UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 4th November 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

The President of Vanuatu, a small Pacific Island, wanted the General Assembly to adopt a universal Non-Proliferation Treaty to ban the use of fossil fuels across the world.

Why such extreme call on fossil fuel ban?

• Unlikely discussion on climate change: There is a strong belief in some quarters that the next climate conference, just days away in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt this year (COP27) may not discuss climate change mitigation largely on account of the ongoing energy stress in Europe.
• Ukraine conflict and rising energy demand: It is felt that the Russia Ukraine crisis and resulting global energy supply shortages have dented everyone’s ability to reduce emissions. This may be a legitimate view but the discussion on coal in the United Nations General Assembly, in September, points to an opposite possibility.

Why this demand is significant?

• Vanuatu represents the strong voice of island nations: Usually, such a call by a nation whose contribution to the global energy supplies and emissions is negligible would have gone unnoticed. But Vanuatu represents a strong and vocal group of small islands developing states whose voice is heard with attention and empathy in the UN.
• Endorsement from various stakeholders: More so, when it is a matter that will affect the global discourse on climate change. The small island group has gone around seeking endorsements from various quarters governments, the corporate world and civil society.
• Support from Indian quarters: Interestingly, the Mayor of Kolkata, capital of one of the largest coal producing States in India, has lent his voice of support.

Similar demand of ban on coal use

• Demand of coal ban on Glasgow conference: Vanuatu’s plea comes in the wake of a similar call for phaseout of coal which was made last year at the Glasgow climate conference.
• From phaseout to phasedown: After strong protest by the Indian interlocutors, the language of the decision at Glasgow was toned down from phaseout to phase down of unabated coal power and inefficient fuel subsidies.
• Unfair for developing countries: When India argued that a phaseout was unfair to countries that were heavily dependent on coal power in the medium term, there was consternation among climate enthusiasts. Given this background, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) may be preparing the ground to make the fossil fuel elimination a part of national climate plans at COP 27.

What will be the implications of fossil fuel ban?

• No responsibility of polluting countries under UN charter: a call to end fossil fuels through a mandate in the UN has very different implications than when it is presented under the UN Climate Change Convention. A UN mandate of this nature is divorced from the legal responsibility of the polluting countries to reduce their emissions on the basis of responsibility, capability and national circumstances, as required by the Climate Change Convention.
• No commitment technological and financial innovations: It also makes no provisions for technological and financial innovations that are necessary to ensure the transition.
• Attempt of securitization of climate: A few months ago, a similar attempt had been made in the UN to treat the matter of climate change as that of global security and request the UN Security Council to resolve it. This was dropped because of the opposition of most of the global south, which saw in this an attempt to address climate change not through international cooperation and consensus but by imposing the wish of a select few on others.

What should be the way forward?

• Without sacrificing the developing economy: A plan to drastically reduce coal fired power would in fact do very little to arrest the problem of climate change globally but may create insurmountable difficulties in securing the progress of developing economies towards key sustainable development goals.
• Just and equitable transition: If the transition to a world of lower emissions has to be sustainable, it must also be just and equitable.
• Equal access to alternative energy: It must ensure equal access to energy and secure energy supplies to all, not just to a few. While the developed economies have full access to alternative sources of energy, because of their strength in terms of technology and resources, the developing nations are handicapped. Therefore, a just transition needs to be built on the promise that green energy and a green future will be available to all.
• Promoting the philosophy LiFE: It is in this context that the call for Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UN Secretary General, jointly in India recently, assumes importance. Consumers in countries that consume at an unsustainable pace and contribute to rising emissions have a much greater responsibility to clean up the planet and support the growth of green energy.
• Most vulnerable should be attended first: The world today is suffering from the adverse effects of climate change which have devastated homes and the livelihoods of large populations in various parts of the vulnerable world. Addressing these impacts and preparing the world for an uncertain future should be the priority.

Conclusion

It is high time that building climate resilient infrastructure in the developing and growing countries is given as much importance as phasing down coal and investment in energy innovations and alternative technologies.

Source: Indian Express

GS-II

Context

• As per the Israel’s electoral commission, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies secured a clear victory and a majority in the Parliament.
• According to final results released, Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and its far-right and religious allies won 64 of the 120 seats in parliament.
• On the other hand, caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s centrist bloc won 51 seats.

Electoral Process of Israel

• Israel is a parliamentary democracy, where people vote for the party they support.
  • Every Israeli citizen who is at least 18 years old has the right to vote; every Israel citizen who is at least 21 years old has the right to be elected.
• Under Israel’s Basic Law, national Knesset (Parliament) elections are scheduled to take place every four years in the Jewish month of Cheshvan.
  • But early elections are a frequent occurrence.
• Israel follows a “closed-list” method of party-list proportional representation.
  • In this system, citizens have the chance to vote for a party or group of parties but not for individual candidates to the Knesset.
• The 120 seats in the Knesset are then assigned proportionally to each party that received votes, provided that the party gained votes which met or exceeded the electoral threshold, which is currently 3.25%.
• Parties have various ways of choosing the order of candidates on their list.
  • Party leaders may appoint candidates directly, the party may vote amongst themselves, or they can hold primaries with voters.
• When seat distributions are over, the President steps in to select a Knesset member who is most likely to be able to form a stable government.
  • This is usually the leader of the party who received the most seats. If a party ever wins more than 50% it could form a government without coalition.

Background:

• Earlier this year in April, lawmaker Idit Silman resigned from PM Naftali Bennett’s religious-nationalist Yamina party, essentially leaving the party without a majority.
• As a result, on November 1, Israel went to the polls again, for the fifth time in a span of three years to elect a new Knesset or the country’s parliament.

Why does Israel have elections so often?

• Israel has a parliamentary system made up of several parties – none of which have ever received enough votes to secure a majority on their own.
• That means parties must team up to form coalitions and reach the 61 seats needed to form a ruling government.
• The other factor is Benjamin Netanyahu. He is in the midst of a corruption trial.
  • Some top politicians on the center-right, who agree with him ideologically, refuse to work with him for personal or political reasons.
    • That made it difficult for him to build lasting governing majorities following the previous four elections.
  • Last year, his opponents managed to cobble together a coalition of parties from across the political spectrum to keep him out of power.
  • But that coalition only held together for about a year and a quarter before its leaders, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, pulled the plug and called for new elections.

Source: Economic Times

Context

China’s 20th Party Congress concluded with hardly any surprises, and a predetermined script was implemented without any hitch. Xi Jinping was anointed President for an unprecedented third term, and all six of his acolytes made it to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.

Why China’s 20th Party Congress is important?

• Extension of tenure of Xi Jinping: Xi’s ‘core’ status has been further reinforced, and he is now set to eclipse Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, placing him next only to Mao. Mr. Xi’s Thought on ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’ will be the Chinese Communist Party/Communist Party of China (CCP)’s guiding philosophy for the future.
• Xi’s control over party: It was also evident that Mr. Xi enjoys wide, if not overwhelming, support within the Party elite, enabling him to infuse a renewed sense of purpose alongside tightening of controls over it.
• High focus on national security: National security would be the key factor dictating all aspects of governance. A common theme that permeated the proceedings was affirmation of the CCP’s historical mission.
• Emphasized ideological coherence: There was only a single narrative, crafted in a manner that extolled Mr. Xi’s role in revitalization of the CCP, further enhancing his cult status. Unequivocally rejected was an earlier Xi thesis of a ‘Community of Common Destiny’ which has been replaced by the belief that international public opinion was currently anti-China and also included an incitement to overthrow the existing Communist regime. To counter such disruptive philosophies, it had become necessary for the CCP to emphasize ideological coherence and internal discipline.
• Avoiding the soviet style collapse: This would help to avoid the danger of a ‘Soviet style collapse’ caused by ideological laxity, corruption, divisions within the party and attempts by outsiders to foment unrest.

What are the problematic declarations at 20^th party congress?

• Undermining the USA: In the realm of geopolitics, the Congress declared that the objective is to effectively reduce the authority and the power of the United States.
• Rejecting the Indo-pacific: This was especially true of China’s neighborhood, essentially the Indo-Pacific.
• Achieving the lost glory: Also, to be eschewed by China were the vague and contradictory goals of the past, made at a time when China sought to make rapid progress in several directions.
• Theory of victimhood of international conspiracy: Implicit in the proceedings was the belief that China was being deliberately denied access, and the ability, to import certain vital technological items, and in this regard, of being a victim of major international conspiracies. Earlier pragmatism was replaced by concerns about western pressures to derail China’s progress.
• Possible lifelong tenure to Xi: The Party Congress is indicative of the fact that Mr. Xi is much more than a mere party ‘restorer’, and that he adheres to the belief that the CCP’s role is central to Chinese society and critical to determining China’s role in world affairs.
• Raising the national strength and international influence: In terms of China’s world view, the Party Congress reiterated that the goal is to make China a modern socialist power by 2035, boost per capita income to middle income levels, and modernise the armed forces. By 2049, the 100^th anniversary of the Peoples’ Republic of China, China is determined to lead the world in terms of composite national strength and international influence.

What are the implications for the world?

• Premature takeover of Taiwan: one can expect that notwithstanding the level of rhetoric and assertions that this is a dangerous phase, China is unlikely to take any premature step to take over Taiwan, and thereby risk a wider conflict with the U.S. and the rest of the world at this point. Mr. Xi is far more likely to devote attention to internal matters within China, since unity within the Communist Party remains ephemeral; while dissent has been stamped out for the present, more consolidation would be necessary.
• Short term conciliation with world: Consequently, one might well see China stepping back from its present confrontational posture with the U.S. and several other countries, and adopting a more conciliatory approach in the near future.
• Conflicts are likely to happen: There are, of course, certain red lines any attempt at provocation within the ‘First Island Chain’, or encouraging Taiwan to seek independence or break away from China are certain to lead to a conflict, irrespective of how it would adversely affect China’s 2049 plans and objectives.

Implications for India

• Border incursion will rise: In India’s case, further skirmishes between the two countries along the several thousand kilometres of the undefined land border is to be expected.
• Conflicts in Indian ocean: China is unlikely to embark on an open conflict with it anywhere else in the Indian Ocean region. This could alter, if India were to pursue a more aggressive policy in support of the West’s ‘open seas policy’ in waters in China’s vicinity.
• Prime target in west vs China battle: India is, however, likely to be a principal target of Chinese wrath in the next few years. As India’s economic fortunes steadily improve even as China’s declines, the perception conflict will become more intense.
• China’s progress at the cost of India: Moreover, if India is seen as a major recipient of western technology, the kind being denied to China, China would make it a point to use its economic, rather than military muscle, to deter India’s progress. For China to achieve greatness by 2049, subduing India economically, and reducing its image in the eyes of the world would be critically important.

Conclusion

China’s middle kingdom complex, unjustified assertion, paranoic claims on borders and seas and wolf warrior diplomacy is against the international rules and order. China has challenged the USA’s hegemony and entire international system without any tangible punishment. India has to choose its options carefully without compromising national security and ambitions.

Source: The Hindu

Context

Recently, the Supreme Court has said that those conducting the ‘two-finger test’ on alleged rape victims will be held guilty of misconduct.

What is the Two-Finger Test?

• About:
  • The two-finger test, carried out by a medical practitioner, involves the examination of her vagina to check if she is habituated to sexual intercourse.
  • The practice is unscientific and does not provide any definite information. Moreover, such ‘information’ has no bearing on an allegation of rape.
  • A woman who has been sexually assaulted undergoes a medical examination for ascertaining her health and medical needs, collection of evidence, etc.
  • A handbook released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on dealing with sexual assault victims says, “There is no place for virginity (or ‘two-finger’) testing; it has no scientific validity.”
• Supreme Court’s Observation:
  • In 2004, a bench of Supreme Court stated that “whether a woman is ‘habituated to sexual intercourse’ or ‘habitual to sexual intercourse’ is irrelevant for the purposes of determining whether the ingredients of Section 375 (rape) of the IPC are present in a particular case.
  • The court stated that it is patriarchal and sexist to suggest that a woman cannot be believed when she states that she was raped, merely for the reason that she is sexually active.
  • In May 2013, the apex court had held that the two-finger test violates a woman’s right to privacy and asked the government to provide better medical procedures to confirm sexual assault.
  • Invoking the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 1966 and the UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power 1985, the apex court said rape survivors are entitled to legal recourse that does not re-traumatise them or violate their physical or mental integrity and dignity.
  • In April 2022, the Madras High Court directed the state to ban the two-finger test.

What the Government’s Guidelines say?

• After the 2013 Justice Verma Committee report on amendments to criminal law for a faster trial, and enhanced punishment in sexual assault cases, the Union Health Ministry brought out detailed guidelines for the medical examination of victims of sexual assault in early 2014.
• According to the guidelines ‘two-finger test’, must not be conducted for establishing rape/sexual violence.
• The guidelines state that a rape victim’s consent (or her guardian’s, if she is minor/mentally disabled) is necessary for any medical examination. Even if the consent is not provided, the victim cannot be denied medical treatment.
• However, these are guidelines and are not legally binding.

Way Forward

• The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should be circulated to private and government hospitals.
• Workshops should be held for health providers to prevent the test from being conducted on rape survivors.
• The issue can be addressed by widespread sensitization and training of both doctors and police personnel.

Source: Indian Express

GS-III

Context

Senna spectabilis has taken over between 800 and 1,200 hectares of the buffer zones of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the picturesque Nilgiris hill district.

About 

• It is  an exotic tree and it was introduced as an ornamental species and for use as firewood from South and Central America.
• It has become highly invasive in the Sigur plateau in both the core and buffer zones of the MTR.
• Over the last few years, its bright yellow flowers have become more visible across the Tiger Reserve, with conservationists stating that the invasive weed has a negative effect on local biodiversity, crowding out native species and limiting food availability for wildlife.

Steps

• The Forest Department is coming up with a comprehensive strategy to deal with the spread of the invasive species, which continues to spread rapidly in the buffer zone.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve:

• Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu.
• It is at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and it plays an unique role by forming part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, the first Biosphere Reserve in India, declared during 1986.
• It has a common boundary with Wyanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) on the West, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on the North, and the Nilgiris North Division on the South and East and Gudalur Forest Division on the South West, together forming a large conservation landscape for flagship species such as Tiger and Asian Elephant.

Source: The Hindu

Context: 

 Panamaram heronry, the largest breeding ground of different species of herons in the Malabar region, is set to get a fresh lease of life, thanks to the intervention of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and the Panamaram grama panchayat.

Panamaram heronry:

• It is one of the largest mixed species heronry in Kerala and important site for breeding 9 species of water birds,
• which includes species like black headed-ibis, purple heron, large egret, median egret, little egret, pond heron, night heron, and little cormorant.
• The site is also the only location in State where the cattle egret breeds.
• The heronry, formed on a sandbank on the Panamaram river (Wayanad district, Kerala) is covered with vegetation, predominantly bamboo groves.
• Panamaram River is a tributary of the Kabani River along with Mananthavady, Babali, Noolpuzha and Nugu Rivers.
• Major threats: Destruction of bamboo groves after a massive blossoming of the plant and illegal sand-mining near the islet. 

What is heronry?

• It is the breeding grounds of herons.
• Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons.
• Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks.
• IUCN: Least Concern

Source: The Hindu

Context

Recently, the US Federal Reserve announced its fourth consecutive 75 basis point interest rate hike, which brought the benchmark federal funds rate to the range of 3.75% to 4%.

• US Federal Reserve is the central banking system of the USA.
• The Fed also delivered a sharp tone in favour of over-tightening in a bid to contain inflation.

Reasons behind this hike

• Inflation in the US remains elevated, reflecting supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic, higher food and energy prices, and broader price pressures.
• However, the Central Bank of US only has the tools to control the demand side — which it is using to bring inflation in line with its mandate of 2%.
• Raising interest rates is a monetary policy instrument that typically helps suppress demand in the economy, thereby helping the inflation rate decline.
• The Fed has said the battle against inflation would require borrowing costs to rise further.

Rate hike and impact on India

• On RBI
  • Many analysts believe that the current rate hike by US Federal Reserve will nudge the RBI to do the same.
  • But it is not true. RBI will not blindly follow the Fed and other central banks in raising rates.
  • The RBI considers domestic factors, especially retail inflation, while reviewing the interest rates.
  • However, high imported inflation has added to the retail inflation in India, and RBI has already raised the repo rate by 190 bps over the last six months.
  • With the recent hike by US Fed, there is a chance that India might import inflation and if this happens, RBI would be forced to increase the rates in India.
• On Indian Market
  • Fed’s continuous rate hikes does not augur well (something good is predicted to happen) for emerging markets including India.
  • An increase in US interest rates results in an outflow of funds to US markets, putting Indian stock markets and currencies under pressure.
  • Equity markets are likely to see increased volatility in the next few months.
• On Indian Rupee
  • The outflow of funds from Indian markets will have an impact on the exchange rate of Indian rupee against the dollar.
  • The Indian rupee has been losing value against the dollar since early 2022.
  • A weaker rupee should help Indian exporters at some-level. Nonetheless, the chances of a recession in the rich world, including the US, have gone up and that will hurt them more.

Source: Indian Express

Context

The recent release of the National family health survey (NFHS) data for 2019-21 allows for a detailed analysis of the progress in the reduction of absolute poverty and related determinants like nutrition.

Poverty estimation in India

• Planning Commission Expert Group (1962): It formulated the separate poverty lines for rural and urban areas at ₹20 and ₹25 per capita per year respectively.
• VM Dandekar and N Rath (1971): They made the first systematic assessment, based on National Sample Survey (NSS) data. They suggested providing 2250 calories per day in both rural and urban areas.
• YK Alagh Committee (1979): It constructed a poverty line for rural and urban areas on the basis of nutritional requirements and related consumption expenditure.
• Lakdawala Committee (1993): It suggested that consumption expenditure should be calculated based on calorie consumption as earlier. State specific poverty lines should be constructed. It asked for discontinuation of scaling of poverty estimates based on National Accounts Statistics.
• Tendulkar Committee (2009): The current official measures of poverty are based on the Tendulkar poverty line, fixed at daily expenditure of ₹27.2 in rural areas and ₹33.3 in urban areas is criticized by many for being too low.

How poverty is estimated under NFHS?

• Multidimensional poverty index: The NFHS surveys are part of a multinational attempt to provide estimates of a multidimensional poverty index. Its computation rests on estimates of poverty according to 10 different indicators:
  • Nutrition
  • Child mortality
  • Years of schooling
  • School attendance
  • Cooking fuel
  • Sanitation
  • Drinking water
  • Electricity
  • Housing
  • Assets
• The deprivation index: the deprivation index for each indicator is the per cent poor (deprived) according to that indicator. The aggregation of the 10 indicators into one index involves legitimate issues of weighting, but individual components do not suffer from this drawback.

What are the findings of NFHS?

• Multidimensional poverty declined: at a compounded annual average rate of 4.8 per cent per year in 2005-2011 and more than double that pace at 10.3 per cent a year during 2011-2021.
• Declining child mortality: There are some issues with the 2011 child-mortality data, but for each of the 10 components of the MPI index, the rate of decline in 2011-2021 is considerably faster than in 2005-2011.
• Average decline in overall indicators: The average equally weighted decline for nine indicators was 1.9 per cent per annum in 2005-2011 and a rate of 16.6 per cent per annum, more than eight times higher in 2011-2021.
• Consumption inequality decline: Every single household survey or analysis has shown that consumption inequality declined during 2011-2021. This is consistent with the above finding of highly inclusive growth during 2011-2021.

What are the efforts behind inclusive growth and reduced poverty?

A major factor behind the inclusive nature of growth during 2011-2021 is the focus of government policies on each of the individual indicator’s indicative of a dignified standard of living. A direct impact of this dedicated fiscal push is that slow-moving variables such as housing, access to cooking fuel, sanitation, etc, have witnessed a remarkable increase.

• Swachh Bharat Mission: The government’s Swachh Bharat mission in 2014-2021 constructed over 110 million toilets even if some were without easy access to water, many were.
• Saubhagya Yojana: Similarly, close to one-third of Indians were deprived of electricity till as recently as 2014. It was only after a dedicated push (Saubhagya Yojana) that India managed to electrify every village, and eventually households. Electricity deprivation declined by a 28.2 per cent rate post-2014; between 2005 and 2011, the rate of decline was close to zero.
• Jan Dhan Yojana: Another example is the Jan Dhan Yojana which made financial inclusion a reality in India, especially for women.
• Ujjwala Yojana: On access to modern cooking fuel (through the Ujjwala Yojana), deprivation was nearly halved from 26 per cent to 14 per cent in just five years. The previous halving (2005/6 to 2015/16) took 10 years.
• Awas Yojana: The affordable housing scheme (Awas Yojana) has meant that less than 14 per cent are now deprived, compared to thrice that number in 2011/12.
• Jal Jeevan Mission: More recently, government has embarked on an ambitious project of ensuring universal access to piped water under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Rural piped water coverage was a little less than 17 per cent in 2019, but is now well above 54 per cent and expected to at least be near, if not meet, the 100 per cent target by 2024.

Conclusion

Extreme poverty in India is surely on decline but pandemic have pushed people again back to the poverty. Pandemic have put the break on inclusive growth of people. Government must realize these and plan accordingly.

Source: The Hindu