Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for March 14, 2024. If you missed the March 13, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies – II – Governance, Constitution, Polity

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The high-level committee set up by the government to draw a roadmap for holding simultaneous elections is expected to submit an eight-volume report, running into 18,000 pages, to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, sources said.

• Do You Know: 

The committee, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, is likely to recommend a concrete model for one nation-one election — as opposed to suggesting options — for synchronising the different poll cycles, it is learnt.

The Union Law Ministry had appointed the committee in September 2023 to make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, municipalities and panchayats.

Apart from Kovind, the committee includes Home Minister Amit Shah, former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairperson N K Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

• Highlight: German model of constructive vote of no-confidence 

According to sources, it also debated the German model of constructive vote of no-confidence — where a no-confidence motion against the incumbent can be brought if there is a positive vote of confidence in a successor — but decided against recommending it. The panel found it to be “against the tenets of Indian democracy”, a source said.

The Law Commission, in its 2018 draft report, had recommended the “constructive vote of no-confidence” as a way to ensure stability of governments.

• The committee was asked to suggest specific amendments to the Constitution – what are those?

• What are the benefits and challenges with one nation one election?

• Was this concept practiced earlier?

• For Your Information: A report by former Chairperson of Fifteenth Finance Commission NK Singh, and co-authored by Prachi Mishra, Chief of Systemic Division Issues, International Monetary Fund, to study the macroeconomic impact of simultaneous elections is learnt to have said that economic growth gets a fillip of about 1.5 percentage points when Assembly and Lok Sabha polls are held together.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

• Joint polls see high GDP growth, low inflation: Kovind committee told

• One nation, one election: Better for voter, better for citizen

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies – II – Governance, Constitution, Polity

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- 

From the women’s reservation Bill passed by the BJP-led government at the Centre to AAP’s promise of Rs 1,000 a month and Congress’s proposed allowance of Rs 1 lakh per annum — ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, political parties have been pushing key legislative and development measures targeting women voters. Data drawn from three recent Lok Sabha elections shows that their focus on women voters is not surprising.

• Do You Know: 

An analysis of the data for the 2009, 2014 and 2019 general elections shows that the share of women in the total electorate (those on the electoral rolls) increased from 47.73 per cent in 2009 to 48.09 per cent in 2019. 

A similar trend is seen in the rising number of constituencies where women outnumber men (in absolute terms) on the electoral rolls. The number of such constituencies has gone up from 85 (out of the total 543) in 2009 to 110 in 2019.

This trend, over the years, has narrowed the gap in overall turnout (measured in percentage terms) between male and female voters at the national level, with women’s turnout surpassing that of men (67.2% for women compared to 67% for men) in 2019.

What is particularly noteworthy is the increasing number of constituencies where women’s voter turnout exceeded that of men, despite their lower overall numbers on the electoral rolls. The number of such constituencies increased from 11 in 2009 to 34 in 2014 and 58 in 2019. In 2019, such constituencies spread to 17 states, with the highest in Bihar at 18 seats, followed by 6 each in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal; 3 each in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand; 2 in Rajasthan; and 1 each in Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

• For Your Information:

According to the Election Commission, approximately 47.15 crore women are expected to participate in the forthcoming general elections.

Point to ponder: There is a need to draw upon lessons learnt from other areas of social justice to ensure that the idea of representation and empowerment leads to a shared consensus, and does not become a tug of war that pulls women down rather than setting them free. Do you agree?

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- 

Data released by the National Statistical Office on Tuesday showed that retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, has remained at almost the same level since the beginning of this year. Inflation stood at 5.09 per cent in February, only marginally lower than 5.1 per cent in January. However, the disaggregated data points towards diverging trends — food inflation has edged upwards, while core inflation, which excludes the volatile food and fuel, has eased further. This represents a conundrum for monetary policy.

• What is Inflation?

• How is Food Inflation measured in India?

• Key terms: WPI, CPI, Headline and Core Inflation,  Monetary Policy Committee – Role and Composition.

• What does a note by Crisil on inflation tell us?

• For Your Information:  As per RBI projections, while the economy is expected to maintain its growth momentum, inflation is expected to trend lower. The central bank expects growth at 7 per cent and inflation at 4.5 per cent in 2024-25. However, there remains considerable uncertainty around the trajectory of food inflation. As greater clarity emerges over the coming months on production trends and the monsoons, it could open up space for the MPC to pivot.

• PYQ: Consider the following statements: (2020)

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

How food inflation in India has been de-globalised, what factors can drive prices now

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: GS III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The vital second stage of India’s three-stage nuclear programme got a boost with the commencement of ‘core loading’ at the country’s first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, earlier this month. Core loading is the process of placing nuclear fuel assemblies inside the core of a nuclear reactor. The initiation of the process was witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 4. The completion of core loading will effectively mark the first approach to ‘criticality’ — the initiation of a self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction that will eventually lead to the generation of power by the 500 megawatt electric (MWe) FBR.

• What is the history behind India’s FBR programme? What were the roles of Dr Homi J Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabhai?

• What is BHAVINI?

• Do You Know: Once commissioned, India will be the second country after Russia to have a commercial operating FBR. China has a small programme on fast breeders; programmes in countries such as Japan, France, and the United States were shut down amid safety concerns.

• India has adopted a “closed fuel cycle” approach. What is it?

• Why is the India-US civil nuclear deal significant to be known?

• For your information: Three stages and FBR

The Department of Atomic Energy’s (DAE’s) three-stage power programme envisages a pathway to utilising India’s abundant thorium reserves — found in coastal and inland placer sands on the beaches of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, and in the inland riverine sands of Jharkhand and West Bengal — to generate electricity. The three stages involve the conversion of ‘fertile material’ (which is not fissionable by thermal neutrons but can be converted into fissile material) into fissile material. The FBR is an important milestone for getting to the third stage, paving the way for the eventual full utilisation of the country’s thorium.

The first stage — the setting up of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and associated fuel cycle facilities — is in progress. PHWRs are reactors that use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water (deuterium oxide) as coolant and moderator. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) operates 22 commercial nuclear power reactors with an installed capacity of 6,780 MWe. The programme has been supplemented by the construction of imported Light Water Reactors (LWRs) — the first of two units built with Russian collaboration is already generating power.

The second stage involves the setting up of FBRs backed by reprocessing plants and plutonium fabrication plants, primarily to multiply the inventory of fissile material. Multiplication of fissile inventory is also needed to establish a higher power base for using thorium in the third stage of the programme.

The third stage will be based on the ThU233 cycle. For producing U233, obtained by irradiation of thorium in PHWRs and FBRs, an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) is proposed.

The combination of power reactors from all the three stages is expected to ensure long-term energy security for the country. But the commercial utilisation of thorium on a significant scale can begin only when abundant supplies of either U233 or Pu239 are available. The progress on the FBR has made the passage to the third phase visible.

Points to Ponder:

• What are the challenges in India’s Nuclear Programme?

• What roles are played by URANIUM, PLUTONIUM and THORIUM?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Fast-breeder reactor crucial for long-term energy security: Experts

As US cracks down on Russian oil on snippers, India expects no real supply, sanction risk

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: GS II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- India is not too concerned about the intensifying scrutiny of tankers and shipping firms involved in Russian oil trade by the United States (US), which has led to a number of vessels being placed under sanctions by Washington over the past few months. As per highly placed sources in the government, Indian refiners are not at risk—of sanctions or a major supply disruption—as shipping is arranged by the suppliers of Russian oil, and India has enough alternative source markets for crude in case some of the volumes coming from Russia get impacted due to shipping disruptions.

• For your information: 

In the latest action against oil tankers over alleged violation of the G7 price cap of $60 per barrel for seaborne Russian crude, the US on February 23 sanctioned Russia’s state-owned shipping major Sovcomflot along with 14 tankers associated with it. This was in addition to similar actions against other shippers and tankers involved in hauling Russian oil over the past few months. 

Given that India is a top buyer of Russian crude, most of the 14 tankers sanctioned recently had transported oil to Indian refiners over the past year, ship tracking data shows.

According to a senior official, the government does not want Indian refiners to take crude oil deliveries on sanctioned tankers. As long as that is clear and complied with, there is no cause of concern for the government or Indian refiners, said the official, who did not wish to be identified. Another official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the situation is more of a risk for Russia than India, as Moscow depends heavily on income from energy exports and would want to prevent a significant hit to its oil export volumes.

Russian oil is bought by Indian refiners on a delivered basis, which means that chartering of tankers and the associated procedures are the responsibility of the oil supplier. Indian buyers pay the all-inclusive landed price of crude and have no involvement in the shipping of the oil, which keeps them insulated from possible price cap-related complications.

Indian refiners ramped up Russian oil purchases in the aftermath of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As the West started weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, Russia began offering deep discounts on its crude oil, which Indian refiners began lapping up. Prior to the war in Ukraine, Russia was a marginal player in India’s oil imports, but is now New Delhi’s biggest source of crude ahead of traditional heavyweights Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 

India has a highly diversified crude oil supplier base that would help in keeping supply steady even if some of the volumes coming from a major supplier see some disruption.

The price cap was imposed in December 2022 by the Group of Seven (G7) countries and their allies. The stated objective of the price cap is to limit Russia’s oil revenue while keeping the international oil market adequately-supplied, and prevent supply and price shocks. 

Of late, the US and its allies have seemingly become stricter over price cap compliance and have acted against shippers and tankers allegedly involved in price evasion.

India is not a signatory to the price cap regime, and has even voiced its opposition to the cap being selective and aimed at specific buyers, given that it applies only to seaborne Russian crude and not on oil supplied through pipelines to other geographies. Nevertheless, the government does not want Indian refiners to brazenly flout the G7 price cap or accept deliveries on sanctioned tankers in order to avoid secondary sanctions themselves, sources said. In the past, there have been instances of tankers headed for India being sanctioned by the US for price cap evasion, leading to Indian refiners refusing to accept the cargoes.

• Which are the G7 countries?

• Points to ponder:

Stability of India-Russia ties points to settling down of Delhi’s new great power diplomacy. Discuss. 

The unfolding cohesion within the West is matched by the growing alignment between Russia and China. As the battle lines between the two sides get drawn, we are heading towards a bipolar framework. What does it mean for India’s discourse on a multipolar world?

• Factual tidbit from the past:

The political outcomes from the G7 summit that concluded last year  raise questions about the Indian thinking on a multipolar world. The summit signalled Western unity against the simultaneous challenges presented by Russia and China. More deeply, it reflected the resilience of the Western alliance despite the many differences among the US and its partners.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

C Raja Mohan writes: India at G7 — myth of multipolarity.

‘Russia never hurt India’s interests, Moscow-New Delhi relations were always stable’: Jaishankar

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