The Hindu Newspaper Analysis 9 May, 2023

The Hindu Newspaper Analysis for UPSC

The “re-naming” of disputed territories has been a long-held tactic of the Chinese government, and this is the third batch of “re-naming” with reference to Arunachal Pradesh.
More significantly, it is not the first provocative act of Chinese provenance in recent months.
Ever since the unresolved stand-off at Galwan in June 2020, there has been no serious attempt by Beijing at a resolution, let alone a restoration of the status quo ante, while several instances of further provocation have occurred from the Chinese side.
As a one-party state, China does not have to worry about public approval, but the Chinese Communist Party has shored up its domestic credibility by valorising its international image.

There is much significance to India having hosted a two-day global Buddhist summit in New Delhi (April 20-21), which was organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation. The summit saw the participation of key figures from the global Buddhist community, including the Dalai Lama.
The Indian government has been actively investing in its Buddhist diplomacy efforts, with a focus on promoting tourism through the development of the “Buddhist tourist circuit”.
Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Mr. Modi said, “India has not given ‘Yuddha’ to the world but ‘Buddha’.”
During the Cold War, China effectively used Buddhist diplomacy to engage with its neighbouring countries, and it continues to employ this approach to gain legitimacy for its Belt and Road Initiative.
India recognises the importance of Buddhism as a means of conducting public diplomacy and has utilised it to its advantage. However, to maintain its edge over China, more action is needed.
The key teachings of Buddha include the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.Four noble truths:
- Suffering (dukkha) is the essence of the world.
- Every suffering has a cause – Samudya.
- Suffering could be extinguished – Nirodha.
- It can be achieved by following the Atthanga Magga (Eight-Fold Path).
The Maoist space is constantly shrinking. However, treating this incident as an act of desperation would be an exercise in complacency. Delving deep into the roots of this festering wound would be the key to success.
The incident calls for a deeper reflection on the discontent and dispossession of the tribal people of central India, who are in all respects the most disadvantaged of citizens.
The government also needs to pay adequate attention to perception management. A case in point is the extensive road construction projects in Bastar.
The government says these projects will enhance the reach of the security forces instead of saying that they will ease the lives of the local population. This conveys the wrong message. Also, the futility of the Maoist ideology in current times is not adequately exposed, to weaken the insurgency.
Security is no doubt necessary, in tandem with development, but the focus needs to be beyond security and development.
Five more cheetahs — three females and two males — will be released from the acclimatisation camps to “free-roaming conditions at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh before the onset of monsoon in June, the Union Environment Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The statement was based on a report submitted by an expert committee to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is the nodal body for Project Cheetah. The committee members visited the KNP on April 30 and reviewed the current status of Project Cheetah.
Twenty cheetahs have been brought from Namibia and South Africa since September 2022 as part of a translocation programme to reintroduce the wild cat into Indian habitat. As part of their acclimatisation, the animals were housed in special enclosures. However, two of them died — one of kidney infection and the other of heart failure, following a strenuous hunt.
About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
It was established in 2006 under Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

Objectives:

Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves by providing a basis for MoU with States within the federal structure.
Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
NTCA Members:
Minister in charge of MoEFCC (as Chairperson),
Minister of State in MoEFCC (as Vice-Chairperson),
three members of Parliament, the Secretary (MoEFCC), and other members.
A low pressure area, a precursor to a cyclone, has formed over the south-eastern Bay of Bengal and this would likely morph into a cyclone tomorrow, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
Cyclone Mocha, though it is yet to be formally named so, is likely to rage along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and head north towards Bangladesh and Myanmar.
As of now, it is expected to eventually grow into a very severe cyclonic storm. In the five-step classification of cyclones, the relatively weakest is classified as a cyclonic storm (65-68 kmph) and the strongest a super cyclonic storm (>222 kmph). A severe cyclonic storm (89-117 kmph) is just one step above a cyclonic storm.
On April 25, Abbot, a multinational pharmaceutical company, published a public notice in newspapers alerting people about a mislabelled batch of medicine that it had inadvertently shipped to the market.
While such recalls take place regularly in the U.S., we have never witnessed domestic or foreign pharmaceutical companies recall substandard or mislabelled drugs in India.
In 1976, the Drugs Consultative Committee, which consists of all the state drug controllers along with senior bureaucrats from the Ministry of Health and the national drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), discussed the issue of drug recalls.

Q) ‘Project Dantak’, is an overseas project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in which one of the following countries?

Nepal
Bhutan
Myanmar
Bangladesh

‘प्रोजेक्ट दंतक’, निम्नलिखित में से किस देश में सीमा सड़क संगठन (बीआरओ) की एक विदेशी परियोजना है?

नेपाल
भूटान
म्यांमार
बांग्लादेश

About Project Dantak:

Project Dantak is an overseas project of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under the Ministry of Defence of India.
It was established on 24 April 1961 as a result of an agreement between Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan and then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru.
It is primarily focused on developing infrastructure and providing connectivity in remote areas of Bhutan.
It was tasked to construct the pioneering motorable roads in Bhutan.
It completed the road connecting Samdrup Jongkhar to Trashigang in 1968. In the same year, Thimphu was connected to Phuentsholing by Dantak.
Some other notable projects executed by the project include the construction of Paro Airport, Yonphula Airfield, Thimphu – Trashigang Highway, Telecommunication & Hydro Power Infrastructure, Sherubtse College, Kanglung and India House Estate.
The project recruits local workers from Bhutan as well as Indian workers from adjoining districts along the India-Bhutan border.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Black Sea Grain Initiative:

It was set up to resume vital food and fertilizer exports from Russia to the rest of the world.
It was brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

काला सागर अनाज पहल के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें:

इसकी स्थापना रूस से शेष विश्व के लिए महत्वपूर्ण खाद्य और उर्वरक निर्यात को फिर से शुरू करने के लिए की गई थी।
यह संयुक्त राष्ट्र और तुर्की द्वारा रूस और यूक्रेन के बीच मध्यस्थता की गई थी।

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

About Black Sea Grain Initiative:

It was set up to resume vital food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world.
It was brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey.
The initiative allowed exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, to resume through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor from three key Ukrainian ports: Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, to the rest of the world.
Joint Coordination Centre (JCC):
A JCC was established to monitor the implementation of the Initiative.
JCC Centre is hosted in Istanbul and includes representatives from Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Nations.
The UN acts as the Secretariat for the Centre.
Procedure:
Vessels wishing to participate in the Initiative will undergo inspection off Istanbul to ensure they are empty of cargo.
They then sail through the maritime humanitarian corridor to Ukrainian ports to load.
The corridor is monitored 24/7 to ensure the safe passage of vessels.
Vessels on the return journey will also be inspected at the inspection area off Istanbul.

Q) Consider the following statements regarding Article 355 of the Indian Constitution:

It empowers the central government to take all necessary steps to protect a state against internal disturbances and external aggression
It is a part of emergency provisions contained in Part XV of the Constitution of India.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

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

भारतीय संविधान के अनुच्छेद 355 के संबंध में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें:

यह केंद्र सरकार को आंतरिक गड़बड़ी और बाहरी आक्रमण के खिलाफ राज्य की रक्षा के लिए सभी आवश्यक कदम उठाने का अधिकार देता है
यह भारत के संविधान के भाग XV में निहित आपातकालीन प्रावधानों का एक हिस्सा है।

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

About Article 355 of the Indian Constitution:

It is a part of emergency provisions contained in Part XVIII of the Constitution of India, from Article 352 to 360.
It empowers the central government to take all necessary steps to protect a state against internal disturbances and external aggression.
This article empowers the Centre to take necessary steps to protect a state from any kind of threat, be it internal or external.
The provision is designed to ensure that the government can act swiftly and decisively in the event of any disturbance or threat to the peace and security of the country.
Exact definition:
The exact definition of Article 355 in the Constitution of India is, “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

Q) World Environment Day 2023, is celebrated every year on:

June 5
May 29
April 25
July 23

विश्व पर्यावरण दिवस 2023, हर साल मनाया जाता है:

5 जून
29 मई
25 अप्रैल
23 जुलाई

Explanation :

This year, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India envisages to celebrate the World Environment Day 2023 with a thrust on the Mission LiFE.

Objective of the day: World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment.
Date of observance: Every year on 5th of June.
Why June 5? To mark the first day of The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment which was held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16 in 1972.
First year of observance of WED: In 1974 the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”.
The theme for World Environment Day on 5 June 2023 will focus on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.