9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 10th, 2023

Mains Oriented Articles

GS PAPER - 2

The New Delhi Declaration was a win for us and the world at large

Source: The post is based on the article “The New Delhi Declaration was a win for us and the world at large” published in Live mint on 10th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- International relation- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

News: The article discusses India’s significant achievements and leadership during its presidency at the G20 Summit in New Delhi. It highlights consensus on global issues like sustainable development, digital transformation, climate change, and inclusive growth. India effectively brought nations together, emphasizing shared commitments, especially considering the interests of the developing world and enhancing multilateral cooperation.

What are the major concerns addressed by the New Delhi Declaration?

Sustainable Growth: Focusing on startups and MSMEs as engines for strong, sustainable growth.

Financial Inclusion: Endorsing the G20 2023 Financial Inclusion Action Plan, which seeks to enhance financial accessibility for individuals and MSMEs, especially in vulnerable groups.

Digitalization: Adopting principles for digitalizing trade documents and fostering digital upskilling and reskilling through a comprehensive G20 Toolkit.

Global Health: Developing an Interim Medical Countermeasures Coordination Mechanism to ensure access to medical aids like vaccines and also recognizing traditional and complementary medicine.

Climate Change: Committing to triple the renewable energy technologies capacity worldwide by 2030, and affirming the G20 High-Level Voluntary Principles on Hydrogen.

Women’s Empowerment: Establishing a new Working Group aimed at empowering women, with its first meeting scheduled during Brazil’s G20 presidency next year.

Multilateralism: Enhancing global cooperation and multilateral development banks, and increasing representation from developing countries in international financial institutions.

How did India handle the G20 presidency?

Facilitating Dialogues: Conducting over 200 meetings in 60 cities, involving a myriad of discussions on global issues.

Inclusive Participation: Engaging over 25,000 delegates from more than 120 nationalities, emphasizing inclusive international participation.

Highlighting Priorities: Making Sustainable Development Goals a central priority and bringing a focused approach towards global sustainable development.

Encouraging Consensus: Successfully uniting leaders from various nations to agree on the New Delhi Declaration despite diverse viewpoints.

Emphasizing Multilateralism: Pushing for enhanced multilateral development and involving more voices from developing countries in global decision-making.

Addressing Various Sectors: Exploring and addressing critical global sectors, such as digital transformation, healthcare, and climate change, effectively.

Russia’s loss can be India’s gain in clinical trial shift

Source: The post is based on the article “Russia’s loss can be India’s gain in clinical trial shift” published in “Business standard” on 10th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Governance- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

News: The article discusses how geopolitical issues in Russia and Ukraine are halting clinical trials, and suggests that these could be moved to India. Although India has potential and has made regulatory improvements, challenges like delayed site start-ups and historical regulatory concerns are hurdles to be addressed to attract global pharma companies for conducting more clinical trials.

What have been India’s challenges in hosting clinical trials?

Slow Site Initiation: Starting trial sites in India takes a long time, typically about 5-6 months. This delay reduces India’s appeal for global clinical trials.

Regulatory Hurdles: Even after the introduction of the New Drugs and Clinical Trial (NDCT) Rules in 2019, there’s uncertainty among pharmaceutical companies. They need to see how these new rules are implemented on the ground.

Delayed Approvals: Some government sites in India don’t begin their review in the Ethics Committee until the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) gives approval. If CDSCO’s approval comes within its 90 working day timeframe (4.5 calendar months), some sites still can’t join the trial because it’s already over globally.

Past Concerns: Around 2014, Biocon had to move its clinical trials to Europe, which was 10-20 times costlier than conducting them in India.

What changes have been made in India’s clinical trial regulations?

Introduction of NDCT Rules: In 2019, the New Drugs and Clinical Trial (NDCT) Rules were introduced to enhance the regulatory framework around clinical trials in India.

Improvement in Site Numbers: Since the establishment of the NDCT Rules, and up until 2022, the number of sites for conducting trials in India has increased by 40%.

Streamlining Approvals: Efforts have been made to smooth the approval processes, including developing online platforms and easing some approval processes, thereby promoting growth in trials.

How can India become the new hub for clinical trials?

Leverage Current Opportunities: With clinical trials halting in Russia and Ukraine, big companies are looking for alternatives. India, having a high disease burden, is a potential candidate for these relocations.

Increase Contribution: Despite being populous, India’s contribution to global trials has been around 4%. There’s scope to amplify this number significantly.

Optimize Regulatory Processes: Although the NDCT Rules of 2019 have brought improvements, India must ensure quicker and predictable site initiation and regulatory approvals to attract global trials.

Promote the R&D Ecosystem: A clinical trial ecosystem can generate high-end jobs and promote research and development in the nation, making it attractive for international companies.

Showcase Stability: Emphasizing India’s stable and consistent regulatory systems can attract global pharma giants.

Law Commission age of consent recommendations threaten to criminalise the young

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Law Commission age of consent recommendations threaten to criminalise the young” published in The Indian Express on 10^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice — Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.

News: This article discusses the undesirable consequences of the current age of consent as provided under the POCSO Act, 2012 and the flaws in the Law Commission recommendations keeping this provision unchanged.

Judicial references have called for reviewing the criteria for the age of consent to sexual activity to deal with cases where consent was present. However, the 283rd report of the Law Commission of India (LCI) has advised against changing the existing age of consent under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

What are the issues with the current provisions on the age of consent?

POCSO imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for statutory rape without regard to whether the minors, including those between 16-18, consent.

This has magnified the volume of prosecutions against adolescents engaged in non-coercive consensual sexual activity. This has resulted in devastating outcomes, primarily for adolescents and youth from marginalised populations.

Data shows that criminalisation primarily harms the poor and the marginalised, with devastating consequences for girls.

The State has no obligation under the POCSO to provide the basic minimum required for the survival of the ‘survivor’”.

In Veekesh Kalawat vs State of Madhya Pradesh (2023) it was noted that a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for an underage husband resulted in destroying families in rural Madhya Pradesh, leaving the wife and children to the vagaries of social exploitation.

What are the recommendations of the report?

The LCI recommendations favour retaining the age of consent at 18 years, to criminalise both abuse and non-coercive consensual sex, even when this occurs between peers.

It mitigates the issues due to this by also recommending judicial discretion to award less than the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and provides guidelines for determining types of cases that are befitting of sentence reduction.

What are the flaws in the proposed mitigation?

First, the “close-in age” exception is not available as a defence for acquittal but only for sentence reduction. Criminalisation and incarceration will still happen.

Second, a new term, “tacit approval”, is introduced to replace “consent”. Consent is defined in law, backed by jurisprudence. The use of “tacit approval”, without a definition, is confusing.

Third, a checklist of circumstances to guide whether or not exemption can be applied has caveats that include circumstances listed include pregnancy, marital status, family acceptance, good behavior, absence of criminal antecedents and likely references to inter-faith and inter-caste relations.
These suggest that judicial discretion is guided in favour of underage sexual relations that occur within socially conforming marriages backed by familial support.

Another drawback of the report is that stakeholder consultations were limited, inputs from public health experts, gynaecologists, child psychologists, counsellors, and shelter homes were missing.

What should be the way forward?

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) calls for age-appropriate sexuality education, access to confidential medical counselling, and prohibits laws from criminalising consensual sexual activity with peers.

The US, Canada, Japan, Australia and South Africa have lower ages of consent and additionally, protect adolescents from shame and stigma for consensual sexual activity through close-in-age exceptions.

With the LCI overlooking these issues, the matter rests with the courts to address on a case-to-case basis, and the continuation of public dialogue.

The provision should ensure protection of the young from sexual abuse, while ensuring they are not punished for consensual sexual activity with peers.

The state of India’s Scheduled Areas

Source: This post has been created based on the article “The state of India’s Scheduled Areas” published in The Hindu on 10^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice — Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

News: This article discusses the Scheduled Areas — their status, how they are identified and what more needs to be done to safeguard Scheduled Tribes in India.

What is the status and constitutional provisions for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India?

India’s 705 Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities — making up 8.6% of the country’s population — live in 26 States and 6 Union Territories.

Scheduled Areas cover 11.3% of India’s land area, and have been notified in 10 States: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.

Article 244 pertains to the administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas.

Article 244(1) provides for the application of fifth Schedule provisions to Scheduled Areas notified in any State other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. The exclusive powers to declare any area to be a Scheduled Area lies with the President.

The Sixth Schedule applies to the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram as per Article 244(2).

What are the reasons for the exclusion of STs from Scheduled Areas?

Several villages have been left out from Scheduled Area status in the 10 States and in other States with Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations.

Delay in Indian government’s approval for proposals by the State governments is an issue.

Another reason cited for excluding certain tribal areas is the absence of viable ST-majority administrative units.

As a result, 59% of India’s STs remain outside the purview of Article 244. Hence, they are denied rights under the laws applicable to Scheduled Areas, including the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 and the Biological Diversity Act 2002.

How are Scheduled Areas governed?

The President of India notifies India’s Scheduled Areas.

States with Scheduled Areas need to constitute a Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) with up to 20 ST members.

The TAC advises the Governor on matters referred to them regarding ST welfare.

Apart from this, the Union government can give directions to the State regarding the administration of Scheduled Areas.

The Governor can repeal or amend any law enacted by Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly in its application to the Scheduled Area of that State.

He/ She also submits an annual report to the President.

The Governor can also make regulations especially to prohibit or restrict the transfer of tribal land and regulate the allotment of land and money-lending.

Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, or PESA, 1996 empowers the gram sabhas to exercise substantial authority through direct democracy.

However, these powerful provisions have largely remained a dead letter.

How are Scheduled Areas identified?

Neither the Constitution nor any law provides any criteria to identify Scheduled Areas. However, based on the 1961 Dhebar Commission Report, the norms for declaring an area as a Scheduled area are — 1) preponderance of tribal population; compactness and reasonable size of the area; 2) a viable administrative entity such as a district, block or taluk; and 3) economic backwardness of the area relative to neighboring areas.

Compactness means that all the proposed villages need to be contiguous with each other or with an existing Scheduled Area.

No law prescribes the minimum percentage of STs in such an area nor a cut-off date for its identification.

The Bhuria Committee noted that the most resource rich tribal-inhabited areas have been divided up by administrative boundaries. This has pushed them to the margins and led to arbitrary politico-administrative decisions.

However, PESA finally settled this ambiguity in the law. The Act defined a ‘village’ as ordinarily consisting of “a habitation or a group of habitations, or a hamlet or a group of hamlets comprising a community and managing its affairs in accordance with traditions and customs”. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 also adopted this definition. As a result, the definition of a village expanded beyond the Scheduled Areas to include forest fringes and forest villages as well.

However, Gram Sabhas is yet to demarcate their customary boundaries on revenue lands in the absence of a suitable law. FRA 2006 requires them to demarcate ‘community forest resource’.

What should be done?

Firstly, all habitations outside Scheduled Areas where STs are the largest social group will need to be notified as Scheduled Areas irrespective of their contiguity.

Secondly, the geographical limit of these villages will need to be extended to the ‘community forest resource’ area on forest land under the Forest Rights Act 2006 where applicable, and to the customary boundary within revenue lands.

Finally, a redrawing of the geographical limits of the revenue village, panchayat, taluka, and district so that these become Scheduled Areas fully.

Mental health and the floundering informal worker

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Mental health and the floundering informal worker” published in The Hindu on 10^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Social Justice — Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

News: This article discusses the prevailing issue of informal workers suffering from economic and physical vulnerabilities which in turn, lead to mental health issues.

The theme of World Mental Health Day (October 10) this year is ‘mental health as a universal human right’. However, the issue of the mental health of informal workers has largely gone unnoticed.

How are work and mental health related?

Decent work influences mental health in a positive way.

However, unemployment, unstable or precarious employment, workplace discrimination, or poor and particularly unsafe working environments pose a risk to a worker’s mental health.

Workers in low-paid, unrewarding or insecure jobs, or working in isolation, are more likely to be victims of mental health issues.

Informal workers undergo mental distress due to accumulating debt and rising health-care costs, lack of food security, lack of access to livelihood and financial instability.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), unemployment and poor-quality employment have been detrimental to mental health.

What is the situation in India with regards to the mental health of informal workers?

India’s informal workforce accounts for more than 90% of the working population. This sector is characterized by:

1) Lack of regulatory protection

2) Unsafe working environments

3) Long working hours

4) Little access to social or financial protections

5) High uncertainty

6) Discrimination

— all these factors contribute to undermining mental health and limit their access to mental health care.

Women in the Informal sector: Over 95% of India’s working women are engaged in informal work, often without social protection, in addition to suffering patriarchal structures and practices.

Elderly in the Informal sector: The Census of India 2011 shows that 3.3 crore elderly people are working post-retirement in informal work.

The absence of proper financial, healthcare and social security can severely impact their physical and mental health.

Youth: A study by Lokniti (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies) indicated that youth between 15 to 34 years are highly susceptible to negative emotions. Youth unemployment, along with the stigma attached to it, significantly impacts their mental health.
An ILO report highlights how young workers are shifting to more precarious and informal work, accepting less pay and poorer working conditions, and sometimes, exiting the labour force altogether.

Policy decisions such as slashing of funding of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) and absence of universal social security as a goal in the Code on Social Security 2020 is also detrimental.

What needs to be done?

India’s budgetary allocation for mental health is currently under 1% of the total health budget and has over-focused on the digital aspect. This has to be optimized.

Strengthening of community-based, people-centred, recovery-oriented and human rights-oriented care has been suggested by the World Mental Health Report 2022.

With this phase of demographic dividend, it is important to focus on the quality of employment and long-term social security.

There is also an urgent need for proactive policies to improve mental health recognition and action. This is critical in upholding the basic human right to good health, including mental health, and in achieving SDG 3 on ‘good health and well-being’ and SDG 8 on ‘decent work for all/economic growth’.

Economics Nobel: Let’s talk gender inefficiency

Source: The post is based on the article “Economics Nobel: Let’s talk gender inefficiency” published in Mint on 10^th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Social Issues – Issues associated with Women

Relevance: reasons behind low female workforce.

News: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to discussions about the potential of flexible work to address India’s low female workforce participation.

The Nobel Prize recipient, economist Claudia Goldin, has conducted research on women’s labor market performance in the US. She provided valuable insights into this matter and other gender-related issues.

What were the findings of Claudia Goldin’s research?

U-shaped pattern: Goldin’s research reveals a U-shaped pattern in the labor participation of married women in the U.S. This participation declined as the Industrial Age separated homes and workplaces but increased with the rise of the service sector.

This highlights that economic growth alone is insufficient for achieving gender equality.

Structural Challenges: Globally, only half of women are in paid jobs compared to 80% of men, and women earn less. In the U.S., as more women joined the workforce in the 20th century and the economy improved, the issue of women earning less than men was overlooked.

Therefore, her research underscores the importance of recognizing the challenges women encounter when an economy undergoes structural changes.

Societal Factors: She explored family dynamics and women’s expectations. Factors like marriage and domestic duties, along with unclear career paths after motherhood, influenced women’s choices.

The availability of contraception, like birth control pills, allowed women to delay childbirth and make career choices, promoting investment in women’s education.

However, despite progress, the gender pay gap persists, and Goldin’s research suggests that changing women’s expectations is still essential to achieving equality in the workforce.

How is Claudia Goldin’s research relevant for India?

Although Indian women have different social experiences from the US, it is likely that major factors highlighted by Goldin’s research have contributed to the decline in their workforce participation in India, along with other complex factors.

The end of the two-state solution

Source: The post is based on the article “The end of the two-state solution” published in The Hindu on 10^th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – International Relations

Relevance: reasons behind Palestine-Israel conflict

News: The Jewish-Arab (Palestine) conflict is a longstanding historical issue with a solution that is clear but difficult to attain.

Read – Israel Palestine Conflict – Explained

What is the solution to Jewish-Arab conflict?

The solution to the Jewish-Arab conflict can be achieved by dividing the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea into two separate countries.

Historically, Jews accepted this idea, while Arabs rejected it. However, there is now support for a two-state solution from the Arab world and Western nations.

Despite this, Israel now seems hesitant to create a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Why is Israel now hesitant to create a sovereign Palestinian state/against two nation solution?

Fear of Increased Attack: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict involves many stakeholders, but the crucial ones are the Palestinian and Israeli people, with the Israeli public being the key stakeholder.

Hence, the main question is whether recent Hamas attacks will make Israelis support for a Palestinian state. Some believe this, but others fear that a two-state solution could enable more effective attacks by Palestinians.

Stance of Hamas: Hamas doesn’t believe in the idea of an Israel nation making, while, Israel fears that peace may result in a single Palestinian state without Israel.

Radical Israelis Group: The challenge lies with Palestinians to convince Israeli voters that they’d live peacefully with Jews if they had their own state. Because, some radical Israelis have always opposed Palestinians having their own state.

Must Read: Israel-Palestine Conflict and India-Explained

What can be the way ahead?

Palestinians, living under Israeli occupation, have suffered greatly. So, they’ve resorted to causing harm to make Israelis notice their pain. However, this cycle of violence only makes the Israelis less likely to end the occupation.

Further, Hamas’ recent terror attacks have increased Israeli suspicion, leading them to see a sovereign Palestinian state as a threat to Israel’s existence.

Hence, to achieve their own state, Palestinians must convince Israelis that they will live peacefully alongside. However, this is a tough challenge.

GS PAPER - 3

Trading for a greener tomorrow- The way forward to meet the nationally determined contributions is a well-regulated domestic emission trading mechanism

Source: The post is based on the article “Trading for a greener tomorrow- The way forward to meet the nationally determined contributions is a well-regulated domestic emission trading mechanism” published in “Business standard” on 10th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Environment- climate change

News: The article discusses India’s new Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). This scheme lets companies earn credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond set targets, which they can sell to other businesses that fail to meet targets. It aims to encourage a market-driven approach to reducing the country’s overall emissions, aligning with international environmental commitments.

What is the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)?

Introduction: India introduced the CCTS under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, to manage greenhouse gas emissions.

Functioning:

Companies exceeding their emission reduction targets earn credits.

Each credit represents a reduction of one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

Companies that don’t meet targets can buy these credits from others.

Goal:

To develop a transparent domestic carbon credit market.

Align with India’s aim to fulfill its NDCs by 2030 and be net-zero by 2070.

Administration:

Oversight by Ministry of Power (MoP) and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

Managed by agencies like the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (Bee) and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Cerc).

Relevance: The CCTS encourages a market-driven approach, helping India achieve its environmental commitments.

How is the CCTS different from past international agreements?

Kyoto Protocol:

Only developed countries (Annex-1) had strict emission reduction targets from 2008 to 2020.

Developing countries participated but without specific targets.

Paris Agreement (from 2020):

All countries, both developed and developing, declare their intended NDCs every five years.

No legally binding targets, but a “naming and shaming” principle encourages adherence.

NDC commitments can be revised but only upwards.

Emission Trading After Kyoto Protocol:

Emission trading picked up in the EU and some developed areas but not much in the developing world.

Some projects in developing countries, including India, participated in the voluntary global carbon credit market.

CCTS in India:

Launched in June, operating under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Aims to create a regulated, domestic carbon credit trading market.

Entities reducing emissions beyond targets earn carbon credits, which they can sell.

Intends to align with India’s NDCs for 2030 and net-zero ambition by 2070.

What challenges and details need addressing in the CCTS?

Identifying Sectors and Entities: It’s unclear which sectors and entities are obligated under the CCTS.

Defining Target Methodology: More information is needed on how the overall national-level NDC greenhouse gas emission targets will be disaggregated at sectoral and entity levels.

Ensuring Effective Monitoring: The mechanism for monitoring, reporting, and verifying greenhouse gas emissions is not elaborated upon.

Determining Certificate Criteria: Criteria for issuing carbon credit certificates and their validity period remain unspecified.

Addressing Potential Market Fragmentation: Additional targets, such as the use of non-fossil-based energy, might fragment the carbon market, a situation considered undesirable.

Maintaining Measurement Consistency: It is imperative to use a uniform measurement unit, specifically in terms of tonnes of CO2e, to prevent discrepancies.

How could the CCTS be improved moving forward?

Increase Participant Categories: Allow more entities like financial institutions and traders to provide liquidity and aid in better price discovery.

Introduce Futures Trading: Permit futures trading in carbon credits on regulated commodity derivatives trading exchanges.

Expand Scope Gradually: The scheme could eventually cover more GHG emissions sources like agriculture and waste management.

Limit Foreign Participation Initially: Restrict foreign entities’ participation and carbon credits export until India is on track with its NDC commitments.

Avoid Participation in Global Carbon Credit Market: Projects in India should initially not participate in the voluntary global carbon credit market to prioritize local needs.

Tragedy in Sikkim- The catastrophe underlines big dam weaknesses

Source: The post is based on the article “Tragedy in Sikkim- The catastrophe underlines big dam weaknesses” published in “Business standard” on 10th October 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Ecology and environment & disaster management

News: The article discusses the dangers and issues associated with big dams in India, particularly in the Himalayas. It connects recent flooding tragedies to factors such as climate change, poor dam management, and inadequate disaster communication. The article highlights the urgency of reevaluating dam policies and practices in light of the growing and unpredictable environmental threats.

What are the problems with big dams in the Himalayas?

Sikkim Disaster: A glacial lake in Sikkim burst, causing damage to the Teesta-III hydropower project and resulting in over 82 deaths. This tragedy showcased the dangers of dams when hit by unexpected natural events.

Disruption of Ecosystem: Hydropower projects in the Himalayas, like those on the Teesta, disturb the region’s delicate ecosystem. This can be worsened by poor engineering practices and the dumping of construction waste into river beds, which blocks natural drainage channels.

Climate Change Threat: The Himalayas are experiencing unpredictable and intense rainfall due to changing climate patterns. This increases risks such as glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs).

Concerns Raised: Local activists have long warned about the environmental and safety issues of the Teesta’s extensive damming. The recent catastrophe validates their concerns, emphasizing the need for caution and better dam management.

What should be done?

Review Policies: There is an urgent need to revise big dam management policies in light of the repeated tragedies and the evident impacts of climate change, ensuring that safety and environmental conservation are prioritized.

Improve Coordination: Better communication and coordination between dam management systems and meteorological departments are crucial. The use of available satellite imagery and data to predict and manage potential glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) and heavy rainfalls can mitigate damage and save lives.

Prioritize Safe Engineering: Ensuring that all hydropower projects, including the 47 along the Teesta, adhere to safe engineering norms and sustainable practices, can protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and prevent further disasters.

Effective Communication: Timely and effective communication of potential threats downstream to allow for evacuation and preparation can significantly reduce the impact on communities and save lives in future incidents.

Jingoism cannot protect Jammu and Kashmir

Source: This post has been created based on the article “Jingoism cannot protect Jammu and Kashmir” published in The Indian Express on 10^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Internal Security — Security challenges and their management in border areas.

News: This article discusses the current internal security challenges in Jammu & Kashmir in light of the recent Anantnag encounter which led to the death of India’s security personnel. It also proposes greater vigilance, stronger security infrastructure, and not jingoism to counter this threat from across the border.

What are the different kinds of intelligence used for anti-terrorist operations?

To deal with the challenges of conducting anti-terrorist operations in deep forest mountainous terrains, 2 kinds of intelligence inputs guide counter-terrorist operations on the ground – human intelligence and technical intelligence (humint and techint). Techint is further subdivided into communication (comint) and image intelligence (imint).

While humint inputs need to be analysed very cautiously before being acted upon, techint inputs are more reliable and precise.

Army units in the Kashmir Valley have limited access to reliable humint since they come from different regions and lack knowledge of the local language, ethos and terrain.

The local police — the civil thanas and state police special branch (CID) — can utilize humint better.

At the same time, it’s not easy to raise reliable human intelligence assets especially in Kashmir. There is a risk of the sources playing a double role to serve their masters from across borders.

What is the role of external state actors in terrorism in J&K?

A vital aspect of terrorist violence in J&K is it being driven, guided and financed from across the borders by the Pakistan Army and ISI.

They are known to motivate, train and infiltrate suicide squads with the help of espionage networks hiding in our country. They also pay these suicide squads handsomely.

However, Pakistan today is under tremendous pressure because of the condition of its economy.

What should be done?

1) Sports should be kept away from our animosity against the Pakistani army and government. Jingoistic calls to stop playing against the Pakistani cricket team should be avoided.

2) Remotely guided rockets launching unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) is a good option if LeT strikes inside our territory, instead of launching air and naval attacks on Pakistan.

3) It would be neither prudent nor realistic to look to foreign powers (such as USA, China) to resolve our internal security challenges.

4) It would also be naïve to believe that Pakistan will give up militancy in J&K and restore peace if we talk with them. We must strengthen our security infrastructure.

5) Pak ISI sleeper cells spread all over our country must be detected and neutralised.

6) Sections of Muslim youth should be deradicalised by releasing them from the stranglehold of mullahs in madrasas and mosques and providing them access to schooling.
For e.g. in Kashmir, the Peer Muridi (Sufi) form of Islam has been overshadowed by the Wahabi sect.

7) India should also try its best to win the hearts and trust of the Kashmiri Muslims who will benefit from increased tourism. They should be made to realize that violence is costing them dearly.

8) Career options outside J&K should be offered to Kashmiri youth willing to leave their homes to earn livelihoods.

9) In counter-terrorist operations, it is wiser to divide the force and use smaller contingents for the commander to keep watch from a safe distance.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Why Punjab wants to ban the cultivation of PUSA-44 paddy variety

Source: The post is based on the article “Why Punjab wants to ban the cultivation of PUSA-44 paddy variety” published in “Indian Express” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

Punjab Chief Minister has announced that the state will ban the cultivation of the PUSA-44 paddy variety from 2024.

When did Punjab farmers begin cultivating PUSA-44?

PUSA-44 is a variety of paddy.It was developed in 1993 by the Delhi-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). 

Subsequently, Punjab’s farmers started sowing it in a few areas initially.After getting a high yield from the crops, they started increasing the area under PUSA-44 by multiplying the seed.

By the end of 2010s, it had gained widespread popularity among farmers across the Punjab, covering approximately 70 to 80% of the area under paddy cultivation.

By 2018, the Punjab government reduced the area under PUSA-44 to 18% of the total area under paddy, but it rebounded to 22% in 2022.

What are the reasons behind the ban of PUSA-44?

Extended Maturity Period: PUSA-44 takes about 160 days to mature, which is much longer (about 35-40 days) than other paddy varieties.

Water Conservation: Punjab is facing severe groundwater depletion and banning PUSA-44 is a measure to conserve irrigation water.

Stubble Burning: PUSA-44 is harvested right before the ideal time for wheat sowing which is around November 1st.

– Farmers typically need 20 to 25 days between paddy harvesting and wheat sowing to effectively handle stubble disposal. 

– However, PUSA-44’s late harvest makes it difficult to manage stubble through both in-field and out-of-field methods.This leads to more incidents of stubble burning. 

– Moreover, PUSA varieties produce about 2 percent more stubble compared to shorter varieties, which is a significant concern when cultivated extensively.

ICMR to set up study to develop solutions to remedy childhood undernutrition

Source: The post is based on the article “ICMR to set up study to develop solutions to remedy childhood undernutrition” published in “The Hindu” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is forming a team to conduct a research study on improving the nutrition of children aged 6 to 24 months in India.

What is the study ICMR planning to conduct?

ICMR has formed a team to conduct a research study on improving the nutrition of children aged 6 to 24 months in India.

This age range is crucial for a child’s growth and poor nutrition during this time can lead to issues like stunting and undernutrition. 

Complementary feeding is important but faces challenges like inadequate quantity and quality of food, improper feeding practices and timing.

ICMR believes that the current Take Home Ration (THR) program can be enhanced to improve child nutrition.They emphasize the need for not only providing the right food but also ensuring that children actually eat it.

Hence, that’s why ICMR is planning to conduct this study to identify ways to promote proper complementary feeding practices and provide optimal nutrition to reduce childhood undernutrition.

What is Complementary Feeding?

Complementary feeding is defined as the process starting when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient to meet infants’ nutritional requirements, resulting in the need for other foods and liquids along with breast milk.

The ICMR points out several challenges in complementary feeding such as not giving enough or good-quality food, not feeding properly, starting too early or late, and not giving enough food frequently.

What is the Take Home Rations (THR) programme?

The Take Home Rations (THR) programme is part of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

It offers fortified rations for use at home for children aged 6 to 36 months as well as pregnant and lactating women, with the goal of bridging the nutrition gap among them. 

Vocal for local: NSG takes on invasive vilayati kikar, to regreen 5-km stretch of Manesar campus with local trees

Source: The post is based on the article “Vocal for local: NSG takes on invasive vilayati kikar, to regreen 5-km stretch of Manesar campus with local trees” published in“Indian Express” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

National Security Guard (NSG) has decided to take on the vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) populating its Aravali hills campus after it was found to be responsible for the depleting water table.

What is Vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora)?

Source: Indian Express

Vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora) is a thorny shrub or tree growing up to 15 m height.

It is an invasive Mexican tree species.It was introduced by the British in Delhi in the 1930s. 

Harmful Impact: The roots of the tree can grow over 50 meters deep, depleting groundwater.

– The trees also make it difficult for native species to germinate around them.

Court on Prosopis juliflora: The Madras High Court in 2016, passed an interim order clearing removal of Prosopis juliflora as they were depleting the water table in areas already struggling for water. 

Why is the National Security Guard (NSG) taking action against vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora)?

The National Security Guard (NSG) was given 1,600 acres of land along the Delhi-Ajmer highway in Manesar to construct its campus. 

Initially, there were 98 functional borewells on this land.However, presently, 63 of these borewells have dried up. 

The NSG has identified vilayati kikar (Prosopis juliflora), a non-native plant species, as one of the factors contributing to the declining water table.

To address the issue of depleting water resources and to promote local biodiversity, the NSG has initiated a project. 

This project covers an area of 1,000 acres on the campus, spanning a 5-km stretch.The primary goal of the project is to restore the Aravalli hills with indigenous plant species.

Importantly, the NSG is removing the vilayati kikar trees before planting new native saplings. This action is necessary because vilayati kikar is an invasive species that inhibits the growth of other plants in its vicinity.

Minister of Cooperation addressed 89th General Council meeting of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)

Source: The post is based on the article “Minister of Cooperation addressed 89th General Council meeting of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) ” published in “PIB” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The Union Minister of Cooperation addressed the 89th General Council meeting of the National Cooperative Development Corporation(NCDC).

What is the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)?

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is a statutory Corporation set up under an Act of Indian Parliament in 1963.

Parent Ministry: Ministry of Cooperation

Functions:

– To plan, promote and finance programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, food stuffs, certain other notified commodities.

– To assist different types of cooperatives and to expand its financial base.

– To finance projects in the rural industrial cooperative sectors and for certain notified services in rural areas like water conservation, irrigation and micro irrigation, agri-insurance, agro-credit, rural sanitation, animal health, etc.

– To give loans and grants to State Governments for financing primary and secondary level cooperative societies and direct to the national level and other societies having objects extending beyond one State.

– To go in for direct funding of projects under its various schemes of assistance on fulfillment of stipulated conditions.

Periodic Labour Force Survey(PLFS) Annual Report 2022-2023 Released

Source: The post is based on the article “Periodic Labour Force Survey(PLFS) Annual Report 2022-2023 Released” published in “PIB” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The National Sample Survey Office(NSSO) has released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2022-23.

What is the Periodic Labour Force Survey(PLFS)?

Launched in: 2017 by National Sample Survey Office(NSSO)

Objectives: To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio(WPR), Labour Force Participation Rate(LFPR), Unemployment Rate(UER)) in the short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS).

– To estimate employment and unemployment indicators in both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.

Click Here to read more about PLFS

What are the key findings of PLFS Annual Report 2022-23?

Labour Force Participation Rate(LFPR): It increased significantly over the last six years, from 36.9 per cent in 2017-18 to 57.9 percent in 2022-23.

– In rural areas, LFPR increased from 50.7% in 2017-18 to 60.8% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it increased from 47.6% to 50.4%. 

– LFPR for male in India increased from 75.8% in 2017-18 to 78.5% in 2022-23 and corresponding increase in LFPR for females was from 23.3% to 37.0%.

Worker Population Ratio (WPR): In rural areas, WPR increased from 48.1% in 2017-18 to 59.4% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it increased from 43.9% to 47.7%. 

– WPR for male in India increased from 71.2% in 2017-18 to 76.0% in 2022-23 and the corresponding increase in WPR for females was from 22.0% to 35.9%.

Unemployment Rate (UR): India’s unemployment rate dropped to a six-year low in the financial year July-June 2022-23 to 3.2 per cent.

– In rural areas, UR decreased from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 2.4% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it decreased from 7.7% to 5.4%. 

– UR for male in India decreased from 6.1% in 2017-18 to 3.3% in 2022-23 and corresponding decrease in UR for females was from 5.6% to 2.9%.

Smart fence along Myanmar border in the pipeline: govt.

Source: The post is based on the article “Smart fence along Myanmar border in the pipeline: govt.” published in “The Hindu” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The Government of India is planning to build an advanced smart fencing system of 100 km along the Myanmar border to strengthen the existing surveillance system.

What is the Free Movement Regime(FMR) along the India Myanmar Border(IMB)?

India shares a 1,643-km border with Myanmar which passes through Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).

A Free Movement Regime (FMR) exists between India and Myanmar.

Under the FMR, every member of the hill tribes, who is either a citizen of India or a citizen of Myanmar and who is resident of any area within 16 km on either side of the Indo-

Myanmar border can cross the border on production of a border pass (one year validity) issued by the competent authority and can stay up to two weeks per visit.

The Manipur government has suspended the FMR since the 2020 post COVID-19 pandemic. 

Why was FMR conceptualized between India and Myanmar?

The border between India and Myanmar was demarcated by the British in 1826, without seeking the opinion of the people living in the region.

The border effectively divided people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations without their consent.

Hence, that’s why FMR was conceptualized to facilitate people-to-people contact.Apart from that, FMR was also supposed to provide impetus to local trade and business.The region has a long history of trans-border commerce through customs and border haats.

Why is the Government now planning to build a smart fencing system along the India Myanmar Border?

Unfenced border and unregulated migration from Myanmar have been attributed as some of the factors responsible for the ethnic violence in Manipur.

In 2022, out of the 201 insurgency-related incidents registered in all the northeast States, as many as 137 incidents were registered in Manipur.

District Mineral Foundation Funds Transforming Lives of Mining Affected Areas / People

Source: The post is based on the article “District Mineral Foundation Funds Transforming Lives of Mining Affected Areas / People” published in “PIB” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) have been set up in as many as 644 districts of 23 states/UTs which have DMF rules in place. 

Seventeen states/UTs of the country have already formed DMF in all the districts.

What is the District Mineral Foundation(DMF) Trust?

Section 9B of the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 empowers the State Government to establish District Mineral Foundation(DMF) Trust as a non profit body in all the Districts affected by mining for the benefit of the people and areas affected by mining activities. 

The object of the DMF is to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining related operations in such a manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.

What is Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana(PMKKY)?

The Ministry of Mines launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) in 2015.

Purpose: It is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations(DMFs).

Objectives: (a) to implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas, and these projects/ programs will be complementing the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government; (b) to minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts and (c) to ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.

Utilization of Funds: PMKKKY provides for utilization of at least 60% of the funds for high priority areas like: (i) drinking water supply; (ii) environment preservation and pollution control measures; (iii) health care; (iv) education; (v) welfare of women and children; (vi) welfare of aged and disabled people; (vii) skill development; and (viii) sanitation.

The remaining 40% of the funds shall be utilized for other priority areas (i) physical infrastructure; (ii) irrigation; (iii) energy and watershed development; and (iv) any other measures for enhancing environmental quality in mining districts. 

What is multimodal artificial intelligence and why is it important?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is multimodal artificial intelligence and why is it important?” published in “The Hindu” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

This article talks about Multimodal artificial intelligence and its importance.

What is Multimodal artificial intelligence?

Multimodal artificial intelligence refers to a type of AI system that can understand and process information from multiple modalities or sources, such as text, images, videos, audio, and other forms of data simultaneously. 

This means it can analyze and extract insights from various types of data to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a situation or problem. 

Some notable developments in multimodal AI include OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models, which can analyze images and engage in spoken conversations and Google’s multimodal large language model called Gemini which leverages its vast image and video database for understanding multiple modalities.

Why is Multimodal artificial intelligence important?

Enhanced Understanding: Multimodal AI can provide a richer and more nuanced understanding of data by combining information from different sources. For example, it can analyze both the text and images in a news article to gain a deeper understanding of the content.

Improved Accuracy: Combining data from multiple modalities can lead to improved accuracy in tasks like natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and speech recognition. It helps AI systems make more informed decisions.

Real-World Applications: Multimodal AI has a wide range of practical applications, such as in healthcare (integrating medical images with patient records), autonomous vehicles (processing both visual and sensor data), and content recommendation systems (analyzing text and user behavior).

Better User Experience: In applications like virtual assistants or chatbots, multimodal AI can better understand and respond to users by considering both their spoken words and visual cues.

Problem Solving: Multimodal AI can help address complex problems that require insights from different data sources.For instance, in disaster response, it can analyze text reports, satellite images, and sensor data to assess the situation and plan a response.

Claudia Goldin wins 2023 Economics Nobel Prize for research on workplace gender gap

Source: The post is based on the article “Claudia Goldin wins 2023 Economics Nobel Prize for research on workplace gender gap” published in “The Hindu” on 10th October 2023

What is the News?

The Nobel Prize for economics has been awarded to Harvard University professor Claudia Goldin for her research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labour market.

Who is Claudia Goldin?

Claudia Goldin was born in 1946.She currently holds the position of Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University.

Work on Gender gap in labour market: Claudia Goldin’s extensive research on gender disparities in the labor market spanning over 200 years reveals several key insights:

– U-Shaped Female Labor Force Participation: Female participation in the labor market doesn’t show a consistent upward trend over time.Instead, it follows a U-shaped curve.Initially, it declined as society shifted from agrarian to industrial in the early 19th century.It later increased with the growth of the service sector in the early 20th century.This pattern is influenced by changes in economic structure and evolving societal norms about women’s roles.

– Education and the Contraceptive Pill: Women’s education levels have steadily risen throughout the 20th century and often surpass those of men in high-income countries.Access to contraception, notably the contraceptive pill, played a vital role in enabling women to plan their careers more effectively.

– Persistent Earnings Gap: Despite modernization, economic growth and increased female employment, the earnings gap between men and women remained largely unchanged for a long time.

– This is because young women’s expectations for their careers are often shaped by the experiences of previous generations such as their mothers who delayed their return to work until their children were older.

– Impact of Motherhood: Goldin’s research indicates that the bulk of the gender earnings gap now exists between men and women in the same occupation and it primarily emerges after the birth of the first child.This suggests that parenthood significantly influences the gender pay gap in contemporary times.