Syllabus: GS-III

Subject: Environment, Agriculture and Science and Technology.

Topic: Introduction of GM crops

Context: Centre stressed the benefits of GM Mustard in Supreme Court against a PIL filed to stop commercial release of DMH-11.

Synopsis:

• Indigenous GM mustard meant to make edible oil cheaper, reduce imports and ensures increased yield per hectare of 25% to 30%
• The govt argued that it has the duty to protect fundamental right of people to access basic food consumed every day at a cheaper price.

Background: DMH-11:

• DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by cross between two varieties: Varuna and Early Heera-2.
• Barnase and Barstar are two genes from two soil bacterium introduced to enable the crossing (naturally not possible)
• Hence it is a transgenic crop.

Benefits:

• DMH-11 has 28% higher yields.
• Reduction in imports. Currently, 54% of the total edible oil demand is met through imports.
• GM mustard plants may dissuade bees from pollinating the plant and this could have knock-off environmental catastrophes.
• GM mustard hasn’t been evaluated as a herbicide tolerant crop, though it is tolerant to a herbicide called glufosinate-ammonium, posing potential risks.

Regulation:

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under Ministry of Environment is India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products.
• The final decision on commercial release is taken by MoEFCC.
• Though GEAC has cleared the environmental release of GM mustard, the process stalled after a case was lodged in the Supreme Court.

Other GM crops allowed for cultivation in India:

• BT cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in India.
• Bt Brinjal, the first transgenic food crop, was cleared by the GEAC in 2009 but was put on hold by the then-UPA government.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-III

Subject: Science & Technology

Topic: Developments and their Applications in Everyday Life

Context: India Meteorological Department (IMD) report of a high likelihood of “very dense fog” in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi.

Synopsis:

• IMD has used maps from the INSAT 3D and INSAT 3DR satellites.
• Both satellites use radiometers to make their spectral measurements.
• A radiometer is a device that measures various useful properties of radiation like temperature and electrical activity.
• The INSAT (Indian National Satellite System)
  • series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by ISRO
  • For weather monitoring, forecasting and warning services (meteorology), telecommunications, broadcasting, and search and rescue operations.
• Kalpana-1 is an exclusive meteorological satellite launched by PSLV in September 2002. Deactivated Kalpana 1 in 2017.

Conclusion: ISRO is expected to launch the INSAT 3DS meteorological satellite in 2024 which will further improve the weather forecasting and warning capabilties in India.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-III

Subject: Indian Economy and Development

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

Context: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia addressed the inaugural session of Wings India 2024 conference.

Synopsis:

• Domestic air passenger traffic is expected to touch 300 million by 2030 from 153 million in 2023 highlighting the need to improve infrastructure.
• India became the largest purchaser of aircraft in the world after the US and China.
• However, India remains one of the most under-penetrated markets in civil aviation sector.

Conclusion: Creating capacities, removing bottlenecks and simplifying procedures will facilitate growth of the sector.

Statement/Quote: “Our resolve is not to be regulatory in nature, but to be facilitative,” – Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus: GS-II

Subject: International Relations

Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.

Issue: India-Maldives Row.

Context: Discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM.

Background:

Steps taken by Maldives after Mr. Muizzu came into Power:

• Choosing Turkeyfor his first official visit as a foreign destination, unlike past Maldivian Presidents.
• Absence from the meeting of the NSA-level Colombo Security Conclave(Member-state- India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius).
• Vow to change the Maldives’s ‘India First’ policyadopted under his predecessor and remove Indian military personnel from the island nation.
• Decided not to renewthe hydrography cooperation agreement with India after its expiry on 7 June 2024.Top of FormTop of Form

Way Forward:

Diplomatic engagement and open communication to address concerns and foster understanding.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus: GS-II

Subject: International Relations

Topic: South China Sea, Nine-dash line

Issue: China- Philippines agreement over South China sea.

Context: China and, the Philippines ease tensions in the South China Sea after confrontations, and agree on diplomacy.

Contesting Claims Over Islands:

• Ren’Ai reef (Ayungin Shoal/Thomas Shoal) a key concern.
• Disputed islands: Paracel (China, Taiwan, Vietnam), Spratly (China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines), Scarborough Shoal (Philippines, China, Taiwan).

Its impact on India and other parts of the world:

1. The South China Sea is crucial as $200B Indian trade passes though
2. Importance for regional stability, peace, and secure sea routes.
3. Strategically vital as a link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Note: The nine-dash line is a set of line segments on maps that represent the claims of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea. The line is also known as the eleven-dash line, the U-shaped line, and the dotted line.

Source: The Hindu

Source: Indian Express

Subject: International relations

Topic: International Relations and Terrorism

Issue: Pakistan Iran relation

Why in news: Iran and Pakistan have attacked militant bases in each other’s territory, but also reaffirmed their commitment to good neighbourly ties.

• Recently the relationship between Iran and Pakistan has taken serious hits after they have attacked militant bases in each other’s territory.

Relationship between Iran and Pakistan:

• A) Phase I (before 1979 (Islamic revolution of Iran)):
• Both countries were firmly allied to the United States ,
• In 1955, both joined the Baghdad Pact, later known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), a military alliance modelled on NATO.
• Iran provided material and weapons support to Pakistan during its 1965 and 1971 wars against India.
• The Shah of Iran criticized the liberation of Bangladesh.
• B) Phase-II (After 1979 Islamic revolution of Iran)

• The two countries found themselves at opposite ends of the sectarian divide.
• Geopolitical differences also emerged.
• There were attempt to reconcile with Iran during Benazir Bhutto’s(1995) and Asif Ali Zardari’s regime.
• 

(Image Courtesy-BBC)

Common Baloch problem between Iran and Pakistan:

• Iran-Pakistan share 909 Kilometer long border along Goldsmith Line.
• Ethnic Baloch live on either side of the line, in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, and the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
• And some population aslo live in the neighboring areas of Afghanistan in the north.
• Baloch share cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious links that transcend modern borders.
• They also nurse deeply rooted grievances against both the Pakistani and Iranian states.
• Iran and Pakistan have earlier cooperated to combat the Baloch insurgency.
• At the same time, the insurgency has been a source of tension, with the two countries accusing each other of harboring and supporting terrorists.

Conclusion:

• India has described the strikes as the matter between the two countries.
• At the same time India has mentioned its uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism.

Source: Indian Express

Source: Indian Express

Subject: Governance

Topic: Accountability

Issue: Regulatory organization- Competition Commission of India

Context: CCI reaffirms its commitment to steering India’s economic journey towards a future that is competitive, inclusive, and resilient

Approach of CCI:

• Enforcement actions -to address potential anti-competitive practices by issuing suitable punitive and remedial solutions.
• Advocacy measures – to foster a culture of competition in the markets and to nudge market participants towards competition compliance.

Mandate of CCI:

• Elimination of practices having adverse effects on competition,
• Promotion and sustenance of competition,
• Protection of consumer interests,
• Ensuring freedom of trade
• Examines the conduct of dominant companies to ensure they do not abuse their position.
• Practices like predatory pricing, denial of market access, and exclusive agreements are scrutinized to maintain healthy competition.
• CCI review any kind of merger or acquisition to avoid any harm to the competitive environment by:
• Setting prices unfairly,
• Limiting choices for consumers,
• Alternatively, stifling innovation by making it harder for smaller competitors to survive.

New age challenges to CCI and its approach to address these challenges:

• Digital economy, characterized by the dominance of a few tech giants, presents unique challenges such as vast resources and data control.
• Approach to addressing new-age challenges is multifaceted, involving regulation, advocacy, and international cooperation.

The way ahead:

• CCI’s focus should be on building resilience and agility in our regulatory practices.
• CCI should be proactive in identifying potential market disruptions and swift in our response to ensure that competition remains vibrant and fair.
• Investing in research, building expertise in new-age markets, and leveraging technology for efficient enforcement should be key to CCI’s strategy.

Source: Indian Express

Source: The Hindu

Subject: Governance

Topic: Accountability

Issue: Free media to ensure accountability

Context: The Fourth Estate having slipped from its true place in a democracy is a serious concern and there’s much to do to set things right again.

Synopsis:

• Various issues such as economic growth, the freeing of broadcast media from government control and the internet have transformed media since 1991.
• This has led to an explosion of media in terms quantity and style.

Key issues with the current functioning of media:

• “Breaking news” culture and the search for the villain of the day.
• The audiovisual media today serves simultaneously as witness, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner.
• Social media, with its culture of unverified “fact” and viral opinion, compounds the problem.
• Print Media is also affected by this culture now feel pressed to publish without the traditional recourse to fact-checking.
• The distinctions among fact, opinion and speculation, reportage and rumor, sourced information and unfounded allegation have completely blurred.

Significance of a free and well-functioning media:

• Free media are the lifeblood of our democracy.
• Media provide the information that enables a free citizenry to make the choices of who governs them.
• Media ensures that those who govern will remain accountable to those who put them there.
• Government needs a free and professional media to keep it honest and efficient, to serve as both mirror (to society) and scalpel (to probe wrongdoing).

The way ahead:                                      

• Engender a culture of fact-verification and accuracy.
• Insist on better journalistic training at accredited media institutes that emphasize values of accuracy, integrity and fairness in their students.
• Ensure different perspectives in newsrooms and not allow them to become echo chambers forcing an opinion onto their viewer
• Introduce laws and regulations that limit control of multiple news organizations by a single business or political entity
• A single overseer for print and television news companies, as recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the parliamentary Committee on Information Technology.

Source: The Hindu

Source: The Hindu

Subject: Social Justice

Topic:  Education

Issue: ASER 2023: Beyond Basics report

Why in news: Recently released Annual Status of Education Report, titled ‘ASER 2023: Beyond Basics’

Synopsis:

• Civil society Organisation Pratham released Annual Status of Education Report, titled ‘ASER 2023: Beyond Basics’.
• Based on survey among rural students aged 14 to 18 years.
• Conducted in 28 districts across 26 States and assessed the foundational reading and arithmetic abilities of

Data Points:

• More than half struggled with basic mathematics, a skill they should have mastered in Classes 3 and 4.
• About 25% of this age group cannot read a Class 2 level text in their mother tongue.
• Boys are doing comparatively better in both arithmetic and language,
• 8% in the 14-18 year age group are enrolled in an educational institution,
• Enrollment rate decline with increase in age9% of 14-year-olds are not in school and 32.6% for 18-year-olds are not in school.
• In class-11, most of the student opt for humanities.
• Gender based enrollment gap in science in class 11 with only (28.1%) girls compared with boys (36.3%) are enrolled.
• Only 5.6% have opted for vocational training or other related courses.
• Children opting for private tuition nationwide went up from 25% in 2018 to 30% in 2022.
• 90% of the youngsters surveyed have a smartphone; however, most of them are unaware of online safety settings.

Analysis:

• The trends highlight the lag in reading and solving simple arithmetic.
• The report highlights that all States have made a major push in foundational literacy and numeracy under the NIPUN Bharat Mission.
• However, the numbers show that in a diverse and vast country such as India, there is a lot of catching up to do.
• Rising enrollment is good (up to 8^th) , however children are not able to cope up with the curriculum of higher classes due to low foundational skill.
• To cure the current issue we need to implement The Right to Education Act, 2009 in the true spirit of the law.

Source: The Hindu