UPSC Daily Current Affairs- September 07, 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

Facing the worst flooding disaster in its history, Pakistan has begun demanding reparations, or compensation, from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change.

Why in news?

• On the face of it, Pakistan’s demand for reparations appears to be a long shot, but the principles being invoked are fairly well-established in environmental jurisprudence.
• In fact, Pakistan is not alone in making this demand.
• Almost the entire developing world has for years been insisting on setting up an international mechanism for financial reparation for loss and damage caused by climate disasters.
• The issue has come up repeatedly at international negotiations for climate change, and on other platforms.

What is Climate Reparation?

• At its heart, the demand for compensation for loss and damage from climate disasters is an extension of the universally acknowledged “Polluter Pays” principle.
• This makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.
• Climate justice is based on the notion of not being punished for someone else’s bad behaviour, but it does not sanction additional bad behaviour.

Who are responsible for climate change?

• In the climate change framework, the burden of responsibility falls on those rich countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age.
• The United States and the European Union, including the UK, account for over 50% of all emissions during this time.
• If Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia too are included, the combined contribution goes past 65%, or almost two-thirds of all emissions.
• Historical responsibility is important because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and it is the cumulative accumulation of carbon dioxide that causes global warming.

What about developing countries?

• A country like India, currently the third largest emitter, accounts for only 3% of historical emissions.
• China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to total emissions since 1850.

Why need climate reparations?

• While the impact of climate change is global, it is much more severe on the poorer nations because of their geographical locations and weaker capacity to cope.
• Countries that have had negligible contributions to historical emissions and have severe limitations of resources are the ones that face the most devastating impacts of climate change.

Institutional mechanism for Climate Reparations

• United Nations
  • The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 1994 international agreement that lays down the broad principles of the global effort to fight climate change.
  • It explicitly acknowledges this differentiated responsibility of nations.
  • It makes it very clear that rich countries must provide both the finance and the technology to the developing nations to help them tackle climate change.
  • It is this mandate that later evolved into the $100 billion amount that the rich countries agreed to provide every year to the developing world.
  • While this promise is yet to be met, this $100 billion per year amount is not meant for loss and damage.
  • Climate disasters were not a regular occurrence in 1994, and as such the UNFCCC does not make a mention of loss and damage.
  • This particular demand emerged much later, and faced stiff resistance from the developed nations.
• Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM)
  • The WIM for Loss and Damages, set up in 2013, was the first formal acknowledgment of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.
  • However, the progress on this front has been painfully slow.
  • No funding mechanism, or even a promise to provide funds, has come about.

Issues with loss assessment

• There are practical difficulties in estimating how much a country has actually suffered due to the actions of others.
• To begin with, it has to be established that the disaster was caused by climate change.
• Then there are non-economic losses as well, including loss of lives, displacement and migration, health impacts, and damage to cultural heritage.
• Then there is this other step about assessing how much of the losses are due to the event itself, and what could be attributed to misgovernance.

Conclusion

• A lot of background work is going on to create the framework in which it would be possible to quantify the compensation due to an affected country.
• What Pakistan has done, through its demands for reparations, is to call attention to this often neglected aspect.

GS-II

Context

According to the latest report (World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Regional companion report for Asia and the Pacific) on social protection by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), only 24.4% of Indians, even fewer than Bangladesh (28.4%), are under any sort of social protection benefit.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• About: The Report is a companion to the ILO’s ‘World Social Protection Report 2021-22’, that gives a regional overview of the social protection in the Asia and Pacific region.
• Global
  • Social Protection: It notes that Mongolia, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia have 100% social protection net, while in Myanmar and Cambodia, the number stands below 10%.
  • Lower Coverage: As per the report, three out of four workers in the Asia Pacific region are not protected in the event of illness or injury sustained at work.
    • Countries with lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita tend to have low levels of work injury coverage for example, Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan cover fewer than 5% of their workers.
  • Uneven Coverage: According to the report, as of 2020, only 46.9% of the global population was effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit, while the remaining 53.1% as many as 4.1 billion people were left wholly unprotected.
    • The report further notes that the large majority of the working-age population in the world 69.4%, or 4 billion people, are only partially protected or not protected at all.
  • Gender Inequality: Highlighting the inherent gender inequality in the social protection coverage, the report makes note women’s coverage lag behind men’s by a substantial 8% points.
• Indian Perspective
  • Low Investment in Social Protection: The report notes that owing to the relatively low investment in social protection i.e., only 24.4% of Indian population, the amounts transferred under non-contributory benefits are usually too low to provide adequate protection.
  • Disparity in Coverage: With contributory schemes typically limited to those working in the formal sector and non-contributory schemes still mostly targeted on the poorest, India's social security benefits are lower than the 5% of GDP per capita (USD 2,277).
  • Recent Initiatives: It appreciated India’s higher coverage rate achieved through a combination of contributory and non-contributory schemes through its progressive extension of coverage by combining different tiers of social protection such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGA), which offers a degree of protection for informal sector workers for up to 100 days.

What are the various Indian Government Initiatives Regarding Social Security?

• Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM).
• National Pension Scheme for Traders and The Self-employed Persons (NPS).
• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY).
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
• Atal Pension Yojana.
• National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
• Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers.

Context

Recently, a new Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) initiative called “Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST)” was launched.

What is WEST Initiative?

• The WEST programme will cater to women with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) background and empower them to contribute to the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem.
• Through the WEST initiative, I-STEM shall provide a separate platform to scientifically inclined women researchers, scientists, and technologists for pursuing research in basic or applied sciences in frontier areas of science and engineering.
• Women may join the WEST program and explore opportunities to become stakeholders in various domains and pursue careers in R&D at various levels: technicians, technologists, scientists, and entrepreneurs.
  • Opportunities range from operating scientific equipments and maintaining them, to designing and manufacturing them.
• The Skill Development programmes under the WEST initiative will provide training for women with S&T backgrounds to brush up on their abilities and become engaged “in the field” as lab technicians and maintenance engineers.
• The access to R&D facilities and R&D software platforms (COMSOL, MATLAB, LABVIEW, AUTOCAD) will be available through the I-STEM portal.
• In addition, a digital consortium “Connect Quickly” for online discussion and immediate support has also been established through the I-STEM WhatsApp and Telegram platforms.
• A dedicated team of women will ensure the successful implementation of the WEST initiative.

What is the Significance of WEST

• This initiative will also help bring women back into S&T domains after a career break.
• Crucial gaps in the R&D infrastructure of the country will be filled.
• A strong support network for women entrepreneurs in S&T will be built.
• I-STEM shall provide a platform/forum for women researchers to deliberate on achievements, issues, and exchange ideas on taking the country forward through advances in science, technology, and innovation.
• Women can become entrepreneurs to serve as consultants for the operation and maintenance of sophisticated equipment/instruments through the I-STEM platform.
• This would go a long way towards filling a “skills gap”, and putting publicly-funded equipment to good use.

Context

The Supreme Court drew an assurance from the State of Punjab that it will meet the Haryana counterpart within this month to discuss the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal which has been languishing for two decades.

Why in news?

• The observations came after the Centre complained that Punjab had “refrained” from coming to the negotiating table to engage in talks with Haryana over the issue.
• The construction of Punjab’s portion of the canal had led to militant attacks in the 1980s.
• The issue had also been a political thorn for successive governments in Punjab, so much so that it led to the State’s unilateral enactment of the controversial Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act of 2004.
• This law was, however, struck down by a Constitution Bench in 2016, dashing the hopes of Punjab’s farmers to reclaim lands acquired for the SYL canal project.

About Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
Satluj Yamuna Link Canal or SYL as it is popularly known, is an under-construction 214-kilometer long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers.

What is the SYL canal issue?

• At the time of reorganization of Punjab in 1966, the issue of sharing of river waters between both the states emerged.
• Punjab refused to share waters of Ravi and Beas with Haryana stating it was against the riparian principle.
• Before the reorganization, in 1955, out of 15.85 MAF of Ravi and Beas, the Centre had allocated 8 MAF to Rajasthan, 7.20 MAF to undivided Punjab, 0.65MAF to Jammu and Kashmir.
• Out of 7.20 MAF allocated, Punjab did not want to share any water with Haryana.
• In March 1976, when the Punjab Reorganization Act was implemented, the Centre notified fresh allocations, providing 3.5 MAF To Haryana.

Inception of the canal project

• Later, in 1981, the water flowing down Beas and Ravi was revised and pegged at 17.17 MAF, out of which 4.22 MAF was allocated to Punjab, 3.5 MAF to Haryana, and 8.6 MAF to Rajasthan.
• Finally, to provide this allocated share of water to southern parts of Haryana, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned.
• Finally, the construction of 214-km SYL was started in April 1982, 122 km of which was to run through Punjab and the rest through Haryana.
• Haryana has completed its side of the canal, but work in Punjab has been hanging fire for over three decades.

Punjab’s resentment with the project

• The dispute is based on the bloody history around the SYL canal. The trouble-torn days of terrorism in Punjab started in the early 1980s when work on the SYL started.
• Punjab feels it utilized its precious groundwater resources to grow the crop for the entire country and should not be forced to share its waters as it faces desertification.
• It is feared that once the construction of the canal restarts, the youth may start feeling that the state has been discriminated against.
• The Punjab CM fears Pakistan and secessionist organisations could exploit this and foment trouble in the state.

Water crisis in Punjab

• Punjab is facing severe water crisis due to over-exploitation of its underground aquifers for the wheat/paddy monocycle.
• According to the Central Underground Water Authority’s report, its underground water is over-exploited to meet the agriculture requirements in about 79 per cent area of the state.
• Out of 138 blocks, 109 are “over-exploited”, two are “critical” five are “semi-critical” and only 22 blocks are in “safe” category.

Context

India and Bangladesh should resolve all bilateral issues, including the differences over the waters of the Teesta, at an early date, said Bangladesh PM on her visit to India.

What is the news?

• Bangladeshi PM is on a visit to India.
• Both ministers discussed the long-standing disputes over Teesta river water sharing.
• The two sides shared 54 rivers that required both nations to work together and share “environmental responsibility” in areas such as the Sundarbans.

About Teesta River

• Teesta River is a 315 km long river that rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.
• It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.
• It originates in the Himalayas near Chunthang, Sikkim and flows to the south through West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
• Originally, it continued southward to empty directly into the Padma River but around 1787 the river changed its course to flow eastward to join the Jamuna river.
• The Teesta Barrage dam helps to provide irrigation for the plains between the upper Padma and the Jamuna.

What is the dispute about?

• The point of contention between India and Bangladesh is mainly the lean season flow in the Teesta draining into Bangladesh.
• The river covers nearly the entire floodplains of Sikkim while draining 2,800 sq km of Bangladesh, governing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
• For West Bengal, Teesta is equally important, considered the lifeline of half-a-dozen districts in North Bengal.
• Bangladesh has sought an “equitable” distribution of Teesta waters from India, on the lines of the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996, but to no avail.
• The failure to ink a deal had its fallout on the country’s politics, putting the ruling party of PM Sheikh Hasina in a spot.

The deal

• Following a half-hearted deal in 1983, when a nearly equal division of water was proposed, the countries hit a roadblock. The transient agreement could not be implemented.
• Talks resumed after the Awami League returned to power in 2008 and the former Indian PM Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka in 2011.
• In 2015, PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka generated more ebullient lines: deliberations were underway involving all the stakeholders to conclude the agreement as soon as possible.

Issues from the Indian side

• It remains an unfinished project and one of the key stakeholders — West Bengal CM is yet to endorse the deal.
• Her objection is connected to “global warming. Many of the glaciers on the Teesta basin have retreated.
• The importance of the flow and the seasonal variation of this river is felt during the lean season (from October to April/May) as the average flow is about 500 million cubic metres (MCM) per month.
• The CM opposed an arrangement in 2011, by which India would get 42.5% and Bangladesh 37.5% of the water during the lean season, and the plan was shelved.

Why does this deal matters?

• India and Bangladesh have resolved border problems through the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015.
• However, both nations have locked horns over the sharing of multiple rivers that define the borders and impact lives and livelihoods on both sides.

Context

Prime Minister has announced that under the PM SHRI Scheme, as many as 14,500 schools will be “upgraded” across India to showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020.

What is the PM SHRI scheme?

• According to the Ministry of Education, the centrally sponsored scheme will be called PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India).
• Under it, as many as 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
• The plan was first discussed with the education ministers of states and UTs during a conference organised by the Ministry of Education in June at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• While there are exemplary schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the PM SHRI will act as “NEP labs”.

What are the key features of NEP in school education?

• The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
• The foundational years (pre-school and grades I, II) will involve play-based learning.
• At the preparatory level (III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching. Subject teachers are to be introduced at the middle level (VI-VIII).
• The secondary stage (IX-XII) will be multidisciplinary in nature with no hard separation between arts and sciences or other disciplines.

What is a centrally sponsored scheme?

• A centrally sponsored scheme is one where the cost of implementation is likely to split in the 60:40 ratio among the Union government and the states/Union Territories.
• For instance, the mid-day meal scheme (PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana are examples of centrally sponsored schemes.
• In the case of the Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre’s contribution can go up to 90 per cent.

How will PM SHRI schools be different from Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas?

• Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas come entirely under the Centre’s Ministry of Education. They are fully funded by the Union government under Central Sector Schemes.
• While KVs largely cater to children of Union government employees posted in states and UTs, JNVs were set up to nurture talented students in rural parts of the country.
• In contrast, PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.
• This essentially means that PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.

Where will the PM SHRI schools come up?

• The Centre has not yet released the list of schools that have been chosen for this purpose.
• It has however announced that the PM SHRI schools will also “offer mentorship” to other schools in their vicinity.
• These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art room etc.
• It shall also be developed as green schools with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient infrastructure and integration of organic lifestyle in curriculum.

Context

Linking Sri Lanka’s past on human rights record to its current economic crisis, the UN Human Rights Chief on said “impunity” for human rights abuses, economic crimes, and corruption was the underlying reason for the country’s collapse.

UNHRC report on Sri Lanka

• The UNHRC report warned that Sri Lanka’s failure to address human rights violations and war crimes committed in the past had put the country on a “dangerous path”.
• It rose that this could lead to a “recurrence” of policies and practices that gave rise to the earlier situation.
• It flagged the accelerating militarization of civilian governmental functions, a reversal of important constitutional safeguards, political obstruction of accountability, intimidation of civil society, and the use of anti-terrorism laws.
• The shrinking space for independent media and civil society and human rights organizations are also themes in the report.

The Resolution 30/1

• The resolution 30/1 launched in 2015 deals with promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
• It extended an opportunity to make good on its promises for justice and offered extensive support to accomplish that objective.

Sri Lanka’s intention

• It is more than Sri Lanka has failed to – and doesn’t intend to — take the necessary, decisive, and sustainable steps necessary to achieve domestic justice and reconciliation.
• Sri Lanka has officially sought India’s help to muster support against the resolution, which it has described as “unwanted interference by powerful countries”.

Where India comes in

• The UNHRC is scheduled to hold an “interactive” session on Sri Lanka where the report was to be discussed, and member countries were to make statements.
• Country-specific resolutions against Sri Lanka have regularly come up at the UNHRC in the last decade.
• New Delhi voted against Sri Lanka in 2012 and abstained in 2014. It was spared the dilemma in 2015 when Sri Lanka joined resolution 30/1.
• With elections coming up in Tamil Nadu, and PM declaring on a recent visit that he was the first Indian leader to visit Jaffna, Sri Lanka has begun reading the tea leaves.
• Whichever way it goes, the resolution is likely to resonate in India-Sri Lanka Relations and for India internally, in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Context

How to deal with mental wellness challenges in the uniformed forces.

About stress

• Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. 
• It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge or demand.

About mental wellness

• Mental wellness encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences cognition, perception, and behaviour. 
• It also determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making.

Why is Mental Health Important?

• Mental health is more important now than ever before; it impacts every area of our lives. 
• The importance of good mental health ripples into everything we do, think, or say.

Reasons for Persistence of Mental Illness

• Stigma to seek help: The staggering figures are void of millions of others directly, or indirectly impacted by the challenge and those who face deep-rooted stigma, many times rendering them unable to seek help.
• Lack of awareness: This growing challenge in dealing with mental health issues is further compounded by a lack of information and awareness, self-diagnosis, and stigma.
• Psycho-social factors: Institutions like gender, race and ethnicity, are also responsible for mental health conditions.
• Post-Treatment gap: There is a need for proper rehabilitation of the mentally ill persons post/her treatment which is currently not present.
• Rise in Severity: Mental health problems tend to increase during economic downturns, therefore special attention is needed during times of economic distress.

Ongoing challenges in mental wellness regime

• There is a need to expand understanding of the full scope of what uniformed Services and other mental health experts can achieve.
• Stigma regarding mental health both domestically and around the world remains strong.
• There is a lack of trained personnel and healthcare and public health systems in many areas of the world.
• Training needs are broad and reach beyond direct patient care, especially regarding cultural competence, crisis communication, and consultation.
• There is a need for expanded support for the value of multi-professional and multi-organizational integration and collaboration.

Government Policy initiatives

• National Mental Health Program (NMHP): To address the huge burden of mental disorders and shortage of qualified professionals in the field of mental health, the government has been implementing the NMHP since 1982.
• Mental HealthCare Act 2017: It guarantees every affected person access to mental healthcare and treatment from services run or funded by the government.
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2017: The Act acknowledges mental illness as a disability and seeks to enhance the Rights and Entitlements of the Disabled and provide an effective mechanism for ensuring their empowerment and inclusion in the society
• Manodarpan Initiative: An initiative under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan aims to provide psycho-social support to students for their mental health and well-being.

What needs to be done?

• Open dialogue: The practice of open dialogue, a therapeutic practice that originated in Finland, runs through many programmes in the Guidance. This approach trains the therapist in de-escalation of distress and breaks power differentials that allow for free expression.
• Increase investment: With emphasis on social care components such as work force participation, pensions and housing, increased investments in health and social care seem imperative.
• Network of services: For those homeless and who opt not to enter mental health establishments, we can provide a network of services ranging from soup kitchens at vantage points to mobile mental health and social care clinics.

Conclusion

• Persons with mental health conditions need a responsive care system that inspires hope and participation without which their lives are empty. 
• We should endeavour to provide them with such a responsive care system.