19 Aug 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Tech to help protect UN peacekeepers: Jaishankar
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. India can do more, hints climate official
ECONOMY
1. Centre to boost oil palm farming
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Keeping an eye on China’s expanding nuclear stack
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. The police we need
ECONOMY
1. A delayed intervention
F. Prelims Facts
1. Wanchuwa festival
2. ‘Green bonds help projects net Rs. 26,300 cr.’
3. Conditions favourable for monsoon revival: IMD
G. Tidbits
1. NHRC flags delay in criminal justice reform process
2. Global goods trade continues recovery: WTO
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS 2 Related

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Tech to help protect UN peacekeepers: Jaishankar

Context:

• Indian External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, recently presided over a United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) open debate on technology and peacekeeping.

Background:

UN Peacekeeping missions and India’s role:

• India is one of the top troop contributors to the U.N. peacekeeping missions and thus a key
priority has been to ensure the safety of the Indian peacekeeping personnel.
o Peacekeeping has been earmarked as a priority area of focus for India's month-long
UNSC presidency.
• India has been a pioneer in UN Peacekeeping. Deploying more than a quarter of a million
troops over the years to as many as 49 UN peacekeeping missions, serving under the blue
flag, 175 gallant Indian soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice, the largest number among
troop-contributing countries. Currently, around 5000 Indian personnel have been deployed across
nine missions.
• Peacekeeping would play a crucial role in India’s vision of ensuring international peace
and security.

Also read: UNSC Presidency: India’s Agenda: RSTV - Big Picture

Details:

• The Security Council adopted a “Presidential Statement” underscoring the importance of

peacekeeping, the complexities and challenges of the environment in which it occurs and the
importance of existing and new technologies to protect peacekeepers.
• A four-point framework was outlined for securing the safety of peacekeepers.
o Deployment of proven, cost-effective and field-serviceable technologies
o Availability of sound information and intelligence
o Continuous technological improvements and their availability
o Capacity building and training of peacekeepers with regard to technology

Initiatives announced by India:

‘UNITE Aware’:

• The External Affairs Minister announced the rollout of ‘UNITE Aware’.

 • This is a technological platform developed in partnership with the UN to help enhance the
safety of UN peacekeepers.
• UNITE Aware will provide terrain information and “improve situational awareness” for
peacekeepers by allowing for visualizing, coordinating and monitoring of peacekeeping
operations on a real-time basis.

MoU with UNCAP:

• A Memorandum of Understanding between India and the UN in support of the “Partnership for
Technology in Peacekeeping” initiative and the UN C4ISR Academy for Peace Operations
(UNCAP) has also been announced by India.
o UN C4ISR Academy for Peace Operations is located in Entebbe, Uganda.
• This will help meet the training needs of peacekeeping forces in line with available technological
capability and future requirements as well.

C. GS 3 Related

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. India can do more, hints climate official

Context:

• President-designate of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP), Alok Sharma’s visit to
India.

Details:

• While lauding India for being on track to overachieve its Nationally Determined
Contribution, the head of COP 26 said he hoped India would consider more ambitious
emissions targets.
• The visit by the President-designate is part of a larger international tour building consensus
among nations for concrete outcomes ahead of the 26th round of climate talks to be held in
Glasgow, Scotland, in November.

Major aspects to be considered at the upcoming COP-26:

Carbon neutrality:
 • A major theme building ahead of the climate talks is Carbon Neutrality. The goal of carbon
neutrality will be critical to ensuring that the earth does not heat up an additional half a degree by
2100 and will be in line with the temperature targets envisaged under the Paris climate
agreement.
• The major aspect of discussion would be on how many nations can commit to a net zero target
and by when. As of now a little over 120 countries have committed, with varying degrees of
firmness, to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
o India has not committed to a 2050 plan for Carbon Neutrality.

For more information on this topic, refer to the following article:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 8th Apr 2021

Access to finance and transfer of technology:

• A major aspect of the difference between the developed countries and the developing countries
when it comes to climate action has been the provision of climate finance to developing
countries from developed countries for adaptation and mitigation.
• The promised $100 billion finance continues to be outstanding.

India’s stand on the issue of climate action:

• India’s argument has been that committing to carbon neutrality would compromise on ensuring
the economic growth of its citizenry.
• India’s line of argument has been that its per capita emissions continue to be one of the lowest
and is well below the global average. Also given that the current climate change can be mainly
attributed to legacy emissions of the developed world, India cannot be held responsible for the
climate crisis and the developed world should take up a proportionately higher responsibility.
• India is on track to achieve its INDCs as per the 2015 Paris agreement.
o Reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 33%–35% by 2030 below 2005 levels.
o Increasing the share of non-fossil-based energy resources to 40% of installed electric
power capacity by 2030. India has committed to installing 450 GW of renewable energy
by 2030 of which 100 GW is reportedly installed.
o Creation of an additional (cumulative) carbon sink of 2.5–3 GtCO2e through additional
forest and tree cover by 2030.
• India has based the achievement of its INDCs on the conditionality of assured help of transfer of
technology and low-cost international finance including from the Green Climate Fund. The
failure to provide the promised funds from the developed countries is indicative of the
attitude of developed countries to climate action.

Additional information:
 • The Union Cabinet has approved ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal
Protocol.
o The Kigali amendment envisages phasing out of Hydro Fluoro Carbons (HFC) by 80-
85% of present levels by 2040 in a phased manner. India has committed to phasing
down HFC in four steps from 2032 with a 10% reduction in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in
2042 and 80% in 2047.

Category: ECONOMY

1. Centre to boost oil palm farming

Context:

• Approval of the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) by the Cabinet.

Details:

• In a bid to reduce India’s dependence on imports of edible oils, the new mission will strive to
ensure self-sufficiency in edible oil production.
o Under the NMEO-OP mission, the aim is to reduce import dependence from 60% to
45% by 2024-25, by increasing domestic edible oil production from 10.5 million
tonnes to 18 million tonnes, a 70% growth target.
• As part of the palm oil-related targets, the Mission hopes to increase oil palm acreage by an
additional 6.5 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and grow production of crude palm oil to 11.2 lakh
tonnes by 2025-26 and up to 28 lakh tonnes by 2029-30.
o Currently, less than four lakh hectares are planted with oil palm in India.
• The Centre will offer price assurances, viability gap funding and planting material
assistance to oil palm farmers to boost domestic production.
o The provision of price assurance will reduce the risk for farmers facing price fluctuation
due to volatility in the international market. The government will fix a viable palm oil
price and in case of high volatility, the government will pay the difference in price to the
farmers through direct benefit transfer. This assurance will inculcate confidence in the
Indian oil palm farmers to go for the increased area and thereby more production of palm
oil. The assurance to the farmers will be in the form of the viability gap funding and the
industry will be mandated to pay 14.3% of the crude palm oil prices.
o The Mission will also more than double the support provided for the cost of planting
materials. A substantial increase has been made for planting material for oil palm and this
has increased from Rs 12,000 per ha to Rs.29,000 per ha. Further, a substantial increase
has been made for maintenance and inter-cropping interventions as well.
 • In a bid to encourage oil palm cultivation in northeastern India and in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, the Centre will bear an additional cost of 2% of the crude palm oil prices in these States.
• Over a five-year period, the financial outlay for the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm
(NMEO-OP) will amount to Rs. 11,040 crore.

For more related information, refer to the following article:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis of 10th Aug 2021

Significance:

• The scheme will immensely benefit the oil palm farmers, increase capital investment, create
employment generation, shall reduce the import dependence and consequently save foreign
exchange and also increase the income of the farmers.

Challenges:

• There are some biodiversity concerns involved with palm oil monoculture plantations as
observed in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

E. Editorials

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Keeping an eye on China’s expanding nuclear stack

The article argues that despite contentions about the scope and prospective size of China’s nuclear
capabilities, India needs to be watchful of its neighbour’s expanding nuclear stack. The debate is over
the scope and prospective size of the PRC’s nuclear capabilities.

Context:

• Recently, greater evidence has emerged that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is expanding
the size of its nuclear arsenal by building more missile silos (storeroom).
 o It indicates that the PRC is fielding a larger nuclear force based on fixed land-based
capabilities.
• The nuclear missile silo field in the Xinjiang region in western China is believed to host 110
silos.
• Also, there is evidence that China had built a site with 120 silos in the arid region of Yumen, in
the Gansu province.

What could be the possible reason behind this expansion?

• To increase the survivability of its arsenal against a first strike from its nuclear adversaries,
specifically the United States.
• The U.S possesses a larger arsenal at 3,800 warheads. Additionally, its growing missile defence
capabilities poses a threat to Chinese retaliatory nuclear forces.

Concerns:

• China’s nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles forces (land-based and sea-based) have improved in
quantity and quality.
• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) as well as the
Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Chinese nuclear forces stand at roughly anywhere
between 250 to 350 nuclear warheads.
• The concern is the rate and extent of the production by PRC as making a precise estimate of the
PRC’s nuclear strength is not easy.
• Its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capabilities and Intermediate Range Ballistic
Missile (IRBM) capabilities in the form of the Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) and the DF-26,
respectively, are its most potent land-based missile systems.
• At least 16 launchers of the DF-26 are known to be deployed in the Xinjiang region close to
the Sino-Indian border.

China’s Strategy:

Decoy Missile Silos:

• It appears that China is either concealing the number of missiles tipped with nuclear warheads or
deceiving the world by building a large number of decoy missile silos.
o China has been known to deploy decoy silos in the past.
o It’s a tactic used by the U.S. and presumably other nuclear powers. During the Cold War,
American strategic forces would move missiles from silo to silo with the hopes of
confusing their Soviet rivals.
o It's the military version of using fake social media accounts to try to throw off people.
A first strike strategy:

• Land-based nuclear capabilities would enable China to present a nuclear opponent with a larger
menu of targets to strike. This is likely to exhaust a large number of the enemy’s missiles in a
first strike.
• Some of the decoy silos are meant to absorb and exhaust a part of the enemy’s first strike nuclear
forces.
• Therefore, the larger the target list for any potential opponent, the greater the chances of China’s
arsenal surviving a first strike thereby boosting the credibility of China’s nuclear deterrence.

In all probability, China is expanding its nuclear forces if not to match the larger nuclear forces fielded
by the Americans and the Russians, but sufficient to withstand a first strike and then execute a
retaliatory attack that would defeat the opponent.

Impact on India:

• China has refused to enter any tripartite arms control negotiations with Americans and Russians.
• It possibly sees its current build-up as a necessity to bridge the nuclear asymmetries it faces
against Washington and Moscow.
• While the growth in China’s nuclear arsenal might not have an immediate impact on India, its
development of land-based nuclear silos in the Xinjiang province is a cause of concern - given
the region’s proximity.
• It is likely to have an impact on the ongoing boundary stand-off between the two countries in
Eastern Ladakh.
• The major concern is the coercive leverage fixed land-based nuclear capabilities give the
Chinese in consolidating their territorial gains in Depsang, Demchok and Gogra-Hotsprings.

It is unlikely that the strategic balance between China and India will change because of the Chinese
nuclear expansion, but it is essential for India to keep a close eye on its neighbour and work on
enhancing its own strategic capabilities.

Category: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The police we need

The article written by the former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan explains why India needs a police force
that is responsive and respected, against the one that is feared – as is the current scenario.

The ideal police officer:

 • The police must provide for the protection of public safety and the rights of all persons.
• The preservation of human rights and dignity should be the very cornerstone for a robust police
organization.
• People should be able to receive the service to which they are entitled, without having to pay any
bribe.
• Good conduct, empathy and a quick reflex are the ideal qualities of the police who are required
to intervene in dangerous situations and also go to the rescue of the poorest when they are
harassed by anti-social elements.
• Police officers being tech-savvy would play a major role in the future of law enforcement in
India - especially for regulating public assemblies and solving crimes.
• India stands out for handing over independent responsibility to IPS officers even in the early
years of their induction.
o The IPS assignment apart from being prestigious is laden with unparalleled trust even in
an inexperienced youth.

Issues:

• Recently, a case of alleged extortion was registered against a former Mumbai Police
Commissioner.
• A senior IPS officer in Tamil Nadu was recently served a charge sheet in court in connection
with a case pertaining to the sexual harassment of a woman officer.
• It is distressing to note the declining levels of integrity among senior IPS officers.

Management of Police Personnel:

• The National Police Academy (NPA) has the greatest role in building character.
• Faculty selection and strict supervision also play a role in ensuring a good police force.
• Senior police officials must serve as role models to the probationers in terms of empathy, skill
and integrity.
• Brilliant and straightforward officials must be chosen to occupy public positions calling for
objectivity and skill.
o Unfortunately, it is not the case with IPS appointments as many officers are given posts
based on their links and loyalty to the ruling party.
• However, the Supreme Court has laid down the process for the selection of the Director-General
of Police.
o The State government now has to make the appointment from a panel of three names
approved by the Union Public Service Commission.
o This will ensure that no outrageous appointments are made.
• It is the honest and hard-working officer at the top that will make the difference between good
and tendentious policing.
Category: ECONOMY

1. A delayed intervention

Context:

The government has notified the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme
- the rules and rates based on which exporters can claim rebates on taxes paid on their outbound cargo.

Read more on the RoDTEP Scheme in the link.

Details:

• The Government is confident that the RoDTEP is WTO-compliant.

• It covers roughly 65% of India’s exports with the remission rates being notified in the range of
0.5% to 4.3% of the Freight On Board value of outbound consignments.
• For some goods, there is a cap on the value of the exported items.
• Steel, pharmaceuticals and chemicals have been excluded from the RoDTEP.

This Scheme has been comprehensively covered in Aug 18th, 2021 CNA.

Issues:

• Some sectors are concerned about the rates being lower than expected.
• Engineering firms are concerned about the taxes on key raw materials not being adequately
offset.

While fine-tuning of the scheme may be needed, it is a relief to the exporters that a major vacuum has
been plugged.

Way Forward:

• The global economy is on the cusp of one of its strongest rebounds as COVID-19 vaccination
drives have picked up pace in many advanced economies.
• As these economies look to go beyond China to service domestic consumption demand, India
must aggressively step up to the opportunity.
• Furthermore, having opted out of RCEP, India is looking to re-ignite free trade pact negotiations
with Australia, the U.K., the EU and the U.S.
 • Prime Minister’s call to scale up exports to $400 billion in 2021 has helped expedite the
notification of rules and rates under RoDTEP scheme.
• A new foreign trade policy, a few smaller export-related schemes and a mechanism to fork out
the pending dues under the earlier export incentive programme are expected in the near future.
• Till domestic recovery in India firms up, private investments are unlikely to take off. In this
scenario, public capital spending and exports are the two growth engines with feasible firepower
to aid the recovery momentum.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Wanchuwa festival

• The Wanchuma festival is celebrated by Tiwa tribesmen of Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
• The festival is celebrated to mark a good harvest and involves prayers for protection from pests
and natural calamities.
• It involves songs, dances and a bunch of rituals performed by people clad in their native attires.

2. ‘Green bonds help projects net Rs. 26,300 cr.’

Green Bonds:

• A green bond is a fixed-income instrument designed specifically to support specific climate-

related or environmental projects. More specifically, green bonds finance projects aimed at
energy efficiency, pollution prevention, sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry, the
protection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, clean transportation, clean water, clean energy
and sustainable water management.
• Green bonds typically come with tax incentives to enhance their attractiveness to investors.
• The World Bank issued the first official green bond in 2009.

Context:

• As per the report titled ‘Financing India’s Energy Transition through International Bond
Markets’ by CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF), Indian renewable energy
project developers have raised ₹26,300 crore through the issuance of green bonds in the
first half of 2021.
3. Conditions favourable for monsoon revival: IMD

Break in Monsoons:

• During July and August, there are certain periods when the monsoons become weak.
Rainfall practically ceases over the country outside the Himalayan belt and southeast peninsula.
This is known as a break in the monsoon.
o Rainfall increase along the foothills of the Himalayas, Northeast India and parts of the
Southern Peninsula (Rayalseema and Tamil Nadu).
• Middle of August is most prone to ‘breaks’ and that too longer breaks.
• The breaks are believed to be brought about by the northward shifting of the monsoon trough
(minimum low pressure cell in ITCZ). The axis of the trough lies at the foothills of the
Himalayas during the break period.

Context:

• The India Meteorological Department has said that atmospheric conditions are favourable for the
revival of monsoon in northwest India.

G. Tidbits

1. NHRC flags delay in criminal justice reform process

• A group of experts under the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have expressed
serious concerns over the slow pace of reforms in the criminal justice system to ensure speedy
justice. The resulting delay in the disposal of cases is leading to human rights violations of
the under-trials and convicts.

Recommendations:

• Special laws and fast-track courts could replace certain offences under the Indian Penal Code
in order to reduce the piling up of cases.
• Digitisation of documents would help in speeding up investigations and trials.

2. Global goods trade continues recovery: WTO

 • As per the latest WTO’s Goods Trade Barometer, global merchandise trade is exhibiting
robust recovery from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The WTO however cautions that the positive outlook for world trade could be overshadowed by
risks such as regional disparities, continued weakness in services trade, and lagging
vaccination timetables.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the given statements is/are correct?

1. The main objective of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol is the protection of the
ozone layer.
2. Under the Kigali Amendment, Parties to the Montreal Protocol will phase down the production
and consumption of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
3. Hydrofluorocarbons are massively potent greenhouse gases that cause the massive destruction of
stratospheric ozone.

Options:

a. 1 only
b. 3 only
c. 1 and 3 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: a

Explanation:

• The Vienna Convention, concluded in 1985, is a framework agreement in which States agree to
cooperate in relevant research and scientific assessments of the ozone problem, to exchange
information, and to adopt “appropriate measures” to prevent activities that harm the ozone layer.
• The objective of the 1985 Vienna Convention is to preserve human health, and to protect the
environment from any harmful effects of the depletion of the ozone layer.
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol) is an
international agreement designed to stop the production and import of ozone-depleting
substances and reduce their concentration in the atmosphere to help protect the earth's ozone
layer.
• Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol envisages phasing out of Hydro Fluoro Carbons
(HFC) by 80-85% of present levels by 2040 in a phased manner. India has committed to phasing
down HFC in four steps from 2032 with a 10% reduction in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in 2042
and 80% in 2047.
 • Hydrofluorocarbons were introduced as a non-ozone-depleting alternative to
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Hydrofluorocarbons are potent greenhouse gases but are not ozone
destructive.

Q2. Which of the given statements is/are INCORRECT w.r.t Speaker of the Lok Sabha:

1. It is mandatory for the Speaker to resign from the political party soon after he/she is elected in
order to honour the constitutional obligation of independence and impartiality.
2. The Speaker is empowered to order the suspension of a member from the house and revoke such
an order.
3. When the Lok Sabha is dissolved the Speaker shall vacate his/her office immediately.

Options:

a. 1 and 3 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1, 2 and 3
d. 1 only

Answer: c

Explanation:

• In India, it is not mandatory for the Speaker to resign from the political party soon after he/she is
elected.
• While the Speaker is empowered to place a Member under suspension, the authority for
revocation of this order is not vested in the speaker.
• Whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker shall not vacate his office until immediately
before the first meeting of the Assembly after the dissolution.

Q3. Which of the given statements with respect to Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is/are
correct?

1. It was formed by an initiative of India and South Africa.

2. All the QUAD members are among its member nations.
3. Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of IORA.
4. It has set up the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram.

Options:

a. 2 only
 b. 1 and 3 only
c. 1, 2 and 4 only
d. 3 and 4 only

Answer: b

Explanation:

• The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim
Initiative and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), is
an international organisation consisting of 23 states bordering the Indian Ocean. It was formed
by an initiative of India and South Africa.
• Not all QUAD members are among the IORA member nations.
• The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA), with its origins in the 13th Council of Ministers meeting, held in November 2013 in
Perth, Australia.
• The IORA is tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and
Academia, for promoting cooperation and closer interaction among them.
• The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram is a domestic
initiative of India and has nothing to do with the IORA. The IFC-IOR was set up in 2018 to
coordinate with regional countries on maritime issues and act as a regional repository of
maritime data. It presently has linkages with 21 partner countries and 22 multi-national agencies
across the globe.

Q4. Consider the following pairs:

Festivals Tribes

1. Wanchuwa Tiwa
2. Nyokum Nyishi
3. Myoko Lushai

Options:

a. 3 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 1 and 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c
Explanation:

• The Wanchuwa festival is celebrated by Tiwa tribesmen of Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
The festival is celebrated to mark a good harvest and involves prayers for protection from pests
and natural calamities. It involves songs, dances and a bunch of rituals performed by people clad
in their native attires.
• Nyokum is a festival celebrated by the Nyishi tribe of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The
festival is commonly celebrated by people from all classes and walks of life for better
productivity, prosperity and happiness of all human beings.
• The Myoko Festival is an annual celebration in Ziro Valley, by the Apatani tribes.

Q5. ‘Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)’ is sometimes seen in the news in the
context of negotiations held between India and

a. European Union
b. Gulf Cooperation Council
c. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
d. Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Answer: a

Explanation:

• The broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) is a proposed treaty between
India and the EU.
• Through this agreement, India and the EU expect to promote bilateral trade by removing barriers
to trade in goods and services and investment across all sectors of the economy.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Denial of access to credible data not only weakens governance, it also denies the citizens the
basic right to hold the govt accountable. In the light of the Statement, examine the importance of
data in policymaking. (15 Marks, 250 Words)[GS-2, Governance]
2. India requires a police force that is responsive and respected and not one that is feared. Discuss
the need for reforms and suggest measures. (15 Marks, 250 Words)[GS-2, Governance]