[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 24 January 2023

GS Paper 1

Syllabus: Indian Society/ Women issues

Source: Indian Express

Context: Kerala government announced that it will grant menstrual leave for female students in all state universities under the Department of Higher Education as part of the government’s “commitment to realise a gender-just society”

• In accordance with the decision, a girl of age 18 years and above is eligible to avail of 60 days of menstrual leave in a year.
• With this, the attendance percentage of girl students is sealed at 73% as against the usual 75%.

Significance of the move:

• A move towards acknowledging and addressing the often-debilitating pain and discomfort that so many are often forced to work through
• It will help create workplaces and classrooms that are more inclusive and accommodating

Concerns:

• Create further discrimination: In a traditional society like India, where menstruation remains a taboo, it is possible that a special period leave could become another excuse for discrimination.
  • g. In similarly traditional societies like South Korea and Japan (both allow Menstrual leave) but fewer women are availing of it, citing the social stigma against menstruation
• There is the risk of medicalising a normal biological process, which could further entrench existing biases against women
• Reluctance in hiring women: The possibility that the perceived financial and productivity cost of mandatory period leaves could make employers even more reluctant to hire women.

Previous efforts towards this direction:

The effort to introduce such policies in India is not new.

India:

• 1992: Bihar government two days of menstrual leave a month
• 2017: Menstrual Benefits Bill 2017was introduced in Parliament to provide monthly two days of menstrual leave to both public and private employees during menstruation.
• 2020: Zomato introduced menstrual leaves for up to ten days a year for its women and transgender employees.
  • Since then, similar policies are also followed by other private companies like Swiggy and Byju

Global:

• Japan was the first country to implement this policy in 1947. Across the globe, menstrual leave policies exist in countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Zambia, Sweden and Mexico. Spain tried recently to approve a new law to introduce paid ‘menstrual leave’.

InstaCurious:

Period poverty refers to the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products and education, which can have a negative impact on a person’s health, education, and overall well-being. It can lead to health complications, the perpetuation of myths and taboos, absenteeism from school or work and can affect the education and economic opportunities of those who experience it.

Insta Links

Menstruation Benefit Bill 2017

Mains Links

Comment on the issue of mandatory menstrual leave and also analyse the design of a new framework for the same in our country. (15M)

GS Paper 3

 Syllabus: Government Budgeting.

Source: Indian Express

Context: On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the next financial year (2023-24). Let’s understand the basics of the Union Budget and why it is very much important for Prelims and Mains.

Constitutional Provisions

• According to Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, the Union Budget for a year is referred to as the Annual Financial Statement (AFS).
• It is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditures of the Government in a Financial Year.
• The Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance is the nodal body responsible for preparing the Budget.

Any budget essentially provides some details.

• The total amount of money that the government will raise in the coming year; this is called the total receipts, Ways and means to raise the revenue.
• The total amount of money it will spend; is called the total expenditure.
• The total amount of money it will borrow from the market to plug the gap between what it spends and what it earns; this is referred to as the fiscal deficit.
• Details of the actual receipts and expenditure of the closing financial year and the reasons for any deficit or surplus in that year, and
• The economic and financial policy of the coming year, i.e., taxation proposals, prospects of revenue, spending programme and introduction of new schemes/projects.

Forces that shape a Budget

• Demand for a lower rate of taxation and/or a higher rate of exemptions. In other words, people and firms lobby to get their tax burden reduced.
• Demands from people/firms wanting higher or newer subsidies.
• Demands which are antagonistic to the first two categories. They demand that the government cuts down on its fiscal deficit (essentially the total amount of money the government borrows from the market in order to bridge the gap between its total expenditure and its total receipts). 

In Parliament, the Budget goes through six stages:

• Presentation of Budget.
• General discussion.
• Scrutiny by Departmental Committees.
• Voting on Demands for Grants.
• Passing an Appropriation Bill.
• Passing of Finance Bill.

Insta Curious:

• RK Shanmukham Chetty presented the 1^st Union Budget of independent India on Nov 26, 1947.
• Till 2017 Rail Budget and Union Budget came separately (Done through Acworth Committee – 1924) but now both are merged together.
• Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi are the only prime ministers to have presented a Budget.
• The date of the Union Budget presentation was changed in 2017 by then finance minister Arun Jaitley from ‘last working day of February’ to ‘February 1’.
• On 1^st Feb 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first paperless budget. This was done due to the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic in India.

Insta Links:

The budgeting process in India

Prelims Link: UPSC 2016

Mains Link: UPSC 2021

Distinguish between Capital Budget and Revenue Budget. Explain the components of both these Budgets.

GS Paper 3

Syllabus: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation

Source: TH

Direction: The article seeks to discuss light pollution, its causes, effects, and recommendations for reducing it.

Context:

• In 2022, the district administration of Ladakh in India created the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) which is the first International Dark Sky Reserve in India. The HDSR comprises six hamlets within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The reserve thus had a responsibility to keep the skies dark, particularly for the astronomical observatories located in the area.

What is a Dark Sky Reserve?

• It refers to an area designated as free from light pollution. It’s a public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment [IDA-International Dark-Sky Association].

Background:

• When SpaceX’s Starlink constellation of small satellites started to block ground-based telescopes’ views of the Earth, the notion that the sky is a natural resource that could be harmed, gained popularity.
• These incidents also highlighted the need for a global agreement to reduce light pollution.
• However, while authorities actively work to reduce light pollution around telescope sites, the night is actually getting brighter (skyglow) in almost all of the world, with significant ecological, health and cultural ramifications.

What exactly is light pollution and how bad is it?

• Light pollution is excessive, misdirected or obtrusive artificial (usually outdoor) light that obstructs starlight in the night sky, interferes with astronomical research, disrupts ecosystems, has adverse health effects and wastes energy.
• Visible light emitted by many sources (except lasers) is divergent, so the light emitted could find its way into the sky.
• Almost all surfaces in cities also reflect light, meaning a portion of entirely down-cast light will be reflected upwards, contributing to nighttime light pollution.
• A recent study found that non-natural light had increased the brightness of the artificial glow of the night sky, or skyglow, by 9.2-10% every year between 2011 and 2022. Specifically, it had brightened annually by about 6.5% over Europe, 10.4% over North America, and 7.7% over the rest of the world.

What is the situation in India?

• A recent study reported that 19.5% of India’s population – the lowest among G20 countries – experiences a level of skyglow that keeps the Milky Way out of sight and makes it impossible for human eyes to adjust to the dark.
• The effects include stimulating the cone cells (which activate in a well-lit environment/during the day) in human eyes.

What are the consequences?

• Harms wildlife and disrupts ecosystems: Light pollution poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife, having negative impacts on plant and animal physiology. For example,
  • It can confuse the migratory patterns of animals.
  • A 2020 study noted that skyglow interferes with multiple aspects of insect life and allows insect predators to hunt for longer.
  • A 2019 study reported that clownfish eggs don’t hatch when exposed to artificial light at night, killing the offspring.
  • At their meeting in Gandhinagar (2020), parties to the Convention on Migratory Species adopted guidelines to address this issue.
• Adverse effects on human health: It can disturb circadian rhythms and the production of melatonin, leading to sleep disorders and other health problems (increased risk of breast cancer).
• Energy wastage: lighting is responsible for at least one-fourth of all electricity consumption worldwide. Thus, energy wastage is also a waste in cost and carbon footprint.

Way ahead: Light pollution can be reduced easily by shielding lights properly, by

• Only using light when and where it is required,
• Only use the necessary amount,
• Using energy-efficient bulbs, and
• Using bulbs with the right spectral power distributions.
• International Best Practice: The “Outdoor Lighting Code” in the United Kingdom, aims to reduce light pollution by encouraging the use of lighting that is only as bright and as long as necessary for the task.

Conclusion: “The erasure of the night sky acts to erase Indigenous connection to the stars, acting as a form of ongoing cultural and ecological genocide.”

InstaCurious:

Components of light pollution include:

• Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
• Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
• Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
• Clutter – bright, confusing, and excessive groupings of light sources

Insta Links:

Environmental Pollution

Prelims Links: (UPSC 2020)

GS Paper 3

Syllabus: Conservation, Environment

Source: IE

Direction: The article covers the issues of man-animal conflict and highlights the success story of Kerala in reducing incidents of such conflicts.

Context: The larger issue of man-animal conflict needs to be discussed as calls for the capture of an elephant that reacted to overexcited tourists in Munnar, Kerala, grow louder.

Man-Animal Conflict:

• Meaning: The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group defines human-wildlife conflict as struggles that emerge when the presence or behaviour of wildlife poses an actual or perceived, direct and recurring threat to human interests or needs, leading to disagreements between groups of people and negative impacts on people and/or wildlife. Human-wildlife conflicts can occur wherever wildlife and human populations overlap, so any factor that forces wildlife and people into closer contact makes conflicts more likely.

Reasons for the conflict:

• Growing human/animal populations overlap with established wildlife/human territory, creating a reduction of resources.
• Fragmentation of habitats and corridors due to legal and illegal changes in land use – clearances for mining or encroachment for agriculture.
• Agricultural Expansion and Changing cropping patterns that attract wild animals to farmlands.
• Habitat degradation due to the growth of invasive alien species, etc.
• Other Reasons: Infrastructure development, Climate Change, etc.

 Suggestions:

• A Future for All Report 2021 jointly published by WWF and UNEP suggests an approach of coexistence between humans and wildlife and the involvement of local communities, as it is not possible to wholly suppress human-wildlife conflict.
• Periodic awareness campaigns: To sensitize, guide and advise the general public on man-animal conflict, including dissemination of information through various forms of media.
• Skill-development programs: For people living in and around the forest would consequently reduce the combined pressures on agricultural land as well as forest land.
• National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31: The issue of human-wildlife conflict has been included in the plan. It has underscored the need for a landscape-level approach, the acceptance of rights of use and entry (into forests), and an emphasis on people’s participation in conservation, promoting coexistence between wildlife and local communities through awareness and education programs, and identifying and declaring critical wildlife habitats and migration corridors and taking measures to protect them from human encroachment.
• A landscape-based approach is a method of conservation and management that focuses on preserving and managing entire ecosystems, rather than individual species or habitats. It takes into account the interconnectedness of different habitats, species, and ecosystem services within a given landscape.
  • A landscape-based approach aims to:

1. Maintain the ecological integrity and functional diversity of the landscape
2. Promote the conservation of biodiversity, including endangered species and habitats
3. Support the sustainable use of natural resources by local communities
4. Address the root causes of conservation problems, such as habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation.

The case of Kerala – A success story in managing man-animal conflict:

• Though seen a relative spike in recent years, the magnitude of human-elephant conflict in Kerala is relatively low when compared with its abundance of wild elephants.
• Of the estimated nationwide population of 30,000 wild elephants in 2017, Kerala had about 5,700 (19%). Between 2018-2021, elephants killed 2,036 people in India and Kerala accounted for only 81 (4%) of these deaths.
• Elephants are far-ranging animals.
  • But in Kerala,
    • The frontiers between the wilderness and civilisation have remained largely unaltered in recent years.
    • Changes in agricultural practices in cropland. For example, coffee, pepper or tea plantations, in which jumbos have little interest.

Conclusion: Proactive perception management, stricter enforcement by the states and a pragmatic policy for the problem will reduce the incidents of man-animal conflict. Healthy ecosystems and the vital services they provide to people depend on wildlife. Managing human-wildlife conflicts is therefore crucial to achieve the UN Vision for Biodiversity 2050 in which ‘humanity lives in harmony with nature and in which wildlife and other living species are protected’.

InstaCurious:

Uttar Pradesh has declared man-animal conflict death as a state disaster.

Insta Links:

Man-Animal conflict