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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for June 26th, 2024. If you missed the June 25th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.
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UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: GS-II: Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
What’s the ongoing story- With the Opposition’s increased strength in Lok Sabha, its members are hoping to get the post of Deputy Speaker. There was no Deputy Speaker for the entire duration of the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24). M Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, a BJP ally at the time, was Deputy Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-19).
Prerequisites:
— What are the constitutional provisions concerning the speaker and deputy speaker?
— What is the difference between a pro-tem speaker and a deputy speaker?
Key takeaways:
— According to Article 95(1), the Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker if the post is vacant. The Deputy Speaker has the same general powers as the Speaker when presiding over the House. All references to the “Speaker” in the Rules are deemed to be references to the Deputy Speaker as well for the times when he or she presides.
— Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must be appointed “as soon as may be”. Article 93 states that “The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker”.
— Article 178 contains the corresponding provision for the Speakers and Deputy Speakers in the state Assemblies.
— The Constitution does not specify a time frame for making the appointments. It is this gap in the provision that allows governments to delay or avoid appointing a Deputy Speaker.
— However, constitutional experts have pointed out that both Article 93 and Article 178 use the words “shall” and “as soon as may be” – indicating that not only is the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker mandatory, it must be held at the earliest.
— The Speaker / Dy Speaker is elected from among the Lok Sabha members by a simple majority of members present and voting
— The election of the Deputy Speaker usually takes place in the second session, even though there is no bar on having this election in the first session of the new Lok Sabha or Assembly. But the election of Deputy Speaker is generally not delayed beyond the second session unless there are some genuine and unavoidable constraints.
— In the Lok Sabha, the election of Deputy Speaker is governed by Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
— The Deputy Speaker is elected once a motion proposing his or her name is carried. Once elected, the Deputy Speaker usually continues in office until the dissolution of the House.
— After the first Speaker, G V Mavalankar, died in 1956 before his term ended, Deputy Speaker M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar filled in for the remaining tenure of Lok Sabha from 1956 to 1957. Ayyangar was later elected as Speaker of the second Lok Sabha.
— The first four Deputy Speakers, from 1952 to 1969, were from the ruling Congress. The Opposition had the post of Deputy Speaker continuously from 1990 through 2014.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the roles and responsibilities of the deputy speaker?
— What are the powers of the speaker?
— What is the significance of the office of deputy speaker in a parliamentary democracy?
Post Read Question:
With reference to Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2022)
1. As per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the election of Deputy Speaker shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix.
2. There is a mandatory provision that the election of a candidate as Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha shall be from either the principal opposition party or the ruling party.
3. The Deputy Speaker has the same power as of the Speaker when presiding over the sitting of the House and no appeal lies against his rulings.
4. The well-established parliamentary practice regarding the appointment of Deputy Speaker is that the motion is moved by the Speaker and duly seconded by the Prime Minister.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 2 and 4 only
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, Science and Technology
Mains Examination: GS-III: Science and Technology
What’s the ongoing story- China’s Chang’e-6 on Tuesday became the first spacecraft to bring back samples from the far side of the Moon — the part that the Earth never gets to see.
Prerequisites:
— What is Chang’e-6?
— What is Aitken Basin?
— What is the significance of the south pole of the Moon?
Key takeaways:
— The lander descended on the Moon’s surface on June 1, and spent two days collecting rocks and soil from one of the oldest and largest of lunar craters — the 2,500 km-wide South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin — using a robotic arm and drill.
— The lander then launched an ascent module that transferred the samples to the Chang’e-6 orbiter that was orbiting the Moon. On June 21, the orbiter released a service module that brought back the samples to Earth.
— Back in July 1969, the US Apollo 11 mission brought 22 kg of lunar surface material, including 50 rocks, to Earth. In September 1970, the Soviet Luna 16 mission — the first robotic sample return mission — too, brought pieces of the Moon to Earth. In recent years, Chang’e-5, the predecessor of Chang’e-6, brought back 2 kg of lunar soil in December 2020.
— All these samples, however, came from the near side of the Moon. Difficult terrain, giant craters, and the difficulty in communicating with ground control made it technically challenging to land a spacecraft on the side that never faces the Earth. The Moon is tidally locked with Earth; thus we see only one side of our nearest space neighbour.
— Chang’e-4 overcame these difficulties in 2019, putting the Yutu-2 rover on the far lunar surface. Now, Chang’e-6 has not only landed on the far side, but also returned with samples from there.
— A sample return mission such as Chang’e-6 aims to collect and return samples from an extraterrestrial location like the Moon or Mars to Earth for analysis. The sample can be rocks or soil — or even some molecules.
— In situ robotic explorations — in which landers, orbiters, and rovers carry out experiments in space or on heavenly bodies — can carry only miniature instruments that are not very sophisticated or accurate, and answer only certain types of questions. For instance, they can’t determine the origin or age of a rock.
— If the samples can be brought to Earth, on the other hand, scientists can examine them using extremely sensitive laboratory instruments. Also, returned samples can be preserved for decades, and can be examined by future generations using ever more advanced technology.
— India’s Chandrayaan-4 mission, which is currently under development by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will also be a sample return mission. Chandrayaan-3 landed about 600 km from the South Pole of the Moon last year.
Points to Ponder:
— What were the US Apollo 11 and Soviet Luna 16 missions?
— Why are sample return missions significant?
— What are the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) moon exploration missions?
Post Read Question:
Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched? (UPSC CSE 2014)
| Spacecraft | Purpose | |
| 1. | Cassini-Huygens | Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth |
| 2. | Messenger | Mapping and investigating the Mercury |
| 3. | Voyager 1 and 2 | Exploring the outer solar system |
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
China’s Chang’e-6 brings back samples from far side of Moon: What was the mission?
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Disaster and disaster management.
What’s the ongoing story- Amitabh Sinha Writes– “The unprecedented surge in electricity demand is just a glimpse of the kind of stress that critical infrastructure faces from extreme weather events and resultant disasters. Power systems are not the only ones that are vulnerable. Telecommunications, transportation, health services, and even cyber systems face disruptions due to disasters, complicating an already difficult crisis situation.”
Prerequisites:
— What do you understand by the term “critical infrastructure”?
— What causes extreme weather events?
— What is the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)?
Key takeaways:
— “The breakdown of essential and emergency services not only hampers relief, rescue and recovery, but also amplifies the risks and sometimes adds to the devastation. Making critical infrastructure resilient to extreme events and disasters is, thus, a crucial component of climate change adaptation.”
— “While early warnings and quick response have significantly reduced human casualties in disasters, economic and other losses from extreme weather events and disasters have been rising. This is mainly due to the increase in frequency and intensity of such events…”
— “Government data show that in the five years between 2018 and 2023, states together spent more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore on dealing with the aftermath of disasters and natural calamities.”
— This is just the immediate expenditure. Long-term costs, in terms of livelihood losses for example, or because of a reduction in the fertility of agricultural land, are much bigger and projected to worsen over time.”
— “The damage caused to critical infrastructure like transportation, telecommunications, and power supply by disasters and extreme weather events is often not counted in government figures, particularly when these services are privately owned. But this damage causes massive disruptions and makes the disaster worse.”
— “CDRI, as the name makes it evident, was created in 2019 with the express objective of making critical infrastructure resilient to natural disasters. An international body headquartered in India, CDRI is supposed to develop into a knowledge hub for implementing these transitions. More than 30 countries are now part of this coalition and are working with CDRI to strengthen their infrastructure. But only a few states in India have so far sought the expertise and collaboration of CDRI.”
— “It is much easier, and cost-effective, to incorporate disaster resilience at the time of building than to retrofit these features at a later stage. All the upcoming infrastructure projects need to be climate smart — not just sustainable and energy efficient, but also resilient to disasters.”
— “Having taken the initiative to create CDRI to serve the entire world, India needs to build the right templates for the most resilient infrastructure, ones that can withstand multi-hazard disasters.”
Points to Ponder:
— How do extreme weather events and disasters impact the critical infrastructure?
— What measures should be taken to make India’s infrastructure disaster resilient?
— What initiatives have been taken by the government with regard to disaster management?
Post Read Question:
Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (UPSC CSE 2020)
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Polity
Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions
What’s the ongoing story- Arun Prakash writes: Any long-term vision for the A&N islands must focus on two major components. The defence of these strategically located insular territories and their vital role in India’s national security matrix. The second, and equally important issue, is their economic development, which will make the islands as self-sustaining as possible and bring prosperity to the islanders.
Prerequisites:
— What are Look East Policy and Act East Policy?
— What is the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?
— What is A&N Command (ANC)?
— What is the “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” plan?
Key takeaways:
— The rich maritime resources of the Andaman Sea offer a huge scope for sustainable growth. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the islands adds up to 6,00,000 sq km or 30 per cent of India’s total EEZ.
— The waters of the islands abound in marine life, comprising an abundant repository of edible fish, and there is said to be considerable potential for finding hydrocarbons in the Andaman Sea. Far more important than the natural resources of the A&N is their anthropological wealth.
— The Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese tribes of the Andamans and the Shompens of the GNI need to be protected.
— The “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” plan was conceived by the NITI Aayog and promoted by the media as a “mega-infrastructure project” and a “strategic masterstroke”, this Rs 75,000 crore project is said to be of “importance for defence, logistics, commerce and industries, and eco-tourism”. The project includes an international container transhipment terminal, an international airport, a gas and solar power plant, two greenfield cities, a coastal mass rapid transport system and a free trade zone.
— the security capabilities of ANC need to be addressed separately and must have no linkage with the developments contemplated for GNI.
For Your Information:
— The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of 836 islands, split into two groups — the Andaman Islands to the north and the Nicobar Islands to the south — by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel. President Droupadi Murmu visited the archipelago in February this year, and interacted with some of its indigenous inhabitants.
Read more in our UPSC Key | Railway safety, Pro-tem Speaker, Angel tax and more
Points to Ponder:
— What are the criticism related to the Great Nicobar Project?
— What is the significance of the “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” plan?
— How to protect the indigenous peopleb and their pristine environment while ensuring development?
Post Read Question:
Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)
1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
(d) 1 and 3
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Strategic imperative and environment concern in Great Nicobar project
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economy
Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy
What’s the ongoing story- The Narendra Modi government’s decision to impose stock limits on the cereal with effect from June 24 and applicable until March 31, 2025, “in order to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation” is inexplicable.
Prerequisites:
— What are stock limits?
— What is buffer stock?
Key takeaways:
— But now, with the marketing of the harvested crop completed, the stock controls have been formally reinstated. The reasons are probably three-fold. The first is retail cereal inflation ruling at 8.69 per cent year-on-year in May.
— The second is wheat stocks in government godowns, which, at 29.91 mt on June 1, were the lowest in 16 years for this date. The third is a not-so-great monsoon so far, which going forward can impact the production of rice as well, notwithstanding its reasonable stocks position for now.
For Your Information:
— The Centre has imposed a stock limit on wheat for traders, wholesalers and retailers which will be in force until the end of March, 2025, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said Monday.
— Indian agri-exports are influenced by two main factors: One, how global prices of agri-produce are behaving; and two, how liberal is our agri-export policy. When global prices are on the upswing, India’s agri-exports also surge, as was the case in the UPA period.
— Besides global price dynamics, export restrictions and outright bans on sensitive agricultural commodities like wheat, rice, sugar, and onions lately have significantly impacted agri-exports, driven primarily by the concerns of domestic food inflation.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the challenges in India’s agricultural export policy?
— How do the global and domestic policies impact the agriculture export?
— What is the significance of agriculture export for farmers?
Post Read Question:
Which of the following has/have occurred in India after its liberalization of economic policies in 1991? (UPSC CSE 2017)
1. Share of agriculture in GDP increased enormously.
2. Share of India’s exports in world trade increased.
3. FDI inflows increased.
4. India’s foreign exchange reserves increased enormously.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 4 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
What we need is a farmer-friendly agri-export policy
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions
What’s the ongoing story- Sarojini Nadimpally and Keertana K Tella write: The latest National Family Health Survey, 2019–20 (NFHS–5), conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), shows that many states have already attained a replacement level of fertility, and there is a steady decline in India’s total fertility rates (TFR).
Prerequisites:
— What is the Total Fertility Rates (TFR)?
— What is the purpose of the NFHS?
Key takeaways:
— According to the NHFS-5 data, the TFR in India is 2.0 children per woman up until 2021, which is slightly lower than the replacement level of fertility of 2.1 children per woman.
— The Economic Survey 2018-19 and the Sample Registration System (SRS) data from 2017 also had similar findings about the deceleration of India’s population growth.
— Another recent analysis taking into account the drop in fertility and the rate of decline in population growth found that the drop in Hindu fertility was five per cent less than the drop in Muslim fertility in the last two decades, where Muslim population growth declined at a faster rate than that of Hindus. This analysis suggested that there may be “absolute convergence” in Hindu-Muslim fertility rates by 2030.
— Data from the NFHS shows that the fertility rates of all religious communities have declined over the past two decades. The sharply decreasing family size of Muslims, particularly, is evident since the fertility rate for Muslims has decreased by almost half from 4.4 in 1992–93 to 2.4 in 2020–21.
— The Population Foundation of India observed that education, healthcare, and socio-economic development significantly impact fertility rates, with states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu showing lower TFRs than Bihar, which had less access to these resources.
For Your Information:
— The NFHS 5 data also shows that the higher the level of the mother’s education, the lower the fertility. Across religious groups, Muslims are the most disadvantaged economically, with poorer education and health levels — evident from their lower enrollment levels in higher education.
— The Sachar Committee Report in 2006 emphasised such socio-economic disparity among Muslims. Thus, the population growth debate should focus on investments in education, economic development, livelihoods, food, nutrition, healthcare, sexual and reproductive health services, and gender justice.
— The rhetoric about the fertility of the Muslim community directly affects Muslim women’s right to have or not have children. This not only violates Muslim women’s right to life and dignity but also affects their subjectivities.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the challenges faced by women from the marginalised community?
— What are the constitutional provisions related to religious minorities?
— What initiatives have been taken by the government for the socio-economic development of the marginalised communities?
Post Read Question:
Sachar Committee Report is related with
(a) The water crisis situation in the agriculture sector
(b) The development of micro and small scale industries
(c) The disinvestment of the government infrastructure
(d) The social, economic and social status of the muslim community in India
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Do Muslims have more children than others? Here’s what available data show
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-I,II: Geography, Polity
What’s the ongoing story- Julian Assange, arguably the most influential whistleblower of the 21st century, put a spotlight on people, events and practices that some of the world’s most powerful entities would rather hide.
Prerequisites:
— What is espionage?
— Map work: Location of Saipan, Sweden, Ecuador.
Key takeaways:
— Among the leaks was a video of a helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad in which two Reuters journalists were killed. The same year, WikiLeaks also released a dump of over 2.5 lakh diplomatic cables and in 2016, ahead of the presidential elections, it published the emails by Democratic Party operatives that are widely believed to have hurt Hillary Clinton in the polls.
— The figure of Assange — and equally, Edward Snowden — represents a fundamental tension between the nation-state’s control over certain aspects of information on the one hand and those who believe, in the internet age, in a decentralised model of universal transparency. The former’s justification has relied strongly on a national security argument.
For Your Information:
— Assange, 52, is Australian. Early on in his life, he displayed an interest in computer hacking. These skills were put to use in a website called WikiLeaks, which he founded in 2006. It describes itself as a media organisation that publishes confidential government and corporate documents to maintain transparency.
Points to Ponder:
— How to maintain a balance between national security and citizen’s right to transparency?
— Who are whistleblowers?
— What is Whistleblowers Protection Act?
Post Read Question:
Consider the following pairs:
| Place | Location |
| 1. Saipan | : Indian Ocean |
| 2. Chad | : Sahel region |
| 3. Kirkuk | : Yemen |
| 4. Aleppo | : Syria |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 3 and 4 only
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange set to walk free: What is the deal he made with the US govt?
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-II, III: Government policies and interventions, IPRs
What’s the ongoing story- Dodol, with its rich, caramelly sweetness, may not be as well-known outside Goa as its multi-layered distant cousin Bebinca, but that may just change with the state government’s application to get the dessert a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Prerequisites:
— What is Dodol?
— What is GI tag?
Key takeaways:
— The idea of GI, in the original European sense, is connected to the idea of “terroir” — a term most often used in the context of wine, but which broadly means that a food grown or developed in a particular region draws its unique flavour and texture from the natural environment (soil, water, climate) of its origin.
— The GI lens thus becomes a helpful way of tracing the provenance of certain kinds of comestibles, like wine and cheese. But what this approach, with its narrow focus on the idea of “origin”, often misses is that food, like language, grows richer at the intersections where different cultures meet, whether now or in the past.
— Food as a product is served well by things like GI tags, but food as culture needs a wider lens.
For Your Information:
— For preparing Dodol, a mixture of rice flour, coconut milk and black palm jaggery is cooked in a copper vessel on a slow fire and stirred continuously with a wooden ladle. Once ready, the mixture is poured into a vessel greased with ghee and flattened with banana leaves. After letting it cool down, it is cut into thin slices.
Points to Ponder:
— What is the purpose of GI tag?
— What is the purpose of obtaining GI tag in India?
— How is food associated with the culture and history of a region?
— How has food become a universal experience?
Post Read Question:
Which of the following has/have been accorded ‘Geographical Indication’ status? (UPSC CSE 2015)
1. Banaras Brocades and Sarees
2. Rajasthani Daal-Bati-Churma
3. Tirupathi Laddu
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
What is Dodol, the Goan sweet vying for a GI tag?
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Issues related to health, government initiatives
What’s the ongoing story- Half the adult Indian population does not meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines on sufficient physical activity, according to new data published in the Lancet Global Health.
Prerequisites:
— What is the WHO recommendation on physical activity?
— What are the cardiovascular diseases?
— What are Fit India and Let’s Move India initiatives?
— What is the significance of physical activity?
Key takeaways:
— More women (57 per cent) than men (42 per cent men) are physically inactive. Most alarmingly, the prevalence of insufficient physical activity among Indian adults has risen sharply from 22.3 per cent in 2000 to 49.4 per cent in 2022.
— This means unchecked, 60 per cent of our population would be unfit by 2030 and at risk of disease from not doing enough physical activity.
— Estimates indicate that India has the 12th highest prevalence of insufficient physical activity among 195 countries. Worldwide, nearly one third (31 per cent) of adults – approximately 1.8 billion people – did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022.
— The highest rates of physical inactivity were observed in the high-income Asia-Pacific region (48 per cent) and South Asia (45 per cent) with levels of inactivity in other regions ranging from 28 per cent in high-income Western countries to 14 per cent in Oceania.
For Your Information:
— WHO recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week (or equivalent vigorous activity) for all adults. Insufficient physical activity is defined as not doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination per week.
— According to the WHO, physical inactivity puts adults at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, Type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancers of the breast and colon.
— Insufficient physical activity among women in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan is a worry as they lag behind men by over 14-20 percentage points. However, women in neighbouring Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are more active and on track for achieving the global target of reducing the female prevalence of insufficient physical activity by 15 per cent between 2010 and 2030.
Points to Ponder:
— How modern lifestyle has impacted physical activity?
— How global warming is impacting the outdoor physical activity?
Post Read Question:
What are the reasons for insufficient physical activity among women in India? What initiatives has the government undertaken to address these issues?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
You need less than 4,000 steps a day for better brain health, says study
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
Mains Examination: GS-III: Environment
What’s the ongoing story- Global rating firm Moody’s has warned that India’s growing water shortage and frequent climate change-driven natural disasters can negatively affect the country’s sovereign credit strength.
Prerequisites:
— What is water stress?
— What is sovereign credit strength?
— What is fiscal deficit?
Key takeaways:
— India’s water shortage can disrupt farm and industry sectors, Moody’s said, adding that it’s detrimental to the credit health of the sovereign as rising food inflation and decline in income may spark social unrest.
— Moody’s said decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and hence can be detrimental to credit health of sectors that heavily consume water, such as coal power generators and steel-makers.
— India’s fast economic growth, accompanied by rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, will reduce water availability in the world’s most populous country, it said in a report on environmental risk facing India.
— According to the firm, the water stress is worsening because of an acceleration of climate change, which is causing increasingly intense and frequent extreme climate events such as droughts, heat waves and floods. India is facing a growing water shortage as water consumption increases amid rapid economic growth and increasingly frequent natural disasters due to climate change, Moody’s said.
— Moody’s said a heat wave in June 2024, with temperature hitting 50 degrees Celsius in Delhi and the northern Indian States, strained water supply. Floods, one of the most common types of natural disasters in India, disrupt water infrastructure, which is insufficient to retain water from sudden large downpours.
— According to Moody’s, in the past, disruptions to agricultural production and a rise in inflationary pressure have led to increases in food subsidies that have contributed to India’s fiscal deficits. Food subsidies were budgeted at 4.3 per cent of central government expenditure for the current fiscal year (2024-25), one of the largest items in the budget.
For Your Information:
— India’s average annual water availability per capita is likely to drop to 1,367 cubic meters by 2031 from an already-low 1,486 cubic meters in 2021. A level below 1,700 cubic meters indicates water stress, with 1,000 cubic meters being the threshold for water scarcity, according to the ministry, Moody’s said quoting Ministry of Water Resources data.
— Monsoon rainfall is also lessening. The Indian Ocean warmed at a rate of 1.2 degrees Celsius per century during 1950-2020, and this will intensify to 1.7-3.8 degrees Celsius during 2020-2100, according to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
Points to Ponder:
— What is the impact of climate change on water stress?
— What is the National Water Policy of India?
— What is the impact of water stress on the economy?
— What are the government initiatives for tackling water stress in India?
Post Read Question:
Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation system to make its judicious use under depleting scenario. (UPSC CSE 2020)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Water storage down to 23% in 2,994 dams in Maharashtra
Why Delhi struggles with water shortage — and how this problem can be fixed
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-III: International Relations
What’s the ongoing story- C. Raja Mohan writes: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea and Vietnam last week and this week’s presidential debate in the US between incumbent Joe Biden and challenger Donald Trump highlight the complex and deepening interconnections between European and Asian security that offer new strategic opportunities for middle powers like India.
Prerequisites:
— What is India’s foreign policy?
— How is India’s relationship with European nations?
Key takeaways:
— Four dimensions of the new “Eurasian” geopolitics stand out.
— For one, Asia is no longer a passive adjunct to the European theatre; it actively contributes to the geopolitics of Europe…
— Two, the Asian agency in dealing with great powers has grown in the current conflict. No better evidence than Putin’s visit to Pyongyang and Hanoi.
— Three, as Asian manoeuvrability increases, Western dilemmas are sharpening. One of the major fault lines in the American debate on foreign policy is squaring the competing imperatives in Europe and Asia.
— Four, the real answer to the question lies in Europe taking a larger responsibility for its own defence — a principle that both Biden and Trump agree on. In other words, Washington wants the Eurasian nations to do more to balance Russia and China and relieve some of America’s burdens.
— The question is whether the Indian bureaucracy can move fast enough to seize the current international possibilities for the urgent modernisation of India’s defence industrial base and the rapid expansion of arms production at home. Self-sufficiency in arms production, after all, is the essence of the much-vaunted “strategic autonomy”.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the challenges of growing geopolitical tensions for India?
— What are the opportunities for India in growing geopolitical intricacies?
Post Read Question:
The expansion and strengthening of NATO and a stronger US-Europe strategic partnership works well for India. What is your opinion about this statement? Give reasons and examples to support your answer. (UPSC CSE 2023)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economy
Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy
What’s the ongoing story- R Nagaraj writes: The manufacturing sector’s share in the GDP has stagnated as per the National Accounts Statistics. In 2014-15, the share was 16.1 per cent at current prices. It fell by three percentage points by 2022-23.c
Prerequisites:
— What is ‘Make in India’ initiatives?
— What is Ease of Doing Business Index (EDBI)?
— What is the atmanirbhar abhiyan?
— What is the Production-linked Incentive (PLI) scheme?
— What are gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) and net fixed capital formation (NFCF)?
Key takeaways:
— Make in India aimed to raise the manufacturing sector’s share in the GDP to 25 per cent and create 100 million jobs by 2022 (in addition to the existing 60 million at the time).
— Achieving the goal required substantial investments. Policymakers reasoned that investors were wary of setting up factories and firms. India suffered from excessive capital and labour regulation, requiring a reduction of the “regulatory cholesterol”, to use popular policy jargon.
— India’s EDBI rank improved from 142 in 2014-15 to 63 in 2019-20. Alas, it failed to boost industrial investment or output growth. The annual growth rate of GDP manufacturing plummeted from a peak of 13.1 per cent in 2015-16 to a negative 3 per cent in 2019-20.
— After the border clashes in Galwan in June 2020, India launched the atmanirbhar abhiyan (self-reliance campaign) to augment domestic production — with a budget of up to one per cent of GDP — to reduce dependence on critical industrial imports such as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or fertilisers for agriculture.
— In 2021, the government launched the Production-linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost the manufacturing of 14 highly imported and strategic industrial goods. None of these have worked, at least as yet.
— The industrial (gross value added) growth rate, at constant prices, was a mere three per cent per year during 2014-22, as per the Annual Survey of Industries — credible estimates based on the production accounts of registered factories — compared to the GDP growth rate of 6-7 per cent.
For Your Information:
— The government must align trade and industrial policies to augment domestic investment, improve domestic value addition and export competitiveness. Small industry requires localised, context-specific, and “last-mile” interventions to boost productive employment.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the problems faced by the manufacturing sector in India?
— What initiatives have been taken by the government to overcome those problems?
— What is the importance of a well-designed industrial policy to address the problem of lack of net investment growth in manufacturing?
Post Read Question:
Who publishes the Ease of Doing Bussiness Index?
(a) World Bank
(b) UNEP
(c) WTO
(d) IMF
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
ExplainSpeaking: Why Indian manufacturing’s productivity growth is plummeting and what can be done
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