Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-02-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-02-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Environment and Ecology - Tsunami confirmed by Australian agency after 7.7 magnitude earthquake in South Pacific - A 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck in the South Pacific has generated a tsunami, the Australian weather agency (Australian Bureau of Meteorology) confirmed. It warned of a marine threat to Lord Howe Island. Later, Australia cancelled the warning for residents of Lord Howe Island, a marine reserve some 700 km northeast of Sydney. There was no threat to the mainland, it said. A tsunami is a series of waves in a large water body, caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Regarded as the largest recorded in modern times, the tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska was caused by a landslide triggered by an 8.3 magnitude earthquake. But the Dec 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was very deadly, caused by a large earthquake. Killer waves radiated from the epicenter and slammed into the coastlines of 11 countries.
2. Science and Technology - Objective of UAE's Mars mission - The UAE's first mission to Mars has entered the planet's orbit seven months after the Emirati-built 'Hope Probe' was launched from Japan. The mission primarily aims to study Martian weather dynamics. By measuring how much hydrogen and oxygen is spilling into space, scientists will be able to look into why Mars lost its early atmosphere and liquid water. In Feb 2021, the United Arab Emirates became just the fifth nation to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars when its robotic probe, named Hope, began orbiting the red planet. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, being larger than only Mercury. Mars is the name of Roman god of war and is called the "Red Planet". It is suspected to have harboured life, billions of years ago before it all ended due to geological or cosmic reasons.
3. Agriculture - Farmers announce nationwide rail blockade - Protesting farmer unions announced a nationwide 'rail roko' (railway blockade) from 12 pm to 4 pm on February 18, 2021. In a statement, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha also announced that toll collection will not be allowed in Rajasthan from February 12. Earlier in Feb, they had observed a three-hour 'chakka jam' while demanding the government to repeal the farm laws. The farmers in many states are protesting the three new agriculture laws that were passed in 2020, claiming that it will fundamentally alter their livelihood patterns, and give Indian corporates a control over large swathes of agriculture. The govt. has tried to hold talks to resolve deadlock, but it hasn't worked till Feb 2021. The PM convinced farmers in his Parliament speech that MSP and APMCs won't end.
4. Science and Technology - NASA picks SpaceX to launch its Gateway station to Moon in 2024 - NASA on 10-02-2021 announced that Elon Musk-led SpaceX will launch the two major parts of lunar orbiter Gateway, that will function as a pit stop for future Moon missions. The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) will be launched in 2024 on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket at an estimated cost of $331.8 million. Roughly one-sixth the size of the International Space Station (ISS), the Gateway of NASA will support research investigations, crew, and expeditions to the lunar surface. The outpost will serve as a docking station for visiting spacecraft, such as NASA's Orion spacecraft and will orbit the moon, tens of thousands of miles away.
5. Governance and Institutions - States' GST shortfall rises to ₹2.46 lakh cr in April-Nov 2021 period - The shortfall in GST revenues of states rose to ₹2.46 lakh crore during the April to November period of the FY 21 fiscal. Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed the Rajya Sabha that the central government has given ₹40,000 crore as compensation for April-May 2020 and facilitated loans worth ₹84,000 crore. The GST regime has a mechanism of a compensation cess fund, which is made up of cess proceeds, to make up any shortfall below the states' protected revenue each year. This guarantee of revenue protection is part of the law and states are entitled to a 14% y-o-y growth in their GST revenue for 2017-22 period. In 2020, the government refused to honour it, stating "an Act of God" (pandemic) had changed all calculations. Unresolved questions about goods and services tax (GST) compensation to states for the next fiscal year are expected to generate heat in the GST Council.
6. Constitution and Law - Twitter suspends over 500 accounts for policy breach after Indian government's request - Twitter on February 10, 2021 informed that it has taken multiple enforcement actions including permanent suspension of over 500 accounts for a clear breach of Twitter's policies. The move comes in response to the 'legal requests' from the Central government. Twitter said that separate to their enforcement under its rules, over the course of the last 10 days, it has been served with several separate blocking orders by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The social media giant said that it took a range of enforcement actions including permanent suspension in certain cases against more than 500 accounts for clear violations of Twitter's Rules. Twitter informed that they took the steps to reduce the visibility of the hashtags containing harmful content, which included prohibiting them from trending on Twitter. Many twitter users claim they have moved to an alternative platform "Koo". It emerged that Koo's database was leaking, and its domain name was owned by a Chinese!
7. Social Issues - Bangladesh receives USD 200 mn from World Bank - Bangladesh has received USD 200 mn from World Bank for safe water and sanitation services and Hygiene (WASH) project for rural areas. The agreement was signed between the Bangladesh government and the World Bank on February 9, 2021. The project aims to provide 3.6 million people access to hygienic sanitation facilities and about 6 lakh people access to clean water in rural areas. The funding will provide microcredits to both households and entrepreneurs for water and sanitation facilities. Over 3 lakh poorest households will receive fully subsidised toilets. The project also includes the construction of 3000 community piped water schemes and the installation of 312 public toilets and 2,514 hand-washing stations at crowded public places such as bus stations and markets.
8. Governance and Institutions - Rajya Sabha passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020 - The Rajya Sabha on February 10, 2021 passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020, giving greater autonomy to major ports in the country. The Bill was put to Division Voting where 84 members voted in favour of the bill and 44 voted against it. The bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in the country and provide greater autonomy to these ports. It also seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 and provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port. These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.
9. Donald Trump's second impeachment trial begins - Former US President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial formally began in the Senate on February 9, 2021. Trump is the only President in US history to face impeachment trial twice. This is the first-ever impeachment trial of a former President. It aims to answer whether one can incite an insurrection with impunity. The House of Representatives had impeached the former president last month for inciting violence at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Overall, this is the fourth impeachment trial in US history. The earlier trials include President Andrew Johnson's trial in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and Donald Trump in 2020.
10. Governance and Institutions - India, China hold bilateral talks amid border tensions on UNSC agenda - India and China held bilateral talks on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) agenda on February 9, 2021 amid the border tensions and military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Earlier in the beginning of February 2021, India began its 2-year stint in the UNSC as a non-permanent member. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN Charter.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

India UK enhanced trade partnership

1. India and UK: In a pandemic-ravaged world, both India and UK are looking at enhaced trade opportunities. In Feb 2021, it emerged that both held discussions on promoting bilateral trade and investments and decided to launch an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) during the visit of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to India. The commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal discussed this with UK Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss MP on February 6, 2021.
2. Republic Day 2021: PM Johnson had cancelled a trip to India where he was supposed to be the Chief Guest of the Republic Day celebrations citing the need to oversee the Covid-19 pandemic response in the UK. But he was likely to visit India ahead of the G7 Summit in June 2021.
3. The ETP: The two sides reviewed the ongoing engagements between the two sides for an ETP to develop a roadmap that would lead to a potential comprehensive FTA (free trade agreement), including considerations on an interim pact on a preferential basis. Last year, the two sides said they were committed to a free trade agreement that will start off with early harvest agreements.
4. Facts: India's goods exports to the UK were $4.55 billion in April-November FY21 while imports were $2.61 billion. The two sides also expressed commitment to relaunch the UK-India CEO Forum and agreed on the Forum’s meeting at the earliest. For Britain, the post-Brexit world presents unique challenges, and it is seeking new and reliable partners. The virus variant had wreaked significant damage in early 2021.

India's energy scenario - IEA

1. The story: In its India Energy Outlook 2021, the IEA saw primary energy consumption almost doubling to 1,123 million tonnes of oil equivalent as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands to USD 8.6 trillion by 2040.  (IEA - International Energy Agency)
2. Prediction: India will overtake the European Union as the world's third-largest energy consumer by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday as it forecast India accounting for the biggest share of energy demand growth over the next two decades. The IEA saw primary energy consumption almost doubling to 1,123 million tonnes of oil equivalent as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands to USD 8.6 trillion by 2040. India at present is the fourth-largest global energy consumer behind China, the US and the EU.
3. Driving factor: Underpinned by "a rate of GDP growth that adds the equivalent of another Japan to the world economy by 2040", India will overtake the European Union by 2030 to move up to the third position. India accounts for nearly one-quarter of global energy demand growth from 2019-40 -- the largest for any country. Its share in the growth in renewable energy is the second-largest in the world, after China. By 2040, India's power system would be bigger than that of the European Union, and it would be the world's third-largest in terms of electricity generation; it also would have 30 per cent more installed renewables capacity than the US.
4. Global energy demand: A five-fold increase in per capita car ownership will result in India leading the oil demand growth in the world. Also, it will become the fastest-growing market for natural gas, with demand more than tripling by 2040. India's continued industrialisation becomes a major driving force for the global energy economy. Over the last three decades, India accounted for about 10 per cent of world growth in industrial value-added (in PPP terms). By 2040, India is set to account for almost 20 per cent of global growth in industrial value-added, and to lead global growth in industrial final energy consumption, especially in steelmaking. The nation accounts for nearly one-third of global industrial energy demand growth to 2040.
5. Oil: India's oil demand is seen rising by rise by 74 per cent to 8.7 million barrels per day by 2040 under the existing policies scenario. The natural gas requirement is projected to more than triple to 201 billion cubic meters and coal demand is seen rising to 772 million tonnes in 2040 from the current 590. To meet its energy needs, India will be more reliant on fossil fuel imports as its domestic oil and gas production stagnates.
6. Coal: India currently accounts for 16 per cent of the global coal trade and many global coal suppliers were counting on growth in India to underpin planned export-oriented mining investments. IEA has forecast combined import bill for fossil fuels tripling over the next two decades. Energy use (in India) has doubled since 2000, with 80 per cent of demand still being met by coal, oil and solid biomass. On a per-capita basis, India's energy use and emissions are less than half the world average, as are other key indicators such as vehicle ownership, steel and cement output.
7. Pandemic impact: Prior to the global pandemic, India's energy demand was projected to increase by almost 50 per cent between 2019 and 2030, but growth over this period is now closer to 35 per cent. An expanding economy, population, urbanisation and industrialisation mean that India will see the largest increase in energy demand of any country, as per IEA.

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• 2. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

Drowning Cities - India's dry response

• Indian cities drowning: As climate change worsens heavy downpours and water logging in ill-planned urban areas, India needs city-specific policy and scientific interventions such as early warning systems to reduce the losses and damages caused by urban floods. Urban flooding and waterlogging have become a regular phenomenon during monsoons across cities, globally. With extreme rainfall events in urban areas, surpassing each previous highest rainfall records, the future appears to be quite grim.
• Extreme events: With the onset of climate change, extreme rainfall events are expected to increase further in both intensity and frequency. The year 2019 witnessed a steep increase in the number of extreme rainfall events in the country, i.e., 74% more than 2018, as well as the highest recorded rainfall in the last 25 years. Such high-intensity rainfall, within shorter time spans, has the potential to significantly exacerbate the issue of urban flooding and waterlogging in urban areas if appropriate and timely measures are not undertaken.
• Floods at the front: Floods constitute almost 55% of all climate-related disasters in India, in the past two decades. Experts say that flooding has become an issue that requires urgent policy response from the perspective of both climate change and disaster management, as they play havoc with the urban settlements and aggravate the human and social crisis.

1. Its roots lie not only in increasing climate variability, but also human and social mismanagement of urban infrastructure.
2. Urban planning and regulation could not keep pace with the growth of cities in India, leading to inadequate drainage infrastructure, improper and unplanned disposal of solid wastes, the encroachment of existing wetlands, etc. that have contributed to the issue significantly.

1. Human angle: Millions are affected across cities and hundreds lose their lives. Despite efforts, the problem persists with damages and losses increasing every year. Drowning and electrocution are threats to lives in waterlogged areas. Urban floods also cause the collapse of infrastructure in many places thereby contributing to the death toll. Most cities also have uncovered manholes and drains that are dangerous especially during periods of waterlogging. Last year the death toll in India due to urban floods varied region-wise, with major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Gujarat recording at least two deaths or more.
2. Indian case: Extreme rainfall events have shown an increasing trend from 1905 to 2005, with the rates increasing post-1950. Extreme rainfall events are defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as those that record more than or equal to 244.5 mm rainfall in 24 hours. Extreme and high-intensity rainfall within shorter durations is replacing the earlier pattern of rainfall being spread over the months of the monsoon season. Many regions are witnessing delayed monsoons and deficit rainfall followed by incessant record-breaking rains, within shorter time spans. In 2019, Delhi witnessed the driest monsoon with the month of June recording only 11.6 mm rainfall, the second lowest in a decade. The same year Delhi witnessed incessant rainfall in December, which recorded the highest December rainfall in 50 years. With the advent of climate change such events will increase in both, frequency and intensity, leading to disasters across regions. This reiterates an urgent need for not just the management of such disasters but also the preparedness to handle them.
3. Secondary not primary: Climate action in India is subordinate to developmental priorities and usually gains momentum post a climatic disaster. However, in order to ensure that developmental advances are retained and not lost to the ravages of disasters, disaster preparedness becomes a crucial factor. The advances in science and technology would be futile if mortality rates, losses and damages cannot be reduced.
4. Wake up earlier: Early warning systems for disasters were developed in India as part of disaster preparedness in order to limit the losses and damages from disasters. While disaster management ensures post-disaster relief and rescue works, preparedness for disasters will help the concerned authorities anticipate the scale and intensity of the disaster in order to be better prepared to handle the same. Flood early warning systems, viz., CFLOWS (Chennai Flood Warning System) developed by the National Centre for Coastal Research of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, IFLOWS (Integrated Flood Warning System) and FFEWS (Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System) are being tested in the Indian cities of Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata resp.
5. TERI: It has launched the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) for Guwahati in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a first of its kind in the North Eastern region, annually ravaged by floods. The model works on the weather forecast and rainfall prediction data of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and identifies the flood hotspots of the city. It also has an inbuilt system of alerting the concerned authorities when threshold limits of the hotspots are crossed.
6. Preventing waterlogging in Indian cities: The flood early warning systems are enabled to capture the spatial distribution of rainfall in a city and are designed in a manner that can predict the intensity of flooding in specific localities. As such, the system holds huge potential to reduce loss of lives, damage to property and infrastructure and help in ensuring the general well-being of residents that are ravaged by flooding and waterlogging in urban areas especially during the monsoon months. As rainfall predictions of the IMD have also improved quite significantly over the years, with high degrees of accuracy, the flood early warning system at the city level can be a boon for citizens.
7. Globally: The international climate discourse has also seen a shift in focus from national to sub-national actors to take climate action forward. Cities have become a major focus area for building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities to climate change impacts and disasters. With India’s urban areas expanding rapidly, this is an opportune time to address climate-related issues at the city level and devise strategies for improved adaptation and resilience.

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• 3. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

The story of Vietnam, 2021

1. Age of autocracies: As autocracies grow old, they face turning points where they must choose between reform and repression. This isn’t a single decision but a series of them! One such for Vietnam was the 6th National Party Congress in 1986, when the formerly hard-line communist country adopted the Doi Moi (“renovation”) reforms that would allow it to adapt to the post-Soviet world, transforming the centrally planned economy into a “market economy with socialist orientation.” This helped many Vietnamese escape poverty, integrated the nation into the global economy, and increased its national standing. In 2021 came another turning point just ahead of its 13th National Party Congress at the end of January. Results indicate that consolidating party power has been given higher priority than reform.
2. Covid spectre: The elaborately planned gathering is held every five years, and party sets policy plans and key leadership roles. The congress concluded a day earlier than planned on Feb. 1 because of the sudden emergence of new COVID-19 cases after months of zero community transmission.
3. Situation in 2021: With half of the Politburo — the most senior policymaking body — more than 65 years old and due to retire, there was a rare opportunity to revitalize the body with young blood. But the newly elected Politburo, now with 18 members, has a median age of 63! That’s glaring given how young Vietnam’s population is, even though the seniority and experience needed for the top posts make it unlikely that the generational change in the country will be reflected in its leadership.
4. Exceptions: Two exceptions to the age limit were granted, allowing Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong (76) and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (66) to remain in office. Trong extended his hold over the top party position for a third term, apparently without a secure successor despite his previous health issues. This makes him the longest-serving secretary-general since Le Duan died in 1986. The pandemic has given Vietnam a chance to lead in economic recovery, but that requires a leadership that can harness the potential of a young and innovative population.
5. Crushing the curve: Vietnam has been among the most effective in responding to the pandemic due to early recognition of the grave danger it posed. Phuc, among others, also recognized the impact the pandemic might have on the global balance of power and economic competitiveness. Vietnam’s determined pandemic strategy was aimed at securing an early economic recovery.
6. Economic success story: In a time of global supply chain shifts and the United States and China decoupling, Vietnam — with its geographic position, economic level, conducive trade and investment policies, skilled workforce, and political stability — can take advantage. Phuc and other technocrats have pushed for modernizing the Vietnamese economy, committing to the fourth Industrial Revolution and catching up with the global digitalization trend. Phuc and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam were seen as the front-line leaders on the COVID-19 response and have become hugely popular as a result.
7. Party and state: In Vietnamese leadership, although all officials must be Communist Party members, there are two distinctive power centers: the party apparatus itself and the state’s executive power. One slogan says: “The party leads, the state implements, and the people inspect.” But all indications are that the party is taking on a strong role in implementing policy.
8. Rising from the ashes: In Vietnam, the perception of lagging behind other Asian economies has been among the country’s top insecurities and has driven its development policies. This has come from decades of wars that deprived the country from development and exhausted it economically. The post-Doi Moi era was about catching up to some level of parity with its Southeast Asian neighbors. The pandemic has given Vietnam a chance to lead in economic recovery, but that requires a leadership that can harness the potential of a young and innovative population. A stagnant government will find it difficult to seize this moment—or face the challenges of a hard-line China and a more demanding United States.

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• 4. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

Sixty Nine startups registered in J&K

1. Story: Sixty-nine startups have been registered in Jammu and Kashmir under the Startup India scheme. According to data from the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), till now, the J&K government focussed on sectors such as food processing, agriculture, renewable energy, handicrafts and handloom for promoting startups.
2. Ecosystem: To enable the startup ecosystem and create awareness, outreach and scouting of startups, Startupjk.com has also been made live. The Government of India has announced a Rs 945-crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), which will be operational from April 1, 2021, to 2025 to promote and boost startup ecosystem across the country.
3. Local boost: In the same light, the Jammu & Kashmir administration is working to encourage startups and foster innovation, thereby creating jobs and boost economy.

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

•  Silk Samagra Scheme

1. Information : The Minister of Textiles has informed about the implementation of Silk Samagra Scheme for Development of Sericulture.
2. Silk Samagra: It is initiated by the Central Silk Board, with the objective to maintain Breeders stock, Breed improvement through R&D Projects, Development of mechanized practices, Technology translation through Sericulture Information Linkages and Knowledge System (SILKS) Portal, Mobile Application for Stakeholders and for seed quality monitoring etc.
3. Social focus: The aim is to empower downtrodden, poor & backward tribal families through various activities of sericulture in the country including women. While the R&D units develop technology packages, impart training on improved technology programmes to stakeholders and transfer the technology to the field through front line demonstration, the seed production units produce basic and commercial seed of the improved Silkworm breeds developed by the Research Institutes. The units under the Quality Certification System maintain and certify the quality standards set by the R&D units for Silkworm seed, cocoon, raw Silk and Silk products covering the entire Silk value chain.
4. Assistance: Under the scheme, assistance is extended to sericulture stakeholders for the beneficiary oriented components like, raising of Kissan nursery, plantation with improved Mulberry varieties, Irrigation, chawki rearing centres with incubation facility and rearing equipment. The scheme also provides assistance for door to door service agents for disinfection and input supply, support for improved reeling units like automatic reeling units, multi-end reeling machines, improved twisting machines and support for post yarn facilities for quality silk and fabric production.
5. Silk Production in India: There are five major types of silk of commercial importance, obtained from different species of silkworms. These are Mulberry, Oak Tasar & Tropical Tasar, Muga and Eri. Except for mulberry, other non-mulberry varieties of silks are wild silks, known as vanya silks. India has the unique distinction of producing all these commercial varieties of silk. South India is the leading silk producing area of the country and is also known for its famous silk weaving enclaves like Kancheepuram, Dharmavaram, Arni, etc.
6. The Central Silk Board: It is a statutory body established in the year 1948 by an Act of Parliament, working under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, with HQ at Bangalore.

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• 5. POLITY AND CONSTITUTION (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

POCSO - Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act

• Social background: Countless children in India (and across the world) become victimss of varying degrees of sexual assault and molestation, with some of them being too young to even understand it. The scars that are etched on their pschye stay forever. Society's general silence and non-chalance makes it more dangerous and painful.
• The POCSO act: This act was enacted in 2012 especially to protect children aged less than 18 from sexual assault. It admitted that a number of sexual offences against children were neither specifically provided for in existing laws nor adequately penalised. So an offence against children needs to be explicitly defined and countered through proportionate penalties so that it acts as an effective deterrence.
• UN: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which was ratified by India in 1992 requires sexual exploitation and sexual abuse to be addressed as heinous crimes.

• How does POCSO and IPC deal with sexual assault:

1. One, In IPC the definition of assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty is very generic. In POCSO, the acts of sexual assault are explicitly mentioned such as touching various private parts or doing any other act which involves physical contact without penetration. But it excludes rape which requires penetration; otherwise the scope of ‘sexual assault’ under POCSO and ‘outraging modesty of a woman’ under the IPC is the same.  
2. Two, IPC provides punishment for the offence irrespective of any age of the victim but POCSO is specific as it is for the protection of children. The Section 7 of the POCSO Act says that whoever with sexual intent touches the breast of the child is said to commit sexual assault & the Section 8 of Act provides minimum imprisonment of 3 years. (Whereas Section 354 of the IPC lays down a minimum of one year imprisonment for outraging the modesty of a woman)

• What is the controversial Jan 2021 case about: The Bench acquitted a man found guilty of assault on the grounds that he touched the victim’s limbs and breasts only over her clothes and there was no skin-to-skin contact between them. This judgment is likely to set a dangerous precedent & finally the apex court stayed the acquittal. In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997), the Supreme Court held that the offence relating to modesty of woman cannot be treated insignificant. In Pappu v. State of Chhattisgarh (2015), though the High Court, acquitted the accused under Section 354 of the IPC as the offence was found lacking in use of criminal force or assault. But it convicted him for sexual harassment under Section 354A which requires physical contact and advances as a necessary element.
• Summary: The essence of a woman’s modesty is her sex and the culpable intention of the accused is the crux of the matter in the above cases of sexual assault. In the UK, Sexual Offences Act 2003 says that touching (with sexual intent) includes touching with any part of the body, with anything else or through anything. But the POCSO Act is silent on these matters & it requires skin-to-skin touch as a mandatory element of an offence for the conviction. This dilutes the protection given to children & must be declared ultra vires to protect the bodily integrity.

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• 6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

Musk's Bitcoin push clashes with his clean energy Tesla story

1. Black Bitcoin: When it comes to innovation and maverick entrepreneurship, few come close to Tesla boss Elon Musk. And, he is also a poster child of low-carbon technology. Yet the electric carmaker’s backing of bitcoin in Feb 2021 could push more intense global use of a currency that’s estimated to cause more pollution than a small country every year.
2. What's the problem: Bitcoin is a virtual currency token that needs to be "mined" online using large no. of computers ("mining process"), something that generates huge pollution due to intense energy use. There are estimates that it is responsible for carbon dioxide emissions estimated to be equivalent to a small country. At current rates, such bitcoin “mining” devours about the same amount of energy annually as the Netherlands did in 2019, as per some estimates.
3. Back story: Tesla Inc had revealed on 08-02-2021 it had bought $1.5 billion of bitcoin and would soon accept it as payment for cars, sending the price of the cryptocurrency though the roof. Bitcoin’s virtual, so it’s not like it’s made from paper or plastic, or even metal. As said, this digital currency is created when high-powered computers compete against other machines to solve complex mathematical puzzles, an energy-intensive process that currently often relies on fossil fuels, particularly coal, the dirtiest of them all.
4. How bad: Bitcoin production is estimated to generate between 22 and 22.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, or between the levels produced by Jordan and Sri Lanka, according to a 2019 study. The landmark inclusion of the cryptocurrency in Tesla’s investment portfolio could complicate the company’s zero-emissions ethos, according to some investors, at a time when ESG - environmental, social and governance — considerations have become a major factor for global investors.
5. Analysts take a shot: Some said "We hope that when Tesla’s bitcoin ventures are over, they will concentrate on measuring and disclosing to their market their full suite of environmental factors, and if they continue to buy or indeed start mining bitcoin, that they include the relevant energy consumption data in these disclosures.” Tesla did not respond to such comments.
6. Ray of hope: Still, all is not eco-doom and gloom, and Tesla’s bet on bitcoin comes amid growing attempts in the cryptocurrency industry to mitigate the environmental harm of mining. This movement could be advanced by billionaire entrepreneur Musk, who this week separately offered $100 million for inventions that could pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or oceans. The entrance of big corporations into the crypto market could also boost incentives to produce “green bitcoin” using renewable energy, some sustainability experts say. They add that companies could buy carbon credits to compensate too.
7. Green BTC: Estimates on bitcoin’s reliance on fossil fuels versus renewables vary, with detailed data on the bitcoin mining industry’s energy mix hard to come by. Projects from Canada to Siberia are striving for ways to wean bitcoin mining away from fossil fuels, or at least to reduce its carbon footprint, and make the currency more palatable to mainstream investors. Projects aimed at reducing bitcoin’s carbon impact include that run by an arm of Russian gas producer Gazprom in the Khanty-Mansi region of Siberia.
8. Siberian attempt: There, power generated by flare gas — a by-product from oil extraction usually burned off — is used for cryptocurrency mining. The process leaves a lower carbon footprint than coal power, said Gazprom Neft, the unit behind the project. In theory, blockchain analysis firms say, it is possible to track the source of bitcoin, raising the possibility that a premium could be charged for green bitcoin. Stronger climate change policies by governments around the world might also help.
9. No quick solutions: Some industry players and academics warn that the dominance of Chinese miners and lack of motivation to swap cheap fossil fuels for more expensive renewables means there are few quick fixes to the emissions problem. Chinese miners account for about 70 per cent of bitcoin production, data from the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Alternative Finance shows. They tend to use renewable energy — mostly hydropower — during the rainy summer months but fossil fuels — primarily coal — for the rest of the year. Every miner’s objective is making a profit, so they don’t care about what kind of energy they use.

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• 7. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

Scourge of manual scavenging in India

• NHRC speaks up: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has made a series of recommendations to the Centre to eradicate manual scavenging.
• Highlights: The Centre should provide Rs10 lakh loan to manual scavengers’ family members so that they can start some business activity. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) should monitor the sewer deaths in its reports. The NHRC recommended expanding the definition of manual scavenging in order to cover other hazardous cleaning, or enacting a new law for hazardous cleaning. It also recommended that there should be a penalty to prevent harassment of women manual scavengers and children of manual scavengers. Manual scavengers may be linked to schemes under which they can immediately start earning like MGNREGA. It has asked the amount of compensation paid as one time cash assistance for rehabilitation of manual scavengers may be enhanced from Rs.40,000 to Rs.1 lakh.
• Manual Scavenging: It is defined as “the removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers. In the past, this referred to the practice of removing excreta from dry latrines. But modern sanitation technologies brought new forms of manual scavenging work, which include manual and unsafe cleaning of drains, sewer lines, septic tanks and latrine pits.
• Background: Scavenging is carried out by a subgroup of the Dalits, an outcast community also known as “untouchables” within India’s ancient system of caste hierarchies. “Untouchables” are often impoverished, shunned by society and forbidden from touching Indians of other castes, or even their food. Scavenging continues in parts of India largely due to governmental indifference and social prejudice. There is a complete absence of planning for maintenance of sewerage, septic tanks, and waste disposal systems in the urban policies made for the city by the state and private companies.
• Deaths: The number of people killed while cleaning sewers and septic tanks has increased over the last few years. Year 2019 saw the highest number of manual scavenging deaths in the past five years.

• Government measures:

1. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993 - It set imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of Rs 2,000 for pushing a person to manual scavenging.
2. Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers(SRMS) 2017 - It is a successor scheme to NSLRS ( National Scheme for Liberation and Rehabilitation of Scavengers and their Dependents) with the objective to rehabilitate remaining manual scavengers and their dependents in alternative occupations, in a time bound manner.
3. Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 - The Act put an end to the practice of any form of manual cleaning, carrying, disposing or handling of human waste. The act says the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) would monitor implementation of the Act and enquire into complaints regarding contravention of the provisions of the Act
4. Amendment Bill  2020 - The Bill proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths. It will also ban employing people as manual scavengers without protective gear.
5. The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) - It  was constituted on 12th August, 1994 as a statutory body by an Act of Parliament viz. ‘National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993’, for a period of three years i.e. up to 31st March, 1997. However, validity of the Act was extended up to March, 2002, and then up to February, 2004 vide Amendment Acts passed in 1997 and 2001 respectively.
6. Supreme Court Directions - It issued directions in 2014 to prevent and control the practice and also to prosecute the offenders. It directed the government to pay a compensation of 10 lakh rupees to the family members of those killed in acts of manual scavenging since 1993.
7. Constitutional Safeguards - The right to live with dignity is implicit in the Fundamental Rights guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution. Article 46 of the Constitution, on the other hand, provides that the State shall protect the weaker sections particularly, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

• Summary: The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should make expansion of the sewer network a top priority and come up with a scheme for scientific maintenance that will end manual cleaning of septic tanks. The laws should be enforced vigorously to eliminate manual scavenging in its entirety. There  should be trials and testing of protective gears and provisions for better healthcare facilities, insurance cover, pension plans and regulations on preventive and social medicine education for the manual scavengers.
• NHRC: It is an independent statutory body established on 12 October 1993 as per provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act(PHRA ), 1993, later amended in 2006. It was established in conformity with the Paris Principles endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its Regulations 48/134 in 1993. It plays four key roles namely protector, advisor, monitor and educator of human rights. It has a Chairperson, who should be retired Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court. The Commission is responsible for spreading human rights awareness amongst the masses and encouraging the efforts of all stakeholders in the field of human rights literacy not only at the national level but at international level too.
• Paris Principles: The UN Paris Principles provide the international benchmarks against which NHRIs can be accredited under five heads: The institution shall - (a) Monitor any situation of violation of human rights which it decides to take up; (b) Able to advise the Government on specific violations, on issues related to legislation and general compliance and implementation with international human rights instruments, (c) Be able to relate to regional and international organizations, (d) Have a mandate to educate and inform in the field of human rights, (e) Some institutions should be given a quasi judicial competence.

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• 8. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

World Pulses Day

• What it is: The “World Pulses Day” is observed on February 10 every year since 2018. This day is dedicated to the importance of pulses. In the year 2021, the day was celebrated under the theme: “Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future.”
• Highlights: On this occasion, big event was held virtually in New York. The event was held with main focus on raising the awareness and recognizing the contribution of pulses in maintaining the sustainable food systems and healthy diets. The day comes under the second goal of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal which is “Zero Hunger.” The day also includes the objectives of the United Nations Agenda 2030. The day is observed to urge the people to grow the pulses besides its consumption.
• On Pulses: These are highly nutritious and it plays a very important part in making the diet healthy for humans. But there are sections of people who do not have access to pulses and there are some people who do not know the nutritional value and health benefits of the pulses. Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations established and dedicated this day in the year 2018 with the aim of increasing the awareness as well as access to pulses.
• Details: On the occasion of the world pulses day, people are requested to consume and donate pulses. They are also asked to raise awareness around them. At many places, people organise the lunches or dinners with having pulses on the menu. Some people get involved in donating pulses to those who do not have access to pulses. On social media, the events which are organised on the day are shared with hashtags like #worldpulsesday, #LovePulses.

Approved standardised Deep-Sea fishing vessels

• A new approach: The government of India has set up a Nodal Authority in order to frame the Approved Standardised Deep-Sea Fishing Vessels Design and Specifications (ASDDS).  It would help the fisheries departments of states to implement the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
• About ASDDS: It will provide a framework of minimum basic design parameters. The vessels would be constructed under the prescribed framework. It will cover the basic design aspects including the Outline Specifications, Basic Calculation, General Arrangement and Basic Structural Drawings. ASDDS will be prepared by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL). It will technically be vetted by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT). The ‘In Principle’ approval will be given by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).
• About DSFV: Deep-Sea Fishing Vessels (DSFV’s) was also constructed in compliance with the ASDDS. The DSFV was promulgated by the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. The DSFV will also be eligible for subsidy under the PMMSY scheme.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana: It is a flagship scheme that focuses on the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. It will be implemented for a five-year period. The scheme was launched on April 1, 2020 in all States and Union Territories under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package. Estimated investment was Rs.20,050 crores. 
  

ISRO images of Uttarakhand Glacier Burst

• The tragedy and its images: Satellite images by ISRO show that flash floods were reported in Rishi Ganga and Dhauli Ganga river catchment areas. These were caused due to major snow avalanche closer to the Raini village of Chamoli district. Power plants located at Raini and Tapovan have went through the maximum damage in the glacial burst. One image shows the deposition of debris in Dhauli Ganga, and another the damage occurred to the dam infrastructures at Tapovan and Raini. These were captured by the ISRO’s advanced earth imaging and mapping satellite CARTOSAT-3.
• What caused the glacial burst: Scientists can speculate the reasons as one of these - glacial burst or the avalanche or the release of the accumulated water. Some say climate change was responsible. This is due to warming temperatures resulting into the shrinking of glaciers across the world and creation of lakes.
• CARTOSAT-3: This satellite is an advanced Indian Earth Observation satellite. It replaced the IRS series, and comprises a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 metres (one of the highest resolution in the world). This satellite is used to map the weather, in the cartography or defence, and in the strategic applications.

‘Specialty Steel’ included under the PLI Scheme

1. One more sector added: The govt. has approved the inclusion of ‘Specialty Steel’ under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme. A 5-year financial outlay of Rs 6322 Cr has also been approved, and this is being done to promote the manufacturing of ‘Specialty Steel’ within the boundary of the country.
2. The manufacturing can be promoted by attracting the capital investment, promoting the technology up-gradation and by generating employment in steel sector. This will help to improve the availability of ‘Specialty Steel’ in India by making the country Atmanirbhar with respect to the domestic demand.
3. Price determination: In a deregulated, open market scenario, domestic steel price is determined through the market forces of demand and supply. It also depends upon the trends in prices of raw materials.  The price of the steel is also influenced by the global steel trade conditions.
4. PLI Scheme: The Production Linked Incentives scheme was launched with the aim to give the companies incentives on their incremental sales from those products which are manufactured in domestic units. This scheme also invites the foreign companies to set units in India.  The scheme also seeks to encourage the local companies in order to set up and expand the manufacturing units.
5. Specialty steels: These are alloy steels, composed of the additional alloyed materials that results into special properties of the final product.

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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