9 PM UPSC Current Affairs Articles 8th November, 2024
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Mains Oriented Articles
GS PAPER - 2
Need for Review of Indus Water Treaty
Source: This post Need for Review of Indus Water Treaty has been created based on the article “India, Pakistan and modifying the Indus Waters Treaty”, published in The Hindu on 8th Nov 2024.
UPSC Syllabus Topics: GS Paper 2 – International Relations
News: India issued a formal notice on August 30, 2024, to Pakistan to revisit and potentially amend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India has cited the need for sustainable water management due to rising domestic demands.
Read – Indus Water Treaty- Concerns and Way Forward
The IWT is a significant water-sharing agreement, granting Pakistan rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) and India rights over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Sutlej, Beas).
What are the reasons for revision of the treaty?
Division of River Basin: Ensuring optimum utilization and maintaining minimum flow requires, integrated water resources management of entire Indus Water Basin. This task has been complicated by the division of rivers among India and Pakistan.
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA): Despite the treaty lacking explicit EIA requirements, international legal precedents, such as the ICJ’s ruling on the Uruguay River (2010), suggest that both nations should conduct EIAs for projects with cross-border implications.
Adapting to Climate Change: The treaty’s current structure does not account for climate change effects, such as glacial melt and water flow variability. These changes are critical, as they affect water availability and may cause a 30-40% reduction in the Indus’s flow, impacting both countries’ water security.
What can be done?
Exploring Cooperative Frameworks: Experts suggest that India and Pakistan could leverage the IWT’s negotiation mechanisms to create a memorandum of understanding (MoU) addressing immediate concerns while upholding the treaty’s foundational structure. Such MoUs could pave the way for ongoing discussions on complex issues without requiring a complete treaty overhaul.
GS PAPER - 3
CSR and Agriculture
Source: This post CSR and Agriculture has been created based on the article “Are CSR contributions to agriculture properly tracked?”, published in The Hindu on 8th Nov 2024.
Syllabus Topic – GS Paper 3 – Agriculture
News: India mandated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a decade ago under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. But its potential could not be realized for the agriculture sector. CSR and Agriculture
What are the important facts about CSR and Agriculture in India?
1) Agriculture employs about 47% of India’s workforce and contributes 16.73% to the GDP, indicating its economic significance.
2) Nearly ₹1.84 lakh crore allocated between 2014 and 2023 for CSR activities. CSR spending plays a crucial role in various development areas.
3) Many corporates are keen on supporting agricultural sustainability and climate action under their CSR commitments.
4) Indian agriculture faces infrastructure gaps that require capital investment. CSR has previously supported initiatives like grain banks, farmer training, water conservation, and energy-efficient irrigation projects.
What are the issues that are hindering CSR’s potential in agriculture?
Lack of Sector-Specific Reporting: Agriculture-related CSR initiatives are spread across 11 of 29 categories outlined in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. These categories, including environmental sustainability, rural development, and poverty eradication, make it difficult to pinpoint exact allocations to agricultural projects.
Overlapping CSR Categories: Many CSR categories include activities only partially related to agriculture, which complicates the tracking of funds directed solely toward agricultural sustainability, thus hindering a clear assessment of impact.
Limited Transparency: Without a specific agricultural category, current reporting lacks transparency, diminishing the potential to analyze sectoral impacts effectively.
Recommendations for Improved CSR Framework in Agriculture
Dedicated Reporting for Agriculture: Establishing agriculture as a distinct category within CSR reporting would enable better tracking of funds and clearer impact assessments.
Focused Allocation Based on Sustainability Needs: Directing CSR contributions toward identifiable sustainability challenges within agriculture can optimize resource use, aligning funding with specific requirements in agroecosystems.
Enhanced Transparency and Impact Evaluation: Improved transparency through a revised CSR framework would support targeted funding, ensuring that contributions genuinely advance agricultural sustainability and resilience.
New Collective Quantified Goal
Source: This post on New Collective Quantified Goal has been created based on the article “All eyes on Baku and the climate finance goal”, published in The Hindu on 8th Nov 2024.
Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Environment Conservation
News: The upcoming COP 29 will focus on developing a framework for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and future climate finance. It also focuses on the problems with the 100-billion-dollar climate finance goals.
What is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)?
COP29, scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024. One of the vital components of COP 29 is the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). As outlined in Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, the climate finance needs and priorities of developing countries are central to the NCQG.
What are the ongoing Disagreements in Climate Finance?
The key contentions in Climate Finance include the NCQG’s structure, financial scope, time frames, and sources of funding.
Arguments of Developing Countries
a. Developing nations argue that climate finance responsibilities should not unfairly fall on them.
b. They emphasize equity, calling for measurable targets and a balance between adaptation and mitigation efforts.
c. They support public finance, grants, concessional loans, and specific timelines of five to ten years.
Arguments of Developed Countries
a. Developed countries are pushing to widen the NCQG contributor base, with a preference for outcome-driven, flexible funding structures aimed at achieving low emissions and climate resilience.
b. Developed countries also advocate for innovative and multilayered financing mechanisms.
What are the Persistent Issues from the earlier $100 Billion Pledge?
The unmet $100 billion annual climate finance commitment, initially promised in 2009 and delayed until 2022, has bred distrust between developed and developing nations.
- OECD has reported a shortfall in the mobilization of finance required for climate adaptation. While the developed countries mobilized $115.9 billion in 2022, the target of climate finance remains inadequate.
- There is heavy reliance on loans over grants. This has compounded the debt burden for vulnerable countries.
- Adaptation efforts like infrastructure resilience and disaster management suffer due to limited private sector investment.
- Access to funds from entities like the Green Climate Fund remains challenging. This has created barriers to effective adaptation.
What are the Equity Concerns behind Expanding the Contributor Base?
Developed countries, notably Switzerland and Canada, are advocating to expand the NCQG contributor base by proposing criteria such as emissions levels and gross national income per capita. Their proposals implicitly target countries like China and oil-rich states such as Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
However, developing countries view this as a deviation from the core climate finance principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. This debate could delay critical climate finance discussions at COP29, potentially impeding progress on urgent climate actions.
What Should be the Way Forward?
Developing countries must be provided finance, as well as technology transfer and capacity building to address mitigation and adaptation needs.
Common accounting frameworks and reducing reliance on private investment are essential to ensure transparency and accountability of NCQG.
The NCQG and overall climate finance must be firmly rooted in Article 9 of the Paris Agreement.
Climate Finance
Source: This post on Climate Finance has been created based on the article “At CoP29, Global South and North should shed adversarial position on climate finance”, published in The Indian express on 8th Nov 2024.
Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 – Environment Conservation
News: Securing better climate finances for the Global South has emerged as the pre-eminent goal for CoP29. This is a necessary pursuit as the developing world houses the majority of the worst-affected regions. However, the Global South and the Global North should not come to the table as adversaries.
What are the financing needs and realities?
Global South’s finance needs have shot up to over $1 trillion a year today. It was $100 billion a year back in 2009.
However, it was only in 2022 that the financing went past $100 billion for the first time. More than half of it is reported to be in the form of loans to already struggling nations.
What are the issues faced by developing countries?
- The cost of capital for investing in essential infrastructure (like utility-scale solar) in the Global South is three to four times higher than in developed nations like Germany.
- There is lack of access to concessional finance, making it more challenging for the developing world to channel funds into clean-energy capacities and climate-resilient infrastructure.
- Revised draft of UN’s New Collective Quantified Goal has faced immediate opposition from China and India, as both are major economies that cannot be expected to throttle their growth to undo the wrongs of the past. The rest of the BRICS bloc is also voicing similar reservations.
What should be the Way Forward?
- Global South countries should facilitate higher returns for private investors. This could involve aggressive tax breaks, innovative revenue-sharing mechanisms, or aggregating demand for capital-intensive sectors like green hydrogen and electrified public transit.
- Unlocking more concessional financing for renewable energy projects in the Global South.
Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)
Supreme Court Ruling on Recruitment Rules in Public Services
Source: This post on Supreme Court Ruling on Recruitment Rules in Public Services has been created based on the article “‘Rules cannot change midway of public services recruitment’” published in The Hindu on 8th November 2024.
Why in news?
The Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, ruled that eligibility criteria and recruitment rules, once set at the start of a public service recruitment process, cannot be altered midway.
Key Judgement
1. Legal Requirement for Changes: Any change in the eligibility criteria during the recruitment process can only occur if explicitly allowed by existing rules or the initial advertisement, provided it aligns with the extant rules.
2. Fundamental Rights and Equality: The judgment emphasized that recruitment laws and procedures must adhere to fundamental rights principles, particularly equality (Article 14) and equal opportunity in public employment (Article 16) of the Indian Constitution.
3. Prohibition Against Arbitrary Rule Changes: Alterations in the recruitment process must meet the standards of non-arbitrariness and fairness, consistent with the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
4. No Guarantee of Appointment from Selection: Placement on a select list does not guarantee appointment, even if vacancies exist. However, the state must provide a valid reason if it denies appointment to a selected candidate.
5. “Rules of the Game” Concept: Justice Manoj Misra, who authored the judgment, defined “the rules of the game” as the selection and appointment process. Courts have consistently opposed any change in these rules after recruitment has commenced.
6. Two Types of Rules: The court categorized “rules” into two types:
i) Eligibility Criteria: The qualifications required for candidates to be considered for the role.
ii) Selection Process: The procedures and methods used to choose candidates from the eligible pool.
Binding Nature of Rules: Recruitment rules are binding on the recruiting body, which must ensure the process is transparent, fair, and rationally connected to the objectives of the recruitment.
7. Timeline of Recruitment Process: According to the court, the recruitment process begins with the advertisement for applications and concludes once vacancies are filled. The process must strictly follow the established rules for both eligibility and procedure.
UPSC Syllabus: Polity and nation
Key Findings on the Nutritional Impact of Debranning Millets
Source: This post on Key Findings on the Nutritional Impact of Debranning Millets has been created based on the article “Removing bran on millets reduces the benefits of eating them: study” published in The Hindu on 8th November 2024.
Why in news?
A recent study highlights that debranning (removing the bran) from millets decreases their protein, dietary fiber, fat, mineral, and phytate content. This process also increases the carbohydrate and amylose content, potentially diminishing the health benefits of consuming millets.
Key Findings on the Nutritional Impact of Debranning Millets
1. Advantages of Whole-Grain Millets: Researchers emphasize consuming millets as whole grains to maximize nutritional benefits. Debranned millets, although easier to cook, are nutritionally inferior and can raise the glycemic load of Indian diets.
2. High Mineral Content and Health Benefits: Compared to other cereals like rice, wheat, and maize, millets are rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. They also provide essential phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds, which offer health benefits like anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherosclerogenic, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects.
3. Increased Focus on Millets in 2023: The Food and Agriculture Organization designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets, with strong promotional support from the Indian government.
4. Market Trends and Concerns: A 2018 market survey revealed millets, polished like white rice, are commonly available in stores, making it difficult to distinguish between polished and whole-grain millets in packaged products.
5. Reasons for Polishing Millets: Polishing extends shelf life, as millet bran is high in fats that can become rancid. Debranning also reduces cooking time and makes the grain softer and less chewy.
6. Health Implications for Diabetics: According to experts, while millets provide phytonutrients and proteins beneficial to health, polished millets lead to a high glycemic index, which can be detrimental for diabetics. Efforts are needed to make unpolished, whole-grain millets more accessible for those managing diabetes.
UPSC Syllabus: Agriculture
Reasons for Advancing CPI Inflation and IIP Data Release Timings and Potential Challenges
Source: This post on Reasons for Advancing CPI Inflation and IIP Data Release Timings and Potential Challenges has been created based on the article “Why have timings for release of CPI inflation and IIP data been advanced, and the likely problems with this change” published in Indian Express on 8th November 2024.
Why in news?
Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has advanced the data release time to 4 pm to provide more time for stakeholders to access and analyze the data on the day of release.
Why this change has been made?
1. The new timing aligns more closely with the closing hours of major financial markets in India, allowing market participants to review the data without impacting after-market hours significantly.
2. Commitment to Transparency: MoSPI aims to enhance transparency and accessibility in data dissemination by shifting the release timing, facilitating better decision-making.
Historical Context of Previous Release Timings
1. Pre-2013 Schedule: Retail inflation and factory output data used to be released around 11-11:30 am on the 12th of every month until June 2013.
2. Leakage Concerns: Due to data leaks before the official release time, the release was moved to 5:30 pm in July 2013 to occur after the close of forex and government bond markets at 5 pm.
3. Consistency with Market Closures: The 5:30 pm release time minimized market sensitivity to data, as key financial markets were closed, reducing potential volatility from mid-trading data releases.
Potential Issues with the New 4 pm Release Time
1. Increased Market Sensitivity: The 4 pm timing could impact government bond and foreign exchange markets, which remain open until 5 pm. The release during open market hours might lead to higher market volatility.
2. Timing Overlap with Trading: Although stock markets close by 4 pm, other sensitive markets might experience sudden shifts in trading activity due to the mid-session data release.
Importance of CPI and IIP Data
1. Consumer Price Index (CPI): It measures changes in the price levels of consumer goods and services, serving as a key indicator for inflation and price stability. It supports inflation targeting and monitoring by governments and central banks.
2. Index of Industrial Production (IIP): It reflects industrial activity and growth by measuring production changes across sectors like Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity. It serves as a short-term industrial growth indicator until comprehensive annual data is released.
UPSC Syllabus: Indian Economy
Airships Re-Emerging in the Climate Change Era
Source: This post on Airships Re-Emerging in the Climate Change Era has been created based on the article “How climate change is bringing back the idea of airships” published in Indian Express on 8th November 2024.
Why in news?
Airships were pioneers in powered flight in the early 20th century. Originally viewed as the future of travel but lost favor due to technology limitations and the rapid evolution of airplanes. Today, they are mostly used for advertising, scientific observation, military purposes, and tourism.
About Airships
1. Airships, sometimes referred to as dirigibles or blimps, are lighter-than-air aircraft that float due to the use of a gas such as helium or hydrogen, which is less dense than the air around it.
2. Their history is marked by unique design and engineering approaches that allowed them to operate as some of the earliest forms of controlled aerial transportation.
3. The concept of airships dates back to the 18th century, with pioneers like the Montgolfier brothers experimenting with balloons. However, it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries that airships truly took shape.
4. These rigid airships, commonly known as Zeppelins, became immensely popular for passenger and military use due to their ability to cover long distances and carry significant cargo or passengers.
5. Airships are classified based on their structure:
i) Rigid Airships: These have an internal frame that holds the shape regardless of the gas levels. The famous Zeppelins fall into this category.
ii) Semi-Rigid Airships: They have some structural support but rely on the gas to maintain most of their shape.
iii) Non-Rigid Airships (Blimps): These are essentially large balloons without any internal framework, relying entirely on gas pressure to maintain their shape.
6. Airships control altitude by releasing ballast or venting gas, while propulsion systems usually propellers powered by engines allow them to navigate horizontally. Because they float, they are highly energy-efficient and can stay airborne for extended periods.
Modern Uses and Revival
1. Today, airships are experiencing a revival for uses such as aerial surveillance, environmental monitoring, advertising, and tourism.
2. Technological advances have made them safer and more practical. Modern airships often use helium, a non-flammable gas, to reduce fire risks.
3. In addition to industrial applications, airships are gaining attention for their environmental benefits, as they emit far less carbon dioxide compared to airplanes.
Future Potential and Environmental Benefits
Airships offer a low-pollution alternative to traditional freight. With increasing attention on the aviation industry’s carbon footprint, airships may become a greener choice, as they do not rely on fossil fuels for lift and can reach remote locations inaccessible by trucks or ships.
UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology