UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 5th October 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), organised a panel discussion to commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence.

• The event saw a life-size colour hologram of Gandhi – made with advanced reprographic techniques and AI technology.
• Born in 1869 in the Porbandar town of Gujarat, Gandhi pioneered the philosophy of non-violence (Ahimsa) through his political marches against the British, and talks around India and the world.

About:

• Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, in January 2004, first proposed the idea of dedicating a day to non-violence, around the world.
• On June 15, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to commemorate October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, with the core objective to “disseminate the message of non-violence, tolerance, respect for diversity, human rights and fundamental freedoms through education and public awareness.”
• The Ahimsa Lecture series was introduced in the year 2016 to facilitate lectures from public speakers on peace and non-violence, for “the benefit of peace-builders, policy makers, youth, UNESCO Member states, and international community.”
• A dialogue with the hologram was envisioned in 2019, and was curated by Birad Rajaram Yagnik, director of the Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museum in Hyderabad. This dialogue focused on raising awareness on the future of education and SDG 4 (to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).

About the hologram:

• A hologram refers to a “three-dimensional image formed by the interference of light beams from a laser or other coherent light source.”
• The holography, aimed at bringing written works of Gandhi into “a life-like scenario”, covered the leader’s writings on Satyagraha, non-violence (Ahimsa), kindness, critical inquiry and education.
• It was not the first time that a hologram of Gandhi participated in a live panel discussion
• Significance: The hologram of Gandhi emphasised the meaning of “real education,” as “drawing the best out of yourself” and expressed concerns with people “hardly” giving “any thought to the improvement of character of the educated.”
• Process of Creation: It was created using digital sculpting tools such as photo-mapped images from 1930-1940, advanced contouring software and 3D printing. The resultant image was further animated and the voice lip-synced.
• Reprography refers to the reproduction and duplication of documents, written materials, drawings, designs, etc., by any process making use of light rays or photographic means, including offset printing, microfilming, photography

Meaning of non-violence:

• Non-violence,” according to Gandhi, “is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man”.
• The United Nations defines the term as a rejection of the “use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change.”
• The theory of non-violence emphasises that the power of rulers depends on the consent of the populations, and non-violence therefore seeks to undermine such power through withdrawal of the consent and cooperation of the populace.

GS-II

Context

• Food and agriculture marketing in emerging economies is experiencing a wave of being promoted on digital platforms. India is no exception to this.

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare launched the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM)–Platform of Platforms (PoP) on July 14, 2022, as a mobile application in 12 languages.

What is Platform of Platforms under e-NAM?

• The Platform of Platforms under e-NAM intends to promote trade & marketing of agricultural produce wherein farmers will be facilitated to sell the produce outside their state borders.
• This will increase farmers’ digital access to multiple markets, buyers and service providers and bring transparency in business transactions with the aim of improving price search mechanism and quality commensurate price realisation.
• So far, 41 service providers from different platforms are covered under POP that facilitate various value chain services like trading, quality checks, warehousing, fintech, market information, transportation etc.
• The platform creates a digital ecosystem for farmers who will benefit from the expertise of different platforms in different segments of the agricultural value chain.

How Platform of Platforms under e-NAM would help marketing of Agri Produces?

• e-NAM integrates the platform of Service Providers as the “Platform of Platforms” this includes;
  • Composite Service Providers (Service Providers who provide holistic services for the trading of agricultural produce including quality analysis, trading, payment systems and logistics)
  • Logistics Service Provider
  • Quality Assurance Service Provider
  • Cleaning, Grading, Sorting & Packaging Service Provider,
  • Warehousing Facility Service Provider, Agricultural Input Service Provider,
  • Technology Enabled Finance & Insurance Service Provider,
  • Information Dissemination Portal (Advisory Services, crop forecasting, weather updates, capacity building for farmers etc.)
• The chain also consists of other services such as e-commerce, international agri-business platforms, barter, private market platforms etc.
• The inclusion of various service providers has dual benefits, i.e.
  • It adds to the value of the e-NAM platform;
  • It gives the users of the platform options to avail enlisted services from different service providers.
• The platform also enables farmers, FPOs, traders and other stakeholders to access a wide variety of goods and services across the agricultural value chain through a single window while giving more options to the stakeholders.

Step needed to spread eNAM-PoP services:

• Valuable architecture:
  • eNAM-PoP would provide a value architecture to the diverse agri-food value chain actors.
  • The architecture should perform four functions: discovery, matching, transaction, and evaluation elements. 
  • In other words, PoP should be a dynamic, interactive, and strategic fit with the Agricultural Market Information Systems.
  • Transaction data and their security registry could be maintained using a blockchain-enabled Distributed Ledger Technology, while transactions can be enabled through a smart contract embedded in PoP. 
  • The coupling of software solutions and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) can be added to the platform architecture.
• Access to market:
  • PoP can enable farmers to access the new or missing markets, compare prices of several commodities, and sell the assayed and certified produce to traders and bulk buyers through the PoP mobile app.
  • Farmer collectives or FPOs can access the location of warehouses or market yards given the proximity and contact the empanelled service providers of eNAM PoP and avail of such services. For example, Aryadhan, a fin-tech services provider, would extend trade finance options and offer real-time payments to FPOs.
  • Upstream and downstream marketplace models seem to have harnessed the untapped potential of agricultural markets. However, they are yet to be time-tested platform business models in the agriculture field.
• Stakeholders’ incentive:
  • Stakeholders’ incentive design is necessary to sustain and scale up eNAM-PoP.
  • A robust governance mechanism must be aligned with the PoP design and its roll-out to improve coordination between users and those complementing the platform and reduce the power asymmetry between stakeholders – directly and indirectly associated with the platform.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Small Farmers’ Agri-business Consortium, and the empanelled strategic management group and those complementing the platform need to chart the scaling strategy for PoP – considering the network loop, data loop, and capital loop.

Way Forward:

•  eNAM-PoP would provide a value architecture to the diverse agri-food value chain actors. In other words, PoP should be a dynamic, interactive, and strategic fit with the Agricultural Market Information Systems.
• PoP can enable farmers to access the new or missing markets, compare prices of several commodities, and sell the assayed and certified produce to traders and bulk buyers through the PoP mobile app.
• For example, Aryadhan, a fin-tech services provider, would extend trade finance options and offer real-time payments to FPOs.
• Upstream and downstream marketplace models seem to have harnessed the untapped potential of agricultural markets.
• However, they are yet to be time-tested platform business models in the agriculture field. The strategic management group of eNAM can draw some lessons from unveiled marketplace models and improvise the PoP roll-out and upscaling.
• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Small Farmers’ Agri-business Consortium, and the empanelled strategic management group and those complementing the platform need to chart the scaling strategy for PoP – considering the network loop, data loop, and capital loop.
• While the rising regulatory complexity, risks, and regulatory arbitrage in agriculture can arrest the magnitude of scaling, the success of PoP would depend on diverse actors’ participation and willingness to pay for services that should favourably compare with the offerings of platform capitalists.

Holistic Water Management System

Context

With the rapid growth of cities, water demand has exponentially increased. Even as aspirations cause people to migrate to urban areas, water depletion and scarcity remains a huge challenge staring at people’s faces in the near future.

What is the Need for a Holistic Water Management System?

• Around 35 % of India’s population lived in urban areas as of 2020, it is expected to double by 2050.
• In urban areas, only 45 % of the demand is met using groundwater resources. Apart from this, climate change, pollution and contamination have also added to the burden on water resources.
• As water demand exceeds supply in most cities, water management needs to undergo a revolution to ensure most urban areas can be self-sufficient in the future.
• In India, there are different water management systems based on utilities like sanitation, urban water, stormwater and wastewater that deal with water-related issues in different localities. Since areas and localities define distribution and water allocation, it is often a challenge to find a unified solution.
• Thus, water management needs to undergo a revolution and Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) system for reliable supply is ensured in most urban areas for self-sufficiency in the future.

What is an Integrated Urban Water Management System?

• About:
  • IUWM is a process, which ensures water supply, used water management, sanitation and stormwater management can be planned in line with economic development and land use.
  • This holistic process makes coordination among water departments easier at the local level.
  • It also helps cities adapt to climate changes and manage water supply more efficiently.
• Approaches:
  • Collaborative Action:
    • Clear coordination amongst all the stakeholders, it is easily defined and prioritizes accountability.
    • While effective legislation will help guide local authorities, engaging local communities will lead to faster solutions in water management.
  • Shift in Perception of Water:
    • It is essential to understand how water is inseparable in its connection to economic development, city infrastructure and land use.
  • Understanding Water as a Resource:
    • Water is a resource for various end goals thus it will be easier to treat different kinds of water based on agricultural, industrial and environmental purposes.
  • Customized Solutions for Different Cities:
    • IUWM focuses on specific contexts and local requirements and prioritizes a rights-based solution approach over a one-size-fits-all approach.

What are the Challenges Regarding Water Management in India?

• Potential Rural-Urban Conflict:
  • Cities are rapidly expanding as a result of rapid urbanisation, and a large influx of migrants from rural areas has increased the per capita use of water in cities, which is causing water to be transferred from rural reservoirs to urban areas to meet the deficit.
• Ineffective Waste Water Management:
  • In a highly water-stressed environment, the inefficient use of wastewater is leaving India unable to make the most economical use of its resources. In cities, most of this water is in the form of greywater.
  • According to a recent report published by the Central Pollution Control Board (March 2021), India’s current water treatment capacity is 27.3% and the sewage treatment capacity is 18.6% (with another 5.2% capacity being added).
• Food Security Risk:
  • Crops and livestock need water to grow. Water is used extensively for irrigation in agriculture and serves as a major source of domestic consumption. Given the combination of rapidly declining groundwater levels and inefficient river water management, food insecurity is likely to follow.
  • The impacts of water and food scarcity can undermine basic livelihoods and exacerbate social tensions.
• Rising Water Pollution:
  • There is a large amount of domestic, industrial, and mining waste that is discharged into water bodies, which can lead to waterborne illnesses. Moreover, water pollution can lead to eutrophication, which can significantly impact aquatic ecosystems.
• Overexploitation of Groundwater:
  • 256 of 700 districts in India have reported critical or overexploited groundwater levels according to the most recent study of the Central Ground Water Board.
  • A NITI Aayog report says that India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history, citing that, 21 cities- including Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai- probably exhausted their groundwater resources in 2021
  • Wells, ponds and tanks are drying up as groundwater resources come under increasing pressure due to over-reliance and unsustainable consumption. This has escalated the water crisis.

What are the Related Initiatives?

• Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Jal Jeevan Mission
• National Water Policy, 2012
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan- Catch the Rain Campaign
• Atal Bhujal Yojana
• Sujalam 2.0
• Amrit Sarovar Mission

Way Forward

• With climate change and population growth leading to increased water use, new solutions have to be conceived for better urban water management. More people in different local contexts need to be made aware of the challenges.
• Similarly, there are changes required in institutions like local departments that play a crucial role. It is essential that holistic and systemic solutions are implemented to solve water issues.

Context

Recently, the President awarded Indore as the cleanest city for the sixth consecutive year as part of the Azadi@75 Swachh Survekshan 2022, hosted as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban 2.0.

• Indore further emerged as India’s first 7-star Garbage Free city, while Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, Navi Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, and Tirupati earned 5-star Garbage Free certifications.

What are Swachh Survekshan Awards?

• About: 
  • Swachh Survekshan has been conducted since 2016 and is the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
  • It has been instrumental in fostering a spirit of healthy competition among towns and cities to improve their service delivery to citizens and towards creating cleaner cities.
  • It is conducted under the ambit of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban),
• Goal: 
  • The primary goal of Swachh Survekshan is to encourage large-scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together toward making towns and cities better places to reside in.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

What are the Key Highlights of Swachh Survekshan Awards 2022?

• Cleanest City:
  • More than 1 lakh Population: Indore, the city of lakes and palaces, walked away with the Cleanest City title, while Surat was adjudged the second cleanest city, for the second time in a row, Navi Mumbai bagged the third spot.
  • Less than 1 lakh Population: Panchgani and Karad from Maharashtra bagged the first and third positions respectively, while Patan from Chhattisgarh bagged the second position.
• Best Ganga Town: Haridwar in Uttarakhand received the award for the best Ganga town in more than one lakh population cities.
• Fast Mover City Award: Shivamogga in Karnataka.
• Cleanest States:
  • States with More than 100 Urban Local Bodies: Madhya Pradesh emerged as the ‘Cleanest State’, Chattisgarh in second place and third in Maharashtra.
  • States with less than 100 Urban Local Bodies: Tripura emerged as the Cleanest State. Jharkhand and Uttarakhand received the second and third spots respectively.

What is Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0?

• SBM-U 2.0, announced in Budget 2021-22, is the continuation of SBM-U first phase.
• The government is trying to tap safe containment, transportation, disposal of faecal sludge, and septage from toilets. It will be implemented over five years from 2021 to 2026 with an outlay of Rs. 1.41 lakh crore.
• It focuses on source segregation of garbage, reduction in single-use plastic and air pollution, by effectively managing waste from construction and demolition activities and bioremediation of all legacy dump sites.
• Under this mission, all wastewater will be treated properly before it is discharged into water bodies, and the government is trying to make maximum reuse a priority.

Context 

Recently, India and Nepal have agreed to take forward the Sapta Kosi high dam project through further studies.

• Senior officials of the two sides have met and reviewed the bilateral water-sector cooperation, including the implementation of the Mahakali Treaty.

What is Sapta Kosi High Dam Project & Mahakali Treaty?

Sapta Kosi High Dam Project:

• Sapta Kosi High Dam is a multipurpose project proposed to be constructed on the Saptakoshi River of Nepal (Known as Kosi River in India).
• The project is primarily aimed to control floods in south-east Nepal and northern Bihar and to generate hydropower.
• The project will provide irrigation, control floods and generate 3,000 MW of electricity.

Mahakali Treaty:

• The Mahakali Treaty was signed in 1996 over the integrated development of the Mahakali River, including Sarada Barrage, Tanakpur Barrage and Pancheshwar project.
• Mahakali River is also known as Sharda River or Kali Ganga in Uttarakhand.
• It joins Ghagra river in Uttar Pradesh, which is a tributary of Ganga.

What do we know about the Kosi River System?

• The Kosi is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, Nepal and India.
• It has its source in Tibet that includes the world's highest upland, it then drains a large part of Nepal before emerging onto the Gangetic plains.
• Its three major tributaries: the Sun Kosi, Arun and Tamur meet at one point just upstream of a 10 km gorge cut through the Himalayan foothills.
• The river crosses into northern Bihar, India where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges near Kursela in Katihar district.
• The Kosi carries the maximum amount of silt and sand after the Brahmaputra in India.
• It is also known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” as the annual floods affect about 21,000 sq. km. of fertile agricultural lands thereby disturbing the rural economy.

What are some other Recent Developments in India Nepal Relations?

• Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT):
  • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Nepal and Sutlej Jal Vikas Nigam (SJVN) Limited for the project in 2008 for execution on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 30 years including five years of the construction period.
• Hydropower Projects:
  • Nepal also invited Indian companies to invest in the West Seti hydropower project in Nepal.
• Cross-border Rail Link:
  • The operationalisation of the 35 kilometers cross-border rail link from Jayanagar (Bihar) to Kurtha (Nepal) will be further extended to Bijalpura (Nepal) and Bardibas (Nepal).

GS-III

Context

Recently, indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)( ‘Prachand’), capable of destroying enemy air defence, conducting counter insurgency strikes and much more, was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Jodhpur air base

• According to its makers, the LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel, meeting the specific requirements laid out by the Indian Armed Forces.

Genesis of the helicopter:

• Currently, India has been operating sub 3 ton category French-origin legacy helicopters, Chetak and Cheetah, made in India by the HAL which are primarily, utility helicopters
• Indian forces also operate the Lancer, an armed version of Cheetah
• In addition, the Indian Air Force currently operates the Russian origin Mi-17 and its variants Mi-17 IV and Mi-17 V5, with maximum take-off weight of 13 tonnes, which are to be phased out starting 2028.
• But it was during the 1999 Kargil war that the need was first felt for a homegrown lightweight assault helicopter that could hold precision strikes in all Indian battlefield scenarios.
• It meant a craft that could operate in very hot deserts and also in very cold high altitudes, in counter-insurgency scenarios to full-scale battle conditions.
• The requirement was for a more agile, multi-role dedicated attack helicopter. After the initial deliberations, the government sanctioned the LCH project in October 2006, and HAL was tasked to develop it.
• The HAL’s Rotary Wing Research and Development Centre, which had already worked on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruva and its weaponised version ALH Rudra, embarked upon the project.

The development of LCH:

• The LCH has been designed as a twin-engine, dedicated combat helicopter of 5.8-ton class, thus categorised as light.
• It features a narrow fuselage and tandem — one behind the other — configuration for pilot and co-pilot. The co-pilot is also the Weapon Systems Operator (WSO).
• It also has many more state-of-art systems that make it a dedicated attack helicopter.
• The first Technology Demonstrator was completed in February 2010 and took its first flight in March the same year.
• TD-2 prototype, completed around 2012, successfully passed the cold weather trials at high altitude. TD-3 and TD-4 prototypes, completed around 2014 and 2015, successfully tested other flight test requirements.
• HAL officials said that the flight testing was carried out at various altitudes, from sea level to the Siachen range, in extreme cold and hot weather conditions, and in desert regions.
• During these tests, integration of mission sensors such as electro-optical system, helmet-mounted display system, solid state data and video recorder, and weapon systems such as turret gun, rockets and air-to-air missile systems was carried out.
• In March this year, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved procurement of 15 LCH Limited Series Production (LSP) — 10 for IAF and five for Army — at the cost of Rs 3,887 crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 377 crore.

 Features of the LCH:

• LCH has the maximum take-off weight of 5.8 tonnes, maximum speed of 268 kilometres per hour, range of 550 kilometres, endurance of over three hours and service ceiling — the maximum density altitude to which it can fly — of 6.5 kilometres.
• The helicopter uses radar-absorbing material to lower radar signature and has a significantly crash-proof structure and landing gear. A pressurised cabin offers protection from Nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contingencies.
• The helicopter is equipped with a countermeasure dispensing system that protects it from enemy radars or infrared seekers of the enemy missiles. As far as weapons systems are concerned, a 20 mm turret gun, 70 mm rockets and air-to-air missile systems are onboard.
• LCH is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.
• With these features, the LCH has the capabilities of combat roles such as destruction of enemy air defence, counter insurgency warfare, combat search and rescue, anti-tank, and counter surface force operations.

Way Forward:

• These are the significant achievements of India in the field of defence which shows India’s capability in developing state of art defence technology which will also pave the way for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
• It will also helpful in reducing the defence import bill of India and on the other hand, it will strengthen the India’s position in export of defence equipment.

GS-IV

In 2nd October, India celebrates the 118th birth anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the nation’s second Prime Minister.

How can we Learn from Shastri's Life?

• Against the Caste System:
  • Lal Bahadur Shrivastava was the son of Ramdulari Devi and Sharada Prasad Shrivastava. However, being against the prevailing caste system, he decided to drop his surname.
  • The title ‘Shastri’ was given after he completed his graduation at Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi in 1925.
  • The title ‘Shastri’ refers to a ‘scholar’ or a person, adept in the holy scriptures. Shastri in this way showed a broad outlook at a very young age.
• Taking Responsibilities during Adverse Times:
  • He was one of the giants in public life, who always took the country’s myriad responsibilities on his shoulders.
  • In adverse situations, too, he came forward, held himself accountable, and demonstrated the qualities of a true leader.
  • He served as the Railway Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet and was so conscientious that he resigned following a train accident at Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu in 1956.
  • His gesture was hailed by all including Nehru, whom he considered as his “hero”.
• Inseparable Public and Private Life:
  • In 1965, India was embroiled in war with Pakistan and the country was facing acute food shortage.
  • There was added pressure with the United States threatening to cut supplies.
  • Faced with the crisis, Lal Bahadur Shastri announced to his family one evening that for the next few days they would all give up on their evening meal.
• Morality:
  • It is said that he had a Chevrolet Impala car for official use, which his son once used for a drive.
  • When Shastri learned about it, he asked his driver to check the distance the car was used for and later deposited the money in the government account.

What Makes Shastri's Values Relevant Today?

• Indians should emulate the simplicity, humility, humanism, austerity, hard work, dedication, and nationalism displayed by the unassuming second prime minister of India today.
• Shastri's maiden Independence Day speech in 1964 is as relevant today as it was then, as he emphasized character and moral strength, which has acquired special significance as we witness all-round degeneration of values.