 Good evening aspirants. I have an announcement to make as prelims is nearing our academy. That is Shankara. Yes academy has launched a Mark test program that is a free all India mark test program that test starts on 15th of May 2022 the test will be held in both online and offline modes across 13 centers the link for registration for the online mark test is Given in the description use this opportunity and check your progress with this good news Let us get into the Hindu news analysis for the day 27th of April 2022 the list of articles We will be discussing today are displayed here. Go through it. Now. Let us start our discussion Look at this news article this article is taken from the interview with the Minister of State for electronics and information technology the interview was conducted on the backdrop of takeover of Twitter by Mr. Elon Musk overall the minister noted that social media Intermediaries like Twitter will have to play by the rules and laws of India such as information technology act 2000 so in this discussion Let us see two major provisions of the act and certain issues Associated with it now. Let us start our discussion the objective of the information technology act 2000 is two-fold First is to provide legal recognition for the transaction carried out by means of electronic data Interchange and other means of electronic communication. The second is to facilitate Electronic filing of documents with the government agencies and matters connected with it So these are the two main objectives of information technology act 2000 in this way the act covers Intermediaries also it covers all intermediaries who play a role in the use of computer resources and electronic records here and Intermediary includes telecom service providers network service providers Internet service providers web hosting service providers search engines online payment sites online auction sites online marketplaces and cyber cafes note that Social media platforms fall under the web hosting service providers which include Twitter also now Particularly regarding the intermediaries the central government has certain powers under the information technology act 2000 The first power is under section 69 as per this central government has the power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or Decryption of any information through any computer resources plus if a subscriber or intermediary or any person In charge of the computer resource is called upon such Subscriber or intermediary has to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the central government But remember government can only issue these direction if it is satisfied that it is necessary in the interest of sovereignty or integrity of India in the interest of defense of India in the interest of Security of India in the interest of friendly relation with a foreign country and finally in the interest of public order or for Preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offense So citing these reasons central government can intercept or monitor or decrypt any computer information But if the intermediary refuses to comply with the direction Then they can be punished with imprisonment for one to seven years plus a fine This is about section 69 of the information technology act 2000. Now. Let us take up section 69 a under section 69 a Government has the power to issue directions for blocking any information through any computer resource for the public access Central government can direct any agency to do the blocking. What can they block? They can block any information that is generated transmitted Received stored or hosted in any computer resource This can only be done citing the above mentioned grounds And if the intermediary refuses to comply with the blocking directions the same above punishment applies here also Remember that while blocking or interception or monitoring central government has to record the reason for those Direction that to in writing this accessor checks and balance against the actions of the central government No, certain issues are there with these two provisions Firstly these regulations are favorable to Censorship happy governments which want to censor the views of the citizens because it allows to block Contains prima facia that is based on first impression So if government prima facia feels that any content is threatening public order It can invoke section 69 a know the second issue the second issue is that Blocking restricts online free speech rights of the Indian citizen So it violates fundamental right of freedom of expression under article 19 of the Constitution Thirdly these provisions make blocking censorship Interception monitoring and easy and costless option for the government without obtaining codes permission See these are the sum of the issues with the provisions of information technology act 2000 That's all regarding this discussion in this discussion We saw two important provisions of information technology act 2000 that is we saw about section 69 and Section 69 a of information technology act then we saw some of the issues with the provisions Okay, that's all regarding this discussion Now let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article This news article talks about the particularly vulnerable tribal group cotton icons. They were Rehabilitated from the kumman cherry forest of why not while if sanctuary around seven years ago They feel that their life in the forest was much better because for the particularly vulnerable tribal groups such as cotton icons The forest is their home They collect minor forest produce and rest in their small huts made of bamboos and mud at night But now after relocation they face a lot of problems for instance They lack the basic amenities such as drinking water toilet medical facilities and power connection Even though their children know have access to education most often they join their parents in collecting forest produce This is to add to their family income apart from all these the major issue faced by these Relocated particularly vulnerable tribal groups like cotton icons is that they are not provided with position Certificate since they are not provided with position certificate The landless tribal families are unable to apply for house under various schemes of the government Okay, this is the crux of the news article given here in this context Let us learn about particularly vulnerable tribal group Then we will learn about how they are classified and finally we will see some issues faced by the particularly vulnerable Tribal groups. Okay, now let us start our discussion. First of all, who are these particularly vulnerable tribal groups? See tribal communities are often identified by some specific signs. What are they? They are primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness to contact with the community at large and Backwardness along with these some tribal groups have some specific features They are dependency on hunting and gathering for food having pre-agricultural level of technology Zero or negative growth of population and extremely low level of literacy. See these are the characteristics of tribal groups in general In India government uses these four characteristics to identify the particularly vulnerable tribal groups The characteristics are pre-agricultural level of technology, low level of literacy, economic backwardness and a declining or stagnant Population. Okay, having seen the characteristics used to classify particularly vulnerable tribal groups Now, let us see some of the problems faced by the particularly vulnerable tribal groups First is that the particularly vulnerable tribal group list is outdated due to lack of baseline survey This survey is required to precisely identify the particularly vulnerable tribal group families. They have it at an socio-economic status. Secondly, benefits from welfare schemes are not equally provided. Thirdly, developmental projects like dams, industries and mines affect them Disproportionately. In addition to this when they are displaced by the developmental projects They are not provided with proper Rehabitation. Then they are denied of their land rights. This denial is leading to Systemic alienation from their own resources. Then they also face livelihood issues What are they? They lack awareness about market value of non-timber forest produce. In addition to this They are also exploited by middlemen. See, they also face some health issues also The particularly vulnerable tribal groups mainly suffer from anemia, communicable disease like malaria and many micronutrient deficiency. Then they lack access to safe drinking water Sanitation and health services. Also, they suffer because of their superstitious belief And lastly, they are affected by deforestation also. See, most importantly, they also suffer from illiteracy Even when they do get education, the stuff they learn in their schools will not be helpful in leading their way of life Okay, so these are some of the problems faced by particularly vulnerable tribal groups. To address these problems Government has taken many steps. Let us see some of the steps taken by the government in this discussion First is the scheme for development of primitive vulnerable tribal groups. This came into effect from April 1 2008. The scheme defines particularly vulnerable tribal groups as the most vulnerable among the scheduled tribes So it seeks to prioritize their protection and development. The scheme identifies 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups in India. The scheme seeks to adopt a holistic approach to the socio-economic development of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Also, it gives state governments flexibility in planning initiatives. Now, let us see some of the activities supported by the scheme Firstly, it takes various physical and social infrastructure initiatives like housing, land distribution, land development agricultural development, cattle development, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of energy, social security, etc. Secondly, funds are made available only for activities essential for the survival, protection and development of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups Thirdly, every state and the Andaman-Nikoba island administration is required to prepare a long-term conservation-come-development plan. This is valid for a period of five years for each particularly vulnerable tribal groups within their territory. The conservation-come-development plan is approved by an expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The scheme is then funded entirely by the central government. Okay, see these are some of the steps taken by the government to help the particularly vulnerable tribal groups This is all regarding this discussion in this discussion We first saw how particularly vulnerable tribal groups are classified in India Then we saw the issues faced by the particularly vulnerable tribal groups And finally we saw the step taken by the government to address their issues with this Let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article Look at this news article. This news article talks about the Raisina dialogue in this dialogue External Affairs Minister said there will be no winners in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war He says all these after recognizing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as one among the dominant issues This is because it affects not just in terms of principles and values But also causes higher energy prices food inflation and disruption of various kinds So the external Affairs Minister Mr. Jay Shankar urged everyone to look to counter the current crisis through Negotiations. Okay. He also mentioned about the equally pressing issues in other parts of the world like Afghanistan He cited that the rule-based international order was violated in the Indo-Pacific region in the recent past But the Western decision-makers did not pay sufficient attention to address the causes of such breakdown This is the crux of the news article given here in this context Let us learn about Raisina dialogue in film's perspective. First of all, what is Raisina dialogue? The Raisina dialogue is India's premier conference. This conference is on geopolitics and Geo-economics here the commitment is to address the most challenging issues that is being faced by the global community When does this occur and who all participate in this conference see Raisina dialogue occurs every year Leaders in politics business media and civil society. They all participate in the Raisina dialogue Now what is the agenda for this conference here? They will discuss the state of the world also They will explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary matters See the dialogue is structured as a multi stakeholder cross-sectoral decision This is because the conference involves head of state cabinet ministers local government officials and also Leaders in business media and civil society. Now who conducts this conference? See the conference is hosted by the observer research foundation Note that they host this in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs government of India This effort is supported by a number of institutions Organizations and individuals who are committed to the mission of the conference. Okay. Now. What is this observer research foundation? See observer research foundation or war if began its journey in 1990 this happened when the idea of Pragmatism emerged now. What is pragmatism see pragmatism is solving problems in a practical and Sensible way rather than having a fixed set of ideas. See post-1991 LPG reforms India Economically integrated with the world and after this India started facing several challenges This intern evoked a need for an independent forum that could critically examine the Problems that our country was facing post-1991 LPG reforms Also, this forum should be in a position to help develop coherent policy response This is why war of that is observer research foundation was formed War of was established by leading Indian economist and policy makers to present the agenda for India's economic reforms. This is today this forum that is war of has emerged into a forum of global Partnerships. This is because war of today plays an important role in building political and policy Consensus that enables India to interact with the world. The mandate of war of is to conduct in-depth research Provide inclusive platform and invest in tomorrow's thought leaders today So war of helps discover and inform India's choices. It carries India's voice and ideas to forums shaping global debates. It conducts non-partisan independent well-researched analysis and inputs to Diverse decision makers in governments business communities academia and to civil society around the world So these are all the basic points you have to remember regarding Roy Sina dialogue and observer research foundation Now, let us see a brief about the Roy Sina dialogue 2022. See it will be modelled along six thematic pillars What are the six pillars the first pillar is rethinking democracy trade tech and ideology The second pillar is end of multilateralism a networked global order The third pillar is water caucuses turbulent tides in the Indo-Pacific The fourth pillar is communities Inc first responders to health development and planet Fifth pillar is achieving green transitions common imperative Diverging realities the sixth pillar is Samson vs. Goliath the persistent and relentless tequas then the theme of the 2022 Roy Sina dialogue edition is taranova impassioned impatient and Imperiled see Roy Sina dialogue 2022 was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday It will be held over three days from april 25 to april 27 It has witnessed the participation of european commission president Ursula von der leyen as a chief guest So these are the important points about Roy Sina dialogue 2022 That's all regarding this discussion in this discussion We saw about the basics of Roy Sina dialogue and some of the takeaway points from the Roy Sina dialogue 2022 With this let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article Look at this editorial article this editorial article is about rural development The author argues that even after nearly 75 years of independence We have not achieved the required rural development So in this manner author has looked into the role played by mission anthodaya and its findings So in this discussion, let us see about this mission It's findings how it is helpful in rural development and finally Certain gaps that needs to be addressed to attain the required results in rural development This is the plan for today's discussion Before getting into the discussion, I have highlighted the syllabus regarding this discussion You can go through it Now let us start our discussion First, why should a country like India focus on rural areas? It is because one third of rural India still lives in object poverty These rural poor are deprived of quality education and they are unable to acquire skills which fetch better incomes Access to health care is also denied to the rural poor They also are the main victims of caste, religious and other discriminatory practices All these are a resultant of many factors such as social, economical and political inequality Social exclusion, illiteracy, unemployment, indebtedness, unequal distribution of wealth, low capital formation Lack of infrastructure, lack of demand, pressure of population and finally lack of social or welfare net To address these factors, there is a need for rural development Rural development is quite a comprehensive term But it essentially means a plan of action for the development of rural areas which are lagging behind in socio-economic development Even Gandhiji said that the real progress of India does not simply mean the growth and expansion of industrial urban centres But mainly the development of Indian villages So for overall development of the country, rural development is essential In this way, Indian government introduced many measures and reforms in the form of decentralisation of economic and political power Mainly to the rural India One among them, as you know, is the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act Which gave constitutional status to the Panjayati Raj institutions But according to the author, decentralisation reforms have failed to take the decentralisation process forward in delivering social justice and progress in rural India Why the author is sure that rural India lacks social justice and progress See, this opinion of the author is based on the 2011 socio-economic and caste census data As you know, the socio-economic and caste census is a study of socio-economic status of rural and urban households And allows ranking of households based on predefined parameters Note that the survey was largely carried out in 2011 and 2012 That means the survey findings revealed the position in 2011 and 2012 period, which was just a decade ago Now the data for rural households point out multi-dimensional deprivations such as shelterlessness, landlessness, etc For example, 2.8 crore households are with no room to live or only one room to live 5.4 crore households are landless 6.89 million female-headed households have no adult member to support And finally, the report also found that 51% of the rural households depend on casual manual labour to earn their livelihood So these are some of the findings from socio-economic and caste census So what does this finding say? This findings say that even after 60 years of independence, the deprivation in rural India continues So, Government of India took another measure by introducing Mission Anthodaya Here Anthodaya means the upliftment of the poorest among the poor Mission Anthodaya was adopted in Union Budget 2017-18 It is an accountability and convergence framework that was aimed at transforming lives and livelihoods on measurable outcomes It is a state-led initiative for rural transformation and it focuses on most backward districts So it is designed to make the optimal use and management of resources allocated by the ministries or departments under various programs for the development of rural areas Here, Gram Panchayats are the basic unit of planning and the Gram Panchayats are the focal points of convergence effects That is, various government interventions that are already in implementation are converged with Gram Panchayats So overall, Mission Anthodaya works towards ending multi-dimensional deprivation at household level And these are the expected outcomes of the Mission Anthodaya You can go through it Now, one of the important aspects or key process of Mission Anthodaya is annual survey in Gram Panchayats across the country It helps in monitoring the progress periodically and address the developmental gaps How? The survey allots scores and then it ranks the Gram Panchayats on several parameters such as physical infrastructure, human development and economic activities In 2019 survey, there were 112 parameters covering a total of 29 subjects that were transferred to the Gram Panchayats as per the lavender schedule of the constitution So, the survey is of utmost importance for rural development Why? It helps in identifying the gaps in basic needs at the local level After identifying the gaps, it helps in integrating resources of various schemes to finance the processes involved in addressing the gaps So, this in the long run will help faster economic development and inter-jurisdictional equity So, what does the 2019 data say? As per the score, no state have obtained top score from 90 to 100 But around 0.5% are in the bottom score, which is about approximately 1500 Gram Panchayats But who has the top score? It is as usual Kerala and Kerala is followed by Ujjrat But it is not a laudable score These two data suggest that still a large proportion of rural India is under poverty Therefore, we have a long way to go for achieving economic development and social justice in rural India Remember, this also means that initial goal of Mission Anthodhya has not been achieved The initial goal was to make 50,000 Gram Panchayats poverty free by 2019 But this target has been pushed to 2022 So, according to the author, two major issues have to be solved to achieve the goal First issue is lacking serious effort to converge resources That is, the resources under various programs or schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantees Act, the National Rural Livelyhood Mission, National Social Assistance Program, Pratamantri Avasyogina, etc Should have been converged as per the objective of Mission Anthodhya See, converging resources helps in saving expenses like the administrative expenses But it is not done yet So, this leads to multiple expenses leading to less money for actual program objective Now coming to the second issue The second issue is the data from Mission Anthodhya survey is not provided for fiscal federalism See, simply physical federalism refers to fiscal transfer from the central government to sub-national governments These transfers consist of tax devolution and grants And the transfer is predominantly based on the recommendation of the Finance Commission And according to the author, Mission Anthodhya data should be used to improve the transfer system And to improve horizontal equity in the delivery of public goods at the sub-state or sub-national level Horizontal equity here refers to the idea that people in the same circumstance should be treated in the same way So, in this context, local governments, mainly rural local governments in the same circumstance should be treated in the same way Like those having similar population or similar level of deprivation, etc But Mission Anthodhya data was not used by the 15th finance commission So these are the two issues faced by Mission Anthodhya Now coming to the conclusion The conclusion that the author is arriving here in this editorial is that we have to first address these two issues And make full use of Mission Anthodhya to attain our goal of rural development Okay, this is all regarding this discussion Now let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article Now look at this text and context article It talks about the annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom See, this topic is important for your plumes Because in this report, India is designated as a country of particular concern So let us see about this United States Commission for International Religious Freedom And then we will see some of the important key points mentioned in this report Okay, first of all, let us see what is U.S. C.I.R.F. That is United States Commission for International Religious Freedom Then how it is constituted? The U.S. C.I.R.F. is an independent and a bipartisan body It is created by the International Religious Freedom Act 1998 of the United States What is the mandate of this body? See, its mandate is to monitor religious freedom violations globally They don't just stop with monitoring They make policy recommendations to the President of the United States The Secretary of State and the Congress of the United States Okay, now note that it is an entity created by the Congress Charter That is, it is not an NGO or an advocacy organization It is led by nine part-time commissioners appointed by the U.S. President And the leadership of both political parties in the House and the Senate When we talk about qualifications of the commissioners The commissioners should have sound knowledge and experience in the fields Relevant to the issue of international religious freedom Not only that, it also includes individuals who are experienced in the field of foreign affairs Direct experience abroad, human rights and international law Okay, one major function of this independent body is issuing an annual report publication What are these for? See, the reports or the publications assess the foreign countries That violate religious freedom in a systematic, ongoing and an erogenous manner It also highlights the thematic issues affecting religious freedom abroad Then they evaluate U.S. policy and make recommendations to the U.S. government The U.S. C.I.R.F.'s decision is not binding on the U.S. government The State Department and its Office of International Freedom takes into account other diplomatic, bilateral and strategic concerns Only after that, they make a decision on U.S. C.I.R.F.'s decision For example, in annual report 2022, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that India be designated a country of particular concern But it is up to the U.S. government to accept this decision or not Now let us see what is a country of particular concern mean See, it is the category of governments performing most poorly on the religious freedom criteria That is, country of particular concerns are countries which either engage in or tolerate particularly severe violations of religious freedom A total of 15 countries have been recommended for the country of particular concern designation Just take a look at this list to know the countries who have got CPC That is, country of particular concern designation And then I have displayed the countries that are designated for less severe violations For them, the designation given is special watch list Now note that this is the third year in a row that India has received a country of particular concern designation Now coming to the major part, that is what will be the impact of the U.S. C.I.R.F.'s recommendation See, the United States Department has not acted on such recommendations so far But India may come under greater pressure this time Why? This is because India has not followed the decision of the U.S. government on Ukraine war Hence, it may affect U.S.-India bilateral relationship That is all regarding this discussion With this, let us conclude the news article discussion and take up the practice prelims questions We have four practice prelims questions. Let us see them one by one Let us take up the first question. This question is in reference to particularly vulnerable tribal groups Three statements are given. We have to find the correct statements Let us take up the first statement There are no particularly vulnerable tribal groups in the state of Nagaland See, this statement is correct because in our discussion itself, we saw there are 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups in India I have given all the 75 particularly vulnerable tribal groups here I have also given in what are all the states the particularly vulnerable tribal groups are located And with this list, you can know that there are no particularly vulnerable tribal groups in the state of Nagaland So, statement one is correct. Let us take up the second statement They are the most vulnerable among the scheduled tribes. See, this statement is also correct See, this is the definition present in the scheme for the development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups Okay So what is that definition? The particularly vulnerable tribal groups are the most vulnerable among the scheduled tribes So second statement is also correct. Let us take up the third statement Economic backwardness is one of the criteria for identification of particularly vulnerable tribal groups See, this also we saw in our discussion the four criteria for the identification of particularly vulnerable tribal groups are pre-agricultural level of technology, low level of literacy, economic backwardness and a declining or stagnant population So the third statement is also correct. Since all the three statements are correct The correct answer here is option D all of the above. Now, let us take up the second question This question is in regards to information technology act 2000. It is a two statements question We have to find the correct statements. Let us take up the first statement The power to issue directions for the interception monitoring or blocking of any information through any computer resource Lies with both the central and the state government. See this statement is incorrect Actually for interpretation monitoring or decryption both central and the state government enjoy the power But in case of blocking only the central government or any of its officers especially authorized have the power So statement one is incorrect. Let us take up the second statement The above direction can be given in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India or public order See from our discussion, we know that this statement is correct Since statement one is incorrect and statement two is correct. The correct answer here is option B two only Now, let us take up the third question. This question is in reference to united states commission on international religious freedom It is a two statement question. We have to find the correct statements. Let us take up the first statement It is completely dependent on united states government. See this statement is incorrect because in our discussion We saw that united state commission for international religious freedom. That is UN CIRF is a completely independent body. It is not dependent on the US government Now, let us take up the second statement its recommendations are binding on the united states government See this statement is also incorrect because its recommendations are not binding on the US government The state department and its office of international freedom take into account diplomatic bilateral and strategic concern Before taking any final decisions since both the statements given here are incorrect The correct answer here is option D neither one nor two. Now, let us take up the last question for today This question is in regards to rai sinna dialogue. Okay, it is a three statement question We have to find the correct statements. Let us take up the first statement It is a conference conducted by united nations See from our discussion, we know that this statement is incorrect because rai sinna dialogue is a India's premier conference and not a conference conducted by united nations It is conducted by ORF or observer research foundation in partnership with the ministry of external affairs Okay, now, let us take up the second and the third statements It is a conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics and the third statement is it addresses Most challenging issues faced by the global community See statement two and statement three are correct because we saw both these statements in our discussion itself See rai sinna dialogue is a conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics and it is committed to address the most challenging issues faced by the global community Okay, so since statement one is incorrect and statement two and statement three are correct The correct answer here is option b two and three only the main's question based on today's discussion Is displayed here write your answers and post it in the comment section If you like this video like comment and share it with your friends For more updates regarding upsc preparation subscribe to shankara is academy youtube channel. 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