Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for January 18, 2024. If you missed the January 17, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

THE WORLD

Pak warns of consequences as Iran strikes terror bases in Baluchistan

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Pakistan on Thursday conducted “precision military strikes” against what it called “terrorist hideouts” in Iran’s Siestan-Balochistan province that killed 7 people, a day after Islamabad recalled its ambassador from Tehran and suspended all planned high-level bilateral visits in the wake of Iranian missile and drone strikes in Baluchistan.

• Iran and Pakistan-What’s with the border conflict?

• Map Work-Pakistan-Iran Border and Siestan-Balochistan province

• Iran bombed two bases of militant group Jaish al-Adl in Pakistan’s Balochistan province with missiles and drones-why?

• How Pakistan responded?

• Who are the Jaish al-Adl?

• For Your Information-Jaish al-Adl, literally the “Army of Justice”, are a Sunni Salafist militant group with bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, who are active in the mountainous border regions of Pakistan and Iran. They are one of several Sunni militant separatist groups who claim to be fighting for the independence of the Sistan and Baluchestan (known as Asli Balouchestan) province in the southeastern corner of Iran, bordering Pakistan’s Balochistan province and the Indian Ocean.

Jaish al-Adl was founded in 2012, and Iranian officials believe it largely operates in Pakistan. The group has allegedly been involved in a series of violent attacks in Iran, and has claimed bombings and kidnapped members of Iran’s border police in the past.

In December, suspected Jaish al-Adl members killed 11 people and wounded eight others in a night-time attack on a police station in southeastern Iran. Another recent attack killed another police officer in the area. In 2019, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting a bus that killed 27 members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Iran has suspected that Sunni-majority Pakistan is hosting insurgents, possibly at the behest of its regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia.

However, Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-mediated détente last March, easing tensions. Pakistan, meanwhile, has blamed Iran in the past over militant attacks targeting its security forces. It remains unclear why Iran launched Tuesday’s attack, particularly as its foreign minister had met Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister the same day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After the Islamic State bombings this month, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry alleged the two bombers involved in the attack had travelled from Afghanistan into Iran through its south-eastern border at the Jalg crossing — meaning they had traveled through Balochistan.

Balochistan province, as well as Iran’s neighboring Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, have faced a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists for more than two decades. They initially wanted a share of provincial resources, but later initiated an insurgency for independence. Iran’s attack on Pakistan came less than a day after Iranian strikes on northern Iraq that killed several civilians. Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations and summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Baghdad on Tuesday in protest. Iran separately struck Syria as well.

• How India responded?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Iran strikes Pakistan: Understand actions that countries take in self-defence, says MEA

????As Iran strikes militant group Jaish al-Adl bases in Pakistan, a look at who they are, their past attacks

FRONT PAGE

Most rural kids 14-18 can’t do Class 3 math, over 25% can’t read

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-More than half of 14- to 18-year-old children in rural India cannot solve a simple three-digit division problem that’s usually taught in Class 3-4 and struggle with everyday skills, including determining time and doing basic calculations, shows the latest edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released on Wednesday.

• The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for 2023-What are key highlights of the report?

• Know About Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)- Role, Functions

• Why Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) findings are important?

• For Your Information-The 2023 survey focused on an older group of 14-to-18-year-old children, specifically on their ability to apply reading and math skills to everyday situations, and their aspirations. It also sought to capture their access to digital technology, and whether they possess the skills to use it.

The ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’ survey was carried out among 34,745 young respondents in 28 rural districts in 26 states, including two districts each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

• Why did the survey focus on children in the 14-18 age group?

• What did the survey seek to measure?

• Do You Know-According to the Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham, from 2005 to 2014, we did annual surveys on the learning abilities of rural children. We now do such full surveys in alternate years, which allows us to explore something in depth in the gap years. The scale is smaller because it’s 1-2 districts per state, but the angle is much wider. This year, we decided to focus on this age group.

We had four broad buckets to measure — activity, aspiration, awareness in general, and ability. When we surveyed the same age group in 2017, on the ability front, we did the basic survey on reading and arithmetic; this time there is also a mapping of how ready the children are for everyday activities.

We also added the digital component because a lot has happened in the last 4-5 years to allow for some self-reported questions, such as, ‘do you know how to use a cell phone?’ The survey also included doing some tasks with a phone, such as setting an alarm or searching for information online.

First, children in this age group are doing multiple things, even though that is not always captured by the education sector or the job market. Around 30% are already working, often for their parents. But when asked whether that was what they wanted to do when they grew up, the children say that is not for them.

Second, even for doing all kinds of everyday tasks, it seems to be very useful to have some basic skills of reading and math. Just because a child in Class 8 is still struggling with the basics, it does not mean we should not make an effort to reach out to them. About one in four children in the 14-18 age group still cannot read a Std II-level text fluently in their regional language. Across enrolment categories, girls do better than boys in this respect.

More than half struggle with division (3-digit by 1-digit) problems, a skill that is usually expected in Std III or IV. About 57% can read sentences in English; more than 73% among them can also tell their meanings. Boys do better than girls in both arithmetic and English reading. The digital component is interesting because, at one level, it shows that everybody knows how to use the basic things. But they’re not using it in depth; they’re using the surface layer, say, mainly engaging with social media. There are also a lot of opportunities there. Beyond school, there could be ways to get young people to develop a much stronger set of digital skills, which will enable them to get over many obstacles.

• Why this year, digital component is interesting?

• As access to phones and digital avenues for learning increase, what does the schooling system have to offer?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Gaps in learning persist, but tech access offers avenues beyond school

????CUES FOR REFORM

????Access, usage, privacy: Boys have edge over girls when it comes to smartphones

FCRA licence scrapped, CPR says its funding choked, staff ‘skeletal’

Syllabus:

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

Main Examination: General Studies II: Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- A week after the Centre for Policy Research received a final order cancelling its licence under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), its president Yamini Aiyar has said its funding had been “choked”, its staff strength was now “skeletal’’ and programming is down to a bare “minimum”.

• What is the issue exactly?

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)-What and When it was enacted?

• Rationality behind the enactment of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)?

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Rules 2020-Key Changes

• NGOs and FCRA-why most of the NGOs are brought under FCRA?

• What is foreign contribution defined in Section 2(1)(h) of FCRA, 2010?

• What is a foreign source?

• Can NGOs use the foreign contributions for investment in Mutual Funds and other speculative investments?

• Who can receive foreign contribution?

• Who cannot receive foreign contribution?

• Are there any banned organisations from whom foreign contribution should not be accepted?

• What is Centre for Policy Research (CPR)?

• For Your Information-The CPR was established in 1973 as a think tank with the mission to contribute to “a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India.” Over the years it has cultivated a reputation as one of the country’s premier public policy think tanks and “a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies”, according to its website. Its headquarters is located in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

The CPR covers a broad range of subjects, with experts from different fields working under its aegis to conduct policy-oriented research. According to its website, research areas include “air pollution, climate change, economy, education, environmental law & justice, energy & electricity, federalism, governance, accountability & public finance, health & nutrition, Indian politics, international relations & security, jobs, land rights, sanitation, social justice, state capacity, technology, urbanisation, and water”.

A lot of the work CPR does is oriented towards helping policy-makers and authorities to make better, more well-informed decisions. For instance, “Renewing India’s Air Quality Management Strategy in the Shadow of COVID-19” by Santosh Harish was published in 2021 and provides an overview of the current state of knowledge and the governance framework on air quality management in India. It then lays out a broad policy framework which can be adopted to address the situation.

The CPR also conducts research on specific government schemes and policies in order to improve them or learn from them in the future. A recent study (February 2023) by Neeha Susan Jacob, Anwesha Mallick and Avani Kapur looks at the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin, delving into issues such as “allocations and cost estimates, releases and expenditures, target completion and physical progress of house construction, and payments to eligible citizens”. The scholarship is technical and oriented towards addressing tangible problems and concerns. Notably, according to its website, the institution does not take a collective position on issues – CPR’s scholars have the autonomy to express their individual views.

• How is CPR funded?

• What is ‘pressure group’?

• What is Non-governmental Organizations?

• What are the legislations which regulates the finances of NGOs in India?

• A large number of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs )exist in India-Can you recall some of those?

• Relationship between Government and Non-governmental Organizations -Analyse

• Is CPR a pressure group or Non-governmental Organization or Charity?

• What is difference between charity and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)?

• Know the terms and differences between them- Non-Governmental Organization, Non-Profit Organization Charity Organization, Pressure Group and Social Enterprise

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Operations virtually forced to halt: Oxfam India to HC

???? Explained: What is FCRA, the law related to NGO funding which certain MHA officials are accused of violating?

Previous Year Mains Question Covering same Theme:

????Examine critically the recent changes in the rules governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976. (Please refer GS-II Paper, 2015)

GOVT & POLITICS

Wheat stocks above buffer but plunge to a 7-yr low

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment, Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Wheat stocks in government godowns have depleted to a seven-year-low. According to official data, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies were holding 163.5 lakh tonnes (lt) of the cereal as on January 1, the lowest for this date since the 137.5 lt of 2017.

• Wheat stock in government godowns have depleted to a seven-year-low -What can be the possible reasons for low stock?

• Wheat Production in India-Know all the facts like Highest producing States, Geography and Environment associated with Wheat Production like Soil, temperature, Rainfall and Humidity etc.

• Wheat Production in India-Wheat is a Rabi or Kharif Crop?

• Wheat production in India-Know the statistics

• How does the government procure wheat-Know about government’s wheat procurement policy

• What is the procurement scale against the total production of wheat in India?

• From how many states is wheat procured for the central pool?

• How much wheat is procured for the central pool by the Food Corporation of India every year?

• What is the procurement scale against the total production of wheat in India?

• What is the share of wheat contribution of various states to the central pool?

• Food Corporation of India (FCI)-About, Role, Functions

• The Government of India has resorted to a range of measures for controlling cereal inflation-What are the measures?

• For Your Information-The current stocks are, however, higher than the minimum buffer of 138 lt (to cover three-months’ operational requirement of 108 lt plus a strategic reserve of 30 lt to meet any procurement shortfalls) for the start of the calendar year.

Moreover, rice stocks, at 516.5 lt (inclusive of grain derived from un-milled paddy), were way above the corresponding January 1 normative minimum buffer of 76.1 lt. Together with wheat, the overall stock levels of 680 lt were comfortably higher than the necessary 214.1 lt (164.1 lt operational requirement and 50 lt strategic reserve) for this time.

The current wheat stocks depletion comes even as retail cereal prices rose 9.93 per cent year-on-year in December, following 15 consecutive months of double-digit inflation from September 2022 to November 2023.

The Narendra Modi government has resorted to a range of measures for controlling cereal inflation – including banning exports of wheat and non-basmati white rice; not allowing wholesalers and big chain retailers to hold more than 1,000 tonnes of wheat; and selling grain from FCI’s stocks in the open market.

While these measures should help keep prices under check, especially ahead of Lok Sabha elections scheduled in April-May, a great deal hinges on the size of the wheat crop to be harvested from March-end. Farmers have sown 336.96 lakh hectares (lh) area under wheat this time, up from last year’s 335.67 lh and the normal five-year-average of 307.32 lh.

“The crop that was sown early (from late-October to the first week of November) is coming close to heading (i.e. for the ‘baali’, or earheads bearing the flowers and eventually grain, to fully emerge from the wheat tillers). We were initially worried about the winter not setting in and temperatures ruling above normal till about mid-December. But now, both the weather and the crop (sown early as well as late after mid-November) look very good,” said Rajbir Yadav, principal scientist at the New Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

The wheat crop, though, is highly susceptible to temperature spikes – more so during March at the time of grain formation and filling. A sudden rise in mercury when the kernels are accumulating starch and proteins can impact yields through premature ripening, as it happened to the 2021-22 crop. A repeat of that – or even last year’s unseasonal heavy rains in March – could aggravate problems from already-depleted stocks and near double-digit cereal inflation, making imports inevitable.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????India’s wheat output may touch new record of 114 million tonnes in 2023-24

ECONOMY

Govt disburses `4,415 cr under PLI; low job creation a concern

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The central government has disbursed incentive amount of Rs 4,415 crore under its flagship Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for as many as eight sectors, including large-scale electronics manufacturing, IT hardware, bulk drugs among others till October this fiscal year, a government official said on Wednesday.

• What is production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme ?

• How PLI scheme works?

• What is the tenure of the PLI scheme?

• Which companies and what kind of investments will be considered?

• Which sectors are likely to see PLI schemes introduced in the near future?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained: What is PLI scheme, and which sectors will be under it?

Govt proposes repealing Indian Stamp Act, seeks public input on draft Bill

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

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

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The government has proposed repealing the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and bringing in a new legislation for the stamp duty regime in the country. Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance has invited suggestions on the draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ from the public within a period of 30 days.

• What is the primary purpose of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899?

• Why government has proposed repealing the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and bringing in a new legislation for the stamp duty regime?

• For Your Information- The Indian Stamp Act, 1899 lays down the legal provisions for tax levied in the form of stamps on instruments recording transactions. Stamp duties are levied by the central government, but within the states are collected and appropriated by the concerned states in terms of provisions of Article 268 of the Constitution.

The stamp duties on documents specified in entry 91 of the union list of the Seventh Schedule including bills of exchange, cheques, promissory notes, bills of lading, letters of credit, policies of insurance, transfer of shares, debentures, proxies and receipts) are levied by the Union. Other stamp duties on documents are levied and collected by the states.

The Indian Stamp Act, 1899, a pre-Constitution Act, has been amended from time to time to enable a more modern stamp duty regime, the ministry said. “However, a number of provisions contained in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 have become redundant/ inoperative and hence, there is a need to re-orient the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. Accordingly, it has been proposed that the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 is repealed and a new legislation is enacted to reflect the present realities and objectives,” it said.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, invites suggestions on draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ from public within a period of 30 days

EXPLAINED

Inequality & social mobility

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Issues relating to poverty and hunger

• General Studies III: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their work using Randomized Controlled Trials to evaluate social policies, spoke to The Indian Express about the most important policy challenges facing India. The duo, who co-founded The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in 2003, were speaking on the occasion of J-PAL’s 20th anniversary.

• There are two dramatically different views about poverty eradication in India at present. One view is that India has eliminated all extreme poverty. The other view is that poverty has gone up post-COVID. What has fuelled this debate is the fact that we don’t have official data on poverty since 2011. What is your view on extreme poverty in India?

• What do you make of the multidimensional poverty index, which is now being used by the Niti Aayog and the Government of India in common discourse? Is that a good substitute for the consumption data-based method?

• As a country, we’ve tried different things to alleviate extreme poverty — from giving direct cash or food to focusing on growth and hoping that growth will bring about prosperity. What do you think, based on your J-PAL experience, has worked for India in terms of alleviating poverty, and what can be improved upon?

• In India, as the years have rolled by, it seems, the issue of inequality has become relatively more important than poverty reduction. One keeps hearing about K-shaped recovery, and also the fact that even before the pandemic we grew in an unequal way. What are your thoughts on the poverty versus inequality debate? Is inequality a bigger concern for India today?

• On the issue of education, there are two main concerns: improving education outcomes — especially at the level of primary education) and addressing unemployability — quite apart from the concerns of unemployment in India. How do you see the policy landscape in India, especially in the context of your learnings from the work at J-PAL?

• How does one address this issue of expectations?

• Lastly, one of India’s biggest concerns, as shown by NFHS data, is the issue of a large proportion of India’s children being stunted and wasted. What can be done to address this?

• It is often said India doesn’t allocate as much money in its budget for health and education. Is that such a big concern for you? Is it a resource problem?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Why one in seven Indians continues to be bracketed as ‘multidimensionally poor’

????India’s multidimensional poverty rate down to 11.28% in 2022-23 from 29.17% in 2013-14

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