UPSC Key- January 10, 2023: Know about Climate Migration, Make in-India Programme and Indian indentured labour

From 46 yrs ago to July 2021, report after report rang alarm bells in Joshimath

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

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

• General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- THE WRITING was on the wall — as early as almost half a century ago, when an 18-member committee warned that the town of Joshimath is “geologically unstable”, and suggested several restrictions and remedial measures. The committee, under the chairmanship of then Commissioner, Garhwal Mandal, Mahesh Chandra Mishra, was set up to probe the cause of landslides and sinking of Joshimath town.

• Mahesh Chandra Mishra Committee report-know the highlights

• Know the key terms- geologically unstable and significant biotic disturbance

• What are ‘geologically unstable’ zones?

• What is Land subsidence or subsidence of the land?

• Why Joshimath is sinking?

• What is meant by climate migration?

• Can you say that ‘Joshimath sinking’ is classic example of climate migration?

• What are the types of subsidence?

• What is the most common cause of subsidence?

• Map Work-Joshimath

• Map Work-Locate seismic zones of India

• The appearance of cracks on many roads and houses across Joshimath, due to land subsidence, is neither a new phenomenon in this region-Why this region is more prone to land subsidence?

• “The crisis unfolding in Joshimath speaks of the failure to respect the special and specific characteristics and idiosyncrasies of the fragile Himalayan mountain system while planning and executing developmental projects”-How far you agree with this statement

• What experts says about Joshimath town-planning and construction work?

• “Several experts have blamed tunnel construction by the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project”-critically analyse the effects of hydropower project in Uttarakhand’s fragile mountainous regions.

• Do You Know-The committee, under the chairmanship of then Commissioner, Garhwal Mandal, Mahesh Chandra Mishra, was set up to probe the cause of landslides and sinking of Joshimath town. In its report dated May 7, 1976, it suggested restrictions on heavy construction work, agriculture on slopes, felling of trees; construction of pucca drainage to stop seepage of rainwater, proper sewage system, and cement blocks on river banks to prevent erosion.

• ‘Relief and rescue efforts were intensified in Joshimath after it was declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone’-What happens when a place is declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone?

• How disaster management is done in the landslide and subsidence-hit zone?

• How do the Centre and state government ensure the safety and rehabilitation of residents?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Village near Joshimath saw cracks in 2021, panel said evacuate; no action

📍THE SINKING LAND

📍LAND SUBSIDENCE

📍The warning from Joshimath

Places of Worship Act: Centre again seeks more time, SC says Feb-end

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance and History of India

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- NEARLY 22 months after the Supreme Court issued notice to it in the matter, the Centre Monday sought more time to present its stand on petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, saying it is “consulting” on the issue and “the process” is on. The court gave the Centre time “till February end”.

• Once again, the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991 is in news-Why?

• What is the Places of Worship Act, and what are its provisions?

• Under what circumstances was the Places of Worship Act, 1991 law enacted, and how did the government justify it?

• For Your Information-The 1991 Places of Worship Act, enacted when the Ram temple movement was at its peak, mandates that the nature of all places of worship, barring the one at Ayodhya, be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947. The long title describes it as “An Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”

• What Section 3 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is all about?

• Section 4(1) and Section 4(2) of the Places of worship act, 1991-Know the provisions

• Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Verdict and Section 5 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991-Connect the Dot

• What did the Supreme Court say about the Places of Worship Act, 1991 in its Ayodhya judgment?

• Do You Know-In its Ayodhya judgment of 2019, the Supreme Court had hailed the Places of Worship Act, 1991. It described the law as “a legislative instrument designed to protect the secular features of the Indian polity, which is one of the basic features of the Constitution”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:     

📍The Places of Worship Act

GOVT & POLITICS

Make-in-India not isolationist or meant only for country: Rajnath

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains 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: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-India’s efforts towards ‘Make in India’ are neither “isolationist” nor are they meant for India alone, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday. India does not believe in a hierarchical conception of world order, where a few countries are considered superior to others, he said, adding that India’s international relations are guided by the very essence of “ sovereign equality and dignity.” He was addressing the ‘Ambassadors’ Round Table’ here ahead of Aero India-2023 —India’s premier global aviation trade fair — scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from February 13 to 17.

• What is Aero India 2023?

• Who is organizing the Aero India 2023?

• “Partnerships” and “joint efforts” are the two keywords that differentiate India’s defence partnership with other nations-When it comes to defence exports then why exports of defence products from India are limited to few countries like Vietnam?

• What is the Indigenisation of Defence?

• Why Indigenisation of Defence?

• Indigenisation of Defence and Make in India-connect the dots

• What is Make in-India Programme?

• Can you name some prominent schemes by the Government of India in Make in India programme category?

• What is Make in India policy of defence and how it can boost exports

• Do You Know-Some of India’s major defence export deals last year include the $375-million contract with the Philippines for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, an advanced version of the advanced light helicopter (ALH Mark III) to Mauritius, and a $155 million deal for artillery guns between Kalyani Strategic Systems and an unspecified country.

• What are the India’s defence industry components?

• What is Defence acquisition?

• Why Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)?

• Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-know its key features

• How much India spends in defence as compared to other sectors?

• What is budget for defence imports?

• What Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says about India’s defence and defence expenditure?

• For Your Information-A report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) states that India ranks 23 in a list of the 25 largest exporters of major arms and has had a 0.2 per cent share of the global arms exports between 2017 and 2021 – up from 0.1 per cent in the years before that.

• India can recalibrate not reduce the defence expenditure-do you agree?

• Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-Reliant India in defence sector-know the Important Components

• Significance of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

• Self-Reliant and Self Sufficient-Know the Difference

• Self-Reliant India Campaign is inspired by Swadeshi Movement 1905-Do you agree?

• Self-Reliant India Campaign-Issues and Challenges ahead

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Indigenising defence production is a good idea whose time has come

EXPRESS NETWORK

Brahmins protest Karnataka bid to reallot 6% EWS quota to Vokkaligas, Lingayats

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and 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- The BJP-led Karnataka government’s recent proposal to redistribute six per cent of the 10 percent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota among the state’s two dominant castes, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, has upset the upper caste Brahmin community, with the Akhila Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha president and former state advocate general, Ashok Haranahalli, calling the government’s move “anti-Brahmin”.

• Who are the Lingayats and Vokkaligas?

• Vokkaligas and Lingayats-Know in detail

• Quick Recall-The Karnataka Cabinet decided to categorise the two dominant communities in the state, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, as “moderately backward” from the “backward” category in a move that could increase their share in reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC).

• Why the Karnataka Cabinet decided to categorise the two dominant communities in the state, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, as “moderately backward” from the “backward” category in a move that could increase their share in reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC)?

• For Your Information-The Lingayats are a dominant community who make up nearly 17% of Karnataka’s six crore population . The community can determine the outcome of polls in as many as 90-100 of the state’s 224 Assembly constituencies. The Lingayat’s, classified as a Hindu sub-caste called Veerashaiva Lingayats, are essentially followers of the 12th-century philosopher Saint Basavanna, who started a movement to help sections of society break away from the chains of caste.

• How are they politically aligned?

• What is the current controversy?

• What are the political ramifications?

• Personality in News-Basaveshwara

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍Vokkaligas, politics and symbolism: Why Kempegowda’s statue matters

📍A Lingayat sub-sect’s quota demand: context, implications

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Don’t outsource excellence

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- C Raj Kumar Writes: India has an extraordinary opportunity to be an aspiring nation for students worldwide. Instead of enabling the creation of international campuses of universities from developed countries, it must focus on becoming a global higher education destination in its own right.

• Quick Recall-Foreign universities can set up their campuses in India, decide their admission process, fee structure, and will also be able to repatriate funds to their parent campuses according to draft norms announced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar recently.

• UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations 2023-Know the highlights

• What New Education Policy 2020 says about Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India?

• What are the salient features of New Education Policy 2020?

• According to the author, “The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) was a pathbreaking moment in the annals of Indian higher education”-How?

• What do you understand by this phrase ‘Internationalisation of Indian higher education’?

• Over the last three decades, what are those three major factors that have influenced the internationalisation of higher education?

• “We need to do five things to become a global leader in international education”-What are those as per the author?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:     

📍The Gimmicks Commission

EXPLAINED

The Indian diaspora

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main 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-Inaugurating the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indians living overseas are “brand ambassadors” of the country on foreign soil. Over the years, the convention, which began under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003, has grown in size and scope, particularly since 2015, when the Ministry of External Affairs turned the event into a biennial affair.

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-Know in detail

• Why Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, also known as Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day is celebrated?

• But why 9th January is selected as the day to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas?

• The ongoing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore is the 17th edition of the event, which commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India on January 9, 1915 from South Africa. But the story of the Indian expat goes back further-How much further?

• Do You Know-The term diaspora traces its roots to the Greek diaspeiro, which means dispersion. The Indian diaspora has grown manifold since the first batch of Indians were taken to counties in the east pacific and the Caribbean islands under the ‘Girmitiya’ arrangement as indentured labourers.

• So, what exactly was Indian indentured labour?

• Non-resident Indian, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs)-Compare and contrast

• For Your Information- Numbers shared by the government in Parliament in 2022 show that the geographical spread of the Indian diaspora is vast. The countries with over 10 lakh overseas Indians include United States of America (44 lakh), United Kingdom (17.6 lakh), United Arab Emirates (34 lakh), Sri Lanka (16 lakh), South Africa (15.6 lakh), Saudi Arabia (26 lakh), Myanmar (20 lakh), Malaysia (29.8 lakh), Kuwait (10.2 lakh) and Canada (16.8 lakh). According to the World Migration Report, prepared by the International Organisation for Migration under the United Nations, India has the largest emigrant population in the world, making it the top origin country globally, followed by Mexico, Russian and China.

• The World Migration Report notes that India, China, Mexico, the Philippines and Egypt are (in descending order) among the top five remittance recipient countries. What is remittance?

• Why is Indian Diaspora important?

• What is India’s diaspora policy?

• How does Indian diaspora affect India’s foreign policy making?

• What are the issues and challenges faced by Indian Diaspora?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Pravasi Bharatiyas are India’s brand ambassadors, says PM

THE WORLD

Pro-Bolsonaro rioters storm Brazil’s top govt offices

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– Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital on Sunday, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which were believed to be largely vacant and sit on Brasilia’s vast Three Powers Square.

• Map Work-Brazil

• Who are the people who rioted in Brasilia?

• What did the protesters do in the square?

• What has the government said?

• Where is Bolsonaro now?

• Why are comparisons being made with the events of January 6, 2021, in the United States?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍PM concerned over Brazil violence: Respect democratic traditions

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