UPSC NEWS DIARY FOR TODAY 07 JULY, 2022 | DAY LONG CURRENT AFFAIRS DIGEST FOR UPSC

”UPSC News Diary For Today” is every day published in the evening between 6-7 PM and contains all current affairs articles from the day on a single platform. ”UPSC News Diary For Today” covers various topics from UPSC Syllabus and is very helpful and time managing for UPSC Aspirants. The framing of this daily current affairs compilation article is easy to read and understandable also.

In the ”UPSC News Diary For Today” article, we focus on both UPSC Preliminary and Mains exam-oriented current affairs & prepare a gist of daily important news articles from leading National Newspapers, PIB, and other various official sources.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

CBAM: Why In the News?

• With carbon neutrality being the byword to a sustainable world, a host of countries — Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Japan, Germany, Canada, Costa Rica, the United States, Brazil, India, and China among others — have set for themselves net-zero targets for the middle and later part of the century.
• At the forefront of the commitment to net-zero is the European Union, which wants to be the first carbon-neutral region in the world by 2050.

What is the EU’s CBAM approach?

• EU brought out the ‘European Union Green Deal’ in July last year to focus on a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU society into a fair and wealthy one with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.
• To attain carbon neutrality, the EU has set forth immediate targets and has brought out the ‘Fit-for-55’ package, a communication of its 2030 climate targets.
• A provision in the policy plan is the introduction of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a carbon-pricing system proposed for imports into the EU. The CBAM suggests taxing the imported goods-based difference between carbon used in the production of domestic and imported goods.
• Proposed to be complementary to the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EUETS), during the transition phase of CBAM — beginning January 1, 2023 — importers will only have to report emissions embedded in the production of goods and are not obliged to pay a financial penalty.
• The CBAM, however, will come completely into force from January 1, 2026 and the measure will see a gradual reduction of free EUETS allowance coverage of 10 percentage points per year and a complete phase-out by 2035.
• In the initial phase, five CITE (Carbon Intensive and Trade Exposed) sectors such as iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilizers and electricity will be taxed under CBAM.

Centre Nominated 4 New Members For Rajyasabha

In News

Olympic sprinter P.T. Usha, music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the category of eminent persons nominated by the President.

P.T. Usha

• Born in Kozhikode in Kerala.
• She is one of India’s best-known track-and-field athletes.
• She also runs the Usha School of Athletics, training young athletes.
• She has been given the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri in the past.

Ilaiyaraaja

• He is from Tamil Nadu, a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan and many awards for his music.
• He has composed more than 7,000 songs for over 1,000 films (mainly in southern India), and has more than 20,000 concert performances to his credit.
• Sivaji Ganesan (1982-86), Vyjayantimala Bali (1993-99) and “Cho” S. Ramaswamy (1999-2005) are the other Tamil film personalities who had served as nominated members of the Rajya Sabha.

Veerendra Heggade

• He has been the Dharmadhikari (custodian) of the Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka from the age of 20.
• A philanthropist, he runs the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Educational Trust, which provides education through more than 25 institutions.
• He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

K.V. Vijayendra Prasad

• He is from Andhra Pradesh.
• He is the noted screenwriter behind the blockbuster movies Baahubali and RRR that have made waves in India and abroad.

FAQs About Rajya Sabha’s Nominated Members

Are there nominated members in Rajya Sabha?

Yes, there are twelve members nominated by the President of India from amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service.

Do the nominated members vote in the election of the Vice-President and the President?

While the nominated members of Rajya Sabha have a right to vote in the election of the Vice-President of India, they are not entitled to vote in the election of the President of India.

Who was the first woman nominated member of the Rajya Sabha?

Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale (1952-56 and 1956-62).

Mangarh hillock

Mangarh hillock: In News

A team from National Monuments Authority submitted a report on declaring Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan as a monument of National Importance.

History Of Mangadh

• In 1903 Govind Guru(Born on 20 December 1858 at Bedsa village in Dungarpur district into a non-tribal Banjara family) founded an organization called Samp Sabha. The word Samp means interaction and giving up evil practices.
• Under the leadership of Govind Guru, this mission was taken ahead and Mangarh became its centre.
• The centre worked for making the tribals aware of their culture.
• The disciples of Govind Guru do not believe in idol worship. They do not believe in any god either. They are nature-worshippers. Govind Guru also tried to organize the tribals.
• He succeeded in his endeavour to such an extent that the then ruler of Doongarpur sought the assistance of British army. With the aid of the British army, around 1500 unarmed tribals were massacred on the Mangarh hillock and Govind Guru was taken prisoner.
• He was released in 1923 on the condition that he would not enter the Mangarh area. He passed away on 30 October 1931. His memorial stands at the place where he was cremated.

Summit for Space Sustainability 2022

Summit for Space Sustainability 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

Summit for Space Sustainability 2022: Summit for Space Sustainability is being held to promote sustainable use of space by managing and reducing space debris and other space wastes.4^th Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 is important for UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 (International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests).

Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 in News

• Recently, the U.K. hosted the fourth summit for Space Sustainability 2022 in London in collaboration with the Secure World Foundation.
• In line with the ambitious U.K. National Space Strategy, George Freeman, the Minister of Science, announced a new ‘Plan for Space Sustainability.’

Summit for Space Sustainability 2022

• About: Summit for Space Sustainability is a high-level, multi-day event focused on developing solutions for space sustainability.
• Mandate: Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 is a global summit to agree new ways of ensuring a safe, sustainable and secure space environment, including tackling space debris which threatens the satellites we rely on in our daily lives.
• Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 theme: The theme of the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 is “Global Priorities for Space Sustainability”.
• Hosts: 4^th Summit for Space Sustainability 2022 is being hosted by the Secure World Foundation and the UK Space Agency.
• Participation: 4th Summit for Space Sustainability will be a unique gathering of global stakeholders from government, industry, and civil society.

Sustainability in Outer Space                                            

• Reason for Crowding of Space: As the cost of missions reduce and the number of players increase, the complexity of missions and slot allotment issues also increase.
  • With the emergence of large constellations and complex satellites, there is a risk of collisions and interference with radio frequencies.
• Steps Taken: United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 2019 adopted a set of 21 voluntary, non-binding guidelines to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.
  • The outer space is considered a shared natural resource of all the countries.
• Threats to Space Sustainability:
  • Orbital crowding poses a direct threat to the operations and safety of a mission and is likely to cause legal and insurance-related conflicts.
  • Space Debris is another prominent issue. After the completion of a mission, an ‘end-of-life protocol’ requires space objects to be moved to the graveyard orbit or to a low altitude.
  • Solar and magnetic storms can potentially damage communication systems. Such space weather threats need to be addressed along with the efforts to identify the terrestrial carbon footprint of outer space missions.
• Way Forward:
  • Outer space in the 2020s can no longer be considered a ‘space race’ because of the cost, when compared to the beginning of this century.
  • Sustainable practices in outer space would directly help reduce orbital crowding and collision risk while nurturing future technologies.
  • A collective effort by all space players, with the active role of the UN COPUOS or the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), is needed to set equitable standards for the ease of activities.

Recommendations of Rajya Sabha Secretariat

Rajya Sabha: Relevance

• GS 2: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Upper house of India: Context

• Recently, Rajya Sabha Secretariat has suggested a series of recommendations to make a complete overhaul of Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

Rajya Sabha secretariat: Key points

• Rajya Sabha Secretariat came into being with about 200 officers and staff in 1952 and has now been expanded to 1,700 personnel.
• The first ever comprehensive study on ‘System Improvement’ in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has recommended delivery of services in a transparent, monitorable and accountable manner.
• The study also covered the functioning of the committee sections and recommended increasing of the tenure of the Standing Committees from present one year to two years.
• The study has also demanded a makeover for quick decision-making and delivery of services in a transparent, monitorable and accountable manner.
• Besides, the study also recommended that the field visits should be increased to three visits for a maximum 15 days from two visits and ten days in a year.
• Moreover, it also wanted memoranda furnished by various stakeholders should be made available in public domain.
• A standard structure of report has also been suggested for easy understanding.
• To address complaints that media do not cover Standing Committee reports adequately, it is suggested that panel chairpersons hold press conferences.
• The study also suggested clear delegation of administrative and financial powers so that about 75 per cent of the issues are disposed off at the lower and middle level.
• The report has also suggested that the existing 10-layer hierarchy be subsumed into four to five layers.
• The report also wanted clear definition of mandate of each of the 64 sections and their reorganization into 14 divisions to avoid duplication of work.
• The financial power of divisional heads, who hold the rank of Joint Secretary, has been recommended to be increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh with corresponding increase at the lower levels.
• To enable work environment and camaraderie among the employees, the report recommended adequate provisioning of IT gadgets, work space, residential accommodation, regular socio-cultural events and a quarterly news letter.

Animal Health Summit 2022

Animal Health Summit: Relevance for UPSC Exam

Animal Health Summit: Animal Health Summit 2022 is being held promote animal welfare and health in the country, especially through greater use of Ayurveda. Animal Health Summit 2022 is part of UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 (Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.)

Animal Health Summit 2022 in News

• Recently, Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying inaugurated First India Animal Health Summit 2022.

About Animal Health Summit 2022      

• About: The first Animal Health Summit 2022 was held at NASC Complex, New Delhi with aim to discuss, deliberate and promote animal health and welfare in the country.
• Aim: The first Animal Health Summit 2022 is being organized for understanding the significance of animal health towards the broader objective of-
  • The country’s food and nutrition security,
  • Rural incomes and prosperity and
  • Overall economic development.
• Organizing Body: ‘India Animal Health Summit 2022’ was organized by Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) and the Agriculture Today Group.
• Key Events: The two-day Animal Health Summit 2022 event will host a plethora of panel discussions ranging from topics such as Animal Health policy initiatives to Business environment & investment opportunities in the Animal Health sector.
  • The deliberations evolved will later be documented and presented to authorities.
• Significance: Animal health is a very major component of One Health and there is need to ensure even more respect for veterinarians in the community at large.
  • The Animal Welfare Department is taking initiatives like the Animal Health Summit to address animal pandemic preparedness.

Animal husbandry in India

• Livestock sector contributes 4% of GDP and 25% of total Agriculture GDP.
• According to livestock census 2019, livestock in India witnessed an increase of 4.6% as compared to the previous census.
• Livestock productivity has been identified as one of the seven sources of income growth by the Inter-Ministerial Committee under the government’s target of doubling farmers’ income by the year 2022.

Potential of livestock farming in India

• India has 56.7% of the world’s buffaloes, 12.5% cattle, 2.4% camel (10th in camel population in the world) and 3.1% poultry (2nd largest poultry market in the world).
• Livestock sector contributes 4.11% of GDP and 25.6% of total Agriculture GDP.

The Editorial Analysis: Taking Stock of 5 Years of GST

GST UPSC: Relevance

• GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

GST news: Context

• Recently, Goods and Services Tax (GST) has completed five years in existence. On the completion of GST’s five years, it makes sense to ask what happened to inflation.

Inflation in India

• During the 12 months preceding GST implementation, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was 3.66%, while it increased to 4.24% post-GST in the next 12 months.
• However, India is not alone in witnessing higher inflation. A similar pattern was observed in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Impact of GST on inflation

• In theory, implementing GST should not lead to a change in overall inflation.
• The revenue-neutral rate (RNR) is calculated so that it would not cause higher inflation. But revenue neutrality does not mean that prices would not go up or down in the economy.
• In a report published in 2017, RBI showed that about half of the groups of items that GST covers are not in the CPI basket. So, the effect of GST on prices was expected to be small.

GST induced inflation

• The actual CPI growth in the study period is 4.61%, whereas the counterfactual estimate of inflation is 3.24%. This implies that without the GST implementation, the CPI inflation would have been 3.24%.
• CPI core inflation increased by 1.04pp in the post-GST period (actual inflation was 4.57%, counterfactual inflation was 3.53%).
• GST is found to have a significant positive impact on inflation of commodity groups such as paan, tobacco and intoxicants, clothing and footwear, housing, and miscellaneous sectors (mainly consisting of services).
• In the case of non-exempted food and beverages, implementation of GST is found to have a negative impact of 4.42% on price levels.

Rise in inflation after GST

• The rise in inflation post-GST implementation could be due to the rise in the tax rate of some goods and services, the inclusion of business activities that were not taxed earlier, or the market structure.
• Many firms have jumped to the tax net to take advantage of input tax credit and escape from the punishing reverse charge mechanism.
• Taking advantage of market power, it is possible that most firms would have passed the taxes to end consumers, resulting in a cost-push inflationary impact of the GST.

Conclusion

• GST implementation has resulted in a decrease in inflation of food items and raised inflation of non-food items such as CPI, paan, tobacco and intoxicants, clothing and footwear, housing, miscellaneous, and non-exempted food and beverages.

Global Findex Report 2021

Global Findex Report : Relevance

• GS 2: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.

Global Findex Report: Context

• Recently, World Bank has released a new report titled, Global Findex Report 2021’, to provide a definitive source of data on global access to financially services from payments to savings and borrowing.

Global Findex Report: Key points

• The 2021 edition contains updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services and digital payments, and offers insights into the behaviours that enable financial resilience.
• The data also identify gaps in access to and usage of financial services by women and poor adults.
• The Global Findex Database is being published every three years since 2011 and has become an indispensable tool for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, media and the development community.

Global Findex Report: Key findings

• Evidence shows that households and businesses that have access to financial services are better able to withstand financial shocks than those that do not.
• Digital financial services such as mobile money let users safely and inexpensively store funds and transfer them quickly and affordably across long distances, which lead to higher remittances and consumption and more investments.
• For women, accounts can enable financial independence and strengthen economic empowerment.
• In India, PM Jan Dhan Yojana reached over 100 million people showing that paying women their benefits directly into their own account increased women’s financial control, influenced gender norms preventing women from working, and incentivized women to find employment, compared with those paid in cash.

Findings on account holders

• Globally, in 2021, 76 percent of adults had an account at a bank or regulated institution such as a credit union, microfinance institution, or a mobile money service provider.
• Account ownership around the world increased by 50 percent in the 10 years spanning 2011 to 2021, from 51 percent of adults to 76 percent of adults.
• Recent growth in account ownership has been widespread across dozens of developing economies. This geographic spread is in stark contrast to the growth seen from 2011 to 2017, which took place mostly in China or India

Findings on receiving payments

• In developing economies, the share of adults making or receiving digital payments grew from 35 percent in 2014 to 57 percent in 2021.
• In high-income economies, on the other hand, the share of adults making or receiving digital payments is nearly universal (95 percent).

Digital payments induced by COVID-19

• The share of adults making a digital merchant payment have increased after the outbreak of COVID-19.
• For example, in India more than 80 million adults made their first digital merchant payment during the pandemic.

Financially inexperienced users

• About two-thirds of unbanked adults said that if they opened an account (excluding mobile money) at a financial institution, they could not use it without help.
• Women are 5 percentage points more likely than men to need help using their mobile money account.

Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam

Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam in News

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three day Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam

• About: Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam is a three day conference that is being organized to deliberate on how the implementation of National Education Policy 2020 can be taken further across the country after successful implementation of several initiatives in the last two years.
• Mandate: Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam is to-
  • Provide a platform for thought-provoking discussions that will articulate the roadmap and implementation strategies, foster knowledge exchange and
  • Build networks through interdisciplinary deliberations and discuss challenges being faced by educational institutions and articulate solutions.
• Organizing Institutions: Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam is being organized by the Ministry of Education in association with University Grants Commission and Banaras Hindu University.
• Participation: Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will bring together over 300 Vice Chancellors and Directors from public and private universities, educationists, policy makers, as also industry representatives to deliberate about implementation of nep-2020.
• Key Themes: Discussions in Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will be held on the following key themes-
  • Multidisciplinary and Holistic Education,
  • Skill Development and Employability,
  • Indian Knowledge Systems,
  • Internationalization of Education,
  • Digital Empowerment and Online Education,
  • Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
  • Quality, Ranking and Accreditation,
  • Equitable and Inclusive Education,
  • Capacity Building of Teachers for Quality Education.
• Significance: Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam will result in the adoption of the Varanasi Declaration on Higher Education which will showcase India’s extended vision and a renewed commitment to help achieve the goals of higher education system.

Key points About NEP-2020

• It is the third education policy of our country. The earlier two was launched in 1968 and 1986.
  • This national policy came after a gap of 34 years.
• It is based on the recommendations of Kasturirangan committee.
• It renames the Ministry of Human Resource Development to Ministry of Education.
• It proposes a 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure.

Implementation of NEP-2020

• There will be an apex body called Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), which will resolve disputes among the following bodies.

INSTC UPSC: Relevance

• GS 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

INSTC corridor: Context

• Recently, Russian President Vlamidir Putin has strongly pushed for the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as the key connectivity link between Russia and India via Iran.

INSTC review: Key points

• The President has described is as a truly ambitious project despite China hard pressing BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) as a mega connectivity initiative in the Eurasian region.
• In the recently held 6^th Caspian Summit 2022, the president described INSTC as a “transport artery from St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India”.
• A few days ago, Russia sent consignments for India from St Petersburg via the Caspian port of Astrakhan and the Iranian Port of Anzali and from there to Bandar Abbas Port and thereafter to Western Indian ports to operationalise INSTC.

Russian interest in INSTC

• Russia is looking for an opportunity to start new businesses amid the crippling Western sanctions that are taking a toll on its economy.
• Moreover, Russia’s most industrially advanced state of Ryazan was looking for more economic cooperation with India.

What is INSTC?

• INSTC members: INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• The primary objective of the NSTC project is to reduce costs in terms of time and money over the traditional route currently being used.

INSTC significance

• Reduced time and cost: One of the primary objectives the transport model is it will reduce the time taken to send the consignments from one country to another, which will eventually reduce the cost,
• Russia Ukraine war: The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions against Russia have led to an exodus of Western businesses from the country, which in turn has given an opportunity to India to fill up the economic vacuum.
• Increase trade with Russia: India’s exports to Russia stood at $3.24 billion in 2021-22, up from the pre-pandemic figure of $3 billion. Meanwhile, imports from the country have risen to $9.86 billion. INSTC will further ensure more overland trade with Russia.
• Counter Chinese traders: In the wake of outflow of western companies from Russia, Chinese traders are rushing to enter the Russian market. INSTC has the ability to make India a significant global player.
• Expands market: The route is also part of India’s overall efforts to establish greater connectivity and trade with the high-potential markets of the adjoining Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.
• Bypasses Pakistan: INSTC provides a route to India that ensured an opening to global supply chains and trade networks while bypassing Pakistan.

Sharing is caring!