[Mission 2023] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 31 January 2023

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation

Source: TH

 Direction: The article highlights the public service obligation guidelines for TV channels in India.

Context: The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry issued a fresh advisory for the implementation of the Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India 2022.

Background:

• Uplink is a term used to describe a communication line used to send electronic messages to satellites.
• On the other hand, downlinking refers to the communication path utilised to receive the satellite’s electronic communications.
• The Union Cabinet had approved the 2022 Guidelines to ease the issue of permissions to the companies/ limited liability partnerships (LLPs) registered in India for –
  • Uplinking and Downlinking of TV Channels,
  • Setting up of Teleports/ Teleport Hubs,
  • Use of Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG)/ Satellite News Gathering (SNG)/ Electronic News Gathering (ENG) systems,
  • Uplinking by Indian News agencies and temporary uplinking of a live event.

The benefit of the new guidelines: It will replace those operational since 2011, would –

• Ease of compliance for the permission holder
• Ease of Doing Business
• Simplification and Rationalization, etc.

Highlights of the I&B Ministry’s fresh advisory:

• It mandates ‘public service broadcasting’ of national and social importance (with effect from March 1, 2023) for private TV channels through voluntary compliance and self-certification.
• It said the content could include the themes of –
  • Education and spread of literacy,
  • Agriculture and rural development,
  • Health and family welfare,
  • Science and technology,
  • The welfare of women and the weaker sections of society,
  • Protection of the environment and cultural heritage and
  • National integration, etc., and could be extended to include similar subjects such as water conservation, disaster management, etc.
• The content need not be of 30 minutes at a stretch and shall be accounted for cumulatively on a monthly basis i.e. 15 hours per month.
• The broadcasters have the liberty to modulate their content. For example, the topics of national importance and social relevance embedded in the programmes broadcast by private TV channels would qualify for their obligation.
• The broadcasters would be required to submit a monthly report on the Broadcast Seva Portal on compliance.
• The broadcasters will have to keep a record of the content telecast for 90 days.

Exemptions from the public service broadcasting obligation:

• Any content transmitted from midnight to 6 a.m.
• Foreign channels, downlinking in India [in languages other than those specified in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution].
• The channels broadcasting [more than 12 hours] sports and devotional/spiritual/yoga content shall be exempt from furnishing the monthly reports on the Broadcast Seva Portal.

Conclusion: According to a FICCI-EY report, with television subscriptions estimated to add another 42 million by 2025 from 178 million in 2021, public service broadcast is not a bad idea in a diverse country with myriad issues.

Insta Links:

Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels in India 2022

Mains Links:

Q. Has digital illiteracy, particularly in rural areas, coupled with a lack of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) accessibility hindered socio-economic development? Examine with justification. (UPSC 2021)

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: Issues and Challenges Pertaining to the Federal Structure, Devolution of Powers and Finances up to Local Levels and Challenges Therein

Source: TH 

Direction: The article examines the difficulties the 16th Finance Commission will face as the process to establish the 16th FC gets underway.

Context: The government will soon kick off the process to set up the 16th Finance Commission, with the Finance Ministry likely to notify the terms of reference (ToR) of the constitutional body.

Background:

• The 15th Finance Commission (FFC chaired by NK Singh) was set up in (November 2017) with a mandate to make recommendations for the five-year period from 2020-21.
  • The Commission is usually granted about two years to deliberate on its terms of reference, consult States and frame its recommendations.
  • The government should ideally have its report by October 2025 to consider it in time for Budget 2026-27, where it will have to place its action taken report on the Commission’s report.
• Despite the Constitution’s mandate to establish an FC every five years, breaking the trend, the 15th FC’s term was extended by a year, ending in 2025–2026.
• In late 2019, the Commission was asked to give a standalone report for 2020-21 and another report for an extended five-year period till 2025-26.
• Since the FFC report covered six years (instead of five), the next FC must be selected this year.
• The last time an FC was granted a six-year time frame was for the 9th FC, formed in June 1987.
• The 10th FC was still constituted in June 1992 within the five-year deadline specified by Article 280 of the Constitution, which has not been the case this time.

The first step towards establishing 16th FC:

• While the ToR (Terms of Reference) for the 16th FC will be worked out after internal government deliberations steered by the Finance Ministry, the appointment of an Officer on Special Duty to drive the process.
• This officer typically becomes the member-secretary of the Commission, once it is constituted.

The key challenges for the 16th FC:

• The co-existence of another permanent constitutional body – the GST Council.
  • The Council’s decisions on tax rate changes could alter the revenue calculations made by the FC for sharing fiscal resources.
• The government usually accepts recommendations on States’ share of tax devolution and the trajectory for fiscal targets and ignores most other suggestions. For instance,
  • The government ignored the FFC’s suggestion of creating a Fiscal Council where the Centre and States collectively work out India’s macro-fiscal management challenges.
  • The government has accepted the FFC’s recommendation to set up a non-lapsable fund for internal security and defence ‘in principle’, but its implementation still has to be worked out.

Way ahead:

• A recourse mechanism can be put in place for the Commission to revisit its numbers due to the GST Council’s decisions.
• The governments must rise beyond politics to deliberate and implement FC’s recommendations, which are sound in terms of policy and economics.

Insta Links:

Navigating the storm: On the Fifteenth Finance Commission

Mains Links:

Q. How have the recommendations of the 14th France Commission of India enabled the States to improve their fiscal position? (UPSC 2021)

Prelims Links: (UPSC 2014)

GS Paper 2

Syllabus: International Organizations

Source: Indian Express, The Hindu

Context: UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Csaba Korosi has expressed concern that the UN Security Council does not reflect today’s realities, is paralysed and is unable to discharge its basic function of maintaining international peace and security.

What has happened now?

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN, attacked Ukraine. Russia has vetoed UNSC resolutions on Ukraine and voted against a resolution in the UNGA which called on countries not to recognise the four regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed.

What is UNSC?

What is Veto power in UNSC?

The United Nations Security Council veto power is the power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to veto any “substantive” resolution

Why the need for Reforms in UNSC?

• Changing geopolitical realities: Since 1945, the world has changed significantly: the Cold War strategic influences have declined; the membership of the UN has increased almost fourfold and the expectations of what the UN should do have grown.
• Overrepresentation: There is a huge European bias in P-5 due to the presence of the United Kingdom and France, including Russia.
• Under-representation: Regions like Latin America, the Caribbean Group, the Arab World, and Africa do not have a single permanent member
• Question of Veto: All five permanent members of the UNSC enjoy veto power. But the veto has been misused to put national interests ahead of global interests. Critics of the veto power say that it is the most undemocratic element of the UN and the main cause of inaction on war crimes & crimes against humanity, as it effectively prevents UN action against the permanent members and their allies. For E.g. in the current Russian case
• Non-transparent and non-consultative manner of functioning.
• North-South Inequality: Only China is representative of the global south region, whereas the global north has four nations to represent them at the UNSC.
• Growing stresses on the International System: geopolitical conflict, climate change, food and energy insecurity, and pandemics have brought out the inequities and inadequacies of the way the world currently functions.

Key reforms taken in recent times:

Why India should be given a UNSC seat:

• India’s culture and worldview resonate with the UN’s vision
• India’s extensive association with the UN since its inception
• India’s democratic values and credibility of being the largest democracy
• India’s intrinsic strength – Most populous country, Fifth largest economy and Responsible Nuclear power
• India as the leader of the ‘Global South’
• Contribution to peacekeeping
• The active role played on various issues of emerging importance in the UN

India’s Efforts for reforms:

• India’s NORMS reform (New orientation for a reformed multilateral system) in the changing architecture of global governance, including the UNSC
• As an advocate of the ‘Global South’
• G4 and L69: G-4 (India, Brazil Germany and Japan) and L.69 (A group of like-minded countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America) have tried to push UNSC for reforms and expansion
• The Indian strategy of “revisionist integration”into the Security Council consists of two components: (see below image)

Conclusion:

India advocates for democratic reforms in multilateral fora, starting with the UN system, to better respond to the needs of its membership, especially developing countries. The implementation of the Council’s decisions, and its very legitimacy, could be enhanced if the Council was reformed to be more representative, effective, efficient, accountable and transparent.

Quote: “It’s clear that outdated systems that were created to deal with the challenges of the past cannot be expected to address the multitude of challenges of today’s dynamic and interdependent world. The Security Council can deliver effective solutions only if it gives a voice to the voiceless rather than zealously guarding the status quo of the mighty.” —Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council Ambassador R Ravindra

Insta Links

 UNSC

Mains Links: 

Analyze the factors that lend credibility to India in assuming a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, amid calls for its reforms. (10M)

GS Paper 3

Syllabus: Agriculture and related issues

Source: DTE 

Direction: The article discusses urban farming in India-its importance, steps taken, challenges and way ahead.

Context: The “Draft Citizen’s Policy for Urban Agriculture in Delhi” by Delhi-based research non-profit People’s Resource Centre, was submitted to the Delhi government in 2022, to provide a holistic framework for urban farming.

Background:

• Produce cultivated in the city provides 60% of Delhi’s demands for meat, 25% of its milk, and 15% of its vegetable requirements.
• However, the National Capital’s land use and farming policies do not take into account how food is grown and distributed in urban areas.

Recommendations in the Draft Citizen’s Policy for Urban Agriculture in Delhi:

• Promoting residential and community farming through rooftop and kitchen gardens,
• Allocating vacant land for agricultural use
• Creating a market
• Developing policies for animal rearing and spreading awareness.

Significance of the above recommendations:

• Rapid urbanisation, population explosion and climate change increase the risk of food shortage.
• The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (2010 report) notes that 50% of women and children in urban areas are anaemic due to a lack of adequate nutrition.
• In 2020, the UN FAO acknowledged that urban and peri-urban farming can contribute to local food and nutritional needs, enable jobs and reduce poverty.

Steps taken in India to promote urban agriculture:

• In 2008, Pune’s civic administration launched a city farming project to train and encourage people to take up farming on allocated land.
• In 2012, the Kerala government launched a vegetable development programme to encourage gardening in houses, schools, and government and private institutions.
  • It also offered subsidies and support for eco-friendly inputs, irrigation, compost and biogas plants.
• In 2014, the Tamil Nadu government introduced a “do-it-yourself” kit for city dwellers to grow vegetables on rooftops, houses and apartment buildings under its Urban Horticulture Development Scheme.
• Since 2021, Bihar has encouraged terrace gardening in five smart cities through subsidies for input costs.

Concerns:

• The impact of such initiatives cannot be widespread without a strong policy for urban farming. For instance, Pune’s initiative failed due to poor interest from people and the government.
• The recently released draft Master Plan of Delhi for 2041, does not acknowledge the role of urban farming. For example, it restricts human activity (many practise urban farming) in areas directly adjacent to the Yamuna River.
• Rapid urbanisation is also a hindrance. Eg.: Jaunti village in Delhi, has become an ‘urban village’, making its land non-agricultural.

Way ahead:

• Integrating all efforts to promote urban farming is the key.
• There is a need to make urban agriculture viable.
• Farming in urban spaces (water scarcity and pollution) is not easy. Using wastewater (directly or recycled) can address water scarcity and pollution.
• Innovative techniques, say, hydroponics (offers a cleaner approach), can be further promoted.
  • Hydroponics is a method of soilless farming that uses nutrient solutions to sustain plants.
  • Compared to commercial farming, hydroponics requires 90% less water, which can be reused. One can grow more plants in the space given.

Conclusion: Urban farming cannot sustain the large population, but can act as a cushion to protect urban residents from inflation, vulnerabilities of weather or crises such as COVID-19. Before more villages become urban, early interventions can result in a sustainable system.

Insta Links:

Regenerative agriculture: A step towards water conservation

Mains Links:

Q. How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (UPSC 2019)

GS Paper  3

Syllabus: Health Issues

Source: DTE, WHO

Context: According to the “Global report on neglected tropical diseases 2023” report published on World NTD Day — January 30, 2023, by World Health Organization (WHO), Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) continue to disproportionately impact the most impoverished members of the international community, living in areas with inadequate water safety, sanitation and access to health care.

About Neglected Tropical Diseases:

• NTDs are a group of 20 conditions mainly prevalent in tropical areas where people do not have access to clean water or safe ways to dispose of human waste.
• They are caused by various pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and toxins.
• NTDs are most common among marginalized communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Key Findings of the report:

• 16 countries accounted for 80 per cent of the global NTD burden. Globally, nearly 1.65 billion people were estimated to require treatment for at least one NTD.
• The document also highlighted the tremendous effects COVID-19 had on community-based initiatives, access to healthcare facilities, and healthcare goods supply chains. As a result, between 2019 and 2020, 34 per cent fewer persons received treatment for NTDs.

About WHO Neglected Disease roadmap:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) works towards the ultimate goal of a world free of the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This work is described in the NTD road map 2021–2030, WHO’s blueprint to drive global efforts in the fight against NTDs in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Global Initiatives:

• London Declaration on NTDs: It was adopted on 30th January 2012 to recognize the global burden of NTDs.

NTDs in India:

• India carries the largest burden of at least 11 of these diseases, with parasitic illnesses like kala-azar and lymphatic filariasisaffecting millions of people throughout the country – often the poorest and most vulnerable.

Indian Initiatives to tackle NTDs:

• A WHO-supported regional alliance was established by the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in 2005 to expedite early diagnosis and treatment of the most vulnerable populations and improve disease surveillance and control of sandfly populations (Kala-azar).
• India has already eliminated several other NTDs, including guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.

Insta Links:

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

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