The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 22 December 2022

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 21 December 2022

• The BF.7 variant of coronavirus, belived to be linked to the surge in COVID-19 cases in China, was identified in India as far back as July.
• Four instances of the Omicron subvariant was genome-sequenced in Gujarat and Odisha in the subsequent months, but it was not linked to increased severity or infectiousness in the two States, two officials who were part of a meeting convened by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said.
• With the rise in cases in China triggering a global alarm, Mr. Mandaviya had convened a meeting of senior officials in the government and the National COVID-19 Task Force to assess the situation in India.

The Hindu Editorial Today

• Lalbazar, on the boundary with Jharkhand, is becoming a hub for dokra metalcraft.
• “Dokra is an ancient tradition; its documented history is about 5,000 years old. Making dokra art is a difficult process. Each figurine takes about a month to make.
• There are many processes involved, for which seven or eight varieties of clay are required, apart from other raw material. What works in our favour is that the raw materials, including the metal, are easily available here [in Lalbazar],” he said.

• About:
  • It is the harshest winter period in Kashmir starting from 21st December to 29th January every year.
  • Chillai Kalan is a Persian term that means ‘major cold’.
  • Chillai-Kalan is followed by a 20-day long Chillai Khurd (small cold) that occurs between January 30 and February 18 and a 10-days long Chillai Bachha (baby cold) which is from February 19 to February 28.
  • The 40-day period brings a lot of hardships for Kashmiris as the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake here.
  • During these 40 days, the chances of snowfall are the highest and the maximum temperature drops considerably. The minimum temperature in the Valley hovers below the freezing point.

• The subject of the spiralling costs of cancer medicines and their implications that have frequently been highlighted the world over were dwelled on in a recent report (“Cancer Care Plan and Management”) by the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Health.
• This situation has arisen, according to the Committee, because “even average out of pocket spending on cancer care is too high” and that “spending for cancer care in private facilities is about three times that of public facilities”. The Committee has, thus, highlighted the seriousness of problems concerning the treatment of cancer, the estimated incidence of which in India was nearly 1.4 million in 2020.
• A month’s treatment using these drugs could range between ₹48,000 and ₹95,000 and the patient is expected to take one of these medicines for the rest of her life.
• The first is the argument advanced by the large pharmaceutical companies — that they spend over $3 billion in bringing a new molecule to the market, which they must recoup in order to remain in the market for innovation.
• A second factor that allows the companies to sustain their high profit margins is intellectual property protection.
• The most obvious option is to authorise Indian companies to domestically produce high-priced cancer medicines, including those mentioned above, by granting compulsory licences (CLs) in keeping with Sections 84 and 92 of the Patents Act.
• Alternatively, the Government can invoke provisions of Section 100, which empowers it to authorise any entity to use a patented invention without the authorisation of the patent holder.

• Every year, Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary on December 22 is commemorated as National Mathematics Day.

About Srinivasa Ramanujan:

• Born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode,Tamil Nadu and died on 26th April 1920 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India.
• In 1903 he secured a scholarship to the University of Madras but lost it the following year because he neglected all other subjects in pursuit of mathematics.
• In 1911 Ramanujan published the first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society.
• In 1913 he began a correspondence with the British mathematician Godfrey H. Hardy which led to a special scholarship from the University of Madras and a grant from Trinity College, Cambridge.
• In 1918 he was elected to the Royal Society of London.
• Ramanujan was one of the youngest members of Britain’s Royal Society and the first Indian to be elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge University.
• Formulas and Equations:
  • Ramanujan compiled around 3,900 results consisting of equations and identities. One of his most treasured findings was his infinite series for Pi.
  • He gave several formulas to calculate the digits of Pi in many unconventional ways.
• Ramanujan’s Book:
  • One of Ramanujan’s notebooks was discovered by George Andrews in 1976 in the library at Trinity College. Later the contents of this notebook were published as a book.
• Ramanujan number:
  • 1729 is known as the Ramanujan number.
  • It is the smallest number which can be expressed as the sum of two different cubes in two different ways.
  • 1729 is the sum of the cubes of 10 and 9 – cube of 10 is 1000 and cube of 9 is 729 adding the two numbers results in 1729.
  • 1729 is also the sum of the cubes of 12 and 1, cube of 12 is 1728 and cube of 1 is 1 adding the two results in 1729.

• The big lesson for India is to not only establish the prevalent coronavirus variants but also whether the administered vaccines continue to be efficacious.
• While most of the vaccines administered in India are Covishield, and thus of the spike protein, it may be time to accommodate for changes in the virus.
• The sequencing of strains by INSACOG should not remain an academic exercise.

• In its latest outrageous decision, the Taliban regime has announced a ban on female students studying in universities. The “cabinet” meeting decision is one in a series that wipes out the many societal gains since 2001, the last time the Taliban was in power.
• These decrees include banning Afghan schoolgirls from studying above grade six, job restrictions and a ban on women at gyms and public parks, with public floggings for those travelling without male relatives chaperoning them.
• In effect, a regime that is growing crueller and less rational by the day, wants about half the country’s population out of public sight.

• Article 324 of the Constitution is the fountainhead that creates the ECI.
• While commending the adoption of the Constitution to the CA on November 25, 1949, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, “However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution.”
• One major weakness in the system(s) of appointments of the ECs proposed so far is that they all perpetuate the bureaucratisation of the ECI, which is not even hinted at in the Constitution anywhere.
• Two visible manifestations of this are the so-called elevation of ECs to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), and the tenures of ECs and CEC.

• Who has the power to modify the list of notified STs?
  • The Constitution empowers the President to specify the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in various states and union territories. Further, it permits Parliament to modify this list of notified STs.
• Definition of STs:
  • The Constitution does not define the criteria for recognition of Scheduled Tribes.
  • However, Article 366(25) of the Constitution only provides process to define Scheduled Tribes: “Scheduled Tribes means such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this Constitution.”
  • Article 342(1): The President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor, by a public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within tribes or tribal communities as Scheduled Tribe in relation to that State or Union Territory.
• The Bill will include Binjhia community and synonyms for several other tribes on the State’s ST list
• What is the Process of Inclusion in the ST List?
  • Recommendation from State:
  • The process to include tribes in the ST list begins with recommendations from the respective State governments, which are then sent to the Tribal Affairs Ministry, which reviews and sends them to the Registrar General of India for approval.
  • Approval from NCST: This is followed by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) approval before the list is sent to the Cabinet for a final decision.
  • President’s Assent: The final decision rests with the President (under Articles 342).
  • The inclusion of any community in the STs comes into effect only after the President assents to a Bill amending the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

• Economic growth not robust enough to withstand excessive monetary tightening, held Varma in voting against the 35 basis points repo rate increase at the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee’s December meeting, the minutes show.
• The Reserve Bank of India could ill afford to opt for a “premature pause in monetary policy action” as it would prove costly at a time when there was ‘stickiness in core inflation’, Governor Shaktikanta Das stressed at the Monetary Policy Committee’s meeting earlier this month, the minutes show.

Q) Which of the following reports are published by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)?

1. World Investment Report
2. Digital Economy Report
3. Trade and Development Report
4. Global Economic Prospects report

Select the correct answer code:

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

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD):
• UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
• It is part of the UN Secretariat. It reports to the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, but has its own membership, leadership, and budget. It is also a part of the United Nations Development Group.
• Objectives and roles:
• It supports developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively. Along with other UN departments and agencies, it also measures the progress made in the Sustainable Development Goals, as set out in Agenda 2030.
• Reports published by UNCTAD are:
• Trade and Development Report
• World Investment Report
• Technology and Innovation Report
• Digital Economy Report

Q) The principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’, often talked about in media, refers to

1. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
2. contributions to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations
3. contributions to the International Monetary Fund
4. none of the above

• Explanation:
• The principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC) establishes the common responsibility of states for the protection of the global environment. But in addition it also lays down different standards of conduct for developed and developing nations.

Q) Which one of the following best describes the term “greenwashing:”?

1. Conveying a false impression that a company’s products are eco-friendly and environmentally sound
2. Non-Inclusion of ecological/ environmental costs in the Annual Financial Statements of a country
3. Ignoring the disastrous ecological consequences while undertaking infrastructure development
4. Making mandatory provisions for environmental costs in a government project/programme

• Explanation:
• Greenwashing involves making an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than they actually do.

Q) Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Mormugao’, that was in the news recently?

1. Amphibious warfare submarine
2. Nuclear-powered submarine
3. Stealth guided-missile destroyers
4. Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

• Explanation:
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao was commissioned recently. It is the 2nd warship of the P15B class of stealth guided-missile destroyers
  • Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL)
  • Named after: It has been named after a key port in Goa which was commissioned a day before the Goa Liberation Day celebrations
  • A ship ‘class’ describes a group of vessels of similar tonnage, usage, capabilities, and weaponry.
  • Other upcoming ships of this class: Imphal, and Surat

Q) Tons, Giri and Baghain are

1. Right bank tributaries of Yamuna
2. Right bank tributaries of Brahmaputra
3. Left bank tributaries of Yamuna
4. Left bank tributaries of Brahmaputra

• Explanation:
• Tributaries of Yamuna
• Left: Hindon, Hanuman Ganga, Sasur Khaderi
• Right: Tons, Giri, Baghain, Chambal, Betwa, Sindh, Ken of Brahmaputra

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