PIAS Current Affairs 11 October 2022
| CONTENTS Russia- Violation of International law MP- Malnutrition Energy security Drugs menace World mental health day Mains value addition Prelims |
TOPIC – GS-II – International organisations and its mandate
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Context- Russian violation of international law(Recent annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson)
- UNGA- A resolution in March 2022 in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) demanded that Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine, UNGA resolutions are not binding.
- ICJ – On Ukraine’s application, the ICJ, ordered Russia to immediately suspend its military operations in Ukraine. Russia has not complied with this decision.
- Russian troops in Ukraine have been accused of indulging in war crimes under international humanitarian law.
- Under international law, Russia’s control over the four Ukrainian regions, before the so-called referendums, is known as ‘belligerent occupation’.
- Rules on belligerent occupation are explained under the Hague Convention of 1899 — the first treaty that laid down the laws of war.
- Article 43 of the Convention states that if “the authority of the legitimate power over territory” has “passed into the hands of the occupant, the latter shall take all steps in his power to re-establish and ensure public order and safety”.
- It clearly states ,the occupier, only has ‘authority’ and not ‘sovereignty’ over these regions.
- Mr. Putin frequently invokes the UN Charter.
| Article 51 -UN Charter | Self-defence against an armed attack |
| Article 1 | Right of self-determination of the people of the regions |
| Article 2 | Non-intervention as one of the seven core principles of the UN |
- Nuclear weapons in the war- Neither Russia nor Ukraine has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
- UN Charter empowers the Security Council to take action even in the case of threat of force, it is not going to materialise, primarily because of Russia’s veto power as a UN Security Council member.
GS-II -Governance
MADHYAPRADESH- MALNUTRITION
Context – A confidential report by the Madhya Pradesh Accountant-General show “large scale fraud/misappropriation in the identification of beneficiaries, production, transportation, distribution and quality control of THR -Take Home Ration.
Stats
- M.P. had the worst infant mortality rate( IMR) and the third-worst maternal mortality ratio in 2017-19
- NFHS-5 (2019-20) -IMR in M.P. was 41.3, above the national average of 35.2
Vicious cycle of malnourishment & Poverty:
- Children do not have resources for education and their parents do not have any source of livelihood.
- Parents turn to illegal liquor trade as a consequence.
- And if they are arrested, their families sell the little girls to get money for their release.
- The THR comprises food grains and other items provided to address the nutritional requirements of 49.58 lakh beneficiaries — children (0.5–3 years), pregnant and lactating mothers, and out-of-school adolescent girls (11-14 years).
- THR is discontinued after the age of 14 for girls dropping out of school, When they become mothers, the cycle continues.
Governance failure
- Corruption is the cause of this malaise,
- Poor condition of Anganwadis and irregularities in mid-day meal distribution. In September Mineral Resources Minister wrote a letter to School Education Minister alleging non-distribution of mid-day meals in 100 schools in his constituency for the past six months.
- Denial of malnutrition being a major concern despite M.P. being among the worst performers since NFHS-1 (1992-93).
- The State tries to manage the problem by simply supplying food instead of examining the fact that malnutrition occurs as a complex interplay of various factors including gender, caste, lack of sanitation, poor maternal health, early marriages, and lack of access to land and other resources.
- Centralisation and standardisation of nutrition programmes also restrict the adoption of locally available food in a large and diverse State.
- Centralisation also provides opportunities for pilferage during the transportation or monitoring processes.
Way forward
- Coordination between different ministries and make officers involved in nutrition programmes accountable.
- Measures to reduce girls drop outs by increasing employment oppurtunities to the families.
- Nutrition-centric micro-planning allows for tweaks and better resource management in the form of linking agriculture and horticulture.
- Making communities involved..
GS- III – Economy
MINERAL MINING- ENERGY SECURITY
Context – Need of energy security due to less availability of oil & gas in wake of Ukraine crisis.
Why there is need of energy security
- Pricing and availability of oil and gas in the wake of the Ukraine crisis
- The fragility of clean energy supply chains with dependence on fossil fuels.
- Imported inflationary pressures through exposure to volatile oil and gas markets Risks to macroeconomic growth and stability as India is import-dependent for 85% of its oil and half of its gas needs.
- Securing access to key minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth metals is critical for building resilient and indigenous supply chains for clean energy technologies.
Challenges
- Reserves are often concentrated in regions that are geopolitically sensitive or fare poorly in EDB.
- A portion of existing production is controlled by geostrategic competitors. For example, China wields considerable influence in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo through direct equity investments and its Belt and Road Initiative.
- Future mine production is often tied up in offtake agreements by other countries
Way forward
Sourcing of strategic minerals, GOI established Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) in 2019 with the mandate to secure mineral supply for the domestic market.
- First, figure out the mineral requirements of the domestic industry to support indigenous manufacturing.
By a task force which includes the ministries -Create 5 year road maps with clear targets for deployment and indigenous manufacturing – assess the technology mix .
- Second, coordinate with the domestic industry to determine where strategic interventions by the government would be necessary for the purpose. KABIL could collaborate with industry to bolster its market intelligence capabilities
- Third, if conducive investments opportunities don’t exist, KABIL should pre-emptively sign offtake agreements with global mineral suppliers to secure future production.
- Fourth, the government should jointly invest in mining assets with geostrategic partners. KABIL should make equity investments in mining jurisdictions , leverage government-to-government partnerships to mitigate investment risks.
- Fifth, support technologies that utilise domestically available materials.
Ex- sodium-ion batteries could reduce import requirements
- Lastly, develop policies on urban mining aimed at recycling mineral inputs from deployments that have completed their useful life.
GS-III, Health and security
DRUGS MENACE
Narendra Modi’s vision of a “drug-free India” and a “zero tolerance policy” has been adopted to thwart every attempt of drug traffickers and “organised mafia” to dent India’s economy and national security.
Drug network India -Direct and indirect
- The demand for heroin in India had dwindled due to a marked shift in consumption patterns. The accent is on synthetic drugs, chiefly MDMA, ephedrine and methamphetamines.
- GOLDEN CRESCENT- Bumper opium crop in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
- PORTS- Indian ports are used as safe houses for concealing drugs from Afghanistan, Iran to Foreign markets .EX- Iranian ship seized in kochi by navy and NCB
- Land route- Confiscated 102 kg of heroin concealed in liquorice roots imported from Afghanistan at the Attari land port on the India-Pakistan border near Amritsar
- NORTHEAST- Drug consumption in the NE region is a serious problem.Drug smugglers from the northeast are also in collusion with Nigerians , Myanmar based syndicates.
Way forward
- Prime focus should be on preventing network and cross-border smuggling
- Better coordination among drug enforcement and intelligence agencies to tackle the “borderless crime
- He lauded the enforcement agencies for destroying more than 1.5 lakh kg of drugs during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav phase, which was more than double the target of 75,000 kg set by the government.
- Union Home Minister said the fight against drugs, intensified by the northeastern States, would lead to a unified approach across the country.
- To bring the agencies related to narcotics on one platform, giving a message at the national level that the country has made up its mind to go to the root of this problem and solve it.
MENTAL HEALTH DAY
- The theme or rather the slogan for 2022’s celebration of World Mental health Day is “’Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority‘ World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10.
- Tele-mental health assistance and networking across State (Tele-MANAS), an initiative of the Health Ministry.
- Central government aims to open at least one Tele-MANAS cell in each State/U.T. A toll-free, 24/7 helpline number (14416) has been set up.
- 90% of people living with mental health conditions feel negatively impacted by stigma and discrimination.,says Lancet Commission.
- Stigma & discrimination is worse than mental condition itself.
- media could play a major role in reducing stigma
MAINS VALUE ADDITION
GS-II- OVERCROWDING OF PRISONS-
- Data show that in 2021, the latest year for which numbers are available, over 5.54 lakh people were lodged in prison, while the total capacity of Indian jails was about 4.25 lakh
- The occupancy rate of Indian prisons was 130%, a peak at least in the last decade.
- In 2021, the crisis was most acute in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi where the occupancy rate crossed 180%
| PRELIMS |
- Maharashtra in second position in National games held in Gujarat with 34 gold medals.
- 11th October – International Girl Child day- The theme chosen by the UNICEF of the International Day of Girl Child this year is ‘Our Time Is Now — Our Rights, Our Future.’ The year 2022 also marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl.First started in 2012.
National Conference on Skilling in Non- Traditional Livelihood (NTL) for Girls “Betiyan Bane Kushal”
- As We Celebrate accomplishments of our Daughters, We Pledge to Bridge the Gender Divide to Build an Inclusive & Equal Society”:Smt Smriti Irani. The Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated the National Girl Child Day on 24th January, 2022.
- SC0 -RATS (Regional anti terrorist squad)-National security guard is hosting multinational JATE -Manesar Anti-terror 2022., in New delhi
Joint Anti-Terror Exercise (JATE) 2021 is hosted by Pakistan .
- Nobel prize in economy – Ben Bernanke , Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig ; Topic – why avoiding bank collapses is vital.”
Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, put his academic expertise on the Great Depression to work reviving the American economy after the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
- Modi Shaikshanik Sankul, an educational complex for needy students in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
- Dr. Temsüla Ao who played a pivotal role in popularising the wonderful Naga culture through her literary works.
- Dr Jiba Kanta Saikia Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital,-Assam ,Leading homeopathic education and health care system in the North-East India.
- Sustainable Mountain Development Summit-XI, (SMDS-XI) being held at Leh, Ladakh UT from 10-12 October, 2022.The theme for SMDS-XI is ‘Harnessing tourism for sustainable mountain development’. The main focus of the summit is to reduce the negative impacts of tourism
- 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 with the theme ‘Helicopters for last Mile Connectivity’ at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar. Civil Aviation across the world today forms a very important cog of the wheel of economic development.
- HEMS pilot called Project Sanjeevani by deploying a helicopter in the next few weeks to provide emergency medical services at AIIMS Rishikesh.
- Fractional Ownership Model to help grow the non-scheduled operations. Lower the barrier on the cost of acquisition of helicopters and aeroplanes through pooled capital by multiple owners. This will allow companies and individuals to minimise their capital outflow .
- HeliSewa portal is online – for obtaining landing permissions to helipads, and a database of helipads in the country.
- HeliDisha, the guidance material on helicopter operations for State administration
- The Helicopter Accelerator Cell -resolving helicopter issues
- Three helicopter corridors from Mumbai-Pune, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar, and Shamshabad-Begumpet have been created.
- Work on the upgradation of Juhu helibase (ONGC) which is the largest in the country in Mumbai
- Decrease in VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent to one percent by the J&K government
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