UPSC Key- January 18, 2023: Learn about Geoeconomics or Geostrategy, 1267 committee, Mortality and fertility

Want peace… learnt lessons from3 wars: Pak PM’s outreach

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-  IN REMARKS that are being seen in Delhi as conciliatory, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for “serious and sincere talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning issues like Kashmir”. He also said his country has learnt its lesson after three wars with India that “only brought more misery, poverty, and unemployment”, and wants peace with its neighbour.

• “He has given his “word of honour” that he will talk to the Indian side with “sincerity of purpose”-this sentence signifies what?

• ‘Pakistan and India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means’-Know the historical background

• ‘The Pakistan PM’s remarks, coupled with China lifting its block to let the LeT deputy chief be listed as a global terrorist, is being seen as an important signal to Delhi’-What this represents?

• Why Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s comments appears to hold more significance than routine statements about wanting peace with India?

• “They come amid reports of Pakistan nearing a situation akin to that of Sri Lanka”-What is going on in Pakistan’s economy?

• “Geoeconomics” rather than geostrategy between India and Pakistan-Comment

• How many times India and Pakistan go to war?

• “Pakistan has learned its lessons” from its three wars with India-What impact has the war had on both countries?

• India Pakistan Relations-Know the Historical Background

• What makes peace elusive between India-Pakistan in present scenario?

• Current events shaping India-Pakistan Relations-What are they?

• Major ‘changes’ in Indian diplomacy in the last eight years of New Delhi’s towards Pakistan-What is that ‘Change’?

• How diplomacy worked under former prime minister of India’s like PV Narasimha Rao, H D Deve Gowda, I K Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh’s in the context of Pakistan?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Shehbaz talks offer: what to make of Pak PM’s statement

📍Why separatist politics has plagued Pakistan since its inception

Shah: Good governance should build trust between govt, people

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.

• General Studies IV: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Governance models should build trust between the government and people, take into account local conditions and situations, and not be imported from outside, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Tuesday before handing over awards for innovative and good governance to 18 District Magistrates at The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards in the national capital.

• What is meant by governance?

• What is the rationality behind the ‘Excellence in Governance Awards’?

• What is meant by good governance?

• Good governance and governance-Comapare and contrast

• What are the basic principles of good governance?

• What are the main pillars of good governance?

• “The key to good governance is a people-centric development policy”-Discuss

• “Good governance or Sushasan is an inheritance from India’s ancient culture and ethos”-How?

• “Accountability is an integral part of good governance”-Analyse

• Why Good Governance Day is celebrated in India?

• ‘Mission Karmayogi’ or The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB)-Know the aim and objectives

• What is Empathy?

• Why public servants should have empathy towards others?

• How empathy is different from sympathy?

• Why empathy holds more power than sympathy?

• How the concept of ‘good governance’ ensures “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government”?

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📍UPSC ethics simplified: From ‘babus’ to ‘civil servants’

📍Telemedicine project to elders’ club: Among 19 ideas that touched lives

China lifts block, UNSC lists LeT’s Makki as terrorist

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Seven months after it blocked India’s bid to list Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba’s deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki as a “global terrorist”, China lifted the block and allowed the United Nations Security Council to designate him as a global terrorist for “raising funds, recruiting and radicalising youth to violence and planning attacks in India”.

• Who is Abdul Rehman Makki?

• Do You Know-In June last year, China put a last-minute hold on a joint proposal by India and the US to list Makki under the 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.

• Were there attempts to blacklist him in the past?

• What does it mean to “place a hold”?

• What justifications did China offer in the past for keeping the listings?

• Does India possess any options?

• What do you understand by the ‘1267 committee’?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Abdul Rehman Makki, dy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated ‘global terrorist’: Who is he, what this means

EXPRESS NETWORK

Rare duck species sighted after 94 years

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-A rare species of duck, Greater Scaup, locally known as Sadangman, was recently sighted in Loktak lake in Manipur’s Bishnupur district after a gap of over 90 years. The Greater Scaup is a medium-sized diving duck species that belongs to the family of Anatidae. It has been reported that the duck species was sighted by ornithologist Kumam Jugeswor and members of Wildlife Explorers Manipur.

• Greater scaup-Know in brief

• What IUCN red list says about Greater scaup?

• What are the categories of the IUCN Red List?

• How many species of India are in IUCN Red List?

• What is the difference between a greater scaup and a lesser scaup?

• Map Work-Loktak Lake

• Why is Loktak Lake famous?

• Why Loktak Lake is called floating lake?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Shrinking biodiversity: 69% drop in wildlife populations in nearly 5 decades, shows report

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

India and the new Eurasia

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-C. Raja Mohan Writes: Japan, which invented the contemporary geopolitical idea of the Indo-Pacific, is now well on its way to changing the way we think about the relationship between Asia and Europe. In his swing through Europe last week, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s message was simple: The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is indivisible.

• What is Eurasia?

• ‘Contemporary geopolitical idea of the Indo-Pacific’-What is that?

• How Japan, South Korea and Australia are bridging the divide between Asia and Europe long seen as separate geopolitical theatres?

• This change in geopolitics dynamic brings challenges as well as opportunities for India-What are the challenges and opportunities for India?

• “The idea of Eurasia is not new”-Elaborate

• “Despite continental continuity, Europe and Asia emerged as separate political and cultural spheres over the millennia”-How these two continents are different?

• “The occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine are a product of what Putin sees as his historic mission of reuniting the “Russkiy Mir” or the Russian world”-What history says about Russkiy Mir or the Russian world?

• What are the global ramifications of the Sino-Russian alliance?

• “For India, the rise of Eurasia is making it harder to ride on two boats at the same time”-What author is trying to convey?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍India needs a new, integrated approach to Eurasia

THE SOFT TOUCH PRINCIPLE

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.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The soft-touch approach could draw in much-needed investments to the sector. At the same time, the self-regulatory bodies will have their task cut out in curbing illicit players, ensuring a healthy ecosystem.

• On January 2, the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT released the draft rules for online gaming for public consultation-What does the draft rules for online gaming for public consultation says?

• ‘The popularity of online games is on the rise. The sector is also crucial for India’s leap towards the $1-trillion digital economy milestone. Therefore, harmonising the multiple legal positions of the state governments on the sector had become imperative’-Critically analyse the future of online gaming in India

• Do You Know-India’s share of the global online gaming industry is currently just 1 per cent. In contrast, China has a 25 per cent share and the US 23 per cent share in a market of about three billion users. According to industry estimates, in 2020, the worth of India’s online gaming industry was around $1.8 billion. With a 38 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), the industry is expected to grow to $5 billion by 2025. There are about 400 million online gamers in India and their numbers are expected to grow to 450 million by 2024. India’s advantage also lies in the fact that 86 per cent of online gaming is mobile gaming and this sector is growing the fastest. According to the industry body, IAMAI, there are about 950 start-ups in the sector with 15,000 developers; three of these start-ups have acquired unicorn status.

• Why a central-level law?

• Online gaming so far has been a state subject-true or false?

• How big is the online gaming market in India?

• For Your Information- The revenue of the Indian mobile gaming industry is expected to reach $5 billion in 2025. The industry grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38 per cent in India between 2017-2020, as opposed to 8 per cent in China and 10 per cent in the US.
It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent to reach Rs 153 billion in revenue by 2024, as per a report by VC firm Sequoia and management consulting company BCG.

• How have stakeholders reacted to the proposed rules?

• Quick Recall-An inter-ministerial task force, set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to propose contours of a national-level legislation to regulate online gaming, has proposed the creation of a central regulatory body for the sector, clearly defining what games of skill and chance are, and bringing online gaming under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, among other things.

• What are the recommendations of the task force?

• Which ministry will be in charge of the regulation?

• What did the task force say about offshore betting apps?

• Games of chance and Games of skill-compare and contrast

• “The distinction between a game of chance and a game of skill has been maintained for over 150 years”-Analyse the statement

• ‘In May 2022, Group of Ministers (GoM) were formed to look into the tax rate on casinos, online gaming and race courses, has arrived at a broad consensus to levy a flat rate of 28 per cent on these services under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime’-But, why 28 percent?

• The author writes that ‘it would be extremely unwise to levy GST at 28 per cent on the gross amount for the online gaming’-do you agree with the author?

• GST on online gaming-brainstorm the pros and cons

• What is your opinion on this entire issue?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Draft rules for online gaming: What are the regulations govt has released, and why

EXPLAINED

Row over COP28 president

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

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

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The United Arab Emirates, the host of COP28, has announced its Industry Minister Sultan Al Jaber will be the president of the two-week-long climate change conference. The choice of the minister has invited sharp criticism from climate activists because Al Jaber, besides being the minister for Industry and Advanced Technology in the UAE government, also happens to be the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the world’s 12th largest oil company by production.

• Who will host COP 28?

• The choice of the minister has invited sharp criticism from climate activists-Why?

• For Your Information-The fact that an oil company executive has been named to preside over a conference whose main objective is to get the world to move away from oil and other fossil fuels is being seen as a clear case of conflict of interest, and has annoyed a lot of stakeholders who are invested in the climate negotiation process.

• Why Post of the COP president is significant?

• Post of the COP president symbolizes what?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    

📍Setting the COP agenda

Will A Recession Hit India in June, as Rane appears to be Predicting?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- A comment by Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Narayan Rane on Monday (January 16) has created controversy. “There is a global recession and it is in many countries. This is what I have gathered from the discussion in the meetings of the Union government. The recession is expected to hit India after June,” Rane said after giving an inaugural speech at the two-day G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting in Pune.

• So, is India heading for a recession?

• Why did Narayan Rane say that recession will hit India?

• What is Recession?

• What is the ‘V shape recession’?

• What is Stagflation?

• What comes first stagflation or recession?

• What is worse stagflation or recession?

• Why is Stagflation so unpopular vis a vis recession?

• Know the Types of Inflation like Moderate Inflation, Galloping Inflation, Hyper-Inflation, Stagflation, Deflation, Core Inflation etc.

• What are the key macroeconomic factors in Indian Economy?

• What are the major concerns of macroeconomics in India?

• Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Fundamentals- Compare and Contrast

• What do you understand by ‘Debt to GDP ratio’?

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📍Inflation vs. Stagflation: What’s the Difference?

📍ExplainSpeaking | How inflation beat the RBI: A recent history

China’s population declines: How India’s situation is different

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Population and associated issues

• General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-China’s population, according to its National Bureau of Statistics, fell to 1,411.8 million in 2022, from 1,412.6 million in the previous year. An absolute decline in population is a landmark event, for a country that is soon set to be surpassed — if it has not already — by India as home to the most number of people. India has not conducted an official headcount Census after 2011. But going by the United Nations’ projections, its population stood at 1,417.2 million in 2022 (more than China’s) and is expected to reach 1,428.6 million in 2023.

• Compare and contrast between the China’s shrinking population and India’s surging one

• What are the potential implications, especially economic, of China’s shrinking population and India’s surging population?

• What has been behind these shifts?

• There are two primary drivers of population change-what are they?

• How Mortality and fertility impacts population ratio?

• For Your Information-A country’s population increases with reduction in mortality or relative number of deaths. The population growth slows — and may even go into reverse, like it has now for China — with declining fertility rates. Mortality falls with increased education levels, public health and vaccination programmes, access to food and medical care, and provision of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.

• What is crude death rate (CDR) and the total fertility rate (TFR)?

• If India’s TFR is already below-replacement, why is its population still increasing?

• How has China’s TFR finally shrunk?

• What does Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 mean?

• What National Family Health Survey 5 said about Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?

• What is Replacement Fertility Rate?

• How is the Total Fertility Rate calculated?

• What is the difference between birth rate and Total Fertility Rate (TFR)?

• Does an increase in births mean that TFR will go up?

• Why China faces a crisis?

• How can this entire situation be viewed as an opportunity for India?

• Do You Know-According to the 2022 edition of the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP), released recently, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023. It also projected the world’s population to reach 8 billion on November 15, 2022. World Population Prospects 2022 is the twenty-seventh edition of the official estimates and projections of the global population that have been published by the United Nations since 1951.

• World Population Prospects 2022- What are the main takeaways for the global population?

• According to the World Population Prospects 2022, Population growth is caused in part by declining levels of mortality, as reflected in increased levels of life expectancy at birth-true or false?

• According to the World Population Prospects 2022, International migration is having important impacts on population trends for some countries. How?

• The size of the population is intimately connected to the power dynamics shaping the relationship between nations, regions and generations-Do you agree with the given statement?

• What is ‘Demographic gravitation’?

• Can you highlight population transformations around the globe?

• In what ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all components of population change, including fertility, mortality and migration?

• How Population data provide critical information for use in development planning?

• What are the factors influencing the population growth?

• Most countries have population policies and programmes to influence fertility levels. What are the policies and programmes in India to influence fertility levels?

• What is demographic dividend?

• The UN projections say that by 2050, India’s population will reach 1,668 million, far exceeding China’s declining population at 1,317 million. What will be its implications?

• What is the significance of India overtaking China?

• What pattern of population distribution is India?

• What are the policy implications arising out of these two trends?

• How reliable is the UN projection, and how do they compare with India’s Census?

• Family Planning in India-Issues and Challenges

• Population growth brings what sort of challenges for Indian public policy?

• Do you think that massive growth in population in India is blessing in disguise?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍China sees population dip after decades

 

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