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GS Paper: GS1

  • Who was P.N. Panicker?

    The President of India has recently unveiled the statue of Shri P.N. Panicker at Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram.

    P.N. Panicker (1909-1995)

    • Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker is known as the Father of the Library Movement of Kerala.
    • June 19, his death anniversary, has been observed in Kerala as Vayanadinam (Reading Day) since 1996.
    • In 2017, PM has declared June 19, Kerala’s Reading Day, as National Reading Day in India.
    • The following month is also observed as National Reading Month in India

    Contributions

    • Panicker led the formation of Thiruvithaamkoor Granthasala Sangham (Travancore Library Association) in 1945 with 47 rural libraries.
    • The slogan of the organization was ‘Read and Grow’.
    • Later on, with the formation of Kerala State in 1956, it became Kerala Granthasala Sangham (KGS).
    • He traveled to the villages of Kerala proclaiming the value of reading.
    • Grandhasala Sangham won the ‘Krupsakaya Award’ from UNESCO in 1975.
    • It became the Kerala State Library Council, with an in-built democratic structure and funding.

     

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  • 23rd December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

    GS-2    Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

    GS-3   Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

    GS-4    Case Studies

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Magnitude of India’s urbanisation is not unusual but the pattern is. In this context, examine the issues in the governance of cities in India. Also suggest the reforms required to make Indian cities dynamos of competitive sub-federalism. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 enable the linking of electoral rolls with the Aadhaar ecosystem. What are the objectives of such linking and concerns raised against it? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What is socially responsible investment? How it can help address the various common challenges the world faces now? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 You are the CEO of a film production company, which has not been doing well financially for some time. Your company is now relying on its forthcoming movie, which is about to be released shortly. The movie has a cast of reliable actors and even before its release, trade pundits have predicted that the movie will be a hit. However, you face a conundrum as one of the actors in the movie is a citizen of a neighbouring country with which relations have been disturbed and a war like situation exists. While the political atmosphere was different when the movie was being filmed, now there is a widespread public demand, with a local political party at the forefront, for replacing the actor from the movie or a ban on the release of the movie itself, if the actor is not replaced. While you are aware of the mood of the nation and the public repercussions of releasing the movie in its present form, you also know that it is not feasible to replace him at this stage as he has a substantial role in the movie. There is also a section in the film fraternity that does not want you to compromise in the wake of threat by the local party as it compromises freedom of speech and expression as well as artistic creativity. (a) What are the options available to you? (b) Evaluate each of the options and state their merits and demerits. (c) What course of action would you take and why? (20 Marks)

     

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  • Karnataka’s Anti-Conversion Legislation

    Amid opposition, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, was introduced in the Assembly.

    What is the Bill about?

    • The Bill envisages stringent provisions for forced or induced conversions.
    • The government wants to prohibit conversion by:
    1. Misrepresentation
    2. Force
    3. Allurement
    4. Fraudulent means
    5. Marriage
    6. Coercion and undue influence

    Key features of the Bill

    (1) Filing of Complaints

    • Complaints of conversions can be filed by family members of a person who is getting converted, or any other person who is related to the person who is getting converted, or any person associated with the person getting converted.

    (2) Punishment and fines

    • The offense of conversion is cognisable and non-bailable and will attract a jail term of three to five years and a fine of â‚č25,000 for people found violating the law.
    • There is a jail term of three to 10 years, and a fine of â‚č50,000 for people converting minors, women and persons from the SC and ST communities.
    • The Bill also envisages a compensation of â‚č5 lakh to victims of forced conversions.

    Do you know?

    Odisha was the first State to enact anti-conversion legislation, the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967. Madhya Pradesh enacted the same the following year.

    What about willful conversion?

    • Prior information: After the law comes into force, any person intending to convert to another religion will have to inform the district magistrate at least thirty days in advance.
    • Due inquiry of purpose: The person executing the conversion must also give a notice one month in advance, following which an inquiry will be conducted by the district magistrate through the police to establish the real intent of conversion.
    • Defying the conversion: Not informing the district magistrate will lead to the conversion being declared null and void.

    Impact of non-conformance

    • Not informing authorities will carry a prison term of six months to three years for persons who are converted and one year to five years for the persons carrying out the conversions.
    • After getting converted, the person has to again inform the district magistrate within 30 days after conversion and must appear before the district magistrate to confirm his/her identity.

    What happens once the Conversion is held valid?

    • Post conversion, the district magistrate has to inform revenue authorities, the social welfare, minority, backward classes and other departments of the conversion.
    • These authorities will, in turn, take steps with respect to the entitlements of the person in terms of reservations and other benefits.

    How many states have enacted the legislation?

    • Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have laws restricting religious conversion.
    • Penalties for breaching the laws can range from monetary fines to imprisonment, with punishments ranging from one to three years of imprisonment and fines from â‚č5,000 to â‚č50,000.
    • Some of the laws provide for stiffer penalties if women, children, or members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) are being converted.
    • Some other States, including Manipur, are reportedly “considering similar laws.”

    How has Parliament handled anti-conversion bills?

    After independence, Parliament introduced a number of anti-conversion bills which were not enacted for want of majority approval.

    • In post-Independent India, the first Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill, 1954, which sought to enforce “licensing of missionaries and the registration of conversion.”
    • This was followed by the introduction of the Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill, 1960, “which aimed at checking conversion of Hindus to ‘non-Indian religions’ .
    • Non-India religions included Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism,.
    • The Freedom of Religion Bill in 1979, which sought “official curbs on inter-religious conversion.”

    Religious conversion: A Constitutionality check

    • Indian Constitution aspires toward tolerance of all religions and guaranteed that each person was “equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion” (Article 25).
    • This formulation did not come without dispute; the word “propagate” was one of the most contested in the whole of Indian Constitution.

    Core issue: Prevalence of Inter-faith Marriage

    • India has the Special Marriage Act, 1954, which can be used by inter-faith/inter-community couples to get married.
    • The Act, however, requires an advance notice of 30 days to the magistrate before a couple is able to register their marriage.
    • When the parties are from different faiths, communities or castes, such a public notice can be, and has been, a great source of danger and harm from their family/community members.
    • Consequently, the only option exercised by the inter-faith couples is for one of them to convert to the religion of the other and get married.

    Issues with such laws

    The anti-conversion laws have been challenged on the ground that innocent persons were being booked under these Acts.

    • Patriarchal dominance: It is widely presumed that such conversions involve ‘coercion’ or ‘deceit’, and hence, Hindu women ought to be ‘protected’ from the danger of conversion.
    • Targeting minorities: These laws target Muslims and quoted instances of such inter-faith couples having been harassed by militant activists and state government authorities.
    • Freedom of Conscience: Women, it is clear, are being treated in a paternalistic way which assumes that they need protection at the cost of their right to make reasoned decisions about changing faith or choosing a friend or life partner.

    What about Incentivised Conversions?

    • There are many cases of incentivized conversions for the poor sections of society in exchange for a dignified social life.

    For them, the solution lies in addressing the root issues:

    1. Ending discrimination
    2. Providing high quality and free education to the poor and disenfranchised
    3. Improving access and quality of free health facilities and medicines
    4. Improving nourishment and
    5. Providing adequate employment opportunities to all

    Conclusion

    • Clearly, anti-conversion laws amount to discrimination and a violation of the right to equality.
    • However, inter-faith marriages should not be pre-conditioned with religious conversion. This certainly raises concerns for the majority of society.
    • Instead of pursuing this disastrous course, the government could work towards removing impediments to inter-faith marriages and eradicating the social stigma attached to such marriages.
    • The couples who wish to enter into an inter-faith alliance are enabled and protected.

     

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  • 22nd December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues

    GS-2    Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

    GS-3   Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

    GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Explaining the concept of silver economy, mention the steps which the government should undertake to strengthen it. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Coping with the complex dynamic of Russia’s relations with the West has been an enduring element of independent India’s foreign policy. In the context of this, examine the current contradictions between Russia and the West and its significance for India. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Countries across the world have become richer over the past 40 years, but their governments have become significantly poorer. In the context of this, examine the implications of rising inequality on government finances and welfare measures. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What is Corporate Governance? What are the ethical issues with Corporate Governance in India? Suggest measures to improve Corporate Governance in India. (10 Marks)

     

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  • ‘Chillai Kalan’ begins in Kashmir

    Kashmir is in a deep freeze as the 40-day harshest spell of winter, locally called ‘chillai kalan’ has started with the minimum temperature already sub-zero in the entire Valley.

    Chillai Kalan

    • Chillai Kalan is the coldest 40-day period of harsh winter of winter in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
    • It is traditionally defined as a seasonal period of harsh winter accompanied by a change in increase in both frequency and quantity of precipitation usually snow.
    • It begins from December 21 and ends on January 31 next year.
    • It is followed by a 20-day long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) that occurs between January 31 and February 19 and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).
    • According to Persian tradition, the night of 21st December is celebrated as Shab-e Yalda-“Night of Birth”, or Shab-e Chelleh “Night of Forty”.

    Its’ celebration

    • In the Persian tradition, the night of December 21, the longest of the year, is celebrated as Shab-e-Yalda (night of birth) or Shab-e-Chelleh.
    • Dozens of netizens from Kashmir named it the ‘Pheran Day’, after the long woollen gown worn during the winters in Kashmir.
    • Use of a traditional firing pot called Kangri increases.
    • Tap water pipelines partially freeze during this period. The Dal Lake also freezes.
    • The famous tourist resort of Gulmarg receives heavy snow which attracts skier’s from every part of the world.

     

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  • 21st December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Role of women and women’s organization

    GS-2    Parliament and State legislatures

    GS-3    Achievements of Indians in the field of science and technology

    GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Gender justice is often hindered by religious sensitivity over women related issues. In this context, discuss how gender justice can be ensured while also keeping in mind religious sensitivity of different communities.(10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 How is structure and electoral process of Rajya Sabha different from Lok Sabha? Do you think Rajya Sabha has been able to perform its envisaged role in recent times? (15 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 India has the potential to occupy the upper echelons of the global technology ladder if only it identifies its shortcomings and acts upon them urgently. In the context of this, examine the shortcomings and suggest a way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Ensuring that civil service values are recognised during the recruitment process and ensured through a code of ethics after appointment is a necessary condition of making the civil services an effective instrument of citizen centric governance. Comment. (10 Marks)

     

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  • 60th Goa Liberation Day

    Goa hosts PM for the celebration of its 60th liberation day.

    Goan Liberation

    • An important port for trade and military operations, Goa was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 450 years.
    • Historically, revolts against Portuguese rulers and their policies were recorded in the 18th and 19th century too.
    • On June 18, 1946, the movement of Goa’s liberation gathered momentum after socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia plunged himself into the freedom movement with many young Goans.
    • The day is now observed as Goa Revolution Day.

    Freeing from Portuguese Rule

    • Even as India became independent on August 15, 1947, Goa continued to be under Portuguese rule 14 years after that.
    • After independence, the calls for Goa’s Liberation again gathered steam.
    • After multiple agitations by freedom fighters, India made peaceful attempts for Goa’s liberation through diplomatic channels.
    • However, as a last resort, the Indian government then led by PM Nehru, sent in its armed forces to the coastal state after which the Portuguese surrendered and Goa was liberated on December 19, 1961.
    • This moment also marked the exit of the Portuguese (the first-comers), the last of the European colonizers to leave India.

    Contribution of T.B. Cunha

    • Cunha (1891-1958) was a prominent Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa.
    • He is popularly known as the “Father of Goan nationalism”, and was the organiser of the first movement to end Portuguese rule in Goa

    What was ‘Operation Vijay’?

    • Perhaps the first tri-service operation of the Indian armed forces, Operation Vijay was about the liberation of the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu.
    • It was a 36-hour military operation that started on December 18, 1961 and concluded on December 19, 1961.
    • While the army advanced into Goa from the North and the East, the Indian Air Force bombed the Portuguese airbase at Dabolim.
    • The Indian Navy was tasked with preventing hostile action by Portuguese warships, securing access to the Mormugao harbour, and securing the Anjadip island off Karwar.
    • By the evening of December 19, 1961, Portuguese Governor General Vassalo De Silva had signed the document of surrender after Indian armed forces.

    What happened after the liberation of Goa?

    • Goa was annexed into the Indian Union and was the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu.
    • In 1967, however, the question of whether the state should merge with Maharashtra or not was answered through a plebiscite in which the majority of the Goan people voted against a merger.
    • It continued to remain a Union Territory until 1987 when it was accorded statehood.
    • Goa became India’s 25th state even as Daman and Diu continue to be UTs.

     

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  • What is Irrecoverable Carbon?

    Researchers have identified and mapped 139 gigatonnes (Gt) of “irrecoverable carbon” in some of the world’s major forests and peatlands — including the Amazon and the Congo — to avoid catastrophic climate change.

    What is Irrecoverable Carbon?

    • The concept of ‘irrecoverable carbon’ was introduced in 2020.
    • All kinds of ecosystems — lush rainforest, muddy peatland, shady mangroves — contain eons of stored carbon, captured by photosynthesis.
    • Per square kilometer, the forests are among the most effective carbon stores in the world; but they’re also some of the most difficult to restore.
    • If destroyed, these ecosystems could take decades or centuries to regenerate.
    • In other words, the 139 gigatons of carbon contained in these areas are effectively irrecoverable if released due to anthropogenic activities.
    • Once released in air, it can be recovered but would take centuries to fully recover or naturally reintegrate.

    What is the new research?

    • In the new study, researchers have identified and mapped carbon reserves that are “manageable, are vulnerable to disturbance” and cannot be recovered by 2050.
    • They held study of peatlands of the Congo Basin and Northern Europe; and in North America, the mangrove swamps of the Everglades and old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.
    • 2050 has been set as the deadline for taking global carbon emissions to net zero in order for Earth to avoid warming at 1.5-2 degrees celsius above the pre-industrial levels.
    • To mitigate such a warming scenario, it is imperative to conserve the ecosystems with 139 Gt carbon.

    Key findings

    • Amazon is the biggest carbon sink on earth, holding 31.5 Gt irrecoverable carbon.
    • Brazil has the second-largest irrecoverable carbon reserves, after Russia that holds 23 per cent of the total irrecoverable carbon outlay in the world.
    • The second-largest reserve of carbon, at 132 Gt, comprise the islands of Southeast Asia, with their equatorial rainforests.
    • The Congo basin is the third-largest hotspot of irrecoverable carbon with over 8 Gt of carbon reserves, according to the study.
    • Australia, which has become a hotspot for wildfires, is home to 2.5 per cent of the world’s carbon reserve along its coastal mangroves and forests in the southeast and southwest.

    Why conserve these forests?

    • These regions are already being ravaged by wildfires and exploited for resources by mining and oil industries.
    • Since 2010, agriculture, logging and wildfire have caused emissions of at least 4 Gt of irrecoverable carbon.

     

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  • 20th December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India

    GS-2    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.

    GS-3    Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.

    GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 The government has recently proposed to raise the legal age of marriage for women in India to 21. In this context, examine whether the raising of marriage age will serve its purpose? (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the various rights and entitlements granted to persons with disabilities under the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016? Also examine the significance of the Draft Accessibility Standards/Guidelines recently released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for built infrastructure under its purview. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What are the challenges in providing legal basis to Minimum Support Price for the crops? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What are the factors that have influenced the contemporary attitude of the state and the society towards homosexuality in India? Also, comment on the changing attitude and the factors driving this change. (10 Marks)

     

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  • Supreme Court allows bullock cart races in Maharashtra

    The Supreme Court has allowed Maharashtra to hold bullock cart races in the state till the pendency of the matter before the Constitutional Bench of the apex court.

    Allowing bullock-cart races

    • The SC observed that the validity of the amended provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the rules framed by Maharashtra provided for bullock cart race in the State.
    • Such races would operate during the pendency of the petitions as the entire matter has been referred to a constitution Bench.
    • The state govt has cited examples as the same is being conducted in the states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

    Why was there a ban on the bullock cart races?

    Ans. Ban on Jallikattu, then

    • Bullock cart races were banned in Maharashtra after the Supreme Court declared that the race as violative of the provisions of the central act in 2014.
    • It then had observed that bulls were not anatomically designed to participate in races/taming and would be subjected to cruelty if used as a performing animal.

    How did Maharashtra respond?

    Ans. Bringing in a law to prevent pain or sufferings to the animals

    • In April 2017, the Maharashtra assembly had passed legislation for resumption of bullock cart races across the state.
    • The Bill titled ‘The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill’ was passed unanimously with the support of all parties.
    • As per the amendment, bullock cart races could be held with the prior permission of the district collector concerned by ensuring that no pain or suffering would be caused to the animal.

    Why did the Maharashtra government go to SC?

    Ans. Blanket ban by Bombay HC

    • Even after this law, the Bombay High Court refused to vacate stay on the bullock cart races.
    • Hence it got to approach the SC.

    Proving the running ability of a bull

    • In November 2017, the Maharashtra government set up a committee to study the running capacity of various breeds of bulls and bullocks in comparison to horses.
    • The committee was asked to study physiological and biochemical changes during the running of the bulls, bullocks and horses.
    • A report titled ‘Running ability of bull’ was prepared in two months by the government to justify allowing the bullock cart races.
    • Subsequently, the Maharashtra government challenged the Bombay HC’s order.

    Back2Basics: Jallikattu Debate

    • It is a bull-taming sport and a disputed traditional event in which a bull such is released into a crowd of people.
    • Multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull’s back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape.
    • Participants hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop. In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull’s horns.
    • It is typically practised in the state of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal (harvest) celebrations in January.

    Issue with the sport

    An investigation by the Animal Welfare Board of India concluded that “Jallikattu is inherently cruel to animals”.

    • Human deaths: The event has caused several human deaths and injuries and there are several instances of fatalities to the bulls.
    • Manhandling of animals: Animal welfare concerns are related to the handling of the bulls before they are released and also during the competitor’s attempts to subdue the bull.
    • Cruelty to animal: Practices, before the bull is released, include prodding the bull with sharp sticks or scythes, extreme bending of the tail which can fracture the vertebrae, and biting of the bull’s tail.
    • Animal intoxication:  There are also reports of the bulls being forced to drink alcohol to disorient them, or chilli peppers being rubbed in their eyes to aggravate the bull.

    Arguments in favour

    • Native breed conservation: According to its protagonists, it is not a leisure sport available but a way to promote and preserve the native livestock.
    • Cultural significance: Jallikattu has been known to be practiced during the Tamil classical period (400-100 BCE) and finds mention in Sangam texts.
    • Man-animal relationship: Some believe that the sport also symbolizes a cordial man-animal relationship.

     

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