Daily Prelims Notes 16 June 2021

June 16, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

16 June 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Right to protest in India: Is it a Fundamental Right?

Subject: Polity

Context : Delhi High Court rebuked the Delhi Police for “casually” invoking provisions of the anti-terror law against the three accused, who had protested against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), noting that the line between the constitutionally guaranteed “right to protest” and “terrorist activity” had been blurred.

Concept:

Right to Protest

The right to protest is the manifestation of the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of association, and the right to freedom of speech.
The Constitution of India provides the right of freedom, given in Article 19 with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution.
The Right to protest peacefully is enshrined in Article 19(1) (a) guarantees the freedom of speech and expression; Article 19(1) (b) assures citizens the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.
Article 19(2) imposes reasonable restrictions on the right to assemble peaceably and without arms.
Article 19(2) confers the right on the State to impose reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the freedom of speech and expression on the grounds of,

Sovereignty and integrity of India,

Security of the state,

Friendly relations with foreign states,

Public order, decency or morality,

Contempt of court, defamation, and incitement to an offence.

2. AY.1 not a variant of concern yet: Centre

Subject: Science & tech

Context: AY.1, or B.1.617.2.1, has a mutation called K417N that is linked to high infectivity and has been associated with the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa.

Concept:

A new COVID-19 variant has mutated from the highly transmissible Delta or B.1.617.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 to form the Delta Plus or AY.1 variant.
The new variant Delta Plus has been found to be resistant against monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19.
The Delta or B.1.617.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in India during October 2020 and was declared a Variant of Concern (VoC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 11, 2021.

Delta Plus variant

Delta Plus or AY.1 is one of the emerging variants of Delta or B.1.617.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2.
The new variant is characterized by the acquisition of K417N mutation, said Vinod Scaria, clinician and scientist, Delhi’s CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).
The mutant K417N is found in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The spike protein enables the entry of the virus into the human cells.
So far, 63 genomes of Delta (B.1.617.2) with the new K417N mutation have been detected on the global science initiative GISAID, as per Public Health England.
In its latest report, as of June 7, the Delta plus variant was found in six genomes from India.
The variant frequency for K417N mutation is not much in India as of now. The sequences are mostly from Asia, America, and Europe.

3. FCI rice to be used for ethanol production

Subject: Economy

Context: The Central government has allocated 78,000 tonnes of rice procured for food security purposes to be diverted to ethanol production instead this year, at a subsidised rate of ₹20 a kg, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said.

Concept:

This is part of the government’s plan to double distilling capacities by 2025, partly by encouraging an increase in the share of grain-based ethanol production from the current focus on molasses-based production.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a road map advancing the target date for achieving 20% blending of ethanol in petrol by five years to 2025.
The last two years have seen blending levels of around 5%, which is likely to jump to 8.5% in the current year, according to a Ministry statement.

Bioethanol

It is derived from corn and sugarcane using fermentation process.
A litre of ethanol contains approximately two thirds of the energy provided by a litre of petrol.
When mixed with petrol, it improves the combustion performance and lowers the emissions of carbon monoxide and sulphur oxide.

Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP):

It aims at blending ethanol with petrol, thereby bringing it under the category of biofuels and saving millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports and decreasing carbon emissions.
The target is to achieve 20% blending of ethanol by 2025.
In 2018, the Central Government extended the ambit of the EBP programme to extract the fuel from surplus quantities of food grains such as maize, jawar, bajra fruit and vegetable waste.
Earlier, only excess sugarcane production was allowed to be converted into ethanol for procurement under the programme.
First generation bioethanol: These are made from food sources such as sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology.

4. Govt Confirms first death from reaction to vaccine

Subject: Science & tech

Context: A government panel studying COVID-19 vaccine side effects on Tuesday confirmed the first death due to anaphylaxis following vaccination.

Concept:

According to a report submitted by the national Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) Committee, a 68-year-old man died from anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) after being vaccinated with Covishield on March 8.
The death is reported as “vaccine product related reaction” in the report.

Adverse event following immunization (AEFI)

Adverse event following immunization (AEFI) is defined as any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunization and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine.
The adverse event may be any unfavorable or unintended sign, abnormal laboratory finding, symptom or disease.
Reported adverse events can either be true adverse events, i.e. actually a result of the vaccine or immunization process, or coincidental events that are not due to the vaccine or immunization process, but are temporally associated with immunization.

What are the categories of AEFIs?

Vaccine product-related reaction: inherent property of the vaccine formulation
Vaccine quality defect-related reaction: deficient quality of the vaccine, diluent and/or delivery equipment from the manufacturer’s side
Immunization error-related reaction: due to inappropriate handling or administration of the vaccine, thus preventable
Immunization anxiety-related reaction: arising from anxiety about immunization
Coincidental event: is caused by something other than the vaccine product, immunization error or immunization anxiety.

An AEFI will be considered serious if it

Results in death,
Requires hospitalization,
Results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity or
A cluster (two or more cases) of AEFIs occur in a geographical area.

5. No annuity rider for NPS exits upto 5 Lakhs

Subject : National Organisations /Governance

Context : Pension regulator PFRDA has allowed National Pension System (NPS) subscribers to withdraw the full contributions at one go without purchasing an annuity if the pension corpus is equal to or less than Rs 5 lakh.

Concept :

The PFRDA made these changes under the PFRDA Amendment Act published in the Gazette of India.
At present, beneficiaries can withdraw up to Rs 2 lakh from their NPS account. Beyond this limit, the pensioners can withdraw 60% of the contributions.
At least 40% of the contributions has to be mandatorily parked in government-approved annuities, according to the current rule.

Pension Fund and Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA)

PFRDA is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament to promote old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds, to protect the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and for matters connected there with or incidental thereto.
PFRDA performs the function of appointing various intermediate agencies like Pension Fund Managers, Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) etc.
It develops, promotes and regulates the pension industry under National Pension System and also administers the Atal Pension Yojana.

National Pension System

The Central Government has introduced the National Pension System (NPS) with effect from January 01, 2004 (except for armed forces).
NPS is being implemented and regulated by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority in the country.
National Pension System Trust (NPST) established by PFRDA is the registered owner of all assets under NPS.
NPS is structured into two tiers:
Tier-I account: This is the non-withdrawable permanent retirement account into which the accumulations are deposited and invested as per the option of the subscriber.
Tier-II account: This is a voluntary withdrawable account which is allowed only when there is an active Tier I account in the name of the subscriber. The withdrawals are permitted from this account as per the needs of the subscriber as and when claimed.
NPS was made available to all Citizens of India from May 01, 2009. Any individual citizen of India (both resident and Non-resident) in the age group of 18-65 years (as on the date of submission of NPS application) can join NPS.
However, OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card holders and Hindu Undivided Family (HUFs) are not eligible for opening of NPS account.

6. May 2021 was the sixth warmest May on record ,says NOAA

Subject : Environment

Context : The upward trend of warming is global and unambiguous: May 2021 has tied with 2018 as the world’s sixth-warmest May on record, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA).

Concept :

The average global temperature in May 2021 was 1.46 degrees Fahrenheit (0.81 degrees Celsius) above the 20th-century average, according to the report by scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration rated May 2021 the seventh-warmest May on record.
The average global temperature for March through May was 1.48 degrees F (0.82 degree Celsius) above average. It was the eighth-warmest such season for the world on record.

About NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce that focuses on the conditions of the oceans, major waterways, and the atmosphere.
NOAA warns of dangerous weather, charts seas, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources and conducts research to provide the understanding and improve stewardship of the environment.

7. Early Arrival of Southwest Monsoon

Subject : Geography

Context : Recently, the southwest monsoon has progressed rapidly to cover two-thirds of the country just about 10 days after it broke over the Kerala coast.

Concept :

The northern limit of the monsoon (NLM) continued to pass through Diu, Surat, Nandurbar, Bhopal, Nagaon, Hamirpur, Barabanki, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Ambala, and Amritsar.
The monsoon has arrived 7 to 10 days ahead of its scheduled date across some areas of south peninsular and central India.
The monsoon has missed Northwest India i.e. Gujarat, Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi so far.

Reasons for early arrival of southwest monsoon

The Cyclone Yaas, formed in the Bay of Bengal during May, helped the monsoon make a timely arrival over the Andaman Sea.
The fast progress of southwest monsoon is mainly due to:

Strong westerly winds from the Arabian Sea; and

Formation of a low-pressure system over the North Bay of Bengal

The monsoon currents strengthened and it advanced into the Northeast, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Chhattisgarh.
An off-shore trough has helped the monsoon arrive early over Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and southern Gujarat.

Causes of delay in southwest monsoon over Northwest India

The monsoon becomes active over Northwest India only when the monsoon currents (either from the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal) reach the region.
The monsoon progress will remain slow as the arrival of monsoon currents over Northwest India is not expected to happen soon.
A stream of mid-latitude westerly winds is approaching Northwest India, which will hinder the monsoon advancement in the immediate coming days.

8. Taiwan reports ‘largest’ incursion by Chinese forces

Subject : International Relations

Context : As many as 28 Chinese air force aircraft, including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, the island’s government said. It is the largest reported incursion to date.

Concept :

While there was no immediate comment from Beijing, the news comes after the Group of Seven leaders issued a joint statement on Sunday scolding China and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Air Defence Identification Zone

It is a zone which provides an early warning system to help a country detect possible incursions into its sovereign airspace.
When an aircraft enters an ADIZ without warning, the country in question may scramble fighter jets to visually identify the aircraft and determine whether it poses a threat
In other words, ADIZ is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft are performed in the interest of national security.
The first ADIZ was established by the United States in 1950 when it created a joint North American ADIZ with Canada, citing the legal right of a nation to establish reasonable conditions of entry into its territory
The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body

Air Defence Identification Zone in India

India established ADIZs in the mid-twentieth century. Among other rules, notifications are required 10 minutes prior to entry.
India has demarcated six ADIZ near its territory. They are the international border with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, Over the Line of Actual Control with China and two in the southern region of India.

Taiwan Strait

The Taiwan Strait, also known as the Formosa Strait, is a 180 km wide strait separating Taiwan and mainland China.
The strait is currently part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is 130 km wide.
The entire strait is on Asia’s continental shelf.
Historically both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan espoused a One-China Policy that considered the strait part of the exclusive economic zone of a single “China”.

9. Generalized System of Preferences (GSPs)

Subject : International Relations

Context : Recently, the European Union (EU) Parliament has adopted a resolution which has urged the EU Commission to consider temporary withdrawal of the GSP+ status given to Sri Lanka.

Concept :

About Generalized System of Preferences (GSPs)

It was instituted in 1971 under the aegis of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
It is aimed at creating an enabling trading environment for developing countries.
The countries which grant GSP preferences are Australia, Belarus, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States of America.
The provision and utilization of trade preferences is a key goal the Istanbul Program of Actions adopted at the UN LDC IV in 2013, as further reaffirmed in SDGs Goal 17.
The objective of UNCTAD’s support on GSP and other preferential arrangements is to help developing countries to increase utilization of GSP and other trade preferences.

European Union’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSPs)

It is a set of EU rules allowing exporters from developing countries to pay less or no duties on their exports to the European Union.
The EU adopted a new Generalized Scheme of Preferences in 2012.

The Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) has 3 strands:

GSP general arrangement: for all beneficiary countries
GSP+: A special scheme with entire removal of tariffs on essentially the same product categories as those covered by the general arrangement.
The countries need to ratify and implement international conventions relating to human and labour rights, environment and good governance.
Everything But Arms: A special arrangement for least developed countries (as recognised and classified by the UN) giving them duty- and quota-free access for all products, except arms and ammunitions.

About UNCTAD

It is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
It is part of the UN Secretariat.
Its goals are to maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis.
Its objective is to formulate policies relating to all aspects of development including trade, aid, transport, finance and technology.

10. Inflation spurs spike in bond yield; rupee hits 1-month low

Subject : Economics

Context : India’s benchmark 10-year bond yield closed at its highest level in more than six weeks while the rupee ended at a one-month low on the back of a larger-than-expected surge in retail inflation.

Concept:

The benchmark 10-year bond yield ended at 6.04%, after touching 6.05%, its highest since April 30 and up 4 basis points on the day.
Retail inflation rate rose 6.3% year-on-year in May, from 4.29% in April and sharply above analysts’ estimate of 5.3%. The wholesale price inflation rate rose 12.9%, its highest in at least two decades.

Bond Yields

Bond yield is the return an investor realizes on a bond. The mathematical formula for calculating yield is the annual coupon rate divided by the current market price of the bond
Bond: Is an instrument to borrow money. A bond could be issued by a country’s government or by a company to raise funds.
Coupon Rate: It is the rate of interest paid by bond issuers on the bond’s face value.
Yield curve: It is a line that plots yields (interest rates) of bonds having equal credit quality but differing maturity dates.
The slope of the yield curve gives an idea of future interest rate changes and economic activity.

Factors affecting the yield:

Monetary policy of the RBI (interest Rates), fiscal position of the government and its borrowing programme, global markets, economy, and inflation.
A fall in interest rates makes bond prices rise, and bond yields fall.
Rising interest rates cause bond prices to fall, and bond yields to rise.
To control high inflation: the interest rate is increased.

11. Twitter may lose safe harbour protection

Subject : Governance

Context : Twitter may ‘lose’ safe harbour protection as government says it ‘failed’ to fill key positions

Concept :

Microblogging platform Twitter is likely to lose its status as a social media intermediary and, in turn, the legal protection accorded to it under Section 79 of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Safe Harbour Provisions

The safe harbour provisions have been defined under Section 79 of the IT Act, and protect social media intermediaries by giving them immunity from legal prosecution for any content posted on their platforms.
This protection, the Act says, shall be applicable if the said intermediary does not in any way, initiate the transmission of the message in question, select the receiver of the transmitted message and does not modify any information contained in the transmission.
This means that as long as a platform acts just as the messenger carrying a message from point A to point B, without interfering in any manner, it will be safe from any legal prosecution brought upon due to the message being transmitted.
The protection accorded under Section 79, however, is not granted if the intermediary, despite being informed or notified by the government or its agencies, does not immediately disable access to the material under question.
The intermediary must not tamper with any evidence of these messages or content present on its platform, failing which it lose its protection under the Act.

Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code

In February 2021, the guidelines had asked all social media platforms to set up a grievances redressal and compliance mechanism.
It included appointing a resident grievance officer, chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person.
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology had also asked these platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users and action taken.
A third requirement was for instant messaging apps was to make provisions for tracking the first originator of a message.
The failure to comply with any one of these requirements would take away the indemnity provided to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.