Daily Prelims Notes 7 April 2022

Daily Prelims Notes

7 April 2022

Table Of Contents

1. UNGA vote to suspend Russia from UNHRC over Ukraine crisis
2. Ael Blood Group
3. Dedicated Freight Corridors
4. Geospatial Data Services
5. ECGC Ltd. Risk Perception
6. Agri Exports
7. Centre has opposed Odisha’s plans for landmark Lingaraj Temple
8. CAG report on UIDAI

1. UNGA vote to suspend Russia from UNHRC over Ukraine crisis

Subject: IR

Context- The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday on a draft resolution seeking to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, a move initiated by the US after harrowing images emerged of corpses strewn across streets of the Ukrainian city Bucha, with Washington terming “Moscow’s participation in the top human rights body as a farce”.

Concept-

• The Assembly will vote on a draft resolution that will decide to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation”.
• The draft resolution titled ‘Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council’
• The draft resolution was submitted for co-sponsorship by Ukraine, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Republic of Moldova, the UK and the US.
• The draft resolution expresses grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by Russia, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.

What’s the Human Rights Council?

• The Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states, elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

What’s the voting procedure at the UNGA?

• The UN General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights.
• Abstentions do not count and the resolution requires two-thirds of yes/no votes to be adopted.

What has been India’s track record so far?

• Since January, India has abstained on at least 11 occasions on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine.

What has India said so far, especially on the Bucha killings?

• New Delhi on Tuesday unequivocally condemned the deeply disturbing reports of civilian killings in the Ukrainian city of Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation, as it underlined that when innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option.
• India encourages talks between Ukraine and Russia, including at the level of their presidents, and asserted that if New Delhi can be of any assistance in this matter, it would be “glad to contribute”.
• India’s approach will be to promote dialogue to end the conflict.

Is there a precedent for suspension?

• Russia’s current membership on the UNHRC ends in December 2023.
• The only time a member state was suspended from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council was Libya in 2011 when in an unprecedented move a resolution was adopted in the General Assembly that had expressed deep concern about the human rights situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the wake of Muammar Al-Gaddafi’s violent crackdown on anti-government protestors.

**** For further reading refer to Optimize IAS DPN 21 May 2021.

2. Ael Blood Group

Subject: Science & Tech

Context- According to pathologists, about 40 to 50 people in the world have Ael blood.

Concept-

• According to pathologists, there are barely 40 to 50 people in the world with Ael blood group, most of whom are in South-East Asia.
• Ael has the least amount of A antigen among A subgroups and can only be detected through special tests.
• There are a few other rare blood groups and rare phenotypes reported from India many of which have been discovered among Gujaratis.
  • Bombay group,
  • Indian blood group phenotypes like In(a+), In(b-), In5- (INRA-), and
  • other rare phenotypes like Colton-null, Emm-null, P- null, and Rh-null.

Rare Blood Groups:

• The blood groups which are seen less in human population are said to be rare blood groups.
• Among the various rare blood groups are Rh null, AB negative, A negative, B negative and AB positive.

The Bombay Blood Group:

• The Bombay blood group (also called hh), is deficient in expressing antigen H.
• It means the RBC of hh blood group has no antigen H.
• Often the hh blood group is confused with the O group.
• The difference is that the O group has Antigen H, while the hh group does not.
• The rare Bombay blood group was first discovered in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1952 by Dr Y M Bhende.
• Globally, the hh blood type has an incidence of one in four million. However, this blood type is more common in South Asia than anywhere else because of inbreeding and close community marriages.

3. Dedicated Freight Corridors

Subject: Geography

Context- The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up the Railway Ministry for the delay in construction of the eastern and western dedicated freight corridors (EDFC and WDFC) and the Indian Railways for not ensuring a time table for goods trains operation.

Concept-

What is a Dedicated Freight Corridor?

• It is a high speed & high-capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of freight (goods & commodities).
• On the normal lanes, goods trains must make way for passenger trains, thereby delaying freight movement.
• The surging power needs requiring heavy coal movement, booming infrastructure construction, & growing international trade has led to the conception of the Dedicated Freight Corridors.
• DFC involves the seamless integration of better infrastructure & state of the art technology. It will allow for efficient & fast movement of freight.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Project:

• Under Ministry of Railways, The project involves the construction of six freight corridors traversing the entire country.
• The purpose of the project is to provide a safe & efficient freight transportation system.
• Initially, the construction of two freight corridors,
  • Western DFC connecting the states of Haryana & Maharashtra &
  • Eastern DFC connecting the states Punjab & West Bengal, is being undertaken.
• The other four corridors include
  • North-South (Delhi-Tamil Nadu),
  • East-West (West Bengal-Maharashtra),
  • East-South (West Bengal-Andhra Pradesh)&
  • South-South (Tamil Nadu-Goa).
• The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is the implementing agency of the project.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC):

• Dadri, U.P to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai-1,468 km
• The WDFC covers Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra& Uttar Pradesh.
• It is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC):

• Ludhiana Punjab to Dankuni West Bengal-1,760 km
• The EDFC route covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal
• The EDFC route has coal mines, thermal power plants & industrial cities.
• EDFC is being funded by the World Bank.
• Connecting Link for Eastern & Western Arm is under construction between Dadri & Khurja.

Read More: https://optimizeias.com/dedicated-freight-corridors/

4. Geospatial Data Services

Subject: Science & Tech

Context- Only Indian entities will be permitted to carry out mobile-mapping and street-view surveys, and those in Indian territorial waters, Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha.

Concept-

• The Minister said these were part of the “guidelines for acquiring and producing geospatial data and geospatial data services, including maps” issued by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) on February 15, 2021.
• The guidelines envisaged that Indian entities, whether in government or outside, will be free to acquire, collect, generate, prepare, disseminate, store, share, publish, distribute, update, digitise or create geospatial data, including maps, of any spatial accuracy within the territory of India, including underwater within its territorial waters, by using any geospatial technology, subject to regulations on attributes in the negative lists.

Geospatial Policy 2021:

• Geo-Spacial Data: Geospatial data is data about objects, events, or phenomena that have a location on the surface of the earth. It combines Information on:
  • Location,
  • Attribute (the characteristics of the object, event, or phenomena concerned),
  • Temporal or time.
• New Policy:
  • Open Access: to its geospatial data and services, including maps, for all Indian entities, with the exception of sensitive defence or security-related data.
  • Restrictions Removed: There shall be no requirement for security clearance, licence or any other restrictions.

Reason for Deregulation of Geo-Spacial Data:

• Delayed Projects: System of acquiring licenses or permission, and the red tape involved, took months, delaying projects,
• Lack of Data: There is also a huge lack of data in the country which impedes planning for infrastructure, development and businesses which are data-based.
• Changing Needs: Geo-spatial data has now become imperative for the government in planning for infrastructure, development, social development, natural calamities as well as the economy, with more and more sectors such as agriculture, environment protection, power, water, transportation, communication, health (tracking of diseases, patients, hospitals etc) relying heavily on this data
• Global Push: Large amounts of geo-spatial data are also available on global platforms, which make the regulation of data that is freely available in other countries.

5. ECGC Ltd. Risk Perception

Subject: Economy

Section: External sector

Concept:

ECGC Ltd. (Formerly known as Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd.) wholly owned by the Government of India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), was set up in 1957 as  Export Risks Insurance Corporation with the objective of promoting exports from the country by providing credit risk insurance and related services for exports.

ECGC is essentially an export promotion organization, seeking to improve the competitiveness of the Indian exports by providing them with credit insurance covers.

After the introduction of insurance covers to banks during the period 1962-64, the name was changed to Export Credit & Guarantee Corporation Ltd in 1964. It was changed to ECGC Ltd in August 2014.

The Corporation has introduced various export credit insurance schemes to meet the requirements of commercial banks extending export credit. The insurance covers enable the banks to extend timely and adequate export credit facilities to the exporters. ECGC keeps its premium rates at the optimal level.

The Corporation has set before itself the following objectives:

• To encourage and facilitate globalization of India’s trade.
• To assist Indian exporters in managing their credit risks by providing timely information on worthiness of the buyers, bankers and the countries.
• To protect the Indian exporters against unforeseen losses, which may arise due to failure of the buyer, bank or problems faced by the country of the buyer by providing cost effective credit insurance covers in the form of Policy, Factoring and Investment Insurance Services comparable to similar covers available to exporters in other countries.
• To facilitate availability of adequate bank finance to the Indian exporters by providing surety insurance covers for bankers at competitive rates.
• To achieve improved performance in terms of profitability, financial and operational efficiency indicators and achieve optimum return on investment.
• To develop world class expertise in credit insurance among employees and ensure continuous innovation and achieve the highest customer satisfaction by delivering top quality service.
• To educate the customers by continuous publicity and effective marketing.

ECGC provides 

• A range of insurance covers to Indian exporters against the risk of non – realization of export proceeds due to commercial or political risks
• Different types of credit insurance covers to banks and other financial institutions to enable them to extend credit facilities to exporters and
• Export Factoring facility for MSME sector which is a package of financial products consisting of working capital financing, credit risk protection, maintenance of sales ledger and collection of export receivables from the buyer located in an overseas country.

Risk Classification:

The ECGC provides a range of credit risk insurance covers to exporters against loss in export of goods and services due to commercial risks, economic risks, political risks and payment risks. ECGC classifies the countries into seven categories in the ascending order of risks perceived viz:

• Insignificant Risk- A1
• Low Risk-A2
• Moderately Low Risk-B1
• Moderate Risk-B2
• Moderately High Risk-C1
• High Risk-C2
• Very High Risk-D

ECGC conducts a comprehensive review of the countries covered by it based on an internal country risk methodology. This methodology aims at evaluating the country not only on the prevalent economic and political settings, but also on the correct developments that would have an impact on the future, with an increase in horizon of 12 months, as well as forecasts based on the strength and weakness of the country in terms of its economic and political strength.

• Open cover– For a large majority of countries, the ECGC hasn’t placed any limit for covering political risks. Such countries are referred to as ‘open cover’ countries. It enables policyholders to obtain cover on a more liberalized basis.

For those countries under this category ECGC insurance cover under short term is available for political risks for all transactions irrespective of limit on individual buyer or bank. However comprehensive cover (commercial plus political risk) is available depending on ECGC’s assessment of the credit worthiness of the buyer/bank.

• Restricted Cover 
  • Category-I (RCC-I)- Certain countries where the political risks are very high, cover is granted on a restricted basis and revolving limits are issued in place of credit limits. The procedure for sanction of revolving limits is the same as for credit limits. A revolving credit limit caps the maximum amount that an exporter can borrow from the line of credit.

For countries in RCC-1, revolving limits are approved specifically on a case-to-case basis, normally valid for a year. However, the premium rates for the shipments insured under the insurance covers remain unchanged.

• Category-II(RCC-II)-In respect of the few remaining countries under restricted cover, which are considered as high-risk countries, specific approvals are given on the merits of each case. Normally the period of validity of the specific approval is six months.

6. Agri Exports

Subject: Economy

Section: External sector

Context: Srilanka on restricted category

India’s exports of agricultural products, including marine and plantation products, for 2021-22 hit a record at $50 billion. That was up 20% on year.

Concept:

The Indian government has been encouraging agricultural exports to meet an ambitious target of $60bn by 2022.

Traditionally, Basmati rice is one of the top export commodities. However, now there is an unusual spike in the export of non-basmati rice. In 2020-21, India exported 13.09 million tonnes of non-basmati rice ($4.8bn), up from an average 6.9 million tonnes ($2.7bn) in the previous five years.

Indian buffalo meat is seeing a strong demand in international markets due to its lead character and near organic nature. The export potential of buffalo meat is tremendous, especially in countries like Vietnam, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries shows that the contribution of agricultural and processed food products in India’s total exports is 11%.

Top 5 Agricultural Export Products($US Billion)

Agri export Initiatives:

• Agriculture and processed food production export Development Authority (APEDA) is an apex body that promotes export trade of agricultural products in India.  Set-up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under APEDA Act 1985.

APEDA is mandated with the responsibility of export promotion and development of the scheduled agricultural products. Some of the initiatives of APEDA:

• Hortinet: An integrated traceability system covering 40-plus vegetables. It provides Internet based electronic services to the stakeholders for facilitating farm registration, testing and certification of Grape, Pomegranate and Vegetables for export from India to the European Union in compliance with standards.
• A traceability System for Basmati rice (a registered GI product).
• Grapenet – a web based certification and traceability software system for monitoring fresh grapes exported from India to the European Union.
• FarmerConnect portal to help farmer producers’ organisations, cooperatives and exporters. This helps them to create profiles and post their sale offers on the web platform. Exporters can also post their enquiries or needs, and view matching sale offers.
• Virtual Trade Fair -A meeting place for exhibitors, visitors, exporters and industry to exchange information on new products and establish new partnerships.
• SaaS model: Hybrid solution combining its traditional web-based SaaS model for its stakeholders, augmented by an authentic, private Blockchain layer for further data security and authentication.

• Other Agencies-Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Tobacco Board, Tea Board, Coffee Board, Rubber Board and Spices Board to boost the exports of agricultural produce.
• Agriculture Export Policy in 2018-Agriculture Export Policy, 2018 was launched to double the agri exports from present $ 30 bn to $ 60 bn by 2022 and $ 100 bn thereafter, and integrate the farmers with global chains.
• Transport and Marketing Assistance for Specified Agriculture Products– The scheme aims for assisting the international component of freight handling and marketing of agricultural products.
• 100% FDI is allowed in the following activities of agriculture through the automatic route.  

7. Centre has opposed Odisha’s plans for landmark Lingaraj Temple

Subject: History

Section: Art and Culture

Context: The Central government has told the Odisha government that its ordinance to bring the 11th-centuryLingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar and its associated temples under a special law is outside the legislative competence of the state legislature.

Background:

• In December 2019, the Odisha Government had announced a development plan for the temple and its peripheral area in Bhubaneshwar. The 66-acre “EkamraKshetra” development plan was launched to preserve the heritage and development of the nine sites and their nearby areas at a cost of around Rs 700 crore.
• The first phase of the project includes outer access road development, Lingaraj entry plaza, Bindusagar revival plan, parking space, heritage complex, development of amenities for KedarGouri- Mukteswar complex, e-auto project, relocation project and a state-of-the-art interpretation centre.
• The Lingaraj Temple Ordinance of 2020 was introduced to manage the rituals and other activities of the temple and eight other associated temples. This was intended to be on similar lines of the special Act which manages the affairs of the Jagannath temple in Puri, one of the four dhams in India. At present, the Lingaraj temple is being governed under the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Act.
• The ordinance proposed the formation of Lingaraj Temple Managing Committee with a full-time administrator looking after day-to-day affairs of the shrine. Under the Act, a fund creation was proposed to deposit income derived from immovable and movable properties of the temple. The temple has around 1,500 acres in various parts of the state and the lands in most of the places are under encroachment.
• The ordinance was passed by the state cabinet on December 15, 2020.Since the Assembly was not in session, the new law was proposed to be enacted through an ordinance.

Why has the Centre opposed the ordinance?

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has said several sections of the proposed ordinance were in conflict with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act. The AMASR Act provides for preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
• Ministry has pointed out that the state government has already violated the AMASR Act around Lingaraj temple by building modern structures.
• The ministry contended that since the ordinance covers 12 centrally protected monuments including the Lingaraj temple and three tanks, it was outside the legislative competence of the state legislature as it violates the provisions of AMASR Act, 1958. The ministry has further said that an independent Act vesting administrative power to a managing committee, thus facilitating dual administrative authorities will result in conflict.
• Specifying certain points of contention, the ministry pointed out that clause 15(2) of the Odisha ordinance has a provision for retail shops for sale of commodities inside or outside of the temples. But as per AMASR Act a monument should not be used for any other purposes not consistent with its character.
• Similarly, as per clause 17(3) of the Odisha ordinance, the managing committee will oversee the lease or sale of movable or immovable property attached with the Lingaraj temple. But the ministry contended that movable property may include archaeological or artistic object (meaning antiques) and in that case, it will be in conflict with the AMASR Act, 1958.
• Under clause 22(2d) of the ordinance which provides for certain powers to the temple committee to undertake repairs, for which the Archaeological Survey of India is responsible. Therefore, this clause is also in contradiction with the provision of the AMASR Act, 1958, the ministry said.
• Another clause which facilitates special darshan on payment of a fee was also found in violation of the existing agreement between ASI and temple management; which clearly stipulates the public would have free access to the monument.
• The ordinance also provides for repair and construction of new buildings while the centre contended that constructions can only be allowed by the National Monuments Authority.

Lingaraj Temple

https://optimizeias.com/lingaraj-temple

Odisha Temple Architecture

https://optimizeias.com/odisha-temple-architecture/

AMASR ACT

https://optimizeias.com/amasr-act

8. CAG report on UIDAI

Subject: Polity

Section: National bodies

Context: No archiving policy, deficient data management by UIDAI: CAG

What are the problems with UIDAI that have been identified by the CAG?

• Data-matching:  CAG has said the data of Aadhaar card holders have not been matched with their Aadhaar number even after 10 years in some cases.
• Errors in authentication: Aadhaar numbers with poor quality biometrics induces authentication errors. UIDAI takes no responsibility for it and transfers the onus of updating the biometrics to the resident and also charges fees for it.
• Shortfall in archiving: UIDAI did not have a data archiving policy, which is considered “a vital storage management best practice”.
• Privacy concerns: UIDAI has not ensured that the applications or devices used by agencies or companies for authentication “were not capable of storing the personal information of the residents, which put the privacy of residents at risk”.
• Issuance of multiple or duplicate Aadhaar cards: CAG has said that UIDAI generated Aadhaar numbers with incomplete information, which, along with the lack of proper documentation or poor quality biometrics, have resulted in multiple or duplicate Aadhaar cards being issued to the same person. Also notes there is no assurance that all the Aadhaar holders in the country are ‘Residents’ as defined in the Aadhaar Act.

Unique Identification Authority of India

https://optimizeias.com/unique-identification-authority-of-india/