Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• The lesson from a court appointment drama
• The fine print in the Indo-US pact, iCET

GS Paper 3

• A Nordic-India connect to power a green transition
• The role of labour unions in emerging sectors
• Counting the Female Labour Force Participation Rate accurately
• Our unique EV transition is a leadership opportunity
• All governments are crony capitalists
• Quake Up Call – Turkiye, Syria impact magnified by poor construction. India must ensure building codes are followed

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Explained | The status and proceeds of disinvestment
• ADSI Report 2021 – Student suicides in India at a five-year high, majority from Maharashtra: NCRB data
• Wildlife Institute of India working on vaccine to reduce ‘vermin’ populations, awaits further funding
• Third source of natural quasicrystals preserves their reputation for violent origins
• What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies?
• The sacred Shaligram: 140 mn-year-old stones to be used for the idol of Lord Ram in Ayodhya

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

The lesson from a court appointment drama

News– Differences are emerging between higher judiciary and the political executive over the power to appoint judges to the judges of higher courts.

What is the recent controversy related to judicial appointments?

The appointment of L. Victoria Gowri to the Madras High Court has created controversy. She is alleged to be engaged in hate speech against Muslims and Christians.

A petition was filed in SC on this matter. The legal challenge to her appointment was rejected by the court.

What are structural problems with the process of judicial appointments?

The first problem is opacity. In other countries, the names of the judicial candidates are publicly known before the formal commencement of the selection process.

In such a scenario, facts, such as Ms. Victoria Gowri’s statements would come to light. They  would be known to the selection bodies.

In India, the candidate’s name is effectively made public after their selection by the collegium. The selection process is behind closed doors. The parties involved are the collegium and the government .

This has an effect on transparency. The government can simply withhold relevant information from the collegium .This can create a situation like the present one.

What are issues related to judicial review of appointments of judges?

Once a collegium recommendation has been made, the only way of contesting it is through a legal challenge before the Supreme Court. It leads to a set of awkward situations.

The decision of the collegium must be challenged before their own junior colleagues. These colleagues will be assigned the case by the CJI.

The judges insisted that the only question they could consider in judicial review was L. Victoria Gowri’s eligibility and not suitability.

It is problematic due to structural opacity of the collegium. It benefits the political executive. The government can influence the materials on the basis of which the collegium determines “suitability”.

What is the way forward to improve the appointment process?

In South Africa, the judicial appointments commission are subjected to judicial review. The courts have directed the commission to make their deliberations public.

There is a need for a degree of separation between the judicial appointments commission and the court. This will create a system of checks and balances, and a corrective mechanism in case of mistakes and errors.

There is an appointment process that genuinely safeguards judicial independence from executive dominance.

The fine print in the Indo-US pact, iCET

News: Recently, India’s National Security Advisor held talks with the US counterpart on the first dialogue on the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in the US.

What is the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET)?

About Indo-US “strategic partnership” in the past

Both countries signed a) “Next Steps in Strategic Partnership” in 2004; b) “Defence Framework Agreement” in 2005, c) “Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement” in 2008 and d) all four key “foundational agreements”.

Both nations also launched the “Defence Technology and Trade Initiative” in 2012. The US accorded “Major Defence Partner” status to India in 2016, c) “2+2 dialogue” in 2018.

All of Indo-US “strategic partnership” has delivered $22 billion worth of military hardware purchases by India via the foreign military sales programme.

What are the advantages of iCET?

iCET could 1) Be a “game changer” in catalysing Indo-US technology cooperation by persuading the US to lift existing export control restrictions, 2) Encourage the private sector of both countries to cooperate in sensitive sectors, 3) Demonstrate a mutual commitment to investing in advanced technologies, such as quantum computing, AI and space, as well as the critical field of semiconductor design and manufacture.

What are the challenges faced by India’s defence sector?

India’s massive defence industrial complex, including the DRDO, defence public sector undertakings (DPSU) and the (erstwhile) Ordnance Factory Board, are associated with closely the Soviet/Russian arms industry.

India’s previous transfer of technology (ToT) resulted in engineers and designers acquiring only the “knowhow” of methods and procedures required for assembling or building aircraft, aero engines and armoured vehicles from parts or material supplied. Hence, the principles and laws of defence equipments are not completely understood.

What are the challenges faced by iCET?

-The US Arms Export Control Act not only requires clearances from the Departments of State and Defence for ToT but also imposes certain restrictions on the recipient state.

-The iCET aims to make the US a dominant player in India’s defence procurements by replacing Russia. But, this will face stiff resistance from Russia.

-While India is in dire need of technology, the US industry remains firmly focused on trade.

What India needs to do to make iCET comprehensive?

India need to leverage its considerable purchases in the arms, energy, civil aviation, nuclear and other sectors in a holistic manner to extract technology from the US.

Atmanirbharta must remain India’s ultimate aim. Hence, India should break free of Russia’s and US’s defence products and also regain “strategic autonomy” in international affairs.

GS Paper 3

A Nordic-India connect to power a green transition

News– Trade Ministers of Norway and Finland are currently visiting India together.

What is the importance of the Nordic region?

Over the last decades, Nordic countries have been at the forefront of developing new green technologies and solutions such as hydrogen, offshore wind, and carbon capture and storage.

The Nordics have succeeded in building stable, secure, welfare based societies to a large extent.

The Nordic region has ambitions to become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.

What is the current status of relations between India and Nordic countries?

The Nordic ­India Summit was held in Copenhagen in May 2022. The five Nordic leaders and Indian Prime Minister agreed to intensify cooperation on digitalisation, renewable energy, maritime industries, and the circular economy.

PM of India expressed an interest in joint Nordic solutions that can support India’s green transition.

The Nordic business community in India is also growing. There are now 240 Norwegian and Finnish companies in India.

India and Finland– The past year has seen a significant rise in trade and investments between Finland and India.

India has grown to become a priority country for Finland. Finland has recently opened a new Consulate General in Mumbai.

Several Indian companies are looking towards Finland for its expertise in areas of technology and innovation, sustainability, digitalisation, carbon neutrality and more.

An increasing number of Indian students, researchers, and experts have been moving to Finland as well. Finnish companies such as Nokia and Fortum have some of their most significant investments in India.

India and Norway– Trade between Norway and India has doubled in the last three years. The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund is likely to become one of India’s largest single foreign investors with around $17.6 Billion investment.

The Norwegian government has also recently established a new Climate Investment Fund for investments in renewables abroad, and India has been defined as a focus country. Almost ₹1,500 crore have been invested so far in India through the climate investment fund.

What is the scope for future collaborations between India and Nordic countries?

Both Norway and Finland have ongoing free trade agreement and investments negotiations

with India. Finland, is a part of the EU­ India FTA negotiations, and Norway is negotiating through the European Free Trade Association.

Finalising the free trade and investments agreements should be a priority.

There is a great deal of complementarities in our trade relations. In addition, trade in services is an area of significant potential, especially with tourism, education, IT, energy, maritime and financial services.

Together, the Nordics and India can power the green transition the world needs.

The role of labour unions in emerging sectors

News-There have been many reports of layoffs in the last few months, especially in emerging sectors.

In 2022, startups including Byju’s announced lay­offs. At the global level, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Twitter and Apple have laid off employees.

What is the current status of trade unionism in the emerging sector?

There are Unionisation attempts in these giant companies. Amazon workers at the warehouse at Staten Island called JFK8 succeeded in forming the Amazon Labour Union.

On the other hand, employees at the warehouse near Albany voted overwhelmingly against unionisation in October 2022 as many of them were sceptical of the bargaining power of a union against a giant like Amazon.

In India, the Information Technology Employees Senate, which works for the welfare rights of IT professionals, complained to the Union Labour Minister about retrenchment by Amazon.

Why forming unions in modern and emerging sectors is much more difficult as compared to conventional industries?

IT­ Services employees felt no need for trade unions as unions are typically associated with manual labour. IT employees are associated with “elitism” and “professionalism”.

They have competitive compensation pay packages, supposedly good conditions of work and a mechanism to address grievances. So, they stay on and are loyal to the company and the industry.

They switch to other organisations as they have the required skill sets. They do not collectively bargain or resort to legal action as middle class employees who go to court would be stigmatised.

Unions in the IT sector have to deal with both Indian and Western giants. It is a huge task.

The state obviously needs MNCs to stay on in India.

Multi­national corporations don’t take labour departments seriously. They ignore conciliation meetings more often than trade unions.

What are other issues faced by labour Unionism in India?

Trade unions are fighting on multiple fronts. They are struggling for historical labour rights, social security for the informal workers and fighting against adversities created during and after COVID­19.

Industrial accidents are frequent. Many garment and electronics industries violate labour rights.

Unions have sometimes succeeded in securing marginal rights. But there is only so much that they can do.

Counting the Female Labour Force Participation Rate accurately

News– Economic Survey tries to address a longstanding policy problem by developing a better method to count women’s participation in the labour force

What is PLFS?

It is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force in the population. LFPR is the percentage of the population that is employed, or is looking for work, but is unemployed.

What is the importance of women participation in the workforce?

As per a McKinsey report, if India achieved gender equality, it would add 700 billion US dollars to GDP in 2025. Annual GDP growth will increase by 1.4%. There are other such studies with other such numbers.

What are the issues with calculation of PLFS by official estimates?

In any informal economy, arriving at numbers like LFPR is difficult. An enterprise survey won’t work. Despite increasing formalisation, self-employment is large.

Even within the formal sector, informal contracts are the norm. Roughly 50% of employment is self-employment. More than 20% is wage employment with a regular contract and the rest is casual labour.

Hence, employment numbers have to be generated through household surveys, not enterprise ones.

Economic survey observations– Economic Survey 2022-23 highlights an important measurement issue. The common narrative of Indian women’s low LFPR misses the reality of working females integral to the economy of the household and the country.

Measurement of employment through the survey design and content can make a significant difference to final LFPR estimates. This matters more for measuring female LFPR than male LFPR.

Three main measurement issues have been highlighted: Overly broad categories, reliance on a single question to categorise labour force status, and the narrow approach of limiting productive work to labour force participation.

Use of overly broad categories that clubs productive work like collection of firewood, poultry farming with domestic duties can shift a significant proportion of women in the labour force into the out-of-labour-force category.

For example, unless the production of primary goods is identified as the main activity by the respondent, the PLFS would categorise women who do both domestic activities and primary goods production as out-of-the-labour-force.

Using the improved methodology, the Survey recomputes female LFPR with a better definition. Female LFPR ia counted 46.2% for FY21 for ages 15 years and above. It is much higher than the 32.5% estimated by the conventional definition.

ILO estimates– A similar attempt was made in an International Labour Organisation research paper published in 2014. It arrived at a female LFPR of 56.4% in India for 2012, against the lower official estimate of 31.2% for 2012.

Our unique EV transition is a leadership opportunity

News: The 2023-24 budget gave the EV industry a boost by announcing the removal of customs duties on capital goods used for manufacturing lithium cells used in Electric vehicles.

A greater focus on passenger three-wheelers and commercial two-wheelers can accelerate India’s green push by improving livelihoods while reducing environmental and transport costs.

What are the challenges faced by EVs?

Electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers (including e-rickshaws) accounted for 92% of EVs registered in the country in 2022. Despite clear economic gains and the availability of EV models, e-2Wheelers(e-2Ws) and e-3Wheelers(e-3Ws) are still not being adopted at the desired pace.

Only 4.5% of three-wheelers registered last year were electric. Similarly, e-2Ws made up just 3.9% of total two-wheelers sales last year.

What are the advantages of the adoption of electric 2Ws and 3Ws?

Analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) shows the total cost of owning an electric three-wheeler (e-3W) is 13-46% lower than that of owning similar vehicles using petrol, diesel and compressed natural gas. When drivers switch to electric, a 30% increase in daily savings is enough to pay back an e-3W loan.

What are the challenges faced in the adoption of electric 2Ws and 3Ws transition?

The slow uptake can be attributed to low awareness, lack of trust in EV performance, high finance cost, poor visibility and poor access to charging infrastructure.

What should be done to promote the electric 2Ws and 3Ws transition?

Setting up EV credit guarantee trust funds to de-risk financiers: Most 2W delivery riders and 3W drivers rely on high-interest loans from informal markets. MSMEs, which face a similar challenge, have benefited from credit guarantee funds. Hence, it should be extended to commercial EV segment as well.

Make chargers easily accessible: Auto-rickshaws spend their operational and non-operational idle times at specific parking locations with high footfall. Similarly, 2W delivery riders spend their idle time near pick-up hubs and restaurants. Hence, the charging infrastructure should be strategically developed for them.

Incentivize battery swapping ecosystems: Time loss is crucial for commercial EVs. So, India should promote interoperability among heterogeneous fleets within the same battery-swapping ecosystems.

Allocate higher funds to improve awareness: Swachh Bharat Mission-like awareness is required to improve awareness of FAME scheme.

India should double its electric 2Ws and 3Ws transition to maximize its benefits for the environment, people’s livelihoods and the Indian economy. With this, India has an opportunity to lead the efforts of other Asian emerging economies to chart their inclusive energy-transition strategies.

All governments are crony capitalists

News: Political connections for business purposes often happen due to complex rules and regulations and the evasive nature of rules in India. The recent Hindenburg report on the Adani group again created a debate on the business-political nexus.

Why there is a debate on the business-political nexus at present?

This is because the a) Adani group has a dominant presence in areas in which government policy plays a major role — ports, airports, electricity, green energy — and the principal competition mostly comes from the public sector, b) CAG report also raised questions about “undue benefits” that the Gujarat government gave to Adani Ports by waiving waterfront and other charges, c) Involvement of government-owned Public Sector Banks participation and d) Both the NITI Aayog and the finance ministry raised questions citing financial risk and performance issues in the Adani group’s airport projects.

What are a few examples highlighting the business-political nexus?

The telecom sector spectrum allocation has highlighted the business-political nexus. The Supreme Court’s judgement cancelled all those allocated licences.

The sand mafias, who are destroying the environment, would never have flourished without local political backing.

The construction business, which has long been India’s largest and fastest growing employer, is a good example of cronyism.

To prevent the business-political nexus some degree of moderation is required to ensure the government’s incorruptibility.

Quake Up Call – Turkiye, Syria impact magnified by poor construction. India must ensure building codes are followed

News: Recently, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck south-central Turkey and Northwest Syria. Poor construction and rampant violation of building code is the primary reason for widespread damages in Turkey and Syria.

Around 59% of India is prone to earthquakes of different magnitudes – 11% in the very high-risk Zone V to 30% in Zone III. Hence, earthquake-resistant construction is essential in India to avoid such damage.

About the earthquake in Turkey

About the status of earthquake-resistant construction in India

India doesn’t have norms for earthquake-resistant construction. As they require 3-4% extra of the total construction cost for residential buildings and 2-3% extra for offices.

Even though National Building Code (NBC) 2016 has a specific section on earthquake-resistant design and construction. But there’s no law asking for compliance.

For instance, In Delhi an estimated 90% of buildings are at risk of collapsing in case of a strong earthquake.

What should be done to ensure earthquake-resistant construction?

Earthquakes can’t be predicted, but measures to minimise loss of lives must be prioritised. This can be done by a) There needs to be greater public awareness about NBC guidelines to boost voluntary compliance, b) Municipalities should be encouraged to adopt NBC guidelines in their building bye-laws, making them mandatory.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Explained | The status and proceeds of disinvestment

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | The status and proceeds of disinvestment” published in The Hindu on 9th February 2023.

What is the News?

In the Union Budget for 2023-24, the government has set a disinvestment target of ₹51,000 crore, down nearly 21% from the budget estimate for the current year and just ₹1,000 crores more than the revised estimate.

This is the lowest disinvestment target in seven years. Moreover, the Centre has also not met the disinvestment target for 2022-23 so far.

What is Disinvestment?

Disinvestment or divestment is when the government sells its assets or a subsidiary, such as a Central or State public sector enterprise.

Approaches to disinvestment: There are three main approaches to disinvestment:

– Minority disinvestment: The government retains a majority in the company, typically greater than 51%, thus ensuring management control.

– Majority disinvestment: The government hands over control to the acquiring entity but retains some stake.

– Complete privatization: 100% control of the company is passed on to the buyer.

Nodal Department: The Union Finance Ministry has a separate department for undertaking disinvestment-related procedures called the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

Why does the government go for disinvestment?

The government may disinvest in order to a) reduce the fiscal burden or bridge the revenue shortfall for that year, b) finance the fiscal deficit, c) invest in the economy and development or social sector programmes, d) reduce government debt, e) encourage private ownership of assets and trading in the open market.

If disinvestment is successful, it also means that the government does not have to fund the losses of a loss-making unit anymore.

How has disinvestment fared in India?

Different Central Governments over the last three decades have been able to meet annual disinvestment targets only six times.

Since this current government came to power in 2014, it has met the disinvestment target twice: 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The pandemic-induced uncertainty, the geopolitical conflict, and the associated risks have posed challenges before the plans and prospects of the government’s disinvestment transactions over the last three years.

Nevertheless, the government has reaffirmed its commitment towards privatization and strategic disinvestment of Public Sector Enterprises by implementing the new Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) Policy and Asset Monetisation Strategy.

ADSI Report 2021 – Student suicides in India at a five-year high, majority from Maharashtra: NCRB data

Source: The post is based on the article “Student suicides in India at a five-year high, majority from Maharashtra: NCRB data” published in Indian Express on 9th February 2023.

What is the News?

National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) has released the (Accidental Deaths and Suicide in India) ADSI Report 2021.

What are the key findings of the ADSI Report 2021?

Student Suicides in 2021: The number of deaths by suicide by students saw an increase of 4.5% in 2021.

– Maharashtra had the highest number of student deaths by suicide in 2021 with 1,834 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 1,308 and Tamil Nadu with 1,246 deaths.

A steady increase in student suicides: Student suicides had gone up drastically during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and have been steadily rising in the last five years.

Reasons for student suicides: The specific reasons behind student deaths by suicide are not given in the report. However, the report does state that the major reasons for suicide in the age group (under 18 years) were family problems and failure of the examination.

Gender-wise student suicide rates: The percentage of women’s student suicide was at a five-year low of 43.49% while men’s student suicides made up 56.51% of the total student suicides.

– But still, women’s student suicides have increased. In 2017, 4,711 women students died by suicide while in 2021 such deaths increased to 5,693.

Educational status of student suicides: The educational status of suicide victims was that only 4.6% of total suicide victims were graduates and above. About 11% of the victims were illiterate, while 15.8% of them were educated up to the primary level.

Wildlife Institute of India working on vaccine to reduce ‘vermin’ populations, awaits further funding

Source: The post is based on the article “Wildlife Institute of India working on vaccine to reduce ‘vermin’ populations, awaits further funding” published in Down To Earth on 9th February 2023.

What is the News?

The Wildlife Institute of India(WII) is working to develop immuno-contraceptive measures for population management of Vermins and other species that have become problematic for humans in many parts of the country.

What are Vermin species?

Click Here to read

Who can declare Vermin species?

The Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 states that the central government can declare any wild animal other than those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II to be vermin. The centre can even declare vermin for any period/in any area as may be specified.

What is the project being developed to manage Vermins and other species?

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEF&CC) approved the 10-year research project for developing immuno-contraception in 2016.

Under the project, the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) is studying immuno-contraceptive measures for population management of four species namely elephant, wild pig, Rhesus macaque and Nilgai.

These measures will be able to reduce reproduction in the species by making the female sterile. This will be done by injecting a vaccine made from a hormone derived from the ovary lining of pigs.

Third source of natural quasicrystals preserves their reputation for violent origins

Source: The post is based on the article “Third source of natural quasicrystals preserves their reputation for violent origins” published in The Hindu on 8th February 2023.

What is the News?

Recently, Scientists have discovered a third natural source of quasicrystals.

What are Quasicrystals?

Quasicrystal, also called quasi-periodic crystal, is a matter formed atomically in a manner somewhere between the amorphous solids of glasses and the precise pattern of crystals.

In quasicrystals, the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats itself at irregular, yet predictable, intervals.

When was it discovered?

The American-Israeli scientist Dan Shechtman discovered quasicrystals in the lab in 1982.

The first natural quasicrystal found was as microscopic grains in a fragment of the Khatyrka meteorite lying in the Koryak mountains of Russia.

The second time scientists found natural quasicrystals in the remains of the Trinity test of the Manhattan Project.

Recently in the Sand Hills dunes in northern Nebraska, where scientists found silicate glass which is a dodecagonal quasicrystal, rare even for quasicrystals.

What are the applications of Quasicrystals?

Quasicrystals can be used in surgical instruments, LED lights and non-stick frying pans. They have poor heat conductivity, which makes them good insulators.

Other potential applications include selective solar absorbers for power conversion, broad-wavelength reflectors, and bone repair and prostheses applications where biocompatibility, low friction and corrosion resistance are required.

What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies?

Source: The post is based on the article “What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies?” published in Indian Express on 9th February 2023.

What is the News?

The Union Budget has announced Rs 2,516 crore for computerisation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies(PACS) over the next five years.

What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies(PACS)?

PACS are village-level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level. 

Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the district cooperative central banks, or DCCBs, that operate at the district level. The DCCBs work with PACS, which deal directly with farmers.

Since these are cooperative bodies, individual farmers are members of the PACS and office-bearers are elected from within them. A village can have multiple PACS.

​​A report published by the Reserve Bank of India in 2022 put the number of PACS at 1.02 lakh.

What is the lending mechanism of PACS?

PACS are involved in short-term lending — or what is known as crop loan. At the start of the cropping cycle, farmers avail credit to finance their requirement of seeds, fertilizers etc. 

Banks extend this credit at 7% interest, of which 3% is subsidized by the Centre and 2% by the state government. Effectively, farmers avail the crop loans at 2% interest only.

Why are PACS attractive?

The attraction of the PACS lies in the last-mile connectivity they offer. For farmers, timely access to capital is necessary at the start of their agricultural activities.PACS have the capacity to extend credit with minimal paperwork within a short time.

What are the challenges related to PACS?

Since PACS are cooperative bodies, political compulsions often trump financial discipline and the recovery of loans is hit. Chairpersons of PACS participate in electing the office-bearers of DCCBs. Political affiliations are important here as well.

Why are PACs computerized?

Click Here to read

The sacred Shaligram: 140 mn-year-old stones to be used for the idol of Lord Ram in Ayodhya

Source: The post is based on the article “The sacred Shaligram: 140 mn-year-old stones to be used for the idol of Lord Ram in Ayodhya” published in Indian Express on 9th February 2023.

What is the News?

Two sacred Shaligram stones arrived in Ayodhya for crafting the idols of Lord Ram and Janaki at the Ram Temple.

What are Shaligram Stones?

Shaligram Stone is a fossilized ammonite, a type of mollusk that lived millions of years ago. 

It is found in the sacred rivers of the Himalayas, particularly the Gandaki River in Nepal. 

The stone is considered to be a representation of Lord Vishnu, one of the primary deities in Hinduism, and is revered as a sacred object.

Historically, the use of shaligrama stones in worship can be traced to the time of Adi Shankara through the latter’s works.

The statue of Vishnu in the Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Thiruvananthapuram and Badrinath Temple of Garhwal region, and that of Krishna in Krishna Matha of Udupi and Radha Raman Temple of Vrindavana are also believed to be made from shaligrama stones.

Significance: Shaligram Stone is used in Hindu rituals and is believed to bring good luck, prosperity, and blessings to those who worship it. 

– It is also used as a talisman to ward off negative energies and protect the wearer from harm.