UPSC Key—16 October, 2023: Conscription, Deepfake, Wetlands and Ramsar Convention

War clouds on two fronts, Israelis abroad are rushing home to defend their nation

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Eight days ago, Ori Nachmani and his wife were on vacation in Japan when he heard that the Palestinian militant group Hamas had infiltrated Israel and carried out large-scale killings, targeting mostly unarmed civilians.

Shaken and restless, the sturdy 44-year-old said his first instinct was to return home and be a part of his country’s response to the attacks.

• A considerable number of Israeli citizens are returning to their homeland with the intention of providing assistance to the Israeli defence forces (IDF). How will they provide assistance to the recipients? Do they possess military training?

• What does conscription mean?

• What is an example of conscription?

• Is conscription mandatory in Israel?

• How does conscription work in Israel?

• How long do Israeli conscripts serve?

• What is the Israeli Army Reserve?

• Who Can Serve in the Army Reserve?

• Does the Indian Army have a conscription model?

• What is Conscription model of recruitment?

• How recently introduced “Tour of Duty” model” is different from Conscription model?

• In addition to Israel, which other countries enforce compulsory military conscription?

• For Your Information-Mandatory or involuntary military service has been around since ancient times with slaves being used for combat in almost all major civilisations. Further, many ancient kingdoms did not boast of a standing army: they were dependent on peasant soldiers forced to pick up arms during times of conflict.
In mediaeval Europe, serfs were expected to perform what was known as Corvée labour. This was primarily found in feudal societies, a type of annual tax payable as labour by the serf to the monarch, vassal, overlord, or lord of the manor. In addition to being used to complete royal projects, maintain roads and other public facilities, and provide labour to maintain the feudal estate, it was also used to conscript men into the military.
In fact, modern volunteer armies are a fairly recent phenomenon, arising in post-Enlightenment Europe. Before the 18th and 19th Centuries, the most common volunteers in combat would be mercenaries or people paid to fight in a particular conflict. While mercenaries have existed for a long time, the organisation and hierarchical command typical of modern armed forces were lacking.
Today, involuntary military service is relatively rare. According to Statista data journalist Niall Mcarthy, “fewer than 30 countries in the world still require whole age cohorts to complete military service.” While provisions for conscription or drafts exist in many other countries including major military powers like the United States, Russia and China, they are either meant only for times of emergency or are not enforced.
Some of the countries which enforce mandatory military to whole age cohorts are as follows. Here, citizens are expected to spend a certain period of time in service after reaching the age of eligibility. With the exception of North Korea and Israel, mandatory service is generally restricted to men only.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍With BTS’s Jin set to begin mandatory enlistment, a look at countries with conscription

📍Colour-coded maps, a detailed plan show Hamas knew Israeli secrets, weaknesses

Citing deepfakes, Govt looks at IT rules to make WhatsApp disclose source ID

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-As the country heads to Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the Centre is looking to invoke a controversial law that would require WhatsApp to share details about the first originator of a message on account of rising artificial intelligence (AI)-led misinformation on the messaging platform, The Indian Express has learnt.

• What is a deepfake?

• “The Centre is looking to invoke a controversial law that would require WhatsApp to share details about the first originator of a message”-why this is controversial?

• “This would be the first time that the Central government will directly send an Internet platform an order under Section 4 (2) of the IT Rules, 2021”- What is Section 4 (2) of the IT Rules, 2021?

• For Your Information-The IT law provision that the Government looks to invoke is at the centre of a debate given that WhatsApp has called it a threat to its end-to-end encryption system which keeps communications private from even the company itself. The platform says enforcement of such a measure will lead to mass surveillance. The government, on its part, says normal functioning of WhatsApp will not be impacted.
The IT Rules say that online messaging companies will be required to divulge the identity of a person who first sends a particular message on their platform. The order for the requirement, colloquially known as traceability, can be passed either by a court, or the government.
The orders, however, can only be issued for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution or punishment of an offence related to national security issues, public order, friendly relations with a foreign government, among other things.
No order, the rules say, shall be passed in cases where other “less intrusive means” are effective in identifying the originator of the information.

• How WhatsApp responded?

• What is the end-to-end encryption?

• For Your Information-WhatsApp, which is the most used messaging platform in India, has said that the provision is a threat to its end-to-end encryption system which keeps communications between two people private from even the company itself. It has questioned the technical feasibility of enforcing the measure, saying it will break its security systems and lead to “mass surveillance”.
The government has maintained that the measure will not impact the normal functioning of WhatsApp and its “common users”.
Last month, the Tripura High Court stayed an order by a trial court which had directed WhatsApp to disclose the first originator of a chat containing a fake resignation letter of Chief Minister Manik Saha.
The High Court held that the trial court did not specifically deal with the issue regarding the extent of threat to “public order” as prescribed under Rule 4 (2), before asking WhatsApp to reveal the first originator of the message. It also questioned that the traceability order was issued merely two days after an FIR was filed in Tripura on the issue of the fake resignation letter.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Fake news and misinformation: Sections of the law that police can invoke

📍Explained: What is deepfake?

After its outreach to Pasmanda Muslims, BJP ready with plan to enlist Sufi support

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement and Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Social empowerment

• General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-After the much-talked-about Pasmanda Muslim outreach of the BJP, endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, the ruling party has set in motion a parallel outreach programme with the country’s largest religious minority in mind — the Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyan or the Sufi dialogue.
The BJP’s Minority Morcha organised a programme under the Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyan in Lucknow on October 12 where nearly 200 Sufis from more than 100 dargahs were present. They were requested to take the message of the Modi government’s policies and schemes to Muslims across India.

• Who are the Pasmanda Muslims?

• Are Muslims divided along caste lines?

• What percentage of Indian Muslims are Pasmanda, and where do they live?

• What do Pasmanda Muslims want?

• What is the history of the Pasmanda movement?

• “Prime Minister Narendra Modi admires the Sufis as an important part of Bharatiya tradition”-Connect Sufism and Indian traditions

• What are Sufis in Islam?

• What is Sufism?

• Bhakti Movement and Sufism-Connect the Dots

• What were the different Stages of Sufism?

• What are the important Sufi Orders?

• Have you heard of Chisti, Suhrawardi Order, Naqshbandi Order and Qadiriyya Order?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: Who are Pasmanda Muslims, focus of BJP outreach?

📍In ‘In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India’, Rana Safvi maps a millennium of shared spirituality

📍How the Bhakti movement flourished under Mughals

THE CITY

Plea seeks stay on Jewar Airport until wetland protected, UP govt to inform about status in 4 weeks

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Following a petition seeking a stay on the construction of Jewar Airport until Dhanauri Wetland is granted protection, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday granted the state government four weeks’ time to inform about the status of notifying the wetland in Greater Noida as Ramsar Wetland site. The proposal for the same is pending before the Uttar Pradesh Wetland authority.

The petitioner, bird-watcher Anand Arya, has demanded that the construction work on Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar be restrained until the Dhanauri Wetland is notified as Balmiki Ramsar Wetland and Sarus Sanctuary/Conservation Reserve.

• Map Work-Dhanauri Wetlands

• What is a Wetland? Why are Wetlands important?

• For Your Information-The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters”.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has adopted the definition given by the Cowardin classification system where wetlands “are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. For the purposes of this classification, wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: (1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes; (2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and (3) the substrate is non-soil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year”.
However, the Indian government’s definition of wetland excludes river channels, paddy fields and other areas where commercial activity takes place. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change define wetlands as “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes”.
Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world. In India, according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment compiled by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square kilometres (sq km) which is 4.63 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. Of the 1,52,600 sq km, inland-natural wetlands account for 43.4% and coastal-natural wetlands 24.3%.
Rivers/streams occupy 52,600 sq km, reservoirs/barrages 24,800 sq km, inter-tidal mudflats 24,100 sq km, tanks/ponds 13,100 sq km and lake/ponds 7300 sq km.
India has 19 types of wetlands. In state-wise distribution of wetlands, Gujarat is at the top with 34,700 sq km (17.56% of total geographical area of the state), or 22.7% of total wetlands areas of the country thanks to a long coastline. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh (14,500 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (12,400 sq km) and West Bengal (11,100 sq km).

• Wetlands Types-What are they?

• Threats to Wetlands-What are they?

• The Convention on Wetlands-Know Ramsar Convention

• Ramsar Sites-What are they? What is Importance of being Ramsar Site?

• ‘Montreux Record’-If a wetland of international importance is brought under the ‘Montreux Record’, what does it imply?

• Mapwork-List of Ramsar Sites in India

• What is National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Explained: Why wetlands matter to world and India

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WE NEED MORE DOCTORS

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Sandhya Venkateswaran, Khushboo Balani and Amrita Agarwal Writes: The demand for doctors exceeds supply in large parts of India. At the same time, the demand for medical education also exceeds the number (supply) of seats. Reducing the demand-supply gap in medical education has been an elusive goal. This can impact the gaps in doctor availability to some extent.

• What is the doctor to population ratio in India?

• What are key issues faced by the healthcare sector of India?

• Why India needs more doctors?

• Do You Know-Two drivers of the increase in medical graduates are the number and size of medical colleges. While the number has increased rapidly, the size of medical colleges remains a critical barrier to increasing the supply of doctors. The average number of UG seats per college is 153 in India as against 220 in Eastern Europe and 930 in China. The small size is an outcome of regulatory and financial constraints. For instance, a seat expansion in a public medical college from 150 to 200 required an expansion of books in the library from 11,000 to 15,000, daily OPD footfalls from 1,200 to 2,000 and a doubling in the number of nursing staff required, as per the draft guidelines for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/referral hospitals (2015). Some of these have been relaxed, but seats per college have not risen proportionately. They have improved from 122 in 2010-11 to 153 now.

• “Scaling up might be a riskier proposition for private medical colleges”-Why?

• “While there is a perceived trade-off between quality and scale, there are also concerns about equity”-Discuss

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍National Medical Commission’s ableism, is ignorant – and harmful

THE IDEAS PAGE

Keep water at the centre

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Ashok Gulati writes: October 16 is observed as World Food Day to mark the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945. Its main purpose was to ensure food and nutrition security around the world in the aftermath of World War II. How far the world has moved to achieve this goal is an open question. While there is ample food being produced on this planet that can easily feed eight billion people, its access is quite skewed across nations.

• What is this year’s theme for the World Food Day?

• “Water is Life. Water is Food”-Decode

• How far India has progressed in achieving food security?

• How India is using its water resources in agriculture?

• “On the food security front. Having been through a journey of “ship to mouth” in mid 1960s, India has come a long way”-Analyse

• For Your Information-First on the food security front. Having been through a journey of “ship to mouth” in mid 1960s, India has come a long way. Only in the last three years, 2020-21 to 2022-23, India exported 85 million tonnes (MT) of cereals, mainly rice, wheat and corn. This it did even after giving free food (rice or wheat) to more than 800 million people under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana. This is a stupendous achievement. India has also made major strides in milk production which has shot up from 17 MT in 1951 to 222 MT in 2022-23.
The country is the largest producer of milk by far. Since 2000-01, poultry and fishery production has been growing at a fast rate. So, from the green and white revolution, India has also now ushered in a pink (poultry) and blue (fishery) revolution. However, access to sufficient nutritious food remains a challenge for many. According to the latest National Family Health Survey, almost 16.6 per cent of India’s population is malnourished (2020-22), 35 per cent of its children below the age of five years are stunted (low height-for-age) and 32 per cent are underweight (low weight-for-age).

• How is India using its water resources in agriculture?

• What are the food security measures adopted by India in the recent years?

• Do You Know-It is important to note that while India is home to almost 18 per cent of the world’s population, it has only 4 per cent of global freshwater resources. Much of this water is used in agriculture. While FAO puts this figure at 90 per cent, the Indian Central Water Commission says it is 78 per cent. With rising population, and rising incomes, there will be a need to produce not only more food but also save water for drinking purposes as also for manufacturing and growing urbanisation.
Thus, India needs to adopt a two-pronged strategy with respect to water in agriculture. First, on the supply side, it must augment buffer stocking of water during the monsoon season in its reservoirs, and recharge groundwater through check dams and watersheds, etc. Second, it must work on the demand side to ensure more rational allocation and efficient use of water across crops.
This calls for not only institutional reforms in the Indian irrigation sector but also in the pricing of water and power for irrigation. While almost half of India’s gross cropped area is irrigated today, we need to take it to at least 75 per cent if we have to cope with weather vagaries associated with climate change.
This would require massive investments. India has not succeeded in attracting private sector investments in reservoirs and canal networks as water is almost free. The government does not have enough funds to invest in this, after doling out large food and fertiliser subsidies costing more than Rs 4 lakh crore. The state governments do not have the political will to charge for power that is used for groundwater irrigation. Under such a scenario, Indian agriculture remains a risky venture in the wake of climate change.

• Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO)-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Ashok Gulati writes: Balancing climate change and global nutrition

EXPLAINED

How Jews first migrated to Palestine, and how Israel was born

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In the latest chapter of bloodshed in the Israel-Palestine dispute, the Israeli military has ordered thousands of civilians to leave Gaza City as it prepares for a possible ground offensive. While the modern contours of the Israel-Palestine conflict are well-known — Palestinians saying Israel was forcibly established on their homeland, Israel claiming it has every right to exist on its Biblical homeland — how did the Jewish migration to ‘Israel’ first begin? Before the official declaration in May 1948 of the creation of Israel, how was the stage set for it? What was the role played by the British and other Arab powers?

• What is Anti-semitism and Zionism?

• Jewish migration (Aliyah) to Palestine before World war 1-Know in detail

• What was the Balfour Declaration?

• What happened after World War II?

• What was the UN resolution on the same?

• Do You Know-On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under UN control. According to Black’s book, “The proposed Jewish state was to consist of 55 per cent of the country, including the largely unpopulated Negev desert. Its population would comprise some 500,000 Jews and 400,000 Arabs… The Arab state was to have 44 per cent of the land and a minority of 10,000 Jews.” The Arab areas would include the West Bank and Gaza.
The outraged Palestinian side rejected the resolution. Israel, on the other hand, declared independence on May 14, 1948. This entire period by was marked by civil war, and the Israeli military groups managed to drive out a large number of Palestinians. The creation of Israel is called Naqba, or the catastrophe, by Palestinians, who see it as the day they lost their homeland.
Immediately after Israel’s declaration of independence, it was invaded by Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. However, the determined Israeli side, bolstered by arms and funds from the US, managed to beat them back.
This was followed by more Arab-Israeli wars, with Israel capturing large territories.
Today, of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 139 recognise Palestine, while 165 recognise Israel. Gaza and the West Bank remain under Israeli military control.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍The bloody history behind how Israel, and Palestine, came into existence 

WHAT THE GI TAG CAN MEAN FOR THE CASHEW INDUSTRY IN GOA

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Last week, Goan cashew (kernel) got the geographical indication (GI) tag. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hailed the recognition as a great opportunity for the cashew industry in the state and “a milestone towards Swayampurna Goa mission”. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sawant said, “Goan cashew has a long and cherished heritage and this GI status helps to preserve our legacy.”

A GI tag is conferred upon products originating from a specific geographical region, signifying unique characteristics and qualities. Essentially, it serves as a trademark in the international market. It is given by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.

• What does the GI tag mean for the cashew industry in Goa?

• How did cashew come to Goa and become a contributor to the economy?

• What is GI tag?

• Who is a registered proprietor of a geographical indication?

• Know GI products in India

• Importance of GI Tag-Know in detail

• Cashew production in India-Know in detail

• Which state is the largest producer of cashew in India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

ECONOMY

Wilful defaults likely to spike even further after rising to `3.53 lk cr

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- After rising by close to Rs 50,000 crore in fiscal 2023, banks are expected to witness a spike in wilful defaults following the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposal to classify a borrower as wilful defaulter within six months of the account becoming a non-performing asset (NPA). According to TransUnion Cibil, wilful defaults rose by nearly Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 353,874 crore involving 16,883 accounts as of March 2023 as against Rs 304,063 crore (14,899 accounts) in March 2022. The State Bank of India (SBI) reported 1,921 wilful default accounts, involving Rs 79,271 crore, Punjab National Bank Rs 41,353 crore, Union Bank Rs 35,623 crore, Bank of Baroda Rs 22,754 crore, and IDBI Bank Rs 24,192 crore.

Banks have filed suits against 36,150 NPA accounts to recover Rs 926,492 crore as of March 2023. Many of these legacy accounts are likely to be added to the wilful default category when the RBI issues the final guidelines.
Interestingly, NPAs — loan accounts in which principal or interest is overdue for more than 90 days — which declined to a 10-year low of 3.9 per cent in March 2023, is expected to fall further to 3.6 per cent by March 2024, the RBI’s latest Financial Stability Report said.
As per the RBI classification, a ‘wilful default’ would be deemed to have occurred if the borrower has defaulted in meeting their repayment obligations to the lender even when they have the capacity to honour the obligations.

• Who are wilful defaulters?

• How RBI identifies wilful defaulters?

• For Your Information-The RBI identifies wilful defaulters as those who have the ability to pay a bank’s dues but do not or divert bank funds. While large defaulter means a defaulter with an outstanding amount of Rs 1 crore and above, and whose account has been classified as doubtful or loss, a wilful defaulter means a borrower or a guarantor who has committed wilful default and the outstanding amount is Rs 25 lakh and above.
“The lender shall examine the ‘wilful default’ aspect in all accounts with outstanding amount of Rs 25 lakh and above or as may be notified by the RBI from time to time, and complete the process of classification/ declaring the borrower as a wilful defaulter within six (6) months of the account being classified as NPA,” the RBI’s draft norms proposed.
It said the evidence of wilful default needs to be examined by an Identification Committee, to be set up by lenders.
In case of publishing photographs of wilful defaulters, lenders will have to formulate a non-discriminatory board-approved policy that clearly sets out the criteria based on which the photographs of persons classified and declared as wilful defaulters will be published.
The RBI also proposed that no additional credit facility be granted by any lender to a wilful defaulter or any entity with which a wilful defaulter is associated. The bar on additional credit facility shall be effective up to a year after the name of wilful defaulter has been removed from the List of Wilful Defaulters (LWD) by the lender.
“In addition, no credit facility shall be granted for floating of new ventures by any lender to a wilful defaulter or any entity with which a wilful defaulter is associated for a period of five (5) years after the name of wilful defaulter has been removed from the LWD by the lender,” the RBI proposed.
As per the norms, wilful defaulters will not be eligible for restructuring of credit facility.

• What are Non-Performing Assets (NPAs)?

• How Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) are classified as per the RBI guideline?

• India’s public sector banks have struggled with high levels of non-performing assets (NPAs)- Why?

• What are the reasons for assets becoming non-performing assets?

• What are the impacts of High level of non-performing assets (NPAs) on India’s Economy?

• What is bad loans?

• What are the causes of bad loan?

• First of all, what is asset liability management (ALM) in banks?

• Why recently, RBI has started closely monitoring the business models of banks and financial institutions?

• How corporate governance in banks, can have the potential to cause some degree of volatility in the banking sector?

• Recent bank failures in the India-know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Das cautions banks against hiding stress, governance issues

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
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