Current Affairs 5th March 2024 for UPSC Prelims Exam

Undertrials in India

Context:

• The Supreme Court of India, in Satender Kumar Antil vs CBI, acknowledged the failure of the bail system, contributing to overcrowding in prisons, with over 75% of inmates being undertrials.
• It highlighted the stagnation in the effectiveness of bail law despite repeated guidelines, emphasising the need for separate legislation to mandate timelines for bail application disposal and uphold the principle of ‘bail not jail’.

Problems with India’s Bail System

• Lack of empirical data: No data exists to understand the factors impacting undertrial incarceration (bail application rates, acceptance/rejection rates, reasons for denial, etc.).
• Inadequate Safeguards Against Arbitrary Arrest: Effective safeguards against arbitrary arrest are lacking, particularly affecting disadvantaged groups at a higher risk due to socio-economic conditions.
  • Example: Data from the Fair Trial Programme in Yerwada and Nagpur prisons indicate that migrants, asset-less individuals, and those without family contact or with a history of incarceration are disproportionately affected.
• Bail Adjudication Practices: Courts’ discretionary power in bail grants often leads to stringent conditions or denial, especially for marginalised individuals, without transparent rationale.
  • Example: Conditions like cash bonds and proof of property ownership further alienate undertrials from marginalised backgrounds, contradicting the intent to ensure ‘bail not jail’.
• Challenges in Bail Compliance: Many undertrials remain incarcerated post bail grant due to the inability to meet onerous bail conditions, highlighting systemic issues in compliance facilitation.
  • Example: Factors such as lack of financial means, absence of local sureties, and navigational challenges in the legal system exacerbate the situation, requiring supportive interventions for vulnerable groups.
• Misguided Presumptions of the Bail System: The current bail system operates on flawed assumptions about the financial capabilities and social connections of arrested persons, undermining the principle of ‘bail not jail’.

Call for Reform

• A critical analysis is needed to understand the root causes of widespread undertrial incarceration, examining the rate of bail applications, acceptances, rejections, and the reasons behind them.
• The law’s impact should be evaluated against various factors such as demographics, offence categories, and socio-economic barriers, revealing its disproportionate burden on marginalised groups.
• Re-evaluation of pre assumptions is essential for reforming the bail law to ensure it serves its purpose without discriminating against economically and socially disadvantaged undertrials.
  • Without addressing the underlying assumptions and structural barriers within the bail system, any reform efforts risk being ineffective in resolving the crisis in India’s criminal justice system.

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Chakshu

Context: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in India introduced a new platform named Chakshu to allow telecom users to report spam or fraud calls.

More In News

• Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) was launched, providing a non-public data-sharing resource for entities like Telecom Service Providers, law enforcement agencies, banks, and financial institutions for security purposes.
• The new platform, ‘Chakshu’ and ‘DIP’ will be a part of the Sanchar Saathi portal and will allow for real-time intelligence-sharing among several stakeholders.
  • The portals will also contain information about the cases detected as misuse of telecom resources. This information could be useful to the stakeholders in their respective domains.
• Caller Name Presentation (CNP) was also launched which is a feature to help telecom users identify the registered names of callers.

What Is Chakshu?

• ‘Chakshu’ is a backend module meant for LEAs, banks, TSPs etc.
• Users can report frauds linked to various concerns, such as bank accounts, payments, SIM cards, connection issues, electricity, KYC updates, and identity theft, including impersonation of government officials or relatives.
• Chakshu will allow Indian citizens to report fraudulent communication–whether received on call or SMS or social media like WhatsApp.
  • Once such information is received, the platform will trigger re-verification, and failing re-verification the number will be disconnected.

China – Maldives Deal

Context: The Maldives and China have signed two military agreements, intensifying their bilateral relations amidst evolving dynamics in the Indian Ocean region.

About China-Maldives Military Agreements

• Military Assistance Pact: One agreement involves China providing military aid to the Maldives at no cost, signifying strengthened military and strategic ties.
  • The specific details of China’s military assistance have not been disclosed by the Maldives’ Defence Ministry.
• Research Vessel Agreement: Another deal pertains to the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3, suggesting potential influence on maritime research in the Indian Ocean.

Implications of Agreements

Changing Dynamics with India

• This comes weeks after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu set a deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from the island nation.
  • This marks a potential strategic shift in regional alliances.
• The Maldives’ geographical strategic importance as a maritime security and trade route hub is central to this pivot.

Global

• Geopolitical Impact: The agreements underscore a significant change in the geopolitical framework within the Indian Ocean, with expected extensive regional implications.
• Concerns over Transparency: There is local concern in the Maldives about the opaqueness of the military assistance provided by China.
  • The lack of public detail raises questions about the impact on Maldivian sovereignty and the potential for dependency issues similar to other countries involved with China.

Considerations for the Maldives

• Autonomy and Independence: The Maldives government’s inclination towards China requires careful consideration of the nation’s independence and broader regional politics.
  • Ensuring the Maldives’ national interests and autonomy is paramount amidst the new agreements with China.

Holistic Progress Cards

Context: The National Council for Education and Research Training (NCERT) introduced a new “holistic” report card.

About Holistic Progress Card

• Holistic Progress Card (HPC) involves feedback from parents, peers, and self-evaluation by students.
• PARAKH has developed the HPC for different educational stages.

Shift from Traditional Evaluation

• Moves away from traditional marks and grade-based evaluations.
• Aligned with National Curriculum Framework for School Education for a “learner-centric” approach.
• Aims to track students’ academic, cognitive, socio-emotional abilities, and creativity.

Features of the Holistic Progress Card

• Descriptive form of evaluation with student participation in the assessment process.
• Encourages students to self-reflect and assess peers.
• Assesses a wide range of skills including self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and problem-solving.

Critical Minerals

Context: India steps with respect to critical minerals aiming to secure resources necessary for its ambitious decarbonization goals.

Government Initiatives on Critical Minerals

• In July 2023, the Indian government identified 30 critical minerals separate from the rare earth elements defined in the periodic table.
• The mining laws were amended in November 2023, allowing private sector involvement in the auction of 20 blocks designated for critical minerals/rare earths extraction.

Defining Critical Minerals

• India’s list of critical minerals is based on their disruption potential, substitutability, extensive use across sectors, reliance on imports, and recycling rates.
• States and UTs with identified critical minerals include Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Importance of Critical Minerals

• Utility Across Industries: Beyond decarbonization, critical minerals are essential for manufacturing fertilizers, construction materials, industrial magnets, consumer electronics, and defence equipment.
  • Solar PV plants, wind farms, and electric vehicles all require significantly more minerals than fossil fuel-based systems.
• Demand for Clean Energy Technologies: The IEA has estimated that to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, over 40% of copper and rare earths, 60-70% of nickel and cobalt, and 90% of lithium demand will be for clean energy technologies by 2040.
  • Clean energy technology mineral demand is projected to quadruple by 2040 to meet climate goals.

Global Concentration of Resources

• Geographical Distribution: Australia controls 55% of the world’s lithium reserves, China possesses 60% of rare earths, the DRC commands 75% of cobalt production, Indonesia has 35% of nickel, and Chile owns 30% of copper reserves.
• China’s Market Influence: China monopolises the processing of 35% of the world’s nickel, 50-70% of lithium and cobalt, and nearly 90% of rare earth elements.
  • Chinese companies actively invest in mining resources globally, further extending their influence on the supply of critical minerals.

Response to China’s Dominance

• Formation of MSP: The MSP includes nations such as Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Japan, and South Korea, combining resources and processing technologies to counter China’s monopoly.
  • MSP’s strategy of “friend shoring” aims to move manufacturing from China to allied countries.

India’s Stance on Critical Minerals

Decarbonisation Ambitions

• India plans to establish 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030.
• Targets for electric vehicle adoption include 30% for private cars, 70% for commercial vehicles, and 80% for two/three-wheelers by 2030.

Reliance on Imports

• India is currently entirely dependent on imports for critical minerals.
• A bilateral agreement with Australia has been formed for joint exploration of lithium and cobalt.

Challenges Ahead

• India’s move towards decarbonization and net-zero by 2070 could be hindered by the lack of access to critical minerals.
• Developing the technology and processing capacity for these minerals might take an estimated 15 years or more, presenting potential obstacles to India’s energy transition goals.

Green Hydrogen

Context: The first green hydrogen project of the stainless steel sector in Hisar, Haryana has been set up by JSL in collaboration with Hygenco.

Green Hydrogen

• Hydrogen is the lightest element found in nature.
  • Water, fossil fuels, or biomass can all be used to produce hydrogen, which can then be separated and used as a fuel or source of energy.
  • It is more environmentally friendly as it does not produce carbon-dioxide (produced by combustion of fossil fuels) and thus does not contribute to climate change.
• Types of Hydrogen:
  • Grey Hydrogen is traditionally produced from methane (CH4), split with steam into carbon-dioxide (CO2, GreenHouse Gas) and hydrogen.
    • Grey hydrogen is increasingly being produced from coal, with significantly higher CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen  produced.
    • It has no energy transition value.
  • Blue Hydrogen follows the same process as grey. However,  the CO2 produced is captured and stored  for long term through suitable technology.
    • It is not possible to capture 100% of the CO2 produced and not all means of storing it are equally effective in the long term.
  • Turquoise Hydrogen is made using a process called methane pyrolysis to produce hydrogen and solid carbon. In the future, turquoise hydrogen may be valued as a low-emission hydrogen.
  • Green Hydrogen is defined as hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity.

Benefits of Green Hydrogen

• Net Zero Transition: The use of hydrogen in combustion has zero GHG emissions.
  • Since, renewable energy is used in producing the Green Hydrogen, the entire chain (production to consumption) has very low GHG emissions . Thus,  Green Hydrogen is vital to Net Zero transition.
  • It can be utilised to decarbonize the heavy industry, long  haul freight, shipping, and aviation sectors.
• Energy Storage Solution: Hydrogen is emerging as one of the leading options for storing energy from renewables.
  • Hydrogen-based fuels can potentially transport energy from renewables over long distances; from regions with abundant energy resources, to energy-consumption areas.
• Versatility: Green Hydrogen can be transformed into electricity or synthetic gas and used for commercial, industrial or mobility purposes.
• Availability of Water: Green Hydrogen can be produced from water which has abundant availability.

Examples And Case Studies For Value Edition

• State Government Initiative, Women Empowerment (GS1, GS3): Delhi Finance Minister Atishi announced the launch of ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana’ under which women above 18 will be given ₹1,000 monthly from the fiscal year 2024-25.
• Impact of climate change on Agriculture, Agriculture (GS3): An intense ‘western disturbance’ — a wave of moist winds from the Mediterranean region that impacts north India, causing hail and thunderstorms in the plains and heavy snowfall in higher Himalayas impacted up to 45% crop losses in some areas of North India.
• International Practice for Women Empowerment (GS1, GS3): France is the world’s first country to make Abortion as a constitutional right.
• Person in News: Usha Mehta has helped set up an underground radio station which led to the awakening of Quit India Movement.
  • The Quit India Movement was initiated on the 9th of August in 1942.
  • In those times, the British authorities detained more than a hundred thousand protesters to quell the uprising.
  • Amidst this dark time, the voice of Usha through the Congress Radio, broadcasting at a frequency of 42.34 metres, became a beacon of hope across India.

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