27 April 2024 : Daily Current Affairs

Topic: GS2 – Indian Polity

The topic highlights electoral reforms, judicial intervention, and the significance of NOTA, relevant for UPSC’s governance and political science syllabus.

●  Purpose: NOTA provides voters with the option to express their dissatisfaction with the listed candidates and the electoral process itself.

● Symbol: NOTA is represented by a symbol on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and appears as a separate option on the ballot paper.

● Legal Status: The Supreme Court of India recognized the right to NOTA as a fundamental right of voters in the landmark judgement of People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India in 2013.

● Effect: Votes cast for NOTA are counted separately from the total votes polled, and if NOTA receives the highest number of votes, the candidate with the next-highest number of votes is declared the winner.

● Limitations: NOTA does not directly affect the outcome of elections, as the candidate with the highest number of valid votes is still declared the winner, regardless of the NOTA votes.

● Awareness: Despite being available as an option, awareness and utilisation of NOTA among voters remain relatively low.

● Criticism: Critics argue that NOTA lacks teeth as it does not lead to the rejection of candidates or necessitate a re-election, limiting its effectiveness in promoting accountability and electoral reforms.

Topic:  GS1 –  Geography – Effects of Climate change, GS3 – Environment

The topic sheds light on India’s renewable energy goals, environmental challenges, and technological solutions, relevant for UPSC’s environmental science syllabus.

● Economic Implications: Reduced solar radiation efficiency could hinder the growth of the solar energy sector, impacting investments and job creation.

● Environmental Concerns: Dependency on non-renewable energy sources may increase, leading to higher carbon emissions and environmental degradation.

● Technological Innovation: The need for more efficient solar panel technologies becomes imperative to maximise energy conversion despite reduced radiation.

● Policy Reassessment: Government policies and initiatives may need revision to address the challenges posed by declining solar radiation and ensure continued progress towards renewable energy targets.

● Regional Disparities: Areas heavily reliant on solar power, such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, may face disproportionate impacts, affecting local economies and livelihoods.

● Global Perspective: India’s renewable energy commitments contribute to global efforts to combat climate change; any setback in achieving these goals could have broader environmental implications.

● Social Equity: Ensuring equitable access to renewable energy amidst declining solar radiation is crucial to prevent exacerbating socio-economic disparities.

● Adaptation Strategies: Developing resilience measures and diversifying renewable energy sources may be necessary to mitigate the impacts of declining solar radiation.

Topic: GS3 – Indian economy, GS3 – Science and Technology – Issues relating to IPR

The topic underscores India’s growing innovation landscape and emphasis on intellectual property rights, relevant to UPSC’s science and technology syllabus.

●  Economic Growth: A robust innovation ecosystem can drive economic growth by fostering entrepreneurship, creating jobs, and enhancing competitiveness in global markets.

●  Technological Advancement: Innovation promotes technological advancement, leading to the development of cutting-edge solutions, products, and services across various sectors.

●  Social Impact: Innovation addresses societal challenges and improves quality of life through advancements in healthcare, education, agriculture, and other critical areas.

●  Global Recognition: Strengthening the innovation ecosystem enhances India’s reputation as a hub for innovation and attracts investment, collaboration, and partnerships with international stakeholders.

●  Youth Empowerment: Encouraging innovation empowers youth, fosters creativity, and nurtures a culture of entrepreneurship and problem-solving among the younger generation.

Challenges:

●  Infrastructure: Inadequate infrastructure, including research facilities, incubation centres, and funding mechanisms, hinders innovation and entrepreneurship.

● Regulatory Framework: Complex regulatory processes, bureaucratic hurdles, and legal barriers create challenges for startups and innovators in navigating the business environment.

● Access to Funding: Limited access to capital, particularly early-stage funding and venture capital, constrains the growth and scalability of innovative startups and projects.

● Skill Development: Shortage of skilled workforce and talent gaps in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields pose challenges for innovation-driven industries.

● Intellectual Property Rights: Weak enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and challenges in patenting processes discourage innovation and hinder investment in research and development (R&D).

● Cultural Mindset: Cultural attitudes towards risk-taking, failure, and experimentation need to evolve to foster a conducive environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.

●  Collaboration and Ecosystem Connectivity: Limited collaboration and ecosystem connectivity between academia, industry, and government stakeholders impede knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and innovation diffusion.

Way Forward:

● Policy Support: Implement supportive policies, incentives, and regulatory reforms to promote innovation, R&D, and entrepreneurship.

● Infrastructure Development: Invest in research infrastructure, technology parks, innovation hubs, and incubation centres to support startups and innovators.

●  Access to Funding: Enhance access to funding through government grants, venture capital funds, angel investors, and crowdfunding platforms for innovative projects.

●  Skill Enhancement: Strengthen STEM education, vocational training, and skill development programs to nurture talent and meet industry demands.

● IPR Protection: Improve IPR enforcement mechanisms, streamline patenting processes, and provide legal support to protect intellectual property rights.

● Promotion of Collaboration: Foster collaboration between academia, industry, research institutions, and government agencies to facilitate knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and innovation diffusion.

● Entrepreneurial Culture: Promote an entrepreneurial culture by celebrating risk-taking, encouraging experimentation, and providing mentorship and support to aspiring innovators and startups.

Topic: GS2 – Governance – Government policies – Interventions for development in various sectors

This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains as the article provides insights into the functioning of India’s electoral process, focusing on the directives issued by the Supreme Court regarding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips and Symbol Loading Units (SLUs).

• The Supreme Court’s directive to “seal and secure” the Symbol Loading Unit (SLU) for 45 days post-election marks a significant development in electoral procedures.
• While rejecting the plea for 100% verification of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, the court’s decision to include SLUs for examination reflects a heightened focus on transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

• The results of EVMs can be verified using the slips kept in the drop boxes of VVPAT machines.
• VVPAT can be accessed by the polling officials, but not by the voters.
• The paper slips are deemed to be more authoritative than EVM tallies in cases where VVPAT slips are utilised to verify votes.
• Voter verification, however, is only done in extreme circumstances, such as when there are accusations of fraud or miscalculation.
• The ECI has the authority to request that votes be verified using VVPAT slips in response to such complaints.
• At the moment, the VVPAT slips are counted in a randomly-selected polling station in each Assembly constituency or Parliamentary constituency, depending upon the nature of the elections being held.
• The ECI has clarified that EVMs and VVPATs are separate entities and are not connected to any network.
• These machines are developed by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL).

Topic: GS3 – Environment – Environmental Pollution and Degradation

GS1 – Geography- Climate change

This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains in the context of knowing facts about the expansion of glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan region due to glacier retreat which raises concerns about environmental changes and their impacts on ecosystems and communities downstream.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released satellite-based analysis focusing on the expansion of glacial lakes in the catchments of Indian Himalayan river basins.
• This analysis adds to a series of studies highlighting the risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and their potential impact on downstream infrastructure and settlements.

• Glacial lakes are formed in depressions on glaciers or in moraines left by retreating glaciers. They take shape as glaciers carve out the landscape through erosion and then melt, filling the depressions formed by their movement.

Categorization:

Glacial lakes are classified into four main types based on their formation process:

• Moraine-dammed,
• Ice-dammed,
• Erosion, and
• Other glacial lakes.

Expansion Distribution:

• Among the expanding lakes, Moraine-dammed lakes are the most prevalent (307), followed by Erosion (265), Other (96), and Ice-dammed (8) glacial lakes.

Formation Process:

• Glacial lakes originate from the accumulation of meltwater resulting from glacier ice melting. As glaciers move, they carve depressions in the landscape, which may fill with water over time.

Moraine Formation:

• When glaciers retreat, they leave behind moraines, acting as natural dams that trap meltwater and create lakes.

Important Glacial Lakes in India: 

• Deosai National Park (Jammu and Kashmir): Known for its numerous glacial lakes.
• Gangbal Lake (Jammu and Kashmir): At the base of Mount Haramukh.Zanskar Valley Lakes (Jammu and Kashmir): Includes Tsomoriri Lake, Tsokar Lake, and many others.
• Roopkund Lake (Uttarakhand): Known for the human skeletons found at its bottom.
• Sarson Patal Lake (Uttarakhand): Within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.
• Deoria Tal (Uttarakhand): Offering stunning views of the surrounding peaks.Hemkund Lake (Uttarakhand): Near the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara.
• Kedar Tal (Uttarakhand): At the foot of the Thalay Sagar peak.
• Nanda Devi East Base Lake (Uttarakhand): Offering views of the Nanda Devi peaks.
• Vasuki Tal (Uttarakhand): Near the Chaturangi Glacier.
• Chandratal Lake (Himachal Pradesh): Known for its crescent shape.
• Suraj Tal (Himachal Pradesh): Close to the Baralacha La pass.
• Rupin Lake (Himachal Pradesh): Near the Rupin Pass.
• Gurudongmar Lake (Sikkim): One of the highest lakes in the world.

Topic: GS3 – Indian Economy – Effects of liberalization on the economy

This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains in the context of understanding the dynamics of forex reserves, including the factors influencing their fluctuations and the composition of reserves which is crucial for comprehending India’s economic stability and its ability to withstand external shocks.

• India’s forex reserves witnessed a decrease of $2.282 billion to $640.334 billion for the seven days ended April 19, marking the second consecutive week of decline, as reported by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• This decline follows a previous drop of $5.401 billion to $643.162 billion in the preceding reporting week, breaking a multi-week trend of increase, during which the overall reserves had reached a new all-time high of $648.562 billion for the week ending April 5.

What is it?

• Foreign Exchange Reserves (also called Forex Reserves) are reserve assets held by a central bank in foreign currencies.
• These may include foreign currencies, bonds, treasury bills, and other government securities.
• Reserves are denominated and expressed in the US dollar, which is the international numeraire for the purpose.
• RBI is the custodian of the Foreign exchange reserves in India.

India’s foreign exchange reserves comprise of;

• Foreign currency assets (FCAs): These are maintained in currencies like the US dollar, euro, pound sterling, Australian dollar and Japanese yen.
• SDR (Special Drawing Rights): This is the reserve currency with IMF.
• RTP (Reserve Tranche Position): This is the reserve capital with IMF.
• The biggest contributor to India’s Forex reserves is foreign currency assets, followed by gold.

Purpose:

• They are used to back liabilities on their own issued currency, support the exchange rate and set monetary policy.
• To ensure that RBI has backup funds if their national currency rapidly devalues or becomes altogether insolvent.
• If the value of the Rupee decreases due to an increase in the demand of the foreign currency, then RBI sells the dollar in the Indian money market so that depreciation of the Indian currency can be checked.
• A country with a good stock of forex has a good image at the international level because the trading countries can be sure about their payments.
• A good forex reserve helps in attracting foreign trade and earns a good reputation with trading partners.