9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – May 26th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• India must shift the discourse on abortion rights
• Diversifying plates for girls
• India is a nation of meat-eaters — they are mostly men
• The Indo-Pacific economic bloc offers India a new opportunity

GS Paper 3

• Explained: Sugar export curbs and their impact
• Supreme Court’s ruling on GST deepens the churn in the tax regime
• Indian gig workers may finally be getting a fairer deal
• Crude Economics – Marco-Economic impacts of oil price rise
• How consumption is set to outstrip food grain production
• Be wary of growing exports

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Supreme Court recognises sex work as a ‘profession
• Qutub Minar not a place of worship: ASI
• Explained: Who was Prithviraj Chauhan, the fearless hero of folk legend?
• Indian Navy – Bangladesh Navy Bilateral EX Bongosagar Commences
• Ministry of Education releases National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report
• PARAM PORUL Supercomputer inaugurated at NIT, Tiruchirappalli
• Power Ministry working on a scheme to liquidate the past dues of Discoms

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

India must shift the discourse on abortion rights

News: Recently, two women public health practitioners who have studied and worked in India and the United States have voiced their solidarity with women in both countries for their abortion rights..

Abortion Statistics

Global

According to the WHO, 6 out of 10 of all unintended pregnancies end in an induced abortion. Around 45% of all abortions are unsafe, and around 97% take place in developing countries.

India

According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-2021, 3% of all pregnancies in India result in abortion.

More than half of abortions in India are performed in the private sector, whereas only 20% are performed in the public sector because public facilities often lack abortion services.

Around 27% of abortions are performed by the woman herself at home. Around 73% of these were medication abortions. Another 5% of all abortions done outside of health facilities were done with methods other than medication abortion.  Most of these abortions were illegal as per the MTP Act.

A recent study found that sex-selective abortions in India could lead to 6.8 million fewer girls being born between 2017 to 2030.

Obstacles

The MTP Act 1971 and then amended in 2021 makes ‘medical termination of pregnancy’ legal in India under specific conditions. The Act primarily protects medical practitioners as “induced miscarriage” is a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

What are the issues?

The acceptance of abortion in Indian society is situated in the context of population control and family planning.

Many women face a lack of access, systemic barriers, social norms and cultural preferences, and even criminal liability. Therefore, many women continue to die due to unsafe abortions.  As per a 2014 study, abortions account for 10% of maternal deaths in India.

After more than 50 years of the MTP Act, women and transgender persons face major obstacles in accessing safe abortion care because

First, most of them are not even aware that abortion is legal or know where to obtain one safely;

Second, the MTP Act does not recognise abortion as a choice. There is a lack of choice and bodily autonomy of women. The decision of abortion is solely decided by the approval of medical professionals even in the first few weeks of the pregnancy;

Third, The Act mentions only ‘pregnant woman’. It fails to recognise that transgender persons and others can also become pregnant.

Fourth, unmarried and transgender people continue to face stigma and can be turned away from health facilities, forcing them to resort to unsafe care;

Fifth, mandatory reporting requirements under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill (POCSO), 2011 against child sexual offences, impact privacy and hinder access of adolescents to safe abortion services;

Sixth, many are still coerced into agreeing to a permanent or long-term contraceptive method as a prerequisite for getting abortion services;

Seventh, health-care providers may impose their own morality. They may insist on ‘husbands’ or ‘parental’ consent for abortion.

Eighth, despite laws prohibiting sex determination, the illegal practice persists. The unregulated ultrasound clinics have mushroomed in India. They continues to facilitate the illegal practice of sex determination, resulting in unsafe abortions and female foeticide.

Way Forward

There is an urgent need for a perspective from an abortion for the purpose of a family planning and maternal health to an abortion which is done on the basis of a sexual health and reproductive rights.

India must amend the law and raise the bar on reproductive justice. In addition, the health systems should be improved to provide good quality and respectful abortion care.

Reproductive injustice anywhere is a threat to the lives of people everywhere.

Diversifying plates for girls

News: The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data (2019-20) has shown an increase in anaemia among adolescent girls by 5% when compared to National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4.

About nutrition requirement

In the adolescence phase of life, both boys and girls demand a lot of nutrition intake. As girls face more physiological demands, thus they require a higher intake of macro and micro nutrients. Therefore, Adolescent girls are 40% and boys are 18% prone to anaemia.

The adolescent’s nutritional status is related to the burden of multiple micronutrient deficiencies. Currently, 80% of adolescents suffer ‘hidden hunger’ due to micro nutrient deficiencies.

Over 10% of adolescents are overweight in 12 States of India

What are the causes of low nutrition?

As per the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2019, the consumption of diverse food groups among adolescents was low even before the pandemic.

The COVID-19 has further worsened dietary diversity, especially of women, adolescents and children. For example, as per a study, women’s dietary diversity in India declined by 42% during COVID-19 lockdowns as they consumed fewer fruits, vegetables, and eggs.

The lockdowns have led to the loss of mid-day meals, interruptions in Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) and nutrition education in schools for adolescent girls. The out-of-school adolescent girls were even more vulnerable to poor nutrition outcomes.

Way Forward

During adolescence, dietary diversity can be promoted, when dietary habits are in the formative stage. The behaviour imbibed during adolescence has a higher chance of being continued in adult life. It can correct nutritional deficiencies and replenish the body with much-needed nutrients, especially for girls.

Appropriate nutrition should be ensured to the adolescent girls. This can be done in following ways:

First, the WIFS services should be continued, the government’s health and nutrition policies should promote diverse diets (like inclusion of millets) and physical activities. This can be done with better school ecosystem (like Nutri-Smart schools having kitchen gardens in schools); and strengthen nutrition counselling through community-based events and Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days.

Second, apart from schools, young girls having adequate information and knowledge about appropriate diets can act as change agents for their families, community, and peer groups.

Third, in addition, increasing the legal age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21 years was a good step. Further, it should be ensured that girls remain in school or formal education. This will provide opportunities to girls to improve their nutritional and health outcomes.

Fourth, to address hidden hunger, we need to strengthen our policy initiatives to address deficiencies of not just iron and folic acid, but also vitamin B12, vitamin D, and zinc.

Fifth, POSHAN 2.0 Mission strongly integrates the aspect of under-nutrition and anaemia among women, girls, and children. In addition, non-communicable diseases and obesity among adolescents should also be included.

India is a nation of meat-eaters — they are mostly men

News: According to the NFHS-5 data, a staggering 83.4% of men and 70.6% of women in the 15-49 age group are non-vegetarian. Thus, the NFHS does not support a contention that India is primarily a vegetarian nation.

Statistics in the NFHS-5

(A) Consumption of non-vegetarian food

The percentage of the vegetarian population has declined by a 5 percentage-point from the 21.6% recorded in the NFHS-4 to 16.6% recorded in the NFHS-5. However, in the case of women, the reduction was almost insignificant. It was recorded 29.9% in NFHS-4 and 29.4% in NFHS-5

Globally, the proportion of those who are vegetarian would, at best, be 8%. But the kind of gender skew found in India is an exclusive feature of the country. It is not replicated anywhere else.

(B) Consumption of alcohol

There has actually been a 7% decrease in the consumption of alcohol among men aged 15-49 between the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 data.

Other Arguments which reject India being a vegetarian society

Archaeological and anthropological data do not give any credence to the claims and assertions that India is a vegetarian society.

The Vedas too do not support this narrative. In fact, it is unequivocally held that it was unviable to depend only on vegetarian food anywhere in the world even during the Vedic times.

Description about Vegetarianism and Non-vegetarianism

Firstly, it is wrong to say that people only consume meat. All such people who consume non-vegetarian food also consume pulses, grains, vegetables, fruits and the like. Such people should have to be categorised as omnivorous because their food is derived from both animals and plants.

Secondly, some sections/groups have deviated from an earlier omnivorous form of food intake. They refrained from animal food. They are defined as “vegetarians”. Vegetarianism has been projected, particularly and almost exclusively in India, as something pious, saintly, virtuous and righteous.

Why more men consume non-vegetarian food?

One, there are more opportunities to eat animal food outside of the home than at home. Men have more opportunities to go outside. They often eat in restaurants. It is rare to find single women (or even a group of women) dining by themselves in restaurants in most parts of India.  Therefore, men have a lot of autonomy as well as anonymity at the same time to eat non-vegetarian food in restaurants than women.

Second, on the home front, women face gender discrimination, women often get deprived of certain kinds of food.

Third, there are many religious or cultural reasons for avoiding certain foods. It applies, at times loosely, and sometimes exclusively, to women.

Fourth, Indian society is primarily patriarchal. The process of socialisation is so biased in favour of men. Men exercise control over almost everything, including women’s piety and related dietary observances.

The Indo-Pacific economic bloc offers India a new opportunity

News: Recently, the US launched the Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) at the Quad meeting in Tokyo.

Significance of IPEF

In General

Geopolitical: All its members (the US, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea and 8 other East Asian countries), share worries about China’s muscular nationalism and expansionist ambitions. Therefore, this gives the group a distinct geo- political flavour.

On the economic front, the group could become the foundation for longer term economic integration of like-minded countries. It would lead to cooperation in investment and technology development for clean energy.

The immediate focus is on common standards in areas of labour rights, environmental standards, protection of intellectual property rights and rules covering the digital economy.

For India

The world is dividing itself into autocracies and democracies. This division is reflected in economic alignments. India has a deep stake in aligning with the democratic group. Therefore, India leadership has already signalled India’s support of the new initiative.

Negotiations under the IPEF could be a mechanism for bringing our system in line with the best practices in the rest of the world.

It would make India an attractive trading partner and as a destination for investment, especially in new supply chains.

Digital trade and e-commerce are another critical area included under the IPEF. India has a comparative advantage in software development and application.

What are the challenges?

Economic integration must ultimately be reflected in trade integration. But the IPEF is not a conventional free trade agreement (FTA).

Progress in some areas identified under the IPEF may run into problems from India’s side. It will involve many departures from its traditional positions.

The new arrangements will not require a consensus. IPEF is not a multilateral trade negotiation, where any country could hold up progress of negotiations by not agreeing. India may simply be left out, if India does not accept terms.

In the past, India has resisted such behind-the-border alignment of standards because they reduce our policy space.

Taxes and anti-bribery provisions are another element of the IPEF that could pose problems. India takes taxation as a sovereign function. Therefore, it is not subject to negotiation. However, India’s taxation system is often accused of being a form of “tax terrorism“.

The US and Europe have differences on the issues of digital trade and e-commerce businesses.

Trade negotiations are too complex. It cannot be handled by individual ministries acting in silos.

There are many contentious issues in digital trade and e-commerce. For example, issues of transparency, the requirements of fair competition in a world dominated by a few players, and the ownership and localization of personal data.

Way Forward

Areas should be identified where the negotiations require a departure from past practice. India should consider whether these departures are in the national interest in the light of changed circumstances.

– For example, India adopted what advanced countries were demanding like freedom for workers to form trade unions because this was in our national interest.

If India decides to go ahead with IPEF, it should avoid prolonged negotiations as were done in the RCEP.

The ‘atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) does not mean isolation and protectionism. It involves attracting foreign investment and becoming part of global supply chains. Therefore, India should become part of IPEF as building reliable supply chains is part of its agenda.

The exceptions can be carved out for specially sensitive areas. India can build in a suitable adjustment period to comply with these standards.

India should initiate an internal review of its tax administration with involvement of experts and not just the Department of Revenue.

Indian business should be mobilized in support of the new integration. Indian businesses that are potentially competitive globally and are often not heard.

Finally, negotiations involve multiple ministries. Therefore, there should be inter-ministerial consultations. We need an empowered trade negotiator to consult with concerned ministries and report to the Prime Minister and key ministers with an assessment of pros and cons.

The NITI Aayog should be mobilized to conduct broad consultations and elicit the opinions of stakeholders, including state governments.

The NITI Aayog should engage in the education of the Indian public on the benefits to India from greater integration.

GS Paper 3

Explained: Sugar export curbs and their impact

News: The government has decided to “restrict” the export of sugar, effective from June 1.

The curbs, the first such move in four years, have been ordered to maintain “domestic availability and price stability of sugar”, the government said.

India is the biggest producer of sugar and the second-largest exporter after Brazil.

Govt has also scrapped all duties and cesses on crude soyabean and sunflower oil imports. While the move to make imports duty-free makes sense, the same does not hold for export bans and restrictions

What are the latest curbs?

The government has moved export of sugar from the ‘open category’, which requires no government intervention, to ‘restricted’ category.

– This means that export of sugar is allowed only with specific permission from the Directorate of Sugar, Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

Also, the curbs come into effect from June 1 and will continue till October 31, or until further orders.

Unlike wheat, where export has been banned, sugar would continue to be exported, but from June 1, permission would be required to send the shipments out.

Why India’s sugar exports have boomed?

Thanks to the bumper crops over the last four seasons, exports have boomed. The Centre also extended subsidies to millers to push sales abroad.

What also helped exports grow over the last few seasons is the fact that Brazil produced more ethanol than sugar given the exceptional rise in fuel prices.

This, and drought hitting other big sugar producers like Thailand helped India venture in countries which otherwise were dependent on Brazilian sugar.

Why the curbs, now?

Exports, industry insiders say, can continue unabated given the international demand. But for the government, a possible worry is low stocks at the beginning of the next season. This can lead to supply constraints for around three months.

The sugar season officially starts in October, but picks up momentum only after December. If there is scarcity of back-up stocks during this period then prices can escalate in the domestic market. At a time when tackling inflation stays a major priority, the government can ill afford that risk.

The present curbs would ensure the government keeps a check on sugar stock real-time to ensure that there is no shortage at the start of the next season.

What is the industry view on the latest restrictions?

The first reaction to this curb was a Rs 50 per tonne drop in the ex-mill prices, which was on expected lines.

Most millers said the curbs would not affect them much and exports would continue without hassle.

Way forward

Since there’s not much that the Reserve Bank of India can do about fuel and food inflation, a lot depends on the government’s fiscal and supply-side management measures.

But such measures should not be turning the back on reforms.

Export curbs and stocking limits (imposed last year on the pulses trade) will make farmers and agri-businesses wary of expanding acreages or investing in supply chain infrastructure and developing markets.

The government needs to realise that enabling supply response, and not creating policy uncertainty, is the only durable solution to supply-side inflation.

Supreme Court’s ruling on GST deepens the churn in the tax regime

News: Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that the decisions taken by the GST Council are merely recommendations with “persuasive value” and are not binding.

The ruling has opened up serious questions on the stability and certainty of the structure and operation of GST which is still evolving.

What has been the reaction to the SC judgement?

The states, notably those ruled by non-BJP parties, have welcomed the judgment stating that this is the triumph of cooperative federalism and provides them enough scope to have a say in the decisions.

The revenue secretary has clarified that the SC has merely stated the obvious, and, in effect, does not alter the ground situation. All the decisions taken in the Council are based on consensus (except the one on lotteries) by the Union and states (and Union Territories with legislatures), and that spirit will continue to guide the deliberations and decisions in the Council.

How the SC verdict states the obvious?

In some ways, the verdict states the obvious.

Article 246-A inserted after the 122nd constitutional amendment states, “Notwithstanding anything contained in articles 246 and 254, Parliament, and, subject to clause (2), the Legislature of every state, have the power to make laws with respect to the GST imposed by the Union or by such state.”

Thus, the power to levy the central GST (CGST) vests with Parliament, the power to levy state GST (SGST) vests with state legislatures and Parliament has exclusive power to make laws with respect to the GST on items that are part of inter-state trade or commerce. Thus, the GST Council is only an advisory body and the actual decisions regarding model GST levies, principles of levy, etc will have to be taken by either Parliament in the case of CGST and IGST or the states in the case of SGST.

In effect, decisions on the structure and operation of the tax can be made by the Centre and individual states without discussion and deliberation in the Council and both can ignore any recommendation made by the Council.

What will be the impact of the SC verdict?

Inc in bargaining strength of the states: It paves the way for more intensive bargaining and negotiations, placing states on an equal footing with the Centre in taking decisions on the structure and operations of the tax.

– The immediate impact of this will be bargaining by states for extending the period of compensation for the loss of revenue. The five-year period of compensation gets over at the end of June. States have therefore been demanding the extension of the compensation period by another two-three years and this decision will now help the states to bargain hard for the extension.

The lasting solution lies in increasing the revenue productivity of the tax by pruning the list of exempted items, rationalising the rates and taking administrative measures.

Way forward

The decision that GST Council’s recommendations are not binding will have significant implications in determining the nature of the tax, which is still evolving.

Hopefully, the Court’s decision will also strengthen the cooperative spirit in reforming the domestic consumption tax system in the country.

Indian gig workers may finally be getting a fairer deal

Context: Uber’s recent announcement of new terms for drivers may prove revolutionary in the long history of labour relations, specifically wrt the Gig economy.

To work around the recurrent problem of drivers cancelling rides because they did not want to go to the destination or wanted a cash payment upfront rather than waiting for the company to reimburse them weekly, the cab hailing service is making that information available to drivers so that they can pick which rides to accept.

What are some recent issues faced by the Gig economy and the startup ecosystem?

First, poor working conditions and high fuel prices are making the retention of drivers and two-wheeler delivery personnel an uphill battle. Attrition at food delivery companies is estimated at around 40% every month.

Second, the US Federal Reserve’s accelerated rate hikes this year mean that funding might not come as easily as before. India’s low labour costs had made windfalls for startup founders even more dramatic. Unicorns were minted at rich-world valuations while the pay offered to ‘delivery partners’ stayed decidedly developing world. Last year, 40 new unicorns—companies with valuations of $1 billion or more—were created in India.

Is India’s startup growth slowing down, and why?

Yes.

As The Economic Times reported on 28 April, in March and April, “four unicorns were minted in India compared to 10 during the same period last year. So far this month, no new unicorn rounds have been announced, against eight new ones in April 2021.

Reasons:

The backdrop for this slowdown is a global bear market. At the start of the May, the S&P 500 and US government bonds have fallen simultaneously for five or more weeks consecutively.

What is the economic situation in India?

Large consumer goods companies are reducing the size of packages of biscuits and detergents or raising prices. As volume and margin growth slows, and interest rates rise, new investments will be postponed.

Core inflation, notably of medical services and education, has been there for some time now and has likely cut into middle class spending on goods.

The Centre’s continual hikes of taxes on petrol and diesel over the past couple of years may have been necessary to keep its fiscal deficit in check, but it has also acted as a consumption tax.

Markers of middle-class prosperity as sales of entry-level cars and two-wheelers are languishing.

India’s middle class has been shrinking for a few years. Last March, Pew estimated 32 million Indians had fallen out of the middle class during the pandemic, amid a global drop in the size of the middle class.

This year’s sharp rise in Indian inflation even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have undermined the recovery in earning power for those working in restaurants and hotels, even as those industries continue to see a welcome rebound.

Way forward

India is set to face a 6%-plus inflation for the foreseeable future.

In the US, workers in labour-intensive industries are demanding and getting a better deal.

Thus, indexing petrol costs to payouts for gig economy drivers and delivery riders and giving them better working conditions marks a welcome socioeconomic shift, in India.

Crude Economics – Marco-Economic impacts of oil price rise

News: The level of crude oil prices often changes the macroeconomic outlook in India.

How do oil prices impact India’s economic outlook?

India’s macroeconomic outlook improves when oil prices are low and stable.

Whereas, a rise in oil prices means a higher Current Account Deficit and pressure on the currency. It also results in inflation and pressure on government finances.

High oil prices also lead to the reversal of the price decontrol reforms. For example, Oil Marketing Companies have stopped changing retail oil prices lately.

As a result, the system of under-recovery for OMCs is back. Under-recovery for petrol is over Rs. 13 per liter and Rs 24 for diesel.

It is putting private retailers in a weak and harmful position. They don’t have any pricing power, thus their business is becoming unsustainable. At present, they are looking to scale down their operations to cut losses. However, if the situation prevails, they may have to shut down their business.

It will discourage any private investment in this sector in the future. It will also become more difficult for the government to find investors for Bharat Petroleum Corporation.

What should be done?

Government must reduce its dependency on tax revenue from the petroleum sector. For instance, the contribution of the sector to the central exchequer was over Rs 4.55 trillion in 2020-21, which was 2.6 times more than in 2014-15.

Rationalization of taxes will make it easy to put them under the GST system. It will enable taxpayers to claim input credit and the government to impose a separate carbon tax.

A review of both direct and indirect tax systems is required, which could push up the tax-to-GDP ratio.

Government should avoid interfering in pricing and implement price decontrol effectively.

How consumption is set to outstrip food grain production

Context: Food consumption is outpacing food production. It may prove the Malthus theory correct.

In 1798, British philosopher and economist Thomas Malthus gave a theory. The theory predicted a catastrophe, which is also called “Malthusian catastrophe”. He predicted in his theory that population growth would outpace food production to cause shortages and famine.

His theory was widely criticised at that time for not taking technological developments into consideration. However, it may become a reality in the near future.

What are the indicators that are proving Malthus theory correct?

First, some of the following policy decisions of countries are an indicators of this:

1.) India banned most wheat exports.

2.) Indonesia banned palm oil exports.

3.) Europe is being criticised for its farm-to-fork strategy promoting sustainable farming.

Second, the following findings of the Business Standard analysis are also strong indicators:

1.) The number of moderately or severely food insecure people rose to 30.6 percent in 2020, compared to 22.6 percent in 2014.

2.) In Africa, food insecurity increased from 47.3 percent to 59.6 percent during this period.

3.) The United States Department of Agriculture reported that global consumption of corn, wheat, and rice will outstrip production in the coming year.

However, all these factors may not result in a shortage immediately. A sustained period of production and consumption gap may cause problems. If innovation comes to the rescue this time also, then Malthus’s theory can be proved wrong again.

Be wary of growing exports

News: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the western sanctions on Russia, and Sri Lanka’s ongoing struggles have created export opportunities for countries such as India. However, there are environmental concerns into it.

What are the issues?

The developed countries consume polluted goods which are produced elsewhere like China and India. Such exports from developing countries are said to be carbon emissions-embodied products

About Net CO₂ exports

It can be calculated by taking the difference between carbon emissions-embodied exports and carbon emissions-embodied imports.

Global Trends

(A) Net CO₂ Export

China is the largest exporter of carbon emissions-embodied products, followed by the U.S., Russia and India.

China’s net exports began to decline from 2007-08, whereas India ‘s net CO2 exports or carbon emissions-embodied products started to steadily increase in that period. India’s recent export performance has been attributed to petroleum products, electronics and chemicals.

India’s agricultural and food export items involve virtual export of depleting natural resources such as water. For example, Rice export.

Net CO₂ Import

Most developed countries, for instance, the OECD member countries, are the net importers of polluted goods produced elsewhere, especially in the developing countries.

The largest net importers of carbon emission-intensive goods are the U.S., Japan and Germany.

Why did the development countries become Net-CO₂ import countries?

Pollution haven hypothesis

Due to the stringent environmental measures adopted by developed countries, pollution-intensive industries relocate from developed countries to developing countries. They impose an environmental tax to address a broad spectrum of environmental issues. For example, in OECD countries, the tax roughly constitutes 2% of the GDP.

The destination countries have the lowest environmental standards/weak enforcement of environmental standards in order to cut resource, labour costs among other costs. For example, the environmental tax in India is around 1%. Further, the tax as a percentage of GDP has marginally come down from 1.38% in 2005 to 1.07% in 2019.

Environmental Kuznets curve: There is an inverted U-shape relationship between the income of a country and its environmental degradation. This implies that as income increases, environmental quality begins to deteriorate, but improves after some time.

Consequences of such export

The growing consumption in rich countries has come at a cost for developing countries such as India.

The virtual water trade will have an adverse impact on long-term sustainability and food security in India.

For example: (1) the agricultural water withdrawal as a percentage of total available renewable water resources has increased from 26.7% in 1993 to 36% in 2022, and (2) The total per capita renewable water resources have also declined from 1909 cubic metres to 1412 cubic metres during this period.

Way forward

As per the water use efficiency index, there has been an overall improvement in water-use efficiency.

Strict environmental measures need to be explored in order to ensure long-term sustainability. For example, increasing the environmental tax, water-saving policies to promote sustainable production of rice and also safeguarding food security in the country.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Supreme Court recognises sex work as a ‘profession

What is the News?

After invoking special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has recognised sex work as a “profession”. Thus, the practitioners are entitled to dignity and equal protection under the law.

What are the key highlights of the Supreme Court’s direction?

Every individual in this country has a right to a dignified life under Article 21 of the Constitution. This also includes sex workers.

Directions to Police: “Sex workers are entitled to equal protection of the law. Criminal law must apply equally in all cases, on the basis of ‘age’ and ‘consent’.”

If the sex worker is an adult and is participating with consent, the police must refrain from interfering or taking any criminal action.

Held brotherly unlawful: But the court also observed that “voluntary sex work is not illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful.

Protection for sex worker’s child: A child of a sex worker should not be separated from the mother merely on the ground that she is in the sex trade. The court also observed, “Basic protection of human decency and dignity extends to sex workers and their children.”

Further, if a minor is found living in a brothel or with sex workers, it should not be presumed that the child was trafficked. In such cases, if the sex worker claims that he/she is her son/daughter, tests can be done to determine if the claim is correct and if so, the minor should not be forcibly separated.

Legal protection to sex workers against abuse: The court ordered the police to not discriminate against sex workers who lodge a criminal complaint, especially if the offence committed against them is of a sexual nature. The court held that the Sex workers who are victims of sexual assault should be provided with every facility including immediate medico-legal care.

Directions to media: The media should not to reveal the identities of sex workers, during arrest, raid and rescue operations, whether as victims or accused. Similarly, they should not publish or telecast any photos that would result in disclosure of such identities.

Source: The post is based on the article “Supreme Court recognises sex work as a ‘profession” published in The Hindu on 26th May 2022.

Qutub Minar not a place of worship: ASI

What is the News?

Archaeological Survey of India has submitted a report in a Delhi court stating the Qutub Minar complex is not a place of worship and its character cannot be changed now.

What is the case?

A plea has been filed in court claiming that 27 temples were demolished to build the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque at the Qutub Minar complex. The plea seeks “restoration” of Hindu and Jain temples on the Qutub premises. But the plea has been dismissed under the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

This is because the Qutub Minar complex comes under the purview of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act of 1958. The ASI, submitted that the Qutub Minar complex was not a place of worship when it was first notified as a protected monument in 1914.

Further, the ASI said remains of 27 temples were procured for the mosque by spending 2,00,000 Deliwals (coins) on each. The ASI added that nowhere in the records does it mention that these remains were retrieved by demolishing temples.

How does the character of a monument get decided?

The character of a monument is decided on the date when it comes under protection. Following this, objections from the public are invited for two months. This is how several places where religious practices were being conducted came to be protected under the AMASR Act.

About Qutub Minar complex

Belong to: These are monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate

Located in: Mehrauli in Delhi.

Phases of construction: The Construction of the Qutub Minar “victory tower” in the complex was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. He later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty.

It was continued by his successor Iltutmish, and finally completed much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultan of Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1412) in 1368 AD.

Named after: Religious figure Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki

Famous structures within Qutub Minar complex: Qutb Minar, the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza gate, the Alai Minar and the Iron pillar.

Note: The iron pillar of Delhi was constructed by Chandragupta II. It is famous for the rust-resistant composition of the metals used in its construction.

Tombs present in the complex: Iltutmish, Alauddin Khalji and Imam Zamin.

Source: The post is based on the article “Qutub Minar not a place of worship: ASI” published in The Hindu on 25th May 2022.

Explained: Who was Prithviraj Chauhan, the fearless hero of folk legend?

What is the News?

There is controversy around a new film called ‘Prithviraj’. As both the Gujjar and Rajput communities of Rajasthan laying claim over the 12th-century king.

Who is Prithviraj Chauhan?

He belonged to the Chauhan or Chahamana dynasty of Ajmer which emerged after the decline of the Pratihara empire in the 11th century AD.

He ascended the throne in 1177 or 1178, and very quickly expanded his kingdom, defeating many of the smaller Rajput states.

He struggled against the Chalukyas of Gujarat and was forced to look towards the Ganga valley instead.

Literary works about Prithviraj: Prithviraj was depicted in ‘Prithviraj Raso’, a poem in Brajbhasha attributed to Chand Bardai, which is thought to have been composed in the 16th century.

Note: The description of Prithviraj as “the last Hindu emperor” can be traced to the British colonial official James Tod’s ‘Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan’ (1829).

Prithviraj Chauhan and the Battle of Tarain

First Battle of Tarain (1191AD): Prithviraj’s army was able to decisively defeat the invading Ghurids in the First Battle.

Second Battle of Tarain (1192AD): He was defeated in the Second Battle.

Significance: The battle marked a watershed moment in the history of medieval India, paving the way for the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate and the beginning of Muslim rule.

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: Who was Prithviraj Chauhan, the fearless hero of folk legend?” published in Indian Express on 25th May 2022.

Indian Navy – Bangladesh Navy Bilateral EX Bongosagar Commences

What is the News?

The third edition of Indian Navy (IN) – Bangladesh Navy (BN) Bilateral Exercise ‘Bongosagar’ commenced at Port Mongla, Bangladesh.

What is Excercise Bonosagar?

Aim: To develop a high degree of interoperability and joint operational skills through the conduct of a wide spectrum of maritime exercises and operations between the two navies.

Edition: Its first edition was held in 2019. The present one is the third edition of Bonosagar.

Type: maritime exercise.

The harbour phase of the exercise includes professional and social interactions, and friendly sporting fixtures, in addition to the tactical level planning discussions on the conduct of the exercises at sea.

The sea phase of the exercise would facilitate ships from both the navies to participate in intensive surface warfare drills, weapon firing drills, seamanship evolutions and coordinated air operations in a tactical scenario.

Source: The post is based on the article “Indian Navy – Bangladesh Navy Bilateral EX Bongosagar Commences” published in PIB on 24th May 2022.

Ministry of Education releases National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report

What is the News?

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education released the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report.

What is the National Achievement Survey?

What are the findings of NAS?

Fall in student performance: There is a fall of up to nine percentage points between 2017 and 2021 in the performance of students in subjects ranging from maths to social sciences. Punjab was the best performer across all grades and subjects.

Burden during the pandemic: Nearly 80% students found learning at home during the pandemic “burdensome” and felt that they learnt better in school

The survey found that as many as 24% of the students surveyed did not have access to digital devices at home, 38% said they faced difficulty carrying out learning activities at home during the pandemic.

Challenges in learning science: The survey found that out of a score of 500, students across various classes performed better at languages but lagged behind in subjects like mathematics and science.

For example, in Class 3, students scored the highest in languages (323), followed by EVS (307), and mathematics (306).

Backward classes faced struggle: Across various subjects and classes, SC, ST and OBC students performed worse than general category students. For instance, while general category students in Class 8 scored an average of 260 marks in mathematics, SC students scored 249 marks, ST scored 244 marks and OBCs scored 253 marks.

Source: The post is based on the article “Ministry of Education releases National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report” published in PIB on 24th May 2022.

PARAM PORUL Supercomputer inaugurated at NIT, Tiruchirappalli

What is the News?

PARAM PORUL, a state-of-the-art Supercomputer was inaugurated at NIT Tiruchirappalli dedicated to the nation under National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).

What are the specifications of PARAM PORUL?

PARAM PORUL supercomputing facility is established under Phase 2 of the NSM with 838 TeraFlops Supercomputing Facility.

The majority of the components used to build this system have been manufactured and assembled within the country, along with an indigenous software stack developed by C-DAC, in line with the Make in India initiative.

PARAM PORUL system is based on Direct Contact Liquid Cooling technology to obtain a high power usage effectiveness and thereby reducing the operational cost.

Applications installed: Multiple applications from various scientific domains such as Weather and Climate, Bioinformatics, Computational Chemistry, Molecular Dynamics, Material Sciences, etc. have been installed

What is the significance of PARAM PORUL?

NIT is carrying out research in the areas of societal interest such as Health, Agriculture, Weather, and Financial Services. The facility installed under NSM will strengthen this research.

The computer will provide a major boost to the research and development initiatives in Indian academia and industries.

Under NSM, to date 15 supercomputers have been installed across the nation with compute capacity of 24 petaflops. All these supercomputers have been manufactured in India and operate with an indigenously developed software stack.

Source: The post is based on the article “PARAM PORUL Supercomputer inaugurated at NIT, Tiruchirappalli” published in PIB on 24th May 2022.

Power Ministry working on a scheme to liquidate the past dues of Discoms

What is the News?

The Ministry of Power is working on a scheme to mitigate the financial woes of the Distribution Companies (Discoms) that are unable to pay their dues.

What is the need for a new scheme for Discoms?

Delay of payments by a Discom to a generating company adversely affects the cash flow of a generating company. As per data available on PRAAPTI portal, as of May 2022, the Discoms over dues (excluding disputed amounts and Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC)) were Rs. One Lakh Crores and the LPSC dues were about 6800 Crores.

The inability of Discoms to pay dues impacts the entire value chain of the power sector. Hence, a new scheme is being formulated.

What is LPSC?

Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) is levied on the payment outstanding by a Discom to a generating company at the base rate (pegged to SBI’s Marginal Cost of Lending Rate (MCLR)).

LPSC is applicable for the period of default at the base rate for the first month of default and increased by 0.5% for every successive month of delay, subject to a maximum of 3% over the base rate at any time.

What will be the key provisions of the proposed schemes?

Froze the outstanding dues: A one-time relaxation is being considered to be given to all the Discoms. Thereby the amount outstanding (including principal and LPSC) on the date of notification of the scheme will be frozen without the further imposition of LPSC.

Flexibility to discoms: The proposed scheme enables payment of financial dues in easy instalments (up to 48 instalments) by the Discoms.

Benefits generating company: The generating company will benefit from assured monthly payments which otherwise were not forthcoming to them.

However, in case of delay in payment of an instalment by a Discom, the Late Payment Surcharge shall be payable on the entire outstanding dues which otherwise were exempted.

What are the benefits of the proposed scheme?

The Discoms will save an amount of Around 20000 Crores on LPSC in the next 12 to 48 months. States like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra which have large outstanding dues will save over Rs. 4,500 Cr each.

The saving by Discoms will ultimately benefit the electricity consumer by reducing the burden of LPSC in the retail tariff.

Source: The post is based on the article “Power Ministry working on a scheme to liquidate the past dues of Discoms” published in PIB on 24th May 2022.