Weekly Current Affairs (8th to 14th February 2023) Part - 1 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Lab-Grown Diamonds

Context: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) in its 2023-24 Union Budget has put special emphasis on Laboratory-Grown Diamonds (LGD).

• Scientists working at a General Electric research laboratory in New York are credited with the creation of the world’s first-ever LGD in 1954.

What are Laboratory-Grown Diamonds?

About:

• LGD are manufactured in laboratories, as opposed to naturally occurring diamonds. However, the chemical composition and other physical and optical properties of the two are the same.
• Naturally occurring diamonds take millions of years to form; they are created when carbon deposits buried within the earth are exposed to extreme heat and pressure.

Manufacturing:

• They are mostly manufactured through two processes, High Pressure,High Temperature (HPHT) method or Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) method.
• Both HPHT and CVD methods of growing diamonds artificially begin with a seed, a slice of another diamond.
  • In the HPHT method, the seed, along with pure graphite carbon, is exposed to temperatures around 1,500 degrees Celsius and extremely high pressure.
  • In the CVD method, the seed is heated to around 800 degrees Celsius inside a sealed chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas. The gas sticks to the seed, gradually building the diamond.

Applications:

• They are used for industrial purposes in machines and tools and their hardness and extra strength make them ideal for use as cutters.
• Pure synthetic diamonds are used in electronics as a heat spreader for high-power laser diodes, laser arrays and high-power transistors.

Significance:

• The environmental footprint of a diamond grown in a laboratory is much lesser than that of a naturally occurring diamond.
• According to a report by Diamond Foundry, an environmentally conscious LGD manufacturer, it takes ten times more energy to extract a natural diamond from the earth than it takes in creating one above the ground.
• Open-pit mining, one of the most common methods of mining naturally occurring diamonds, involves moving tonnes of earth and rock to extract these precious stones.

What is the Scenario of India’s Diamond Industry?

• India is the world’s largest cutting and polishing center for diamonds, accounting for over 90% of polished diamond manufacturing globally. This is attributed to factors such as the easy availability of high skilled labour, cutting-edge technology, and lower costs involved.
  • Surat in Gujarat is a global hub for diamond manufacturing.
  • The US is the biggest market for cut and polished diamonds, with China a close second.
• India contributes 19% of the total diamond exports in the world.
• The UAE is also the largest export destination for Indian gold jewellery, accounting for over 75% of the South Asian country’s jewellery exports.
• India’s overall exports of gems and jewellery in November 2022 were USD 2.43 billion, up 2.05 % from the same year-ago period.

What are the Government Initiatives to Promote Lab-Grown Diamond?

• The 2023 Union Budget promises to reduce the basic customs duty on seeds used in the manufacture of lab-grown diamonds in a bid to popularise their production in India— the duty on seeds for rough LGDs will be reduced from 5% to nil.
• A five-year research grant will also be provided to one of the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) for research and development in the field of LGDs.
• MoF has also proposed the creation of new tariff lines to help in better identification of a number of products, including synthetic diamonds. The aim of the move is to help facilitate trade as well as to have clarity on availing concessional import duty.

The Concern of South Indian States on Delimitation

Context: As the Country is preparing for the next census, it is observed that the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats along with a smaller share of central funds to states on the basis of the population can be unfair to Southern states, which have implemented family planning programs more effectively than the states in North India.

• The argument is that Southern states should be recognized and rewarded for their efforts to control population growth, rather than being penalized for their success. The national delimitation exercise has, however, raised concerns about the unequal representation of states in the Lok Sabha.

What is Delimitation?

About:

• Delimitation means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country to represent changes in population.
• The Delimitation Commission Act was enacted in 1952.
  • Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up a Delimitation Commission.
• Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.
• The first delimitation exercise was carried out by the President (with the help of the Election Commission) in 1950-51.

Hisory:

• The last delimitation exercise that changed the state-wise composition of the Lok Sabha was completed in 1976 and done on the basis of the 1971 census.
• The Constitution of India mandates that the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha should be based on the population of each state so that the ratio of seats to population is as close as possible to being equal across all states. It is intended to ensure that each person's vote carries roughly the same weight, regardless of which state they live in.
  • However, this provision meant that states that took little intersst in population control could end up with a greater number of seats in Parliament.
• To avoid these consequences, the Constitution was amended during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency rule in 1976 to suspend delimitation until 2001. Another amendment postponed this until 2026. It was hoped that the country would achieve a uniform population growth rate by this time.

Need:

• To provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.
• Fair division of geographical areas so that one political party doesn’t have an advantage over others in an election.
• To follow the principle of “One Vote One Value”.

Constitutional Provisions:

• Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census.
• Under Article 170, States also get divided into territorial constituencies as per Delimitation Act after every Census.

What is Delimitation Commission?

Appointment:

• The Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.

Composition:

• Retired Supreme Court judge
• Chief Election Commissioner
• Respective State Election Commissioners

Functions:

• To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make the population of all constituencies nearly equal.
• To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large.

Powers:

• In case of a difference of opinion among members of the Commission, the opinion of the majority prevails.
• The Delimitation Commission in India is a high-power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.

How Delimitation is Being Unfair to the Southern States?

Development:

• The economic situation of Southern states has improved dramatically since the turn of the 21st century. Prior to the 1990s, Northern states were outperforming Southern states in terms of income and poverty levels.
• However, the Southern states have seen a significant increase in their economic performance in recent years, which has led to a significant reduction in poverty and an increase in income levels.
• This economic turnaround has had a significant impact on the region and has helped to drive growth and development in the Southern states.
• The combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of just three States — Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu is greater than 13 States in the East.

Educational and Health Outcomes:

• The previous Annual Status of Education Reports (ASER) data suggests that southern regions have performed better in terms of children being enrolled in schools and having better learning outcomes compared to their northern counterparts.
• Further, a higher proportion of graduates in the southern States indicates the greater prevalence of a specific set of skills.
• For instance, in 2011, only 5% of Uttar Pradesh’s population was graduated, while in Tamil Nadu, nearly 8% of its population was graduated.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamil Nadu has 314 testing centres for a population of 78.8 million as of December 2021 and Uttar Pradesh has only 305 Covid testing centres for a population of 235 million, which is clearly inadequate.

Governance Factor:

• If the educational and health outcomes are better in the southern States, this also implies that the ability to discern and the quality of decision-making must be significantly better there.
• The expectation for better public services and high civic activism in southern states suggests that the electorate there is more likely to vote for better governance compared to the north.

Advantages for the North:

• Based on the population patterns, the existing distribution of parliamentary constituencies across the States is tilted in favour of populous States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, while southern States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka have a lesser number of seats.
• If delimitation occurs, Southern states will face a decrease in the number of seats allocated to them, compared to the northern states, during the next delimitation process.
• Hence, during the electoral representation, it should be kept in mind that it is not the number of people, but their quality that should be the deciding factor.

What are the Issues in this Regard?

• Inadequate Representation: According to the 2019 research paper India’s Emerging Crisis of Representation, if the delimitation is carried out according to the 2031 Census (the earliest scheduled after 2026), Bihar and Uttar Pradesh alone would gain as many as 21 seats in total, while Tamil Nadu and Kerala together will lose 16 seats.
• Affecting the Reservations for SCs/ STs: The scheduled delimitation and reallocation of seats may result in not only a loss of seats for southern states but also an increase in power for political parties with their base of support in the north. This could potentially lead to a shift of power toward the north and away from the south.
  • The exercise will also affect the division of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) in each state.
• Inadequate Funding: After the 15th Finance Commission used the 2011 Census as a basis for its recommendation, concerns were raised about southern states losing funding and representation in parliament.
  • Previously, the 1971 Census was used as the base for funding and tax devolution recommendations to states.
• Demographic Dividend: In 1976, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, during the Emergency, suspended the revision of seats until after the 2001 Census. In 2001, the Parliament extended this freeze until the next decennial census after 2026, scheduled for 2031 as per the Constitution (84th Amendment) Act, 2001.
  • Therefore, if Lok Sabha seats are reallocated after 2031, legislators and policy makers will have to factor in demographic and political changes in the country over the past 60 years.

What are the Recommendations?

• Establishment of a Robust Plan: Making a firm commitment to reallocating resources after 2031 without any further delays due to political or policy challenges. It would provide certainty and stability for southern states in terms of funding and representation.
• Increase in Number of Seats: The advantage of increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is that Members of Parliament (MPs) would represent smaller constituencies. This would lead to more efficient governance as administrative agencies would not be burdened by a large population, allowing for faster and more effective decision making.
  • Increasing the number of seats is seen as a more politically feasible option as it is easier for politicians to agree to adding seats in certain areas or states, rather than giving up seats in areas where they have more power.
• To Maintain Existing Position: Increasing the total number of seats in Parliament could be considered to ensure that no state loses the seats it currently has. This proposal may be under consideration by the Union government.
• Adequate Representation: Reports suggest that the architects of the new Lok Sabha, being built as part of the Central Vista project, have been asked to plan for at least 888 seats in the lower house.
  • This would allow for adequate representation for all states and prevent any state from losing its current number of seats.

NISAR Mission

Context: Recently, NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) has received a send-off ceremony at the NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, USA.

• NISAR will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet's surface less than a centimeter across.

What is the NISAR Mission?

About:

• NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014.
• It is expected to be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a near-polar orbit.
• The satellite will operate for a minimum of three years.
• It is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory.
• NISAR will map the entire globe in 12 days.

Features:

• It is a 2,800 kilograms satellite consisting of both L-band and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
• While NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and a payload data subsystem, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has provided the S-band radar, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) launch system and spacecraft.
• S band radars operate on a wavelength of 8-15 cm and a frequency of 2-4 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, they are not easily attenuated. This makes them useful for near and far range weather observation.
• It has a 39-foot stationary antenna reflector, made of a gold-plated wire mesh; the reflector will be used to focus “the radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument structure.
• By using SAR, NISAR will produce high-resolution images. SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.
• NASA requires the L-band radar for its global science operations for at least three years. Meanwhile, ISRO will utilise the S-band radar for a minimum of five years.

What are the Expected Benefits of NISAR?

• Earth Science: NISAR will provide a wealth of data and information about the Earth's surface changes, natural hazards, and ecosystem disturbances, helping to advance our understanding of Earth system processes and climate change.
• Disaster Management: The mission will provide critical information to help manage natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, enabling faster response times and better risk assessments.
• Agriculture: NISAR data will be used to improve agriculture management and food security by providing information about crop growth, soil moisture, and land-use changes.
• Infrastructure Monitoring: The mission will provide data for infrastructure monitoring and management, such as monitoring of oil spills, urbanization, and deforestation.
• Climate Change: NISAR will help to monitor and understand the impacts of climate change on the Earth's land surface, including melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and changes in carbon storage.

NCAER Report on Farm Machinery Industry in India

Context: National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) Report on "Making India a Global Power House on Farm Machinery Industry" released recently.

• NCAER has analysed the non-tractor farm machinery industry from both demand and supply side perspectives, bringing out the challenges in the sector, and recommending measures & reforms by benchmarking global practices.

What is the Farm Machinery Industry?

• The Farm Machinery Industry is an industry sector that produces and supplies a range of machinery, equipment, and tools used in agriculture and farming activities such as ploughing, planting, harvesting, and more.
  • These machines are designed to improve productivity and efficiency in farming operations, and the industry encompasses both small-scale and large-scale farming equipment.
• Some examples of products offered by this industry include tractors, combine harvesters, irrigation systems, tillers, and more.

What are the Major Challenges Related to the Farm Machinery Industry?

Limited Domestic Demand:

• There is a mismatch between what the organised farm machinery sector produces and the needs of small and marginal Indian farmers.
• Although there is high State-level variation, in 2018–19 barely 4.4% of farmer households in India owned a tractor, 2.4 % used a power tiller and 5.3 % owned one of the four machinery items.

Dependence on Imports for Non-Tractor Machinery:

• Farm machinery exports are driven by the tractors, and farm machinery imports are driven by non-tractor farm machinery imports.
• Further, the direction of trade is lopsided where 53% of non-tractor farm machinery imports are coming from China.

Lack of Adequate Power:

• With the increase in intensity of cropping, the turnaround time is drastically reduced. Availability of adequate farm power is very crucial for timely farm operations for increasing production and productivity and reducing losses.
• However, our farm power availability is at 2.49 Kw/ha in 2018-19 which is much lower as compared to Korea (+7 kw/ha), Japan (+14kw/ha), USA(+7kw/ha)

How can the Farm Machinery Industry be Revitalized?

Encourage Local Innovation:

• Entrepreneurship ecosystems should be created and encouraged in local education institutes; they may also partner with farm machinery firms.
• For help on patents, district-level patent offices need to be opened and strengthened and state agricultural universities’ patent offices need to cater to the needs of local communities.
  • Research-linked incentive (RLI) is also recommended for innovations in light farm machinery and futuristic precision farming.

Non-tractor Farm Machinery Cluster:

• There is a need to set up a non-tractor farm machinery Science & Technology Cluster under the aegis of the Science & Technology (S&T) Cluster programme.

Level-playing Field for Indian Manufacturers:

• Given the unfair competition that Indian manufacturers face, it should be mandated that farm machinery that is sold under government subsidy on government DBT portals (both Central and State) follow the revised public procurement norms with regard to preference to ‘Make in India’ goods.
• Localisation should be promoted by simultaneously maintaining international quality standards.

Vision for Export Hub:

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is already promoting farm mechanization through various schemes and programmes like the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization Scheme. But India needs a vision for the next 15 years to translate itself into a production and export hub for the non-tractor farm machinery.