{"id":16824,"date":"2018-03-09T12:55:38","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T07:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=16824"},"modified":"2018-03-09T09:57:05","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T04:27:05","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-march-8-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-march-8-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 March 8, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/mains-marathon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Archives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.1) \u2018At present, India\u2019s connect with its South Asian neighbours is weaker than it has been for a very long time.\u2019 What do you think are the reasons for India\u2019s sinking relationship with its South Asian neighbors? Give some suggestive measures to be taken to renew and strengthen the relationship. (GS\u20132)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the present time, India\u2019s connect with its South Asian neighbours is weaker than it has been for a very long time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the reasons for which India\u2019s present state of relation with its South Asian neighbors is weaker than it has been?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reasons for which India\u2019s present state of relation with its South Asian neighbors is weaker than it has been are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAARC not in ideal terms with India:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first problem is that for various reasons, other governments in the SAARC region are <\/span><b>either not on ideal terms with India, or facing political turbulence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example: In the Maldives, President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has gone out of his way to challenge the India, whether it is on his crackdown on the opposition, invitations to China, or even breaking with India\u2019s effort to isolate Pakistan at SAARC.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Nepal, the K.P. Sharma Oli government is certainly not India\u2019s first choice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other parts of the neighbourhood, where relations have been comparatively better for the past few years, upcoming elections could turn the tables on India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>China\u2019s unprecedented attacks:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next problem is the <\/span><b>impact of China\u2019s unprecedented attacks into each of these countries.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example: Instead of telling the Nepal government to sort out issues with India, as it had in the past, China opened up an array of alternative trade and connectivity options after the 2015 India-Nepal border blockade: from the highway to Lhasa, cross-border railway lines to the development of dry ports.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>India\u2019s hard power tactics in the neighborhood:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third issue is that the Modi government\u2019s decision to <\/span><b>use hard power tactics in the neighbourhood <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has had a boomerang effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example: The <\/span><b>\u201csurgical strikes\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Pakistan of 2016 have been followed by a greater number of ceasefire violations and cross-border infiltration on the Line of Control.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many of these factors are hard to reverse, the fundamental facts of geography and shared cultures in South Asia are also undeniable, and India must focus its efforts to return to a more comfortable peace, and to <\/span><b>\u201cMaking the Neighbourhood First Again\u201d.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the measures to be taken to renew the relationship with its South Asian neighbors?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The measures to be taken to renew the relationship with its South Asian neighbors are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Firstly, India\u2019s most potent tool is its <\/span><b>soft power.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, its successes in Bhutan and Afghanistan, have much more to do with its <\/span><b>development assistance than its defence assistance.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, after the Doklam crisis was defused in 2017, India also moved swiftly to resolve differences with Bhutan on <\/span><b>hydropower pricing.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secondly, instead of opposing every project by China in the region, the government <\/span><b>must attempt a three-pronged approach.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(a) Wherever possible, India should collaborate with China in the manner it has over the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic corridor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(b) Whenever it feels a project is a threat to its interests, India should make a counter-offer to the project, if necessary in collaboration with its Quadrilateral partners, Japan, the U.S. and Australia.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(c) India should coexist with projects that do not necessitate intervention, while formulating a set of South Asian principles for sustainable development assistance that can be used across the region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is possible if India and China reset bilateral ties, which have seen a marked slide over the past few years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thirdly, it will also be impossible to renew the compact with the neighbours without <\/span><b>reviving the SAARC process.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fourthly, it is suggested that leaders of SAARC countries <\/span><b>should meet more often informally, they should interfere less in the internal workings of each other\u2019s governments, and there should be more interaction at every level of government.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fifthly, just as Indonesia, the biggest economy in the ASEAN, allowed smaller countries such as Singapore to take the lead, India too <\/span><b>must take a back seat in decision-making, enabling others to build a more harmonious SAARC process<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.2) \u2018Special Category Status is the right of Andhra Pradesh that no one could deny.\u2019 Do you agree with the statement? What are the criteria involved and assistance received by Special Category Status (SCS) States? (GS-2)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the <\/span><b>bifurcation of<\/b> <b>Andhra Pradesh, the state lost a large volume of its revenue <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">due to Hyderabad remaining the capital of Telangana.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>2014:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Thus, <\/span><b>\u2018Special Category Status\u2019 (SCS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was promised to the state by the Congress Government during the state bifurcation and by the BJP during the 2014 Election campaign at Tirupati.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>2017:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> But after forming the government by the BJP-led NDA, when the promise was not honored because of <\/span><b>\u201ctechnical issues\u201d,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> protests for Special Status for Andhra Pradeshstarted throughout the state on Jan 26, 2017 demanding for the \u2018Special Category Status\u2019 (SCS).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To pacify the protest, the Centre instead announced <\/span><b>a package to grant special assistance to Andhra Pradesh,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wherein an amount equivalent to what the state might have got as a special category state will be compensated by Centre through <\/span><b>externally aided projects for five years.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Important for Prelims).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The special package offered <\/span><b>meets most of the reasonable expectations of a State <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">struggling to recover from bifurcation and dealing with the imminent loss of the capital city and its revenues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) would issue two specific notifications on <\/span><b>tax concessions being extended to A.P.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What are the criteria for a state to get it Special Category Status (SCS)?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Development Council (NDC) granted the status of Special-category based on a number of features of the States which included:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hilly and difficult terrain,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">low population density or the presence of sizeable tribal population,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strategic location along international borders,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">economic and infrastructural backwardness and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-viable nature of State finances.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What kind of assistance do Special Category Status (SCS) States receive?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Planning Commission allocates funds to states through central assistance for state plans. Central assistance can be broadly split into three components: Normal Central Assistance (NCA), Additional Central Assistance (ACA) and Special Central Assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Special Category Status (SCS) States used to receive block grants based on the <\/span><b>Gadgil-Mukherjee formula.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It effectively allowed for nearly 30 per cent of the Total Central Assistance to be transferred to SCS States as late as 2009-10.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the constitution of the NITI Aayog (after the dissolution of the Planning Commission) and the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC), Central plan assistance to SCS States has been increased <\/span><b>from 32% in the 13th FC recommendations<\/b> <b>to 42%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and do not any longer appear in plan expenditure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The FFC also recommended variables such as <\/span><b>\u201cforest cover\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be included in devolution, with a <\/span><b>weightage of 7.5 in the criteria<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and which could <\/span><b>benefit north-eastern States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that were previously given SCS assistance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides, assistance to Centrally Sponsored Schemes for SCS States was given with <\/span><b>90% Central share and 10% State share.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q.3)What do you mean by microfiber pollution? What are its sources and its extent on Coastal Ecosystem? (GS-3)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Introduction:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once clothes reach a washing machine, the synthetic fabrics release tiny strands: so-called microfibers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hundreds of thousands of microfibers are flushed down the drain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many reach beaches and oceans where they can remain for hundreds of years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source of Microfibers:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sources of Microfibers are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microfibers found in oceans can originate from a wide variety of textiles (such as nylon, polyester, rayon, acrylic or spandex)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apparel products are not the only source of microplastic particles that are entering the oceans.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other industries are also contributing to this problem, as are things like fishing nets, bottle caps, packaging and plastics bags that break down in the ocean.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Extent of Microfiber Pollution on Coastal Ecosystem<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Extent of Microfiber Pollution on Coastal Ecosystem is as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A 2011 study, led by Australian ecotoxicologist Mark Browne, found that microfibres made up 85% of man-caused shoreline debris.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The UN has identified microfibre pollution as a key outgrowth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced annually<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 2016 study in the Environmental Science &amp; Technology found that more than a gram of microfibres is released every time synthetic jackets are washed and that as much as 40% of those microfibres eventually enter waterways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a new IUCN report, between 15% to 31% of marine plastic pollution could be from tiny particles released by household and industrial products, rather than larger plastic items that degrade once they reach the sea.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The IUCN calculates that 35% of this microplastic pollution comes from washing synthetic textiles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Europe and Central Asia alone dump the equivalent of 54 plastic bags worth of microplastics per person per week into the oceans.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Microfibers eventually pass through sewage plants, wash out to waterways, and can be eaten or absorbed by marine animals, some of which are later served as seafood. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archives Q.1) \u2018At present, India\u2019s connect with its South Asian neighbours is weaker than it has been for a very long time.\u2019 What do you think are the reasons for India\u2019s sinking relationship with its South Asian neighbors? Give some suggestive measures to be taken to renew and strengthen the relationship. (GS\u20132) Context: In the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-march-8-2018\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 March 8, 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-16824","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":1700770853,"cached_date":1704929974},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16824","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=16824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16824\/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=16824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}