UPSC Key- March 15, 2023: Know about Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, Curative petition, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: 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-With the financial year drawing to a close and no headway yet on clearing outstanding Rouble payments for weapons purchased from Russia, the government is set to go in for a series of big-ticket indigenous acquisitions for the military to use up its pending defence capital funds, top officials told The Indian Express. Several new acquisitions, officials said, are under consideration and orders are likely to be placed this month once they get the final nod from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) or the Ministry of Defence.

• What is the Indigenisation of Defence?

• Why Indigenisation of Defence?

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

• Do You Know-In 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had accorded approval for the procurement of six Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs), fitted with state-of-the-art sensor suite, for the Navy. These platforms are aimed at strengthening maritime security by undertaking a multitude of operational roles. In 2021, the Cochin Shipyard Limited had emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of six Next Generation Missile Vessels at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore.

• “India is exploring at least three options to clear outstanding Rouble payments worth around Rs 28,000 crore against weapons delivered by Russia”-Discuss

• India imports what from Russia?

• For Your Information-India had to pay Rs 11,500 crore to Russia by the end of the financial year 2021-22. Some of the contracts with Russia include long-range surface-to-air missile system S-400; two Tushil class ships being built in Russia; an unspecified number of Smerch Multiple Rocket Launch Systems; rocket projectiles and Russian-made X-31 missiles, among other missiles, aside from spares for several weapon systems and equipment in the military’s inventory.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍India looks at options to pay defence dues to Russia: stake sale, bonds, 3rd currency

THE CITY

Delhi ranks 4 on list of world’s most polluted cities

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Delhi ranked fourth on a list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 levels in 2022, according to the World Air Quality Report prepared by IQAir. Delhi had an average PM2.5 level of 92.6 μg/m3 in 2022, a little below the average of 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021. The most polluted city in the world was found to be Lahore, followed by Hotan in China, and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, according to the report. The average PM2.5 concentration in Bhiwadi was 92.7 μg/m3. Delhi has retained its ranking on this list – it stood fourth in 2021 as well. The WHO guideline for annual PM2.5 levels is 5 μg/m3.

• What exactly World Air Quality Report says?

• The report makes a distinction between New Delhi and Delhi-What is that distinction?

• For Your Information-IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company that prepares annual world air quality reports based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organisations across the world. The 2022 report is based on PM2.5 data from 7,323 cities and 131 countries. A total of 39 Indian cities (including ‘Delhi’ and ‘New Delhi’) are on the list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities based on annual average PM2.5 levels in 2022. These include cities like Noida, Gurgaon, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Charkhi Dadri, Jind, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Greater Noida. Delhi’s annual average PM2.5 level in 2020 was 84 µg/m3, and 98.6 µg/m3 in 2019, according to IQAir. In 2022, Delhi’s average PM2.5 level was found to be highest in November.

• What kept Delhi’s air polluted?

• Why Delhi pollution is always in News?

• What are the reasons for Air pollution in Delhi?

• Know the Geographical location of Delhi

• Being landlocked makes Delhi worst in air pollution-How far you agree with this?

• Know the Supreme Courts Judgments on Delhi Air Pollutions

• “Delhi has converted into a gas chamber”-Discuss

• Air Quality Management in NCR Region-Role and Steps Taken so Far

• Know the best International Practices to Curb Air Pollution in Urban Areas

• What is Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)?

• What are the different Air Quality Index (AQI) categories under Graded Response Action Plan?

• What are the different stages under Graded Response Action Plan?

• Has GRAP helped?

• What was the Supreme court’s verdict in M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India (2016) regarding air quality in the National Capital Region of Delhi?

• Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)-Know in brief

• Is Commission for air quality Management statutory body?

• System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) Project-Know in brief

• What is the framework developed by SAFAR to forecast air quality in Delhi?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Delhi air pollution: Biggest culprit this year, and possible solutions

Consenting to be in man’s company does not mean consenting to sexual liaison: HC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Social empowerment

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– While denying regular bail to a man accused of raping a woman of Czech nationality, the Delhi High Court observed that merely because a woman consents to being in the company of a man, regardless of the duration can never be the basis to infer that she had also consented to “sexual liaison” with him.

• What do you mean by consents?

• What is ‘No means No’?

• What exactly Delhi High Court observed?

• “Consenting to a situation‟ versus “Consenting to sexual liaison”-Know the difference

• For Your Information-The HC opined that a critical aspect of of rape is “consent‟, which as opposed to “compulsion‟ requires a more nuanced consideration. Justice Bhambhani held that though “consent given under force, coercion or duress” is not consent in law as it is not free in many cases, it is necessary to examine consent in a detailed manner while considering that the “substantivity of consent may be vitiated by several other circumstances that erode the freedom of choice”. Several circumstances, including emotional exploitation, may vitiate the substantivity of consent, the court observed.

• What is the law for consent in India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍‘Woman’s Consent To Stay In A Man’s Company No Basis To Infer She Also Consented To Sexual Liaison’: Delhi High Court

IN PARLIAMENT

After concerns, govt corrects MPLADS change on allocation for SC/ST areas

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The government Tuesday retracted a change in the guidelines for use of MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) funds, which appeared to water down the requirement to set aside a certain portion for areas dominated by Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

• What is Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) Scheme?

• When was the MPLAD scheme implemented?

• Why MPLAD scheme?

• How much money is given in MPLADS?

• For Your Information- MPLAD is a central government scheme, under which MPs can recommend development programmes involving spending of Rs 5 crore every year in their respective constituencies. MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated ones, can do so. States have their version of this scheme with varying amounts per MLA. Delhi has the highest allocation under MLALAD; each MLA can recommend works for up to Rs 10 crore each year. In Punjab and Kerala, the amount is Rs 5 crore per MLA per year; in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, it is Rs 2 crore; in Uttar Pradesh, it was recently increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore.

• MPLAD scheme during and after Pandemic-Know in detail

• How does the scheme work?

• Any success story of MPLAD Scheme?

• What has been the impact of the MPLAD scheme?

• What are the Issues and challenges with MPLADS?

• Why has the scheme been sometimes criticised?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:  

📍Explained: How MPLAD scheme works, and how far its suspension will help Covid-19 fight

Previous Year Prelims Questions Covering the same theme:
📍With reference to the funds under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which of the following statements are correct? (Please refer to the GS1 Prelims Paper of the year 2020)

EXPRESS NETWORK

SC junks govt plea for more Bhopal relief

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-The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the Centre’s 2010 curative petition that sought additional compensation of more than Rs 7,000 crore from the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) for victims of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, which had left nearly 3,000 people dead and lakhs affected. The court also censured the Centre over its failure to make an insurance policy, and called it “gross negligence on part of the Union of India”.

• 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?

• What is the present case about?

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

• For Your Information-In the ‘Union of India And Others. v. M/s. Union Carbide Corporation And Others’, the Centre sought Rs. 7,844 crores from the US-based firms through a curative petition it filed in 2010, for additional compensation for the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. A curative petition can be filed after a review plea against the final conviction is dismissed. It is meant to ensure there is no miscarriage of justice and to prevent abuse of the process. The Centre’s claim for a curative petition was based on a demand for additional compensation in a re-examination of the Supreme Court’s 1989 order where compensation was decided as Rs. 750 crores.

• What did the court decide today?

• What is the concept of curative petition?

• Curative petition vs Review petition-Compare and Contrast

• What are the effects of Bhopal gas tragedy?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Why the Supreme Court dismissed Centre’s curative petition for more compensation

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

EXPLAINED

IPCC meet in Switzerland: Significance, likely impact

Syllabus:

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

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Switzerland this week to finalise the last report of its sixth assessment cycle, which is expected to set up the tempo for a string of climate change-focused discussions over the next fortnight.

• What is Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

• Do You Know-The IPCC, a UN-backed scientific body whose periodic assessments of climate science form the basis of global climate action, is set to finalise what is known as the Synthesis Report, incorporating the findings of the five reports that it has released in the sixth assessment cycle since 2018. The Synthesis Report is supposed to be a relatively non-technical summary of the previous reports, aimed largely at policymakers around the world. It is meant to address a wide range of policy-relevant scientific questions related to climate change, but, like all IPCC reports, in a non-prescriptive manner. This will bring an end to the Sixth Assessment Report, a collective work of thousands of scientists over a period of eight years, starting in February 2015.

• “The Synthesis Report is unlikely to reveal anything new”-Why?

• What are the new insights on climate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation from IPCC?

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports (ARs)-Key Highlights

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (Third Part)-Key Highlights

• How will nature and the benefits it provides to people be affected by higher levels of warming?

• How will climate change affect the lives of today’s children tomorrow, if no immediate action is taken?

• Climate Change and India’s Strategy to deal with Climate Change

• What is Climate Resilient Development?

• What are the major climate change agreements?

• What is climate change ‘Loss and Damage’?

• How is climate change causing loss and damage?

• What is the extent of loss and damage?

• What Is Climate Change?

• How Is Climate Change measured over time?

• What Causes Climate Change?

• What are the effects of Climate Change?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What is the IPCC, and why are its Assessment Reports important?

Close shave in SVB crisis

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- Over 48 hours last week, after California-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) failed, hundreds of Indian startups with millions of dollars stuck in accounts at the bank went to the brink and back. Without the intervention of the United States government, these businesses were staring at mass layoffs and, in some cases, extinction. The crisis seems to have been averted — for now.

• What is the Silicon Valley Bank?

• For Your Information- Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) which was founded in 1983, dealt with high-growth, high-risk businesses such as technology startups. The bank offered an easy way for startups in India, especially those in the Software as a Service (SaaS) sector who have a number of US clients, to park their cash — as they could set up accounts without a US Social Security Number or Income Tax Identification Number.

• What is the Silicon Valley Bank crisis?

• What caused Silicon Valley Bank to collapse?

• Why did Silicon Valley Bank fail?

• What happens next?

• Is this a sign that we could repeat what happened in 2008?

• Do You Know-Silicon Valley Bank was hit hard by the downturn in technology stocks over the past year as well as the Federal Reserve’s aggressive plan to increase interest rates to combat inflation. The bank bought billions of dollars’ worth of bonds over the past couple of years, using customers’ deposits as a typical bank would normally operate. These investments are typically safe, but the value of those investments fell because they paid lower interest rates than what a comparable bond would pay if issued in today’s higher interest rate environment. But Silicon Valley’s customers were largely start-ups and other tech-centric companies that started becoming more needy for cash over the past year.

• How Silicon Valley Bank failure will impact India?

• The reasons for SVB’s failure are unlikely to play out in India as domestic banks-Know the reasons

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍SVB crisis: IT Ministry likely to seek domestic loans for start-ups, transfer of accounts

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