{"id":12414,"date":"2017-11-23T13:48:41","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T08:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=12414"},"modified":"2017-11-20T14:49:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T09:19:41","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-november-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-november-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 November 22"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/mains-marathon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Archives<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.1 Discuss the objective behind the formation of Quad group with special reference to China. What are benefits India is looking to accrue from Quad?<\/span>(GS-2)<\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u2018Quad\u2019 has formed nearly a decade after the failed first attempt to bring the four countries together &#8211; India, Japan, Australia and the United States (U.S).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Major Objectives<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key issues of common interest in the \u201cIndo-Pacific region\u201d were discussed, with an eye on China and the aim reaching a common ground on a \u201cfree and open\u201d Indo-Pacific.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quad formation will be upholding the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and respect for international law, freedom of navigation and over flight; increases connectivity; coordinate on efforts to address the challenges of countering terrorism and upholding maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of the discussions were proliferation threats, \u201cincluding North Korea\u2019s nuclear and missile issues, against which maximized pressure needs to be applied, ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, and countering terrorism and other issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Specific concerns related to China<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The boiling regional tension with China and Beijing\u2019s assertiveness over the<\/span><b> South China Sea <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issue, a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry informed that freedom of navigation figured at the \u2018Quad.\u2019<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Australia is troubled by China\u2019s growing interest in its land, infrastructure and politics and influence on its universities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Japan suspects Chinese support to North Korea which led to the two missile-launches over its territory. Aforementioned, Japan believed that China has tried to bully it on several territorial issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China has border disputes with India and the recent Doklam standoff hit bilateral relations. To India\u2019s dislike, China\u2019s closeness with Pakistan, not only blocks its path into the Nuclear Suppliers Group but also work against its interests on the issue of terrorism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, both India and Japan will have to counter China to balance the power equation in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US already annoyed with China, sees this as an opportunity to regain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">China\u2019s continuous addressal of the region as Asia Pacific clearly depicts the change in US strategy which is Washington keeping India at the centre of its game plan in Asia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Benefits India looking to accrue<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India would have to work hard to make things work for the \u2018Quad\u2019 for the benefit of its own.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India will have to actively push the other three countries to work towards creating an environment for free and fair trade in the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensuring peace and stability will be India\u2019s major concern.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India by refusing to join OBOR is charting its own strategy to connect Central Asian and Southeast Asian markets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a proposal to build <\/span><b>a ports-based model with Japan <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including African countries and Australia might be willing to join the network.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will be in the interest of India as \u2018Quad\u2019 will act as an alternative to China globally.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is another proposal to promote free trade and defence cooperation across the Indian Ocean \u2013 from South China Sea to Africa, to countervail China\u2019s OBOR.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.2<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 protects the dignity of motherhood at the time when she is not working. In light of the above statement, discuss the provision of Maternity benefit under Indian Constitution and the need of Maternity leave in India. (GS-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Maternity Benefit Act is there to protect the dignity of motherhood and the dignity of a new person\u2019s birth by providing for the full and healthy maintenance of the woman and her child at this important time when she is not working<\/span><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Maternity benefit and Indian Constitution<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 15(3) of the Indian Constitution empowers the State to make special provisions for women. The main object of Article 15 (3) is based on \u201c<\/span><b>protective discrimination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d keeping in view the weak physical position of women.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The purpose is that a \u201cwomen\u2019s physical structure and the performance of maternal functions places her at a disadvantaged position in the struggle for subsistence, and her physical well-being becomes an object of public interest. This provision has enabled the State to make special statutory provisions exclusively for the welfare of women.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 21, Right to Life and Personal Liberty means the right to lead meaningful, complete and dignified life. It does not have restricted meaning. Therefore, the State must guarantee to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a pregnant working woman all the facilities and assistance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that she requires while protecting her employment as well as her own and her child\u2019s health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>The Directive Principles of State Policy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contained in Part IV of the Constitution of India, under Article 41 requires the State to make effective provision for securing the right to work and to education.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 42 requires that the <\/span><b>State shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of work and for maternity relief.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Need of Maternity leave benefits<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Economic dependence of women gives rise to their subordination in society today. Hence to remove such subordination and to lay the foundation of equality women too must be made economically independent. To support such initiative the Government must provide some conditions which are suitable for the needs of women.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To curb such problem and protect the economic rights of women <\/span><b>there is need for maternity benefits<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for a female employee.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women are entitled to these benefits as the child bearing process is intensely painful and can cause bodily damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This may severely affect the future work of the woman as an employee and decrease her productivity so there is a need for maternity benefits for the women worker.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To safeguard working women and their rights to remain self-reliant and economically independent, maternity benefits are required.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whatever is needed to facilitate the birth of child to a woman who is in service, the employer has to be considerate and sympathetic towards her and must realize the physical difficulties which a working woman would face in performing her duties at the work place while carrying a baby in the womb or while rearing up the child after birth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To remove the hardship of the women workers, the concept of maternity benefit is needed in order to enable the women workers to carry on the social function of child.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.3 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India and Canada are taking forward the proposed bilateral trade and investment pacts. In light of the above statement, discuss the importance of Canada \u2013 India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Also discuss the recent bilateral developments between India and Canada. (GS-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agenda includes measures to remove irritants, including those affecting trade in goods, especially \u2018high\u2019 tariffs on farm items such as pulses, and services, particularly \u2018curbs\u2019 relating to easier movement of skilled workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Canada-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA)<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the proposed Canada-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), officially known as <\/span><b>the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it is expected to exchange their <\/span><b>respective services trade wish list<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, indicating the areas where they would like to gain from the trade pact.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is focusing on ensuring easier movement of Indian skilled workers to Canada for short-term work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last round of FTA negotiations saw modalities on goods trade taking shape.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposed bilateral <\/span><b>Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is about to be finalized. India and Canada had concluded the FIPPA talks in June 2007, however, the agreement has not yet been ratified and made operational.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is learnt to have had reservations regarding the inclusion of provisions on the<\/span><b> Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism in the FIPPA.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ISDS, enables <\/span><b>investors to sue governments before international tribunals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and seek huge compensation for the economic harms they suffer due to reasons including policy changes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has been negotiating its investment pacts on the basis of its new <\/span><b>Model Bilateral Investment Treaty Text <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">since December 2015.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Recent bilateral developments<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Trade in services<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On trade in services, India will reach for easing norms in Canada,<\/span><b> Canada\u2019s Temporary Foreign Worker Program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help Indian skilled workers, especially professionals from the Information Technology field, to take up short-term project work.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Increase in Customs duty<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s recent decision to <\/span><b>increase the rate of basic customs duty on peas to 50%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from nil duty has upset Canada which is a major pulses exporter to India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian government said that the <\/span><b>duty increase was compliant with the World Trade Organization<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> norms, adding that the move was taken due to the <\/span><b>bumper harvest of pulses in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>The Canada-India Technology Summit<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three Canadian Ministers will lead a trade mission to India from November 13 to 17, accompanied by a delegation of nearly 200 Canadian business representatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministers will participate in <\/span><b>the Canada-India Technology Summit,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where there will be several significant business and innovation announcements involving top-tier Canadian companies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Increasing bilateral relations<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canadian investment into India has increased by nearly $15 billion over the past three years, and the number of Canadian companies active in India stands at over 1000.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archives\u00a0 Q.1 Discuss the objective behind the formation of Quad group with special reference to China. What are benefits India is looking to accrue from Quad?(GS-2) Introduction The \u2018Quad\u2019 has formed nearly a decade after the failed first attempt to bring the four countries together &#8211; India, Japan, Australia and the United States (U.S). Major&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-november-22\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 November 22<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mains-marathon-answers","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pen-paper-laptop.jpg?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704812304},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}