UPSC Key: India and the science Nobels, Lady Justice, Benami LawsSubscriber Only

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 19, 2024. If you missed the October 18, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

What’s the ongoing story: It has been 94 years since an Indian won a Nobel Prize in the sciences — Physics, Chemistry or Medicine — while working in India. CV Raman’s Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 remains the only such honour.

Key Points to Ponder:

— How Nobel prizes are awarded?

— Who are the winners of the Nobel Prize 2024?

— What is the status of research funding in India?

Key highlights from the Article:

— Three more Indian-origin scientists have won — Hargovind Khorana in Medicine in 1968, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in Physics in 1983, and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan in Chemistry 2009 — but they did their work outside India and were not Indian citizens when they were honoured.

— Inadequate attention on basic research, low levels of public funding, excessive bureaucracy, lack of incentives and opportunities for private research, and decay of research capabilities in universities are cited as some of the reasons suffocating India’s scientific potential.

— Few institutions are engaged in cutting edge research, and the number of researchers as a proportion of population is five times lower than the global average. The pool from which a potential Nobel winner can emerge, thus, is quite small.

— It is not that there haven’t been other contenders for a science Nobel from India. Several scientists have indeed been nominated for these prizes. And at least a few others produced ground-breaking science but were never nominated.

— Not anyone can get nominated for a Nobel Prize. Every year, a select group of hundreds to thousands of people — university professors, scientists, past Nobel laureates, and others — are invited to nominate potential candidates. A nomination for a Prize, therefore, means that the nominated scientist has produced Nobel-worthy work at least in the eyes of some respected peers.

— Names of nominated candidates are not made public until at least 50 years later. And even this data is updated only periodically, not regularly. The nominations for Physics and Chemistry Prizes are available till 1970 while those for Medicine have been revealed only till 1953.

— A notable omission is Jagadish Chandra Bose, the first person to have demonstrated wireless communication, way back in 1895. The 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics to Guglielmo Marconi and Ferdinand Braun was in recognition of the exact work that Bose had accomplished earlier than either of them. Bose, who did immensely influential work in plant physiology as well, was never even nominated for the award.

— While there have been occasional complaints of regional or racial bias, there is no denying the fact that the research ecosystem in the United States or Europe has remained unmatched.

— China, which has been investing heavily in creating an ecosystem particularly focused on research in new technologies, like clean energy, quantum and artificial intelligence, might see its fortunes turning soon.

— India, meanwhile, is lagging way behind countries like China, South Korea or Israel in building scientific capabilities or allocating resources for research. In the absence of a strong ecosystem and support for scientific research, India’s chances of winning more Nobel Prizes in science would remain dependent on the individual brilliance of its scientists.

For Your Information:

— On July 23, 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of operationalising the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a move that was five years in the making since its first mention, was a pivotal moment for India’s research ecosystem.

— Established under the ANRF Act, 2023, the foundation aims to fund, coordinate, and promote research across India’s universities and colleges, which have long suffered from a lack of infrastructure, particularly in state-run institutions. This initiative is a crucial step in pushing India towards becoming a knowledge-driven society, following the model of research powerhouses like the US, Germany, South Korea, and Israel.

— One of the primary goals of ANRF is to address the infrastructure gap in state and central universities, where 95 per cent of students are enrolled but research capabilities are often non-existent.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

???? The Anusandhan National Research Foundation aims to make India a knowledge-driven economy

???? Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Physics 2024

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D. Watson is known for his work in which area? (UPSC CSE 2008)

(a) Metallurgy

(b) Meteorology

(d) Genetics

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present –significant events, personalities, issues.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court has unveiled a new statue of “Lady Justice”, reimagining the image — typically a blindfolded woman holding a set of scales in one hand and a sword in the other — that is synonymous with legal practice around the world.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of the new statue of Lady Justice?

— What was the role of the British Empire in establishing the justice system in India?

— How is the government trying to shed the vestiges of the Colonial Past?

Key highlights from the Article:

— The new, six-foot-tall statue in the judges’ library is of a saree-clad woman with no blindfold, holding scales and, instead of the sword, a copy of the Constitution of India.

— The blindfold in the classic rendition has been popularly understood to represent the impartiality of justice, whereas the new statue with unimpeded vision is meant to signify that “Law is not blind; it sees everyone equally,” Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who commissioned the statue, said.

— The new take on the statue, which has been designed by Vinod Goswami, a muralist who teaches at the College of Art in Delhi, comes in the wake of legal reforms such as the new criminal codes, and the stated aim of “decolonising” the legal framework in India.

— The imagery of Lady Justice can be traced back to Greek and Roman mythology.

— Themis, one of the 12 Titans born to Gaea and Uranus according to works of the Greek poet Hesiod who lived circa 700 BCE, is known as the goddess of justice, wisdom, and good counsel — and is often depicted as a woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other.

— Legal scholar Desmond Manderson of the College of Law, Australian National University, wrote in a 2020 paper that the “first known image to show a blindfolded justice comes from a woodcut…published in Ship of Fools, a collection of satirical poems by fifteenth century lawyer Sebastian Brant”.

— By the early 17th century, Manderson wrote, the image had “lost its satirical connotations”, and had come to be equated with the very notion of justice.

— Along with the common law legal system that continues to serve as the basis for how India’s judiciary functions, the British Raj also introduced the iconography of Lady Justice. This image still survives in courthouses around the country.

— At the Calcutta High Court — first constructed in 1872 — images of Lady Justice were carved into the pillars supporting the building. The depictions show Lady Justice blindfolded in some cases, and with her eyes open in others.

— The new statue at the Supreme Court is very similar to another piece of art featured on the premises. A mural close to the judges’ entrance shows Mahatma Gandhi and Lady Justice on either side of a chakra; Lady Justice in this depiction is wearing a saree, and holding scales and a book instead of a sword.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????What changes the Armed Forces are considering to shed colonial influences, and why

????Studying Chola naval campaigns, reducing Scottish pipe bands: Armed forces propose shedding colonial practices

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????Consider the following statements:

1. The new statue of Justice is a saree-clad woman with no blindfold, holding scales in one hand and a sword in another.

2. The imagery of Lady Justice can be traced back to Greek and Roman mythology.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment

What’s the ongoing story: At a time when consumer price-based inflation (CPI) is expected to remain above 5 per cent, and growth holding on, a cut in the interest rate would be “premature, and very risky”, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said Friday.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?

— How is inflation measured in India?

— What is the repo rate?

— What is the Monetary Policy Committee?

— What are the different monetary policy stances of RBI?

(Expansionary monetary policy, Contractionary monetary policy, Inflation targetting, and more.)

Key highlights from the Article:

— Retail inflation, which surged to a nine-month high of 5.49 per cent in September from 3.65 per cent in August, is expected to remain elevated in October before moderating in November.

— He was responding to an observation that critics were of the view that the RBI’s change in monetary policy stance to neutral and keeping the repo rate unchanged in October was a sign of the country running the risk of being behind the curve.

— Earlier this month, the RBI’s newly reconstituted MPC left the repo rate — the key policy rate – steady at 6.5 per cent for 20 consecutive months as inflation continued to remain a sore point. The six-member MPC, however, changed the monetary policy stance to ‘neutral’, after keeping it as ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ for 28 straight months.

For Your Information:

— The MPC fixes the benchmark interest rate — or the base or reference rate that is used to set other interest rates — in India. The primary objective of the RBI’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition to sustainable growth.

— Under Section 45ZB of the amended RBI Act, 1934, the central government is empowered to constitute a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to determine the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target. The first such MPC was constituted on September 29, 2016.

— Section 45ZB says the MPC shall consist of the RBI Governor as its ex officio chairperson, the Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, an officer of the Bank to be nominated by the Central Board, and three persons to be appointed by the central government.

— Under the flexible inflation targeting regime, the RBI has to maintain CPI in the 2-6 per cent range. It has been targeting to bring inflation down to 4 per cent on a durable basis.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Centre reconstitutes Monetary Policy Committee ahead of RBI rate review

????Why going back on inflation targeting could erode credibility of RBI

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????In India, which one of the following is responsible for maintaining price stability by controlling inflation? (UPSC CSE 2022)

(a) Department of Consumer Affairs

(b) Expenditure Management Commission

(d) Reserve Bank of India

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Do you agree with the view that steady GDP growth and low inflation have left the Indian economy in good shape? Give reasons in support of your arguments. (UPSC CSE 2019)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: GS-II: Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

What’s the ongoing story : Allowing a petition filed by the Center, the Supreme Court Friday recalled its August 23, 2022, order declaring certain provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, as unconstitutional.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are benami properties?

— What are the laws against benami properties?

— What is the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?

— What is the difference between prospective statute and retroactive statute?

Key highlights from the Article:

— The SC also restored the civil appeal for fresh adjudication before a bench to be nominated by the CJI on the administrative side. It also allowed all those aggrieved by the application of the 2022 judgment in their cases to seek review of the respective orders.

— The verdict in 2022 held as unconstitutional Section 3(2) of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, that prescribed a jail term for entering into benami transactions.

— The order also held that the Act, which was amended in 2016, can only be applied prospectively and quashed all prosecutions or confiscation proceedings before the amended Act came into force.

— The bench also expressed concern on certain findings in the top court’s judgment upholding the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 allowing authorities to take possession of property before trial in exceptional cases saying it leaves the scope for arbitrary application.

For Your Information:

— Benami in Hindi means without name. So, a property bought by an individual not under his or her name is benami property. It can include property held in the name of spouse or child for which the amount is paid out of known sources of income.

— A joint property with brother, sister or other relatives for which the amount is paid out of known sources of income also falls under benami property. The transaction involved in the same is called benami transaction.

— As a usual practice, to evade taxation, people invest their black money in buying benami property. The real owner of these properties are hard to trace due to fake names and identities. The person on whose name the property is purhcased is called benamdar.

— The first act against benami properties was passed in 1988 as the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988. To curb black money, the Modi government in July 2016 decided to amend the original act. So after further amendment, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 came into force on November 1, 2016.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????What are benami properties? All you need to know

????SC strikes down provision of jail term in 1988 benami law

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????With reference to the ‘Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 (PBPT Act)’, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. A property transaction is not treated as a benami transaction if the owner of the property is not aware of the transaction.

2. Properties held benami are liable for confiscation by the Government.

3. The Act provides for three authorities for investigations but does not provide for any appellate mechanism.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 2 and 3 only

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: GS-I, II: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India, and Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Stating that marriages fixed in the minority of a child have the effect of violating their “free choice” and “childhood”, the Supreme Court on Friday asked Parliament to consider banning child betrothals by amending the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What is child betrothals?

— What are the laws against Child marriage in India?

— How are child marriages defined in various personal laws?

— What are the various schemes launched by the government for the prevention of child marriage?

— Read about the Impact of Child marriage – Girl, Boy, Family structure, Society and national development.

Key highlights from the Article:

— A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said “international law such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) stipulates against betrothals of minors”.

— “Marriages fixed in the minority of a child also have the effect of violating their rights to free choice, autonomy, agency and childhood. It takes away from them their choice of partner and life paths before they mature and form the ability to assert their agency,” said the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

— While saying that the Union Government had, in a note submitted after the judgment was reserved, requested the court to direct that PCMA prevails over personal law.

— On child marriages, the court said it “adversely affected” both sexes. “Girls who are married off early are not only denied their childhood but are also forced into social isolation…Boys who are married early are forced to take up more responsibilities and are pressured to play the role of a provider to the family, earlier in life,” it said.

— The court noted that since the enactment of PCMA, “the prevalence of child marriages in India has halved… from 47% to 27% in 2015-16 and 23.3% in 2019-2021” but that despite the Centre’s efforts, there remains a gap in implementing specific, targeted measures focused solely on the prevention of child marriage.

For Your Information:

— One in five girls and nearly one in six boys are still married below the legal age of marriage in India, a new study published in the Lancet Global Health on December 15, 2024.

— The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 5.3 aims to end child marriage in girls by 2030 as part of a global commitment to “eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation”.

— For girls, the annual rate of reduction in the prevalence of child marriage must increase from 1.9 per cent to 23 per cent globally to meet the SDG target.

— The all-India prevalence of child marriage in girls declined from 49.4 per cent in 1993 to 22.3 per cent in 2021 while that among the boys declined from 7.1 per cent in 2006 to 2.2 per cent in 2021.

— Child marriage was defined as marriage in individuals younger than 18 years for men and women. They calculated the annual change in prevalence during the study period for states and Union Territories and estimated the population headcount of child brides and grooms.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????One in 5 girls in India still married below legal age, finds new study

????Law on prevention of child marriages can’t be stunted by personal laws: SC

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation. (UPSC CSE 2016)

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests, and Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: The United States has now charged Vikash Yadav, someone they claim was an Indian intelligence officer, of trying to orchestrate assassination on US soil. This comes on the heels of Canada accusing India of assassination on its soil, in what is turning out to be a nasty diplomatic spat.

Key Points to Ponder:

— Who are the Five Eyes countries?

— What is the Khalistan movement?

— What is the status of the India-Canada relationship?

— What are the parliamentary committees?

— What are the roles and functions of IB and R&AW?

Key highlights from the Article:

— “One should not prejudge the legal course these accusations will take. Canada has a shocking history of ignoring the violence done by Khalistanis. Trudeau is easily one of the most bumbling statesmen on the world stage.”

— “The Indian obsession with Canada is avoiding the big elephant in the room. It is in the US that the first indictment has been served. It is the US that in all likelihood tipped off Canada. All the Five Eyes countries have expressed their support to Canada.”

— “But the charge of assassination of citizens of friendly democracies, if true, will be seen as crossing a new Rubicon. Such charges place serious questions on the judgment and competence of Indian intelligence agencies.”

— “If these charges are true, would anyone outside India now repose even a minimum level of trust in Indian officials of any stripe? The pall of suspicion over them will increase. And finally, India has been put in the category that might be used to describe rogue states.”

— “But there are more serious questions for Indian democracy. This episode should be a reminder, as Saikat Datta’s well researched papers have been arguing, that Indian intelligence agencies are not governed by a proper framework of accountability. They are gazette creations with no parliamentary law governing them. In any of the three scenarios in this situation, intelligence agencies need to be held accountable.”

— “How could this happen? Is there something to the old worry intelligence analysts have so often expressed about the IB and R&AW. They rely so much on the culture of IPS and internal policing, which, to put it mildly, does not have the professionalism or discipline that intelligence requires.”

— “Forget the West for a minute. Forget the few fossilised Khalistanis left in Canada or Trudeau’s motives. It is in the interest of our own security that we need to know what exactly is going on here… But to substitute bombast for difficult institutional questions of our agencies would be something close to an anti-national act.”

For Your Information:

— 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.

— In 2022, India was Canada’s ninth-largest merchandise trading partner in the Indo-Pacific region, the 13th-largest merchandise trading partner globally and the 14th-largest destination for merchandise exports.

— The diplomatic standoff also has geopolitical implications for India. If the allegations are proven true, India stands to damage its G20 reputation. The diplomatic crisis also extends to countries that share ties with both India and Canada.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

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

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????Consider the following countries:

1. United States

2. Australia

3. Canada

4. India

5. United Kingdom

How many of the above countries are part of the Five Eyes Alliance?

(a) Only two

(b) Only three

(d) All five

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment

What’s the ongoing story: As global shipping rates doubled in September this year amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Centre is taking measures to mitigate losses by boosting the size of the Indian container manufacturing capacity and augmenting the domestic shipping fleet, government officials said.

Key Points to Ponder:

— What are the recent areas of conflict in the Middle East?

— What is the impact of ongoing war in the Middle East on the Supply chain?

— How has war economically impacted India?

— Map work: Location of countries in the Middle East

Key highlights from the Article:

— The widening of the conflict with Iran’s direct involvement could impact Indian exports, especially low-margin, high-volume products such as textiles, another official said.

— The World Bank’s trade watch report, released earlier this week, stated that global supply chain stress remained elevated through September 2024, amid disruptions in West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Asia, as shipping rates stayed “more than twice as high” as a year ago.

— The World Bank’s Global Supply Chain Stress Index, which tracks delayed shipping capacity, jumped to 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) in September 2024, up 72 per cent from October 2023, when Hamas’s attack on Israel ignited renewed conflict in West Asia.

— “The Israel-Hamas conflict was isolated to an extent, but the widening conflict with Iran’s direct involvement could impact Indian exports, especially for low-margin, high-volume products such as textiles. Indian exports have almost completely moved to the Cape of Good Hope route,” another official said.

— Since the Red Sea crisis began, Indian exporters have been asking the government to push for developing an Indian shipping line of global repute.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????How a direct Israel-Iran conflict affects India: From long trade routes and higher shipping rates to increased risk for the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????Consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE 2019)

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

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

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