UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks :  Insta Links help you think beyond the  current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. 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.

Table of Contents 

GS Paper 1: (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024)

1. PM Modi Inaugurates New Nalanda University Campus in Rajgir, Bihar

GS Paper 3:

2. 7 Years of GST: Balancing Tech & Transformation

Reports in News 

3. “Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2024” Report

4. Container Port Performance Index (CPPI)

5. State of Global air-2024’ Report

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

1. National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES)

2. Excessive deficit procedure (EDP)

3. Superhydrophobic catalyst

4. Capsaicin

5. Pigment purpurogallin

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024

GS Paper 2:

PM Modi Inaugurates New Nalanda University Campus in Rajgir, Bihar

Syllabus: Ancient and Medieval: Ancient Indian Universities

 Source: BS

Context: The Prime Minister inaugurated the new Nalanda University campus in Rajgir, Bihar, a joint initiative between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) nations.

• Green Campus: The new campus features a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus with solar power, water treatment plants, water recycling, and extensive water bodies.

About Ancient Nalanda University:

1. Establishment: Founded by Kumargupta I in the 5th century CE, it thrived as a centre of learning until the 12th century CE.
2. Architecture: A monastic university (Mahavihara) with residential and educational buildings, stupas, shrines, and notable artworks in stucco, stone, and metal.
3. Educational Excellence: Attracted students from China, Tibet, Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Southeast Asia. Major disciplines included Veda, fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics, and warfare. Admission was strictly by merit with exams by trained gatekeepers.
4. Foreign Visitors: In the 7th century CE, Chinese scholars I-Qing and Xuan Zang visited Nalanda. Xuan Zang studied yogashastra under Chancellor Shilabhadra.
5. Recognition: Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016.

Analysis of the Ancient Education System of India:

• Gurukul system: Students lived with their gurus (teachers) in an immersive learning environment, fostering deep bonds and personalized education.
  • For instance, Chanakya, a renowned ancient Indian scholar, mentored Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire.
• Places of learning: Indigenous education was imparted at home, in temples, pathshalas, tools, chatuspadis and gurukuls.
  • Students went to viharas and universities for higher knowledge.
• Value-Centric education: Values like dharma (duty), ahimsa (non-violence), and Satya (truth) were integral to education.
  • For example, the Arthashastra by Kautilya (Chanakya) emphasized moral and ethical principles alongside statecraft and economics.
• Centres of excellence: Ancient India had centres of excellence like Nalanda and Takshashila, where practical wisdom was imparted.
  • These institutions nurtured scholars who excelled in various fields, from medicine to mathematics.

What can the present-day education system learn from it?

• Holistic development: The ancient system’s emphasis on holistic development aligns with the current understanding of multiple intelligences. Ancient Indian education included physical exercises (Vyayam), mental exercises (Manthan), and moral education (Acharan).
• Mentorship: Low–teacher pupil Ratio was a salient feature of the Gurukuls. The deep teacher-student relationships of ancient gurukuls can be emulated through mentorship programs in modern educational institutions.
• Value education: Incorporating moral and ethical education in the curriculum can foster responsible citizens with a strong sense of ethics and social responsibility. This is particularly relevant in the context of today’s global challenges.
• Personalized learning: Modern education can benefit from customized approaches that recognize and cater to individual differences in learning styles, abilities, and interests.
• Practical application: Modern education can promote hands-on learning, internships, and real-world problem-solving to equip students with practical skills and experiences.
• Cost of education: Education in ancient India was very low cost, without fees and only paid in voluntary “Gurudakshina”. Gross privatisation-led high costs can be countered by the ancient systems of education.

Shortcomings of the ancient education system:

• Limited access: Education in ancient India was primarily available to the privileged classes, leaving out a significant portion of the population, especially the lower castes and women.
• Rote learning: The traditional system often relied on rote-oral memorization, emphasizing the repetition of texts and formulas. This is an error that continues in present.
• Lack of formal documentation: The knowledge passed down through the guru-shishya (teacher-student) tradition was largely oral and not systematically documented. This led to the loss of significant knowledge with the decline of gurukuls and the burning of libraries like Nalanda.

Conclusion: 

The New Education Policy 2020 recognizes this rich heritage of ancient and eternal Indian knowledge and thought as a guiding principle and focuses on the pursuit of knowledge (Jnan), wisdom (Pragyaa), and truth (Satya) as the philosophy of highest human goal

Other Institutions of Ancient Learning:

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 June 2024 GS Paper 3:

7 Years of GST: Balancing Tech & Transformation

Syllabus: Indian Economy: Taxation

 Source: BS

Context: After seven years, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has proven to be a game-changer for India’s digital economy. This tech-driven tax system has facilitated automation for both the government and businesses, moving towards the vision of “one nation, one tax.”

About Goods and Services Tax (GST): 

• It is an indirect tax (not directly paid by customers to the government) that came into effect on July 1, 2017, as a result of the 101st Amendment to the Indian Constitution.
• It is imposed on both manufacturers and sellers of goods, as well as suppliers of services.
• For tax collection, it is divided into five tax slabs – 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%.

About GST Council:

• It is an apex committee to modifies, reconciles or makes recommendations to the Union and the States on GST, like the goods and services that may be subjected to or exempted from GST, model GST laws, etc.
• Article 279A of the Indian Constitution empowers the President of India to constitute a joint forum of the Centre and States called the GST Council.

Need for GST:

• The inclusion of several indirect taxes at various levels of the supply chain hampered the Indian tax system.
• This resulted in a complicated and fragmented tax framework that included excise duty, service tax, VAT, central sales tax (CST), and other taxes.
• These led to tax cascading (tax on tax), raising the entire tax burden on goods and services.
• Hence, the primary goal of GST is –
  • To simplify the tax system by substituting a single indirect tax for several indirect levies
  • Eliminating tax cascading by establishing a uniform tax structure

Achievements of GST:

• Revenue collection:
  • The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections hit a record high in April 2024 at Rs 2.10 lakh crore.

• A seamless market and digitised compliance:

• • Digital Infrastructure: The GST Network (GSTN) streamlined registration, tax payments, and return filing for taxpayers.
  • Enhanced Compliance: GSTN’s data analytics and automation (e.g., e-waybills, e-invoicing) improved compliance and tax evasion prevention.

• Benefits for MSMEs:

• • A simplified system with measures like quarterly returns and relaxed GSTR-9C requirements increased MSME registrations.
  • Improved access to credit accelerated MSME growth.

• Unified Market and Competitiveness:

• • Established a common market and eliminated tax cascading, boosting domestic and global competitiveness.
  • Removed entry taxes and checkpoints, ensuring smooth movement of goods, faster transit times, and reduced logistics costs.

Challenges still persisting:

• Complexities in return forms and the ambiguity surrounding tax rates and classifications of certain goods and services lead to disputes and uncertainty.
• Combating tax fraud remained a priority, with measures in place to ensure compliance and weed out fraudulent businesses.

Some areas that deserve attention are:

• Commence taxation of petroleum crude, high-speed diesel, petrol, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel and similarly, alcohol meant for human consumption;
• Inclusion of other levies such as electricity duty, stamp duty, etc;
• Clarifying taxation of online gaming activities, transactions involving cryptocurrency, etc.
• The officials should also look into rationalisation of the tax rates (slabs); upgrading the law to deal with a digital world and keep up with the various technological developments.

Conclusion:

• The implementation of GST has definitely been a success but is still a new reform with the potential to witness phenomenal growth and harmonisation in the coming years.
• GST has shown immense promise, reshaping the economy and driving digitization while also confronting challenges and fraud.

Insta Links: 

Five years stronger

Mains Links:

Explain the rationale behind the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act of 2017. How has COVID-19 impacted the GST compensation fund and created new federal tensions? (UPSC 2020)

Prelims Links: (UPSC 2017)

Reports in News

Reports	Description
“Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2024” Report	By World Economic Forum
	The Energy Transition Index (ETI) evaluates 120 countries on their energy system performance and readiness for secure, sustainable, and inclusive energy systems, focusing on the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce CO2 emissions.
	Key findings from the report highlight that clean energy infrastructure investments reached $1.8 trillion in 2023, with 90% of the growth occurring in advanced economies and China.
	Top performers in the index include Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, and France
	India ranks 63rd on the ETI. Notably, eight countries, including Bhutan and Panama, achieved net-zero emissions in 2022.
	About World Economic Forum: It is an international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer Klaus Schwab.
Container Port Performance Index (CPPI)	Nine Indian ports have found their position among the top 100 global ports in CPPI in 2023.
	The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2023, developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, assesses performance based on vessel time in port. It identifies improvement opportunities for terminals and ports, benefiting public and private stakeholders. The top-ranked container port in CPPI 2023 is Yangshan Port in China.
	Also in the News:   The Union Cabinet approved the development of a Greenfield Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra (Palaghar District). This port will be constructed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Maharashtra Maritime Board on the basis of the Landlord Model.
State of Global air-2024’ Report	The report by the Health Effects Institute and UNICEF examines global air pollution trends from 1990 to 2021, highlighting significant health impacts.
	Almost the entire global population (99%) resides in areas with unhealthy levels of PM2.5 pollution, which refers to fine airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter.
	Low- and middle-income countries typically face 1.3 to 4 times higher levels of PM2.5 exposure. Air pollution exacerbated COVID-19 outcomes by compromising immune systems and causing lung inflammation and oxidative stress.
	In India, along with China, over half of the global disease burden associated with air pollution was reported, and nearly half of all ozone-related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) deaths occurred in India in 2021.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES)

Source: IE 

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES) – a central sector scheme.

• This scheme aims to enhance forensic investigation capabilities across India by establishing new campuses of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) and setting up additional Central Forensic Science Laboratories.
• The initiative responds to the new criminal laws effective from July 1, which mandate forensic investigations for serious offences.

Excessive deficit procedure (EDP)

 Source: TH 

Context: The European Commission has proposed disciplinary measures for France and six other EU countries (Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Slovakia) due to their excessive budget deficits.

• These deficits stem from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

About Excessive deficit procedure (EDP):

• The aim of the excessive deficit procedure (EDP) is that EU countries correct excessive deficit and/or debt levels.
• The European Commission can launch an EDP against an EU country not respecting the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), a body of rules governing the coordination of EU countries’ fiscal policies.

Superhydrophobic catalyst

 Source: TH

Context: A global team of scientists, has developed a superhydrophobic catalyst that significantly reduces the cost of producing biodiesel.

• This catalyst, which is water-repellent and derived from biomass (cellulose), can lower biodiesel production costs from the current $1.2 per litre to 37 cents per litre.
• The catalyst’s robustness allows it to withstand the water by-products of biodiesel production, making the process more efficient and cost-effective.

The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials, suggests this innovation could promote wider adoption of biodiesel as a sustainable energy source, offering an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Capsaicin

 Source: DTE

Context: Denmark has recalled several spicy Korean instant ramen noodles produced by Samyang due to concerns over high levels of capsaicin, which could cause “acute poisoning.”

• Capsaicin, the compound that gives chilli peppers their heat, can cause inflammation and irritation in the digestive tract, potentially leading to symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
• Despite these risks, moderate consumption of spicy foods can offer benefits like pain relief, antibacterial properties, boosted metabolism, improved cardiovascular health, and anti-cancer effects.

Pigment purpurogallin

 Source: DTE

Context: A team of scientists from the UK and Canada traced the evolution of purple glacier algae, revealing their significant impact on glaciers and challenging traditional evolutionary theories.

• These algae, which thrive in extreme glacier environments, have evolved to produce a purple pigment, purpurogallin, that protects them from UV and visible light, aiding in their survival.
• The study shows that these adaptations likely emerged 520-455 million years ago, rather than during the Snowball Earth period as previously thought.
• This suggests a more recent glacial period drove their evolution.
• The algae’s ability to simplify rather than increase in complexity contradicts the traditional “march of progress” hypothesis in evolution.

These adaptations have enabled glacier algae to persist and significantly affect glacier melt, highlighting their role in fragile ecosystems and the importance of understanding their evolution in the context of climate change.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21 June 2024 [PDF]

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