[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 8 February 2023

GS Paper 1

Syllabus: Disaster Management/ Geography: Earthquake/ International Relations/ Disaster Relief

Source: IE, Th, DTE, TH

 Direction: This article is in continuation of yesterday’s article on the same issue. Here we will be covering other issues related to Earthquake

Context: South-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, was struck by a powerful Earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter Scale.

Why have the buildings collapsed in the “pancake mode” (like a pack of cards)?

• Shallow Earthquake: The centre of the quake was just 11 miles ( around 18 Km) beneath the Earth’s surface, making it one of the most damaging earthquakes.
  • Shallower earthquakes can be more destructive.
• Non-enforcement of safe building construction and non-adherence to seismic building codes: Many of the buildings are already built, and seismic retrofitting may be expensive or not considered a priority compared to other socio-economic challenges of Turkey and Syria

How do Satellites help in Rescue and Recovery efforts during an Earthquake?

• Satellite imaging enables humanitarian aid to better deliver water and food by mapping the condition of roads, bridges, and buildings, and – most crucially – identifying populations trying to escape potential aftershocks.
• Radar satellites will complement the imaging information, as they also operate at night and through clouds, image landslides and even very small changes in altitude.
• Generating Maps: Images are transformed into impact or change maps for rescue workers, flood alert maps for the public, and mapping of burnt or flooded areas with damage estimates for decision-makers.
• Reconstruction after disasters: Satellite technologies help residents benefit from earthquake-resistant construction, the creation of safe gathering places or relocating living areas to safe locations.
  • “Reconstruction observatories“, have been carried out after major disasters (e.g. Haiti in 2021 and in Beirut after the 2019 port explosion) to monitor reconstruction planning

India’s Proactiveness in Disaster Relief:

• Turkey (2023): India is sending an Army medical team, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel, and medical supplies
• Nepal (2015): The NDRF deployed 16 of its urban search and rescue (USAR) teams, which comprised more than 700 rescuers in the country
• Japan (2011):In the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami, India also sent 46 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to search and rescue in the town of Onagawa. It was their first overseas operation
• Sri Lanka (2004, Operation Rainbow): Despite being the victim of the 2004 Tsunami itself, India sent its forces to carry out rescue operations, called “Operation Rainbow”, in Sri Lanka hours after the Tsunami struck the country.

Conclusion

“It is not the disaster, but the lack of preparedness for the disaster that kills”. Thus, disaster preparedness is one of the most vital components of disaster management.

Insta Links

Know all the basics about Earthquake: Here

Insta Mains:

Q. Examine the vulnerability of India to earthquakes and propose short, medium and long-term actions to alleviate the risks associated. (250 words)

 Discuss the factors that cause earthquakes. Why are Earthquakes more common in certain parts of the world than others? Discuss the role of disaster planning in its management. (15M)

Prelims Links:

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: Devolution of Powers and Finances up to Local Levels and Challenges Therein

Source: ToI 

Context: For the third time in a month the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) failed to elect its mayor after AAP and BJP councillors again engaged in a row over the election process.

Background:

• This MCD conflict is an extension of the years-long tussle between the two parties over the administration of the national capital.
• Given the complex governance system in place in Delhi, the state and the central governments ought to cooperate, but this goal has proven challenging in the era of intense political competition.

What’s the ongoing issue in the MCD?

• The Presiding Officer (a BJP councillor) for the mayoral election said that aldermen (nominated members) are allowed to vote in the House and elect the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and members of the Standing Committee.
• However, the AAP had expressed apprehension, as they claim that aldermen do not have voting rights under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
• In the absence of a mayor, major decisions related to policy matters, development works and projects that require big financial investment are

Case of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC): An astonishing 22 of 28 municipal corporations in Maharashtra (including the country’s richest civic body – BMC) have seen their terms expire with fresh polls nowhere in sight.

Examining urban local governance in India:

• The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 has introduced (Part IX A Article 243 P to ZG] and Schedule XII) in the Constitution, which provides for the establishment of urban local bodies (ULBs) as institutions of local self-government.
• It has empowered state governments to devolve the responsibility of 18 functions including urban planning, regulation of land use, water supply, etc., and made periodic elections compulsory for them.
• Urban governance is part of the state list under the Constitution. Thus, the administrative framework and regulation of ULBs vary across states.
• Experts have highlighted that ULBs across India face similar challenges. For instance, lacking autonomy, city-level functions are managed by parastatals, devolution of powers is incomplete (lacks taxation powers – stressed municipal finances), irregular elections, etc.
• These challenges have led to poor service delivery, severely curtailing urban governance at a time when 675 million Indians are slated to live in urban centres by 2035.

Key suggestions to improve urban local governance in India:

• Constitutional amendments (for making devolution of powers mandatory and setting the accountability of state governments – ULBs) to achieve objectives of urban decentralisation.
• Supporting reform-linked investments (on asset creation as well as management) is needed for different states based on the level of urbanisation.
• Inter-government transfers should have in-built incentives to improve performance.
• Integrate various urban development programs (including capacity building) at local, state and national levels to develop sustainable city or metropolitan regions.
• Strengthen urban institutions and clarify the roles of different organisations.
• The second generation of urban reforms should further focus on regulation, innovative financing and PPP, and climate change initiatives.

Conclusion: In order to establish smarter cities, empowered instead of stalled local bodies are needed. Therefore, Mumbai needs municipal elections, while Delhi needs a mayor.

Insta Links:

74th Constitutional Amendment

Mains Links:

Q. “The reservation of seats for women in the institution of local self-government has had a limited impact on the patriarchal character of the Indian political process”. Comment. (UPSC 2019)

Prelims Links: (UPSC 2015)

GS Paper  2

Syllabus: Social Justice: Issues related to Women

Source: Indian Express, Indian Express

 Context: More than 2,000 people have been arrested in a statewide crackdown on child marriages that have taken place in the state of Assam.

Data on child Marriage:

• UN estimates suggest that 1.5 million girls get married before they turn 18 in India.
• According to the 2011 census, 44 per cent of women in Assam were married before the age of 18. The figures for Rajasthan, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh were 47 per cent, 46 per cent, and 43 per cent, respectively.

Historical Perspective on Child Marriage:

• Ancient India
  • Manusmritis: It says that if the father fails to marry off his daughter within three years of her attaining puberty, she can find a spouse on her own.
    • Medhatithi, one of the oldest and earliest commentators on the Manusmriti, eight years is the right age for a girl to be given in marriage
  • The Rig Veda mentions garbhadhan– attaining the wealth of the womb. It is the first of the 16 samskaras a Hindu is expected to perform.
  • The Greek traveller Megasthenes (350-290 BC) has written that he was told that the women of the Pandian kingdom in South India bear children at six years of age. About seven centuries later, the Persian polymath, Al Biruni, wrote that child marriages were rampant in India.
• Modern India:
  • The colonial state: The Age of Consent Acts of 1861 and 1891 brought in reform in conjugal rights. The 1861 Act laid down 10 years as the minimum age for sexual intercourse. The Hindu intelligentsia opposed raising this age to 12 on the grounds that it violated norms related to garbhadhan.
  • Rukmabai case gave new impetus to the campaign of social reformers like M G Ranade and Behramji Merwanji Malabari. Rukmabai had refused to solemnize her marriage, which had taken place when she was 11.
• Post-Independence:
  • At the time of India’s independence, the minimum marriageable age stood at 15 years for females and 18 years for men.
  • In 1978, the government increased it to 18 for girls and 21 for men.
  • Years later, in 2008, the Law Commission came out with a report which stated that the minimum marriageable age for both men and women should be 18 years of age, as both are considered eligible to vote as citizens at the time.

Laws present to prevent Child Marriage:

• The POCSO Act, of 2012 criminalizes sex between a minor and an adult. The law does not recognize a minor’s consent as valid. Sexual assault under POCSO is a non-bailable, cognizable offence.
  • Section 19 of, the POCSO Act imposes a “mandatory reporting obligation” which requires every person who suspects or has knowledge of a sexual offence being committed against a child must report it to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit.
• The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, says that child marriages are illegal but not void. Instead, they are voidable at the option of the minor party, in the scenario that the minor petitions the court to declare the marriage void. The Act stipulates 18 years as the minimum marriageable age for women, while for men it is 21 years.
  • The punishment also extends to anyone who performs, conducts, directs, or abets any child marriage.

Central government’s stand:

• In 2021, the Central government sought to introduce the Prevention of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021, to raise the manageable age for women across all religions, from 18 to 21 years. However, the Parliament panel examining this is yet to submit its report.
• The establishment of the Jaya Jaitly Committee in June 2020, by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, submitted a report stating that the marriageable age for women should be increased from 18 to 21 years of age, in light of factors like reproductive health, education, etc.

Modern international laws and conventions on Child Marriage:

• The UN Convention on Consent to Marriage,
• Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages (1962),
• The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)
• Beijing Declaration (1995)

Insta Links:

How is India planning to end child marriage

Prelims Link: UPSC 2020

Mains Link:

Examine the causes leading to the menace of child marriage in India. How can child marriage be prevented through a combination of Legislation, education, and government action?

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: International Relations

Source: HT

Direction: The article highlights the major dimensions of India-Russia relations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Indo-Russian Friendship Treaty of 1993

Context: The Russian ambassador expressed doubt about the US’s reliability as a partner for India and emphasized the trusted relationship between Russia and India at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Indo-Russian Friendship Treaty 1993

Highlights of the Russian ambassador’s speech:

• India and Russia had “always been on the same page”, which contrasted with the US approach to India (during the Cold war era)
• Russia has very close cooperation with China, but this will never overshadow the close ties that India-Russia enjoys.
• Russia would like to see the normalisation of India-China relations as this will benefit global and Asian security.
• Russia wants to expand its economic presence in Pakistan, however, it will never do anything detrimental to India.
  • Russia has a limited defence relationship with Pakistan that is directed towards counter-terrorism. A weak Pakistan would not be a better choice for the region, for India or for Afghanistan.

Timeline of India-Russia Relations:

Insta Links: India-Russia relations

Mains Links:

1. What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (UPSC 2020)