UPSC Essentials: Weekly news express — RS nominations to critical minerals

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

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

Why in news?

—An inter-ministerial committee has observed that Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have “aggravated the silent crisis” of undernutrition in India.

—It recommended that protein-rich food items, as well as micronutrients, be legally mandated in meals given through food safety programmes in schools and anganwadis by revising Schedule II of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

Key takeaways

—Call for change in NFSA: Schedule II of the National Food Security Act lays down nutritional standards for government food safety programmes like mid-day meal, PM Poshan and Integrated Child Development Services scheme. Currently, it quantifies nutrition per meal in terms of calories and protein only, but the inter-ministerial panel has called for micronutrients to also be taken into account.

—According to the cost implications of the recommendations worked out by the committee, the cost per meal (excluding milk and fruits) in lower primary classes will be Rs 9.6 and Rs 12.1 in upper primary. Currently, the cooking costs are Rs 4.97 and Rs 7.45 respectively.

—The report states that those who do not consume eggs may be provided “double the proposed quantity of nuts and seeds”.

—The committee has suggested that “urgent action” is needed to address the crisis, citing the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), which has documented a rise in the “rates of child undernutrition, stunting and wasting in most of the states”, along with an increase in the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women and those of reproductive age.

—It recommended new standards of kilocalories and protein per meal, along with fixing the proposed intake of micronutrients for all categories of beneficiaries, and the food items required to achieve those standards.

—While the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) covers children aged six months to six years and pregnant/lactating mothers, students in lower primary classes, upper primary classes in government and government-aided schools are beneficiaries of the PM Poshan scheme.

Point to ponder: There is a need for urgent action to address the issue of undernutrition in India. Discuss.

Sub-categorising OBCs

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Why in news?

—Centre extended the tenure of The Commission to examine sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) headed by Justice G Rohini, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

—The Commission, constituted nearly five years ago, has got 10 extensions so far, and now has until January 31 next year to submit its report.

Key takeaways

— The idea behind Sub-categorising OBCs is to create sub-categories within the larger group of OBCs for the purpose of reservation.

— OBCs are granted 27 percent reservation in jobs and education under the central government. This has been a legal debate for other reservation categories too.

— In September last year, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court reopened the debate on the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservations.

— For OBCs, the debate arises out of the perception that only a few affluent communities among the over 2,600 included in the Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of the 27 percent reservation.

— The argument for creating sub-categories within OBCs is that it would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.

— It was to examine this that the Rohini Commission was constituted on October 2, 2017.

— Among the challenges Justice Rohini Commission has faced has been the absence of data for the population of various communities to compare with their representation in jobs and admissions.

— In 2018, the Commission analysed the data of 1.3 lakh central jobs given under OBC quota over the preceding five years and OBC admissions to central higher education institutions, including universities, IITs, NITs, IIMs and AIIMS, over the preceding three years.

Major findings of the commission so far:

— 97 percent of all jobs and educational seats have gone to just 25 percent of all sub-castes classified as OBCs;

— 24.95 percent of these jobs and seats have gone to just 10 OBC communities;

— 983 OBC communities — 37 percent of the total — have zero representation in jobs and educational institutions;

— 994 OBC sub-castes have a total representation of only percent in recruitment and admissions.

Point to ponder: Creating sub-categories within OBCs would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities. Discuss.

Nominated members of Rajya Sabha

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies II Parliament and State Legislatures

Why in news?

—The government on Wednesday (July 6) nominated musician Ilaiyaraaja, track-and-field icon PT Usha, Telugu screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad, and philanthropist and spiritual leader Veerendra Heggade to Rajya Sabha.

Key takeaways

—Article 80 of the Constitution (“Composition of the Council of States”) says “The Council of States shall consist of (a) twelve members to be nominated by the President in accordance with the provisions of clause (3); and (b) not more than two hundred and thirty-eight representatives of the States and of the Union territories.”

—Clause 3 of the article layer down the qualifications for the appointment: “The members to be nominated by the President…shall consist of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as the following, namely:— Literature, science, art and social service.”

—Nominated members of Rajya Sabha enjoy all the powers and privileges to which the elected MPs are entitled.

—Nominated members are not allowed to vote in the election of the President. They do have the right to vote in the election of the Vice-President, however.

—Pitching for a provision in the Constitution to allow eminent persons to be nominated to the Council of States, N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, who was part of the Constitution Drafting Committee, said:

“We also give an opportunity, perhaps, to seasoned people who may not be in the thickest of the political fray, but who might be willing to participate in the debate with an amount of learning and importance which we do not ordinarily associate with the House of the People (Lok Sabha).”

Point to ponder: What is the rationale behind having nominated members in the legislature?

Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000

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.

Why in news?

—In its latest faceoff with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Twitter has initiated legal action against some of the government missives ordering it to take down certain content posted on the microblogging site, according to sources in know of the matter.

—Alleging disproportionate use of power by officials, the social media company moved the Karnataka High Court Tuesday against the Ministry’s content-blocking orders issued under Section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

—Last month, the IT Ministry had written to Twitter, asking it to comply with its orders by July 4 or lose its safe harbour protection under the intermediary rules.

Key takeaways

—Section 69 (A) of the IT Act, 2000 allows the Centre to issue blocking orders to social media intermediaries “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above”.

—As per rules that govern these blocking orders, any request made by the government is sent to a review committee, which then issues these directions.

—Blocking orders issued under Section 69 (A) of the IT Act are typically confidential in nature.

Point to ponder: It is time for social media in India should be made accountable. Comment.

Critical Minerals

Syllabus:

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

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Environment

Why in news?

—India and Australia have decided to strengthen their partnership in the field of projects and supply chains for critical minerals.

— Australia confirmed that it would “commit A$5.8 million to the three-year India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership”.

Key takeaways

— Critical minerals are elements that are the building blocks of essential modern-day technologies, and are at risk of supply chain disruptions.

— These minerals are now used everywhere from making mobile phones, computers to batteries, electric vehicles and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines.

— Based on their individual needs and strategic considerations, different countries create their own lists.

— However, such lists mostly include graphite, lithium and cobalt, which are used for making EV batteries; rare earths that are used for making magnets and silicon which is a key mineral for making computer chips and solar panels.

— Aerospace, communications and defence industries also rely on several such minerals as they are used in manufacturing fighter jets, drones, radio sets and other critical equipment.

—As countries around the world scale up their transition towards clean energy and a digital economy, these critical resources are key to the ecosystem that fuels this change. Any supply shock can severely imperil the economy and strategic autonomy of a country over-dependent on others to procure critical minerals.

—But these supply risks exist due to rare availability, growing demand and complex processing value chain. Many times the complex supply chain can be disrupted by hostile regimes, or due to politically unstable regions.

—According to the 2019 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries report, China is the world’s largest producer of 16 critical minerals.

—India has set up KABIL or the Khanij Bidesh India Limited, a joint venture of three public sector companies, to “ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals to the Indian domestic market”.

—Announcing the formation of KABIL in 2019, Coal and Minister Pralhad Joshi had said: “While KABIL would ensure mineral security of the nation, it would also help in realizing the overall objective of import substitution.”

—Australia’s Critical Minerals Facilitation Office (CMFO) and KABIL had recently signed an MoU aimed at ensuring a reliable supply of critical minerals to India.

Point to ponder: As countries around the world scale up their transition towards clean energy and digital economy, these critical minerals are key to the ecosystem that fuels this change. Discuss.

Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan

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.

Why in news?

—At least 18 people were killed and 243 wounded during last week’s government crackdown on protests in Uzbekistan’s autonomous province of Karakalpakstan.

—The protests had broken out in response to the government’s plan to restrict the region’s long-held autonomy.

Key takeaways

—The name Karakalpakstan is derived from the Karakalpak people, an ethnic minority group of around 2 million. Karakalpak translates to ‘black hat’, referring to their traditional headgear.

—The Karakalpaks consider themselves to be a distinct cultural group in Uzbekistan. Their Turkic language – Karakalpak – is closely related to Kazak and is one of the 7 languages of instruction in Uzbekistan’s public schools. Their separate language is a crucial aspect of their cultural identity.

—In their genealogical narrative, the Karakalpaks claim to share a common point of origin with the neighbouring Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Turkmen, but believe that over time they diverged from the others.

—The Karakalpak people settled around the Amu Darya (a river that feeds into the Aral Sea) in the 18th century.

—By 1873, they partly came under Russian rule and by 1920 were completely incorporated into the Soviet Union.

—Their region, Karakalpakstan, was an autonomous area within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russia during 1917-1922), before it was made a part of Uzbekistan as the Karakalpak Autonomous Socialist Republic (ASSR) in 1936.

—When Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991, Karakalpak ASSR was re-established as the Republic of Karakalpakstan in December of the same year.

—Karakalpakstan was formally recognized as an autonomous republic in Uzbekistan’s constitution of 1992 and has the right to secede on the basis of a nationwide referendum.

—An environmental crisis, and the health and economic troubles it brought in its wake, has made Karakalpakstan an impoverished region and invoked a sense of neglect among the Karakalpak people.

Point to ponder: Geopolitical crises are not just political but also environmental and economic in nature. Discuss.

Banni Grassland

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

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

Why in news?

—The Gujarat forest department will restore 10,000 hectares of the Banni grasslands in the coming year, and every year in the coming decade.

—The state plans on restoring at least 76,000 hectares of this 2,497 sq km grassland which is a high-biodiversity area

— it has already restored 10,000 hectares over the past couple of years.

—The Banni grassland was also flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his keynote speech at the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought last year, as part of India’s endeavour to reach the target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Key takeaways

—Banni is the largest grassland of Asia situated near the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. It is spread over 2,618 kilometres and accounts for almost 45% of the pastures in Gujarat.

—Two ecosystems, wetlands and grasslands, are mixed side by side in Banni. Vegetation in Banni is sparse and highly dependent on rainfall.

—Banni grasslands, traditionally, were managed following a system of rotational grazing.

—Banni is dominated by low-growing plants, forbs and graminoids, many of which are halophiles (salt-tolerant), as well as scattered tree cover and scrub.

—The area is rich in flora and fauna, with 192 species of plants, 262 species of birds, several species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

—In 1955, the court notified that the grassland will be a reserve forest (the most restricted forests classified according to Indian Forest Act 1927). In 2019, the tribunal ordered to demarcate the boundaries of the Banni grassland and restricted non-forest activities.

—Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified this grassland reserve as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India and a possible reintroduction site for the species.

—Forest department officials have said that over the years, the landscape of Banni has shown drastic changes with the deterioration of the grassland taking place due to “heavy uncontrolled grazing”, widespread ingress of Prosopis Juliflora (a harmful exotic tree species), dams constructed on rivers flowing towards Banni, periodic occurrence of droughts and continuous increase in soil salinity.

Point to ponder: Who are Maldharis?

Startup ecosystem

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

Why in news?

—Gujarat and Karnataka emerged as the “best performers” in developing their start-up ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs in 2021, according to the ranking of states and Union territories released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Monday.

Key takeaways

—The ranking is based on seven broad reform areas comprising 26 actions points, including institutional support, fostering innovation, easing compliances, access to market, incubation and funding support.

—Meghalaya has been adjudged as the best performer among small states with less than one crore population.

—As many as 24 states and seven Union territories took part in the exercise, which clubbed them in five categories — best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging start-up ecosystems.

—West Bengal, Sikkim, Haryana and Jharkhand and Lakshadweep, however, did not participate in the exercise.

—The DPIIT aims at encouraging states and Union territories (UTs) in bolstering their start-up ecosystem and learning from each other’s best practices.

—Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir were categorised as the top performers, while Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, and Goa were categorised as “leaders”.

—States and UTs that are in the “aspiring leaders” category include Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagaland.

—The “emerging start-up ecosystems” category included Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Mizoram and Ladakh. Even small states and the Union territories with less than one crore population were ranked under these the five categories.

Point to ponder: Open Network Digital Commerce is the government’s step to democratise the country’s e-commerce sector. Discuss