UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 17th November 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Rabhindra Bhavan

Subject: Art and Culture

Why in News?

Veteran artist Jatin Das inaugurated two curated Exhibitions at Rabhindra Bhavan recently.

Background:-

• Lalit Kala Akademi, the apex cultural body under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, presents two exhibitions, namely ‘Imag(in)ing the Immediate- Curating from a National Collection’ and ‘The Afghan Journal’, both curated by Akademi’s Assistant Editor and renowned curator and art historian, JohnyML.

About Rabhindra Bhavan:-

• Architect: Ar. Habib Rahman.
• Location: Feroz Shah Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi
• Area: 3.5 Acres
• Project year: 1961
• Idea: building that would mark the birth centenary of Rabindranath Tagore.
• Rabindra Bhavan was built to mark the birth centenary of Tagore, who in addition to being a poet and novelist, was an artist, playwright and composer.
• The building is thus the home of three National Academies: Lalit Kala (Plastic Arts), Sangeet Natak (Dance, Drama and Music) and Sahitya (Literature).
• The building is divided into three major blocks- administrative building, exhibition gallery and theatre.
• The administrative block, which is the biggest of all, occupies prominent amount of space on the site.
• The Y – shape is chosen very thoughtfully to cover the maximum area on the site Reinterpreted form of chajjas in continuous horizontal louvers.
• Lighting through natural means.
• This building also serves as a memorial museum for studies on Tagore.
• It is also the hub for research studies on Rabindranath Tagore.
• These include old photographs which show his lifestyle.
• The wider range of artefacts and personal items of Shri Rabindranath Tagore attracts a large number of visitors.

Source: PIB

GS-II

Employees’ State Insurance Scheme

Subject: Government Schemes

Why in News?

Recent data shows that over 18.88 lakh new workers enrolled under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme in September 2023.

Background:-

• Over nine lakh young employees, up to the age group of 25 years, constitute the majority of new registrations.

About Employees’ State Insurance Scheme:-

• The Employees’ State Insurance Scheme (ESI)is an integrated measure of social Insurance embodied in the Employees’ State Insurance Act, of 1948. ( ESIC)
• Objectives: ESI Scheme is designed to accomplish the task of protecting ’employees’ as defined in the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 against the impact of incidences of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families. (Draft Social Security Code )
• Implementing Agency: Employees’ State Insurance Corporation.

Applicability of ESI Scheme:-

• It applies to factories and other establishments Road Transport, Hotels, Restaurants, Cinemas, Newspaper, Shops, and Educational/Medical Institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed.
• However, in some States threshold limit for coverage of establishments is still

Beneficiary Selection:-

• Employees of the aforesaid categories of factories and establishments, drawing wages up to Rs.15,000/- a month, are entitled to social security cover under the ESI Act.
• ESI Corporation has also decided to enhance the wage ceiling for coverage of employees under the ESI Act from Rs.15,000/- to Rs.21,000.

Coverage of the ESI Scheme:-

• 1952: In the beginning, the ESI Scheme was implemented at just two industrial centres in the country, namely Kanpur and Delhi.
• The Scheme today, stands implemented at over 830 centres in 31 States and Union Territories.

Funding of ESI Scheme:-

• The Employees’ State Insurance Scheme (ESI Scheme) is financed by contributions from employers and employees.
• The rate of contribution by employer is 3.25% of the wages payable to employees.
• The employees’ contribution is at the rate of 75% of the wages payable to an employee.

Benefits under the ESI Scheme:-

The main benefits provided under ESI Scheme are:

• Sickness Benefit
• Disablement Benefit
• Dependants’ Benefit
• Maternity Benefit
• Medical Benefit
• Other benefits: Confinement Expenses, Funeral Expenses, Vocational Rehabilitation, Physical Rehabilitation, Unemployment Allowance (RGSKY) and Skill Upgradation Training.

Source: AIR

Worldwide Governance Indicators

Subject: Polity 

Why in News?

Recently Anantha Nageshwaran, Chief Economic Adviser of India raised concern over the use of the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators in rating assessments by credit rating agencies, especially for emerging economies.

About Worldwide Governance Indicators:

• It is released by the World Bank.
• It provides a ranking of 215 countries and territories.
• It is based on six dimensions of governance:
  • Voice and Accountability
  • Political Stability and Absence of Violence
  • Government Effectiveness
  • Regulatory Quality
  • Rule of Law
  • Control of Corruption
• These indicators are designed to help researchers and analysts assess broad patterns in perceptions of governance across countries and over time.
• The World Bank compiles the Worldwide Governance Indicators using data from more than 30 think tanks, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, and private firms deemed credible.
• The WGI was developed in 1999 by two World Bank researchers, Daniel Kaufmann and Aart Kraay.
• The data are updated annually in September.

Key Facts about the World Bank

• It is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low and middle-income/developing countries to pursue capital projects.
• It was established along with the IMF at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference.
• The WB Group Includes
  • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): It provides loans, credits, and grants.
  • International Development Association (IDA): It provides low or no-interest loans to low-income countries.
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC): It provides investment, advice, and asset management to private companies and governments.
  • Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA):It ensures lenders and investors against political risks such as war.
  • International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID): It settles investment disputes between investors and countries.
• India is not a member of ICSID.

Source: Indian Express

Sub-Categorization among SCs: Legal Aspects and Implications

Subject: Polity

Why in News?

In a recent election rally in Telangana, PM made a commitment to explore the sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes (SCs) to identify and uplift the most marginalized among them.

• This move is seen as an attempt to garner support from the Madiga community, the largest among the SC communities in the state.

SC Sub-Categorization: Legality Check

• State-Level Attempts: Over the past two decades, several states, including Punjab, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu, have attempted to introduce reservation laws to sub-categorize SCs within their territories. These efforts have been held up in courts, awaiting a Supreme Court Constitution Bench’s decision.
• Andhra Pradesh’s Initiative: The issue surfaced when the Andhra Pradesh government formed a commission in 1996, led by Justice Ramachandra Raju, to recommend sub-categorization based on disparities among SC communities. However, the Supreme Court, in 2004, ruled that states did not possess the unilateral authority to sub-categorize communities within the SC and Scheduled Tribes (ST) lists, as these lists are the prerogative of Parliament and the President.
• Contradictory Rulings: A 2020 judgment by a five-judge Bench, led by Justice Arun Mishra, contradicted the 2004 ruling by stating that determining benefits within the SC/ST lists would not amount to “tinkering” and could be done by states. This discrepancy prompted the referral of the 2020 judgment to a larger Bench.

Government Initiatives and Legal Opinions

• Union Government’s Efforts: The 2004 judgment prompted the Union government to explore the possibility of sub-categorization. In 2005, the Attorney-General of India (AGI) opined that sub-categorization was feasible if supported by “unimpeachable evidence” and suggested a constitutional amendment for this purpose.
• National Commission Recommendations: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) opined that a constitutional amendment was unnecessary. They cited Article 16(4) of the Constitution, which allows states to create special laws for under-represented backward classes.

Arguments for Sub-Categorization

• Graded Inequalities: Proponents argue that sub-categorization addresses the graded inequalities within SC communities. It ensures that the more backward communities receive their fair share of benefits, preventing the dominance of relatively advanced communities.
• Representation at All Levels: The goal is to ensure representation at all levels, including higher positions. However, the most backward SCs lag so far behind that even reserved positions at advanced levels may not benefit them due to a lack of suitable candidates.

Data Requirement for Sub-Categorization

• Legal experts emphasize the importance of robust data, including population numbers, socio-economic indicators, and community-specific information.
• This data would form the basis for reasonable categorization, quota allocation, and policy decisions.

Conclusion

• The sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes (SCs) is a complex legal and social issue that remains unresolved, with contradictory Supreme Court rulings and varying opinions among government bodies.
• While sub-categorization aims to address disparities within SC communities, it raises practical challenges, such as data collection and ensuring meaningful representation.
• The quest for a fair and legally sound sub-categorization mechanism continues, with the need for comprehensive data and clear legal guidelines at the forefront of the debate.

Source: The Hindu

GS-III

Alzheimer's Disease

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

Recently, the World’s Leading Theory on Alzheimer’s in Crisis fail After Major Drug Trials.

Background:-

• In two trials, a drug designed to eradicate the sticky plaques has failed to preserve the cognitive abilities of people with early Alzheimer’s disease compared to people given a placebo.
• The monoclonal antibody gantenerumab did significantly reduce the amount of amyloid beta in the brain as intended, but this did not translate into improvements in cognitive function.

About Alzheimer’s Disease:-

• Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder.
• It causes brain cells to degenerate and die.
• This leads to loss of memory, problems with words in speaking or writing, poor judgment, changes in mood and personality, confusion with time or place, etc.
• It is a brain disorder that gets worse over time.
• Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.
• Alzheimer’s is an incurable disease, as the death of brain cells cannot be reversed.
• Women have a higher risk of having Alzheimer’s disease than men.

Causes:-

• Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells.
• One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells and the other protein is called tau.
• Tau is a protein that when it occurs in tangled formations in the brain of Alzheimer patients, disrupts the ability of neurons to communicate with one another in the brain.

Symptoms:-

A gradual decline in some, most or all of the following:-

• Reasoning and handling of complex tasks.
• Understanding visual form and space relationship.

Management and Treatment:-

Medication:

• There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but certain medications can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two types of drugs to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:
  • Cholinesterase inhibitors.
  • NMDA antagonists.

Managing behaviour changes:-

• Maintaining a familiar environment for them.
• Monitoring patients’ comfort.
• Providing comfort objects, such as a favourite stuffed animal or blanket.

Source: The Hindu

FDA Approves World’s First Chikungunya Vaccine: Ixchiq

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US granted approval for the world’s inaugural vaccine against chikungunya.

Ixchiq: The Chikungunya Vaccine

• Developed by European vaccine manufacturer Valneva, this vaccine will be available under the brand name Ixchiq.
• It has been authorized for use in individuals aged 18 and above who are at elevated risk of chikungunya exposure.
• It is administered as a single dose via injection into the muscle.
• The vaccine contains a live, attenuated (weakened) form of the chikungunya virus. It may induce symptoms similar to those experienced by individuals with the disease.

Understanding Chikungunya

• Symptoms: Chikungunya is characterized by severe joint pain, limited mobility, and accompanying fever. It is a viral infection (CHIKV) primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, earning it the status of an “emerging global health threat.”
• Global Prevalence: Chikungunya is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with sporadic outbreaks reported in other regions. Since 2004, outbreaks have become more frequent and widespread, partly due to viral adaptations facilitating transmission by Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
• Symptoms: Alongside joint pain, chikungunya symptoms include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. While severe cases and deaths are rare, they may be underreported due to misdiagnosis, often confused with dengue or zika.
• No Cure: Currently, there is no cure for chikungunya, and treatment is primarily focused on symptomatic relief, including analgesics for pain, antipyretics for fever, rest, and adequate fluid intake.
• Prevention: Prevention efforts primarily revolve around mosquito control through public health initiatives, civic maintenance, and personal measures such as using medicated mosquito nets and eliminating stagnant water sources to hinder mosquito breeding.

Source: The Hindu

Leonid meteor shower

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

Many skywatchers in India and around the globe are poised for a cosmic treat—the Leonid Meteor Shower, which has already been underway since November 6, is set to reach its peak in the pre-dawn hours of November 17–18, 2023.

About the Leonid meteor shower:

• It is brought about by the dust and debris abandoned by the comet Tempel-Tuttle.
• It is commonly peaking in mid-November.
• The shower is called after the Leo constellation, from which the meteors appear to radiate.
• This Tempel-Tuttle comet circles the sun at regular intervals of 33 years.
• When the comet passes near the sun, it warms up and delivers a tonne of material, shaping a dense cloud of dust and gas around it.
• This cloud follows the comet's circle and fans out over the long run.
• Every year, the Earth crosses the orbit of Tempel-Tuttle in mid-November and, in some cases, experiences the comet's dust cloud.
• When this occurs, the dust particles enter the earth’s atmosphere at high speed (around 70 km/s) and catch fire, creating bright streaks of light in the sky.
• These are what we see as the meteors, the Leonid meteor shower.
• The Leonids are noted for sometimes causing meteor storms, as described by a higher influx of meteors.

Source: The Hindu