{"id":14845,"date":"2018-01-24T11:41:35","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T06:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=14845"},"modified":"2018-01-23T11:43:51","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T06:13:51","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-january-23-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-january-23-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 January 23, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/mains-marathon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Archives<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.1)The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s to India<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> opens up new possibilities and opportunities that can be seized. What are the major takeaways from the visit? Do you think Israel can prove to be one of the strongest supports for India\u2019s \u2018Make in India\u2019 initiative? (GS-2) <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s to India is a long-anticipated moment in the journey of friendship between India and Israel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>It is to be noted that<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> visit comes days after India voted against Israel at the UN on the Jerusalem issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the major takeaways from Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s visit to India?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both the Prime ministers reviewed the progress relations and renewed conversation on the possibilities and the opportunities that can be seized. The major takeaways from the conversation are as follows:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Strengthen existing cooperation:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two countries will strengthen the existing pillars of cooperation in areas that touch the lives of our peoples.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are agriculture, science and technology, and security.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Launch of \u2018India-Israel Industrial R&amp;D and Technological Innovation Fund (i4F)\u2019:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The maiden call for joint R&amp;D projects under the \u2018India-Israel Industrial R&amp;D and Technological Innovation Fund (i4F)\u2019 was launched.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This Fund is to be utilized over a period of 5 years, in pursuit of path-breaking technological solutions that can be commercially exploited.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Scaling up Centers of Excellence:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Views were exchanged on scaling up the Centers of Excellence that have been a main-stay of agricultural cooperation by bringing in advanced Israeli practices and technology.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Venture of FDI regime:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In defence, India has invited Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalized FDI regime to make more in Indian companies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Venture of less explored areas of cooperation:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two countries are venturing into less explored areas of cooperation, such as oil&amp; gas, cyber security, films, and start-ups.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can be reflected in the agreements that were exchanged, several of these areas are indicative of the desire to diversify and broad-base engagement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Facilitate flow of people and ideas:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two countries committed to facilitating the flow of people and ideas between the geographies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It requires policy facilitation, infrastructure and connectivity links and fostering constituencies of support beyond Government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is working with Israel to make it easier for people of to work and visit each other\u2019s countries, including for longer work durations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Can Israel prove to be one of the strongest supports for India\u2019s \u2018Make in India\u2019 initiative?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, Israel is universally known as the <\/span><b>Start-up nation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a unique eco-system for innovation and incubation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is <\/span><b>Water Tech, or Agri-Tech, or it is food production, or processing or conservation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Israel has been a shining example with new breakthrough and advances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it is <\/span><b>physical or virtual security; whether it is on land, water or space; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Israel technology has won admiration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>India-Israel Innovation Bridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will act as a link between the Start-ups of the two sides.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Indian Industries, start-ups and the academic institutions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> must collaborate with their Israeli counterparts to access the huge reservoir of knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Progress so far:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several <\/span><b>Israeli companies have joined hands with Indian companies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for making in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many others, especially those with <\/span><b>advanced water technologies and agri techniques, defence and security systems, and pharma knowledge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have a foot-hold in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, Indian companies have significant presence in several sectors in Israel <\/span><b>like IT, Irrigation and Pharma.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Diamond <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">remains a strong link in trade between the two countries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Conclusion:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The significant visit of the Israeli Prime Minister is certainly the dawn of a new era in friendship between India and Israel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.2) In the context of racism faced by Africans in India, what should be the measures taken by Indian government to address this disturbing trend?(GS-1) <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is extremely diverse ethnically, with more than 2,000 different ethnic groups.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, within India, there is also significant diversity within regions, and almost every province has its own distinct mixture of ethnicities, traditions, and culture.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, throughout the history of India, ethnic relations have been both constructive and destructive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Example of destructive relations are as follows:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Attacks on Africans:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the years India, an attractive destination for Africans for higher studies and medical tourism, has been wooing Africa for business opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the recent attacks on Africans have raised concerns about the safety of foreigners in India and an alarming trend of hate crimes and racism in the country which will <\/span><b>affect bilateral ties adversely.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It will <\/span><b>damage recent Indian initiatives<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to promote people-to-people contact under India-Africa forum summit initiatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Suggestions: the need for a strict anti-discriminatory law:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the absence of an anti-discrimination code, there is <\/span><b>no comprehensive statutory definition of discrimination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that takes into account different manifestations of discrimination and its impact.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s external affairs and home ministries need to m<\/span><b>ake concerted efforts to sensitise the police and the public at large <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about how racism contradicts the nation\u2019s past and present ideals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, the external affairs ministry should have a <\/span><b>department dedicated to addressing human rights violations against foreigners<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can lead <\/span><b>community awareness programmes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against racism and push for adequate legislation, drawing on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (2001).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As most Africans in India are students, the human resources ministry needs to <\/span><b>hold anti-racism campaigns on university campuses<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Educational institutions in India should be told about the <\/span><b>importance of scholarship programmes for Africans.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Efforts should also be made to <\/span><b>educate Indian students about African countries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Anti-racism sentiments should be discussed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the commencement of every India-Africa summit and should be formalised in treaties.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Societies do not change on their own, we need to <\/span><b>create conditions for this change<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which includes identifying groups and areas that are perpetrating these kind of hate attacks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.3) What are designer babies? Discuss the ethical issues involved in opting for designer babies in future. (GS\u20133)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A designer baby is a <\/span><b>human embryo that has been genetically modified<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, usually following guidelines set by the parent or scientist, to produce desirable traits.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is done using various methods, such as <\/span><b>gene therapy or Pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Importance of designer babies:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PGD procedures allow scientist to <\/span><b>identify damaged or mutated genes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> associated with diseases in the oocytes or embryos by using in-situ hybridization (ISH).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ISH technique <\/span><b>labels specific nucleic acid sequences on a gene<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that can help detect genetic abnormalities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To sum up, this technique can also <\/span><b>help select for desirable traits<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by avoiding implanting embryos with genes that have serious diseases or disabilities. For examples:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Desirable traits that could be selected would be <\/span><b>increased muscle mass, voice pitch, or high intelligence.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Ethical issues involved in opting for designer babies in future:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The practice of modifying humans to something \u201csmart\u201d is a direct <\/span><b>question on the individuality of the baby.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main ethical issue with these types of treatments is that it <\/span><b>will produce a change that can be passed down to future generations <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and therefore any error, known or unknown will also be passed down and will affect the offspring.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, <\/span><b>new diseases may be introduced<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> accidentally.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since experimentation of the germline occurs directly on embryos, there is a <\/span><b>major ethical deliberation on experimenting with fertilized eggs and embryos <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and killing the flawed ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In many countries, editing embryos and germline modification for reproductive <\/span><b>use is illegal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archives\u00a0 Q.1)The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s to India opens up new possibilities and opportunities that can be seized. What are the major takeaways from the visit? Do you think Israel can prove to be one of the strongest supports for India\u2019s \u2018Make in India\u2019 initiative? (GS-2) Introduction: The recent visit of&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-january-23-2018\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 January 23, 2018<\/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-14845","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":1704665293},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14845","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=14845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14845\/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=14845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}