20 Mar 2024: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

20 March 2024 CNA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Changing cancer nomenclature can improve treatment outcomes: doctors
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Ties that epitomise India’s Neighbourhood First policy
ECONOMY
1. Guaranteed MSP is an ethical imperative
F. Prelims Facts
1. 2023 was the ‘hottest year’ on record, confirms WMO
2. SC directs States to give ration cards to 8 cr. workers
3. 27.6 million people engaged in forced labour in 2021: ILO
4. ‘Food prices deterring inflation’s fall’
G. Tidbits
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Category: ECONOMY

1. Guaranteed MSP is an ethical imperative

Syllabus: GS-3, Issues related to Direct and Indirect Farm Subsidies and Minimum Support Prices

Mains: Debate on giving legal backing to MSP

Introduction:

  • As elections approach, agrarian issues gain prominence with farmers protesting for fair pricing of their produce.
  • The ruling government’s attempts to address concerns were rejected by farmers, emphasizing the need for a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Ethical Imperative of Guaranteed MSP:

  • MSP plays a crucial role in ensuring food security in India, countering market failures that disadvantage farmers.
  • Lack of influence in pricing leaves farmers economically vulnerable, necessitating legal guarantees for MSP.
  • Despite annual MSP announcements, implementation remains poor, leaving many farmers economically strained and trapped in cycles of debt and despair.
  • Legal recourse to MSP is supported by constitutional articles and international declarations, reflecting widespread public support.

Efforts and Solutions:

  • Various states and organisations have proposed measures to ensure MSP, such as amendments to agricultural acts and the introduction of private member bills.
  • Sugarcane growers already benefit from statutory MSP, while other states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have proposed bills to guarantee MSP for other crops.
  • Minor amendments to existing laws coupled with budget allocations can enforce MSP and establish essential backward and forward linkages to manage post-harvest surplus.
  • Enhancing MSP to provide a 50% profit margin is feasible and necessary to address farmers’ economic challenges.

Challenges and Opposition:

  • Ensuring MSP may face opposition from intermediaries and those benefitting from current market dynamics.
  • Adherence to free market principles often impedes necessary government interventions to address farmers’ grievances.
  • Government schemes like PM-AASHA, while possessing elements of MSP support, are sidelined due to political expediency, hindering effective solutions to farmer distress.

Conclusion:

  • Guaranteed MSP is essential not only for farmers’ economic well-being but also for ensuring food security and addressing hunger and malnutrition.
  • While challenges and opposition exist, legal guarantees for MSP are imperative to rectify market failures and provide just solutions to the ongoing agrarian crisis.

Nut Graf: The demand for a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) in Indian agriculture reflects farmers’ plight amid market failures. Legal assurances for MSP are essential to rectify economic vulnerabilities and ensure food security.

F. Prelims Facts

1. 2023 was the ‘hottest year’ on record, confirms WMO

Context:

  • The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirms 2023 as the hottest year on record, aligning with findings from various climate agencies.
  • The announcement comes as part of “The State of Global Climate Report” released on 19th March.

About:

  • The global average near-surface temperature for 2023 measured 1.45 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline, with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 degrees Celsius.
  • This marks the warmest 10-year period on record, highlighting a concerning trend in global temperatures.
  • Previously, the joint warmest years were 2016 and 2020, at 1.29 ± 0.12 degrees Celsius and 1.27 ± 0.13 degrees Celsius respectively, above the 1850–1900 average.

Significance:

  • The confirmation underscores the urgency of addressing climate change as temperatures continue to rise.
  • It emphasizes the need for global cooperation to mitigate the impacts of climate change, with countries urged to take significant steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The report serves as a wake-up call for intensified efforts in adopting sustainable practices and policies worldwide to combat the escalating threat of climate change.

2. SC directs States to give ration cards to 8 cr. workers

Context:

  • The Supreme Court’s recent directive regarding ration cards for migrant workers has garnered attention.
  • The order follows up on a previous ruling from April 2023.

About:

  • The Supreme Court expressed concern over the delay in implementing its April 2023 order.
  • The directive aims to provide ration cards to approximately eight crore migrant workers who are registered in the eShram portal but not covered under the National Food Security Act.
  • Out of the 28.6 crore registrants on the portal, 20.63 crore are already registered in the ration card database.

Significance:

  • The Supreme Court, led by Justice Hima Kohli, directed the issuance of ration cards to the remaining eight crore migrant and unorganized sector workers registered with the eShram portal within two months.
  • This decision underscores the court’s emphasis on the welfare of migrant workers and the need for expedited inclusion in social welfare schemes.
  • The court reiterates the responsibility of a welfare state to promptly integrate migrant workers into the ration card system, ensuring their access to essential food supplies.

3. 27.6 million people engaged in forced labour in 2021: ILO

Context:

  • The International Labour Organization (ILO) released a study in Geneva detailing findings on forced labour in 2021.
  • The study highlights the alarming increase in illegal profits generated from forced labour, reaching $36 billion annually.
  • Surveys were conducted among workers, including Indians in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to gather data for the study.

Issue:

  • Forced labour has seen a significant rise, with 27.6 million people engaged in it in 2021, marking a 37% increase in illegal profits since 2014.
  • The growth in both the number of people forced into labour and the profits derived from their exploitation contributes to this concerning trend.
  • The study reveals that traffickers and criminals are now generating close to $10,000 per victim, up from $8,269 a decade ago.
  • Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for a substantial portion (73%) of the total illegal profits, despite representing only 27% of victims in privately imposed labour.
  • Various sectors such as industry, services, agriculture, and domestic work are affected, with significant illegal profits being made at the expense of workers’ wages.

Significance:

  • Forced labour perpetuates cycles of poverty and exploitation, depriving individuals of their dignity and rightful wages.
  • The situation has worsened over time, with an increase of 2.7 million people in forced labour between 2016 and 2021.
  • Urgent action is needed from the international community to combat this injustice and end the exploitation of vulnerable workers.

4. ‘Food prices deterring inflation’s fall’

Context:

  • RBI officials led by Deputy Governor Michael D. Patra discuss the state of the economy in the RBI Bulletin.
  • Despite a general decline in inflation, food prices have prevented a swift drop in headline inflation towards the target of 4%.

About:

  • Inflation is declining, particularly core inflation, which would have brought headline inflation closer to the 4% target faster if not for food price pressures.
  • CPI readings for January and February indicate shallow and short-lived easing of vegetable prices, with strong momentum in cereal prices and an upsurge in meat and fish prices.
  • Food price pressures have been countered by core disinflation.
  • High-frequency food price data for March (up to the 15th) shows a decline in cereal prices, mainly for wheat, while pulses have seen an increase and edible oil prices have softened.
  • March has seen corrections in tomato prices, with an upsurge in onion and potato prices after a previous softening over three months.
  • Fuel price deflation is expected to increase in March due to the government’s reduction in LPG prices.
  • Overall momentum in headline inflation turned positive in February, offsetting a favourable base effect.

Significance: There is a need for monetary policy to remain focused on risk minimization, guiding inflation towards the target while sustaining growth.

G. Tidbits

Nothing here for today!!!

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Citizenship Amendment 
Act (CAA), 2019:
  1. The CAA amends the Citizenship Act, of 1955, to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants belonging to all religious minorities from neighbouring countries.
  2. The Act grants automatic citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1  only
  2. 2  only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding food inflation in India:
  1. Food inflation is a short-term phenomenon and does not have long-lasting effects on the economy.
  2. Supply chain disruptions due to extreme weather events are a major contributor to food price volatility.
  3. High food inflation can lead to adverse effects on food security, household budgets, and overall economic stability.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. None of the above
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding core inflation and headline 
inflation in India:
  1. Core inflation measures the overall price level of goods and services in an economy, including food and fuel prices.
  2. Headline inflation excludes volatile items such as food and fuel from its calculation, focusing solely on non-food non-fuel items.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 2
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) 
in India:
  1. MSP is a legal right provided to farmers, guaranteeing them a minimum income for their agricultural produce.
  2. MSP announcements incentivize farmers to shift towards crops with higher declared prices.
  3. MSP acts as a floor price, preventing the market prices of agricultural commodities from falling below a certain level during surplus production seasons.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Q5. Consider the following statements: [PYQ 2020]
  1. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury.
  2. Coal-fired power plants release sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen into the environment.
  3. High ash content is observed in Indian coal.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Click on the link for the video explanation of the above questions and answers.

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