Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October, 30, 2023. If you missed the October, 27, 2023 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here FRONT PAGE 2 killed, 51 wounded in IED blasts at Kerala religious gathering Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies I: Communalism Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- TWO WOMEN were killed and 51 people were wounded, five of them critically, in two low-intensity blasts at a religious convention of Christian group Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kalamassery town, about 10 km from Kochi, Sunday morning. Hours later, an estranged member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses surrendered at a police station in Thrissur, claiming responsibility for the blasts. • What is the ideology of Jehovah’s Witnesses? • Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? • For Your Information-Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian sect, but do not believe in the Holy Trinity (the doctrine that God exists in three equal persons of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit). They worship Jehovah as “the one true and Almighty God, the Creator”, who is “the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus”. They believe Jesus Christ to be the “King of God’s Kingdom in heaven”, but not as the Almighty God. They base their beliefs only on the text of the Bible, which they see as the word of God. They don’t celebrate Christmas or Easter, because they believe such festivals to be inspired by Pagan traditions. Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their evangelical work, for which they go door to door, to spread “The Truth”. They believe the end of the world is near, and the “Kingdom of God” will “replace human governments and accomplish God’s purpose for the earth.” The denomination has millions of followers worldwide. The origins of the sect lie in a Bible Student movement started in the 1870s by American pastor Charles Taze Russell. Today, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is located in Warwick, New York. The main body to disseminate the doctrines of the sect is called the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, also headquartered in Warwick. With origins in the US, the Jehovah’s Witnesses is not part of the mainstream Christian churches. Members of the Christian denomination are known for conducting door-to-door evangelism. • Jehovah’s Witnesses in India-Know the background • What was the case of Bijoe Emmanuel & Ors vs State of Kerala & Ors.? • Do You Know-A landmark case involving the sect in India was Bijoe Emmanuel & Ors vs State Of Kerala & Ors. The Supreme Court, in its 1986 verdict, granted protection to three children belonging to the sect, who did not join in the singing of the National Anthem at their school. The court held that forcing them to sing the Anthem violated their fundamental right to religion under Article 25 of the Constitution. The children, siblings Bijoe Emmanuel, Binu, and Bindu, who were students of Classes 10, 9, and 5 respectively, were expelled from NSS High School, run by the Hindu organisation Nair Service Society, on July 26, 1985. Their parents pleaded unsuccessfully before the Kerala High Court that Jehovah’s Witnesses permitted worship of only Jehovah, and since the Anthem was a prayer, the children could stand up in respect, but could not sing. The Supreme Court then ruled that “Article 25 (“Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion”)…[was] incorporated in recognition of the principle that the real test of a true democracy is the ability of even an insignificant minority to find its identity under the country’s Constitution.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses website mentions that their members in India have at times been accused of trying to convert people due to their evangelical work. Another case involving the sect hit headlines in 2020, when a private hospital in Bengaluru claimed it had successfully performed a live liver transplant on a Jehovah’s Witness from Nigeria, by not using blood or blood products (fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate, platelets, etc.), in order to protect the patient’s religious beliefs. In the Bijoe Emmanuel ruling, Justice O Chinnappa Reddy had noted that “Jehovah’s Witnesses and their peculiar beliefs” were not really noticed in India. The ruling quoted from the Encyclopedia Britannica and judicial pronouncements in Australia to trace the beliefs and practices of the community. The court noted that according to the New Encyclopaedia Britannica’ (Macropaedia) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that “the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, their legal agency and publishing arm, exemplifies the will of God and proclaims the truths of the Bible against the evil triumvirate of organised religion, the business world, and the state.” “The Witnesses also stand apart from civil society, refusing to vote, run for public office, serve in any armed forces, salute the flag, stand for the National Anthem, or recite the pledge of allegiance. Their religious stands have brought clashes with various governments, resulting in law suits, mob violence, imprisonment, torture, and death. At one time more than 6,000 Witnesses were inmates of Nazi concentration camps, Communist and Fascist States usually forbid Watch Tower activities. In the United States, the society has taken 45 cases to the Supreme Court and has won significant victories for freedom of religion and speech. The Witnesses have been less successful in claiming exemptions as ministers from military service and in seeking to withhold blood transfusions from their children,” the ruling stated. The Supreme Court also cited a ruling of the Australian High Court in Adelaide Company of Jehovah’s Witnesses v The Commonwealth, which was a challenge against 1941 Australian law that booked the sect for subversive activities. One of the charges in that case was that they refused to take an oath of allegiance to the King or other constituted human authority. The Court also referred to two American cases — Minersville School District v. Gobitis and West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette — to note instances where Jehovah’s Witnesses had refused to salute the flag while reciting the pledge of allegiance. “It is evident that Jehovah’s Witnesses, wherever they are, do hold religious beliefs which may appear strange or even bizarre to us, but the sincerity of their beliefs is beyond question. Are they entitled to be protected by the Constitution?” the SC asked itself. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose Kerala prayer gathering saw bomb blasts 9 die in Andhra train collision, officials say driver missed signal Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- At least 13 people died and 50 were injured after two passenger trains collided in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district around 7 pm on Sunday. The Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Passenger Special train hit the Visakhapatnam-Palasa Passenger Express from the rear, leading to the derailment of multiple coaches, official sources said. The collision took place between Kantakapalle and Alamanda railway stations. On Monday morning, the death toll in the incident rose from Sunday night’s nine to 13. • Where and when did the accident happen? • What happened exactly? • What are the primary factors contributing to railway accidents? • What measures have railways implemented thus far to mitigate accidents? • What is Kavach? • For Your Information-It is India’s very own automatic protection system in development since 2012, under the name Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which got rechristened to Kavach or “armour”. Simply put, it is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system as well the tracks, that talk to each other using ultra high radio frequencies to control the brakes of trains and also alert drivers, all based on the logic programmed into them. One of its features is that by continuously refreshing the movement information of a train, it is able to send out triggers when a loco pilot jumps signal, called Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), a grave offence in railway operations with respect to safety, and the key to accidents like collision. The devices also continuously relay the signals ahead to the locomotive, making it useful for loco pilots in low visibility, especially during dense fog. TCAS or Kavach includes the key elements from already existing, and tried and tested systems like the European Train Protection and Warning System, and the indigenous Anti Collison Device. It will also carry features of the high-tech European Train Control System Level-2 in future. The current form of Kavach adheres to the highest level of safety and reliability standard called Safety Integrity Level 4. • Could Kavach have helped train accidents in India? • What recommendations have been put forth by the various committees to ensure the safety of railways? • What more measures may be taken to further enhance safety in India? • What are some exemplary global practises? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍LESSONS FROM BALASORE THE IDEAS PAGE Policy to what end, at whose cost Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. 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: There is no dearth of money being spent on agriculture or consumers to have food security. But the manner in which that money is spent is suboptimal. Our policy makers, in competitive populism mode, feel that they can come back to power through such doles. • What is food inflation? • What are the causes of food inflation? • How policy makers tame food inflation? • Why India’s basmati exports this year will register a sharp fall? • What is minimum export price (MEP)? • “Do our trade policymakers know what damage they are doing to agri-exports?”-discuss • Why there is a need to revisit and revise this MEP as soon as possible? • Do You Know- India has been exporting, on an average, about 4.5 million tonnes (MT) a year over the last five years or so. This is a premium rice consumed by the upper middle class and the rich in India, and is exported to Gulf countries, some European countries and also the US. Punjab and Haryana are the primary producers. The export price normally hovers between $800 to $1,000 By putting an MEP of $1,200, practically, much of the basmati export is restricted. And if this MEP continues, in all likelihood, India’s basmati exports this year will register a sharp fall. In many mandis of Punjab-Haryana, traders were shy in buying basmati and as a result, prices for farmers have been low compared to what they were when exports were fully open. So, the losers are ultimately the farmers of Punjab and Haryana, while the gainers would be the domestic upper income urban class. Externally, it must be remembered that it takes years to develop export markets, and by putting such a high MEP, India is basically handing over our export markets to Pakistan, who is the only other main competitor of basmati rice. Is this a conscious policy decision? There is a need to revisit and revise this MEP as soon as possible, preferably fixing it at $800 to $850/tonne range. The restrictive export policies are not just limited to basmati rice. They cover even broken rice, non-basmati white rice, parboiled rice, either through complete export bans or export duties. What is needed is a stable export policy and not knee-jerk reactions. It is well known that India is the largest exporter of rice in the world accounting for about 40 per cent global exports in 2022-23. Much of the non-basmati rice goes to several African countries, who pressed the panic button when India announced ban on exports of non-basmati white rice. That does not give India a good image of a leader of the Global South. The saving grace was the clause in the export policy which mentioned that if some countries write to the Government of India, then it can consider their request on a case-by-case basis. That’s surely not a good way to design an export policy. Our restrictive export policy has expanded to wheat export bans, an export duty of 40 percent on onions, and so on. With such a restrictive export policy, how can one dream of doubling India’s agri-exports, a target set out by the government. It may be noted that in 2013-14, the last year of the UPA government, India’s agri-exports touched $43.27 billion, up from $8.67 billion in 2004-05 when it took over power at the centre. This is almost a five-fold growth in 10 years. If the same momentum had been maintained during the 10 years of NDA rule, agri-exports should have touched $200 billion. But in reality, they may not touch even $50 billion this year (2023-24). A major explanation of this failure lies in restrictive exports to favour domestic consumers at the cost of farmers — a typical urban consumer bias, which inflicts a large “implicit tax” on our farmers. That’s surely not the right way to design agri-export policies. Export markets are premium markets and need to be developed and maintained over years. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The case for uniform minimum export price for rice, without basmati distinction Two wrong prescriptions Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. 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-Ishan Bakshi writes: In its October meeting, the monetary policy committee voted unanimously to keep interest rates unchanged. This was widely expected. But what was not was the RBI Governor stating that the central bank would consider open market operations in order to manage liquidity. This announcement drove the 10-year government bond yield up by 12 basis points to 7.34 per cent. The central bank views this policy as being “consistent with the stance of monetary policy”. But it raises the question: What was the objective of this de facto tightening? Are the actions of the RBI being driven solely by concerns over inflation? Or, are other considerations beginning to dominate? • What do you mean by open market operations? • What is open market operations by RBI? • Do You Know-The RBI uses Open market operations (OMOs) in order to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis. When the Reserve Bank feels that there is excess liquidity in the market, it resorts to the sale of government securities, thereby sucking out the rupee liquidity. Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, the central bank buys securities from the market, thereby releasing liquidity into the market. It’s used as a tool to rein in inflation and money supply in the system. However, when liquidity is sucked out, it can lead to a spike in bond yields as the RBI will release more government securities into the market and bond buyers demand more interest rate on these securities. While the specific OMO calendar has not been released, the RBI governor, in the post-policy press conference, emphasized the bank’s intent for “active liquidity management.” This signals the RBI’s inclination towards tighter liquidity conditions in the future, influenced by both inflation risks and financial stability concerns. This stance is in alignment with the central bank’s objective of anchoring inflation at 4 per cent. The RBI’s approach is clear: merely keeping inflation below the upper band of the target range (at 6 per cent) is insufficient, a more proactive approach is essential, according to Amnish Aggarwal, head of research at Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt Ltd. The central bank wants to use liquidity management to achieve the target. Historically, the October-May period is observed to have high cash withdrawals due to the festive and wedding seasons. This generally tends to reduce the durable liquidity in the banking system, which now appears to be the RBI’s area of focus under liquidity management. Thus, the mention of OMO sale at this stage was a bit of a surprise and it leaves the window open for speculations regarding the level of liquidity at which the RBI may plan out the OMO sale and its quantum, said Pankaj Pathak, Fund Manager- Fixed Income, Quantum AMC. • Will open market operations be used more as a tool for addressing concerns over financial stability and defending the currency? • What’s the liquidity position now? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Why the RBI’s Open Market Operation plan caught the market by surprise Previous Year UPSC Prelims questions covering same theme: 📍In the context of Indian economy, ‘Open Market Operations’ refers to (UPSC Prelims GS1, 2013) (a) borrowing by scheduled banks from the RBI (b) lending by commercial banks to industry and trade (c) purchase and sale of government securities by the RBI (d) None of the above GOVT & POLITICS Day 5 of fast: Maratha quota stir intensifies Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-Even as his health deteriorated, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Saturday further intensified his agitation as he asked the community members to fast unto death in all villages across Maharashtra starting Sunday. He also urged the state government, one last time, to take his agitation seriously and provide reservation. In the same breath, he once again appealed to Maratha youths to shun extreme steps like suicides for the sake of reservation, and told them to keep politicians away from the villages. • What is Maratha reservation issue? • What are the Marathas demanding? • What is the History and Status of the Maratha Reservation Demand? • Who are the Marathas? • Why Marathas demanding for reservation? • For Your Information-In June 2019, the Bombay High Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Maratha quota under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018. While ruling that the 16 per cent quota granted by the state was not ‘justifiable,’ the HC reduced it to 12 per cent in education and 13 per cent in government jobs, as recommended by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission. The HC, however, said that the limit of reservation should not exceed 50%. However, in exceptional circumstances and extraordinary situations, this limit can be crossed. It said that this will be subject to availability of quantifiable and contemporaneous data reflecting backwardness, inadequacy of representation and without affecting the efficiency in administration. The court heavily relied on the findings of the 11-member Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) headed by Justice G M Gaikwad (retd). The commission surveyed nearly 45, 000 families from two villages from each of 355 talukas with more than 50 per cent Maratha population. The report submitted on November 15, 2018 said the Maratha community is socially, economically and educationally backward. The HC expressed satisfaction over the data and observed that the commission had conclusively established the social, economic and educational backwardness of the Maratha community. It had also established inadequacy of representation of Maratha community in public employment in the state. • In May 2021, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan struck down the provisions of Maharashtra law providing reservation to the Maratha community-Why? • What is 1992 Indra Sawhney (Mandal) judgment? • One immediate demand from the Marathwada region is that the state government should grant Kunbi status to all Marathas-Why? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍2016-2023: How Maratha morcha changed its stance, modes of protest India’s first dist-level study on hypertension flags disparities in care Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: 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-In Karnataka, four districts — Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Udupi and Chitradurga — have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of participants diagnosed and treated in Chikmagalur and Udupi was higher. In Meghalaya, the five districts of Garo Hills, the two districts of Jaintia Hills and the three districts of Khasi Hills all have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of those diagnosed is much lower in Garo Hills than in Jaintia Hills and Khasi Hills. These are among the key findings of an exhaustive study that has, for the first time, mapped and assessed the variation in hypertension care at the district level in India, highlighting the urgent need for a more “targeted” approach to fight the medical condition often referred to as the “silent killer”. • What is hypertension? • What exactly the report said? • For Your Information-According to a recent WHO report, 188.3 million people in India suffer from hypertension but only 37% get diagnosed, only 30% start treatment, and only 15% manage to keep their blood pressure under control. It estimated that at least 4.6 million deaths in India can be prevented by 2040 if half of those with the condition manage to keep their blood pressure under control. The district-level study, published in JAMA Network, a journal published by the American Medical Association, was conducted by AIIMS Delhi and scientists from Europe and the US who used the hypertension data from NFHS-5, the fifth round report of which was released in May 2022. The researchers have also created a dashboard of district- and state-wise hypertension caseload in India, which they said will help stakeholders identify priorities for reducing burden and tracking progress. Analysing data of nearly 1.7 million respondents across socio-demographic groups in 707 districts, the study found that one in four adults had hypertension. Of these, only one in three came to know of their condition after being diagnosed with it, less than one in five were treated, and only one in 12 had their blood pressure under control. More significantly, the study found, there were substantial variations across districts in blood pressure diagnosis (range: 6.3%-77.5%), treatment (range: 8.7%-97.1%) and control (range: 2.7%-76.6%). Raising a red flag, the researchers said that the national mean values of hypertension “hide considerable” variation at the district level and recommended a critical public health strategy to improve care — “targeted, decentralised solutions” at the district level. • What are the key takeaways from the first-ever report released by WHO on the global impact of hypertension? • What are the primary triggers for hypertension in India? • What are the red flags highlighted by the report? • Why do doctors insist on screening and pills to control hypertension? • Why is it important for a person with hypertension to start and continue treatment? • What the report means for the young population? • What WHO says about preventive protocols in India? • How has the India Hypertension Control Initiative helped? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍WHO hypertension report reveals 4.6 million lives in India can be saved by 2040 with better control. Are you at risk? EXPLAINED Caution for Israel, flashing warning signs for world economy 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 Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Sunday said they were “gradually expanding the ground activity and the scope of our forces” in the Gaza Strip, and “progressing through the stages of the war according to plan”. On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced the “second stage” of the “fight for this country’s very survival”. The Israeli ground incursion into Gaza is aimed at destroying Hamas, the radical Islamist organisation that has ruled the Palestinian enclave since it won a popular mandate in the elections of 2006. What remains unclear is how Israel would handle the “post conflict phase” — assuming that it does succeed in eliminating Hamas. Back in 2005, the Israelis had chosen to voluntarily leave Gaza in accordance with a disengagement plan proposed by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which was ultimately approved by the Knesset. Eighteen years later, analysts believe there is virtually no chance that Israel would want to step back into an administrative role in the volatile enclave of 2 million-plus Palestinians that it would have by then all but razed to the ground. • What will be the Israel’s after-war challenge? • “The aftermath of the military engagement could also have serious economic consequences for the region and the world”-Analyse • Do You Know-As Israel continues its relentless bombardment of Gaza and with the Palestinian death toll already past 8,000, a Bloomberg report sketched three likely scenarios going forward: a limited conflict that is confined to the Gaza strip; a slightly more expanded conflict with the involvement of Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and Syria; and finally, a full-scale war between regional powers Israel and Iran that could suck in the US, with the possible involvement of the Chinese and the Russians. This last scenario is the least likely at this point. Should it come to pass, however, the consequences for the global economy could be serious. More than 20% of the world’s crude supply comes from West Asia — and even though Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are expected to have excess capacity, likely won’t side with Iran, shipments may not be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the 48-km shipping choke point through which nearly a fifth of the total global oil production passes. According to Bloomberg, a direct conflict between Iran and Israel — and an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — could push crude prices above $150 per barrel. Global inflation could rise to about 6.7% next year as a consequence, and global growth could slow by almost 2 percentage points. A worldwide recession would be especially bad news for countries such as India and the US, where important elections will take place next year. The second scenario of a regional conflict — with the involvement perhaps of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq and Syria, and also the Houthis in Yemen — oil prices could rise to around the mid-$90s, higher than the current $90 per barrel, Bloomberg estimates. The consequent higher inflation next year could dent global growth by 0.3 percentage points. The most likely scenario, according to Bloomberg, of the conflict remaining confined to the Gaza Strip, will extract a terrible human toll, but the impact on the global economy will be limited. However, it is still bad news for a global economy just emerging from multiple shocks, with central banks walking the tightrope between raising interest rates to tackle runaway inflation and ensuring that slowing growth does not result in painful hard landings. Complicating the picture further are variables such as the slowing growth in China and the continuing war in Ukraine. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Economy in time of war For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The Indian Express UPSC Hub is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
