UPSC Key- December 2, 2022: Why you should read ‘UN Security Council’ or ‘Bhopal gas tragedy’ or ‘Indo-US military exercise’ for UPSC CSE

FRONT PAGE

G20 presidency begins: India says it will be the voice of Global South

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- As India assumed the G20 presidency on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said New Delhi will seek to emerge as the “voice of the Global South”, and work to “depoliticise” the global supply of food, fertilisers and medical products.

• India’s G20 presidency began on December 1. It will be driven by the underlying vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family), best encapsulated by the motto “One Earth, One Family, One Future”-What is India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’?

• As the main “ideas bank” of the G20, the activities and deliberations of the Think20 (T20) engagement group of the G20 are spread over seven task forces- What are those seven task forces?

• What are those unique factors that make India’s presidency a watershed moment?

• What do you understand by the term “Global South”?

• What is considered the Global South?

• Which countries are in Global South?

• The term ‘Global South’ is more related to geography or to the economies of the countries?

• What is the Global South known for?

• What are the differences between global north and global south?

• “Greater voice for the global south” in economic cooperation and the need to “reform 21st century institutions”-Why the term ‘Global South’ is gaining currency?

• ‘G-20 deliberations have acquired a greater salience in the current global economic and political context’-Discuss

• Know the origin of G20

• How G20 Works?

• G20 or Group of Twenty-About, Purpose and Member Countries

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍India takes the lead

📍RIGHT TO INCLUSIVE PROGRESS

📍DELHI’S TURN

GOVT & POLITICS

India assumes monthly presidency of UNSC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- India assumed the monthly rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on December 1, the second time in its two-year tenure as an elected member of the Council in 2021-22. India had earlier assumed UNSC presidency in August 2021.

• What is the Security Council?

• Non-permanent members and permanent members-compare and contrast

• Who are the 15 members of the UNSC?

• How the monthly presidency of the Council is selected?

• Is Security Council reform in any way moving forward?

• What is the process for Security Council reform?

• Under India’s December presidency of UNSC, there are two signature events at the ministerial level, scheduled for December 14 (Reformed Multilateralism) and 15 (Counter-Terrorism)-Know more in detail

• How does the Security Council determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

EXPRESS NETWORK

Delhi dismisses Beijing objections, says haven’t given veto to any third country

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighborhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In a sharp response to China’s objections to the ongoing joint India-US military exercise in Uttarakhand’s Auli, India on Thursday said it “does not give a veto to third countries” on matters such as its joint military exercises with any country. China has objected to the military exercise, arguing that it violates the agreements it had with India in 1993 and 1996.

• Map Work-Auli (Uttarakhand)

• What is the 1993 and 1996 agreement?

• What is the name of joint India-US military exercise?

• Why exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually between India and USA?

• Do you other Indo-US military exercise?

• Why China objecting to the ongoing joint India-US military exercise in Uttarakhand’s Auli?

• How New Delhi responded to China’s objection?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍Military exercise with US: Delhi dismisses Beijing objections, says haven’t given veto to any third country

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Making a soft landing

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- Dharmakirti Joshi writes: India’s growth cycle has become well-synchronised with those of advanced economies. So, a sharp slowdown in these countries will spill over to India.

• What are the good and bad news about the Indian economy that the author is presenting in his article?

• Growing at 14.7 per cent, contact-intensive services such as trade, hotels and transport continued to be key drivers of the growth momentum in the second quarter-How these sectors are key drivers of the growth?

• “Private consumption was quite strong in the second quarter, growing by 9.7 per cent, and now 11.2 per cent above the pre-pandemic level”-what do you understand by this statement?

• “The real GDP had jumped 13.5 per cent in the April-June quarter this year and 8.4 per cent in July-September 2021”-What is meant by real GDP?

• What is Nominal GDP?

• “Among the eight key sectors, agriculture recorded a GVA (gross value added – which is GDP minus net product taxes) growth of 4.6 per cent in July-September as against 3.2 per cent in the year-ago period”-What are the other core sectors of Indian Economy?

• What is the weight/weightage of the different core sectors in the Index of Industrial Production?

• What is Index of Industrial Production (IIP)?

• What is private final consumption expenditure?

• Private final consumption expenditure and government consumption-compare and contrast

• How Private consumption and Investment contributes in an economy?

• Know these terms-Private final consumption expenditure, Gross fixed capital formation (GFCG), Government final consumption expenditure, Gross Value Added

• Private consumption and Investment are the two major drivers of growth, why?

• What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

• What is Gross Value added (GVA)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍High input prices hurt manufacturing, pull down Q2 GDP growth to 6.3%

THE IDEAS PAGE

Redemption in Bhopal

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, 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- Upendra Baxi writes: Babasaheb Ambedkar constantly reminded us that past injustices carry no expiry date. Revival of a curative petition in the Supreme Court marks a new commitment to justice for the Bhopal victims.

• What happened on December 2 and 3, 1984 in Bhopal?

• For Your Information-The Bhopal disaster, also known as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a chemical accident that occurred at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide facility in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, during the night of December 2-3, 1984. The industrial disaster is regarded as the worst in history.

• What is Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) (CH3NCO)?

• What caused the Bhopal gas tragedy?

• “The managers of public institutions often privilege amnesia and the rules of closure, but the victims have no choice but to weaponize social justice”-Decode the statement

• What now matters is the declaration in the 1989 review that if the “basic assumptions underlying the settlement become wholly unrelated to the realities,” the “element of ‘justness’ of the determination and of ‘truth’ of its factual foundation” is seriously “impaired”-What was the declaration in 1989?

• What was the Supreme Court of India’s stand in Bhopal gas tragedy?

• What are the effects of Bhopal gas tragedy?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍Bhopal gas tragedy 1984: Looking back at one of India’s worst industrial disasters

EXPLAINED

How the e-rupee will work

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- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday launched the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) — digital rupee or e-rupee (e₹) — for the common man.

• What is CBDC or the digital rupee?

• For Your Information-CBDC is a legal tender issued by the RBI in digital form. It is the same as the fiat currency, and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency. Only its form is different — it is not paper (or polymer) like physical cash. It is a fungible legal tender, for which holders need not have a bank account. CBDC will appear as ‘liability’ (currency in circulation) on the RBI’s balance sheet.

• What banks are involved in the pilot programme?

• What is the need for digital rupee?

• What was the need to introduce the e-rupee?

• Digital rupee and Cryptocurrency-how they are different?

• How digital rupee will help Indian Economy?

• How digital currency will impact citizens?

• Central bank digital currency (CBDC)-Meaning, Issues and Challenges

• How is RBI introducing the CBDC?

• How can an individual use the e-rupee?

• How is this different from other wallets?

• What are the types of e-rupee?

• Will CBDC work in offline mode?

• Is it vulnerable to cyber-attacks?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍RBI to begin first phase of retail e-rupee pilot from Thursday

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