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 3:
1. How Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has transformed social welfare in India
2. Tipping points of global warming
Facts for Prelims:
1. Uniform Civil Code(UCC)
2. Bilkis Bano case
3. PMJAY-MA
4. UIDAI tops the Grievance Redressal Index
5. World Green City Award 2022
6. Debt recovery Tribunals (DRTs)
7. Forex reserves
8. PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PM KSK)
9. International Solar Alliance
10. Gambia deaths and the toxic cough syrups
11. The illusion of being faster than light
12. Giraffes
13. Soil carbon stability
14. Mapping
How the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has transformed social welfare in India
GS Paper 3
Source: Indian Express
Directions: This Article has been taken from the Indian Express. This article is important from the mains perspective.
Context: Recently, International Monetary Fund (IMF) lauded India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme as a “logistical marvel” that has reached hundreds of millions of people and specifically benefitted women, the elderly and farmers.
Factors that contributed to the success of DBT
- Inclusive financial sector system where the most marginalised sections of society have been uniquely linked to the formal financial network.
- Mission mode approach: In a mission-mode approach, the government endeavoured to open bank accounts for all households, expanded Aadhaar to all, and scaled up the coverage of banking and telecom services.
- Public Finance Management System and created the Aadhaar Payment Bridge to enable instant money transfers from the government to people’s bank accounts.
- Aadhaar-enabled Payment System and Unified Payment Interface further expanded interoperability and private-sector participation.
- An enabling policy regime, proactive government initiatives and supportive regulatory administration allowed the private and public sector entities in the financial sector to overcome longstanding challenges of exclusion of a large part of the population.
Hurdles for successful implementation of DBT
- Complex and multi-layered governance machinery
- India’s diversity
- access barriers, and
- digital divide
Implementation of DBT scheme: The DBT scheme began as a pilot in 2013-14.
- In rural Bharat
- Effective and transparent financial assistance: DBT has allowed the government to provide financial assistance effectively and transparently to farmers with lower transaction costs.
- Agricultural scheme – be it for fertilisers or any of the other schemes including the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, and PM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana — benefits from the DBT thus became the backbone for supporting the growth of the agricultural economy.
- MGNREGA: The benefits received under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Public Distribution System drive the rural demand-supply chain.
- In urban India
- PM Awas Yojana and LPG Pahal scheme successfully use DBT to transfer funds to eligible beneficiaries.
- Various scholarship schemes and the National Social Assistance Programme use the DBT architecture to provide social security.
- DBT under rehabilitation programmes such as the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers opens new frontiers that enable social mobility of all sections of society.
- During pandemic
- The efficacy and robustness of the DBT network aided the government to reach the last mile and support the most deprived in bearing the brunt of the lockdown.
- From free rations to nearly 80 crore people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, fund transfers to all women Jan Dhan account holders and support to small vendors under PM-SVANidhi, DBT helped the vulnerable to withstand the shock of the pandemic.
- India managed to provide food or cash support to a remarkable 85 per cent of rural households and 69 per cent of urban households through its DBT networks according to World Bank”.
Benefits of DBT:
- Financial inclusion,
- Helped plug leakages in welfare schemes,
- Helped weed out fake or ghost beneficiaries and transfer funds to genuine beneficiaries.
- Ensured significant savings to the exchequer
- Enabled efficient utilisation of government funds
- infused confidence of citizen in the governance
Current challenges before DBT networks
- digital and financial literacy
- robust grievance redressal
- enhancing awareness and an empowering innovation system
DBT is expected to play a vital role for India in meeting the diverse needs of its population and ensuring balanced, equitable and inclusive growth.
Do you Know?
By 2022, more than 135 crore Aadhaars have been generated, there are 47 crore beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 6.5 lakh Bank Mitras delivering branchless banking services and mobile subscribers number more than 120 crores.
Prelims link
About DBT Schemes like Pahal, MGNREGA, PMSvanidhi etc.
Mains Links:
Q. Critically analyse the performance of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme in seamless and timely delivery of benefits to the intended beneficiaries.
Q. How DBT Mission improved the government’s welfare transfers? Discuss the challenges associated too.
Tipping points of global warming
GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Environmental pollution and degradation
.
Source: Indian Express, DTE
Directions: This Article has been taken from the Indian Express and Down to Earth. Although the Article was long, we are providing only important points here.
Context: A study has found that even at the current levels of warming in the world, several climate ‘tipping points’ could be crossed, setting off irreversible, catastrophic, and self-perpetuating changes.
Findings:
- Visible changes: Several studies in the past 15 years have identified different tipping points such as the disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet, a spontaneous reduction in Amazon forest cover, melting of glaciers, or softening of the permanently frozen grounds in the polar regions that have large amounts of carbon trapped in them.
- Each of these tipping points is correlated with each other with different levels of temperature rise.
- The latest study has identified nine global and seven regional tipping points.
Tipping points at work
- Rising temperatures are causing large-scale changes in the climatic systems.
- It has also intensified the Glacial melt, thinning of Arctic ice, and rise in sea levels.
- However, it is still possible, at least theoretically, to arrest these changes, or even reverse them over time.
- According to the IPCC assessment report, with the current level of efforts, the world is on the path to becoming more than 2 degrees warmer by the year 2100.
- Threats to permafrost: The softening or melting of permafrost layers is already releasing some carbon into the atmosphere.
- Permafrost layers hold as much as 1,700 billion tonnes of carbon, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide and methane.
- In comparison, the global emissions of carbon in a year are in the range of 40 billion tonnes.
- Self-sustaining and cyclic system: Once the tipping point is crossed, this becomes a self-sustaining and cyclic system. The system does not reverse even if the global temperatures stop rising.
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sixth assessment reports suggest that most of these tipping points would be crossed between 1 and 2 degree Celsius temperature rise.
- Permafrost layers hold as much as 1,700 billion tonnes of carbon, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide and methane.
Policy response
- Increase efforts to restrict global warming.
- Take the initiative to study the effects of rising temperatures.
- Countries need to increase the ambition of their climate action in the next few years.
- Because of the impacts of the Ukraine war on the energy supply chains across the world progress is likely to slow down.
Impact on India
- A one-metre rise in sea level will displace 7.1 million people in India.
The sixth assessment report of the IPCC released earlier this year said that global emissions of greenhouse gases needed to peak by 2025 and reduce by 43 per cent from current levels by 2030 if the 1.5 degree Celsius target was to be achieved.
What are Climate tipping points?
- Climate Tipping Points or CTPs are markers of a larger climate system that when triggered beyond a threshold, perpetuates warming on its own.
Insta Links
Prelims link
- Paris Climate Deal
- The outcome of COP 26
- About IPCC and its assessment report
- India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change
Mains Links:
Q. ‘Climate Change’ is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? (UPSC MAINS 2017)
Q. Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples. (UPSC Mains 2019)
Facts for Prelims
Uniform Civil Code(UCC)
Context: Citizens belonging to different religions and denominations follow different property and matrimonial laws which is an “affront to the nation’s unity”, the government said in the Supreme Court.
Key Highlights:
- The submissions are part of recent affidavits filed by the Union Law Ministry to petitions, seeking directions from the apex court to the government to remove “anomalies” and frame UCC.
- Law-making power: The government said the power to make laws is exclusively that of the legislature.
- The court cannot give a “mandamus to Parliament to make certain laws”.
- Law Commission to examine “various issues relating to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and make recommendations considering the sensitivity and in-depth study involved of various personal laws governing different communities.
- The 21st Law Commission: It uploaded a consultation paper titled ‘Reform of Family Law subsequently(2018).
- Article 44: The purpose of Article 44 was to strengthen the object of the ‘Secular Democratic Republic’ enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution.
- UCC is based on the concept that in matters of inheritance, right to property, maintenance and succession, there will be a common law.
Bilkis Bano case
Context:
The Union Home Ministry framed guidelines that 12 categories of convicts, including “prisoners convicted for the offence of rape” are not eligible to be released prematurely under a special remission scheme to commemorate 75 years of Independence.
Key Highlights:
- The State government said: It considered the plea for early release of the 11 prisoners as per the policy of 1992.
- CBI and the CBI court: The convicts cannot be released as the crime is “heinous, grave and serious” and the “crime was committed only on the ground that the victims belong to a particular religion.
- Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: It states that a State government should act after consultation with the Central Government in certain cases of remission.
- Prison is a State subject
Prisoners Eligible for Special Remission:
- Women and transgender convicts of ages 50 and above and male convicts of 60 and above.
- Physically challenged or disabled convicts with 70% disability and more who have completed 50% of their total sentence period.
- Terminally ill convicted prisoners who have completed two-thirds (66%) of their total sentence
- Poor or indigent prisoners who have completed their sentence
- Persons who committed an offence at a young age (18-21)
Prisoners Excluded from the Scheme:
- Persons convicted with death sentence or where the death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment
- Persons convicted for an offence for which the punishment of death has been specified as one of the punishments.
- Persons convicted with a sentence of life imprisonment.
- Convicts involved in terrorist activities.
- Persons convicted for dowry death
- Counterfeiting currency notes
- The offence of rape & human trafficking
- Offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, etc.
Remission:
- It is the complete ending of a sentence at a reduced point.
- Remission is distinct from both furlough and parole in that it is a reduction in sentence as opposed to a break from prison life.
PMJAY-MA
Source: PIB
Context: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arojya Yojana-‘ Mukhyamantri Amrutam (PMJAY-MA) beneficiaries in Gujarat ( a Gujarat government Scheme) will be provided with Ayushman Cards.
Related News:
National Health Authority (NHA) and the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) – a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI) have signed an MoU to collaborate in the areas of capacity building, dissemination of information, promotion of QCI (NABH) accreditation & ABDM standards, etc.
NABH has an extensive and efficient quality framework and accreditation system for healthcare facilities. NHA is mandated with the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri–Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
UIDAI tops the Grievance Redressal Index
Source: PIB
Context: UIDAI tops the Grievance Redressal Index for the second consecutive month.
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), releases a grievance redressal index on monthly basis.
UIDAI’S Strength:
- UIDAI’S grievance redressal ecosystem comprised of UIDAI HQ, its Regional Offices, Technology Centre, and contact centre partners. It enables UIDAI to resolve around 92% of grievances within a week.
- UIDAI is gradually rolling out an Open-Source CRM solution, which enables it to support multi-channels like phone calls, email, Chatbot, web portals etc for lodging, tracking and resolving grievances.
- It has launched IVRS services in 12 languages.
What is UIDAI?
UIDAI was founded in 2009 but became a statutory body in 2016 under the Aadhar act. It is mandated to assign a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number (Aadhaar) to all the residents of India. It comes under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
PYQ- Consider the following statements:
- Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.
- State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing Aadhaar data.
- Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.
- Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 4 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 only
ANS- (B) – 2 and 4 only.
Aadhaar metadata can’t be stored for more than 6 months and Aadhaar is not mandatory for insurance products.
World Green City Award 2022
Source: Times of India
Context: Hyderabad City has overall won “World Green City Award 2022” in the category “Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth”, at the International Association of Horticulture Producers (AIPH) 2022 World Green Cities Awards which was organised in Jeju, South Korea.
Debt recovery Tribunals (DRTs)
Source: Economic Times
Context: Government has formed three exclusive benches at DRTs in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi to get more focus on high-value cases.
- High-value cases are those with amounts more than Rs 100 Crore. They constitute just 1% of cases but have nearly 80% of the claim value.
Need for exclusive benches:
Partnerships or family firms are not tried under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) (It deals only with companies) at National Company Law Tribunal.
High pendency of cases: Over 2 lakh crore are pending at DRTs for resolution.
At present, there are 39 DRTs and 5 appellate tribunals that work under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act 1993. It also hears cases under SARFAESI Act 2002.
News related to Tribunal:
National Green Tribunal (NGT) report has warned of rampant mining in Aravalli Hills. Mining in the region was banned by the Supreme court in 2009 to restore the ecological value of the hills.
Forex Exchange Reserves
Source: The Hindu
Context: India’s forex reserves have tumbled to around $530 bn from a peak of $642 billion in September last year.
Reasons behind the decline of Forex reserves in India:
- Fall in the value of holdings in dollars and other currencies by RBI
- Central bank’s intervention in the currency market to protect the rupee.
- For instance, to defend the rupee RBI has sold a net $43.15 billion worth of dollars since the start of 2022.
Impact:
- Widening Current Account deficit which is expected to stay above 3% of GDP for the current fiscal year, ending March 2023.
- Volatile Capital flows, economists expect the balance of payments to be negative, depleting reserves further.
- While reserves at current levels are adequate to cover more than eight months of imports
- A fall below eight months of import cover (about $500 billion) could start catching the market’s attention.
What is RBI doing about it?
The RBI had announced measures to liberalise foreign exchange inflows, including giving foreign investors access to a larger portion of government debt and banks wider room to raise more deposits from non-residents.
What measures need to be taken:
- Focussing on strengthening structural macro buffers.
- Floating sovereign bonds, like the Resurgent India bonds (RIBs) and India Millennium Deposit bonds (IMDs) in the past, to help boost forex reserves.
PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PM KSK)
Source: Pib
Context: 600 PMKSK have been launched (under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) to cater to a wide variety of input needs of the farmers – Testing needs, extension services, fertilizers, seeds, equipment etc.
Government plans to develop more than 3 lakh fertilizer shops across the country as Samruddhi Kendra.
This was launched in the Kisan Sammelan 2022. Apart from Smruddhi Kendra, the government also launched One nation One fertilizer ( already explained in yesterday’s article); launched ‘India Edge’ an e-magazine on fertilizers; inaugurated Agri Startup Conclave.
India is 1st largest importer of fertilizer, 2nd largest fertilizer-consuming country (the largest consumer is China) and 3rd largest producer of it (the largest producer is China).
International Solar Alliance
Source: PIB
Context: 5th assembly of ISA has been inaugurated in India. India was re-elected to the office of the President of the ISA Assembly, with the Government of France as Co-President.
ISA approved ‘Solar Facility’ (to attract private capital flow into the “underserved markets” in Africa using Solar payment Guarantee Fund and Solar Insurance Fund).
This year, the ISA Assembly will deliberate on three critical issues energy access, energy security, and energy transition.
About ISA
It is an intergovernmental organization, launched in 2015, with 110 Member and Signatory countries. ISA is the first such intergovernmental organization to be headquartered in India.
- The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, where each Member Country is represented.
- It meets annually at the ministerial level at the ISA’s seat.
Its mission is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 and reduce the cost of the technology and its financing.
Important projects under ISA: One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG); ISA Solar Technology and Application Resource Centre (ISTAR C); Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Scheme (for training).
PYQ –
Consider the following statements:
- The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
- The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.
Which of the statements given above is /are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
ANS- (A)
Gambia deaths and the toxic cough syrups
Context: The Gambia’s Health Minister said that the number of child deaths likely linked to contaminated cough syrups made by an Indian manufacturer had risen to 69.
What happened in the Gambia?
Several children began to get sick with kidney problems within three to five days of consuming a paracetamol syrup sold locally.
- Paracetamol is a commonly used medicine that can help treat pain and reduce a high temperature (fever).
What are the toxic chemicals found in samples tested by the WHO: Diethylene glycol, Ethylene glycol.
- Both are illegal adulterants that may be used as solvents in liquid medication.
Common solvents used in cough Syrups: Glycerine (glycerol), Propylene glycol
- These solvents also act as preservatives, thickeners, sweeteners, and antimicrobial agents
What is the ongoing probe?
- A preliminary inquiry into Maiden Pharmaceutical Limited (the company responsible) has been launched by the State drug controller.
- The WHO: It has initiated a deeper probe in coordination with Indian authorities.
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO): It has launched a detailed investigation in collaboration with the State Drugs Controller of Haryana.
- Export of cough syrups: The company has so far exported these four cough syrups only to the Gambia.
Normal practice: The importing country tests the products for quality before sanctioning their usage.
Impact on India:
- Strategic goals: The cough syrup controversy may prove to be a setback for India’s strategic goals in Africa.
- Vaccine diplomacy: The Gambia is a beneficiary of India’s Africa outreach policy and largesse, particularly the ‘vaccine diplomacy’ thrust.
- Such incidents may be a setback.
The illusion of being faster than light
Source: The Hindu
Context: Scientists have spotted something that appeared to be moving 7 times faster than the Speed of Light in a supernova-like event.
What is it?
In 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave (LIGO) observatories recorded an unusual jet of matter from the merger of two massive neutron stars. This gave an illusion of travelling faster than light.
Can an object be faster than light?
No. The illusion that an object is moving faster than light, happens in cases where a source moves (towards us) with a velocity that is very close to light’s velocity.
- Mostly, black holes are responsible for producing such fast-moving material.
Neutron stars are stellar corpses, left behind after a star has undergone a supernova explosion and reached the end of its lifetime. They are extremely dense, containing more mass than the sun in a sphere that is a few tens of kilometres wide.
Giraffes
Source: The Hindu
Context: Giraffes brought to India by the British may belong to endangered species. A genetic distance analysis of the giraffes in Alipore showed that they were most closely related to Nubian and Rothschild giraffes.
Background: About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of single species of the northern giraffe to India, from their other colonial possessions in Africa.
- These now comprise a captive population of 29 individuals of northern giraffes across the country.
- Protocols to manage them: They are an exotic species that was imported into India, protocols to manage the populations were different when compared to animals that are native to the country.
Giraffes are found in the wild only in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nubian giraffes
- It is the nominate subspecies of giraffes.
- Habitat: found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan.
- IUCN: The subspecies was listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2018 for the first time due to a 95% decline in the past 3 decades.
Rothschild’s Giraffe
- it is also known as the Baringo giraffe, from the fact that it is seen in the wild around the area of Kenya close to Lake Baringo.
- Habitat: desert and savanna plains areas of Africa (primarily in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. )
- IUCN: Endangered
Do you Know:
- Giraffes are ruminants, meaning their stomach has multiple chambers. If they are not actively eating, they are probably chewing their cud.
- A group, or herd, of Giraffes, is called a tower.
- As per IUCN Giraffe is
- Giraffes are most often found in savanna/woodland habitats and range widely throughout Africa.
Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study
Source : The Hindu
Context: A study carried out by researchers has revealed that grazing animals hold the key to long-term soil carbon stability.
Key highlights of the study:
- Large mammalian herbivores like the Yak and Ibex play a crucial role in stabilising the pool of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems such as the Spiti region in the Himalayas.
- From one year to the next, soil carbon was found to fluctuate 30-40% more in the fenced plots where animals were absent, compared to the grazed plots where it remained more stable each year.
- A key factor underlying these fluctuations was nitrogen.
- Depending on the soil conditions, nitrogen can either stabilise or destabilise the carbon pool.
- Grazing by herbivores, however, changes their interactions in ways that tip the balance in favour of carbon.
Do you Know:
- Soil contains more carbon than all plants and the atmosphere combined.
- When plants and animals die, the dead organic matter remains in the soil for a long duration before microbes break it down and release carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
- Grazing ecosystems make up about 40% of the Earth’s land surface.
- A soil pool is a reliable sink for trapping carbon. Maintaining stable levels of carbon in the soil is therefore key to offsetting the effects of climate change.
Mapping
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