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Journalism of Courage
The Indian Express’ UPSC Essentials brings you a weekly news express, which covers the most important topics of current affairs news from this week.
General Studies III: Environment and Ecology
World Environment Day and India
—The theme for 2022 WED is Only one Earth. 2022 marks 50 years since the 1972 Stockholm Conference.
— On the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5, India launched ‘Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement’. The idea of LiFE was introduced by India during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. It promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.
— The Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3). P3 will have a shared commitment to adopting and promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles.
—India’s achievement in environment conservation an be assessed by the following
1) India’s forest cover is increasing and so is the population of lions, tigers, leopards, elephants and rhinos. The total forest cover is 21.71 per cent of the total geographical area in 2021, compared with 21.67 per cent in 2019 and 21.54 per cent in 2017.
2) India’s commitment to reach 40 per cent of installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources has been achieved, nine years ahead of schedule.
3) The target of 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol has been achieved five months ahead of the November 2022 target. This is a major accomplishment given that blending was hardly 1.5 per cent in 2013-14 and 5 per cent in 2019-20.
4) The country’s installed Renewable Energy (RE) capacity stands at 150.54 GW (solar: 48.55 GW, wind: 40.03 GW, Small hydro Power: 4.83, Bio-power: 10.62, Large Hydro: 46.51 GW) as on 30th Nov. 2021 while its nuclear energy-based installed electricity capacity stands at 6.78 GW. India has the fourth largest wind power capacity in the world.
Point to ponder: What are ‘green jobs’?
General Studies III: Science and Technology
— A Mumbai court relied upon the report of an analysis of a suspect’s gait in its order in the rape and murder of a Dalit woman in Saki Naka in September 2021. Such an analysis has been carried out earlier in the Sachin Waze-Antilia terror scare and the Gauri Lankesh murder investigations.
— Gait is defined as a manner of walking or moving on foot. Gait analysis is a technique in podiatry medical care and the treatment of the foot, which is used to evaluate and diagnose conditions that affect walking and posture.
— The analysis can help experts zero in on the source of an injury or pain that determines the way in which an individual stands or walks. It can also be used by physiotherapists for treatment, and in athletics training so that athletes can perform better and in greater comfort.
— Gait analysis techniques have now been borrowed by forensic sciences experts to identify suspects in criminal cases. With footage from CCTV cameras becoming a crucial element in fighting and preventing a range of crimes, especially in the cities, gait analysis has begun to be used as a tool for focusing on or eliminating individuals from a list of suspects.
Point to ponder: What are some popular scientific technologies and inventions which can be used in crime detection?
General Studies II: Government policies and interventions aimed at development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
– According to Prime Minister’s Office, Jan Samarth Portal is a one-stop digital portal that links the government credit schemes.
– Beneficiaries can digitally check eligibility, apply online and receive digital approval. The portal is unique in the sense it is the first of its kind. It connects beneficiaries directly to the lenders.
– The idea behind launching this portal is to encourage inclusive growth and development of several sectors. This will be achieved by guiding them toward the appropriate government schemes and benefits through simple and easy digital processes.
– Important is to note that this portal ensures end-to-end coverage of all the linked schemes. The 13 schemes under four loan categories are linked to this portal. The four loan categories are education, agricultural infrastructure, business activity and livelihood.
– The Prime Minister launched this portal in the ‘Iconic week celebrations’ of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.
– The Iconic week (June 6-11) is being celebrated as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
– A digital exhibition that traces the journey of two ministries — Finance and Corporate Affairs — over the past eight years was also unveiled.
– PM also released special series of Rs 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, Rs 10, and Rs 20 coins. These special series of coins have the theme of the logo of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. A very special feature about these coins is that they are easily identifiable to visually impaired persons.
Point to ponder: Which schemes are the part of the above portal?
General Studies II: Government policies and interventions aimed at development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
– The midday meal or PM-POSHAN scheme under Ministry of Education, in which hot cooked meals are served to address the nutritional needs of children, covers government and government-aided school students of classes I-VIII, as well as pre-primary classes. During closure of schools due to the pandemic, the food security allowance was continued through the distribution of dry ration kits.
– Amid a huge jump in the enrolment of students in government schools in the second pandemic year (2021-22), an estimated 4.88 lakh children — adding up to 27 per cent of the total enrolment — were left out of the midday meal scheme in Delhi “due to shortage of food grains”, according to a Union government document. An increase in the enrolment of students in government schools is seen as an indicator of economic hardship.
– The midday meal or PM-POSHAN scheme, under which hot cooked meals are served to address the nutritional needs of children, covers government and government-aided school students of classes I-VIII, as well as pre-primary classes. During closure of schools due to the pandemic, the food security allowance was continued through the distribution of dry ration kits.
– The Programme Approval Board (PAB) decides the work plan and budget for the midday meal scheme annually.
Point to ponder: Critically evaluate the PM POSHAN scheme ?
General Studies II: Parliament and State Legislatures
– On June 10, the Assemblies of four states elected 16 MPs to Rajya Sabha.
– Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and cannot be dissolved. To ensure continuity, one-third of its members retire after every second year, under Article 83(1) of the Constitution, and “biennial elections” are held to fill these vacancies. The term of a member is six years.
– Out of the 245 members, 12 are nominated by the President and 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. Vacancies arising due to resignation, death or disqualification are filled up through by polls, and those elected serve out the remainder of their predecessors’ term.
– Under Article 80(3), the 12 nominated members should have special knowledge or practical experience in matters like literature, science, art etc. A nominated member may join a party within six months of taking a seat.
– Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by MLAs through an indirect election. Article 80(4) provides that members shall be elected by the elected members of state Assemblies through a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
–The Fourth Schedule to the Constitution provides for allocation of Rajya Sabha seats to the states and Union Territories, on the basis of the population of each state. For instance, there are 31 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Goa. Elections are held there are more candidates than vacancies; otherwise, candidates are elected unopposed.
– The number of votes a candidate requires depends on the number of vacancies and the strength of the House. If there is only one vacancy, the required quota under the Election Commission’s Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, is calculated by taking the number of votes polled, dividing it by 2, and adding 1. For example, if 100 votes are polled in an Assembly, the Rajya Sabha candidate would need: 100/2 + 1 = 51 votes
– If there is more than one vacancy, the equation is based on an assigned value of 100 for every first-preference vote. The values of the votes credited to all candidates are totalled. The total is divided by 1 more than the number of vacancies, and 1 is added to this quotient. For example, if 100 members of an Assembly vote for 3 Rajya Sabha vacancies, the required quota by any candidate would be (100 × 100)/(3 + 1) + 1 = 2501. If for any seat, candidates fail to get the specified number, the second-preference votes will be taken into account, but with a lower value.
Point to ponder: When can the Rajya Sabha vote be rejected?
General Studies II: Government policies and interventions aimed at development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
– The move aims to recruit about 45,000-50,000 personnel below officer rank in the three services every year through a biannual exercise with a six-month gap.
– At the end of their tenure, 25 per cent of these recruits will be inducted back into the services, although the modalities for this process are yet to be finalised.
– Under the new Tour of Duty system, likely to be named “Agnipath”, soldiers or “Agniveer” will be recruited for a period of four years at the end of which they will get over Rs 10 lakh tax-free and certificates or diplomas for their service.
– Sources said that candidates between the ages of 17-and-a-half years and 21 years will be eligible to apply, and recruitment will be conducted under existing qualification criteria. The recruits will undergo training for six months and serve for the remaining period. Currently, a soldier serves for nearly 17-20 years.
– Under the new scheme, the starting salary will be Rs 30,000, which will go up to Rs 40,000 by the end of the fourth year. However, 30 per cent of the salary will be held back as savings, and an equal amount contributed by the Government per month, under the Seva Nidhi scheme.
Point to ponder: How is “Agnipath” balances generation of employment and security of the nation?
Environmental Performance Index
– India has questioned its bottom ranking among 180 nations on the Environmental Performance Index.
– EPI is a biennial index that is a scorecard that ranks countries on their environmental performance.
– It was first published in 2002. The aim was to supplement the environmental targets of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
– Importantly it also provides guidance for countries that aim to move toward a sustainable environment in the future.
– Prepared by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
– The 2022 EPI is based on 40 performance indicators grouped into 11 issue categories. The three objectives of these categories are: Environmental Health, Ecosystem Vitality and Climate Change.
– India ranks 180th in the Environment Performance Index (EPI) 2020 (score: 18.9 ). It ranks below Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Importantly, India has also scored low on rule of law, control of corruption, and government effectiveness, according to EPI. India ranked 168th in 2020.
– Denmark tops the 2022 rankings. The United Kingdom and Finland secured 2nd and 3rd positions.
– “Some of these indicators used for assessing performance are extrapolated and based on surmises and unscientific methods.” Ministry officials cited two major concerns – that baseline data does not seem to have been used, and that there has been no explanation for the weightages assigned to certain indicators.
– The government has objected to calculations of greenhouse gas projections for 2050, which ties into countries’ net zero goals. India has set a net zero target for 2070, unlike developed nations that have set 2050.
Point to ponder: Do environment scientists agree with the report?
General Studies II: International Relations
India and Vietnam Sign Mutual Logistics Agreement
— The Defence Ministers signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation.
— India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030 will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation.
– Logistics Agreement: signing of India and Vietnam Mutual Logistics Agreement is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support.
— Significance: India and Vietnam Mutual Logistics Agreement is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country.
— Defence Line of Credit: Both countries also agreed for early finalisation of $US 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam.
— Building Defence Capabilities: India announced gifting two simulators and monetary grant towards setting up of Language and IT Lab at Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of Vietnamese armed forces.
— India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India’s Act East policy.
Point to ponder: Why is South Asia important for India’s geo-politics strategy?
General Studies II: Parliament and State Legislatures
— The Election Commission has notified the election of India’s next President on July 18.
— The elected MLAs and MPs across the country will vote to elect India’s 15th President. Under Article 62(1) of the Constitution, “an election to fill a vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of President shall be completed before the expiration of the term”.
— The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of MPs of both Houses of Parliament and MLAs of the states and Delhi and Puducherry. Nominated members of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, and members of state Legislative Councils, are not part of the electoral college. The presidential election voting pattern is based on a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
— The votes are weighted, their value determined by the population of each state as per Census 1971. The value of each MLA’s vote varies from a high of 208 in Uttar Pradesh to a low of 7 in Sikkim.
Point to ponder: How is the election of President in India different from other major democracies in the world?
General Studies I: Geography
— Fast radio bursts are bright flashes of light that appear for a few milliseconds and then vanish. Since the first FRB was discovered in 2007, 140 more were discovered until June 2021, according to a post on the MIT website.
— The astronomers have suggested that there may be two different mechanisms producing FRBs, or that the objects producing them may act differently at different stages. Among the candidates for the sources of FRBs are the super dense neutron stars left over after a supernova, or magnetars (neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields).
Point to ponder: What is supernova?
