Daily Prelims Notes 29 October 2021

Daily Prelims Notes

29 October 2021

Table Of Contents

1. UNESCO World Heritage forests
2. Heat Waves
3. Agni-5 ballistic missile
4. SWAMIH Fund
5. Meme Coins Floki Currencies And Dogecoin-Killers
6. Home Ministry
7. National Commission for Scheduled Castes
8. GST Compensation cess
9. Nagar Van (Urban Forests)
10. Agreement on Safeguards
11. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021
12. Rigorous Imprisonment
13. Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)
14. Tajikistan Mapping

1. UNESCO World Heritage forests

Subject – Environment

Context – UNESCO World Heritage forests: India’s Sundarbans among 5 sites with highest ‘blue carbon’ globally

Concept –

• India’s Sundarbans National Park is among five sites that have the highest blue carbon stocks globally, according to a new assessment of greenhouse gas volumes emitted from and absorbed by forests in UNESCO World Heritage sites.
• Also, such ‘World Heritage forests’ are now releasing more carbon than they are absorbing, primarily due to human activity and climate change, according to the assessment.
• Researchers at UNESCO, the World Resources Institute and the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated the gross and net carbon absorbed and emitted by UNESCO World Heritage forests between 2001 and 2020.
• They found that UNESCO World Heritage forests in 257 sites absorbed approximately 190 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere each year.
  • This figure, according to the study, was comparable to roughly half the United Kingdom’s annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
• World Heritage forests also stored substantial amounts of carbon in addition to absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
• The study described blue carbon as organic carbon that is mainly obtained from decaying plant leaves, wood, roots and animals. It is captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems.
• Unesco lists 50 sites across the globe for their unique marine values. These represent just one per cent of the global ocean area. But they comprise at least 15 per cent of global blue carbon assets.
• These 50 sites have carbon stores estimated at 1.4 Gigatonne Carbon (Gt C). The Sundarbans National Park has stores of 60 million tonnes of carbon (Mt C).
• The other four sites besides the Sundarbans National Park in India are the Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans (110 Mt C), Great Barrier Reef in Australia (502 Mt C), Everglades National Park in the United States (400 Mt C) and the Banc d’Arguin National Park in Mauritania (110 Mt C).

Worrying scenario

• The researchers found that 10 of 257 forests emitted more carbon than they captured between 2001 and 2020 due to different anthropogenic disturbances and pressures.
• The 10 sites are:
  • Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia)
  • Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
  • Yosemite National Park (US)
  • Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (Canada, US)
  • Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (South Africa)
  • Kinabalu Park (Malaysia)
  • UvsNuur Basin (Russian Federation, Mongolia)
  • Grand Canyon National Park (US)
  • Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia)
  • MorneTrois Pitons National Park (Dominica).

Blue Carbon already covered September DPN

It came in Prelims 2021 on 10^th Oct, 2021

2. Heat Waves

Subject – Environment

Context – Heat waves likely to last ‘25 times longer’ in India by another 2-4 decades, says climate report

Concept –

• The heatwaves in India are likely to “last 25 times longer by 2036-2065” if carbon emissions remain high and push global temperature rise to 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to an international climate report published October 28, 2021 covering G20 countries.
  • The heatwaves will last “over five times longer if global temperature rise is constrained to about 2°C, and one and a half times longer if emissions are very low and temperature rise only reaches 1.5°C”.
  • The G20 is an inter-governmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major economical issues, including those related to international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development.
• Climate change will have devastating impacts on every G20 member, the report said.
• The report said the G20 needs to rapidly cut its emissions, which account for 80 per cent global greenhouse gas emissions, to stabilise economies.

What are heat waves?

• A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western parts of India. Heat Waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.
• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given the following criteria for Heat Waves :
  • Heat Wave need not be considered till maximum temperature of a station reaches atleast 40°C for Plains and atleast 30°C for Hilly regions
  • When normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 5°C to 6°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 7°C or more
  • When normal maximum temperature of a station is more than 40°C Heat Wave Departure from normal is 4°C to 5°C Severe Heat Wave Departure from normal is 6°C or more
  • When actual maximum temperature remains 45°C or more irrespective of normal maximum temperature, heat waves should be declared. Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becomingly increasingly frequent globally due to climate change. India too is feeling the impact of climate change in terms of increased instances of heat waves which are more intense in nature with each passing year, and have a devastating impact on human health thereby increasing the number of heat wave casualties.

Health Impacts of Heat Waves

The health impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. The signs and symptoms are as follows:

• Heat Cramps: Ederna (swelling) and Syncope (Fainting) generally accompanied by fever below 39°C i.e.102°F.
• Heat Exhaustion: Fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and sweating.
• Heat Stoke: Body temperatures of 40°C i.e. 104°F or more along with delirium, seizures or coma. This is a potential fatal condition.

3. Agni-5 ballistic missile

Subject – Defence and Security

Context – Agni-5 ballistic missile, with 5,000-km range, successfully tested in India

Concept –

• Agni-5 ballistic missile, with 5,000-km range was successfully tested in India.
• Though inducted over three years ago, India’s foremost Agni 5 ballistic missile was tested for the first time by the user agency, the Strategic Forces Command (a joint tri-services command, responsible for India’s nuclear weapons).
• The nuclear-capable missile is India’s contender for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with a range of 5,000 km.
• Agni 5 is India’s long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which can hit a target with a precision that is 5,000 km away. This range puts almost the entire China within the missile’s target range.
• Though officially an ICBM needs a missile to have a range of at least 5,500 km, the Agni 5 is India’s closest contender for an ICBM, as it can reach countries across other continents, including parts of Africa and Europe.
• The nuclear capable missile can carry a warhead of around 1,500 kg and has a launch weight of 50,000 kg, making it one of the most potent missiles in the country.
• What makes Agni 5 agile is that it is a “canisterised” missile. It means that the missile can be launched from road and rail platforms, making it easier for it to be deployed and launched at a quicker pace.
  • The canisterisation, which is an encapsulated system in which the missile is stored and launched from, also gives the missile a longer shelf life, protecting it from the harsher climatic conditions.

History of Agni missiles

• India began testing the Agni series of missiles in 1989 with the first test for Agni 1, an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, with a range of around 1,000 km. At that time only the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union, China, France and Israel, had IRBM technology.
• Since then, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) labs have continued to work on it, bringing the latest available Agni 5 to its present capability.
• In addition to the IRBM-capable nations, only North Korea and the UK have ICBM technology at the moment.
• While India is among the handful of nations with (arguably) ICBM capability, the next generation of the missile, Agni VI, under development, is expected to have a range of around 8,000 km.
• Regarding hypersonic missile technology (tested by China recently), India is among a select few serious contenders working towards it, even though it is behind China, the US and Russia.

What is a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle that China tested?

• China had in August tested a new hypersonic missile, which is nuclear capable, which circled the earth before moving towards its target, missing it by two dozen miles.
• While China denied the report claiming it to be a “spacecraft” and not a missile, it demonstrated the capability in hypersonic glide vehicle technology, which raises strategic concerns not just for its neighbours like India, but even its rivals like the US.
• A hypersonic glide vehicle is launched by a rocket which moves in the Earth’s lower orbit, at more than five times to 25 times the speed of sound. The vehicle is capable of carrying nuclear payloads, which gives the launching country the strategic capacity to attack almost any target across the world.

How is it different from an ICBM?

• Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, which have a range of over 5,500 km, have existed since around World War II. These missiles, meant to carry nuclear payloads, have the capacity to carry several warheads.
• While an ICBM follows a parabolic trajectory, which mean it goes up and then comes down in a high arc—like when you throw up a ball, only much higher, further and faster—a hypersonic glide vehicle orbits the earth at a lower height, and is manoeuvrable. The ability to change track or target, mid-trajectory, along with the speed, makes them tougher to track and defend against.
• Hypersonic missiles can travel approximately at 5,000 to 25,000 km per hour, which makes them six to over 25 times faster than modern commercial aircraft. They fly at the heights of a few tens and 100 km. The mix of the high altitude, high speed and the ability to be manoeuvred makes them, both challenging to the best missile defenses now envisioned and, until the last minutes of flight, unpredictable as to their targets.
• Hypersonic missile’s capability gives them both offensive and defensive advantages. The manoeuvrability of such missiles can potentially provide them to use “in-flight updates to attack a different target than originally planned” and the “ability to fly at unpredictable trajectories, these missiles will hold extremely large areas at risk throughout much of their flights”.
• However ICBM would remain the preferred choice, because they are more efficient. They are called the hypersonic glide vehicle “exotic”.

Which countries have hypersonic technology?

• Apart from China, the US and Russia are working on the technology. While this would be China’s first such test for the capability.
• According to the Rand Corporation’s 2017 report, France and India “are the most committed” about gaining the capability, and “both draw to some extent on cooperation with Russia”. It noted that Australia, Japan, and European entities are also working towards it.
• The report stated that hypersonic technology has a dual-use character, as it can be used for non-military purposes like space launch and spacecraft retrieval.

4. SWAMIH Fund

Subject – Economy

Context – SWAMIH Fund exit from investment in Mumbai’s housing project and its impact

Concept –

• The government-backed Special Window for Affordable & Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) Fund has announced complete exit from its investment made in CCI Rivali Park Wintergreen project in Mumbai.
• The fund was set up last year to provide last mile funding to stuck affordable housing projects.
• According to the Finance Ministry, SWAMIH has given final approval to 95 projects sanctioning more than Rs 9,500 crores which will complete over 57,700 homes. It has already completed over 1,500 homes in seven projects and is on track to complete at least 10,000 homes every year.

About the SWAMIH Fund:

• This is a government backed fund that was set up as a Category-II AIF (Alternate Investment Fund) debt fund registered with SEBI, launched in 2019.
• SWAMIH Investment Fund was formed to complete construction of stalled, RERA-registered affordable and mid-income category housing projects which are stuck due to paucity of funds.
• The Investment Manager of the Fund is SBICAP Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the State Bank of India.
• The Sponsor of the Fund is the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India.

5. Meme Coins Floki Currencies And Dogecoin-Killers

Subject – Economy

Context – Dogecoin, the first meme-coin, launched in 2013, has gained momentum.

Concept –

• Dogecoin, the first meme-coin, launched in 2013, has gained momentum, becoming the 10th largest cryptocurrency with a $32.54 billion capital market.
• However, the pioneering meme currency has faced stiff competition from ShibaInu and other floki-themed coins.

What are meme coins?

• Meme coins are cryptocurrencies, inspired by popular social media jokes, sarcasms and puns.
• Currently there are about 124 meme coins, according to the Coinmarketcap website. Dogecoin’s success in 2021 burgeoned the birth of many more meme coins imitating Doge.
• Meme coins are created with no specific use or inherent value, to gain quick high profits. In comparison, mainstream cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are created with specific technology to boost trading and transactions in the crypto market.
• They are way more volatile than other cryptocurrencies as whales can lead to sudden rise and fall in their prices.
• Their performance and fame are mostly linked with social media support and hype created by their influencers and they are highly community-driven.
• Many meme coins have unlimited stock that have a long-term impact on their prices.
• These coins are launched quickly, meaning they can be lost in the long term.
• According to the CoinMarketCap website, DogelonMars, MonaCoin and HogeFinance are among the top 10 cryptocurrencies in terms of market capital after Dogecoin and ShibaInu on October 19.

Floki-themed cryptocurrencies

• Floki- themed cryptocurrencies are dog-meme coins with the name Floki created after Elon Musk tweeted to name his ShibaInu dog Flokifrunk on June 25.
• Some of the floki-themed coins include ShibaFloki, FlokiShiba, Flokinomics, FlokiInu and Baby FlokiInu.

Dogecoin-killer

• ShibaInu was launched in 2020 as a self-proclaimed killer of Dogecoin and aims to become an Ethereum-based substitute of Doge.
• ShibaInu was created by a pseudonymous founder RyoshiInu.
• The meme coin was created to capitalize on the soaring popularity of the leading Dogecoin.
• The meme-coin has the second highest market capital of $11.12 billion after Dogecoin on October 19, according to CoinMarketCsp.
• It has three tokens namely Leash, Bone and Shib and it’s retail demand has increased since the initial listing.
• ShibaInu was recently listed on India’s oldest crypto exchange ZebPay on October 13 for trading and investing.

6. Home Ministry

Subject – Governance

Context – Home Ministry ‘assessing’ challenges to coastal security, says Amit Shah

Concept –

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) discharges multifarious responsibilities, the important among them being – internal security, border management, Centre-State relations, administration of Union Territories, management of Central Armed Police Forces, disaster management, etc.
• Though in terms of Entries 1 and 2 of List II – ‘State List’ – in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, ‘public order’ and ‘police’ are the responsibilities of States, Article 355 of the Constitution enjoins the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
  • In pursuance of these obligations, the Ministry of Home Affairs continuously monitors the internal security situation, issues appropriate advisories, shares intelligence inputs, extends manpower and financial support, guidance and expertise to the State Governments for maintenance of security, peace and harmony without encroaching upon the constitutional rights of the States.
• The Home Ministry is also the cadre controlling authority for the Indian Police Service (IPS), DANIPS and DANICS.
  • Police-I Division of the ministry is the cadre controlling authority in respect of the Indian Police Service; whereas, the UT Division is the administrative division for DANIPS.

Departments under home Ministry –

1. Department Of Border Management

• Department of Border Management, dealing with the management of borders, including coastal borders, strengthening of border guarding and creation of related infrastructure, border areas development, etc

2. Department Of Internal Security
   • Department of Internal Security, dealing with the Indian Police Service, Central Police Forces, internal security and law &order,insurgency, terrorism, Naxalism, activities of inimical foreign agencies, terrorist financing, rehabilitation, grant of visa and other immigration matters, security clearances,”Protection of Human Rights Act and also matters relating to National integration and Communal Harmony and Ayodhya”, etc
3. Department Of Jammu, Kashmir And Ladakh Affairs
   • Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs deals with the UTs of Jammu,Kashmir&Ladakh, administration of the Armed Forces(J&K) Special Powers Act,1990 (21 of 1990).
4. Department Of Home
   • Dealing with the notification of assumption of office by the President and Vice-President, notification of appointment/resignation of the Prime Minister, Ministers, Governors, nomination to Rajya Sabha/Lok Sabha, Census of the population, registration of births and deaths, etc
5. Department Of Official Language
   • Dealing with the implementation of the provisions of the Constitution relating to official languages and the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963.
6. Department Of States
   • Dealing with Centre-State relations, Inter-State relations, administration of Union Territories, Freedom Fighters’ pension, Human rights, Prison Reforms, Police Reforms, etc.

The Department of Internal Security, Department of States, Department of Home, Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs and Department of Border Management do not function in watertight compartments. They all function under the Union Home Secretary and are inter-linked.

There is a designated Secretary for Department of Border Management and Internal Security also.

Attached / Subordinated Offices

• Assam Rifles
• Border Security Force (BSF)
• Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
• Civil Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs
• Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards, Ministry of Home Affairs
• Directorate General-Fire Services, Civil Defense& Home Guards
• Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless
• Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS)
• Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• National Investigation Agency (NIA)
• National Security Guard (NSG)
• North Eastern Police Academy (NEPA)
• OFFICE OF THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER CENTRAL GST & CENTRAL EXCISE , RANCHI ZONE, PATNA.
• Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Census of India
• SashastraSeema Bal (SSB)

Statutory / Autonomous Bodies

• Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of Home Affairs
• Central Detective Training School, Chandigarh
• Central Detective Training School, Kolkata
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Bhopal
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Guwahati
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Pune
• Indo Tibetan Border Police Force Academy, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
• National Civil Defence College, Nagpur
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
• National Fire Service College
• National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH)
• National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy.

Commissions/ Committees/ Missions

• Committee of Parliament on Official Language.

Schemes / Programmes and Missions

• Bharat Ke Veer – Make a contribution in honour of Indian Bravehearts
• Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)
• CyCord portal, Cyber Coordination Centre, MHA
• Cybercrime Reporting Portal by Ministry of Home Affairs
• Digital Police Portal by NCRB, MHA
• Emergency Response Support System with a single emergency number 112
• FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) Online Services
• Gallantry Medals, Ministry of Home Affairs
• Indian Citizenship Online, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• Indian Police in Service of the Nation
• Information Management System, Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs
• National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP)
• Natural Disaster Management
• Online Library Catalog, National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH)
• Online Overseas Citizen Of India (OCI) Services
• Padma Awards Dashboard
• Padma Awards Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India
• e-Prosecution, Department of Prosecution, Ministry of Home Affairs.

7. National Commission for Scheduled Castes

Subject – Polity

Context – Sameer Wankhede writes to SC Commission over harassment by Nawab Malik.

Concept –

• NCSC is a constitutional body that works to safeguard the interests of the scheduled castes (SC) in India.
• Article 338 of the constitution of India deals with this commission:
• It provides for a National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with duties to investigate and monitor all matters relating to safeguards provided for them, to inquire into specific complaints and to participate and advise on the planning process of their socio-economic development etc.

Its history –

• Special Officer:
  • Initially, the constitution provided for the appointment of a Special Officer under Article 338.
  • The special officer was designated as the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• 65th Amendment, 1990:
  • It replaced the one-member system with a multi-member National Commission for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
  • The Constitution (65th Amendment) Act 1990, amended Article 338 of the Constitution.
• 89th Amendment, 2003:
  • By this amendment, the erstwhile National Commission for SC and ST was replaced by two separate Commissions from the year 2004 which were: National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)- under Article 338-A.

Structure –

• Chairperson.
• Vice-chairperson.
• Three other members.

They are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.

Functions –

• Monitoring and investigating all issues concerning the safeguards provided for the SCs under the constitution.
• Enquiring into complaints relating to the deprivation of the rights and safeguards of the SCs.
• Taking part in and advising the central or state governments with respect to the planning of socio-economic development of the SCs.
• Regular reporting to the President of the country on the implementation of these safeguards.
• Recommending steps to be taken to further the socio-economic development and other welfare activities of the SCs.
• Any other function with respect to the welfare, protection, development and advancement of the SC community.

Constitutional Provisions For Upliftment of the Schedule Caste –

• Article 15(4) refers to the special provisions for their advancement.
• Article 16(4A) speaks of “reservation in matters of promotion to any class or classes of posts in the services under the State in favour of SCs/STs, which are not adequately represented in the services under the State’.
• Article 17 abolishes Untouchability.
• Article 46 requires the State ‘to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and to protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
• Article 335 provides that the claims of the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall be taken into consideration, consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration, in the making of appointments to services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of a State.
• Article 330 and Article 332 of the Constitution respectively provide for reservation of seats in favour of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People and in the legislative assemblies of the States.
• Under Part IX relating to the Panchayats and Part IXA of the Constitution relating to the Municipalities, reservation for SC and ST in local bodies has been envisaged and provided.

8. GST Compensation cess

Subject – Economy

Context – GST shortfall: Centre releases 44K crore as back-to-back loan

Concept –

• GST Compensation cess was introduced as relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST.
• States, in lieu of giving up their powers to collect taxes on goods and services after local levies were subsumed under the GST, were guaranteed a 14 per cent tax revenue growth in the first five years after GST implementation by the Central government.
• States’ tax revenue as of FY16 is considered as the base year for the calculation of this 14 per cent growth.
• Any shortfall against it is supposed to be compensated by the Centre using the funds specifically collected as compensation cess.
• Compensation cess is levied on five products considered to be ‘sin’ or luxury goods like SUV, pan masala, cigrattes.
• The collected compensation cess flows into the Consolidated Fund of India, and then transferred to the Public Account of India, where a GST compensation cess account has been created.
• States are compensated bi-monthly from the accumulated funds in this account.

9. Nagar Van (Urban Forests)

Subject – Environment

Context – Urban ‘forests’ can store almost as much carbon as tropical rainforests

Concept –

• The government had announced implementation of the Nagar Van Scheme on the occasion of the World Environment Day, 2020 (5th June).
• The theme of World Environment Day 2020 is ‘Celebrating Biodiversity’—a concern that is both urgent and existential but India has decided to focus on Nagar Van (Urban Forests) in addition to the official theme.
• The Nagar Van (Urban Forests) aims to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in the next five years.
• Warje Urban Forest in Pune (Maharashtra) will be considered as a role model for the Scheme.
• The Scheme enforces people’s participation and collaboration between the Forest Department, Municipal bodies, NGOs, Corporates and local citizens.
• These urban forests will primarily be on the existing forest land in the City or any other vacant land offered by local urban local bodies.
• The finances for the scheme will be paid for by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016) funds.

Significance of Urban Forests –

• Urban trees are particularly effective at absorbing CO₂, because they are located so close to sources such as fossil fuel-burning transport and industrial activity.
• Comprehensive urban forestry planning can influence the everyday lives of city dwellers by reducing storm water runoff, decreasing wildfire risk and severity, reducing urban heat islands, decreasing utility costs, increasing economic growth, and providing clean drinking water.
• Urban trees also have the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and serve as long-term carbon sinks. However, cities seem to be lacking in language and planning to link together various mitigation and adaptation strategies specifically to sequester and store CO2 within urban trees.
• Typically, tree mass is estimated by comparing the diameter of the trunk or the height of the tree to the mass of similar trees (ideally the same species), which have been cut down and weighed in the past. This process relies on the assumption that trees of a certain species have a clear size-to-mass ratio.

10. Agreement on Safeguards

Subject – Economy

Context – EU steel tariff extension: India may strike back

Concept –

• The Agreement on Safeguards (“SG Agreement”) sets forth the rules for application of safeguard measures pursuant to Article XIX of GATT 1994.
• Safeguard measures are defined as “emergency” actions with respect to increased imports of particular products, where such imports have caused or threaten to cause serious injury to the importing Member’s domestic industry.
• Such measures, which in broad terms take the form of suspension of concessions or obligations, can consist of quantitative import restrictions or of duty increases to higher than bound rates.
• Major guiding principles of the Agreement with respect to safeguard measures are that
  • such measures must be temporary;
  • that they may be imposed only when imports are found to cause or threaten serious injury to a competing domestic industry;
  • that they be applied on a non-selective (i.e., most-favoured-nation, or “MFN”, basis;
  • that they be progressively liberalized while in effect; and
  • that the Member imposing them must pay compensation to the Members whose trade is affected.
• The SG Agreement was negotiated in large part because GATT Contracting Parties increasingly had been applying a variety of so-called “grey area” measures (bilateral voluntary export restraints, orderly marketing agreements, and similar measures) to limit imports of certain products.
• In its own words, the SG Agreement, which explicitly applies equally to all Members, aims to:
  • (1) clarify and reinforce GATT disciplines, particularly those of Article XIX;
  • (2) re-establish multilateral control over safeguards and eliminate measures that escape such control; and
  • (3) encourage structural adjustment on the part of industries adversely affected by increased imports, thereby enhancing competition in international markets.

11. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021

Subject – Governance

Context – Centre proposes stricter regulations for CWC

Concept –

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 states that adoption of a child is final on the issuance of an adoption order by the civil court.  The Bill provides that instead of the court, the district magistrate (including additional district magistrate) will issue such adoption orders.

• Adoption:  Under the Act, once prospective adoptive parents accept a child, an adoption agency files an application in a civil court to obtain the adoption order.  The adoption order issued by the court establishes that the child belongs to the adoptive parents.  The Bill provides that instead of the court, the district magistrate (including additional district magistrate) will perform these duties and issue all such orders.
• Appeals: The Bill provides that any person aggrieved by an adoption order passed by the district magistrate may file an appeal before the Divisional Commissioner, within 30 days of such order.  Such appeals should be disposed within four weeks from the date of filing of the appeal.
• The Act provides that there will be no appeal for any order made by a Child Welfare Committee concluding that a person is not a child in need of care and protection.  The Bill removes this provision.
• Serious offences: The Act provides that the Juvenile Justice Board will inquire about a child who is accused of a serious offence.  Serious offences are those for which the punishment is imprisonment between three to seven years.  The Bill adds that serious offences will also include offences for which maximum punishment is imprisonment of more than seven years, and minimum punishment is not prescribed or is less than seven years.
• Designated Court: The Act provides that offences against children that are punishable with imprisonment of more than seven years, will be tried in the Children’s Court (equivalent to a Sessions Court).  Other offences (punishable with imprisonment of less than seven years) will be tried by a Judicial Magistrate.  The Bill amends this to provide that all offences under the Act will be tried in the Children’s Court.
• Offences against children: The Act provides that an offence under the Act, which is punishable with imprisonment between three to seven years will be cognizable (where arrest is allowed without warrant) and non-bailable.  The Bill provides that such offences will be non-cognizable and non-bailable.
• Child Welfare Committees (CWCs): The Act provides that states must constitute one or more CWCs for each district for dealing with children in need of care and protection.  It provides certain criteria for the appointment of members to CWC.  For instance, a member should be: (i) involved in health, education, or welfare of children for at least seven years, or (ii) a practising professional with a degree in child psychology, psychiatry, law, or social work.  The Bill adds certain criteria for a person to be ineligible to be a member of the CWC.  These include: (i) having any record of violation of human rights or child rights, or (ii) being a part of the management of a child care institution in a district.

12. Rigorous Imprisonment

Subject – Governance

Context – Man gets 20 years RI for sexual assault on minor

Concept –

• The term, “rigorous imprisonment”, is found in Section 53 of the Indian Penal Code which categorizes the nature of punishment for convicts.
• The provision defines rigorous imprisonment as “imprisonment with hard labour”.
• RI sentence is pronounced based on the gravity of offence of the accused criminal.

13. Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)

Subject – IR

Context – India-EU trade talks toresume by December

Concept –

• The BTIA broad trade arrangement covers many factors of trade in goods, services, and investment.
• In June 2007, India and the EU began negotiations on a broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) in Brussels, Belgium.
• These negotiations are pursuant to the commitment made by political leaders at the 7th India-EU Summit held in Helsinki on 13th October 2006 to move towards negotiations for a broad-based trade and investment agreement on the basis of the report of India-EU High Level Technical Group.
• If successfully concluded, BTIA has the potential to bring real substance to the India-EU Strategic Partnership.
• India-EU trade relations are backed by the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development signed in December 1993, and the EU-India Strategic Partnership launched in 2004.

Trade between India and EU –

• According to the latest Eurostat report, the EU is India’s third-largest trading partner by far, accounting for 11.1 percent of India’s total external trade below China (12 percent) and the USA (11.7 percent).
• At the same time, India is the EU’s tenth largest trading partner, with 1.8 percent of total trade in 2020.
• The EU is one of the important sources of F
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for India.

14. Tajikistan Mapping

Subject – IR

Context – China to build military base in Tajikistan

Concept –