9 PM UPSC Current Affairs Articles 28th December, 2024

Mains Oriented Articles

GS PAPER - 2

Challenges faced by marginalized students

Source: The post challenges faced by marginalized students has been created, based on the article “Marginalised by caste, marginalised in education” published in “The Hindu” on 28th December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Governance-Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education.

Context: The article discusses the struggles of marginalized students, especially Dalits, in accessing higher education due to rising fees, systemic caste-based discrimination, and financial constraints. It highlights dropout rates, suicides, and the need for systemic reforms in education and employment. Challenges faced by marginalized students

What are the challenges faced by marginalized students?

1. Financial Barriers: Marginalized students struggle with high educational costs. For instance, Atul Kumar, a student from a low-income background, lost his IIT seat due to an inability to pay the ₹17,500 seat booking fee.
2. Rising Tuition Fees: Fees at institutions like IITs and IIMs have increased significantly, exacerbating financial challenges for students from marginalized communities. IIT tuition fees rose by 200% in 2016, from ₹90,000 to ₹3 lakh per annum.
3. High Dropout Rates: Many students are forced to abandon their education due to rising costs. Between 2017 and 2018, 2,461 students dropped out of IITs alone. Over five years, more than 13,500 SC, ST, and OBC students dropped out from central universities and IIMs.
4. Caste-Based Discrimination: Dalit students often face social and academic exclusion due to caste biases. Notably, 92% of urban septic tank workers belong to marginalized communities, reflecting ongoing caste-based job segregation.
5. Mental Health Challenges: The pressure of financial and social discrimination leads to severe mental health issues. Over the past seven years, 122 students from IITs and IIMs committed suicide, with many attributed to financial and academic stress.
6. Employment Challenges: After graduation, marginalized students encounter difficulties in securing employment. An RTI in 2024 revealed that 38% of students across 23 IIT campuses were unplaced.

For detailed information on Impacts of financial strain on educational read this article here

What reforms are needed?

1. Need for systemic reforms to address financial constraints, fee hikes, and caste-based discrimination.
2. It emphasizes the need for inclusive environments and targeted support for marginalized students in education and employment.

Question for practice:

Discuss the challenges faced by marginalized students in accessing higher education and the reforms needed to address these issues.

GS PAPER - 3

Community Action and Governance in Environmental Issues

Source: The post Community Action and Governance in Environmental Issues has been created, based on the article “Bishnois v Delhiites: Two different mindsets” published in “Down to Eat” on 28th December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3- Environment

Context: The article highlights two cases: Salman Khan’s arrest for poaching in Jodhpur and Delhi’s failure to address pollution. It shows how community action in Jodhpur forced accountability, while Delhi’s middle class lacks involvement, worsening environmental issues. Community Action and Governance in Environmental Issues

What Happened with Salman Khan in Jodhpur in 1998?

1. In 1998, Salman Khan, a famous actor, was arrested in Jodhpur for poaching a chinkara, an endangered species.
2. The Bishnoi community, deeply committed to conservation, took a strong stand against the crime.
3. Their determination, rooted in tradition, forced politicians to act, especially with state elections approaching in November 1998.
4. This shows how community pressure can influence governance.

How Did Delhi Handle Its Pollution Problem in the Late 1990s?

1. Delhi faced severe air pollution issues in the late 1990s. In 1996, the Centre for Science and Environment released a report, Slow Murder, exposing vehicular pollution.
2. Following this, the Supreme Court ordered the Delhi government to phase out vehicles older than 15 years by March 31, 1998.
3. However, during the 1998 elections, then-Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma backtracked due to political pressure from affected vehicle owners.
4. The BJP government failed to take effective steps, and even after Verma’s resignation, his successor Sushma Swaraj also avoided tackling pollution seriously.

Why Are These Cases Important?

1. These cases from 1998 highlight the power of community involvement. In Jodhpur, the Bishnoi community’s activism ensured Salman Khan faced the law.
2. In Delhi, the lack of public pressure allowed pollution problems to worsen.
3. This contrast emphasizes that strong community action is essential for enforcing environmental policies.

For detailed information on Commons and Community Governance read this article here

Question for practice:

Examine how community involvement influenced governance in addressing environmental issues in Jodhpur and Delhi in 1998.

India’s Energy Shift Toward Renewable Energy Sources

Source: The post India’s Energy Shift Toward Renewable Energy Sources has been created, based on the article “The shift fuelling country’s growth engine” published in “Business Standard” on 28th December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3- Infrastructures

Context: The article discusses India’s energy evolution, focusing on the shift from coal to renewable energy (RE). It highlights the growth of public and private sectors, energy access programs, and future goals like energy independence by 2047, while addressing challenges in RE integration and fossil fuel dependency. India’s Energy Shift Toward Renewable Energy Sources

For detailed information on India’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy read this article here

What is the Background of India’s Energy Sector?

1. India has progressed from using coal and oil to adopting renewable energy (RE) over the past 25 years.
2. This shift is part of the country’s broader socio-economic growth, influenced by evolving public sector undertakings, energy access schemes, and regulatory frameworks.

How Has India’s Oil Industry Evolved?

1. Early Beginnings: Oil was first discovered in Digboi, Assam, in the late 19th century by an English engineer.
2. Mid-20th Century: The government established ONGC for exploration and IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL for marketing.
3. Major Discoveries: In 1974, ONGC discovered Bombay High, which now accounts for 70% of India’s domestic oil production.
4. Private Sector Entry: The 1999 New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) allowed private companies to explore oil and gas. Reliance Industries discovered gas in KG-D6 in 2002, while Cairn Energy found the Mangala oil field in 2004.
5. Challenges: Domestic crude production has stagnated at 30-35 million tonnes annually since 2011. In 2023-24, production fell to 29.4 million tonnes.
6. Future Goals: India is promoting green fuels to reduce reliance on oil imports.

What Challenges and Advances are Present in Renewable Energy?

1. Challenges in Renewable Energy
2. Seasonal and Unreliable Supply: Renewable energy (RE), like solar and wind, depends on weather, making it less reliable.
3. High Storage Costs: Expensive storage technology limits the integration of RE into the grid.
4. Discom Financial Strain: Power distribution companies prefer cheaper thermal power despite falling RE costs.
5. Slow Grid Absorption: RE capacity grew to 136 GW by 2024, but it contributes only 12% to India’s energy mix.
6. Slow Adoption of Next-Generation Fuels: Technologies like biodiesel and green hydrogen have not scaled effectively.
7. Advances in Renewable Energy
8. Significant Capacity Growth: India targets 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
9. Policy Support: The National Biofuel Policy of 2018 and the ethanol blending program aim for 20% ethanol in petrol by 2025-26.
10. Green Hydrogen Mission: This initiative focuses on green energy exports and energy independence by 2047.
11. Government Initiatives: Policies supporting decentralized solar and transmission infrastructure boost RE growth.

What Role Does Coal Play in India’s Energy Strategy?

1. Coal remains central to India’s energy strategy despite global pressure to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
2. Coal India Ltd (CIL) has seen growth and private participation, leading to increased coal production.
3. The government plans to phase out coal slowly, with a target of a more significant reduction by 2047.

How Has Energy Access Improved in India?

1. Universal Electrification: Programs like Saubhagya connected all households to the national grid.
2. Electricity Supply: Rural areas get 18-20 hours, and urban areas 22 hours daily.
3. LPG Access: The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) provided clean cooking fuel to 103.3 million households.
4. Targeted Subsidy: PMUY now offers Rs 300 per cylinder for up to 12 refills annually.
5. Impact: 20.3 million PMUY families used more than six refills in 2023-24.

What Future Energy Goals Does India Have?

1. India aims for energy independence by 2047 with a shift towards non-fossil fuel sources, aiming for 500 GW of capacity by 2030.
2. The National Green Hydrogen Mission is part of this strategy, intending to make India an energy exporter and reduce fossil fuel reliance significantly.

Question for practice:

Discuss the challenges and advances in India’s renewable energy sector as highlighted in the article.

Captive Elephants in India Face Rising Exploitation

Source: The post Captive Elephants in India Face Rising Exploitation has been created, based on the article “Rules that still manacle the captive elephant” published in “The Hindu” on 28th December 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3- Ecological and Environment

Context: The article discusses the mistreatment of captive elephants in India, despite their protection under the Wildlife Protection Act. It critiques new government rules that could lead to further exploitation, such as the transfer of elephants for commercial purposes and the cycle of capturing wild elephants. Captive Elephants in India Face Rising Exploitation

What is the current situation of captive elephants in India?

1. Captive elephants in India face mistreatment despite being protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. As of January 2019, there were 2,675 documented captive elephants.
3. They are exploited for religious events, tourism, and entertainment, often subjected to isolation and abusive training.
4. Microchips from deceased elephants are reused to legalize captured wild elephants.
5. The 2024 rules allow commercial exploitation through transfers, as seen in the gifting of an elephant from Assam to a Delhi temple.

6.These practices undermine elephant conservation.

What are the new rules introduced in 2024?

1. Purpose of Rules: The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) introduced the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024 to regulate the transport and ownership transfer of captive elephants and curb illegal captures.
2. Ownership Transfer: The rules allow ownership transfer if the current owner cannot maintain the elephant. However, there is no requirement for this transfer to be non-commercial, leading to potential trading of elephants as movable property.
3. Temporary Transport: Elephants can be transported temporarily across or within state borders. The rules lack clear justification requirements, raising concerns about elephants being rented out for religious ceremonies, weddings, or political events.
4. Lack of Accountability: The rules do not mandate the removal or destruction of microchips after an elephant’s death, facilitating misuse. For instance, microchips could be reused to legalize illegally captured wild elephants.
5. Birth in Captivity: The rules recognize calves born in captivity as legally owned, perpetuating the cycle of commercial exploitation.
6. Trade of an endangered: elephants are often transported from northeastern to southern and western states, such as an elephant “gifted” from Assam to a Delhi temple. The new rules facilitate such transfers, enabling trade of an endangered species instead of protecting them.

What Actions Have Been Taken So Far?

1. In August, the Elephant Project under MoEFCC flagged illegal transfers of captive elephants.
2. It issued a memorandum emphasizing digitizing genetic profiles and strict adherence to the 2024 rules.
3. However, these measures lack strong enforcement to ensure elephant welfare.

What Needs to Be Done?

1. The government should enforce humane birth control measures and stop using live elephants for temples, processions, and tourism.
2. Alternatives like electronic elephants should be promoted.
3. Civil society and temple committees must take responsibility for changing current practices.

Question for practice:

Examine the impact of the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024 on the welfare and conservation of elephants in India.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Biodiversity Credit Explaination

News: A study published in the journal ‘Proceedings of the Royal Society B’ highlights major uncertainties in the functioning of the biodiversity credit markets. Biodiversity Credit Explaination

About Biodiversity Credit 

• Definition: World Economic Forum defines Biodiversity Credits as verifiable, quantifiable and tradeable financial instrument that rewards positive nature and biodiversity outcomes through the creation and sale of either land or ocean-based biodiversity units over a fixed period. 
• Goal: They are designed as innovative financing mechanisms to attract private investments in conserving and restoring biodiversity. 
• Mechanism:
  • Just like carbon markets, they generate funds by selling credits, with proceeds being directed towards biodiversity protection and restoration. 
  • Credits are generated by non-profit organisations, governments, landowners or companies, which are purchased by private companies to meet their biodiversity commitments. 
• Examples: Common biodiversity credit schemes include ValueNature, Terrasos, CreditNature, GreenCollar. 
• Market Value Estimation: As per the World Economic Forum, the current value of biodiversity credit market is $8 million, with projections indicating a surge to $2 billion by 2030 and $69 billion by 2050. 

Biodiversity Credit Alliance  About: Voluntary international alliance that supports the realisation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, specially Targets 19(c) and (d)  These targets encourage the private sector to invest in biodiversity, utilising biodiversity credits.  Launch: Launched at the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022.  Mission: To develop biodiversity credit market by building a framework of high level, science-based principles.

National Rainfed Area Authority

News: The National Rainfed Area Authority, in collaboration with other agencies, organised a workshop to stimulate discussions and policy discourse on rainfed areas. 

About National Rainfed Area Authority 

• It was established in 2006 as an expert body to provide knowledge input regarding systemic upgradation and management of the country’s dry land and rainfed agriculture. 
• Mission: To promote prosperity of farmers and ensure inclusive growth in rainfed areas of the country on a sustainable basis. 
• Mandate: Its mandate is wider than just water conservation and covers all aspects of sustainable and holistic development of rainfed areas. It also addresses issues related to landless and marginal farmers. 
• Governance Structure: It has a two tier structure 
  • Governing Board: It is the first tier that provides leadership and coordinates the implementation of the programmes. 
    • It is chaired by the Union Agriculture Minister. 
  • Executive Committee: It is the second tier that consists of technical experts and representatives from stakeholder Ministries. 
    • It is headed by a full-time Chief Executive Officer, supported by five full-time technical experts. 
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 

As per the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, rainfed agriculture occupies about 51% of country’s net sown area and accounts for nearly 40% of the total food production.

RBI’s Committee for ethical use of AI in financial sector

News: The Reserve Bank of India has set up a committee to develop a Framework for Responsible and Ethical enactment of Artificial Intelligence (FREE-AI) in the financial sector. 

About the Committee  

• Members: The committee comprises of 8 members and is headed by Dr Pushpak Bhattacharyya. 
• Objectives: 
  • To assess the current level of adoption of AI in financial services, both globally as well as in India. 
  • To review regulatory and supervisory approaches on AI, keeping in mind the financial sector globally. 
  • To identify potential risks associated with AI
  • To recommend an evaluation, mitigation, monitoring framework and compliance requirements for financial institutions. 
  • To recommend a framework for responsible and ethical adoption of AI models in the Indian financial sector. 
• Timeline: The committee has to submit its report within 6 months from the date of its first meeting. 

Benefits of AI in financial sector 

• Improved Operational Efficiency: AI has potential to boost productivity by automating many tasks like loan processing, fraud detection, document processing, customer interactions. 
• Cost Savings: AI can enable financial institutions to increase their profit margins by carrying out data driven creditworthiness assessments. 
• Greater Customer Satisfaction: AI tools can be used to enhance customer support, leading to increased customer loyalty. Eg: use of AI powered chatbot. 

UN Convention against Cybercrime

News: The UN General Assembly recently adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime. UN Convention against Cybercrime

About UN Convention against Cybercrime

• It is a landmark global agreement adopted by 193 UN member states. Its goal is to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime and protect societies from digital threats.
• The treaty will be available for signature at a formal ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2025.
• It is the first legally binding UN instrument on cybercrime and will take effect 90 days after at least 40 member states have ratified it.
• Key provisions:
  • Domestic legislation: The treaty requires states to enact domestic laws making unauthorized access to information and communication systems illegal.
  • International cooperation: It promotes international cooperation in cybercrime investigations and prosecutions while respecting state sovereignty.
  • Human Rights: States Parties must ensure that the implementation of the convention’s obligations aligns with international human rights law.
  • Child Protection: The treaty mandates that states criminalize the production, sale, distribution, and broadcasting of child sexual exploitation material.
  • Public Awareness: The treaty encourages global educational initiatives and proactive steps to raise awareness and prevent cybercrimes.
• Significance– This treaty marks the first international criminal justice agreement in over two decades, reflecting a global commitment to strengthening cybersecurity.

Sea Otters

News: A new study reveals that sea otters at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in California are consuming thousands of green crabs. This behavior plays a crucial role in preserving the ecosystem along the West Coast of the United States.

About Sea Otters

• Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris
• They are aquatic members of the weasel family.
• Habitat:
  • They found along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean, particularly in North America (from Alaska to California) and parts of Asia (Russia and Japan).
  • They spend most of their time in the water but occasionally come ashore to sleep or rest.
• Physical Characteristics:
  • They have webbed feet and water-repellent fur to stay dry and warm, with nostrils and ears that close in the water.
  • Unlike other marine mammals, they lack blubber (a thick layer of fat) to shield them from hypothermia. As a result, they must consume a large amount of food daily to maintain their body heat.
• Diet– They are carnivorous and consume a variety of marine life, including sea urchins, crabs, mollusks, clams, and fish.
• Ecological Role:
  • They are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, helping control populations of sea urchins and other species that can damage kelp forests.
  • Their presence promotes biodiversity and maintains ecological balance.
• IUCN Status: Endangered.