UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 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 3: (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024)

1. Need for National Security Strategy (NSS)

GS Paper 4: 

2. Anna Sebastian Perayil: Death Due to Overwork

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

3. “Kavach” centres: To prevent high rate of child drownings

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

1. Fact-Check Unit

2. 100 years of ICAR-NISA

3. International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

Mapping: 

4. Sri Lanka’s New president Anura Kumara Dissanayake

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024

GS Paper 3:

Need for National Security Strategy (NSS)

Syllabus:

Source: TH

Context: India urgently needs a National Security Strategy (NSS) that integrates defence, finance, and other critical sectors into a unified framework.

What is the National Security Strategy (NSS)?

It outlines a country’s security goals and methods to achieve them, addressing both traditional and non-traditional threats. It should align with constitutional values and democratic principles. The strategy includes threat assessments, resource allocation, and policies on defence and intelligence.

Countries like the U.S., the U.K., Russia, China, and Pakistan have formal NSS documents. India has made several attempts, such as the Kargil Review Committee Report (2000) and Gen. D.S. Hooda’s document (2019), but a formal NSS has not yet been implemented. Key elements of an NSS include defining security objectives and evaluating geopolitical challenges and resources. But now, India has started the process of bringing in a National Security Strategy(NSS).

India needs a written National Security Strategy (NSS) to:

1. Update Policy: Replace the outdated 2009 directive for the Armed Forces.
2. Address Evolving Threats: Respond to new challenges like hybrid warfare and China’s naval expansion.
3. Enable Long-term Planning: Prevent short-term, ad hoc decisions and ensure strategic consistency.
4. Signal Strategic Intent: Clarify India’s role in global security and build stronger partnerships.
5. Promote Accountability: Provide a reference for peer review and improve national security coordination.

Significance/Benefits of a National Security Strategy (NSS) for India:

1. Meet changing security dynamics and priorities: It can encourage the government to regularly review threats, opportunities, and global security trends.
   1. Example: Major powers like the US, UK, and Russia have published and updated NSS, ensuring evolving challenges like hybrid warfare, the Chinese navy’s growth are addressed timely.
2. Framework for Effective Long-term Planning: A coherent future strategy will help avoid taking short-term, ad hoc, hasty, and regime-centric decisions on important national security issues.
   1. Example: It prevents hasty decisions, like the discontinuation of India’s previous five-year Defence Plans.
3. Strategic Signaling in World Order: It will clarify India’s strategic intent to friends and foes, highlight its role as a security provider in the Indian Ocean, and establish clear cooperation with partners.
   1. Example: It can signal India’s commitment to counter China’s naval expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
4. Operational clarity:
   1. Example: It can help guide decision-making in areas like delegation, operationalision of theatre commands etc.
5. Adopt a Whole national approach: It can help build synergy for harnessing comprehensive national power and coordinate operations effectively.
   1. Example: This approach can strengthen responses to hybrid warfare, cyber threats, and counter-terrorism

Challenges in Formulating an NSS in India:

• Lack of Political Will and Consensus: The absence of political consensus, fear of accountability, and limited expertise on defence matters have hindered NSS formulation.
  • Example: Despite recommendations from committees like the Naresh Chandra Committee, no consensus has been reached.
• Loss of Strategic Flexibility: Formalizing an NSS could limit strategic flexibility, binding leadership to specific policies rather than adapting to evolving threats.
  • Example: Israel operates effectively without a formal NSS, relying on ad hoc policy adjustments.
• Resource Allocation and Institutional Support: Implementing NSS requires significant financial and human resources, which are often inadequately allocated.
  • Example: India has limited defence think tanks and a relatively lower budget compared to the US, Russia, and China.
• Changing Threat Landscape:
  • Adapting the NSS to address evolving security threats, such as cyber threats, terrorism, and non-traditional security challenges, is a continuous challenge.

Previous Steps Taken Towards NSS Formulation:

1. Kargil Review Committee Report (2000): Provided security recommendations but did not lead to an immediate NSS.
2. Naresh Chandra Committee (2011): Initiated discussions on security reforms including defence and intelligence reforms, but NSS development was not achieved.
3. Defence Planning Committee (2018): Chaired by a National Security Advisor: It is a permanent body tasked with preparing a draft national security strategy among others.
4. Hooda Committee (2018): Suggested a comprehensive NSS to address evolving security challenges, recommending a proactive global role, securing the neighbourhood, and strengthening internal and external security capabilities.

Conclusion:

As India enters Amrit Kaal, committing to an NSS will enhance national security planning, inspire innovation, and strengthen India’s global standing.

Insta Links:

5. National Security Strategy

Mains Links:

India and the USA are two large democracies. Examine the basic tenets on which the two political systems are based. (UPSC 2018)

Prelims Link:

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024 GS Paper 4:

Anna Sebastian Perayil: Death Due to Overwork

Syllabus: Applications of Ethics

Source: IE

Context: The tragic death of 26-year-old EY employee Anna Sebastian Perayil has sparked critical discussions about toxic work culture in corporate India.

Anna’s mother claims work pressure led to her daughter’s passing, highlighting issues of overwhelming workloads, long hours, and unrealistic expectations. Employees often hesitate to voice concerns due to fear of professional consequences, worsening the situation.

Despite corporate wellness initiatives, many companies fail to prioritize employee well-being. Experts emphasize the need for empathetic leadership, reduced workloads, and stress management programs. Anna’s death serves as a reminder that creating a healthy workplace culture should be a priority for all organizations.

The ethical issues in the case of the 26-year-old EY employee’s death include:

1. Workplace Stress and Mental Health: Failure to manage excessive workloads, long hours, and stress can harm employees’ physical and mental health, raising concerns about employer responsibility for well-being.
2. Toxic Work Culture: A culture that normalizes overwork, burnout, and the fear of speaking up about stress or exhaustion can be seen as unethical, as it neglects the human aspects of work.
3. Lack of Empathy and Support: The absence of company representatives at the employee’s funeral reflects a lack of empathy and emotional support from the organization, which is essential during such situations.
4. Retaliation and Fear of Repercussions: Employees hesitating to report work-related stress due to fear of retaliation or poor performance ratings highlight an unethical power dynamic within the workplace.
5. Unclear Expectations and Unrealistic Workloads: Imposing unrealistic expectations without regard for employee capacity or well-being is a violation of ethical labour practices.
6. Mental Health Stigma: The fear of being judged for mental health struggles or stress highlights a broader ethical issue of insufficient support for mental well-being in the workplace.
7. Credit Misappropriation: Instances where managers take credit for subordinates’ work, resulting in poor performance ratings for employees, reflect a lack of integrity and fairness.
8. Neglecting Employee Welfare Policies: Despite wellness programs, the failure to genuinely implement policies that prioritize employee welfare shows a disconnect between corporate promises and actual practices.

’18 hours work’ debate and hustle culture

Hustle culture is defined as one that encourages employees to work more than normal working hours.

• Work is on their minds even when they have free time or on holidays.
• The major requirement of this culture is to complete a job on target at a faster pace than usual.

A LinkedIn post by the CEO of a company advising youngsters to work 18 hours a day, at least for four to five years initially in their career, faced a backlash and was ridiculed.

What does WHO study on long working hours say?

• 745,000 people died from a stroke and heart disease associated with long working hours in 2016
• Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard
• Capping hours would be beneficial for employers since that has been shown to increase worker productivity.

Why is it important to have a work-life balance?

Siddhartha S, an author of 5 books — ’60 Keys to Success with NLP’, ‘Thank God it’s Monday’, and many others suggest:

1.  Work-life balance is critical
2.   Put health before wealth
3. Devise an incentive system if you want employees to work extra hours
4. Success has different meanings for different people: Economic success is not the only yardstick to measure the success of human life.
5. Entrepreneur and employee mindsets are different: If an employee has to work 70+ hours for a basic salary, then it is not a great idea. The employee may as well take the entrepreneurship path where there is an opportunity to create a company and to keep the profits.

Mains Link:

Do you think rejecting hustle culture youngsters or going for moonlighting is rejecting the idea of work is worship embedded in Indian Culture? Discuss. 10M

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

“Kavach” centres: To prevent high rate of child drownings

Source: TH

Context: In the Sundarbans, a community initiative led by mothers is combating the high rate of child drownings. The delta’s numerous water bodies, combined with the poverty-driven need for both parents to work, create a dangerous environment for children. A 2019 survey revealed that three children drown daily.

In response, “Kavach” centres were launched in 2023 to provide close supervision for toddlers.

Additionally, community-driven swimming lessons and CPR training aim to prevent further tragedies. Despite these efforts, long-standing beliefs and limited public resources continue to pose challenges in preventing drowning incidents.

Ethical Lessons:

1. Parental Responsibility: Constant supervision is crucial to prevent tragedies, especially in hazardous environments.
2. Community Involvement: Collective initiatives like Kavach centres emphasize the power of the community in protecting vulnerable groups.
3. Education & Awareness: Proper training (e.g., CPR, swimming) can save lives, highlighting the value of knowledge-sharing.
4. Challenging Superstition: Dispelling harmful beliefs, such as religious fears around pond barriers, is essential for public safety.
5. Equity in Public Health: Addressing drowning requires accessible healthcare and resources, emphasizing the need for government support.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Fact-Check Unit

 Source: TH

Context: The Bombay High Court has struck down the amended IT Rules, 2023, which allowed the Centre to establish a fact-check unit to identify “fake news” about the government.

The court ruled that the rules violated the Constitution’s rights to equality and free speech, describing the terms “fake, false, and misleading” as vague. The court ruled that the state is not obligated to provide only verified information. The measures also failed the test of proportionality, which evaluates the legitimacy, suitability, necessity, and balancing of laws against rights.

This decision followed a split verdict in January 2024 and a petition from various groups, including comedian Kunal Kamra. Digital rights advocates welcomed the ruling, emphasizing the importance of independent media in fact-checking.

100 years of ICAR-NISA

 Source: ICAR

About ICAR-National Institute of Secondary Agriculture (NISA):

It was established in 1924 as the Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and was renamed in 2022. It operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

About Secondary Agriculture:

It involves adding value to primary agricultural products and related activities like beekeeping, poultry farming, and agritourism. It includes processes converting agricultural produce, residues, and by-products into high-value items for food, industrial, and medicinal uses. Examples include making jaggery from sugarcane or extracting oil from rice bran.

Significance:

1. Increases farmer income through value-added products.
2. Promotes sustainable use of crop residues.
3. Boosts rural cottage industries.
4. Meets growing demand for ready-to-eat and functional foods.

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

 Source: HT

Context: India officially joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global initiative launched by Prime Minister Modi on April 9, 2023, during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.

The IBCA aims to conserve big cats like tigers, lions, and cheetahs. India is among four founding members, alongside Nicaragua, Eswatini, and Somalia. With headquarters in India, the alliance will collaborate with 24 countries and nine organizations to protect big cats and their habitats, promoting sustainable resource use and addressing climate challenges.

About Global Alliance for Big Cats:

 Context: India has proposed to launch a mega global alliance to protect big cats and assured support over five years with guaranteed funding of $100 million (over Rs 800 crore).

About International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024 Mapping:

Sri Lanka’s New president Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Source: TH

Context: Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a former student leader and Marxist-Leninist politician, has risen from grassroots activism to become Sri Lanka’s new president.

About Sri Lanka:

It was formerly known as Ceylon, an island nation in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near India and the Maldives. With a population of 22 million, it is home to diverse cultures and ethnicities, primarily the Sinhalese and Tamil communities. The country was colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British before gaining independence in 1948. Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972 and endured a 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 September 2024

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