 years to establish itself as a serious player in the semiconductor industry. However, India has positioned itself in the global chip competition by forging a technology partnership with the US to a new level.

Why women bureaucrats lose out on senior posts

Source: The post is based on an article “Why women bureaucrats lose out on senior posts” published in The Indian Express on 30^th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Issues Related with Women

Relevance: concerns with women bureaucrats in getting top positions.

News: In June 1991, India’s 10th Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, formed a group of bureaucrats, technocrats, and politicians to initiate the liberalization of India’s economy. This team consisted entirely of men.

Why weren’t women included in the team?

First, the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), from which the team members were primarily selected, had a limited number of women. Recruitment rules were biased towards men, as only unmarried women were allowed to join the services and were required to resign if they got married.

Second, by the time Rao was putting together his team, women officers were either too junior in rank or ongoing systemic issues kept them out of senior positions.

Third, despite the removal of entry barriers, there was a lack of trust in women’s capabilities. Women were often assigned to “soft” departments, and there has been a lack of representation of women in top positions in India.

Why are women bureaucrats not given top positions in India?

The issue of representation of women in senior positions in India is not due to a lack of talent. There are highly deserving female civil servants who are just as qualified as their male counterparts.

However, it is systematic challenges and bias that prevents women from holding top position.

For instance, Renuka Viswanathan, the first woman district magistrate in Karnataka, held a doctorat d’etat (higher than a doctorate) in public finance.

However, when she sought a position in the finance ministry in the 1980s, her appointment was not easily granted.

Further, there were many competent women bureaucrats during the 1990s who could have been considered as part of the Rao’s team. However, they weren’t considered.

Moreover, even when the government hired laterally for the team in 1991, women were given lower positions compared to the men.

For instance, Padma Desai was offered a lower grade compared to the position her husband Montek Singh Ahluwalia received when he joined laterally at a younger age and with lower qualifications than hers.

Moreover, organisations like the IMF and the World Bank served as ways through which talent came to India.

However, even in these institutions men have enjoyed top positions, including the position of executive director (India) to the World Bank, to this day.

What can be the way ahead?

There has been a positive shift in recent years in the representation of women in the Indian civil services.

For instance, in the latest round of the union civil service examinations, out of the 933 candidates selected, 320 were women, marking the highest number to date.

However, these numbers do not indicate how many will reach top leadership positions in the services, particularly in the ministries of finance, commerce and industry, home, and defence.

Therefore, as the number of women entering the services increases, it presents an opportunity for the organization to reevaluate their talent retention and advance policies to ensure that women are equally represented in high-ranking positions.

GS Paper 3

Why states are falling short on capital spending

Source– The post is based on the article “Why states are falling short on capital spending” published in the “The Hindu” on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Government budgeting

Relevance- Issues related to government finances

News- Today, Indian states are at the forefront when it comes to capital expenditure. Aware of this, the Centre has been incentivizing them in a big way. But the outcome is far from optimal.

What’s the importance of capex?

Capex creates assets. These improve the efficiency of the economy. A capital expenditure on port will speed up transportation of goods and people. It will reduce logistics costs.

They contribute to future economic growth. A factory set up today will create jobs and its output will add to the gross domestic product in future.

Revenue expenditure does not create any asset and contributes to present growth.

Who should be spending on capex?

Ideally the bulk of the capex should be done by the private sector. Government should play a supportive role. However, the private sector in India is reluctant to invest in capex.

As a result, the government is investing heavily for capex with the hope that it will trigger private investment.

Here the states have come to play a larger role as their combined capex spending is more than that of the Centre. In FY22 states spent ₹10.5 trillion on capex compared to the Centre’s ₹8.4 trillion.

How are states being encouraged to spend more?

The Centre is offering states a 50-year interest-free loan for capex. In FY23 it approved ₹95,147 crore and for FY24, ₹1.3 trillion has been allocated under the scheme.

The Centre has also been releasing tranches of tax devolution early to help states front-load capex rather than wait till the end of the fiscal.

How have states fared on capex?

According to a study by Bank of Baroda, 25 states have cumulatively achieved 76% of their capex target in FY23. They had budgeted ₹7.49 trillion and spent ₹5.71 trillion.

Karnataka, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar exceeded their target. Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Odisha spent over 80% of the budgeted amount.

Andhra Pradesh was the worst performer spending just 23% of allocated funds.

Why are states falling short despite support?

Firstly, states are legally mandated under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act to keep their fiscal deficit under control.

States are unable to reduce their revenue expenditure on salaries, pension, subsidies. They are cutting down on capex to meet the deficit norms.

States are also constrained by a lack of projects or skills to implement them. There are state-level political disruptions such as government instability or elections which come in the way of decision-making pertaining to capex.

Independent boards for all agencies

Source: The post is based on the article “Independent boards for all agencies” published in “Business Standard” on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian Economy: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

News: In a recent speech, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) highlighted the significance of independent board members for overseeing Indian banks. This emphasizes the need for government agencies and regulatory authorities to also have a majority of independent directors on their boards, just like private companies.

What are the principles of good organization design?

Good organization design aims to minimize the concentration of power and encourage the involvement of diverse perspectives and interests in decision-making. This leads to better decisions and reduces the likelihood of mistakes.

Instead of relying solely on individuals, effective organization design focuses on creating strong institutions which ensures consistent and high-performance outcomes over long periods of time.

What are the three big ideas on good governance for organisations?

1) Independence of outsiders on the board from the management and from controlling shareholders. 2) Independent directors should be in the majority to hold the inside directors accountable. 3) One of the independent directors should be the chairperson of the board. This will reduce the concentration of power and enhance the authority of independent directors in relation to the management.

These ideas are implemented through legislation such as the Companies Act and regulations enforced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), particularly for listed companies.

How are these ideas applicable to government organisations?

These concepts are equally applicable to government organisations and provide the framework through which the governance of all government organisations can be examined and improved.

An independent director in a government-controlled organization should not have any affiliation or involvement with the state apparatus in any capacity.

What is the present status of governance in government organisations?

Presently, different approaches are adopted by different organizations to address governance issues.

Most regulatory authorities have boards consisting mainly of whole-time members (WTMs) who tend to conform to the chairperson. This results in an excessive concentration of power which obstructs effective debates and decision-making.

Also, there is a lack of independent directors (part-time members or PTMs), which further weakens checks and balances within these boards.  Notable exceptions are the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.

In certain organizations, the power is centralized entirely in the chairperson, and the role of the board becomes insignificant.

What should be done?

A unified set of principles should be applied by creating a comprehensive law, like the Indian Financial Code. Such a law would include all financial agencies and standardize and improve governance practices across them.

In every organisation, the board must have oversight of organisation design and processes and have enough power to hold the management accountable.

How NRF aims to boost research in higher educational institutes

Source: The post is based on the articles “Express View on National Research Foundation: Changing the game” and “How NRF aims to boost research in higher educational institutes” published in “The Indian Express” on 30th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Science and Technology

News: The Union cabinet decided to set up a National Research Foundation (NRF) as an apex body to promote, fund and mentor scientific research in higher education institutions across the country.

How does the NRF aim to boost research in higher educational institutes?

Broad-basing research: One of the main objectives of the NRF is to involve colleges and universities in scientific research. Currently, less than one per cent of the nearly 40,000 institutions of higher learning in the country are engaged in research.  Research activities are mostly carried out by specialized institutions, while colleges and most universities primarily focus on teaching. NRF aims to end this artificial separation between research and education by acting as a bridge between specialized institutions and less-funded colleges, universities, and polytechnics.

Research in social sciences: The NRF would also fund and promote research in humanities, social sciences and arts. As of now, research in these areas has very limited sources of funding.

National priorities: The NRF aims to identify priority areas in which science and technology interventions can help larger national objectives like clean energy, climate change etc. Also, NRF would coordinate research developments in mega international projects like LIGO, in which India is involved.

Funding:  India spends less than 0.7 percent of its GDP on research and development. This has a direct impact on the quality and quantity of research output. The core objective of NRF is to sharply increase funding for research from government as well as private sources.

Partnerships: Partnerships between industry, academia, government departments, and research institutions have led to groundbreaking developments in the global knowledge economy.  But in India, even scientists in top institutes struggle for securing funding. The NRF has the potential to overcome these challenges by addressing funding challenges and bureaucratic hurdles.

The estimated allocation of Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years is not substantially higher than the current spending. Completing projects and making full utilization of available resources is very important. The funding can increase once the NRF starts to make an impact.

The NRF project is modelled on the National Science Foundation in the US which is an independent federal agency. The dominant presence of the government in the NRF may be unavoidable due to its significance but the government should ensure the institution’s autonomy.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Explained | Global tropical primary forest cover continued decline in 2022: study

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | Global tropical primary forest cover continued decline in 2022: study” published in The Hindu on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch has released a research report on forest cover.

What are the key findings of the report by Global Forest Watch?

Source: BBC

Forest cover loss in Tropical areas: In 2022, Tropical areas lost 4.1 million hectares of forest cover – equivalent to losing an area of 11 football fields per minute.

– The primary forest cover loss in tropical areas in 2022 was 10% more than in 2021.

Note: Primary forests are mature, natural forests that have remained undisturbed in recent history.They often store more carbon than other forests and are rich sources of biodiversity. 

– Primary forest loss is almost irreversible in nature: even if the green cover regrows, a secondary forest is unlikely to match the extent of biodiversity and carbon sequestering capabilities of a primary forest.

World is not on track to meet its forest-related commitments: Two key goals set by the World Resources Institute includes:

Source: BBC

– Ending deforestation by 2030: For this, the global deforestation rate needs to decrease by at least 10% annually to meet the 2030 target.

In 2022, the deforestation rates reduced by 3.1% compared to the 2018-2020 baseline.But it is still far away from the 2030 goal.

– Restoring 350 million hectares of lost and degraded forests by 2030. The overall change in tree cover over the past two decades has been a net loss of 100 million hectares. This indicates that forests are still being lost instead of being restored at the required rate.

Countries Tropical forest cover: Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the two countries with the most tropical forest cover and both registered losses of this resource in 2022. 

– On the other hand, Indonesia and Malaysia managed to keep their primary forest cover loss to record-low levels in 2022.

India: India lost 43.9 thousand hectares of humid primary forest between 2021 and 2022, which accounts for 17% of the country’s total tree cover loss in the period. The total tree cover loss in India between 2021 and 2022 was 255 thousand hectares.

The Open Market Sale Scheme for wheat and rice

Source: The post is based on the article “The Open Market Sale Scheme for wheat and rice” published in The Hindu on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

States have been looking at alternative ways of procuring wheat and rice after the Food Corporation of India’s(FCI) has imposed quantity restrictions and has also refused to allow States to procure these two food grains through its Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).

What is the Open Market Sale Scheme?

Under the Open Market Sale Scheme, the Food Corporation of India(FCI) from time to time sells surplus food grains from the central pool, especially wheat and rice in the open market to traders, bulk consumers, retail chains and so on at predetermined prices. 

The FCI does this through e-auctions where open market bidders can buy specified quantities.

States are also allowed to procure food grains through the OMSS without participating in the auctions for their needs beyond what they get from the central pool to distribute to NFSA (National Food Security Act) beneficiaries.

What is the objective behind introducing the Open Market Sale Scheme?

The objective is to activate the OMSS during the lean season, the time between harvests, to improve and regulate domestic supply and availability of the two grains and bring down their prices in the open market essentially making the scheme a measure to curb food grain inflation.

How has the Central Government revised the Open Market Sale Scheme?

Click Here to read

How have the States reacted?

In Karnataka, the Anna Bhagya scheme to give rice to marginalized families was a part of the Congress government’s poll promise. Congress has accused the Centre of conspiring to “fail” the State government’s poll guarantee by ensuring the State did not receive the required amount of rice to implement the scheme.

Tamil Nadu is trying to purchase 50,000 tonnes of rice from government agencies other than FCI. 

The Kerala government does not procure grains under the OMSS but is planning legal steps against the Centre’s overall food distribution policy. 

Rockies, Alps, Himalayas: More rain, less snow in Northern hemisphere mountains as temperatures rise, says report

Source: The post is based on the article “Rockies, Alps, Himalayas: More rain, less snow in Northern hemisphere mountains as temperatures rise, says report” published in Down To Earth on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

Researchers have found that climate change will cause a shift from snowfall to rainfall on mountains across the Northern Hemisphere.

What are the key findings of the study?

Climate change could cause a shift from snowfall to rainfall in mountain regions across the Northern Hemisphere.

The Himalayas and other mountains across the Northern Hemisphere are likely to see 15% more rain for every 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature due to climate change.

For 2 degrees and 3 degrees rise, the world would see a 30 percent and 45 percent increase in rain.

This shift from snowfall to rainfall will increase the risk of disasters such as floods, landslides, and soil erosion.

One-quarter of the global population lives in or downstream from mountainous regions. They are going to be directly affected by this risk.

However, not all mountain regions are at high risk. The Himalayas and the North American Pacific Mountain ranges, including the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and coastal ranges (from Canada to Southern California) are more threatened than the Rockies or the Alps.

UNODC World Drug Report 2023 warns of converging crises as illicit drug markets continue to expand

Source: The post is based on the article “UNODC World Drug Report 2023 warns of converging crises as illicit drug markets continue to expand” published in UN on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released the World Drug Report 2023.

What are the key findings of the World Drug Report 2023?

Globally, over 296 million people used drugs in 2021, an increase of 23 percent over the previous decade. 

The number of people who suffer from drug use disorders has reached 39.5 million, a 45 percent increase over 10 years.

Only one in five people suffering from drug-related disorders were in treatment for drug use in 2021 with widening disparities in access to treatment across regions.

Youth populations are the most vulnerable to using drugs and are also more severely affected by substance use disorder in several regions. 

Large inequalities in access and availability of controlled drugs for medical use persist, particularly for pain management. The disparity is particularly prevalent between the global North and South, and across urban and rural areas.

Drug trafficking is accelerating environmental devastation, particularly in the Amazon Basin. The production of illicit drugs contributes to deforestation, pollution, and the use of harmful chemicals, leading to ecological harm and the loss of biodiversity.

The opium ban in Afghanistan had a positive result, but concerns remain about the production of synthetic drugs. However, farmers’ income has suffered in Afghanistan due to the Opium ban by the Taliban.

What are the key recommendations given by the report?

Public health, prevention, and access to treatment services must be prioritized worldwide.

Law enforcement forces need to keep pace with criminal business models and the proliferation of cheap synthetic drugs that are easy to bring to market.

India slips to 40th spot in world competitiveness ranking

Source: The post is based on the article “India slips to 40th spot in world competitiveness ranking” published in India Today on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) has released the World Competitiveness Ranking 2023.

What is the World Competitiveness Ranking?

The World Competitiveness Ranking is a comprehensive annual report and worldwide reference point on the competitiveness of countries. 

It analyzes and ranks countries according to how they manage their competencies to achieve long-term value creation.

It evaluates countries based on four key factors: economic performance, government efficiency, infrastructure and business efficiency.

What are the key findings of World Competitiveness Ranking?

Top three countries: Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland have been named the top three among 64 economies.

India: India has been ranked 40th.India has slipped three spots from the previous year but has improved from its 43rd rank in 2019-2021.

Observations made on India: India has witnessed improvements in government efficiency but slightly underperformed in business efficiency, infrastructure, and economic performance when compared to other countries. 

– The top three contributing factors that positively impacted India’s score are: Exchange rate stability, compensation levels, and advancements in pollution control.

– Challenges for India: Sustaining high GDP growth, managing financial market volatility, controlling inflation and fiscal deficit, accelerating digital transformation and mobilizing resources for infrastructure development.

India, Philippines to explore scope of joint sales, patrols to boost defence partnership

Source: The post is based on the article “India, Philippines to explore scope of joint sales, patrols to boost defence partnership” published in The Hindu on 29th June 2023

What is the News?

The 5th India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation meeting was held recently.

What are the key highlights from the India-Philippines meeting?

Defence: India has offered the Philippines a Line of Credit(LoC) to help it meet its defence requirement.

– India will also be opening a resident Defence Attaché office in Manila.

Note: A defence attaché (DA) is a member of the armed forces who serves in an embassy as a representative of his/her country’s defence establishment abroad and in this capacity enjoys diplomatic status and immunity.The DA is usually responsible for all aspects of bilateral military and defence relations.

Economy: The two countries signed a bilateral MoU for the constitution of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fintech, which would provide the institutional framework for cooperation on digitization of payments, direct benefit transfer using National ID and financial inclusion.

Science and Technology cooperation: Both countries discussed domains including cyber security, artificial intelligence, and space cooperation.A new issue that was discussed was cyber trafficking.

India’s largest radio telescope plays vital role in detecting universe’s vibrations

Source: The post is based on the following articles:

–  “India slips to 40th spot in world competitiveness ranking” published in The Hindu on 30th June 2023

– “Indian telescope & astronomers help global team hear ‘humming of gravitational waves”  published in TOI on 30th June 2023

What is the News?

India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope(GMRT) was among the world’s six large telescopes that played a key role in providing evidence confirming the presence of gravitational waves.

What is the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope(GMRT)?

GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that helps investigate various radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby solar systems to the edge of the observable universe.

Located at: Pune, Maharashtra

Operated by: National Centre for Radio Astrophysics(NCRA), a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.

What are Gravitational waves?

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How did the researchers confirm the presence of gravitational waves?

An international team of astronomers were able to detect the low-frequency ripples created by the gravitational waves for the first time after years of research.

These ripples were observed using the world’s largest radio telescopes including India’s Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope(GMRT).

These telescopes studied signals from dead stars which are known as pulsars.

Pulsars are also known as cosmic clocks.They are rapidly spinning neutron stars that send out radio signals at regular intervals which are seen as bright flashes from the Earth.

As these signals are accurately timed, there is a great interest in studying these pulsars and to unravel the mysteries of the Universe.

Researchers while observing signals from pulsars found that some signals arrive early while others, with a slight delay (less than a millionth of a second).

These nano-hertz signals were heard as humming from the Universe.Researchers said that this was caused due to the presence of gravitational waves and due to signal irregularities emerging from pulsars.

Why is this discovery significant?

The discovery is a significant breakthrough in understanding the gravitational wave spectrum and it has opened a new window of exploration in astrophysics. It has also deepened the understanding of the Universe and is a great example of the power of international collaboration.