 I welcome you all to the Hindu Daily News Analysis brought to you by Shankarayesh Academy for the newspaper dated 28th of January 2023. Displayed here are the list of articles that we will take up for discussion today. We will begin with the first article discussion. Now let us take this editorial article for our first discussion. This article says that there are some moral and intellectual crises which are affecting the Indian economic policies. In Davos at the World Economic Forum session, the chairman of Tata Sense said that, for me, the three things most important are growth, growth and growth. On another instance, in Delhi, 150 homeless people had been removed from beneath a flyover ahead of the G20 events to be held in the city. The author quotes these two instances to show that there is clearly a crisis in the Indian economic policies. So in this discussion today, we will see what are the problems that are associated in the Indian economic policies. Before that, the syllabus relevant to this discussion is highlighted here, you can go through it. First of all, the problem is the declining employment elasticity. This means that the job creation is not directly proportional to the demand for jobs. The second problem is that jobs that are available are not with any social security such as healthcare pension, especially for the unorganized sector that makes up for most of the country's employment. Thirdly, in India, the organized manufacturing and service sectors are employing few people per unit of capital. So what does this mean? The investors are bringing in more capital and there is no problem there. But to effectively make use of this capital, we need employees. That the industries are not hiring enough. This is worrying because conventional economics says that more people should move out of agriculture and rural areas. These people should be taken into cities and into manufacturing and modern services. But there are only few opportunities in the organized manufacturing and service sectors, right? So we are not able to move people out of agriculture. Fourthly, as per the economists, the Indian economy's problem is the large size of its informal sector and small scale of its enterprises. But this problem is not so significant because economies in the world are also changing the forms of large enterprises and creating more informality of employment. The informality of employment is brought into the formal sector through outsourcing, contract employment and gig work. Fifthly, there is a problem with the form of the economy itself. According to economists, there are few women in the workforce. More women in the workforce will help the economy to grow faster. But don't think that there are no women at all in the workforce. They have been working in the farms and as caregivers, domestic workers, municipal sweepers, weavers and producers of handicrafts in small enterprises. They are even employed as teachers and as ASHA workers. But the economists are saying that the percentage of working women is very low compared to working men. So the author is saying that pushing more women into the formal economy will improve the female participation rate in the formal economy. Besides this, the young and under-employed males are involving in more crimes, violence and sexual assaults of women in Indian cities. This is majorly due to the unavailability of jobs. Finally, the author of the editorial is saying that, growth of GDP is like a disease. It kills both natural and social resources. How? As we all see, daily natural resources are converted into commodities to feed the economic mission. And social resources, that is humans, they are exploited and human work and intelligence are considered as commodities for producing value for investors in capitalist enterprises. So according to the author, the paradigm of growth, growth, growth treats human society and nature as a means of its goals. The goals being producing more wealth for investors and more GDP. Why author is saying this? Let me explain you with an example. Consider a platform service which is hiring motorcycle riders to deliver packages. This service cares only about the efficiency of the work. They won't care about the human needs such as safety, health, etc. This is because providing any social security will only increase the cost of doing business. So they only pay these riders for on-time delivery. This is exactly why the author is saying the paradigm of growth is exploiting human resources. According to the author, growth of GDP is not the purpose of human civilization. The purpose is to find a path to reach Purna Swaraj in all aspects. That is social, political and economic freedom for all Indians. How can this be achieved? First of all, economic growth must be created by equal opportunities for all to learn and earn with dignity and it should not harm the natural environment that sustains all life. Secondly, the economic development should be an inclusive one. All should gain from the growth of economy and not just a small portion of wealthy people. Thirdly, a new paradigm of economic science and policy is secured. So in this discussion, we saw what are the moral and intellectual issues that are associated with our economic policies and we discussed how they affect the people and why growth in terms of GDP alone is not significant. Finally, we saw some ways to design new economic policies. So with these points in mind, we will move on to the next article discussion. See this editorial article, it talks about the significance of the groundwater. Now, suddenly it is in news because of the theme of the UN World Water Day 2022. The theme of the UN World Water Day 2022 was groundwater making the invisible visible. The theme is a reflection of the importance given to this resource across the globe. So in this discussion, let us understand some important points mentioned in this article. Before that, the syllabus relevant to this discussion is highlighted here. Go through it. Now, let's start the discussion. See, groundwater is the freshwater that occurs below the surface of earth. It occupies all or part of the white spaces in soil or geological strata. According to data, India has nearly 18% of world's population, which occupies about 2.4% of the total geographical area. But we have only 4% of the world's total water resources. A World Bank report says that India is the largest groundwater user. Yes, groundwater is the backbone of India's agriculture and drinking water security. For example, if you see the groundwater meets nearly 80% of the country's drinking water needs and 2 thirds of our irrigation needs. Even though the groundwater is pivotal to India's water security, its exploitation is a major issue. In reality, the growing population is training the country's groundwater resources. And this is where the government comes into play. The central government is actually working to achieve the goal of sustainable groundwater management in collaboration with the states and union territories. Some important deliverables were identified. And those are reducing the groundwater extraction to below 70%. Then increasing the network of groundwater observation wells, installing digital water level recorders for real-time monitoring of groundwater level. Then periodic monitoring of water quality, aquifier mapping and data dissemination. Then we are also focusing on better regulation of groundwater extraction by industries. Further, we are also trying to bring in multi-stakeholder participation for managing groundwater. Then we are also emphasizing on the periodic groundwater resource assessment. Apart from this, in May 2019, the government moved one step ahead and created the Jalshakti Ministry. Basically, the objective of this ministry is to tackle all water-related issues. It is the merger of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. One of the programs implemented by the Ministry of Jalshakti is the Jalshivan Mission. The objective of the Jalshivan Mission is to supply 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through functional household tap connection by 2024. Now, talking about the strategy of the mission, see the Jalshivan Mission primarily focuses on integrated demand and supply side management of water at the local level. The mission also mandates creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability. Such infrastructure includes rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and the management of household waste water for reuse. All these have to be done in collaboration with other government programs or schemes. Most importantly, the mission is based on a community-based approach to water. There are extensive information, education and communication as key components of this scheme. To put it in simple words, the mission ensures functionality of existing water supply systems and water connections, water quality monitoring and testing as well as sustainable agriculture. It also ensures conjunctive use of conserved water and drinking water resource augmentation, including greywater treatment and its reuse. So, what is this greywater? It is all the waste water generated in households or office buildings from streams and this does not contain any fecal contamination. Now, we will see other initiatives taken by the government for effective management and regulation of groundwater. For example, the national project on aquifier management. So, this project was initiated in the year 2012 as a part of the groundwater management and regulation scheme. Its objective is to delineate and characterize the aquifiers and develop plans for sustainable groundwater management in the country. Characterization is done through mapping of the aquifiers. Here, aquifiers are nothing but an underground layer of permeable rocks that bear water. This mapping of subsurface water helps in gathering authentic data and enables informed decision making. From the available mappable area of nearly 25 lakh square kilometers, around 24 lakh square kilometers of the country has been mapped. A helibond-based survey has also been used along with traditional exploratory methods for rapid and accurate aquifier mapping. The remaining area is likely to be mapped by March 2023. Based on this mapping, region-wise aquifier management plans are being prepared and they are shared with the states. Apart from this, a software named India Groundwater Resource Estimation, Ingress, has also been developed to access the groundwater resources. So, with this software, dynamic groundwater assessment can be done annually. As per the author, these efforts have yielded some results. The groundwater assessment report of 2022 indicates a positive inclination in the management of groundwater. According to the assessment, there has been a 3% reduction in the number of over-exploited groundwater units as compared to 2017. Further, overall extraction saw a declining trend of about 3.25% since 2017. So, we can conclude that the government's interventions are having a positive impact. All we have to do is participate and cooperate with the government. As per the assessment, we have created 9.37 billion cubic meters of additional groundwater potential through artificial water conservation structures. With community participation, we can do more. So, this is what the author is trying to convey through this article. So, in this discussion, we saw about the status of groundwater extraction in India. Then we also saw some steps that are taken by the government to manage groundwater sustainably. In specific, we saw some major initiatives like the Jaljeevan Mission and National Project on Aquifier Management. This is all that I wanted to discuss regarding this news article. Now, we will move on to the next article discussion. Now, look at this news article. This article says that the Gujarat police filed a charge sheet in the Morbi Bridge tragedy case. This Morbi Bridge is a British-era suspension bridge. On October 30, 2022, the bridge collapsed into the Machu River and around 140 were dead including 47 children. And regarding this, Gujarat police filed a charge sheet against the Aureva group that was given the contract to repair, renovate and operate the colonial-era hanging bridge. Here, we are not going to discuss about the collapse of the bridge, but we will see about the technical term charge sheet. So, what is a charge sheet? A charge sheet is basically a final report that is prepared by the investigation or law enforcement agencies for proving the acquisition of a crime. The report is submitted by the police officer in order to prove that the accused is connected with any offense or the accused has committed any offense punishable under Indian law. Here, know that the charge sheet is defined under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It says that a charge sheet is a final report prepared by a polo's officer or investigative agency after completing their investigation of a case. Here, I have given what all should be there in a charge sheet as per Section 173. Make a note of it. The names of the parties, the nature of the information, the names of the persons who appear to be acquainted with the circumstances of the case, whether any offense appears to have been committed, and if so, by whom, whether the accused has been arrested or he has been released on bond with or without sureties, whether he has been forwarded in custody under Section 170. So, filing of the charge sheet indicates the end of investigation. After this, the report is forwarded to a magistrate or court. The filing of the charge sheet with a magistrate indicates the commencement of criminal proceedings. Most importantly, a charge sheet must be filed against the accused within a prescribed period of 60 to 90 days. Otherwise, the arrest is illegal and the accused is entitled to bail. The 60 to 90 days range depends on the nature of the crime. And finally, a recent Supreme Court judgment ruled that charge sheet is not a public document under Section 74 and 76 of the Evidence Act. So, here just know that charge sheet is not a public document and it cannot be viewed by everybody. So, with these points in mind, we will move on to the next article discussion. Now, look at this news article. Yesterday, the environment ministry in its statement said that India and South Africa have finally signed a long pending agreement. So, this is an arrangement to translocate 12 cheetahs to India. These cheetahs will be transported to India by February end and after that they will be reintroduced at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. This is the crux of the news article. Now, we will use this opportunity to quickly learn about some basic differences between the Asiatic and African cheetahs from our exam perspective. First, let us see about cheetahs in general. So, the cheetah is a prominent cat family member that belongs to the sub-family Philly name. And its scientific name is Asinonix Jupiter. Now, where do we find them? See cheetahs are found across Africa and also in some parts of Iran. They usually prefer to live in grassland habitats. This is because they have enough space to hunt their prey without any obstacles in the grassland habitats. Further, as we all know cheetah is widely regarded as the fastest animal on land. It is estimated that a cheetah is capable of running at 80 to 128 km per hour. Cheetahs are generally divided into four subspecies. They are Southeast African cheetah, the Northeast African cheetah, the Northwest African cheetah, and the rare Asiatic cheetah. See, the three subspecies of African cheetah are commonly termed as the African cheetah. So, these are some points about the cheetahs in general. Now, we will see about some basic differences between the Asiatic cheetah and the African cheetahs. Firstly, if we see their distribution, the African cheetahs are spread out across Africa, from Northwest Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. So, as it is covering a bigger territory, the African cheetahs have the highest population compared to their Asian counterparts. The Asian cheetahs are only found in small regions between Iran and Pakistan. Now, talking about their physical characteristics, the African cheetahs have sturdier legs and necks. Their heads are bigger compared with the Asiatic cheetahs. If you see an adult African cheetah, it can reach 84 inches in length and can weigh up to 72 kgs. On the other hand, the Asiatic cheetah is slightly smaller and slender than the African cheetah. The neck of the Asiatic cheetah is much smaller and longer than the African cheetah. Their legs are also slender and an Asiatic cheetah can grow up to 53 inches in length and it can weigh up to 54 kgs. Now, if we see their population size, the African cheetahs are more in number. It is estimated that there are around 7,000 to 8,000 African cheetahs left in the African wild. Now, talking about the Asiatic cheetahs, there are less than 100 individuals left in the wild and most of them are present in Iran. Now, finally, we will see about their conservation status. African cheetahs are listed as vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List of 300 species. Whereas, if we see the Asiatic cheetahs, they are listed as critically endangered species in the Red List. Also, know that both the African and Asiatic cheetahs are listed in Appendix 1 of the Sites List. So, with these points in mind, now we will move on to the next article discussion. Look at this snippet article here. It is saying that yesterday, the Global Chemical Weapon Watchdog blamed Syria for a 2018 chlorine attack which killed around 43 people. Investigators said that there were reasonable grounds to believe that there was a chlorine attack. They said, a Syrian Air Force helicopter has dropped two cylinders of the toxic gas on the rebel-held town of Doma during the Syria Civil War. So, this is about the news article given here. Now, in this context, let us understand about the Chemical Weapon Convention. First of all, know that the Chemical Weapons Convention is officially called the Convention on the Prohibition of Development Productions, Stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and on their destruction. The Chemical Weapon Convention is basically a multilateral treaty that bans the chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specific period of time. And further, the treaty is far more comprehensive than the 1925 Geneva Protocol. Now, what is this 1925 Geneva Protocol? This 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons in war. The protocol was drawn up and signed at a conference which was held in Geneva under the auspice of the League of Nations in 1925. It entered into force on 8th of February, 1928. See, the main difference between the 1925 Geneva Protocol and the Chemical Weapons Convention is that the Geneva Protocol only prohibits the use of chemical weapons. But whereas, if you see the Chemical Weapons Convention, it is banning the use and it also requires the destruction of chemical weapons. The CWC negotiations started in the year 1980 in the UN Conference on Disarmament. Many negotiations happened and the convention was opened for signature on January 13, 1993. However, the convention entered into force only on April 29, 1997. The CWC is open to all the nations and it currently has 193 state parties. Now, you should note one point here. Israel has signed the convention but it is yet to ratify it. Three states have neither signed nor ratified the convention. They are Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan. Now, coming to India's specific information, India is a signatory and a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention. India signed the treaty at Paris on 14th January, 1993. Now, you should also know that India was the first state party to secure the distinction of Chemical Weapon Free State Party. That is, India was the first country to destroy all its stockpile of chemical weapons amongst all the state parties of the CWC. Apart from this, India also established the National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act of 2000. This was done for implementing the provisions of the CWC. Now, who is responsible for implementing the Chemical Weapon Convention? The Chemical Weapons Convention is implemented by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This is headquartered in the Hague, Netherlands. It receives declaration from the state parties detailing chemical weapons related activities or materials and relevant industrial activities. After receiving declarations, this organization inspects and monitors state parties' facilities and activities which are relevant to the convention. This is basically done to ensure the compliance with the convention. So, here I have given the activities that are prohibited under CWC, pause the video and just give a glance. It prohibits developing, producing, occurring stockpiling or retaining chemical weapons. It also prohibits direct or indirect transfer of chemical weapons. Any military use of the weapon is also prohibited and no party is allowed to assist or encourage or induce other states to engage in CWC prohibited activities. And the chemical weapons should not be even used as a riot control agent as a method of warfare. So, with these points in mind, let's move on to the next article discussion. Look at this news article here. It says that India is seeking modifications to the Indus Water Treaty. This is to address the issues over the dispute settlement mechanism. We will see what is the Indus Water Treaty later in the discussion. But as of now, know that Indus Water Treaty is a water sharing agreement between India and Pakistan. See, Pakistan argues that the 1960 Indus Water Treaty gives Pakistan control over the waters of the Indus, Chinab and Jilam rivers. And it said that the Kishen Ganga and Rattle Hydroelectric Project violates the Indus Water Treaty. In 2010, Pakistan took the matter to the permanent court of arbitration at the Hague, which stayed the project for three years. But later in 2013, the court ruled that the Kishen Ganga was a run of the river plant within the meaning of the Indus Water Treaty and that India may accordingly divert water from the Kishen Ganga for power generation. In 2016, Pakistan again asked the World Bank to appoint a court of arbitration to review the designs of the Kishen Ganga and another project on the Chinab called the Rattle. India rejected the suggestion saying that Pakistan's objection was technical in nature and that the matter should be decided by a neutral expert. Now, India is seeking modifications to the Indus Water Treaty to address the issues over the dispute settlement mechanism. So this is the crux of the news article given here. In this discussion, we will learn about River Kishen Ganga and the two hydroelectric projects. Apart from this, we will also understand about the Indus Water Treaty. First, let's understand about River Kishen Ganga. See, Kishen Ganga is a river that flows in the Kashmir region of India and in the region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. In India, it is called River Kishen Ganga and in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, it is called the Nilam River. It originates from Krishna's Lake in the north of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Then it flows through the Nilam district of Pakistan occupied Kashmir and then merges with the Jailam River. So we can say that River Kishen Ganga is a tributary of the Jailam River. The Kishen Ganga River is 245 km long and it covers 50 km in Jammu and Kashmir. Then it covers the remaining 195 km in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Now talking about the Kishen Ganga Hydroelectric Project, it is located in Bandipura district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a type of run-off the river hydroelectric scheme. See, run-off the river hydroelectric power station usually generates electricity using the natural downward flow of rivers. So water is not stored or there may be very less storage of water. Now we will see in brief about the Rattle Hydroelectric Project. It is also a run-off the river hydroelectric power station. See, it is currently under construction on the Chenab River in Kishtsuwad district of the Jammu and Kashmir. Now we will also understand about the Indus Water Treaty from Trillum's perspective. See, the Indus Water Treaty is a water sharing agreement between India and Pakistan. The agreement was signed in 1960 and it was brokered by the World Bank. As we all know, the Indus River system comprises six rivers. They are Indus, Jilam, Chenab, Ravi, Diaz and Sattlej. These six rivers are broadly classified into two categories. Firstly, the eastern rivers which comprises Ravi, Sattlej and Diaz. Then secondly, there are western rivers which comprises Indus, Jilam and Chenab. So as per this Indus Water Treaty, all the waters of the three eastern rivers namely the Ravi, Sattlej and Diaz were allocated to India for explosive use. While the waters of western rivers namely Indus, Jilam and Chenab were allocated to Pakistan. But as specified by the treaty, India can use the waters of western rivers for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural purposes. Here know that India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through runoff river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. That is, the hydro projects should not change the course of the river and should not deplete the water level downstream. So this is all that I wanted to discuss regarding this news article. With this, we will move on to the next part of a discussion that is practice questions. First we will take up the prelims practice questions. Here there are four questions. Three questions will be discussed by me and one will be the quiz question for the day. Question number one. With reference to the Asiatic Cheetahs, consider the following statements. Statement number one. In wild, the Asiatic Cheetahs are found in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Statement number two. They are enlisted as endangered in the IUCN Red List of 300 species. Statement number three. They are slightly smaller and slender than the African cheetahs. Which of the statements given above ISR are incorrect? See, here statement one is incorrect. There are less than 100 individuals of Asiatic Cheetahs that are left in the wild and most of them are present in Iran. Statement number two. This is also incorrect. The Asiatic Cheetahs are listed as critically endangered species in the IUCN Red List of 300 species. Here statement number three is correct. This we saw in the discussion itself that the Asiatic Cheetahs are slightly smaller and slender than the African cheetahs. Here the question is asking for incorrect statement. So the correct answer for the question is option A, one and two only. Question number two. Consider the following statements regarding charge sheet. Statement number one. Charge sheets should be filed within the time frame of 60 to 90 days depending on the nature of the crime. Statement number two. Charge sheets does not show if an accused has been arrested or not. Which of the above statements ISR are correct? Here statement one is correct. This we saw in the discussion itself that charge sheet should be filed within the time frame of 60 to 90 days and this depends upon the nature of the crime. Here statement number two is incorrect. See section 173 of the criminal procedure code gives information about what all should be there in the charge sheet and one of them is whether an accused has been arrested or not. So the answer for this question is option A, one only. Question number three. With reference to the chemical weapons convention consider the following statements. Statement number one. The convention only prohibits the usage of chemical weapons but it does not strive for their destruction. Statement number two. India was the state party to district all its stockpile of chemical weapons. Statement number three. Organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons is the implementing agency of the convention. Which of the statements given above ISR are correct? Here statement number one is incorrect. The chemical weapons convention is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and recures their destruction within a specified period of time. Then statement number two is correct. India was the first state party to secure the distinction of chemical weapon free state party. India was the first country to district all its stockpile of chemical weapons amongst all the state parties of the chemical weapon convention. Here statement number three is also correct. We saw in the discussion itself that organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons is the implementing agency of this convention. Here the question is asking for the correct statement. So the correct answer for this question is option B, two and three only. Question number four. This is a quiz question for the day. Interested aspirants can read the question and post the answers in the comment box below. Displayed here are the main questions for your practice. Interested aspirants can write the answer and post it in the comment box below. If you have found a video to be useful, like the video, share it with your friends, subscribe to the channel. Happy learning.