Daily Prelims Notes 7 September 2022

September 7, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

7 September 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Difficult to implement; what is the idea of climate reparation?

Subject : Environment

Section : Climate change

Context: Facing the worst flooding disaster in its history, Pakistan has begun demanding reparations, or compensation, from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change.

Concept:

What is “Polluter Pays” principle?

“Polluter Pays” principle that makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.

What is Common But Differentiated Responsibilities?

It is a principle that was formalized in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
CBDR is a principle that acknowledges different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change.
CBDR is based on two elements of responsibilities- one is the common responsibility of all the states to cater to the concerns of environmental protection and sustainable development and the other is of differentiated responsibility enabling the states to act, for environment protection, in their national capacity and as per their national priority.

What are climate reparations?

Climate reparations refer to a call for money to be paid by the Global North to the Global South as a means of addressing the historical contributions that the Global North has made (and continues to make) toward climate change.

What is Climate justice?

Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens of climate change and responsibilities to deal with climate change.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

OCHA is a United Nations (U.N.) body
It was established in 1991 to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disasters
It is the successor to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO)
OCHA’s mandate was subsequently broadened to include coordinating humanitarian response, policy development and humanitarian advocacy
OCHA organized the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.
It is a sitting observer in the United Nations Development Group.
The headquarters is based in two locations (New York and Geneva)

2. Environment takes back seat: MoEFCC extends SOx compliance deadline again

Subject : Environment

Section :Pollution

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEf&CC) September 5, 2022 once again granted more time to the thermal power plants for meeting the sulphur dioxide (SOx) standards.
Thermal power plants within 10 kilometres of the Delhi-National Capital Region or cities with million-plus populations were supposed to meet the SOx standards by the end of this year.
In the case of retiring plants, the deadline for PM and NOX remains the same. The deadline for meeting the SOx norms for retiring plants was extended till 2027 by the latest notification.
Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which is the regulator and monitoring agency for implementation of emission norms, only reports on SOx standards. No information is available in the public domain on compliance with PM and NOX norms.

Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FED):

Removal of Sulfur Dioxide is called as Flue-gas Desulphurization (FGD).
It seeks to remove gaseous pollutants viz. SO₂ from exhaust flue gases generated in furnaces, boilers, and other industrial processes due to thermal processing, treatment, and combustion.
FGD systems may involve wet scrubbing or dry scrubbing.
In wet FGD systems, flue gases are brought in contact with an absorbent, which can be either a liquid or a slurry of solid material. The sulfur dioxide dissolves in or reacts with the absorbent and becomes trapped in it.
In dry FGD systems, the absorbent is dry pulverized lime or limestone; once absorption occurs, the solid particles are removed by means of baghouse filters.

Sulfur Dioxide Pollution

According to a report by Greenpeace (an environmental Non-Governmental Organization), India is the largest emitter of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) in the world
The primary reason for India’s high emission output is the expansion of coal-based electricity generation over the past decade.

Source:

The largest source of SO₂ in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities.
Smaller sources of SO₂emissions include: industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore; natural sources such as volcanoes; and locomotives, ships and other vehicles and heavy equipment that burn fuel with a high sulfur content.

Impact: SO₂ can affect both health and the environment.

Short-term exposures to SO₂ can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO₂.
SO₂ emissions that lead to high concentrations of SO₂ in the air generally also lead to the formation of other sulfur oxides (SOx). SOx can react with other compounds in the atmosphere to form small particles. These particles contribute to particulate matter (PM) pollution.
- Small particles may penetrate deeply into the lungs and in sufficient quantities can contribute to health problems.

Central Electricity Authority

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is a statutory organization constituted under Section 3 (1) of the repealed Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948 and continued under Section 70 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
It was established as a part time body in 1951 and made a full time body in the year 1975. As per Section 70 (3) of the Electricity Act, 2003, the authority shall consist of not more than 14 members, including its chairperson of whom not more than eight shall be full time members to be appointed by the Central Government.
The CEA is headed by a chairperson who, as the Chief Executive of the authority, oversees largely the development of power sector in the country.
It advises the government on matters relating to the National Electricity Policy (NEP) and formulates short-term and perspective plans for the development of electricity systems.
It is the designated authority for cross border trade of electricity.
It also prescribes the standards on matters such as construction of electrical plants, electric lines and connectivity to the grid, safety and grid standards and installation and operation of meters.
It is also responsible for concurrence of hydro power development schemes of central, state and private sectors for efficient development of river and its tributaries for power generation.

3. Twitter can’t seek rights available to citizens: Govt in HC

Subject :Polity

Section : Pollution

The decision on “whether content will cause national security or public order issues or not should not be allowed to be determined by the platforms,’’ the Central government had argued in the counter to a petition filed by Twitter Inc in the Karnataka High Court against a series of orders to block content on the platform that has been issued by the center in the year 2021.
Twitter had moved the court earlier this year with a plea to quash 10 orders issued in the year 2021 by the Centre to block as many as 39 accounts or to restrict the orders to specific tweets which violate Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The Centre has argued in its counter that Twitter not being natural person and not even being an artificial person founded under Indian law cannot claim rights under Article 19 and further cannot claim the vast expanse of rights under Article 14 or Article 21 either for itself or on behalf of its users
If the Twitter fails to comply with the directions issued by the Government under Section 69A of IT Act, 2000, then it’s intermediary status is liable to be withdrawn

Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000

It empowers the central government to block the online content and arrest the culprit. This is the primary law that deals with cyber-crime and electronic commerce in India.
Section 69A of the Information Technology Act has given many power to the central government. Read sections of the act;

Issue direction to remove objectionable content on social media and any other website.
To block the online content in the wake of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, defence of India, friendly relations with foreign States.
The procedure and safeguards subject to which such blocking for access by the public may be carried out shall be such as may be prescribed.
The concerned authorities failing to comply with the direction (sub-section 1) issued might be punished with imprisonment for a term up to to seven years and shall also be liable to fine.

The apex court said that the Centre can exercise its power to issue directions to block an internet site, saying there are adequate procedural safeguards. The court also said that national security is above individual privacy.
As we know that the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 allows the central government to tap phones. The Supreme Court had given a verdict in 1996 and said that the government can tap phones only in case of a “public emergency”.
But in the case of Section 69 of the IT Act, no such restriction is imposed by the Supreme Court.
Recently the government of India had banned many Chinese apps citing the provisions of Section 69A of the information technology act, 2000.

Intermediaries as per the IT Act 2000:

Intermediary is defined in Section 2(1) (w) of the IT Act 2000.
The term ‘intermediaries’ includes providers of telecom service, network service, Internet service and web hosting, besides search engines, online payment and auction sites, online marketplaces and cyber cafes.
It includes any person who, on behalf of another, “receives, stores or transmits” any electronic record. Social media platforms would fall under this definition.
Section 79 of the IT Act 2000 makes it clear that “an intermediary shall not be liable for any third-party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him”.
Section 79 provides that an intermediary would lose its immunity if upon receiving actual knowledge or on being notified that any information, data or communication link residing in or connected to a computer resource controlled by it is being used to commit an unlawful act and it fails to expeditiously remove or disable access to that material.

4. The controversy over K.K. Shailaja’s nomination for the Ramon Magsaysay Award

Subject :Current Affairs

Section :Prizes

The decision of former Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja to decline an offer to be considered for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award this year has sparked a row following allegations that the CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)) restrained her from accepting the honour.

Why did the CPI(M) decline?

The party cited the ‘anti-communist’ credentials of the former Philippines President as the reason for declining the offer. Magsaysay was a “staunch anti-communist” who oversaw the defeat of communists (Hukbalahap) in Philippines in the 1950s, leaders of the Left said. “…this award is in the name of Ramon Magsaysay who has a history of brutal oppression of the communists in the Philippines,” said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to news agency PTI.

Who was Ramon Magsaysay?

Born in 1907, Ramon Magsaysay served as the seventh President of the Philippines from December 1953 to March 1957 before he was killed in a plane crash on Mount Manunggal in Cebu island.
As President, Magsaysay led several agrarian, military and administrative His three-year tenure is often cited as the ‘golden years’ of the Philippines.

What is the Ramon Magsaysay Award?

Following the death of President Ramon Magsaysay in 1957, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) established the Ramon Magsaysay Awards in the President’s honour in agreement with the Philippines government.
Later, the Fund set up the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, a non-profit organisation to manage Asia’s biggest honour that recognises selfless work transforming lives. Regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize, the award was initially given for contributions to government service, public service, community leadership, journalism, literature and creative communication arts, and peace and international understanding. The category of ‘emergent leadership’ was added later.
From India, 58 have bagged the international honour. Some of the past awardees include Mother Teresa, Satyajit Ray, VergheseKurien, Arvind Kejriwal, Mahasweta Devi and Aruna Roy.

What about the campaign against the communist rebellion?

The Hukbalahap was a communist-led, peasant-based movement with its roots in the pre-colonial era of political, economic and social inequalities. It was founded in the 1940s to fight the Japanese Army that had invaded the Philippines. Backed by U.S. forces, the Philippines government disarmed the rebels and arrested their leaders.
Magsaysay launched the Economic Development Corps (EDCOR) project to establish resettlement colonies for the Huks, provided ‘cash for guns’ to facilitate their return to mainstream society and pushed for a land reform law. Later as President, Ramon Magsaysay led a massive anti-Huks campaign ‘Operation Thunder-Lightning’ in 1954 with the help of a reorganised military and intelligence.

5. From Kingsway to Rajpath to Kartavya Path of Central Vista: a short history of Delhi’s century-old stretch

Subject :History

Section : Pollution

Delhi’s iconic Rajpath – stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate – is all set to be renamed Kartavya Path (Path of Duty), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the revamped Central Vista Avenue on Thursday (September 8).

Kingsway

Called Kingsway during British rule, it was built as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the architects of New Delhi, in around 1920.
Running from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, the avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees.
It was in 1911 when the British government decided to shift their capital from Kolkata (then Calcutta) to Delhi, and consequently, they started building New Delhi to serve as the administrative capital.

Rajpath

Following the independence of India, the road was given its Hindi name of ‘Rajpath’ in place of its English designation. This represented a mere translation than a renaming since ‘Rajpath’ in Hindi broadly means king’s way. For 75 years, it has been known as the showpiece stretch for the Republic Day parade that is held on January 26 every year.
During his address from the Red Fort on August 15 this year, PM Modi stressed the abolition of symbols relating to the “colonial mindset”. The Rajpath will shed another colonial relic on September 8 when The Grand Canopy, which once had the statue of George V, will be fitted with a 28-feet idol of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, known for his defiance of the British authority in India.

Kartavya Path

The construction work for the Central Vista Redevelopment Project started in February 2021, with the new Parliament building and redevelopment of central vista avenue as its first phase.
For Republic Day celebrations, foldable seating arrangements would be made to replace the temporary structures that are installed and removed every year, it said. The objective of the proposal is to make the Avenue an icon that “truly befits New India”, the government said, about the Rs 608 crore Central Vista Avenue project.

Central Vista

Currently, the Central Vista of New Delhi houses Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, National Archives among others.
In December, 1911, King George V made an announcement in Delhi Durbar (a grand assembly) to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.
- Delhi Durbar was hosted to mark the coronation of King George V.
The task of constructing a new city was given to Edwin Lutyens, known for his strong adherence to European Classicism and Herbert Baker, a prominent architect in South Africa.
- Herbert Baker is also the architect of the Union buildings at Pretoria, South Africa.
Parliament House building was designed by both Lutyens and Baker.
Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
The Secretariat which includes both north and south block was designed by Herbert Baker.

Central Vista Redevelopment Project

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs proposed a Central Vista redevelopment project in 2019.
The project envisages
- Constructing a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one.
- Constructing Common Central Secretariat.
- Revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath — from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
  - North and South Block to be repurposed as museums

6. From Rights-Based to Duty-Based: NDMC Renames Rajpath to Kartavya Path

Subject: Polity

Section: Constitution

Context:Delhi’s iconic Rajpath – stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate – is all set to be renamed Kartavya Path (Path of Duty)

Concept:

Rights and duties are closely related and cannot be separated from one another. For every right, there is a corresponding duty.
The State protects and enforces rights and it is the duty of all citizens to be loyal to the state. Thus a citizen has both Rights and Duties.
Indian Constitution provides its citizens with the Fundamental Rights and lists the Fundamental Duties to be followed by them.
- Fundamental Rights (Part III of the constitution).
- Fundamental Duties(Part IVA of the constitution).

What are fundamental rights?

Fundamental rights are the basic human rights enshrined in the Constitution of India which are guaranteed to all citizens.
Fundamental rights are enforceable by the courts, subject to certain conditions.
Articles 12-35 of Part-3 of Indian Constitution deal with Fundamental Rights.
- Right to Equality (Article 14-18)
- Right to Freedom (Article 19-22)
- Right against Exploitation (Article 23-24)
- Right to Freedom of Religion (Article 25-28)
- Cultural and Educational Rights (Article 29-30)
- Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32)
Fundamental rights are not absolute as they have reasonable restrictions subjected to the conditions of state security, public morality and decency and friendly relations with foreign countries.
Fundamental rights can be amended by the Parliament by a constitutional amendment without altering the basic structure of the Constitution.
Certain fundamental rights are available only to the citizens, namely: Article 15, 16, 19, 29, 30.

What are fundamental duties?

Fundamental duties basically imply the moral obligations of all citizens of a country.
Currently there are 11 fundamental duties under Article 51A, Part IV-A of the Constitution.
Originally, the fundamental duty of India was not a part of the Indian Constitution.
The Fundamental Duties were added in 1976, upon recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee that was constituted by Indira Gandhi just after the declaration of national emergency.
10 duties were added by the 42nd Amendment and 11th duty was added by the 86th Amendment in 2002.
Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable and hence can’t be taken to the court of law (non-enforceable).

7. Unicorns in India

Subject :Economy

Section: Economy

Context:

India ranks third in the number of unicorns created, according to the latest Hurun Global Unicorn Index.

Details:

The US tops the list, with 138 start-ups, achieving a valuation of $1 billion in the same period.
India has created the second-highest number of unicorns – 14 – in the first half of 2022.
- India consolidated its Top 3 spot with 68 unicorns in India and in total 124 unicorns founded by Indians around the world
- Bengaluru accounts for 2.5 percent of the world’s unicorns.
China created just 10 new unicorns in the first half of 2022, despite having the second highest number of unicorns globally.
Cities with the most unicorns–San Francisco 176 (World Unicorn Capital)> New York 120> Beijing 90> Shanghai 69> London 39> Bengaluru and Shenzhen with 33 unicorns each.

What is a Unicorn?

Unicorns are privately held, venture-capital backed startups that have reached a value of $1 billion.
Features:
- Disruptive innovation: Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to, for example, Uber transformed commuting.
- Technology-driven: The business model is driven by the latest technological innovations and trends.
- Consumer-focused: Their goal is to simplify things for consumers and be a part of their day-to-day life.
- Affordability: Keeping things affordable is another key highlight of these startups.
- Privately owned: Most of the unicorns are privately owned which gets their valuation bigger when an established company invests in it.
- Software-based: A recent report suggests that 87% of the unicorns’ products are software, 7% are hardware and the rest 6% are other products & services.
The valuation of unicorns is not expressly linked to their current financial performance, but largely based on their growth potential as perceived by investors and venture capitalists who have taken part in various funding rounds.
The average annual growth rate of Indian unicorns is more than that of the U.S., the U.K. and many other countries.
American venture capitalist Aileen Lee is credited with coining the term in 2013. It was used to emphasize the rarity of the emergence of such startups.
A decacorn is a company that has attained a valuation of more than USD10 billion.
- As of May 2022, 47 companies world over have achieved the decacorn status.
- India has four startups namely, Flipkart, BYJU’s, Nykaa and Swiggy, added in the decacorn cohort.

8. Mongla & Chattogram (Chittagong) Port

Subject: International relations

Section: International relations

Context:

India is exploring new routes of cargo shipment to its North-Eastern States using Bangladesh’s ports as trans-shipment hubs.

Details:

Two ports in Bangladesh — Mongla & Chattogram (Chittagong) — are being tapped as possible transit hubs.
- This means that goods will be shipped from the Kolkata port (Syama Prasad Mookerjee port) to these two ports and from there, they will be shipped via road to the Indian States, Assam (the lower Assam region), Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.
- This would reduce the travel time by almost half, and the costs by nearly one-fifth.
- Cargo movement, partly through waterways and partly via roads, is a six-to-eight day process.
Travel to the North-Eastern States via the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ region — also called the Siliguri Corridor — takes at least 9 to 12 days; and this includes a 10 – 15 per cent damage of goods because of road conditions.

Concept:

Mongla Port:

Mongla, also called Mongla Port, formerly Chalna Port, port city, southwestern Bangladesh.
Formerly located at Chalna, about 11 miles (18 km) upstream on the Pusur River, the port is the main seaport for the country’s western region.
It is a sea port of Khulna city which is located near to the north.
It is the second largest and second busiest seaport of Bangladesh.
Mongla port lies close to the shore of Bay of Bengal and Pashur river.
Due to the increasing congestion in Bangladesh’s largest port in Chittagong, many international shipping companies have turned to Mongla as an alternative.
The port’s chief exports include jute, leather, tobacco, frozen fish, and shrimp. Major imports include grain, cement, fertilizer, coal, and wood pulp.
Mongla is also a gateway for tourist ships traveling to the largest mangrove forest of the world, the Sunderbans. It is also marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Chittagong or Chattogram Port:

It is one of the important seaports of Bangladesh, located in the region of Chittagong hill tracts.
It is the main seaport of Bangladesh and is located on the bank of the Karnaphuli River.
The port of Chittagong was known as Shetgang as early as the 4th century BC, and it received ships from the Middle East and China.
Almost 90% of Bangladesh’s exports and imports are now handled by the Chittagong Port.
In the colonial era, the Chittagong Port was one of the largest ports of eastern India through which cargo was carried to the borders of Myanmar through railways and roadways.
Due to the sea port’s close proximity with North-Eastern Indian states, the port facility has the potential to significantly boost economic activity in the North-East Indian states.

9. India-Bangladesh Trading relations and CEPA

Subject : Economy

Section: External Sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India and Bangladesh will soon commence negotiations on a Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Details:

As Bangladesh prepares to graduate into a developing nation by 2026 — after which it may no longer qualify for trade benefits that it currently enjoys as a least-developed country.

Concept:

Bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):

The CEPA is likely to focus on trade in goods, services, and investment, with a key objective being the reduction of the trade gap between the two countries.

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):

A comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) is a kind of free trade pact that covers negotiation on the trade in services and investment, and other areas of economic partnership.
It may even consider negotiation in areas such as trade facilitation and customs cooperation, competition, and IPR.
Partnership agreements or cooperation agreements are more comprehensive than Free Trade Agreements.
CEPA also looks into the regulatory aspect of trade and encompasses an agreement covering the regulatory issues.
India has signed CEPAs with South Korea, UAE and Japan.

Existing frameworks

The current institutional frameworks for trade and investment include:

In 2015, the bilateral trade agreement between the two countries was renewed for a period of five years with a provision for auto renewal.
Under the provisions of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), Bangladesh extends preferential tariffs to Indian exports of products outside the ‘sensitive list’ of 993 items. In 2011, India announced duty-free, quota-free access to Bangladesh for all tariff lines except tobacco and alcohol.
An Agreement on Promotion and Protection of Investments has been in force since 2011.
To facilitate trade and transit through inland waterways, a Protocol on Inland Waterways Trade and Transit (PIWTT) has been in place since 1972.
- The protocol allows the movement of goods by barges/ vessels on eight routes between points in India and Bangladesh, as well as between points in India through Bangladesh.
Direct sea movement of containerized/ bulk/ dry cargo began after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Coastal Shipping in June 2015.
MoUs were signed in 2015 on the use of the Chittagong and Mongla Ports for Movement of Goods to and from India.
The MoU on Border Haatson the India-Bangladesh border was renewed in April 2017.
- Currently, four Border Haats — two each in Meghalaya (Kalaichar and Balat) and Tripura (Srinagar and Kamalasagar) — are functional.
- Work on setting up two more haats on the Tripura-Bangladesh border and four on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border is under way. The two sides have also decided to identify locations for another six Border Haats.

India-Bangladesh Trading relations:

In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trade partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest destination for Indian exports worldwide.
India is Bangladesh’s second biggest trade partner, and its largest export market in Asia.