UPSC Key | First Constitution Museum, Hypersonic missile and Trump effect on IndiaSubscriber Only

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday described one of his own officials as “criminal” for alleging links between India’s top leadership and violent activities in Canada.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the history of India-Canada relations?

• What are the areas of cooperation between India and Canada?

• What kind of anti-India activities have been seen in Canada?

• What are the main causes of the tensions between India and Canada?

• What is the significance of Canada for India?

• What could be the implications of an escalating India-Canada diplomatic row especially on Indian disapora?

• Map work: Location of Canada and important rivers and mountains of Canada.

Key Takeaways:

• Trudeau, speaking to the media in Brampton, was asked about reports implicating Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani separatist leader, last year in Surrey, British Columbia.

• Earlier, The Globe and Mail, a prominent Canadian media outlet, reported that Canadian security agencies believed Prime Minister Modi was aware of violent plots and claimed that Jaishankar and Indian National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval were also informed. However, Trudeau’s intelligence adviser quickly dismissed these allegations.

• India and Canada remain embroiled in a tense geopolitical standoff over Nijjar’s killing, with Ottawa accusing Indian government agents of involvement. New Delhi has strongly denied the claims, labelling them as “absurd” and “motivated,” attributing the tensions to Canadian “vote-bank politics.” India has also accused Canada of harbouring Indian criminals and terrorists who threaten its national security.

Do You Know:

• The bilateral ties between India and Canada are long-standing and significant. Canada is home to a high percentage of Sikhs. However, the two countries’ bilateral relations have been affected by various issues, such as Khalistani separatism and Canada’s position on human rights in India. These issues have led to increased tensions and have impacted diplomatic interactions.

• The deepening acrimony in India-Canada bilateral ties could not only affect the bilateral relations but also harm India’s global reputation. The potential consequences of the escalating dispute are:

• Impact on Economic Relations: The trade and investment linkages between India and Canada form an integral component of the multi-faceted partnership between the two countries. In this context, the escalating tension between India and Canada has raised concerns about its potential impact on bilateral economic relations. This could affect Canadian pension fund investments worth $75 billion in India, the fate of paused negotiations for a proposed trade agreement, and the inflow of remittances into India.

• Geopolitical implications: Canada is a part of the G7 grouping and shares the table with the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. It also shares intelligence with the Five Eyes grouping — with the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. All these countries are also close strategic partners of choice for India. India has the Quad partnership with the US, Australia, and Japan, and strong and growing bilateral ties with each of them. The diplomatic standoff has put these countries in a spot.

• Impact on diaspora: Recently, Canada has announced the closure of its Student Direct Stream (SDS) program for students from 14 countries, including India, China, and Pakistan, effective November 9 onward. Concerns have since been raised about the prospects of Indian students who had hoped to benefit from the program. India is Canada’s largest source country of foreign students with an estimated 4.27 lakh Indian students studying there in 2023.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????UPSC Issue at a Glance | India-Canada Diplomatic Row

???? Knowledge Nugget of the day: Khalistan movement

????Canada’s claims against Indian officials: threats, extortion, Lawrence Bishnoi angle, and other details

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(1) With reference to the Sikh community in Canada, consider the following statements:

1. The proportion of Canada’s Sikh population has increased to around ten times between 2001 and 2021.

2. British Columbia has the largest Sikh community in Canada as of 2021.

3. The first Sikh elected to the Canadian Parliament was Punjab-born Gurbax Singh Malhi.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC CSE 2020)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India —historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story: The country’s first-ever Constitution Museum was inaugurated at O P Jindal Global University in Sonipat on Saturday.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the salient features of the Indian Constitution?

• What are the sources of the Indian constitution?

• What are the criticisms of the Indian Constitution?

• What is the significance of the Constitution Museum in preserving India’s constitutional history?

• Read about the important constituent assembly debates.

• Know about the making of the Constituent Assembly of India.

Key Takeaways:

• The museum, inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, delves deep into the heart of the Constitution by promoting its makers, its philosophical underpinnings, its provisions, and its evolution through various amendments.

• Curated by Anjchita B Nair, the museum also offers audio-visual interactive experiences to the visitors, as well as digital quizzes. Further, while a radio broadcasts narratives of significant historical events from 1940, a robot gives the visitors a tour of the museum.

• Mini busts of 300 members of the Constituent Assembly are also neatly displayed in the museum. A bigger bust on display is that of B N Rau, a jurist who was instrumental in drafting the Constitution.

• Throughout the museum, armour-cabled headphones have been installed to help one listen to speeches given at the Constituent Assembly and scholars explaining the philosophy behind the Constitution.

Do You Know:

C Raj Kumar writes–

• It is indeed the right time to establish the Constitution Museum as an ever-lasting legacy that celebrates the vision and farsightedness of its founders. Such a museum ought to have five primary objectives.

(i) One, building the legacy of the Constitution as an institution. It should not only capture its history but also the evolution of the rights and freedoms enabled by the institutions established by the Constitution.

(ii) Two, the museum would democratise the understanding of the Constitution and the access to it. The Constitution’s history, evolution, important provisions, and interpretation by the courts and the amendments need to be part of a larger understanding of the people of India.

(iii) Three, it should promote civic education in order to empower the citizenry. The history of the Constitution and its making is important as it can serve as an inspiration for institution-building and nation-building. The idea of a Constitution Museum is about creating opportunities for generations of people to participate in the understanding of a constitutional history and the evolution of rights and freedoms. Civic education must be imparted to all individuals across all walks of life so that they may work towards becoming effective participants in Indian democracy. Knowledge and understanding of the Constitution is the first step towards empowering the citizenry.

(iv) Four, the museum should celebrate and pay tribute to the framers of the Constitution and the nation’s unsung heroes. It would provide information about the extraordinary history, accomplishments and vision of the members of the Assembly.

(v) Five, a museum would help contribute to wider conversations about the Constitution and Indian democracy. It would lead to the development of a vibrant public discourse that is not only intellectually engaging but also contributes to the strengthening of democratic politics in India.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????A Constitution museum: Bringing the republic to the public

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(2) What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950? (UPSC CSE 2021)

(a) A Democratic Republic

(b) A Sovereign Democratic Republic

(d) A Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance; Environment

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.

What’s the ongoing story: The two-week COP29 climate talks here were in complete disarray on Saturday, with the small developing countries walking out of a meeting, saying they had been “insulted” and their demands on climate finance completely ignored.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Read about the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?

• Know about the Rio Earth Summit and Paris Agreement.

• What is UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (CoP)?

• What do you understand by the term ‘Climate finance’?

• Why is there a need for climate finance?

• What is the climate finance issue debate between developing and developed nations?

• How does the UNFCCC serve as a basis for climate negotiations, and why is it considered foundational to international climate action?

Key Takeaways:

• The developed countries initially offered to provide $250 billion every year, which was rejected by the developing States who have been asking for at least $1 trillion a year. After consultations through Friday night and Saturday morning, the offer was increased to $300 billion.

• The groups of small island states and least developed countries said this in no way reflected their needs and decided to walk out of the meeting. More backroom negotiations were called for. The talks, scheduled to end on Friday, is headed into Sunday. The African group of countries also rejected the offer.

• COP29 is expected to deliver a finance agreement to generate higher amounts of climate finance to enable more ambitious climate action. As of now, developed countries are under an obligation to raise 100 billion dollars per year to help developing nations fight climate change.

• All the developing countries insisted that they were not leaving the process and still wanted to engage with the developed nations to reach an agreement.

Do You Know:

• A key issue in finance negotiations is the expansion of contributor base. Right now, only developed countries identified in a list in 1994 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are obliged to raise finances. These countries argue that the scale of finance required is much higher than the 1990s and therefore others must also contribute.

• UNFCCC: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations.

• The Framework Convention on Climate Change was opened for signature on 19 June 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Earth Summit. Alongside it, two other sister conventions were introduced: the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The Framework Convention entered into force on 21 March 1994.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????COP29: Why it matters and what is the history behind it

????COP29: How India plays a pivotal role in global climate governance

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

(3) With reference to the climate-related agreements/protocols, consider the following pairs:

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(d) None of the above pairs

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (UPSC CSE 2021)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora; Defence technology

What’s the ongoing story: P Chidambaram writes— “Mr Donald Trump is not POTUS — President of the United States — yet. That date is seven weeks away, but the talk of the town, all over the world, is what will be the impact of the Trump presidency — on the world, on your country, on your town, on your job, or on almost everything.”

Key Points to Ponder:

• Read about the history of India-US relations.

• What are the areas of cooperation between India and the US?

• What are the challenges in the India-US ties?

• What are the potential consequences of a change in leadership in the U.S. on the India-U.S. cooperation?

• Read about the role of the Indian diaspora in influencing India-U.S. relations.

Key Takeaways:

• “Trump, the mercantilist:… Mr Trump is a mercantilist and believes that high tariffs alone can protect American interests. He has threatened to impose high tariffs on imported goods, especially from China…The U.S.’s affluent population needs large quantities of China’s merchandise, clothing, electronics and machinery. High tariffs will increase costs to American industry and consumers, inflation will rise, and the U.S. Fed will increase the policy interest rate that it had cut twice this year.”

• “At the other end, China must continue to produce the goods in order to maintain employment. U.S. tariffs will cause China to ‘dump’ goods on other countries. India has already the highest number of anti-dumping duties on Chinese goods. High U.S. tariffs may trigger retaliatory tariffs and have consequences for world trade.”

• “Trump, the protectionist: Mr Trump has promised to bring the factories back to the United States. He may give large incentives to American industry to locate their factories in the U.S. and that will dampen foreign direct investment. If businesses still wish to locate their factories abroad, Mr Trump may impose restrictions on export of technology.”

• “The other grave issue is alleged ‘illegal’ immigration on which Mr Trump blames everything from unemployment to crime to drugs. Mr Trump has promised to forcibly deport up to one million illegal immigrants in the first 100 days… How many Indians will be deported is not known, but some will be, and that will have a fall-out on India-U.S. relations. Mr Trump may also tighten the regulations on acquiring H1B1 visas..”

• “Trump, the climate sceptic: A Trump presidency will have profound consequences for the oil and pharmaceutical industries. Mr Trump has nominated Mr Chris Wright to be the Energy Secretary. Mr Wright is a strong votary of fracking and drilling, and denies there is a climate crisis. The COP talks on Climate Change may not collapse but may suffer a serious setback…”

Do You Know: C. Raja Mohan writes—

“Five themes of concern for India stand out from Trump’s worldview.

1. First is Trump’s plan to “dismantle the regulatory state,” dramatically downsize the bureaucracy, and make it easier for US capital to invest and develop new technologies.

2. Second, Trump is determined to re-industrialise America. He has argued repeatedly that globalisation has played havoc with US manufacturing and the industrial working class.

3. Third, immigration has been one of the issues that has propelled Trump to his historic political comeback in this election. Although his anti-immigration rhetoric has caused much concern in India, Trump has sought to differentiate between “legal” and “illegal” immigration….India will have a deep interest in contributing to the US debate on separating the “bad” immigration from the “good”.

4. Trump’s relationship with China and Russia will be of special interest to Delhi. It was under the first Trump administration that the Quadrilateral framework was revived in 2017. There is no reason to expect that the second would dilute its commitment to limit Chinese power in Asia and the Indo-Pacific.

5. Finally, the Biden years have seen a significant expansion of defence and high technology cooperation between Delhi and Washington. Sustaining and expanding this under the Trump Administration will be a key priority for Delhi.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Trump 2.0 and the world

???? Brace for the ride

????Whether it is President Trump or President Harris, US-India relations must continue on an upward arc

Previous year UPSC Prelims/Mains Question Covering similar theme:

(4) Recently seen in the news, the term ‘DOGE’ is related to:

(a) Disaster Management

(b) Astromony

(d) Government Efficiency

Previous year UPSC Mains Questions Covering similar theme:

‘What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. (UPSC CSE 2019)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would keep testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stock ready for use, while Ukraine said it was already at work to develop air systems to counter the weapon.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Russia-Ukraine war all about and what have been the key events?

• What is “Oreshnik”?

• What is a ballistic missile? How is it different from the cruise missile?

• What is the Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles?

• What is the difference between Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)?

• What peace efforts have been made so far with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war?

• Delhi firmly believes Moscow and Kyiv need to talk to each other, and not talk at each other — to put an end to the war. That’s easier said than done. Discuss.

• What are India’s ballistic missile capabilities?

• Map work: Important places in news with reference to Russia and Ukraine.

• What are the global treaties to regulate the development of missiles?

Key Takeaways:

• Putin was speaking a day after Russia fired the new intermediate-range weapon into Ukraine for the first time, a step he said was prompted by Ukraine’s use of U.S. ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to hit Russia.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was working with its Western partners to work out systems to counter “new risks”. Putin described the first use of Oreshnik (hazel tree) as a successful test, and said more would follow.

• Intermediate missiles have a range of 3,000-5,500 km (1,860-3,415 miles), which would enable them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.

• Security experts said the novel feature of the Oreshnik missile was that it carried multiple warheads capable of simultaneously striking different targets – something usually associated with longer-range intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.

Do You Know:

• On November 21, 2024, Russia escalated its military actions in Ukraine by launching an experimental hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, named “Oreshnik,” targeting the city of Dnipro.

• The missile, launched from Astrakhan, targeted a military facility in Dnipro and was notable for its Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) payload, typically associated with nuclear-capable missiles.

• In addition to the “Oreshnik” missile, Russia deployed a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and several cruise missiles during the attack.

• Notably, ICBMs are designed to deliver nuclear or conventional warheads over distances exceeding 5,500 kilometres, enabling them to strike targets across continents. In contrast, IRBMs have ranges between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometres, making them suitable for regional deterrence and theatre-level operations.

• India has made significant advancements in developing these missile systems. The Agni series, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), exemplifies this progress. The Agni-V, for instance, is an ICBM with a range of over 5,000 kilometres, capable of reaching targets across Asia and parts of Europe.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Russia fired ICBM after being hit with US missiles: Kyiv

????Two years on, global support for Ukraine won’t falter

????Ukraine: A short history of its creation

????Knowledge Nugget: Dragon drones

UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:

(5) Consider the following pairs:

1. Astrakhan : Russia

2. Dnipro : Ukraine

3. Beirut : Lebanon

How many of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) None

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change- that do not require subject specialisation.

Mains Examination: General Studies-II, III: Issues relating to Health, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: Anonna Dutt writes– “The haze of smog over northern India is insidiously eating into our health. It can lead to not only respiratory diseases but increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, cause spikes in blood pressure and developmental delays in children.”

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is air pollution?

• What are the major sources of air pollution in India?

• How does air pollution affect the economy, health, and environment in India?

• What initiatives have been taken by the government for combating air pollution in India?

• What steps should be taken to control air pollution?

• What are the challenges with regard to tackling the issue of air pollution in India?

• Read about the Air Quality Index and Graded Response Action Plan.

Key Takeaways:

• “At least 1.67 million deaths in 2019 — making up nearly 17.8 per cent of all deaths in the country that year — were attributable to air pollution, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health in 2021.

• “In fact, between 1990 and 2019, deaths attributable to indoor pollution (caused mainly when cooking with solid fuels like cow dung) went down 64.2 per cent but deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution went up by 115.3 per cent. Air pollution is now affecting every organ of the human body.”

• “Respiratory diseases: When pollution levels rise, not only do doctors see a spike in their patients with respiratory diseases coming in with worsening symptoms, they also see healthy people coming in with cough, wheezing, and breathlessness.”

• “Heart attacks and strokes: Exposure to high levels of pollution is known to increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and abnormal heart rhythms.”

• “Autoimmune diseases: Pollutants flare up existing autoimmune conditions as well as increase the risk of developing autoimmune conditions.”

• “Other effects in the body: There is a palpable impact on brain health. Over the short-term, you may experience headaches, anxiety bouts and mood changes. Over the long-term, there could be an increased risk of stroke and possible lower IQ in children.”

• “The eyes bear the brunt of pollution. In the short term, you may complain of irritation, watering, dry eyes, even conjunctivitis. Long term, it can increase the risk of glaucoma.

• Pregnancy: Pollution increases the risk of still-birth, pre-term birth or low birth weight. It has been linked to development delays in children, including higher stunting and wasting.”

Do You Know:

• Air pollution is the contamination of the environment, whether indoors or outdoors, by any agent—chemical, physical, or biological—that alters the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.

• Anil Sasi writes- “Air pollution has a direct, and a particularly debilitating impact on GDP growth and per-capita income levels by way of reduced worker output, lower consumer footfall in consumption-led services, hampered asset productivity, and a surge in health expenses and welfare allocations, especially in the productive age groups….Even in indoor jobs such as those in call centres, air pollution takes a toll on productivity.

Also, poor air quality impeded the performance of otherwise highly productive employees as much as it did of less productive workers.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????UPSC Issue at a Glance | Air Pollution: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

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

1. Carbon dioxide

2. Carbon monoxide

3. Nitrogen dioxide

4. Sulfur dioxide

5. Methane

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

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 revised standards? (UPSC CSE 2021)

“Mainly three factors led to this massive selling by FPIs. One, the ‘Sell India, Buy China’ trade. Two, the concerns surrounding FY25 earnings. Three, the ‘Trump trade.’

Meanwhile, giving more operational flexibility to foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) recently allowed FPIs to classify equity stakes in excess of 10 per cent in Indian companies as foreign direct investment (FDI), paving the way for smoother and greater flow of foreign investments.

Under Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, investment made by the FPI should be less than 10 per cent of the total paid-up equity capital on a fully diluted basis.

The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the November issue of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

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