UPSC Key-October 13, 2022: Why you should read ‘Demonetisation in 2016’ or ‘Living Planet Report 2022’ or ‘Human Migration’ for UPSC CSE

Gambia deaths: Pharma firm production stopped, Centre forms committee

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare set up a four-member panel Wednesday to examine reports it sought from the World Health Organisation to find out if the deaths of children in Gambia were caused by cough syrups manufactured by Sonepat-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

• Quick Revision-Following the death of 66 children in Gambia, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised an alert over four fever, cold and cough syrups made by an Indian company, urging people to not use them. All the four syrups — Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup – are made by Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.

• What happened in the Gambia?

• What exactly WHO said?

• Is this incident happened for the first time?

• How is cough syrup manufactured?

• Why is cough syrup restricted?

• What is the role of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO?

• What and who is Drugs Controller General of India?

• Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO and Drugs Controller General of India-Connect the dots

• Do You Know-Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

• What are diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol?

• Is diethylene glycol the same as ethylene glycol?

• What do diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol do?

• What is active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)

• Why are the syrups not sold in India?

• What are the Indian authorities doing?

• How this incident will impact India’s Pharma sector in future?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India-made cough syrups and deaths in Gambia: what we know so far

📍India’s drug problem: Why WHO’s alert over Indian medicines in Gambia should not be ignored

Lakshman Rekha there, but we need to examine demonetisation, says SC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

• General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Observing that it is aware of the “Lakshman Rekha” in matters of government policy, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court Wednesday said it will examine the procedure followed and the manner in which the 2016 demonetisation exercise was carried out before deciding if the issue is only academic now. The matter will be heard November 9.

• What is Demonetization?

• Demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1000 currency notes-Know the background

• Why Centre is calling this matter an academic issue only?

• How demonetization impacted on the GDP for the current year? (Know short-term and Long term effect)

• “The issue needs to be examined on the doctrine of proportionality too as 86% currency notes were rendered invalid by the decision”- What is doctrine of proportionality?

• What is doctrine of proportionality in administrative law?

• Does demonetization served the purpose of curbing black money and terror funding? (What economic survey said about it?)

• Demonetisation has been implemented twice in the past-When, why and how?

• Demonetisation in 1946 and 1978 and Demonetisation in 2016-compare and contrast

• Demonetisation in 2016 was the decision taken in haste and not gone into the nitty-gritties of this step-Do you agree?

• Demonetisation in 2016-How it impacted common man?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Demonetization: Meaning, Example, and How It Works

📍Four years since demonetisation: Cash in system steadily rising, at all-time high

GOVT & POLITICS

Over Rs 6,000-cr scheme for Northeast gets Cabinet nod

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 UNION Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) – a new scheme for the Northeastern states which was announced in the Union Budget earlier this year. The scheme will be operational for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission, from 2022-23 to 2025-26, and will have an outlay of Rs 6,600 crore.

• Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)-What are the key features of this scheme

• The new Scheme, PM-DevINE, is a central sector scheme and not centrally sponsored scheme-True or false?

• The new Scheme, PM-DevINE will be implemented by which ministry?

• What are the objectives of PM-DevINE?

• PM-DevINE, was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to address development gaps in the North Eastern Region (NER)-Why Northeast Region is behind the rest of India in terms of development?

• The Northeast region of India comprises of which states?

• Map Work– The Northeast states of India

• Northeast region is poorly connected to the Indian mainland by a small corridor-what is the name of that corridor?

• What are the main reasons that Northeast India is still lagging?

• What are the initiatives taken by Government specially targeting Northeast India’s development and growth?

• Map Work– Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Neck)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Cabinet approves new Scheme “Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26

📍G Kishan Reddy writes: How the Northeast has been transformed in the last eight years

THE IDEAS PAGE

That remote village, along the border

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

• 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- Bibek Debroy writes: States can have differential sources of revenue. Alternatively, the cost of delivering that basket may vary across geographical zones. Measuring topography might be an idea worth toying with.

• “Article 280 of the Constitution mentions Finance Commission (FC). There is a history behind the evolution of federal finance”-Know the evolution of Finance Commission (FC)

• “Why should provinces need assistance? Equity is the idea”-Deconstruct the given statement

• What is public goods? Why it is called so?

• “No one should be disenfranchised because of remoteness of location. By the same token, a resident, regardless of location, must be entitled to that basket”-How to ensure that?

• 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation-know in detail

• 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation on Vertical Devolution (Devolution of Taxes of the Union to States)-Know in detail

• 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation on Horizontal Devolution (Allocation Between the States)-Know in detail

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍The Report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission

EXPRESS NETWORK

Indian students abroad most likely to stay back in developed nations: report

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Effects of globalization on Indian society.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Indians studying in economically developed countries are the most likely among all foreign students to stay back in their host country and join the local workforce, according to a report on international migration patterns by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

• ‘International Migration Outlook 2022’ Report-know key highlights

• For Your Information-The report titled ‘International Migration Outlook 2022’, released on Monday, provides an overview of trends in international migration flows and policies up until 2021 by putting the spotlight on the countries of origin and destination of students signing up for academic degrees in OECD countries. The OECD is a grouping of predominantly developed economies.

• Do You Know-Students from China (22 per cent) and India (10 per cent) account for the largest share of foreign students in OECD countries. The report attributes this to the fact that about a third of the world’s population aged 20-29 live in these two countries.

• Human Migration-know in detail

• How the International Organization for Migration (The UN) defines a migrant?

• What is the difference between inter and intra migration?

• What are the Push and Pull factors of migration?

• Migration-know its significance

• Migration-What are the challenges?

• What does the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development do?

• What is the main purpose of OECD?

• Is India a part of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍International Migration Outlook 2022

Red alert: 69% dip in wildlife in five decades, shows report

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– Monitored wildlife populations including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have seen a 69-per cent drop between 1970 and 2018, according to the latest Living Planet Report, released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday. And India is no different.

• For Your Information-According to WWF-India programme director Dr Sejal Worah, the country has seen a decline in population of the likes of honeybees and 17 species of freshwater turtles in this period. Worah said the report finds that the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats are some of the most vulnerable regions in the country in terms of biodiversity loss, and where increased biodiversity loss is expected in future if temperatures are to increase.

• Living Planet Report 2022-Know key highlights

• What is the purpose of the Living Planet Report?

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Know in detail

• Zoological Society of London-Know in detail

• Note-ZSL manages the Living Planet Index in a collaborative partnership with WWF.

• According to the report, what is the main drivers of wildlife population decline around the world?

• What Living Planet Report 2022 said about India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍LIVING PLANET REPORT 2022

EXPLAINED

Reading IMF’s economy report

Syllabus:

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

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The central message of the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) it publishes two WEOs each year (in April and October) as well as two updates (January and July) to policymakers around the globe: “The worst is yet to come” for the world economy.

• What else World Economic Outlook (WEO) said about world economy in general and Indian economy in particular?

• The IMF has sharply cut the forecast for global growth-What made IMF to do so?

• The global economy continues to face steep challenges-Why?

• “Global inflation is now expected to peak at 9.5 per cent in late 2022, a particular worry here is the trajectory of core inflation”- What is core inflation?

• The IMF has also detailed several downside risks or the reasons why things may get worse than projected-What are they?

• What it means for India?

• The threat to India comes from at least four sources-What are they?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍World Economic Outlook (October 2022)

Languages panel recommendations and fresh ‘Hindi imposition’ row

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, which was submitted to President Droupadi Murmu last month, has triggered angry reactions from the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who have described the Report as an attempt by the Union government to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states.

• What is this language panel led by Amit Shah?

• What has the Shah panel recommended in its latest (2021) report?

• Are these recommendations intended for every state government, its institutions and departments across the country?

• Is this the first time that such recommendations have been made?

• What does the new education policy say about teaching in Hindi and other regional languages?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: The languages India speaks

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