 Good evening as friends, welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankarayesh Academy for the date 6th of January 2024. These are the list of articles we will be going through today. Before getting into the discussion, I have an important announcement to make. Are you passionate about mastering geography as an optional subject? Here's your chance to excel. Get ready to deeper into geography with our esteemed faculty, Mr. Shabir A. Bashir. Whether you prefer offline sessions in Chennai or online access from other branches, this batch caters to your learning preferences. Prepare to enrich your understanding of geography with comprehensive teaching sessions designed to help you ace your exams. Mark your calendars for January 20, 2024 and join us for an enriching educational journey. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your geography optional score. For enrollment and further details, visit our website. With this happy announcement, let's get into the news article discussion. Look at this news article. According to this news article, the election commission dismissed the concerns raised by the opposition leader regarding the electronic voting machine and the voter verifiable paper audit trail. This is about the news here. In this context, let us quickly go through about electronic voting machine and the voter verifiable paper audit trail. See the electronic voting machine is nothing but voting using electronic means. It is noted that an EVM is designed with two units, the control unit and the balloting unit. With the EVM instead of issuing a ballot paper, the polling officer will press the ballot button which enables the voter to cast their vote. A list of candidates name and their symbols will appear and the voter has to press the blue button next to it. Know that the program used in the electronic voting machine cannot be reprogrammed in a particular manner. Furthermore, the electronic voting machines are stand alone machines which are not accessible remotely from any other network. So it eliminates the chances of getting tampered. Now let us see some facts about the voter verifiable paper audit trail. The VVPAT machines were first introduced in India in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It is an independent system which is attached with the EVMs. It allows voters to verify that their votes have been recorded accurately. A printer is attached with the EVM and it is kept in the voting compartment. The printer prints a slip that contains the serial number, the name of the candidate and the symbol of the candidate for whom the voter has casted the vote. This printed slip remains exposed for seven seconds under a transparent window and then cuts off automatically and falls into the draw box. And this draw box remains sealed. Remember VVPAT machines can be accessed only by the polling officer. With this basics about the VVPAT now let us see some pros and cons associated with the VVPAT. First the pros. See the VVPAT increases the transparency and eliminates the doubt about the accuracy of the EVMs. Secondly the paper trail generated by the VVPAT can be used for post election audit and recounts. This contributes to the overall integrity of the electoral process. The last major positive is that it helps in building trust among the general public in the democratic process. These are some of the positives associated with the VVPATs. Now coming to the negatives. The first con is that the process of printing, verifying and storing paper receipts can slow down the voting process. This leads to longer queues and increased waiting time at the polling station. This is the first issue. The second issue is that the VVPAT is a dual system of electronic and paper based voting. This adds complexity in the election process and potentially increases the chance of technical errors or glitches. These are the two cons associated with VVPAT system. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw few preliminary facts about EVMs and the VVPAT system. Now let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article. In this article the author talks about the steps to increase the faith in Indian democracy. In the analysis she spoke about the issues in the government and the apportioned parties in India. She also spoke about the structural issues like anti-defection law, role of media which is plaguing the Indian democracy. This is about the editorial in general. But in our discussion today we will focus on a main question related to Indian democracy and we will try to use the points from the editorial in our answer. Now look at the question. Let me read out it. Recently a US based non-profit freedom house downgraded India from a free democracy to a partly free democracy. In this context write about the challenges facing Indian democracy and the steps that can be taken to address it. See this question can be asked in GS paper too. Now how to approach this question? See this is a very simple question with a predefined structure. Firstly it asks us to explain the challenges of Indian democracy and in the second part it asks us to explain the steps that can be taken to address it. This should be the skeleton of your answer. Now let's start answering. Let's start with the introduction. In the introduction you can give a brief definition about democracy. See democracy in simple words is a system of government where citizens can exercise their voices directly or through representatives as in the case of India. But this is like a blame man's description of an elephant. Democracy is more than that. In the words of Dr. Ambedkar it is a form of social organization of the society. This means an egalitarian one with the basic ideals of freedom, dignity and equality. Know that without social democracy a mere electoral democracy will be like an earth without oxygen. India has a historical relationship with democracy. Democracy has been witnessed in Lachavi, Maha Janapata and through the Kudavoli system of the Chola period. Moreover democracy is a light which can be held dear by our founding fathers throughout the freedom struggle. But recently democracy in India is plagued by various issues which we are going to see in our answer. See here I have given an elaborate definition of democracy. You can use the crux of the points that I mentioned in your introduction. Now moving to the body of the answer. Here we will first write about the challenges that the Indian democracy is facing right now. Firstly the societal challenges to democracy. See various social evils like poverty, illiteracy, casteism and patriarchy pose a serious threat to democracy. All these challenges pose a threat to democracy by breaking the feeling of brotherhood and fraternity. See a man with an empty stomach will be more concerned about his lunch rather than the election. Recent issues of increasing communalistic feelings, hate crimes are adding fuel to the fire. This is the first issue or the first challenge that the Indian democracy faces. The second is with respect to political system. See elections are an essential feature of the democracy. We are all aware of Lincoln's famous quote, democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people. But recently this pillar of democracy is eroded by various factors. Now let us see them one by one very briefly. See during elections there are various issues like casteism of politics, using money and muscle power, arousing communal feelings etc. These are damaging the democratic fabric of our country. After the election there are various issues like horse trading and defection of legislators for money. These are damaging the core of our democratic system. See in a democratic country like India the legislature is often called the temple of democracy. But here also various issues like partiality of preceding officers, bypassing the scrutiny of parliamentary committee, disruptions of proceedings by the opposition are posing a serious threat to the democracy. These are some of the challenges with respect to the political system that the Indian democracy faces. Moving on, the third major challenge is the economic challenge. Here the main culprit is the raising inequality in our society. Recent Oxfam report shows that the richest one percent of our country won more than 40 percent of India's total wealth. At the same time the bottom half of the population together share just 3 percent of the wealth. This limits the life choices of the poor thereby forcing them to stay in the bottom of the society. Moreover other issues like corruption in the country, joblessness in the society, stagnating rural income, lack of social security of the workers are also affecting the Indian democracy in general. Moving on, the next challenge is with respect to the role of the media. See media is the fourth pillar of the democracy. It is playing an important role in questioning the government and creating a public opinion. In recent time the challenges like paid news, hijack of media houses by the corporates, increasing surveillance of media is affecting the credential of the media in general. This is affecting the Indian democracy. See these are some of the challenges that the Indian democracy witnesses. This addresses the first part of the question. In the second part you have to write up the steps that can be taken to address these challenges. Here firstly you can mention that the government should be focusing on reducing the poverty. See through the National Food Security Act the government is trying to achieve food security but the government should also focus on the other dimensions of poverty like hidden hunger. This should be addressed. Steps like Poshanabayan, Animya Mukthubarath are welcome steps by the government. The steps like new India literacy policy will address the gap of adult literacy and make them empowered citizens. This is the first step that the government can take to address the challenge faced by the Indian democracy. Secondly, the Indian political system needs to be cleansed of criminalization. This can be done by updating the representation of peoples act 1951. Also various recommendations of the Sarkarya and the Punchi Commission can be followed to foster transparency in our electoral system. Steps like ensuring independence of speaker, limiting the role of governor, reforming the anti-defection law to increase the individual freedom of the legislators should also be taken. Moreover the government should take steps to decrease the inequality in the society. This can be done by progressively increasing the taxation. Also the issue of black money should also be addressed. The government should also take steps to increase the participation of women in the workforce. The steps like stand up India, encouraging the participation of women in the FPO's, self-help groups are also a welcome step. Fourthly, the steps like using technology will reduce the corruption and increasingly empower the people. For example, use of direct benefit transfer and the jam trinity will increase the economic powers of the people. The various subsidies like the basic minimum income for housewives directly in the bank account of women will empower them and make them a meaningful partner in our democracy. Finally, the media and the civil society should be encouraged to actively participate in the society. The various regulations in regularizing their funding are a welcome step, but it should not be used as a weapon to limit the voices of the opposition in the society. These are some of the steps that can be taken to address the challenges faced by the Indian democracy. Now we have addressed the body of the answer. Now coming to the conclusion part. In the conclusion you can mention that despite all the challenges, Indian democracy is the largest and the vibrant one in the world. The various issues of our present democracy should be addressed at the earliest to achieve a truly democratic inclusive nation. We should also strive to make Indian democracy as in the words of Dr Ambedkar as the one that should enhance the dignity of its citizen. This could be your conclusion. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion through a main question we saw some of the challenges faced by the Indian democracy. We also saw the steps that can be taken to address Indian democracy. Now let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Have a look at this news article. The article talks about the enrollment into the Digiatra without the consent of the passengers. This is a major issue as Digiatra is promoted as a voluntary initiative. This is about the news article given here. So in this context in our discussion today let us see some problems related facts about the Digiatra. First of all Digiatra is an application that aids travelers to pass through various checkpoints at the airport in a hassle free manner. This paperless and contactless method uses facial features to establish the identity of the passenger. Such an identity would be linked to the boarding pass. This will allow the passengers to pass through the checkpoints in a hassle free manner. Now let us see who implements this program. Digiatra project is implemented by the Digiatra Foundation. This foundation is set up as a joint venture company whose shareholders are the airport authority of India and the various airports of Delhi, Bengaluru etc. It is a industry led initiative which is implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Now let us see how we can use this facility. Firstly a passenger has to register their details on the Digiatra app. This can be done by using Aadhar based validation and self captured image. In the next step the boarding pass has to be scanned. Moreover we should share all the necessary credentials with the airport authorities. Now let us see the process in the airport. See at the airport e-gate the passenger has to first scan the bar coded boarding pass. In this juncture the facial recognition system installed in the e-gate will validate the passengers identity and the travel documents. Once this process is done the passenger can enter the airport through the e-gate. After passing through the e-gate the passenger will have to follow the normal procedure to create the security before boarding the aircraft. This is the process of using Digiatra. An important feature of the Digiatra is that there is no central storage of personal identifiable information. It means the IDs of the passenger and the travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet on the passengers smartphone itself. In this way it ensures the privacy of the individual. This is all about Digiatra. Moving forward let us see the benefits of using Digiatra system. Firstly it will facilitate paperless travel. Secondly it will provide a hassle free travel by avoiding identity check at multiple points. Thirdly we can enhance the security by using information of the passenger beforehand. Fourthly there will be collection of data about the real time passenger load of the airport. So it will make the planning and allocation of resources in an efficient manner. These are all some of the benefits of using the Digiatra system. And that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw various problems related facts about the Digiatra system. Now let us conclude this discussion and take the next news article. Take a look at this news article. According to this news article the registration department has decided to move various registered documents to the blockchain system in order to secure them from being tampered. This is also a step towards strengthening the cyberspace. This is about the article given here. In this context let us understand what is a blockchain and we will see how it is helpful in securing digital data. First let us understand what is a blockchain technology. See blockchain is a decentralized and secure digital ledger technology that operates on a network of computers. And these network of computers are known as network nodes. Let me explain how the blockchain works. For example, consider a digital art marketplace. Information about each digital art transaction that happens in the digital art marketplace is grouped into a block. Depending on the block's content a unique cryptographic hash is generated for each block. And these blocks are linked together in chronological order to form a continuous chain. Here hash is nothing but a function that converts the input of letters and numbers into an encrypted output of a fixed link. Remember each block will have a unique hash and each block also contains the hash of the previous block. This way of connected and tamper resistant chain of blocks are created. So if a new block is needed to be added to the chain then the consensus of the network of the participants is required. Once a block is added it becomes virtually impossible to alter. This provides high level of security. The chain of blocks together form a ledger and the entire ledger is distributed across all nodes. This eliminates the need for central authority and ensures transparency. Now the thing is that if one wishes to change any information in a block then it would require changing the information in all subsequent blocks which is computationally infeasible. This is the reason why blockchain system is very secured, decentralized and impossible to be tampered with. Now let us look at the application of blockchain technology in administration. See blockchain technology can be used in ensuring good governance. It ensures transparency of public records through the usage of digital form platforms and allow auditing of the government documents. It also allows to maintain the authenticity of the document and reduces the processing time. This is about the application. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw some basic points about blockchain technology. Now let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this article. The Delhi High Court has ruled that the entire process of transplanting organs from living donors should not exceed six to eight weeks. It also directed the health ministry to prescribe specific timelines for each stage of transplantation process. In this context let us understand about the national organ and tissue transplant organization guidelines and the recent changes made to it. See in India the transplantation of human organs act 1994 provides various regulations for the removal of human organs and their storage. It also regulates the transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs. That is this act was enacted to prevent organ trafficking. Now what is the status of organ transplantation in India? See India conducts the third highest number of transplants in the world. Organs from deceased donors account for nearly 17.8% of the total transplants in 2022. Living donors constitute the majority accounting for 85% of the total donors in India. Donor numbers including both living and deceased have shown slow growth over the years. Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has earlier modified the national organ transplantation guidelines. This change or this modification brought about change to the process of organ transplantation in India. Now let us see the recent changes made. Firstly the age cap was removed. See earlier according to the national organ and tissue transplantation organization guidelines an in-stage organ failure patient above 65 years of age was prohibited from registering to receive the organ. But currently the age that is the upper age limit has been removed. This is mainly because the life expectancy of people in India has generally increased. This is the first change. The second change is the domicile requirement was also removed. See the domicile requirement to register as an organ recipient in a particular state has been removed under the moon nation moon policy. As per the recent guidelines a needy patient can register to receive an organ in any state of his or her stories and will also be able to get the surgery done there. This is the second change. The third change is regarding the fees for registration. According to the recent change there will be no registration fee that states were charging earlier for registration. See earlier the states used to charge between Rs 5000 to Rs 10000 to register as a patient on organ recipient fee list. But currently this has been removed. See these three are the recent changes made to the guidelines. So that's all regarding this discussion. With this let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Take a look at this news article. The news is that according to the United Nations international organization for migration nearly 76000 people have been displaced in the past three months in Lebanon due to the ongoing war in Israel. In this context let us revise about the geographical location of Lebanon in Prelims perspective. See Lebanon is a west Asian country located on the eastern shore of Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and by Israel to the south and by Mediterranean Sea to the west. Cyprus which is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea is very close to the Lebanon coastline. We rooted the capital of Lebanon and it is the second smallest country in Asia. Remember this fact at the intersection of the Lebanese Syrian boundary particularly near the Israeli occupied Golan Heights there is a small strip of land called the Shiba Forms. This area is a disputed region between Lebanon and Israel. Now moving on let us see the geographical features of Lebanon. Lebanon has four distinct physiographic regions. Firstly a narrow coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea then the Lebanon Mountains. Thirdly the Al Bika Valley and finally the anti-Lebanon and the Hermon Rangers running parallel to the Lebanese Mountains. In the east the Al Bika Valley lies between the Lebanese Mountains in the west and the anti-Lebanese Mountains. This region is filled with fertile soil because of this reason Al Bika Valley is known as the Lebanon's most important forming region. The main rivers of Lebanon are River Littani, River Noor Ibrahim, River Nar Ibrahim and River Orontes. Finally let us look at the climate of Lebanon. See most of the Lebanon has the Mediterranean climate with warm dry summers and cool wet winters. The coastal plains mainly experience subtropical climate. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion we saw some of the basic problems related facts about Lebanon. With this we have come to the end of the news article discussion session. Now let us conclude this discussion and take up the practice problems questions. We have three practice problems questions today. Let us see them one by one. Look at the first question. This question is about the electronic voting machines. Here three statements are given. We have to find how many of the statements are correct. Look at the first statement. They use reprogrammable microchips. This statement is incorrect. The microchip used in EVM is a one-time programmable microchip. It can neither be read or overwritten. Hence the program used in the EVM cannot be reprogrammed in a particular manner. So statement one is incorrect. Look at the second statement and EVM being used by the ECI that is the Election Commission of India can record a maximum of 2000 votes. This statement is correct. Moving on to the third statement. The control unit can store the result in its memory for 10 years and even more. This statement is also correct. The control unit of the EVM can store the results in its memory for 10 years or more. Here of the three statements only two are correct. So the correct answer here is option B only two. Moving on to the second question. This is also a three statement question about the Digiatra. Three statements are given. We have to find how many of the statements are correct. Look at the first statement. It is a joint venture project between the airport authority and some of the airports of India. This statement is correct. This we saw in the discussion itself. Moving on to the second statement. A person needs to be a frequent flyer to avail this benefit. This statement is incorrect because any passenger can use this benefit by downloading the Digiatra app in their phone. Okay. So second statement is incorrect. Moving on to the third statement. It is implemented at all the international airports of India. This statement is incorrect because currently the Digiatra is implemented only in 13 airports of India. So statement three is also incorrect. Since only one statement is correct here. The correct answer is option A only one. Moving on to the last question. Which of the following statements is incorrect about the term Levant. First let me explain what is a Levant. Levant is an approximate historical geographical area that is located in the eastern Mediterranean region of western Asia. It is actually a land bridge between Africa and Eurasia. It is basically a cultural and a historical region of greater Syria, which include present day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and most of the southwest part of Turkey. Okay. This is a Levant. Now let us come back. Here they are asking which of the following statement is incorrect about the term Levant. Because the first statement it refers to the entire coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea. This statement is incorrect because we saw that it is just a land bridge between the Asia and the Eurasian region. Okay. So statement A is incorrect. Now with this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like this video, like, comment and share it with your friends for more updates regarding UPSC preparation. Subscribe to Shankara A.S. Academy's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.