7 August 2023 : Daily Current Affairs
Daily Current Affairs
7-August-2023
Daily Current Affairs For UPSC ,Daily Current affairs of The hIndu and Indian Express.
1. Is India’s sugar surplus leading to a crisis?
Topic: GS3 – agriculture sector
India’s sugar production:
- India became the world’s top sugar producer in 2021-2022, surpassing Brazil, with a record of 359 lakh tonnes.
Why is there excess sugar production?
- Excess sugar production is a result of policies favoring sugarcane cultivation, such as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) scheme by the Central government, which ensures fair profits for farmers.
- State governments offer heavy subsidies to incentivize sugarcane cultivation, potentially for political gains in rural areas.
Efforts made to address the issue:
- To address the sugar surplus, the Indian government considered diverting it to produce ethanol.
- Ethanol is produced by fermenting sugarcane molasses or sugar and has various uses in industries, including chemicals, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverages.
- The government launched the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) program in 2003 to reduce crude oil imports and curb greenhouse gas emissions from petrol-based vehicles.
- The program aimed to achieve a blending rate of 5%, but the target set for 2025 is 20%.
- In 2021, the government reduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on ethanol from 18% to 5%.
- India successfully diverted about 350 lakh tonnes of sugar to produce ethanol, achieving a blending rate of 10% ahead of the target.
Impact of sugar cane cultivation on groundwater:
- The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) program in India has resulted in reduced crude-oil imports, sugar exports, and greenhouse-gas emissions.
- However, sugarcane’s water-intensive cultivation is causing concerns due to the limited availability of groundwater.
- Sugarcane requires 3,000 mm of rainfall, but top-growing States receive only 1,000-1,200 mm, leading to heavy reliance on groundwater from confined aquifers.
- There are states already facing issues of drought and groundwater stress, as highlighted in a 2022 report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).
How to address the issue of groundwater depletion:
- Excess sugar production and export bring substantial financial gains, but the environmental implications need to be addressed.
- To achieve sustainability, incentives favoring sugarcane cultivation over other crops should be corrected, leading to a consistent surplus.
- Introducing fair and comprehensive subsidy schemes for various crops can promote diversification, prevent monocultures, and ensure equitable income for farmers.
- Environmentally responsible sugarcane cultivation practices, such as drip irrigation, should be prioritized to conserve groundwater.
- Efforts like rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment, and canal irrigation networks can reduce stress on groundwater reservoirs.
- Investment in groundwater research is essential to improve understanding and management of this vital natural resource.
- India should prioritize sustainability in its agricultural sector as it emerges as a global frontrunner in agriculture.
2. G-20 negotiators face climate change hurdle
Topic: GS3 – climate financing.
Context:
- G-20 ministerial meetings in July ended without joint language on key climate change issues.
More information about the news:
- Differences exist between G-7 or developed countries and the developing world on emissions targets, phasing out fossil fuels, and climate finance.
- Russia-China combine opposes including geopolitical issues like Ukraine in the declaration.
- Lack of consensus on global emissions targets and funding from developed countries is a major concern.
- Climate experts and activist groups are disappointed with the diluted ambition of the meetings, which could derail negotiations ahead of the UN COP28 Climate Change conference.
3. Editors Guild raises concerns over data protection, press Bills
Topic: GS2 – Indian polity
Context:
- Editors Guild of India expresses concerns over Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill and Press and Registration of Periodicals (PRP) Bill.
- DPDP Bill creates an enabling framework for surveillance of citizens, including journalists and their sources.
Issues raised about The Data Protection Bill of 2022:
- Amendment to the RTI act: The Bill includes a provision to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which has been empowering Indian citizens since its enactment in 2005.
- The enactment of a data protection law does not require any amendment to the existing RTI law, as noted by the Justice A.P. Shah Report on Privacy.
- The DPDP Bill 2022 proposes amendments to Section 8(1)(j) to exempt all personal information from disclosure, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
- The government’s Power: The DPDP Bill 2022 empowers the executive to draft rules and notifications on a wide range of issues, potentially allowing arbitrary exemptions for certain entities and violating citizens’ privacy.
- Possibility of unfair treatment: The government could potentially exempt its cronies and government bodies like UIDAI, while others would have to comply with stringent data fiduciary obligations.
Issues over the Data Protection Board:
- The oversight body proposed under the DPDP Bill must be adequately independent to act on violations of the law by government entities.
- The draft Bill lacks provisions to ensure the autonomy of the Data Protection Board responsible for enforcing the law.
- The central government is empowered to determine the strength, composition, and appointment process of the board, including the chairperson and other members.
- The chief executive responsible for managing the board will be appointed by the government, giving it direct control over the institution.
- The creation of a government-controlled Data Protection Board, with the power to impose fines up to ₹500 crore, raises concerns of misuse to target political opposition and critics of government policies.
- Urgent addressal of these concerns is necessary before enacting the DPDP Bill.
Way forward:
- Ensure transparency and public consultation during the drafting of the DPDP Bill to address concerns and build public trust.
- Establish an independent and autonomous Data Protection Board to enforce the provisions of the law and protect personal data effectively.
- Clearly define the composition, appointment process, and removal mechanisms of the Data Protection Board to prevent undue government influence.
- Strengthen provisions to protect citizens’ right to information and ensure that the DPDP Bill does not compromise transparency and accountability.
- Conduct a comprehensive debate and discussion in Parliament to address the shortcomings and implications of the Bill before its enactment.
Model question: Examine the key provisions and objectives of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill in India. Discuss its potential implications for citizens’ right to privacy, data protection, and transparency. What measures can be adopted to ensure an effective balance between data protection and government’s access to data for legitimate purposes? (20 Marks)
4. Rising food prices may undo recent respite from inflation
Topic: GS3 – Indian economy.
Context:
- India’s retail inflation may have crossed the 6% upper tolerance threshold of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in July due to an increase in food prices.
- Economists believe that the inflation could remain high in the coming months, leading the RBI to adopt a hawkish stance and possibly raise its inflation projections for the ongoing quarter and the full year.
- Food inflation, especially during July-September, is likely to result in higher overall inflation for the fiscal year, settling in a range of 5 to 6%.
Impact of food price on inflation in India:
- Consumer Spending: When food prices rise, it directly affects consumers’ purchasing power and can reduce their spending on other goods and services, impacting overall economic activity.
- Inflationary Pressure: Food items have a substantial weightage in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is used to measure inflation in India. Fluctuations in food prices, can contribute to overall inflationary pressure in the economy.
- Rural-Urban Divide: Inflation in food prices can have a disparate impact on rural and urban areas. Rural areas are more directly affected as agriculture is a primary source of livelihood, and fluctuations in food prices can directly impact farmers’ incomes and rural households’ purchasing power.
- Supply and Demand Factors: Supply-side constraints, such as inadequate storage facilities or transportation bottlenecks, can contribute to price volatility.
- Government Interventions: The Indian government implements various measures to manage food prices and mitigate inflationary pressures. These include price controls, minimum support prices for agricultural commodities, procurement and distribution systems, and policy interventions to enhance agricultural productivity and supply chain efficiency.
- Monetary Policy Considerations: Higher food prices can influence the RBI’s decisions on interest rates and liquidity management to ensure price stability and anchor inflation expectations.
- Socioeconomic Impact: Rising food prices disproportionately affect vulnerable populations in India, such as low-income households and those living below the poverty line. Inflation in food prices can lead to increased food insecurity, exacerbate poverty, and impact social welfare outcomes.
Model question: Discuss the impact of food price inflation on overall inflation and the economy in India. Analyze the factors contributing to food price fluctuations and their implications for consumer spending, rural livelihoods, and monetary policy. Provide recommendations for policies and strategies to mitigate the impact of food price volatility. (250 words)
5. 5% of birds in India are endemic, says Zoological Survey of India publication
Topic: GS3 – environment and ecology.
Context:
- The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) recently published a report titled “75 Endemic Birds of India.”
More information about the news:
- India is home to 1,353 bird species, with 78 species (approximately 5%) being endemic to the country.
- Three of the endemic bird species have not been recorded in recent decades: the Manipur bush quail, the Himalayan quail, and the Jerdon’s courser, all of which are listed as critically endangered or endangered.
- The publication highlights the importance of conserving habitats for endemic bird species to prevent their decline.
- The Western Ghats region of India has the highest number of endemic bird species, with 28 recorded in this bio-geographic hotspot.
- The report aims to raise awareness among common people, especially students, about the endemic bird species found in India.
6. M.P. strategy for tigers can help cheetahs too
Topic: GS3 – environment and ecology.
Context:
- Madhya Pradesh has achieved a 50% surge in its tiger population, making it the top state in the 2022 tiger census.
Strategies adopted by Madhya Pradesh:
- The success is attributed to the state’s strategy of actively managing the movement of tigers and their prey to balance predator and prey populations.
- The forest department of Madhya Pradesh has restored low-density areas through village relocations, prey supplementation, and reintroduction of species like Barasingha and Gaur to new habitats.
- Prey species like chital have been successfully moved to different reserves to ensure adequate food for tigers in those areas.
- The active prey management approach has contributed significantly to the increase in tiger numbers in Madhya Pradesh.
- The strategy involves identifying regions with high prey density and moving some to areas with lower prey density, and vice versa for tigers.
- Active prey management is unique to Madhya Pradesh among other states and requires labor-intensive efforts.
The same strategies can be replicated for Cheetah conservation:
- The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, which is currently hosting African cheetahs, faces challenges as six of the 20 cheetahs translocated there have died since September 2022.
- To form a viable cheetah population, similar principles of active prey management need to be applied, along with drawing from experiences with tiger and other ungulates.
Significance: News not much important from exam perspective – however some data can be used for mains answer.
7. Supernovae – the universe’s engines
Topic: GS3 – Science and technology.
What are Supernovae?
- Supernovae are violent and powerful events that occur when massive stars exhaust their fuel and collapse, causing their outer shells to explode.
- There are two main types of supernovae: core-collapse supernovae and thermal runaway supernovae.
- Core-collapse supernovae happen when a massive star can no longer fuse nuclei of elements, leading to a collapse and explosion of its outer layers.
- Thermal runaway supernovae occur when two stars, one or both of which are white dwarfs, collide or transfer enough matter to trigger a runaway fusion reaction.
- Supernovae release large amounts of energy, radiation, and elements into space, including heavy metals like gold and uranium, which were created in the explosion of ancient supernovae and are now found in Earth’s crust.
- Supernovae play a crucial role in the evolution of the universe by driving the formation of new stars and planets.
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