The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 2 Jan, 2023

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 31 December 2022

The 205th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle passed without incident as lakhs of Ambedkarites from across Maharashtra and the country congregated near the Ranstambh(victory pillar) at Perne village in Pune on Sunday under heavy security cover.
Crowds have been steadily milling in Bhima-Koregaon since Saturday evening to pay floral tributes to the bravery of the Mahar soldiers who fought against the Peshwa forces in the 1818 battle.

The Hindu Editorial Today

Facts:

A battle was fought in Bhima Koregaon between the Peshwa forces and the British on January 1, 1818.
The British army, which comprised mainly of Dalit soldiers, fought the upper caste-dominated Peshwa army. The British troops defeated the Peshwa army.
Babasaheb Ambedkar’s visit to the site on January 1, 1927, revitalised the memory of the battle for the Dalit community, making it a rallying point and an assertion of pride.

In August last year, Sharmila was among eleven women — nine from Haryana and one each from Rajasthan and Delhi — who joined the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) fleet of bus drivers.
They made headlines as the first batch under ‘Mission Parivartan’ — a joint venture of the Delhi government and automaker Ashok Leyland to induct women drivers for promoting women’s safety.
But nothing could brace them for the pitfalls that awaited them in a male-dominated field.

Today, two major powers — Russia and China — are trying, though in varying degrees, to undermine the global balance of power, with several regional powers such as Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in tow. Asia may be headed towards more global prominence, but instability will be its possessive partner.
There can be no meaningful Asian century in a unipolar world. One alternative to a unipolar world is a multipolar world with Russia, China, Japan, India and other, smaller powers asserting themselves on the global stage.
In the words of former Indian foreign secretary H.V. Shringla in 2021, “India values a multipolar international order, underpinned by international law, premised upon respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, resolution of international disputes through peaceful negotiations, and free and open access for all to the global commons”.
New Delhi has consistently campaigned for a multipolar world where key Asian powers have a place at the high table of international politics. Yet it may hesitate to engage the emergent Asian century for various reasons. For one, the Indian establishment has a deeply status quoist view of the world order despite its frequent calls for change.
Third, if a bipolar world leads to great power accommodation between the U.S. and China, India’s situation could be worse off.
Finally, there is little doubt that an Asian century will be a China-dominated one. China’s growing material power – both economic and military – is already paving the way for it, especially with the U.S.’s focus firmly entrenched in the Russia-Ukraine theatre.

Given the regional variations in demographic trends and economic opportunities, India has a high rate of migration, which doubled in the census decade of 2001-2011. Migrants often see their political and economic rights compromised at their place of origin and residence.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has now proposed a mechanism to facilitate remote voting for domestic migrants. The Remote Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) prototype can be used for up to 72 constituencies simultaneously from a single, remote polling booth.
Voter participation is comparatively high in India; yet, in 2019, one in three voters did not turn up. Going by the 2017 Economic Survey, there are around 14 crore internal migrants in the country, and they have to cross many hurdles to be able to vote.

The clash between Indian troops and the Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 and the recent altercation between troops at Yangtse in Arunachal Pradesh have served to highlight the lingering boundary dispute as well as the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC).
It is tempting to examine the parallels in India-China relations in the 1960s and the current situation along the LAC. Both situations concern the boundary question, although the focus in the 1950s was on the fundamental question of the “territorial dispute” involving the whole of Aksai Chin claimed by India and the whole of NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) claimed by China.
Today, however, with the Chinese firmly in occupation of Aksai Chin and India firm in guarding its territorial integrity in Arunachal Pradesh, the immediate issue has moved on to transgressions along the LAC.
The differences in the western sector (Ladakh) are no longer confined to Trig Heights in the Daulet Beg Oldie (DBO) area and Demchok in the south as was the case in earlier decades. The Depsang Bulge, Galwan, Pangong Lake and Hot Springs are areas where China is seeking to pressexpedient claims. Since the Galwan incident, the two sides have disengaged at multiple friction points even as military and diplomatic talks continue to find a way out of the impasse at Depsang and Demchok.
In the middle (central sector), the Barahoti pasture north of Chamoli in Uttarakhand has been at the centre of the dispute for the past seven decades.
In theeastern sector (Arunachal Pradesh), the international boundary and the LAC are defined by the 1914 McMahon Line, based on the watershed principle. Yet, China seeks to make inroads in the Tawang sector as well as other areas such as the Upper Subansiri region, and further,nearthe tri-junction with Myanmar.

In an effort to promote cultivation and consumption of millets on a larger scale, the Union government, with the help of various States and Indian embassies around the globe, has launched the International Year of Millets (IYM) on Sunday.
“Millets are important by virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world,” the Ministry said.
India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023 was approved by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2018 and the United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
This was adopted by a United Nations Resolution for which India took the lead and was supported by over 70 nations.
Millet is a collective term referring to a number of small-seeded annual grasses that are cultivated as grain crops, primarily on marginal lands in dry areas in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.
Some of the common millets available in India are Ragi (Finger millet), Jowar (Sorghum), Sama (Little millet), Bajra (Pearl millet), and Variga (Proso millet).
The earliest evidence for these grains has been found in Indus civilization and were one of the first plants domesticated for food.
It is grown in about 131 countries and is the traditional food for around 60 crore people in Asia & Africa.
India is the largest producer of millet in the world.
It Accounts for 20 % of global production and 80% of Asia’s production

Deepfakes are digital media – video, audio, and images edited and manipulated using Artificial Intelligence. It is basically hyper-realistic digital falsification.
The first case of malicious use of deepfake was detected in pornography. According to a sensity.ai, 96% of deepfakes are pornographic videos, with over 135 million views on pornographic websites alone. Deepfake pornography exclusively targets women. Pornographic deepfakes can threaten, intimidate, and inflict psychological harm. It reduces women to sexual objects causing emotional distress, and in some cases, lead to financial loss and collateral consequences like job loss.
Media literacy efforts must be enhanced to cultivate a discerning public. Media literacy for consumers is the most effective tool to combat disinformation and deepfakes.
We also need meaningful regulations with a collaborative discussion with the technology industry, civil society, and policymakers to develop legislative solutions to disincentivising the creation and distribution of malicious deepfakes.

National Mobile Monitoring Software application is unnecessarily complicating the lives of workers and is plagued by problems that are clearly eroding the right to work
While such an app may be useful in monitoring the attendance of workers who have fixed work timings, in most States, NREGA wages are calculated based on the amount of work done each day, and workers do not need to commit to fixed hours.
NREGA has historically had a higher proportion of women workers (54.7% in FY 2021-22) and has been pivotal in changing working conditions for women in rural areas.
A stable network is a must for real-time monitoring; unfortunately, it remains patchy in much of rural India. This could lead to workers not being able to mark their attendance, and consequently lose a day of wages.

Q) With reference to the Ahilyabai Holkar, consider the following statements:

She ruled in the Malwa region during the 18th century.
The Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram was a courtier of her dynasty.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

अहिल्याबाई होल्कर के संदर्भ में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिये:

उसने 18वीं शताब्दी के दौरान मालवा क्षेत्र में शासन किया था।
संस्कृत के विद्वान खुशाली राम उनके वंश के दरबारी थे।

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

केवल 1
केवल 2
1 और 2 दोनों
न तो 1 और न ही 2

Explanation :

Recently, the Maharashtra state government is planning to rename the city of Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, after the 18th century Malwa queen.

Who is Ahilyabai Holkar?

Ahilyabai (1725 -1795) was one of the women rulers of Medieval India who belongs to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire.
She married Khanderao Holkar in 1733 at the tender age of 8.
Her husband was killed in the battle of Kumbher in 1754.
Ahilyabai is famous for having built numerous forts and roads in the Malwa region, sponsoring festivals and offering donations to many Hindu temples. Her philanthropy was reflected in the construction of several temples, ghats, wells, tanks and rest houses stretching across the length of the country.
She welcomed stalwarts such as Marathi poet Moropant, Shahir Ananta Gandhi, and Sanskrit scholar Khushali Ram into her capital.
John Keay, the British historian, gave the queen the title of ‘The Philosopher Queen’. She had been an acute observer of the wider political scene.

Q) ‘Prahari App’ recently seen in the news aims to provide

personal and service-related information to BSF Jawans.
platform for reporting child labour
platform to submit sexual harassment at workplace
Digital health records of citizens

हाल ही में समाचारों में देखे गए ‘प्रहरी ऐप’ का उद्देश्य प्रदान करना है

बीएसएफ जवानों को व्यक्तिगत और सेवा संबंधी जानकारी।
बाल श्रम की रिपोर्टिंग के लिए मंच
कार्यस्थल पर यौन उत्पीड़न को प्रस्तुत करने के लिए मंच
नागरिकों का डिजिटल स्वास्थ्य रिकॉर्ड

Explanation :

Recently Union Home Minister launched ‘Prahari’ app for Border Security Force (BSF) Jawans.

About:

BSF ‘Prahari’ app is a great example of Proactive Governance, now Jawans can get personal and service related information, housing, Ayushman-CAPF and leave related information on their mobile.
Other features of the app include:
- Availability of Bio Data
- Grievance redressal on “Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System” (CP-GRAMS)
- information on various welfare schemes.
The app will also connect the Jawans with the portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Q) With reference to Triple test survey, consider the following statements:

Supreme Court mandated that in urban local body elections, reservation to OBCs should be provided on the basis of the triple test.
It needs to ensure that reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

ट्रिपल टेस्ट सर्वे के संदर्भ में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिये:

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने आदेश दिया कि शहरी स्थानीय निकाय चुनावों में ट्रिपल टेस्ट के आधार पर ओबीसी को आरक्षण दिया जाए.
यह सुनिश्चित करने की आवश्यकता है कि अनुसूचित जाति/अनुसूचित जनजाति/अन्य पिछड़ा वर्ग के लिए आरक्षण कुल सीटों के कुल 50 प्रतिशत से अधिक न हो।

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

केवल 1
केवल 2
1 और 2 दोनों
न तो 1 और न ही 2

The five-member commission will conduct a survey to ensure that the OBCs are provided reservation on the basis of the triple test, as mandated by the Supreme Court. This is the first time that the triple test exercise will be carried out in Uttar Pradesh.
Rapid survey:
- The Urban Development Department of the UP government had on April 7, 2017 issued orders to conduct a rapid survey for determining the population of OBCs.
- Based on such a rapid survey in each constituency of a municipality, seats were reserved in proportion to the population of the backward class of citizens in the constituency/ward concerned.

What is triple test?

The triple test requires the government to complete three tasks for finalisation of reservation to OBCs in the local bodies. These include:

To set up a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies;
To specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies in light of recommendations of the commission, so as not to fall foul of overbreadth;
To ensure reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats.

Q) With reference Indian National Congress (INC), consider the following statements:

AO Hume is credited as the founder of the organisation.
The first session of the INC was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस (INC) के संदर्भ में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिये:

एओ ह्यूम को संगठन के संस्थापक के रूप में श्रेय दिया जाता है।
कांग्रेस का पहला सत्र गोकुलदास तेजपाल संस्कृत कॉलेज, बॉम्बे में आयोजित किया गया था।

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

केवल 1
केवल 2
1 और 2 दोनों
न तो 1 और न ही 2

Explanation :

The Indian National Congress (INC), India’s largest opposition party, marked its 138th foundation day on December 28.

About:

How the Congress was founded?

The English bureaucrat Allan Octavian Hume or AO Hume is credited as the founder of the organisation.
On December 28, 1885, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the INC at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
At that point, the aim of this group was not to demand independence from the ongoing colonial rule but to influence the policies of the British government in favour of Indians.

Q) In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? (2020)

Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea
Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand
Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam
Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey

निम्नलिखित में से किस एक समूह में G20 के सभी चार देश सदस्य हैं? (2020)

इंडोनेशिया, जापान, सिंगापुर और दक्षिण कोरिया
ऑस्ट्रेलिया, कनाडा, मलेशिया और न्यूजीलैंड
ब्राजील, ईरान, सऊदी अरब और वियतनाम
अर्जेंटीना, मैक्सिको, दक्षिण अफ्रीका और तुर्की

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States) and the European Union. The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

Mains Practice Question:

Q) What are the present challenges before crop diversification? How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification? (150 words)

फसल विविधीकरण के सामने वर्तमान चुनौतियाँ क्या हैं? उभरती प्रौद्योगिकियां फसल विविधीकरण के लिए अवसर कैसे प्रदान करती हैं? (150 शब्द)