25 April 2024 : Daily Current Affairs

Topic: GS3 – Environment and Ecology – Conservations

The topic reflects UPSC’s focus on environmental governance, wildlife conservation, and balancing rights, crucial for understanding policy-making and legal frameworks.

Reasons:

• Habitat Loss: Human encroachment into wildlife habitats due to urbanization, agriculture, and infrastructure development reduces available habitat for wildlife, leading to increased encounters with humans.
• Fragmentation: Fragmentation of natural habitats by roads, fences, and other barriers disrupts wildlife movement patterns, forcing animals to venture into human settlements in search of food and shelter.
• Human Activities: Human activities such as deforestation, logging, hunting, and poaching disrupt ecosystems, alter natural behaviours of wildlife, and exacerbate human-wildlife conflicts.
• Crop Raiding: Wildlife species may raid agricultural crops and livestock for food, resulting in conflicts with farmers and loss of livelihoods.
• Climate Change: Climate change affects wildlife habitats, food availability, and migration patterns, forcing animals to adapt to changing conditions and increasing interactions with humans.
• Lack of Awareness: Lack of awareness among communities about coexistence with wildlife, proper waste management, and conflict mitigation measures contributes to human-wildlife conflicts.

Way Forward:

• Habitat Protection: Protect and conserve wildlife habitats through habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, and protected areas to reduce habitat loss and fragmentation.
• Community Engagement: Involve local communities in wildlife conservation efforts, raise awareness about coexistence with wildlife, and provide training on conflict mitigation techniques.
• Early Warning Systems: Develop and implement early warning systems, such as alarms, lights, and deterrents, to prevent wildlife incursions into human settlements and agricultural areas.
• Livelihood Diversification: Support livelihood diversification strategies for communities living near wildlife habitats, including ecotourism, sustainable agriculture, and alternative income-generating activities.
• Conflict Resolution: Implement effective conflict resolution measures, such as compensation schemes for crop damage, predator-proof enclosures, and non-lethal deterrents, to minimize human-wildlife conflicts.
• ● Policy and Regulation: Strengthen wildlife protection laws, enforce regulations on habitat conservation and land use planning, and promote sustainable development practices to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.
• Research and Monitoring: Conduct research on human-wildlife interactions, monitor wildlife populations, and assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures to inform evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management strategies.

Topic: GS2 – Governance – Government Policies

GS3 – Environment – Environmental pollution and degradation

Understanding the challenges and strategies of India’s National Clean Air Programme is crucial for environmental governance and sustainability.

●     National Clean Air Programme (NCAP):

• Launched in January 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to improve air quality in 131 cities.
• Aims to reduce PM10 concentration by 40% by 2025-26 from 2017 levels.
• Cities prepare and implement Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs) targeting specific air polluting sources.
• Financial support provided to cities for CAAP implementation.
• Public Grievance Redressal Portal and Emergency Response System established.

●     Measures for Vehicular Emission Control:

• Transition to BS-VI fuel standards.
• RFID system for toll collection and Environment Compensation Charges.
• Promotion of BS VI compliant vehicles.
• Subsidies for electric vehicles and CBG production.
• Operationalization of expressways and highways.

●     Measures for Industrial Emission Control:

• Installation of SO2 and NOx emission standards for Thermal Power Plants.
• Ban on pet coke and furnace oil.
• Deployment of OCEMS in red category industries.
• Shifting to PNG/cleaner fuels in industrial units.

●     Measures for Stubble Burning Control:

• Subsidy for crop residue management machinery.
• Establishment of paddy straw based pelletization and Torrefaction plants.
• Deployment of flying squads to prevent stubble burning.

●     Actions by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

• Air quality monitoring network with 1447 stations.
•  Installation of Vapour Recovery System in petrol pumps.
• Issuance of industry-specific discharge standards.
• Research projects for scientific inputs.
• Regular ground-level monitoring and stakeholder consultation.
• Regulatory actions and implementation of GRAP.

●     Other actions:

•  Funding for road construction/repair and procurement of anti-smog guns.
• Funding for retrofitment/upgradation of DG sets in government hospitals.

PYQ: (UPSC civil services prelims 2016)

Q. In the cities of our country, which among the following atmospheric gases are normally considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index? (2016)

1.     Carbon dioxide

2.     Carbon monoxide

3.     Nitrogen dioxide

4.     Sulphur dioxide

5.     Methane

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Ans: Option B

Mains:

Describe the key points of the revised Global Air-Quality Guidelines (AQGs) recently released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these different from its last update in 2005? What changes in India’s National Clean Air Programme are required to achieve these revised standards? (150 words/10m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-3 2021)

Topic:  GS1 – Society – Poverty and developmental issues

GS2 – Social Justice – Issues relating to poverty and hunger.

The topic is crucial for UPSC as it assesses global governance, humanitarian crises, and sustainable development goals’ progress.

Factors Contributing:

• Climate Change: Erratic weather patterns, extreme events, and rising temperatures affect crop yields, water availability, and food production, exacerbating food insecurity.
• ● Conflict and Displacement: Armed conflicts, civil unrest, and displacement disrupt food systems, agriculture, and livelihoods, leading to food shortages and humanitarian crises.
• Poverty and Inequality: Poverty, income disparities, and lack of access to resources such as land, credit, and education limit food access and perpetuate food insecurity among marginalized populations.
• Natural Disasters: Natural disasters such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, and earthquakes damage crops, infrastructure, and food supply chains, causing food shortages and price spikes.
• Economic Shocks: Economic downturns, market volatility, trade disruptions, and currency fluctuations impact food affordability, access, and availability, contributing to food insecurity.
• Environmental Degradation: Land degradation, deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss degrade ecosystems, reduce agricultural productivity, and threaten food security.
• Population Growth: Rapid population growth increases food demand, strain resources, and agricultural land, challenging efforts to meet the nutritional needs of growing populations.
•  Food Waste: Significant food waste throughout the supply chain, from production to consumption, exacerbates food insecurity by reducing available food resources.

Way Forward:

• Sustainable Agriculture: Promote sustainable agricultural practices, including conservation agriculture, agroecology, and climate-smart farming techniques, to enhance resilience and productivity.
• ● Social Protection: Implement social protection programs such as food assistance, cash transfers, and nutrition support to vulnerable populations, ensuring access to nutritious food.
• Conflict Resolution: Address root causes of conflict, promote peacebuilding efforts, and support conflict resolution mechanisms to mitigate the impact of conflicts on food security.
• Investment in Infrastructure: Invest in rural infrastructure, irrigation systems, storage facilities, and transportation networks to improve agricultural productivity, market access, and food distribution.
• Education and Empowerment: Enhance education and skills development, empower women and marginalized groups, and promote community resilience to build capacity and adapt to food insecurity.
• Policy Coherence: Ensure policy coherence across sectors such as agriculture, health, trade, and environment to address underlying drivers of food insecurity and promote holistic approaches.
• International Cooperation: Strengthen international cooperation, partnerships, and multilateral initiatives to address global food insecurity, share knowledge, resources, and best practices, and achieve sustainable development goals related to food security.

PYQ:

Q.1 Hunger and Poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how far successive governments have progressed in dealing with these humongous problems. Suggest measures for improvement.
(150 words/10m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-2 2017)

Q.2 What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? (250 words/15m) (UPSC CSE (M) GS-3 2021)

Topic: GS2 – Polity – Judiciary

This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains in the context of understanding the interpretation of Article 39(b) and its implications.

• In the midst of widespread discussions on wealth distribution in India, the Supreme Court (SC) has commenced hearings on a case concerning the government’s authority to acquire and redistribute privately owned properties.
• This case revolves around the interpretation of Article 39(b) of the Constitution, which pertains to the ownership and control of material resources for the common good.

• The essence of Article 39 has been enumerated under sub-clauses (b) and (c).
• Article 39(b) and (c) deals with ensuring a welfare society and the promotion of an egalitarian society.
• In Kesavananda Bharati v. The State of Kerala (1973) the Supreme Court of India stated that in the process of development in any field like social, economic, and political, then such development shall not be in contravention to the individual’s right to dignity.
• Hence, here the Supreme Court observed that even the framers of the Indian Constitution were of the opinion that to not have such a society where the individuals have not ensured any sort of dignity.
• In a landmark Supreme Court judgement of the State of Bihar v. Kameshwar Singh AIR (1952) the Hon’ble Court explicitly held that any legislation that aims at doing away with the concentration of wealth/land in the hands of a few and promotes an egalitarian approach would be beneficial for the society as a whole and this would encourage an inclusive development that would further the cause as enumerated under the Article 39(b) and (c) of the Indian Constitution.
• The Hon’ble Court under the Assam Sillimanite Ltd. v. Union of India (1992) explained what is “material resources of the community” that has been mentioned under Article 39(b) of the Indian Constitution.
• The Court said, the above-mentioned term means and includes all those things that are apt of creating wealth for the community as a whole.
• In the above-mentioned case, the Supreme Court held that any Act, legislation, etc. which aims at expanding the production and supply of the refractories in order to meet the crucial demand of the iron and steel industry is well protected under Article 39(b) of the Indian Constitution.

Topic: GS2 – Polity

This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains in the context of understanding Article 244(A) and its implications.

• In Assam’s tribal-majority Diphu Lok Sabha constituency, candidates across all political parties have made promises regarding the implementation of Article 244(A) of the Constitution, which proposes the creation of an autonomous ‘state within a state’.
• This has been a longstanding election promise in Diphu, reflecting the region’s aspirations for greater autonomy and self-governance.

• Article 244(A) allows for creation of an ‘autonomous state’ within Assam in certain tribal areas.
• It also envisages creation of a local legislature or Council of Ministers or both to carry out local administration.
• It was Inserted into the Constitution by the Twenty-second Constitution Amendment Act, 1969.
• Article 244(A) accounts for more autonomous powers to tribal areas than the Sixth Schedule. Among these the most important power is the control over law and order.
• In Autonomous Councils under the Sixth Schedule, they do not have jurisdiction of law and order.
• Sixth Schedule
• The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram to safeguard the rights of the tribal population in these states.
• This special provision is provided under Article 244 (2) and Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.
• In Assam, the hill districts of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi and the Bodo Territorial Region are under this provision.
• The Governor is empowered to increase or decrease the areas or change the names of the autonomous districts. While executive powers of the Union extend in Scheduled areas with respect to their administration in fifth schedule, the sixth schedule areas remain within executive authority of the state.
• The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in any state except the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• The whole of the normal administrative machinery operating in a state do not extend to the scheduled areas.
• At present, 10 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana have Fifth Schedule Area.
• Tribal habitations in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir have not been brought under the Fifth or Sixth Schedule.
• The acts of Parliament or the state legislature do not apply to autonomous districts and autonomous regions or apply with specified modifications and exceptions.
• The Councils have also been endowed with wide civil and criminal judicial powers, for example establishing village courts etc. However, the jurisdiction of these councils is subject to the jurisdiction of the concerned High Court.