 Good evening aspirants welcome to the hindu news analysis for the date 25th November 2021 brought to you by Shankara A.S. Academy These are the articles we will be discussing today. So without wasting much time. Let us start today's discussion Today we will be discussing two questions from the 2020 GS paper one Both the questions are from the static portion of geography So instead of giving just the highlights of the answer like the previous sessions I will be discussing the entire answers. Now, let us take up the first question Let me read out the question discuss the geophysical characteristics of the circumphasic zone. See this question is a 10 marker So we have to limit our answers to 150 words But since this is a discussion, I will be discussing the answer elaborately But you guys stay cautious and stick to the world limit now coming back. See this here is a Direct question you just have to write about the major geophysical features of the circumphasic zone And then you have to give examples to these physical features See for the introduction, you can give some facts about circumphasic zone Or you can write about the location of the circumphasic zone See circumphasic zone is a zone in the Pacific Ocean. See this zone is characterized by volcanoes and earthquakes Let me draw the circumphasic zone here See, this is a geography question. You can use maps in your answers. See this here is the Circumphasic zone. See this zone has 75% of earth's volcanoes Due to the presence of large amount of volcanoes, this zone is called the Pacific Ring of Fire also 90% of world's earthquake occurs in this zone The main reason for this is the interaction of the Pacific tectonic plate with various tectonic plates like Indo-Australian plate, Philippine's plate, Eurasian plate, North American plate, South American plate, Juandi Fouca plate, Coccos plate, Nazca plate and Antarctic plate. The interactions are the reason for volcanoes and earthquakes and also the other geophysical features of this region. Now, let us see the geophysical characteristics of the circumphasic zone. See here I am going to divide the geophysical characters under three subheadings. They are the geophysical characters formed along the convergent boundary, geophysical characters formed along the divergent boundary and finally the geophysical characters formed along the transform boundary. See now, what is a convergent boundary? In case of convergent boundary, the crust is consumed. Hence, it is also called as Distractive boundary. There are three interactions in case of convergent boundary. They are ocean-ocean convergent boundary, ocean-continent convergent boundary and continent-continent convergent boundary. But in our case, that is along the circumphasic zone, only ocean-ocean and ocean-continent convergence takes place. So, let us focus only on that. Look at this diagram. See, in case of ocean-ocean convergence, usually the heavier plate subjects. In our case, the specific plate is heavier, so it starts subjecting. When the plate starts subjecting, trenches are formed between the two plates. These trenches are long, narrow, topographic depressions on the ocean floor. In case of circumphasic zone, the major trenches are Mariana's trench, Java trench, Japan trench, Kuril trench, Alusian trench, Peruchili trench and Tonga trench. Now, what happens to the plate that has been subjected? See, we know that as we go deeper into the earth, the temperature starts rising, right? So, due to this high temperature, this oceanic plate starts melting. This molten material due to lesser density starts rising up. This rising molten magma comes out here as volcanic eruption. Due to continuous volcanic activity, islands are formed here. And these islands are called archipelago. Some examples of archipelago along the circumphasic zone are Japanese archipelago and the Alusian islands. Take Japan, for example. Here, the Pacific plate starts subjecting along the Japanese trench and the resulting melting of the Pacific plate leads to volcanic activity that leads to the formation of Japanese archipelago. Since the subduction continues till date, many volcanoes in Japanese archipelago are still active. One additional fact here is that the lava from these type of volcanoes is highly viscous and mostly made up of andesitic and granitic lava, resulting in huge explosion. Another result of subduction is deep-seated earthquakes. See here, when the oceanic plate is subjecting, as the oceanic slab descends into the hot mantle, its viscosity changes. Thus, causing the plate to bend and transform. So, this results in earthquakes along the subduction zone. The earthquake along the subduction zone has deep-seated focus. See, in some cases, the earthquake could have a focus as deep as 700 kilometers. Now, moving to the eastern Pacific. See, in the eastern Pacific along the South American coast, ocean continent convergence takes place. Here, Nazga plate subjects under the South American plate. Let me draw the three steps involved in ocean continent convergence here. See, previously, while discussing ocean-ocean convergence, we saw that trenches, volcanoes and archipelago are formed. In case of ocean-continent convergence, in addition to trenches and volcanoes, fold mountains are formed. When the Nazga plate subjects below the South American plate along the Peruchilli trench, the compression force results in the formation of Andis mountain. Also, when the Nazga plate starts melting, it results in volcanic activity. Some active volcanoes along the Andis mountains are Mount Kotapaxi in Ecuador, Mount Sabancaya in Peru, and Mount Ojos del Salado in Chile. See, since these continuous belt of volcanoes are parallel to the trench, it is also called volcanic arch. So, till now we saw about the geophysical features along the convergent boundary like volcanoes, volcanic arch, fold mountains, trenches and archipelago. Now moving to the geophysical characters formed along the divergent boundary. See, along the divergent boundary, new crust is produced. Hence, this boundary is also called as constructive boundary. See, here also three type of interaction takes place. They are ocean-ocean divergent boundary, ocean-continent divergent boundary and continent-continent divergent boundary. But in our case, that is the circum-pensive zone, we can only find ocean-ocean divergent boundary. So, let us limit our discussion only to ocean-ocean divergent boundary. See, in the circum-pensive zone, divergent boundary is found in the southern side between the Pacific plate and Antarctic plate and also between Pacific plate and Nazga plate. Look at this diagram. See, due to the convection currents, the plates start pulling apart from each other. The resulting void that is created in the crust is filled with lava that finds its way from the upper mantle. This process continues over a long period of time resulting in the formation of oceanic ridges. The ridges in the circum-pensive zone are Pacific Antarctic Ridge and East Pacific Ridge. To sum up, the oceanic ridges are sea floor mountain systems that are formed due to plate tectonics between two oceanic plates. The lava found here is less-discussed basaltic lava. The oceanic ridges are also prone to earthquakes. The key difference between the earthquake found along the convergent and the divergent boundary is that, along the convergent boundary, the earthquakes have deep focus that we already saw. And here along the divergent boundary, the earthquakes have shallow focus. But the earthquakes along the divergent boundary are more frequent. See here, the earthquake occurs when the fracture appears, when the two plates start moving apart from one another. So, here under the divergent boundary, we saw about the geophysical characters like mid-oceanic ridges and their associated volcanic and earthquake activities. Now moving on to the geophysical features found along the trans-formed boundary. See here, two plates move past one another. This type of plate interaction results in the formation of strike-slip faults. Here, the movement of the plate doesn't involve any creation or destruction of crust. So, this type of plate interaction is also called as conservative boundary. The main example for this type of interaction is the St. Andrea's fault that is formed between the Pacific plate and the North American plate. See, along the trans-formed boundary, large but shallow earthquakes are produced. So, apart from the features that we discussed till now, there is another feature along the circum-Pacific zone called the hotspot. See, hotspots are powered by mantle plumes. While discussing about the divergent boundary, I told you about the convection current rate. See, those convection currents or convection cells that aids in the plate movement changes its position over time. See, mantle plumes are similar to the convection cells. But unlike those convection cells which changes their position over geological time scale, the position of the mantle plumes seems to be relatively fixed. See, this mantle plumes provides a continuous supply of abnormally hot magma to a fixed position. This position is called a hotspot. The abnormally high heat of the hotspot leads to the melting of the crust. The melted rock then turns into magma, which is at a high pressure. Due to the high pressure, the magma pushes itself through the cracks and falls in the crust and reaches the surface of the earth, forming volcanic hotspots. See, in the circum-Pacific zone, the hotspot is located below the Hawaiian Islands, Galapagos Islands, Samoa Islands and in the Yellowstone National Park. The volcanoes formed over the hotspot have very basic and less viscous lava. So, they form some of the world's quietest volcanoes. Another important point is that hotspots are not found along the plate boundary. They are mostly found randomly in the middle of the plate. Okay, so now we have seen all the important geophysical characters along the circum-Pacific zone and I have also given some examples for that. So, in your answer, you need not write the entire thing that we discussed today. Actually, it won't be possible to discuss this answer without touching upon the basics. That is the reason I covered the basics part. So, in your answers, just focus only on the geophysical characters found along the circum-Pacific zone. One or two sentences about how they form and some examples. Since this is a 10 marker, this would be fine. And remember to use diagrams and maps in your answer. Now moving on to the next question. Let me read out the question first. The process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. Justify with examples. See, for this question, in the introduction, you can give a good definition. You can use your own words to define desertification or you can use the official definition given by the United Nations Convention to combat desertification. That is UNCCD. See, according to UNCCD, desertification is not a natural process. It is not the natural expansion of existing deserts, but the degradation of land in the arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas. Desertification is a gradual loss of soil productivity and thinning of vegetative cover because of human activity or climate variations like prolonged droughts or floods. We all know that it takes millions of years for soil to form naturally. And if this soil is lost, desertification is said to have been occurred. Now coming to the body of the answer, the question gives us a statement that the process of desertification does not have climatic boundaries. And we have to substantiate this statement with examples. See, we all know that deserts are areas where evaporation exceeds precipitation. That is, deserts are areas where water loss due to evaporation is higher than water gain due to rainfall. So naturally, the formation of desert is controlled by two factors. They are precipitation and evaporation. So to answer this question, we have to look for real life examples in the world where deserts are formed not due to the lack of precipitation or increased evaporation, but due to other factors, mainly anthropogenic factors. This is what the statement, desertification does not have climatic boundary mean, you know, various causes of desertification rate. So in the body of the answer, you have to write these causes and give examples of how these factors led to desertification take overgracing for example, overgracing leads to desertification. As an example for this, you can write about the bunny grasslands of Kachar region of Gujarat. See, bunny grassland used to have a lush green fields, but due to overgracing by Maldari tribesmen and coupled with lack of government regulation regarding cattle grazing, the entire area looks like a desert now. Now moving on to invasive species, you all know about the plant Prosopis Julephora, right? In Tamil, it is called Seema Kareveli and in Gujarati, it is called Gandobawal. See, if you take a train from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, you can find this Thani plant all over the place. This plant absorbs the soil moisture, not allowing other plants to grow in water scarce area. Now take the same bunny grasslands for example, here the government introduced this plant that is prosopic Julephora in the 60s to fight salinity and to stop the advancement of runoff cuts, but the plant backfired. The plant became an invasive species dominating over the native grass. This is a major cause of desertification in the bunny grasslands. Similarly, you can cite about the poor irrigation practice and excessive fertilizer use in Punjab as an example for desertification, not confining to climatic region. And we all know that northeast India receives ample amount of rainfall rate. But according to the desertification and land degradation atlas published by ISRO of the 10 states that were most affected by desertification between the period 2003 and 2018, six states were from northeast region. The states include Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tirupura, Nahaland and Mahalaya. Here the main cause of desertification is clearing forest for human settlement and agriculture. See, deforestation here leads to soil erosion. And this is accelerating the rate of desertification in the northeast region. In Assam, to be particular, the cause of desertification is waterlogging. See, in Assam, due to faulty agricultural practices results in the formation of waterlogging. This waterlogging induces capillary action leading to irreversible salination. This salination leads to land degradation that is followed by desertification. You can also include here how the unplanned urbanization and creation of urban sprawls is leading to loss of green cover in cities and thus leading to desertification in the urban areas. Here you can mention any major Indian city as an example. Finally, you can mention about climate change. Due to climate change, the frequency of floods and droughts are increasing. And this is leading to the loss of topsoil. Due to erosion, this is leading to desertification. See, in the Sahel region of Africa, due to climate change induced sea surface temperature variation in Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, there has been continuous droughts. Sahel region is a transition area between Sahara Desert and the humid savannas of Africa. This continuous drought events in the Sahel region, thanks to climate change is leading to desertification of the region. See here, I have given some examples. You need not limit yourself with the examples that I have given. You can look for your own examples. Now, having done with the body of the answer, let us move on to the conclusion part. Here you can write about the various measures taken by the Indian government to combat desertification. Because, since it is a GS paper, okay, here you can mention about National Action Plan to Combat Desertification, National Mission on Green India, Governments Push to Zero Budget Natural Forming, Peridrop More Crop Component of Pradhan Mandir Krishi Sinchayojana, Food and Fodder Development Program to Combat Overgracing. And you can also mention about the Evergreening Revolution suggested by Dr. M. Swaminathan. Now we have addressed the question holistically. See today I discussed two questions, which is mostly static. In the future sessions, should I focus more on the dynamic and the current of a related topic from the previous year's main question, or should I give equal weightage to dynamic and the static portion? Drop your suggestions in the comment section. Okay, your suggestions will be very helpful. Also, post your versions of answers in the comment section. It will help you in your answer rating practice and it will also help me in updating myself. Now let us conclude this session and take up the first article for today's discussion. Look at this editorial. This editorial discusses a recent ruling by a High Court in a case pertaining to Poxo Act. Poxo stands for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The author of the editorial is critical of how the High Court interpreted the sexual offense committed on a child by an adult. If you remember, in 19th November, Keith Namam discussed about the interpretation of definition of the term sexual assault under section seven of the Poxo Act in detail. Now again, this case refers to another provision in the act that deals with aggravated form of sexual offense. So let us understand the case background, then the verdict and the views of the author. The verdict has been given in the case law Sonu Kushava v. State of Uttar Pradesh. What happened was in 2016, the accused person forced a 10 year old boy to perform oral sexual act. It was proven beyond doubt that the accused person put his penis into the mouth of the victim. The guilt was first proven in an additional sessions court which convicted and sentenced to the accused person under Indian Penal Code and the Poxo Act. Particularly under Poxo Act, the accused was punished as per section 6 of the Poxo Act. This section deals with the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault. So what is the definition of aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Poxo? See, we know that an act is a sexual assault if the act involves physical contact or touch and it is done with sexual intent but without penetration. But on the other hand, an act becomes penetrative sexual assault when a person puts or inserts his private sexual part that is penis into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a child. It is also a penetrative sexual act if the person makes the child to do the ABO Act with him or with any other person. This is dealt by subsection A of section 3 of the Poxo Act. So, the subsection A deals with the penetration by sexual parts. Here note that it is also a penetrative sexual assault if the ABO Act is done with an object or a part of the body. This is covered by subsection B of section 3. So, it is first proven that the accused person in the case law has committed the penetrative sexual assault as defined in subsection A of section 3 of the Poxo Act. But the punishment was given for aggravated penetrative sexual assault. See, aggravated penetrative sexual assault is defined under section 5 of the Act. This section lists out many conditions under which the ABO mentioned penetrative sexual assault becomes aggravated. See, a crime is aggravated when the additional factors are involved in circumstances surrounding the alleged offense. Such aggravating factors increase the severity of the crime significantly and make the crime worse or more serious than it would otherwise be. Because of the aggravating nature, such crimes attract harsher punishments also. For example, using a deadly weapon is an aggravating factor. On similar lines, a penetrative sexual assault becomes aggravated in certain circumstances or conditions. It is listed under section 5 of the Poxo Act. So, what are these conditions or circumstances? See that section lists 21 such conditions or circumstances. Okay, let us see some important ones. It is an aggravating penetrative sexual assault when the penetrative sexual assault is committed by a police officer, a member of armed force, a public servant, or is committed by someone who is a staff of a remand home, hospital, educational institution, or religious institution, etc. Okay, it is an aggravating penetrative sexual assault when the penetrative sexual assault is committed by a relative of the child. Then, it is an aggravated penetrative sexual assault when the penetrative sexual assault is committed by more than one person or if the crime is committed more than once by the same person. It is an aggravated penetrative sexual assault when the penetrative sexual assault makes the child pregnant or when it results in the death of the child. More importantly, it becomes an aggravated penetrative sexual assault when the child is under 12 years of age. Note here, it becomes an aggravated penetrative sexual assault when the child is under 12 years of age. It is as per subsection M of section 5. See, we saw that the child in question in the case law was a 10-year-old boy. Therefore, the offense was interrupted as an aggravated penetrative sexual assault by the additional sessions court and the punishment was given accordingly. So, what is the punishment? For aggravated penetrative sexual assault, the punishment is mentioned in section 6 of the POKSO Act and for penetrative sexual assault, the punishment is mentioned in section 4. Here, you should note that punishment for any crime is given as per the law at the time of commission of that offense. The offense in our case was committed in 2016. Therefore, the 2019 Amendment to POKSO Act is not applicable. The 2019 Amendment increased the punishment to many of the offenses under POKSO Act. So, before Amendment, punishment for penetrative sexual assault was imprisonment of minimum 7 years which would extend up to life imprisonment plus 5. And before Amendment, punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault was rigorous imprisonment of minimum 10 years which may extend up to life imprisonment plus 5. But after Amendment, the 7 years is changed to 10 years and 10-year punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault is increased to 20 years. Therefore, as per the Act before Amendment, the accused was given 10 years imprisonment plus a fine of Rs. 5000. This verdict of additional sessions court was challenged and appealed in the Allahabad Court. Now, in this appeal case, the High Court has given the verdict which led to this controversy. The High Court held that the penetrative sexual assault on a 10-year-old boy did not amount to an aggravated form of crime. Therefore, it reduced the punishment from 10 years to 7 years because punishment for penetrative sexual assault before Amendment was 7 years. So, that means this High Court held that oral sexual offense on a 10-year-old boy is not an aggravated penetrative sexual assault. This verdict is criticized by many including the author of the editorial, mainly because the High Court ruling ignored the specific provision under aggravated penetrative sexual assault. It failed to look into the subsection M which states that a penetrative sexual assault committed on a child under 12 years of age amounts to aggravated penetrative sexual assault. So, author is of the opinion that verdict is given per incurium. Per incurium meaning carelessly. The High Court has disrecorded the law and the facts. The Court failed to take cognizance that the crime of sexual offense has taken the character of an aggravated form. Further, it becomes a wrong precedent to the cases on the same footing and also provides a escaped clause for the offenders. The conclusion is that this impungent judgment requires a review by the Supreme Court. So, to recap, in this discussion we saw various sections of the POXO Act, like section 3, section 4, section 5 and section 6. We saw about the difference between penetrative sexual assault and the aggravated penetrative sexual assault. And we also discussed about the punishment awarded to these crimes. Finally, we saw about the Alhabath High Court's judgment on the Sonu Kusvaha v. State of Uttar Pradesh case. So, with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next article. Look at this editorial. This editorial talks about the post-pandemic economic recovery process of the Indian economy. See, economic recovery is nothing but a phase in the economic cycle. I hope you are all aware of the term economic cycle. For those who are not aware, just remember, economic cycle refers to the stages that the economy goes through as it expands and contracts. That is, the economy may not or cannot be stable all the time. It may undergo contraction or expansion and the phases of the economy undergoes an expansion or contraction of the economy and the phases the economy goes through during an expansion or contraction of the economy is known as an economic cycle, as simple as that. See, these natural phases of expansion and decline will occur in all countries with capitalistic setup, though not at the same time. However, as a result of globalization, economic cycles are more likely to occur at similar times in different countries than they were previously. It is generally assessed by the rise and fall of the country's gross domestic product. Know that economic cycle is known as the business cycle or trade cycle. Now coming back to the article. See, since the initial lockdown following the pandemic, there has been much discussion regarding a V shaped recovery. See, we anticipated a V shaped recovery following the economic downturn. However, today's economic recovery is more K shaped than V shaped with some groups and industries recovering more quicker than others. This is the entire crux of this article. So, in this discussion, let us first understand what is an economic recovery, what is a V shaped recovery and K shaped recovery and then we will see some of the important points mentioned in the article. The syllabus regarding this article is highlighted here for your reference. Now, first what is an economic recovery? See, every business cycle or trade cycle is divided into four phases. First is the prosperity phase. This is also known as expansion or boom or upswing of economy. Second is the recession phase. This is the phase that occurs between prosperity to recession. It is also known as up turning point. Third is the depression phase also known as contraction or down swing of economy. The last is the recovery phase from depression to prosperity. That is, recovery phase occurs between depression to prosperity. So, it is also called low turning point. So, the turning point from depression to expansion is termed as recovery or revival phase. During the period of revival or recovery, there are expansion and raise in economic activities. When the demand starts raising, production increases and this causes increase in investment. There is a steady increase in output, income, employment, prices and profits. The businessman gain confidence and become more optimistic. This increases investment and this stimulation of investment brings support, revival or recovery of the economy. The banks expand credit, business expansion takes place and the stock markets are activated. There is an increase in employment, increase in production, increase in income, increase in aggregate demand, increase in prices and finally the profits starts raising and the business starts expanding. Revival slowly emerges into prosperity and the business cycle is repeated. Just remember during expansionary or prosperity phase, there will be inflation and during contraction or depression phase, there will be deflation. Now, what is a K-shaped and V-shaped recovery? See, essentially a V- shaped recovery means the economy quickly reverts to the trend of absolute GDP. That is, it is characterized by a quick and sustained recovery in measures of economic performance after a sharp economic decline. Because of the speed of economic adjustment and recovery in macroeconomic performance, a V-shaped recovery is the best case scenario considering the recession. Now, what is a K-shaped recovery? A K-shaped recovery is an unusual scenario where certain industries and individuals pull out of recession, while the others are stagnated. That is, following a recession, a K-shaped recovery occurs when different areas of the economy recover at different speeds, different timeframes and different magnitudes. Here itself, you can note that it is in complete contrast to a smooth consistent recovery throughout all the sectors and industries. See, you can know that economic results and relations transform fundamentally both before and after recession. And a K-shaped recovery actually leads to change in the structure of the economy or the larger society. This type of recovery is called K-shaped because of the path of the different parts of economy, when chartered together may diverge resembling the two arms of the alphabet K. That is, a K-shaped recovery essentially splits an economy into two, with a division occurring along class, racial, geographic or industry lines. It exposes pre- existing divisions and disparities in wealth and how this pre-existing division could be exacerbated. Now coming back, as I already said, we anticipated a V-shaped recovery following an economic downturn. But today's economic scenario is more K- shaped than V-shaped, with some groups and industries recovering more and quicker than others. A very good example for this is the two wheeler sector. See, according to the forecast by the consulting from Crissel, two wheeler sales are expected to fall by 3 percent to 6 percent year over year in 2021. This is in addition to a reduced baseline in 2020, which is already being impacted by the epidemic. The actual reduction in two wheeler sales due to base effects from pre-pandemic era must be far greater. The two wheeler sales have dropped to their lowest level in seven years. It is important to note that the most vulnerable models in the two wheeler category are the entry-level models. The festival season was supposed to address this problem, but it didn't. Whereas premium vehicles and motorcycles, on the other hand, have remained unaffected by the pandemic downturn. So this sides a very good example of K-shaped recovery. We just discussed about the K-shaped recovery. We just discussed how a K-shaped recovery may impact the economy. But still, government tax policies remain regressive with more indirect taxes and lower direct taxes, putting higher tax burden on the poor. These findings helps us to find that the government's unrealistic taxation strategy focuses only on taxing lower and middle class. Because during an extraordinary situation like the COVID pandemic, when the impacts are equal, the indirect taxes on fuel and consumer goods alone were kept high while the corporate taxes were reduced. Apart from this, if you remember, recently the textile taxes were also raised from 5 percent to 12 percent by the government. See, as I already said during the expansionary recovery phase, there will be inflation. Even though the inflation raises, the salary of the middle and lower middle class has stayed relatively stable. In such a case, imposing more indirect taxes and lower direct taxes will put higher tax burden on the poor and it will also shake the fundamentals of financial stability. Finally, the editorial mentions about the recovery of the stock market. The recovery of the stock market and other financial asset post pandemic have been phenomenal. However, it is essential to understand that this does not necessarily reflect the economic condition of our country at large. See, in India, less than 5 percent of the population invests in equities, which means less than 5 percent of the Indian population directly benefited from the said recovery. The lower middle class, which does not invest in such assets for many reasons, has no God against inflation. Finally, the article conveys that this unequal recovery process is not morally good and it will also be bad for the economy in the long run. So, the government must take necessary steps to address this. Now, what can be done? See, the US and European countries have boosted their economy from the bottom up through unemployment checks and social welfare programs. This has to be done apart from this prioritizing people who are more inclined to spend that is the middle and lower middle class rather than those who are more likely to save makes a lot of sense. That is, the government must give more importance to middle and lower middle classes. So, to put it in simple words, the velocity of money which has been slowed by pandemic lockdowns needs to be re-established. See here, velocity of money is a measurement of the rate at which money is exchanged in the economy. So, in this scenario, the government has to recognize this trend and act accordingly to assist the middle and lower class. To help families get through this difficult time, more emphasis should be placed on social welfare programs like Mandrega. To relieve the financial burden on lower income households, the government must boost progressive tax that is direct tax and reduce regressive tax that is indirect tax. So, this appears to be a viable solution. So, in this editorial, we saw about the basics regarding economic cycle, we saw about k-shaped and v-shaped recovery process, we saw how Indian economy is going through a k-shaped recovery process instead of v-shaped and finally, we saw what are the measures that could be taken to address the recovery process. So, with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next article. Look at this article. Here, the article is about the pre-legislative consultation policy that is PLCP. See, in 2014, the pre-legislative consultation policy was adopted. According to the pre-legislative consultation policy, whenever the government makes any law, it must place a draft version of it in a public domain for at least 30 days. See, according to the article, since the inception of the policy, out of the 301 bills introduced in the parliament, 227 bills were presented without any prior consultation with the stakeholders. Of the 74 bills placed in the public domain for comment, at least 40 did not adhere to the 30-day deadline. So, in this discussion, we will be seeing everything about the policy. What is the foundation for such a policy? In the modern context, pre-legislative consultation policy as a process helps in including the people in the lawmaking process and makes the government informed about its stakeholders. The process helps in building a consensus. Okay, it helps in building a vibrant democracy. Now, how did this policy came into being? See, this pre-legislative consultation policy was recommended by two bodies. They are National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi in 2013 and the National Commission to review the working of constitution in 2002. Based on their recommendation, committee of secretaries formulated a policy on pre-legislative consultation which would invariably be followed by every ministry or department of the central government. It is done before any legislative proposal is submitted to the cabinet for its consideration and approval. Now, we shall discuss the policy in detail. The pre-legislative consultation policy 2014 mandates that whenever the government makes a law that is bills, rules, regulation, etc., it must place a draft version of it in the public domain for at least 30 days. The policy also says that along with the draft and note explaining the law in simple language and justifying the proposal, its financial implication, impact on the environment and fundamental traits, a study on the social and financial cost of the bill, etc., should be uploaded. The respective departments should also upload the summary of all the feedback that they received on the circulated draft. See, this pre-legislative consultation policy aimed to create an institutionalized space for public participation in law-making processes. Why is it important? See, this policy provides a forum for citizens and relevant stakeholders to interact with the policy makers in the executive during the initial stages of law making. Protests in the recent past over laws like form laws, the RTI amendment act, the transgender person protection of rights act etc., have all highlighted that there is a discontent among the relevant stakeholders and the public at large since they were not consulted while framing such laws. We know that public consultation enhances transparency and increases accountability right. So, this pre-legislative consultation policy could result in building of an informed government where citizens are treated as partners and not as subjects. This in turn will help in building a functioning democracy. For example, concerns raised by civil society members through the Save the Internet campaign were addressed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority. Due to this campaign, the Telecom Regulatory Authority while framing the net neutrality rules adopted various points raised by the stakeholders. So, this campaign and the corresponding consultations helped in framing a better legislation. Now, let us see the current status of its implementation. See, during the 16th Lokshaba that is between May 2014 to May 2019, 186 bills were introduced in the parliament of which 42 saw no consultation prior to introduction. From the 44 bills placed in the public domain for receipt of comment, 24 did not adhere to the 30-day deadline. Similarly, during the 17th Lokshaba that is from June 2019 to present, 115 bills were introduced in the parliament of which 84 saw no consultation prior to introduction. From the 30 bills placed in the public domain for receipt of comment, 16 of them did not adhere to the 30-day deadline. The tentative schedule for the winter session indicates that of a total 29 bills listed for introduction and passing, 17 saw no prior consultation while the 12 that were placed in public domain, only 6 adhered to the 30-day deadline. So, why is it difficult to implement the policy? Though it is mandatory, the absence of statutory or constitutional right has watered down the implementation of the policy. The effective implementation of the policy requires subsequent amendment in the executive procedural guidelines like the manual of parliamentary procedures and handbook on writing cabinet notes. Now what can be done to regularize the pre-legislative consultation policy? One simple solution is the incorporation of pre-legislative consultation in the procedure of the cabinet, Lokshaba, Rajasabha, etc. In addition to this, ministers while introducing the bill can be directed to place an addendum on the details of the pre-legislative consultation. Also, if the government is not implementing the recommendation, the government should give a proper written explanation why the recommendations were ignored. These measures will improve the consultation process and formalize the pre-legislative consultation policy. Finally, how can we increase the citizen's participation in the process? First thing is capacity building. That is, awareness should be created about the whole setup and the citizens should be educated about how they can be involved in the law making process. Information about the bill or any legislation should be made accessible to all citizens in a simple accessible language. Empowering citizens with the right to participate in pre-legislative consultation through a statutory and constitutional commitment could also be a game changer. Government also can consider a voting mechanism for approval from citizens. Finally, civil society has a huge role to play here. They can act as a bridge between the government and the people and educate the people regarding the legislations. See, I have directed this discussion as a main censor. The data the points that we discussed and the structure I have adhered to in this discussion is in the form of a main censor. See, I have been receiving main censor consistently from only three aspirants. Kudos to your effort guys. You have shown tremendous improvement. Others start writing. You can read all you want, but only answer writing practice will help you clear main examinations. See, anyone new to answer writing just listen to this discussion, pass the video and just try to reproduce the answer in the same order and structure. I have framed the question accordingly. This will be a beginning step for you. Make a start today, okay? This will help you in the long run. So with this let us conclude this discussion and take up the last article for today's discussion. Look at this news article. See, yesterday that is on 24th November 2021, the National Family Health Survey 5 results were made public in its entire. See, the previous version that is the National Family Health Survey 4 was published in 2014-15 and the most recent version which covered the population health indicators from 2017 to 2019 was postponed owing to the pandemic. After a brief break yesterday, the National Family Health Survey 5 was released. So, in this context, let us learn some important points relating to the National Family Health Survey in the prelims perspective. See, the National Family Health Survey in India was initiated in the early 1990s with the first National Family Health Survey being conducted in 1992-93. Since then, India has successfully completed four surveys. All the rounds of National Family Health Survey has been conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences, that is IAPS Mumbai as a nodal agency. So, this activity is supervised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. See, the objective of the successive rounds of the National Family Health Survey is to provide reliable and comparable data set on health family welfare and other emerging issues. See, earlier the Health Ministry itself used to conduct a strict level health survey and annual health survey. But in order to satisfy the expanding requirements for frequent timely and suitable data at the national, state and district level, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to conduct integrated National Family Health Survey with a three-year frequency in place of separate surveys starting from 2015-16. The National Family Health Survey being a nationwide large-scale survey is of huge magnitude and requires detailed planning and careful implementation for it to be a success. The survey is a long process that involves many stages which are given here in this image. Now, what is new in the National Family Health Survey 5? See, the National Family Health Survey 5 includes new focal areas such as expanded domains of child immunization, components of micronutrients to children, menstrual hygiene, frequency of alcohol and tobacco use, additional components of non-communicable diseases, expanded age ranges for measuring hypertension and diabetes. Calculating these becomes very important because it will provide the necessary input for strengthening the existing programs and developing new policy intervention strategies. Now, let us see some of the key findings of the survey. A comparison of the National Family Health Survey 5 and 4 shows that births in institutional facilities such as a hospital improved by nearly 8 percentage points, whereas children who were stunted or showed signs of wasting only declined by a minimum of 3 percentage points. In addition, India has officially reached a total fertility rate of 2.0 down from 2.2 in the National Family Health Survey 4. See, replacement-level fertility according to the United Nations Population Division is defined as a total fertility rate of roughly 2.1 children per one. Each generation will exactly replace itself if the replacement-level fertility is maintained for a long enough time. The total fertility rate in cities is 1.6 whereas in rural areas it is 2.1. See, this is a big achievement for the country's family planning policy. See, we can stop it here. There will be more editorial articles regarding National Family Health Survey 5 in the coming days in the newspaper. We will wait for it and cover the survey in its entirety in the coming days. Okay, so with this, let us conclude the newspaper discussion and take up the practice problems questions. Look at the first question. The question asks, which of the following circumstances of penetrative sexual assault amount to aggravated penetrative sexual assault as per POCSO Act 2012? From our discussion, we know that except statement 3, all the other statements are correct. So the mistake in statement 3 is offense committed on children below 12 years of age makes the penetrative sexual assault a aggravated penetrative sexual assault. So only third statement is wrong. So here the correct answer is option B 12 and 4 only. Now let us look at the second question. Let me read out the question. Which of the following correctly explains the term replacement-level fertility? See, as per the UN definition, replacement-level fertility is the value that represents the average number of children a woman would need to have to reproduce herself by bearing a daughter who survives to childbearing age. See, replacement-level fertility is said to have achieved when the total fertility rate is about 2.1 per woman. If the replacement-level fertility is sustained over a significantly long period, each generation will exactly replace itself in the absence of migration. So as per this UN definition, option A is the correct answer. Okay? The main question based on today's discussion is here. Write the answers and post it in the comment section. If you like today's discussion, like, comment and share it with your friends and do subscribe to Shankara IS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you.