InstaLinks : help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically
Table of Contents:
GS Paper 2:
1. Parliamentary committees, their leaders and their role in law-making
2. Strengthening the CSR framework is a profitable idea
GS Paper 3:
1. Graded Response Action Plan
Content for Mains Enrichment (Ethics/Essay)
1. Gauri Sawant
2. Plan to Stop Extinction Crisis
Facts for Prelims:
1. Nobel Prize in Literature
2. Nobel Prize for Peace
3. J&K delimitation orders have acquired the ‘force of law
4. Laws regarding Moonlighting
5. Free trade Agreement
6. World Bank says 70 million plunged into poverty in 2020
7. Purchase Managers’ Index
8. NOPEC
9. New EU law imposes a single charger for all smartphones, tablets and cameras
10. Humanoid robot – Optimus
11. Mapping
Parliamentary committees, their leaders and their role in law-making
GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Indian Polity: Parliamentary committee
Source: Indian Express
Context: Recently, 22 Standing Committees were reorganised.
Parliamentary Standing Committees are permanent committees, it is constituted every year, and work continuously as against non-permanent Ad-hoc committees
The necessity of Parliamentary Standing Committees (PSC):
- For upholding government accountability: Increased volume of work, time constraints, disruptive changes, and complexity of work make Parliament not very effective in upholding the accountability of the executive.
- PSC through detailed scrutiny increases the Parliament’s ability to scrutinize government policies and help in the informed debate in the legislature.
- g. Personal Data protection bill was sent to the joint parliamentary committee for detailed review
- For upholding Fiscal prudence: PSC examines budgetary allocations for various departments and other policies of the government. It ensures fiscal economy and efficiency in public expenditure
- Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence last year pointed out that over 35% lower allocation on defence may impair the Armed forces’ weapon acquisition plans
- For free and non-partisan debate: PSC provides the Platform for ‘closed door’ meetings and members are not bound by party whips, thus allowing them the latitude for a more meaningful exchange of views.
- For protecting citizens’ rights e.g. the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology grilled two Twitter India representatives this year (2021) over concerns about safeguarding people’s rights on the social media platform.
- For all-around engagement with relevant stakeholders: E.g. On the subject of demonetization, the RBI governor was summoned by the Finance Committee.
- g. on Net neutrality and Surrogacy bill, the Standing committee conducted a widespread discussion with several stakeholders
- For acting as the link between Parliament and the People and between Administration and the Parliament: PSC seeks Public feedback to make laws more holistic and farsighted.
- PSC acts as Mini-Parliament:The members represent smaller units of MPs from both Houses, and across political parties.
- They are not bound by populist demand, remain informal and work away from public and media glare. Thus they are better suited for providing holistic and non-biased advice and scrutiny of the bills.
Measures to reform PSC functioning:
- Committee referrals: It should be made mandatory for all the bills and budgets to be examined by PSC by convention
- For this rules of procedure in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be amended
- Increase the tenure: Some constitutional experts argue to increase the PSC tenure from 1 year to two years, to give them more time and gain more expertise in their respective areas.
- Expert support for committees: Institutional research and expert support will allow committees to better scrutinize the bills and recommend innovative solutions to the government
- Mandatory Discussion of all major reports:Major committee reports should be discussed in Parliament esp. for the reports where there is a disagreement between a Committee and the government.
- NCRWC recommended Periodic Review of PSC: DRSCs should be periodically reviewed on their utility
- Recommendation of former President Pranab Mukherjee: Parliamentary Standing Committees should scrutinize Ministries that are not audited by PAC
Conclusion:
Thus strengthening the committee system and bringing changes in the passage of bills will ensure greater quality of legislative work and minimize potential implementation challenges. Also, concerned ministers should be made to appear before the committee to explain and defend the government policies (as is done in other countries). This will help in ensuring Representativeness, Responsiveness, and Accountability in the Parliamentary working.
Insta Links
Parliamentary Standing Committee
Mains Link:
Q. What are Parliamentary Standing committees? Why are they necessary? Discuss their roles and functions to bring out their significance.
Prelims Link:
- Difference between Parliamentary vs Cabinet committees.
- Standing vs select vs finance committees.
- Who appoints the chairperson and members of these committees?
- Committees exclusive to only Lok Sabha.
- Committees where Speaker is the chairperson.
With reference to the Parliament of India, which of the following Parliamentary Committees scrutinizes and reports to the House whether the powers to make regulations, rules, sub-rules, by-laws, etc. conferred by the Constitution or delegated by the Parliament are being properly exercised by the Executive within the scope of such delegation? (2018)
(a) Committee on Government Assurances
(b) Committee on Subordinate Legislation
(c) Rules Committee
(d) Business Advisory Committee
Answer: B
Strengthening the CSR framework is a profitable idea
GS paper 2
Syllabus: Development process and the development industry-the role of NGOs, SHGs and various other groups and associations, donors, charities etc
Context: Since the establishment of the CSR regime in India under Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013, CSR spending in India has risen from ₹10,065 crores in 2014-15 to ₹24,865 crores in 2020-21.
CSR data for companies:
- There is no data to verify whether the increase is commensurate with the increase in profits of Indian and foreign (having a registered arm in India) companies.
- Zero spending: There were 2,926 companies in 2020-21 with zero spending on CSR.
- Prescribed limit: Companies spending less than the prescribed limit of 2% rose from 3,078 in 2015-16 to 3,290 in 2020-21.
- Participation: There was also a decline in the number of companies participating in CSR.
- Private companies have registered their own foundations/trusts: To which they transfer the statutory CSR budgets for utilization.
- It is unclear if this is allowed under the Companies Act/CSR rules.
Other issues:
- Ashoka University’s Center for Social Impact and Philanthropy: It says that 54% of CSR companies are concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat (receiving the largest CSR spending)
- The populous Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh receive little.
- Only 9% was spent on the environment compared to education(37%) and health and sanitation(29%).
- The Standing Committee on Finance observed that the information regarding CSR spending by companies is insufficient and difficult to access.
Suggestions:
- National-level platform centralized by the MCA: Where all States could list their potential CSR-admissible projects so that companies can assess where their CSR funds would be most impactful across India.
- Invest India’s ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Projects Repository’ on the India Investment Grid (IIG): It can serve as a guide for impactful efforts.
- Companies need to prioritize environmental restoration: In the area where they operate, earmarking at least 25% for environmental regeneration.
- Involvement of locals: All CSR projects should be selected and implemented with the active involvement of communities, district administration and public representatives.
Insta Links:
Corporate Social Responsibility
Mains Link:
Q. How can the role of NGOs be strengthened in India for development works relating to the protection of the environment? Discuss throwing light on the major constraints. (UPSC 2015)
Graded Response Action Plan
GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Pollution and conservation-related issues
Source: Indian Express
Direction: No need to remember/note down all the parameters. Just know a few basic points and implementing agency.
Context: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has recently said that GRAP will be enforced in Delhi NCR with immediate effect to combat deteriorating AQI in the region.
What is GRAP?
A graded Response Action Plan is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold.
Background
It is based on a plan that was submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in November 2016. The GRAP was first notified in January 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Various stages:
- Stage 1 of GRAP is activated when the AQI is in the ‘poor’ category (201 to 300), and On Wednesday, for instance, the AQI in Delhi was 211.
- The second, third and fourth stages will be activated three days ahead of the AQI reaching the ‘very poor’ category (301 to 400), ‘severe’ category (401 to 450) and ‘severe +’ category (above 450)
- Data Source: For this, the CAQM is relying on air quality and meteorological forecasts by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
How is it different this year:
- Implementing agency: From 2021 onwards, the GRAP is being implemented by the
- The orders and directions of the CAQM will prevail in case of any conflict between directions issued by the State governments and the CAQM.
- Measures under the different categories of the plan are to be enforced by the pollution control boards of the NCR states and the concerned departments and agencies, including the traffic police, the Transport Department and road-owning and construction agencies.
- Pre-emptive measures: In the version of the GRAP 2017, measures kicked in after pollution concentrations reached a certain level.
- This year, measures are pre-emptive and will kick in based on forecasts in an attempt to prevent the AQI from deteriorating further.
- Wider pollutants range: The older version of the GRAP was enforced based only on the concentration of 5 and PM10.
- This year, GRAP is being enforced based on the AQI, which takes other pollutants also into accounts, such as ozone, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen.
Measures that will be enforced this year
- For the first time, it specifies that State governments in the NCR may impose restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers under Stage-3 (severe category).
- Restrictions on some construction activities will also be set in earlier in the revised GRAP, i.e in the ‘severe category’ stage instead of “severe +” compared to earlier.
- Construction activities on linear public projects like highways, roads, flyovers, pipelines and power transmission, will be banned under the ‘severe +’ category this year.
- Also under the ‘severe +’ category, State governments may consider additional emergency measures like the closure of schools, plying of vehicles on an odd-even basis etc.
- Guidelines for the public: The revised GRAP also has a set of measures for the public to follow under various categories of pollution levels.
Mains Links:
Q. What is a graded response action plan (GRAP)? Discuss the effectiveness of such plans in solving the issue of air pollution in cities like Delhi. (250 words)
Prelims Links:
In the context of WHO Air Quality Guidelines, consider the following statements (UPSC 2022)
1. The 24-hour mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 ug/m3 and the annual mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 ug/m3.
2. In a year, the highest levels of ozone pollution occur during periods of inclement weather.
3. PM10 can penetrate the lung barrier and enter the bloodstream.
4. Excessive ozone in the air can trigger asthma.
Which of the statements given above is correct?
(a) 1, 3 and 4
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 2 only
Answer – B
As per the new guidelines recommended air quality levels by WHO (revised after 16 years), the 24-hour mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 ug/m3 and the annual mean of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 ug/m3. The highest levels of ozone pollution occur during periods of sunny weather and not during inclement weather. PM 2.5 can penetrate the lung barrier and PM 10 can only lodge inside the lungs. Excessive ozone in the air can cause breathing problems, trigger asthma, reduce lung function and cause lung diseases.
Which of the following are the reasons/factors for exposure to benzene pollution? (UPSC 2020)
- Automobile exhaust
- Tobacco smoke
- Wood burning
- Using varnished wooden furniture
- Using products made of polyurethane
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer: D
Content for Mains Enrichment (Essay/Ethics)
Gauri Sawant
Source: Hindustan Times
Context: The life and struggles of trans rights activist Gauri Sawant have inspired the upcoming web series Taali, starring Sushmita Sen as Sawant, who has spent her life advocating for the rights of her community.
With the help of NGO Humsafar Trust, Gauri started earning. She then launched her own NGO ‘Sakhi Char Chowgi’, which provides counselling, and works for the health and employment opportunities for trans persons.
Though named Ganesh at birth, the activist later took up her mother’s name instead, while sharing that she “always wanted to be a mother”.
In 2001, Gauri would realise her dream while working with sex workers to create awareness around STDs. Here, she met Gayatri.
“My daughter taught me that you don’t need to have a uterus or give birth to a baby, motherhood is all about caring and loving a child. I was happy when people started recognising me for my motherhood,”- Gauri
Besides fighting for the rights of trans persons to adopt, she also fought for the community to be recognised as the third gender.
She was the first trans person to be made an election ambassador by the Election Commission of India in 2019.
Plan to Stop Extinction Crisis
Source: BBC
Direction: This can be mentioned as a way forward for the mitigation of species extinction.
Context: Australia plans to halt the loss of any more species and end its status as the mammal extinction capital of the world.
More than 100 threatened animals and plants – including iconic species like the koala – will be prioritized under new conservation strategies.
Earlier this year a report found Australia’s environment is in shocking decline.
Many native animals and plants face threats including habitat loss, invasive pests and weeds, climate change, and more frequent and destructive natural disasters.
The plan includes a promise to protect a third of the continent’s land mass.
The 10-year strategy also aims to improve resilience to climate change, build “insurance” populations of some key species in predator-free zones, and better monitor existing populations.
Facts for Prelims
Nobel Prize in Literature
Context: French author Annie Ernaux won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature Thursday for blending fiction and autobiography in books that fearlessly mine her experiences as a working-class woman to explore life in France since the 1940s.
- In more than 20 books published over five decades, Ernaux has probed deeply personal experiences and feelings – love, sex, abortion, shame – within a society split by gender and class divisions.
She has published over 20 books. Her first book was Cleaned Out(1974) (about her own fight for legal abortion).
Nobel Prize for Peace
J&K delimitation orders have acquired the ‘force of law
Context: Delimitation orders notified in the official gazette, redrawing Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir have acquired the “force of law”.
Previously, the commission increased the number of Assembly seats from 107 to 114 in Jammu and Kashmir. However, it was challenged in the supreme court as being unconstitutional and ultra vires.
- The Center derived its powers to form, and fix the scope and tenure of the Delimitation Commission under Section 3 of the Delimitation Act of 2002.
Constitutional Basis for Delimitation:
- Under Article 82: the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census.
- Under Article 170:States also get divided into territorial constituencies as per the Delimitation Act after every Census.
- Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up a Delimitation Commission.
- The delimitation commission is an independent body constituted under Article 82 after the Parliament enacted a Delimitation Act after every census.
Who is Included in a Delimitation Commission?
- The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.
- Composition:
- Retired Supreme Court judge
- Chief Election Commissioner
- Respective State Election Commissioners
Laws regarding Moonlighting
Source: The Hindu
Moonlighting refers to a state where employees work for remuneration with entities other than their employer.
While some companies such as Wipro have opposed moonlighting, by firing 300 employees who were involved with rival firms, other companies like Swiggy have a moonlighting policy which allows employees to take up other work without compromising the company’s interest.
What does the law say about moonlighting?
- The Factories Act of 1948 places a restriction on the double employment of workers.
- However, this is limited only to ‘Factories’ and is not applicable to ‘Companies’ which are regulated by the Companies Act 2013.
- The Supreme Court in Glaxo Laboratories Limited vs Labour Court, Meerut held that the employer is not empowered to regulate the behaviour of workers outside duty hours.
- Since moonlighting is not defined under any statute, it is subject to the court’s
interpretation and the law of the land.
Free trade Agreement
Context: Trade officials from India and the United Kingdom will try to seal India-UK FTA soon, however, U.K. Prime Minister’s new Home Secretary suggested that she would not back the deal if it involved increased immigration to the U.K.
Previously Theresa May( in 2016) had said that “Any increase in visas to Indians would have to co-relate to the “speed and volume of the return of Indians with no right to remain in the UK”.
What is an FTA?
- FTA is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to imports and exports among them.
- FTAs can be categorized as:
- Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)
- Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)
- Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
Immigration:
- It is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens.
World Bank says 70 million plunged into poverty in 2020
Source: Indian Express
Directions: Poverty and inequality are one of the favourite topics of UPSC, you can quote the following data on the above topics.
Context: According to a recent report by World Bank “Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022: Correcting Course”, both poverty and inequality have gone up sharply.
Highlights of the report:
- Reversal of poverty outcomes: The report states that global poverty reduction has been slowing down since 2015 but the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine have completely reversed the outcomes.
- The world is unlikely to meet the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030.
- Rise in Poverty level: In 2020 alone, the number of people living below the extreme poverty line rose by over 70 million.
- Inequalities, too, have risen
Suggested Solutions:
- Fiscal Policy: According to David Malpass, President of World Bank Group, “fiscal policy—prudently used does offer opportunities for policymakers in developing economies to step up the fight against poverty and inequality”.
The World Bank has three specific suggestions when it comes to fiscal policy.
- Choose targeted cash transfers instead of broad subsidies.
- Prioritize public spending for long-term growth.
- Mobilize tax revenues without hurting the poor.
Purchase Managers’ Index
Source: Live Mint
Context: According to a recent S&P Global India Services Purchase Managers’ Index (PMI), India’s service sector growth eased to a six-month low in September led by reduced demand amid high inflation.
Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) is an economic indicator derived from the monthly survey of private sector companies. PMI aims in providing information regarding the current and future conditions of a business to the decision-makers, analysts and investors of the company.
NOPEC
Source: Indian Express
The No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) bill, which passed a Senate committee is intended to protect U.S. consumers and businesses from engineered oil spikes.
OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, on Wednesday agreed to steep production cuts, curbing supply in an already tight market.
If signed into law, the U.S. attorney general would gain the option to sue the oil cartel or its members, such as Saudi Arabia, in federal court.
New EU law imposes a single charger for all smartphones, tablets and cameras
Source: LiveMint
According to a new law passed by the EU parliament, all new smartphones, tablets and cameras will have a single standard charger in late 2024.
While most Android phones come with a USB Type-C charging port, the move will have an impact on Apple mainly. The new measure will push Apple to drop its outdated Lightning port on its iPhones for the USB-C one already used by many of its competitors.
EU policymakers say the single charger rule will simplify the life of Europeans, reduce the mountain of obsolete chargers and reduce costs for consumers.
It is expected to save at least 200 million euros ($195 million) per year and cut more than a thousand tonnes of EU electronic waste every year, the bloc’s competition chief Margrethe Vestager said.
Humanoid robot – Optimus
Source: BBC
Context: Tech billionaire Elon Musk has presented the latest prototype of a humanoid robot being developed by his Tesla electric car company.
People were shown a video of Optimus performing simple tasks, such as watering plants, carrying boxes and lifting metal bars. The robots would be produced en masse, at a cost lower than $20,000 (£17,900), and be available in three to five years.
Mapping
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