The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 15 December 2022

 

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 14 December 2022

• Six villagers have died in a suspected hooch tragedy in Saran district in dry Bihar, the district administration said on Wednesday. However, villagers told mediapersons that at least 20 people have died in several villages.
• Bihar has been a dry State since April 2016 under stringent laws. Official records show that about 170 people died in Bihar from January to November this year due to consumption of spurious liquor.

Constitution Provisions

• Article 47: State shall endeavor for the prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks and of drugs except for medicinal purposes.
• Article 21 (Right to life and liberty): Consumption of liquor leads to degradation of human dignity.
• Article 38: Function of the Republic is to secure socioeconomic justice.
• Legal status: Alcohol prohibition is a state subject with each state having full control of alcohol legislation, state excise rates and the organization of production and sale of alcohol.

The Hindu Editorial Today

• Two masked men threw acid on a 17-year-old girl, on her way to school, in west Delhi’s Dwarka Mor on Wednesday morning. The victim, who is admitted to Safdarjung Hospital’s burns ICU, has suffered 8% burns on her face, neck and eyes and is unable to speak or see properly, said sources.
• bought from an e-commerce portal through an e-wallet, on the victim’s face while Harshit was riding the motorcycle.
• Nine years have passed since the Supreme Court imposed a nationwide ban on over-the-counter sale of acid without a licence.
• Poisons Act, 1919
• In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court said that establishments selling acids will compulsorily require a licence to do so and have to be registered under the Poisons Act. It also outlined that owners of such shops must ask customers to furnish an ID proof and disclose the reason for buying the acid.
• “Corrosive substances are often bought for by the accused from small pharmacies and neighbourhood retail shops, which sell them without demanding an ID and valid reason for purchase. Drives against the errant sellers are carried out on regular intervals, but most retailers do it discreetly. Hence, it is difficult to identify all these people,” a senior police officer said.

• The District Tourism Promotion Council, Kozhikode has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famous Beypore Uru(boat).
• It is a wooden dhow (ship / sailing boat / sailing vessel) handcrafted by skilled artisans and carpenters in Beypore, Kerala. According to details provided by the District Tourism Promotion Council in its filing with the Geographical Indications Registry here in Chennai, the Beypore Urusare a symbol of Kerala’s trade relations and friendship with the Gulf countries.
• Records quoted in the filing show that Beypore has been a legendary maritime hub for traders from across the world since the 1st Century C.E. and the iconic Uruships have been in high demand for around 2,000 years.
• About:
  • Geographical Indication (GI) is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
  • The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
  • It is governed and directed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
    • It was decided and also stated under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention that the protection of industrial Property and Geographical Indication are elements of Intellectual Property.
  • It is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods).
• Validity:
  • This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.

• India unveiled its long-term climate action plan at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November. While the document titled ‘Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LT-LCDS)’ has multi-sectoral measures to reach a net-zero emissions status, climate-resilient urbanisation forms a cornerstone of the Government of India’s strategy under the Paris Agreement.
• This three-pronged and long-term plan for urban areas focuses on adaptation and resource efficiency in urban planning, climate-responsive and climate-resilient buildings, and municipal service delivery.
• Cities need effective and efficient planning instruments that translate master plans into transformative business-ready investment projects.
• The urban transport sector is among the key contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• In the case of Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), for example, they make up for 19% of the city’s GHG emissions. Bhopal favours non-motorised transport (NMT) with a 43% NMT modal share but provides access to public bike docking stops to only 24% of its population; only half of its streets have footpaths.
• Residential areas with at least 10% of land area under open space and parks were found to be at least 1.25°C cooler than neighbourhoods with less green pockets.

• Another attempted transgression by the Chinese military, this time in the Tawang sector in the eastern section of the India-China boundary, has served a reminder of the precarious state of affairs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• Addressing it will require, as a first step, transparency, and taking the Opposition and public along on an issue far too important to be led by apparent considerations over optics.
• A resumption of dialogue will, at the very least, allow India to convey its concerns at the highest level.

• At the core of India’s energy transformation is its bet on solar power. Based on a commitment to address the global climate crisis, India has promised to source nearly half its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and, in the shorter term, source at least 60% of its renewable energy from solar power.
• in 2014, the Centre announced the ‘Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Power Projects’ policy to facilitate the creation of large parks.
• The roadblocks, in the Centre’s estimate, have been challenges in acquiring land with a clear title, setting up infrastructure necessary to transmit power produced at these parks to the grid and, in an unusual disclosure, “environmental issues” in Rajasthan and Gujarat, where projects have been halted because their transmission lines encroach upon the habitat of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.

• Challenges before inclusive digital economy, digital currencies and global economic factors were discussed during the first meeting of the G-20 ‘Finance Track’ in Bengaluru on December 13 and 14.
• The meeting included segments on inflation, monetary policy, commodities crisis that intensified after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, sustainable development goals and global public goods like climate, urban planning, and international taxation.

What is the Unique Identification Authority of India?

• Statutory Authority: The UIDAI is a statutory authority established on 12th July 2016 by the Government of India under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016.
• The UIDAI was initially set up by the Government of India in January 2009, as an attached office under the aegis of the Planning Commission.
• Mandate: The UIDAI is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to all the residents of India.

About PFMS:

• It was previously known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS).
• It is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.
• Objective: To facilitate a sound Public Financial Management System for the Government of India (GoI) by establishing an efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.
• Coverage: At present, the ambit of PFMS coverage includes Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes as well as other expenditures including the Finance Commission Grants.

Establishment:

• The Public Accounts Committee was introduced in 1921 after its first mention in the Government of India Act, 1919 also called Montford Reforms.
• The Public Accounts Committee is now constituted every year under Rule 308 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

Appointment:

• The Chairman of the Committee is appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
• It is to be noted that the Committee, not being an executive body, can only make decisions that are advisory by nature.

Members:

• It presently comprises 22 members (15 members elected by the Lok Sabha Speaker, and 7 members elected by the Rajya Sabha Chairman) with a term of one year only.

• Scientists in the United Kingdom testing a new form of cancer therapy, reported success in a teenaged girl, Alyssia, with a form of cancer called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
• In this form of blood cancer, the T-cells, which are a class of white blood cells, equipped to hunt and neutralise threats to the body, turn against the body and end up destroying healthy cells that normally help with immunity. The disease is rapid and progressive and is usually treated by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
• Alyssia was the first to receive experimental gene therapy that relied on a new technique called ‘base editing.’
• A person’s genetic code is several permutations of four bases: Adenine (A), Guanin (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T). Sequences of these bases, akin to letters in the alphabet, spell out genes that are instructions to produce the wide array of proteins necessary for the body’s functions.
• Inspired by how certain bacteria defend themselves against viruses, by snipping out and storing pieces of their genes, the CRISPR-cas 9 system, consists of an enzyme that acts like molecular scissors.
• The objective of the gene therapy in the case of T-cell leukamia was to fix her immune system in a way that it stops making cancerous T-cells. First, healthy T-cells were extracted from a donor and put through a series of edits.

• India’s exports declined about 16.7% in October compared with the year-earlier period. This is the first slide reported for any month since February 2021.
• The monthly Finance Ministry review for October states that the global slowdown is driven by a ‘confluence of stubbornly high inflation, rising borrowing costs and geopolitical tensions’.
• One seemingly positive signal for the economy is that the private sector capital expenditure is on track to touch six lakh crore this fiscal.
• India’s Forex Reserve include:
  • Foreign Currency Assets
  • Gold reserves
  • Special Drawing Rights
  • Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

• Last month, a United Nations population survey estimated that a milestone may be passed in 2023. For the first time in over two millennia, China will not be the most populous society on earth. Instead India will have the largest population, and China will be second.
• China has other number 2 rankings which may raise its standing, such as the second largest economy in the world. It is not second to India but the U.S.
• This is a reminder of how far the two Asian giants have come since their moments of profound political change in the late 1940s: independence for India in 1947, and the victory of the Chinese Communist Party and establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.

Q) Consider following statement regarding Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation :

1. The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation is the world’s second-largest multilateral body after the UN.
2. It was established by the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969.

Which of the above statements is/are Incorrect?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

इस्लामिक सहयोग संगठन के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें:

1. इस्लामिक सहयोग संगठन संयुक्त राष्ट्र के बाद दुनिया का दूसरा सबसे बड़ा बहुपक्षीय निकाय है।
2. इसकी स्थापना सितंबर 1969 में मोरक्को में आयोजित पहले इस्लामिक शिखर सम्मेलन द्वारा की गई थी।

उपरोक्त में से कौन सा/से कथन गलत है/हैं?

1. केवल 1
2. केवल 2
3. 1 और 2 दोनों
4. न तो 1 और न ही 2

• About:
  • The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation is the world’s second-largest multilateral body after the UN.
  • It was established by the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969.
  • It was known as the Organisation of Islamic Conference until 2011
• Objective:
  • To safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.
• Members:
  • As of now, 57 members, all of them are Islamic countries or Muslim majority members.
  • The Central African Republic, Russia, Thailand, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and the unrecognised Turkish Cypriot “state”, have Observer status.

Q) Consider following statement :

1. The Constitution declares Delhi as the seat of the Supreme Court.
2. Constitution also authorises the chief justice of India to appoint other place or places as seat of the Supreme Court.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

निम्नलिखित कथन पर विचार करें:

1. संविधान दिल्ली को सर्वोच्च न्यायालय की सीट घोषित करता है।
2. संविधान अन्य को नियुक्त करने के लिए भारत के मुख्य न्यायाधीश को भी अधिकृत करता है सर्वोच्च न्यायालय की सीट के रूप में स्थान या स्थान।

उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं?

1. केवल 1
2. केवल 2
3. 1 और 2 दोनों
4. न तो 1 और न ही 2

• The Constitution declares Delhi as the seat of the Supreme Court. But, it also authorises the chief justice of India to appoint other place or places as seat of the Supreme Court.
• He can take decision in this regard only with the approval of the President. This provision is only optional and not compulsory.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index(CPI).

1. WPI pertains to only goods, not services.
2. RBI considers WPI as the main metric for the purpose of setting monetary policy.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

थोक मूल्य सूचकांक (WPI) और उपभोक्ता मूल्य सूचकांक (CPI) के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें।

1. WPI का संबंध केवल वस्तुओं से है, सेवाओं से नहीं।
2. RBI मौद्रिक नीति निर्धारित करने के उद्देश्य से WPI को मुख्य मीट्रिक मानता है।

उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं?

1. केवल 1
2. केवल 2
3. 1 और 2 दोनों
4. न तो 1 और न ही 2

• While the Consumer Price Index-based retail inflation — the more widely tracked policy tool — looks at the price at which the consumer buys goods, the WPI tracks prices at the wholesale, or factory gate/mandi levels. Between the wholesale price and the retail price, the difference essentially is the former only tracks basic prices devoid of transportation cost, taxes and the retail margin etc. And that WPI pertains to only goods, not services.
• So, the WPI basically captures the average movement of wholesale prices of goods and is primarily used as a GDP deflator (the ratio of the value of goods an economy produces in a particular year at current prices to that of prices that prevailed during the base year).
• In recent years, the WPI and CPI have shown a degree of dissonance, given that the WPI has a higher weight of manufactured goods and the CPI has a greater constitution of food items.
• WPI numbers are not the RBI’s main metric for the purpose of setting monetary policy.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Inflation Targeting

1. Inflation targeting revolves around adjusting monetary policy to achieve a specified annual rate of inflation.
2. The principle of inflation targeting is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, and price stability is achieved by controlling inflation.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

मुद्रास्फीति लक्ष्यीकरण के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें

1. मुद्रास्फीति का लक्ष्य निर्धारित वार्षिक मुद्रास्फीति दर प्राप्त करने के लिए मौद्रिक नीति को समायोजित करने के इर्द-गिर्द घूमता है।
2. मुद्रास्फीति लक्ष्यीकरण का सिद्धांत इस विश्वास पर आधारित है कि मूल्य स्थिरता बनाए रखने से दीर्घकालिक आर्थिक विकास सर्वोत्तम रूप से प्राप्त होता है, और मुद्रास्फीति को नियंत्रित करके मूल्य स्थिरता प्राप्त की जाती है।

उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं?

1. केवल 1
2. केवल 2
3. 1 और 2 दोनों
4. न तो 1 और न ही 2

What Is Inflation Targeting?

• Inflation targeting is a central banking policy that revolves around adjusting monetary policy to achieve a specified annual rate of inflation.
• The principle of inflation targeting is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, and price stability is achieved by controlling inflation.
• As a strategy, inflation targeting views the primary goal of the central bank as maintaining price stability.

Q) Which of the following institutions are known as Bretton Woods Institutions.

1. World Trade Organization(WTO)
2. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
3. World Bank

Select the correct answer code:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा संस्थान ब्रेटन वुड्स संस्थान के रूप में जाना जाता है।

1. विश्व व्यापार संगठन (डब्ल्यूटीओ)
2. अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मुद्रा कोष (आईएमएफ)
3. विश्व बैंक

सही उत्तर कूट का चयन करें:

1. 1, 2
2. 1, 3
3. 2, 3
4. 1, 2, 3

• The Bretton Woods Institutions are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They were set up at a meeting of countries in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA in July 1944. Their aims were to help rebuild the shattered post-war economy and to promote international economic cooperation.

Mains Practice Question:

Q) “Poor soil management will erode food security”. Explain (150 words)

“खराब मिट्टी प्रबंधन खाद्य सुरक्षा को नष्ट कर देगा”। समझाना (150 शब्द)

Introduction:

• The consequences of the irreparable damage by soil degradation on human and healthy ecosystems can affect the government’s food security efforts for sustainable future.

Body:

Why is soil important?

• Healthy soils are essential for our survival.
• They support healthy plant growth to enhance both our nutrition and water percolation to maintain groundwater levels.
• Soils help to regulate the planet’s climate by storing carbon and are the second largest carbon sink after the oceans.
• They help maintain a landscape that is more resilient to the impacts of droughts and floods.

What is soil degradation?

• Soil degradation is the physical, chemical and biological decline in soil quality.
• It can be the loss of organic matter, decline in soil fertility, and structural condition.
• Today, nutrient loss and pollution significantly threaten soils, and thereby undermine nutrition and food security globally.
• The main drivers contributing to soil degradation are industrial activities, mining, waste treatment, agriculture, fossil fuel extraction and processing and transport emissions.
• The reasons behind soil nutrient loss range from soil erosion, runoff, leaching and the burning of crop residues.
• Soil degradation in some form or another affects around 29% of India’s total land area.
• Nearly 3.7 million hectares suffer from nutrient loss in soil (depletion of soil organic matter, or SOM).

Conclusion:

• As consumers and citizens, we can contribute by planting trees to protect topsoil, developing and maintaining home/kitchen gardens, and consuming foods that are mainly locally sourced and seasonal.

Mains Practice Question:

Q) “The conflict between agreement and disagreement is the first and foremost sign of a healthy democracy”, Analyse the statement. (150 words)

“सहमति और असहमति के बीच संघर्ष एक स्वस्थ लोकतंत्र की पहली और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण निशानी है”, इस कथन का विश्लेषण कीजिए। (150 शब्द)

 

JEE Main 2023 Notification

 

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