16-10-2020

16-OCTOBER-2020

The Hindu News Analysis – 16th October 2020 – Shankar IAS Academy

Page Number*
S.
News Articles
No.
C B D H T

1 The road to zero hunger by 2030 (Editorial) 6 8 6 6 6

2 Exports grow 6%, snap six-month-long slide 12 14 14 12 12

3 The message in the Peace Nobel - multilateralism (Editorial) 6 8 6 6 6

4 National authority for ships’ recycling notified 12 14 14 12 12

5 Policy meet on M-sand in November 1, 2 - - - -

6 BARC suspends ratings of all news channels 1, 8 1, 10 1, 8 1, 8 1, 8

7 Should the government regulate TRPs? (OPED) 7 9 7 7 7

9 Prelims Practice Questions

@ end of the video
10 Mains Practice Question
*C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international
importance.
 Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political
System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues,
etc.
 General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-
diversity and Climate Change - that do not require
subject specialization.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity,
Social Justice and International relations.
• Government policies and interventions for development
in various sectors and issues arising out of their design
and implementation
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
• Important International institutions, agencies and for a
Pg. 6 – C, D, H, T; Pg: 8 – B;
their structure, mandate.

Sustainable Development Goals

• Adopted in 2015: 17 Global Goals for

India related facts
Sustainable Development to improve people ’s
lives by 2030. • India has gone from being a net importer to
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger- to end hunger, achieve a net exporter of food grains.
food security, improve nutrition and promote • Strong food security system
sustainable agriculture.
 April to June- Centre and States
Hunger- present status distributed around 23 million tonnes of
food grains through PDS.
• At present, nearly 690 million people are
hungry - could surpass 840 million by 2030.  Mobilised food rations for 820 million
people.
• UN: the world is not on track to achieve
Zero Hunger by 2030.  Provided food rations to 90 million
schoolchildren.
• More than two billion people globally lack
access to sufficient, nutritious and safe food.

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• Removed bottlenecks in the food supply chain

due to lockdowns and minimized disruptions in
agricultural activities.

 Result: Agriculture grew at 3.4% during the

first quarter this FY. 2. Climate Change

India’s food challenges • Threatens agrobiodiversity and affects

1. Malnutrition everything from productivity to livelihoods.

• Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey • Measures:

2016-18,  Drought and flood tolerant seed varieties,
 Over 40 million children are chronically  Weather-based agricultural advisories,
malnourished.
 Promoting millets, and
 More than half of Indian women aged 15-49
 Focusing on small-scale irrigation.
years are anaemic.

Other issues faced by agriculture in India

• Excessive use of chemicals and unsustainable

farming practices
Way forward to build sustainable food systems
 Result: Soil degradation, fast depletion of
• Shift to sustainable production practices in
groundwater table and rapid loss of
agriculture and allied sectors.
agrobiodiversity.
• Stop the wastage- one-third of the food we
• Fragmentation of landholdings
produce is wasted.
 More than 86% farmers have less than two
• Governments, the private sector, civil society
hectares of land.
and local communities must work together.
 Contributes 60% of the total food grain
production and over half the country’s fruits
and vegetables.

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international
importance.
 Economic and Social Development-Sustainable
Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics,
Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic
Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and
Disaster Management
• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning,
mobilization, of resources, growth, development and
employment.

Pg. 12 – C, H, T; Pg: 14 – B, D;

• Balance of Payments - the systematic record • Components of current account

of all economic transactions between the 1. Goods account or merchandise transactions.
residents of the country and the rest of the
2. Service account or invisible trade.
world in a particular period which is usually a
year.

• Balance of Payments account is managed by Merchandise

the Reserve Bank of India. Trade
Current
• Current account - account which records all account
the transactions relating to export and import Trade in
BoP Invisibles
of goods and services.

• Capital account – account that records all Capital

transactions between residents of a country
account
and rest of the world, which cause a change
in the assets or liabilities of the residents of
the country or its Government.

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• Trade balance?
• Goods account
 Balance of exports and imports of goods
 A major part of transactions in foreign is known as Balance of Trade - the
trade is in the form of export and balance of visible exports and imports is
import of goods or visible items. known as trade balance.

 The payment for import of goods is • Trade deficit?

written in the debit side - denoted as
 When the payment for import of goods is
‘M ’.
more than the receipts for export of
 The receipts from exports is shown on the goods, the scenario is called as trade
credit side - denoted as ‘X’. deficit.

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News

• India’s exports in goods rose by 5.99% in

September 2020 as compared to September
2019.
• Imports in goods contracted 19.6% in dollar
 Major export commodities that grew in terms in September 2020 when compared with
September 2020 include September 2019.

1. Iron ore (109.7% at $303.42 million), • The trade deficit for September 2020 was
2. Ready-made garments (10.2% at $1.19 estimated at 2.72 Billion USD as against 11.67
billion), Billion USD in September 2019.

3. Rice (93.9% at $725.14 million), and

4. Drugs and pharmaceuticals (24.4% at

$2.24 billion).

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international
importance.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies-II: Governance, Constitution,
Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
agreements involving India and/or affecting
India’s interests.
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and
developing countries on India’s interests, Indian
diaspora.
• Important International institutions, agencies and
fora- their structure, mandate.

Pg. 6 – C, D, H, T; Pg: 8 – B;

Multilateralism:
Author’s view:
• Process of organizing relations between
• Multilateralism unable to respond effectively to
groups of three or more states.
the challenges that the world faces.
• Comprises certain qualitative elements or
• Nation states are less willing to cooperate in
principles that shape the character of the
tackling cross-national and global challenges
arrangement or institution which includes
 Example:
 Indivisibility of interests among
participants.  In COVID-19 pandemic, instead of any
collective efforts to find an effective
 A commitment to diffuse reciprocity.
and affordable anti-virus vaccine,
 A system of dispute settlement intended to countries are competing with each other
enforce a particular mode of behaviour to find a vaccine.
among members.

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• In multilateral negotiations, countries go

• Author’s view on current status of
with an idea to concede as little as
globalisation:
possible, and extract as much as they can.
 We live in an era of nationalist urges,
 Example: UNFCCC.
fuelled by a political opportunism which
• Problems in United Nations. diminishes the appeal of international
cooperation.
 UN has become increasingly marginal in
mobilising international responses to global  Increased protectionism.
challenges.
 Example: America First Policy.
 Reforms resisted by powerful member
 Globalisation is to stay here as long as
countries.
technology remains the key driver of
 Deep polarisation within the membership. economic growth.

Way Forward:

• In tackling domestic challenges, deeper

external engagement is often indispensable.

• Challenges are interconnected;

 Sustainable development Goals helps in

tackling these issues but need greater
multilateral cooperation in order to
succeed.

• Reforms in United Nations and other

multilateral institution essential.

• Nations should be willing to contribute as

much as possible within the limitation of
resources and demand the minimum in terms
of assessed needs.

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Hong Kong International Convention for the

Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of
Ships

• Adopted in 2009 by the International

Maritime Organisation (IMO).

• Purpose: Laid down the aspects relating to

design, construction, operation and preparation
of ships so as to facilitate safe and
environmentally sound recycling without
compromising the safety and operational
efficiency of ships.

• Envisaged the establishment of an appropriate

enforcement mechanism for recycling of ships.

Pg. 12 – C, H, T; Pg: 14 – B, D;

• India ratified the convention in 2019 though Recycling of Ships Act, 2019
the enactment of the Recycling of Ships Act,
Section 3: Designation of National Authority
2019.
‘Central Government shall, by notification,
 Aim: Regulation of recycling of ships by
designate an officer not below the rank of Joint
setting certain standards and laying down
Secretary to the Government of India as the
the statutory mechanism for enforcement of
National Authority, which shall administer,
such standards.
supervise and monitor all activities relating to ship
recycling under this Act.’

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Directorate General of Shipping

• Office attached to the Ministry of Shipping.

• Authority: Final authority for the various
• Functions
approvals required by the Ship-Recycling yard
 Deals with all executive matters relating owners and State Governments.
to merchant shipping.
• National Authority of Ship Recycling will be
 Matters concerning the Maritime set up in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Administration, Maritime Education and
Facts
Training, development of Shipping Industry
etc. • India is one of the leaders in the global ship
recycling industry, with a share of over 30%
 Administer, supervise and monitor all
of the market.
activities relating to Ship Recycling.
• Alang in Gujarat is home of Asia ’s largest
 Sustainable development of the Ship
ship breaking and ship recycling industry in
Recycling industry.
the world.
 Monitor compliance to environment-friendly
norms and safety and health measures.

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Pg. 1, 2 – C;

Sand:
• A natural unconsolidated granular material
composed of sand grains which range in size
from 1/16 to 2 mm.
• Either mineral particles, rock fragments or
biogenic in origin.
• Dominantly composed of silicate minerals or
silicate rock fragments.

• Applications  Used to provide bulk, strength

etc. to construction materials.

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Manufactured Sand (M-Sand)

• Artificial sand made from crushing of rock or

granite.

• Differs from natural river sand in its physical

and mineralogical properties.

• Advantages:

 Higher Fineness Modules Index (FMI)

compared to the natural sand, which
gives good workability for concrete.

 Free from silt and clay particles 

offer better abrasion resistance, higher
unit weight and lower permeability.

Plasturing Manufactured Sand (P-Sand):

• A very fine grade of Manufactured sand.

• Used for plastering and creating renders both

internally and externally.

• Advantage:

 It does not require to be filtered again

at the construction site and can be used
directly to prepare the mortar which
saves labour, time and money.

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Comparison of M-Sand, P-Sand and Normal Sand

Source: https://www.rbssn.com/p-sand.php

© Shankar IAS Academy

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Pg. 1, 8 – C, D, H, T; Pg: 1, 10 – B;

Pg. 7 – C, D, H, T;
Pg: 9 – B;
© Shankar IAS Academy

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Video link: https://youtu.be/KRK6L5oim5I?t=31

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following agencies:
1. Food and Agriculture Organization
2. International Fund for Agricultural
Development
3. World Food Programme
4. International Food Policy Research
Institute
Which of the above are the Specialised
Agencies of the United Nations?
(a) 1 and 4 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 only

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. A Current Account Surplus (CAS) is not set to
occur when
(a) Balance of Trade is surplus and Balance
of Invisibles is also surplus
(b) A deficit on Balance of Trade but
sufficient surplus on the Balance of
Invisibles to offset the deficit
(c) A deficit on Balance of Invisibles but
sufficient surplus on the Balance of Trade
to offset the deficit
(d) Both Balance of Trade and Balance of
Invisibles are in deficit or negative.

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements:
1. Hong Kong International Convention is
related to the recycling of ships.
2. In 2019, India has ratified the Hong
Kong Convention.
Which of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements.
1. M-sand is artificially manufactured in a
way that it has the same physical and
mineralogical properties of that of natural
sand.
2. M-Sand has higher Fineness-Modulus
compared to the natural sand.
3. P-Sand is mainly used for plastering
requirements.
Which of the above statements is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Practice Question – Prelims

Answers
Q1. Option C
Q2. Option D
Q3. Option C
Q4. Option C

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Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. “COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates
multilateral cooperation key to overcoming
global challenges”. Analyse.
(150 words, 10 marks)

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