Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for November 1, 2024. If you missed the October 30, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

US puts 19 Indian firms on sanctions list, says helped Russia with materials, tech

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story:Adding a new stress point to bilateral ties, the United States put 19 private firms from India and two Indian nationals on a list of “nearly 400 entities and individuals” from several countries that will face sanctions for their alleged role in aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is sanctions in International Relations?

• What are economic sanctions?

• Examine the impact of U.S. sanctions on India-Russia trade relations, particularly in sectors of strategic importance.

• What challenges do Indian companies face in adhering to international sanctions while maintaining their trade interests?

• Analyse how the U.S. sanctions policy towards Russia impacts India’s strategic autonomy in its foreign policy.

• How does India balance its relationships with major powers, like the U.S. and Russia, in light of differing stances on global conflicts?

• Evaluate India’s response mechanisms and legal provisions in place for Indian firms operating in sanctioned environments.

Key Takeaways:

• The US action comes at a time when bilateral ties with India are already under stress over allegations of an Indian national’s role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

• This is not the first time that Indian firms have been targeted by US sanctions, but the latest move was the “most concerted push so far against third-country evasion”, a US State Department official told Reuters.

• It said the move aims to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple countries, including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the UAE, apart from India, for selling “items and other important dual-use goods to Russia, including critical components that Russia relies on for its weapons systems to wage war against Ukraine”.

• The US State Department also detailed the charges against four Indian firms on its list of 120: Ascend Aviation India, Mask Trans, TSMD Global and Futrevo.

• The US sanctions have had a limited impact on the Russian war machine. In this context, the latest move is being seen as an attempt to target Moscow with an eye on domestic constituents in the US with presidential elections on November 5.

Do You Know:

• One of the Indian firms named in the US State Department statement is Ascend Aviation India Private Limited that “sent over 700 shipments to Russia-based companies” between March 2023 and March 2024. “These shipments included over $200,000 worth of CHPL items, such as US-origin aircraft components,” the US State Department said, and named its directors as well.

• CHPL stands for Common High Priority List. According to a statement by Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which came up with this list, “certain items are more significant to Russian weaponry than others. Working with the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom, BIS has developed the Common High Priority List (CHPL), which includes 50 items…that Russia seeks to procure for its weapons programs.”

• Sanctions basically restrict or entirely scrap the economic relations between the entity applying the sanctions and the one they are being applied on. Sanctions can take the form of import or export ban, refusal to trade, freezing of assets, ban from using banking systems and currency of a country or group of countries, etc. —According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “Sanctions may be comprehensive, prohibiting commercial activity with regard to an entire country, like the long-standing US embargo of Cuba, or they may be targeted, blocking transactions by and with particular businesses, groups, or individuals.” —The US, for example, has imposed sanctions on a host of countries, including Iran, North Korea, China, etc. Russia, after the breakout of the Ukraine war, has become the most sanctioned country in the world. —Apart from individual countries, the UNO also imposes economic sanctions, after they are approved by its Security Council. The European Union (EU), too, has a mechanism for imposing sanctions.

• While sanctions act as a tool of punishment or pressure tactic on the country or entity they are being applied to — the logic being that economic losses will force it to reconsider its moves — their efficacy has been debated.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????US sanctions Indian firms, people amid Russia Ukraine war: Why, what exactly are sanctions

????5 factors behind Russia’s economic resilience amid the Ukraine war

PM pitches for ‘one nation, one secular civil code’

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement, Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

• General Studies I: Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

• General Studies III: Linkages between development and spread of extremism and Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

What’s the ongoing story: PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the government is working towards the implementation of a “one nation, one secular civil code”, saying this will “eliminate discrimination” and strengthen unity. Warning against forces trying to “destabilise” the country, he also underscored the need to “identify urban Naxals and unmask them”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Why is National Unity Day Celebrated?

• What is the Statue of Unity?

• Who was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?

• What is Urban Naxalism?

• Urban Naxalism-does it really exits or it is a myth?

• Discuss the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in post-independence India’s unification and integration of princely states.

• Analyse the significance of the Statue of Unity in contemporary India. How does it reflect India’s efforts to preserve historical legacy?

• Evaluate the importance of national unity in India and the role of leaders like Sardar Patel in fostering it.

• How does the legacy of Sardar Patel influence modern Indian politics and policies on unity and federalism?

• Discuss the economic and social impact of memorials, like the Statue of Unity, on local and national levels.

Key Takeaways:

• Lauding government initiatives to establish “one nation” models like Aadhaar, GST and Ayushman Bharat, Modi said: “Our attempts at unity are now going to result in one nation, one election which will strengthen democracy in India and bring optimal outcome of the resources… We are moving towards a one nation, one civil code — a secular civil code… It will help eliminate the complaints of discrimination at the caste level.”

• The PM announced that the country will begin a two-year celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, that will be marked on October 31, 2025.

Do You Know:

• Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, famously known as Sardar Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home minister of India. A barrister and a statesman, Patel was a leader of the Indian National Congress and played a significant role in India’s struggle for freedom against the British.

• Born on October 31, 1875 and brought up in Gujarat, Patel, in the capacity of a lawyer, had freed several peasants in non-violent civil disobedience movement from Kheda, Bardoli and Borsad and later came to be known as one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat. He also, later promoted Quit India Movement and remains an inspirational figure till today.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Sardar Patel: Remembering the ‘Iron Man of India’

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: 1. For the Karachi Session of Indian National Congress in 1931 presided over by Sardar Patel, who drafted the Resolution on Fundamental Rights and Economic Programme? (UPSC CSE, GS, 2010) (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (d) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

India saw dip in TB cases & deaths in 2023, but target still far: WHO report

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Mains Examination: General Studies II:

What’s the ongoing story: India has ensured high treatment coverage among people diagnosed with tuberculosis and also achieved a significant increase in the number of people receiving preventative therapy, says Global TB Report recently released by the World Health Organization.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is Global TB Report?

• Who publishes Global TB Report?

• Discuss the significance of India’s achievements in tuberculosis (TB) treatment and preventive therapy?

• Tuberculosis (TB) and India-Impact

• Know the term-BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin)

• What is India’s TB elimination target?

• Evaluate the challenges and strategies in combating TB in India, particularly focusing on high treatment coverage and preventive measures.

• Explain the role of preventive healthcare in addressing communicable diseases like TB and its impact on public health.

• Analyse India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) in the context of WHO’s End TB Strategy.

• What are the socioeconomic implications of high TB incidence in India, and how can preventive strategies help mitigate them?

Key Takeaways:

• Data from the Global TB Report shows that 12.2 lakh people were put on preventive therapy in 2023, up from 10.2 lakh in 2022, and 4.2 lakh in 2021.

• India has also ensured a treatment coverage of 85% and is among seven of the 30 high-burden countries with high treatment coverage.

• The preventative treatment is offered to those at high risk of getting the infection such as household contacts of TB patients and people living with HIV. They are given Isoniazid daily for 6-9 months, the most widely used TB preventive therapy regimen worldwide.

• According to the WHO report, India saw a slight decline in the estimated number of tuberculosis cases and deaths in 2023, but it is nowhere near its elimination target.

• There were an estimated 28 lakh TB cases in India in 2023, accounting for 26% of the global cases. And, there were estimated 3.15 lakh TB-related deaths, accounting for 29% of the deaths globally.

• The report also said the gap between the estimated number of cases and the number of people actually getting diagnosed has been closing. India reported 25.2 lakh cases in 2023, increasing from 24.2 lakh the previous year.

Do You Know:

• In India, the government offers free medicines for TB treatment, which is essential as the medicines can be expensive and the therapy may continue for as long as two years. Patients with TB may not be able to work during the therapy period and thereby lose out on income.

• The data shows that treatment was successful in 89% of the people with drug-susceptible TB, 73% of those with infection resistant to one of the common medicines rifampicin or resistant to multiple drugs, and 69% of those with extremely drug-resistant TB.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Global TB report shows India continues to have highest disease burden: What does this mean for you?

????Knowledge Nugget of the day: Global Tuberculosis Report

GOVT & POLITICS

Environment Ministry may hike penalty for stubble burning

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

What’s the ongoing story: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is deliberating on plans to increase environmental compensation to be imposed on farmers for burning paddy straw and may revise the existing rules which empower the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to impose such fines.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the environmental impact of stubble burning and the challenges faced in its regulation in India.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws and penalties aimed at curbing stubble burning in India.

• Analyse the role of the MoEF in addressing air pollution issues related to agricultural practices in India.

• What are the alternative solutions to stubble burning, and how can policy revisions support their adoption?

• Explain how inter-state cooperation is essential in combating seasonal air pollution due to stubble burning.

Key Takeaways:

• The government’s proposal to increase the compensation comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court taking a dim view of the government’s selective and inadequate action to recover environmental compensation for burning paddy stubble.

• The Supreme Court had also pulled up Centre for not giving effect to provisions of the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, which had decriminalized environmental offences under the Environment Protection Act, Air Act and Water Act.

• Currently, CAQM has adopted the formula laid down by the National Green Tribunal for imposing environmental compensation on farmers for stubble burning.

• The CAQM also has the aid of the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (Imposition, Collection and Utilization of Environmental Compensation for Stubble Burning) Rules, 2023 and section 15 of the CAQM Act, 2021, empowers it to collect an environmental compensation.

• As per the existing norms, famers with less than two acres of land holding have to cough up Rs 2,500 for burning paddy stubble, Rs 5,0000 for those with two-five acres and Rs 15,000 for those with more than five acres.

Do You Know:

• Prevention of stubble burning has been a “high-priority sector”. As of October 26, a total of 3,434 crop-residue burning events have been reported in Punjab (1,857), Haryana (700), UP (865) and Delhi (12), as per data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

• IITM in its air quality forecast has warned that stubble burning cases will pick up and lead to severe air quality in the coming days.

• To curb this, in-situ and ex-situ management is recommended by the CAQM. Crop diversification, promoting basmati variety, low straw and early maturing paddy varieties, and direct seeding of rice methods are some of the plans or schemes to reduce paddy straw generation. The Environment Ministry stated, “Owing to concerted action by all stakeholders, a gradual but significant reduction has been witnessed in paddy residue burning incidences.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Tackling Delhi’s annual pollution crisis: Measures are in place, how effective are they?

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

AI plus and minus

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

What’s the ongoing story: In what has been proclaimed as a “super election year”, with 72 countries going to polls worldwide, the potential impact of AI (artificial intelligence) on democracy is a major concern.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Discuss the potential impact of artificial intelligence on election processes, with reference to both opportunities and challenges for democracy.

• Analyse the ethical concerns associated with the use of AI in elections, especially in terms of voter manipulation and misinformation.

• How can AI improve electoral transparency and voter engagement? Provide examples.

• Evaluate the role of regulations in mitigating the risks of AI misuse in democratic elections.

• Discuss global examples of AI application in elections and how they can inform policies in India.

Key Takeaways:

• The phenomenon of integration of AI into electoral processes is full of paradoxes. It offers significant advantages that can enhance the efficiency, security and transparency of democratic systems.

• AI, potentially guilty of creating false information, paradoxically, also plays a crucial role in combating disinformation. Elections are increasingly vulnerable to the spread of false information which can distort public opinion and undermine trust in democratic outcomes. Through natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, AI can identify and flag misleading or harmful content on social media platforms.

• Artificial intelligence introduces several challenges and risks that could undermine the integrity, fairness and transparency of elections. Without careful regulation and oversight, AI’s involvement in elections may produce negative consequences, including privacy violations, algorithmic bias creating distortions and public mistrust.

Do You Know:

• The use of AI in elections presents serious risks alongside its advantages. If these challenges are not carefully managed, the introduction of AI into elections could have disastrous consequences. At the global level, the United Nations is promoting a comprehensive approach to AI governance, focusing on global standards, ethical guidelines, national strategies, risk mitigation, regulatory frameworks, skill development and public awareness.

• In March 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution — led by the US and backed by over 120 nations — calling for “safe, secure, and trustworthy” AI systems.

• Regionally, the Council of the European Union approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act in May 2024 to harmonise AI regulations. The Act balances innovation with transparency, accountability and rights protection.

• Set to take effect in 2026, it complements the EU’s broader regulatory agenda, including the Code of Practice on Disinformation, which mandates political ad monitoring, and the Digital Services Act. Together, these initiatives reflect a growing global effort to regulate AI responsibly.

• Efforts to regulate AI in India remain inadequate, with companies accused of profiting from the spread of hate speech. Research by The London Story and India Civil Watch International found that Meta permitted political ads promoting Islamophobia, Hindu supremacist rhetoric and calls for violence. YouTube failed to block ads containing misinformation and inflammatory content.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Lok Sabha election’s experiment with AI offers hope for India’s democracy

EXPLAINED

The Electoral College in US

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.

• General Studies II: Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.

What’s the ongoing story: The United States is the only democracy in the world where a presidential candidate who wins the highest number of (popular) votes may still lose the election. This has happened at least four times in the past, including twice — in 2000 and 2016 — in this century. The reason is the role played by the Electoral College in the American system.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Electoral College?

• How many electors are there in the Electoral College?

• Who are these electors?

• How are the electors elected?

• What do the electors do?

• How did Electoral College come about?

• What is the argument in favour of adopting the Electoral College?

• What are some of the major criticisms of the system?

Key Takeaways:

• Prior to the election, the two political parties select a slate of preferred electors in each state. The selection is based on established conventions that vary from state to state and party to party. A party’s slate generally comprises long-time members and workers, or people with a personal or political affiliation with the party’s presidential candidate.

• There are very few provisions in the US Constitution regarding who is qualified to be an elector. Members of Congress or any person “holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States” cannot be an elector.

• The Electoral College is chosen by popular vote. This is essentially what the election on November 5 is for. Ballots in many states even mention the names of the respective candidate’s slate of electors.

• Two states — Maine (4 electors) and Nebraska (5 electors) — are exceptions to the winner-takes-all system. Both employ a specific form of proportional representation in which the state winner receives two electors, and the winner of each congressional district (who may or may not be the same as the state winner) receives one elector.

Do You Know:

• In US’s unique electoral system, votes cast by the public in favour of a presidential candidate (the popular vote) are actually meant to elect that candidate’s preferred electors. These electors then vote for the President after the election.

• The Electoral College is a process comprising the selection of these electors, the meeting where they vote for the President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.

• The Electoral College comprises 538 electors, and a candidate needs to secure a majority of 270 electoral votes to be elected.

• The number of electors varies from state to state. Each state has the same number of electors as the size of its Congressional delegation — one for each member of the House of Representatives plus two for the two Senators.

• California, with 54 electors, has the largest allocation in the Electoral College. Six states — Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming — and the District of Columbia are allocated three electors each, the smallest delegations in the college.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????US elections: Why the electoral college still has powers to choose President

What is DANA, weather pattern that caused flash floods in Spain?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

• General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

What’s the ongoing story: Millions have been affected in southern and eastern Spain due to torrential rain, which began on Monday (October 28) night and has submerged villages and towns, and cut off roads. Flash floods caused by the immense deluge have led to the death of at least 64 people in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, authorities said on Wednesday (October 30).

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is flash flooding?

• What is the reason for flash floods?

• What is DANA or cold drop?

• Is DANA or cold drop becoming more intense?

• How DANA contribute to flash floods? Explain the meteorological process behind cold drops.

• Analyse the impact of DANA-induced flash floods on Mediterranean regions like Spain.

• Discuss the measures that can be taken to mitigate the impacts of flash floods caused by cold drops.

• Compare and contrast the phenomena of DANA in Spain with cloudburst events in India.

• How do climate change and global warming influence the frequency and intensity of phenomena like DANA?

• Map Work-Mediterranean Sea and Spain

Key Takeaways:

• DANA or cold drop takes place when cold air descends over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This results in atmospheric instability, causing hotter, moist air on the surface of the sea to rise quickly, leading to the formation of dense, towering cumulonimbus clouds in a matter of hours. These clouds then dump heavy rain in parts of Spain.

• The primary cause of the intense rain is likely an annual weather phenomenon known as a “gota fría,” or cold drop. It is also sometimes called a “DANA,” the acronym for “depresión aislada en niveles altos,” or isolated depression at high altitudes.

• The weather pattern’s occurrence is related to the polar jet stream — a fast-moving wind current at high levels of the troposphere (the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere) which circulates from west to east and separates the cold polar air from the warm tropical air.

• The phenomenon is a common occurrence in Spain and usually coincides with the onset of autumn and spring in the western Mediterranean.

Do You Know:

• Excessive or continuous rainfall over a period of days, or during particular seasons, can lead to stagnation of water and cause flooding. Flash floods refer to such a situation, but occurring in a much shorter span of time, and are highly localised. For instance, the US’s meteorological agency, the National Weather Service, says flash floods are caused when rainfall creates flooding in less than 6 hours. It adds that flash floods can also be caused by factors apart from rainfall, like when water goes beyond the levels of a dam.

• In India, flash floods are often associated with cloudbursts – sudden, intense rainfall in a short period of time. Himalayan states further face the challenge of overflowing glacial lakes, formed due to the melting of glaciers, and their numbers have been increasing in the last few years.

• Frequently, flash floods are accompanied by landslides, which are sudden movements of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope. It is common in mountainous terrains, where there are conditions created for it in terms of the soil, rock, geology and slope. Natural causes that trigger landslides include heavy rainfall, earthquakes, snow melting and undercutting of slopes due to flooding.

• Flash flooding commonly happens more where rivers are narrow and steep, so they flow more quickly. They can occur in urban areas located near small rivers, since hard surfaces such as roads and concrete do not allow the water to absorb into the ground.

• Flash floods may in the future, begin to take place after wildfires that have been taking place more frequently. This is because wildfires destroy forests and other vegetation, which in turn weakens the soil and makes it less permeable for water to seep through.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Devastating floods in Spain leave many dead, wreak havoc on infrastructure and agriculture

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????How important is vulnerability and risk assessment for pre-disaster management? As an administrator, what are key areas that you would focus on in a Disaster Management System? (UPSC CSE, GS3, 2013,)

SC ruling on child marriage: why it’s important to go beyond just punishment

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story:The judgment in Society for Enlightenment and Voluntary Action v. Union of India, delivered by the Supreme Court earlier this month, has moved the focus in cases of child marriage from penalising criminal actions to addressing the “harm meted out to the victim”.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the law on child marriage?

• Is annulment the same as divorce?

• Why are there concerns about using criminal action to tackle child marriage?

• Why is the SC judgment significant?

• What exactly Supreme Court said regarding the alarming scale of child marriages in India ?

• What is ‘Child marriage’?

• Child Marriage in India-Know the statistics and data’s

• But why child marriage are still prevalent in certain areas in India?

• Why Child Marriage is a violation of Human Rights?

• What are the Government initiatives taken to curb Child Marriages in India?

• What the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 says?

• What are the recommendations given by various Committees and Conventions in India as well as by the International Bodies on minimum age of marriage?

• What does the constitution and laws says about Child Marriages?

• “Child marriages affect the national economy negatively and do not allow us to come out of the vicious cycle of inter-generational poverty”-Elaborate

• What does the UN Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages (1962), the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) and the Beijing Declaration (1995) says on child marriages?

• The Age of Consent Act 1891-Know in detail

• The Child Marriage Restraint Act , 1929 or the Sharda Act-Know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• The recent Supreme Court Bench extensive judgment highlighting the alarming scale of child marriages in India: —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. —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. — “Parliament may consider outlawing child betrothals which can be used to evade penalty under PCMA. While a betrothed child may be a child in need of care and protection under the Juvenile Justice Act, the practice requires targeted remedies for its elimination,” it said. —Under PCMA, which considers child marriage a criminal offence, girls below the age of 18 and boys under 21 are deemed to be children. The court also dealt with the interface between personal laws and prohibition of child marriage under the PCMA. —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.

Do You Know:

• Child marriage is an offence punishable with rigorous imprisonment — which may extend up to two years — or with a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both, on whoever performs, conducts, directs or abets child marriage. Offences under the Act are cognisable and non-bailable. The marriage is voidable except in certain cases. The PCMA of 2006 replaced the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. Before this, we had the Age of Consent Act, of 1891.

• India has one in three of the world’s child brides. Of the country’s 223 million child brides, 102 million were married before turning 15. In 2006, child marriages in India made up 47 per cent of all marriages — almost half of all girls in India were married before the age of 18, as per the National Family Health Survey. The prevalence has halved since the enactment of the PCMA. In some states, however, it still exceeds 40 per cent, with the highest rates found in West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura (UNICEF report). The problem is worse in rural India as compared to urban areas, with 56 and 29 per cent prevalence respectively.

• Poverty is the dominant cause of child marriages. Families see it as a way to cope with growing economic hardship. Often, younger siblings are married along with the elder ones to save expenses. Displacement breaks down social networks and protection systems, making young girls even more vulnerable.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Social ill and legal response

LiDAR

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General Science.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

What’s the ongoing story: Scientists have detected a lost Mayan city, hidden for centuries by the dense Mexican jungle, using LiDAR.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is LiDAR?

• How does LiDAR work?

• Why is LiDAR very useful for archaeologists?

Key Takeaways:

• LiDAR instrumentation comprises a laser, a scanner, and a GPS receiver. The rapidly firing laser travels to the ground where it hits vegetation, building, and various topographic features. This light is reflected or scattered, and recorded by the LiDAR sensor.

• The system calculates the light pulses’ two-way travel time to arrive at the distance between the terrain and the sensor. It processes this information with Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Measurement System (IMS) data, to create an elevation map of Earth.

• LiDAR data is initially collected as a “point cloud” of all individual points reflected from everything on the surface, including structures and vegetation. But the specifics of how much light energy was returned to the sensor allows further identification of different features, such as vegetation, buildings, etc. For example, tree canopies, however dense they may be, allow some light to pass through and hit the ground.

• The LiDAR data can be further refined to produce what scientists call a “bare earth” Digital Elevation Model, in which structures and vegetation are stripped away.

Do You Know:

• LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (or variable distances) of a sensor, usually mounted aboard an aircraft, to Earth’s surface. LiDAR data can be used to create high-resolution 3-D models of ground elevation with a vertical accuracy of upto 10 cm, according to the US Geological Survey.

• LiDAR is used to generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics. This is obviously very useful information for geographers, policy makers, conservationists, and engineers. In recent years, however, LiDAR has also shown potential as a tool of archaeological discovery.

• But LiDAR allows researchers to study much larger swathes of land quickly in the comfort of a home or lab. Auld-Thomas used publicly available LiDAR data taken for a forest monitoring project in 2013 to discover the city he named Valeriana in Mexico’s Campeche region.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Lidar laser-sensing technology – from self-driving cars to dance contests

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