 A very good evening aspirants I welcome you all to the Hindu daily news analysis brought to you by Shankar Aiz academy aspirants many of you are watching our videos without subscribing to our YouTube channel. So please subscribe and hit the bell icon button so that you will get regular notifications about our current best videos now before getting into discussion I have an important announcement to you Shankar Aiz academy is going to conduct free UPSC problems workshop it is going to be conducted for 7 days that is from 23rd December to 30th December it is totally free in this workshop our faculty members will provide you insights and strategies to crack the prelims exam the workshop also has a separate session for CSAT the workshop will be conducted both in online and offline mode but note that offline mode is only available in Ananagar Chennai registration is must to participate in this workshop so hurry up register now and gear up to clear 2024 UPSC problems I have attached with the registration link in the description box go and register immediately and don't miss this golden opportunity now with this note let us get into the daily news analysis today I am going to cover important news articles from the Hindu newspaper dated 24th of December 2023 displayed here is a list of topics that we will be discussing today at the end of the video we will also have prelims practice question discussions so try to watch the entire video now let us get into our first news article discussion look at this news article recently the central government announced the Sahita academy awards for 2023 Tamil author Rajasekaran Telugu writer T. Padhanjali Sastri and Malayalam writer E. V. Ramakrishnan are some of the authors named for 2023 Sahita academy awards in the English category Neelam Sarangaur has been named for the award for her novel Requiem in Raghavan Ki okay and this is the crux of the news article given here now in this discussion let us understand the basics of Sahita academy awards the Sahita academy awards are presented by the Sahita academy the Sahita academy awards are prestigious awards conferred to the writers for their outstanding literary works in various Indian languages see the Sahita academy recognizes literary works from 24 languages across India of the 24 languages 22 form part of the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution and the other two languages include English and Rajasthani the Sahita academy confers the awards to outstanding literary works in these 24 Indian languages the recipients of the Sahita academy award get rupees 1 lakh of cash each and they are also provided with a copper plate here note that the Sahita academy award is the second highest literary honor given by the government of India then what is the highest literary award in India it is the Janpeet award Janpeet award is the highest literary award in India 22 languages from the 8th schedule along with English are considered for the Janpeet award the award of Janpeet award is provided with a cash award of rupees 11 lakhs a citation and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati this award is sponsored by the cultural organization called Bharati Janpeet okay this is all about Janpeet award now let us see some of the other important awards given by the Sahita academy in addition to Sahita academy awards the Sahita academy also gives other awards namely Basha Samman, Eva Purashkar and Bal Sahita Purashkar now let us see in brief about these awards first let us take Basha Samman Basha Samman is given for significant literary contributions in other languages which are not formally recognized by the Sahita academy this means that Basha Samman is given to significant literary works from languages other than 24 organized languages okay this is all about Basha Samman now coming to Eva Purashkar Eva Purashkar is a literary honor that is annually given to young writers of outstanding works it is given in one of the 24 major Indian languages this award was instituted in 2011 and it recognizes young writers of age under 35 this award is given to encourage and promote young writers the Eva Purashkar comprises a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 and an engraved copper plate okay this is all about Eva Purashkar and finally let us see about Bal Sahita Purashkar Bal Sahita Purashkar is given to the authors for their contribution to children literature this award was instituted in the year 2010 the award is of Bal Sahita Purashkar are provided with an engraved copper plate and a check of Rs. 50,000 okay so these are all some of the other important awards given by Sahita academy now finally let us see some points about Sahita academy see the Sahita academy is India's national academy of letters it was formally inaugurated by the Indian government on 12th March 1954 later it was registered as a society in 1956 under the Societies Registration Act 1860 the Sahita academy is involved in the publication and promotion of literary works in India it also works actively for the development of Indian letters and it is also involved in the promotion of the cultural unity of the country this is all about Sahita academy and that's all regarding this discussion in this discussion we saw about Sahita academy awards then we saw some points about Janpeet award then we saw some of the important awards given by Sahita academy and finally we saw some points regarding Sahita academy now with these points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion look at this news article this news article reports that white bellied sea eagles are seen in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu see this is an unusual phenomenon because these eagles are only found in coastal waters but now they have traveled to inland lakes present in Trichy some experts point out that this migration may be due to destruction of their habitat in the coastal regions okay this is the crux of news article given here now in this context let us understand some important facts about white bellied sea eagles from prulams perspective white bellied sea eagle is a majestic bird primarily found in the coastal regions these birds are large with a wingspan ranging from 6 to 8 feet and weighing between 2.5 to 4.5 kilograms now talking about their habitat and diet the white bellied sea eagles inhabit coastal areas estuaries and sometimes inland water bodies they are also found in mangroves rivers and lakes okay now coming to the diet the primary diet of white bellied sea eagle consists of fish but sometimes they also hunt other birds and small mammals see the hunting technique of white bellied sea eagle is very impressive they fly high above the water and then they dive down to catch fish with their strong claws okay this is all about habitat and diet now coming to the distribution the white bellied sea eagles are found throughout southeast asia they can be seen in the islands of southeast asia such as singapore indonesia and the philippines also they are found along the coasts of india srilanka southern china and australia apart from this they are also occasionally seen in inland waters like tidal rivers and freshwater lakes okay this is all about the distribution now coming to the conservation status the white bellied sea eagles categorized as least concerned under the iocn red list in many countries including australia they are protected by law due to their significance in the ecosystem now finally let us see the threats faced by white bellied sea eagle see the white bellied sea eagle is generally not considered endangered however it faces threats from habitat destruction and pollution it also faces threats due to human disturbance especially in coastal areas due to development and habitat degradation see recent studies carried out in kerala have showed that the depletion of tall trees near the shoreline have caused a major decline in white bellied sea eagle population in kerala okay so these are the threats faced by the white bellied sea eagle see white bellied sea eagle have cultural significance in many parts of the world in some cultures sea eagles hold symbolic importance for instance the sea eagles are considered sacked in certain indigenous australian traditions okay and that's all regarding this discussion in this discussion we saw various facts about white bellied sea eagles see this topic is very much important for our problems exam so revise all the facts that we discussed now with these points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion look at this editorial article this article talks about the lack of proper defense budget in india the author of this article highlights that the strength of different forces is depleting in india he said this by citing the example from the indian air force the author says that the indian air force is still operating some age-old fighter jets and there is less availability of modern aircrafts so the author advises the government to increase the budget for the defense sector in order to neutralize future threats and this is the crux of the editorial given here now in this discussion we will understand the challenges faced by india's defense sector and we will also see some solutions to overcome such challenges as usual we will approach this topic through main's answer writing approach now first we will look at the question the question is analyze the challenges faced by the indian defense sector suggest some practical solutions to overcome such challenges 150 words 10 marks see this question falls into general studies paper three and it comes under the syllabus topic of security challenges and their management in border areas linkages of organized crime with terrorism this is the syllabus now coming back to the question see this is a simple and well structured question first we have to analyze the challenges in the indian defense sector in the second part we have to suggest some practical solutions to overcome those challenges and in the conclusion we should write balanced points with the way forward approach okay so this is how we are going to approach this particular question now let us start with introduction since the question is about india's defense sector you can write about the importance of defense forces in the intro part the introduction can be like for any country defences of paramount importance to secure the life of its citizens this is because defences essential to neutralize existing physical and psychological security threats faced by any country now if we take india the threats of india are unique due to its location india is surrounded by water bodies on its three sides and india is located between dangerous neighborhoods so india is facing both internal and external threats in this context our defense forces are playing an important role in protecting our borders from multiple threats see existence of defense forces alone is not sufficient but the forces should be updated regularly with an improved synergy to face multiple threats but on the contrary the indian different forces impinged with various challenges okay so in this way you can write an intro and give a link to the main body of the answer okay this is all about the introduction now coming to the body part of the answer as i said earlier in the body part you have to analyze the challenges faced by india's defense sector and then you have to give some solutions to overcome such challenges now first let us see the challenges the first major challenges india's continuing dependence on defense imports see india is importing huge defense products from other countries like russia france us etc as per recent data of stock home international peace research institute that is the sipri india remained the world's largest arms importer for the five-year period between 2018 to 2022 so this huge dependence on imports is accounting for various issues like decrease in the forex reserves and decreasing the indigenous defense manufacturing ecosystem of the country okay this is the first challenge the second major challenge is about the decreasing investments and budgetary support for the defense sector according to data india's defense expenditure as a percentage of central government expenditure has been declining the expenditure declined from around 16.4 percentage in 2012-13 to 13.3 percentage in 2022-23 okay so decreasing investment and budgetary support is another major challenge the third challenge is regarding the rise of outdated equipment recently the parliamentary standing committee on defense stated that 68 percentage of india's defense equipment was outdated the committee also highlighted the insufficiency of funds for modernization the committee said that the indian defense forces received only 268.2 billion rupees for the modernization plan but as per the reports around 445 billion rupees is needed for defense modernization in india okay this is the third challenge the fourth challenge regarding technological upgradation see we need to conduct better research and development in order to upgrade our defense equipment but as per the global innovation index 2022 report india spent just 0.7 percentage of its GDP on research and development whereas china spent 2.54 percentage of its GDP on research and development so lack of proper research and development hinders the process of technological upgradation in india's defense forces okay and the final challenge is regarding the lack of comprehensive national security strategy see the national security strategy is basically document that outlines the country's security objectives the document also outlines the ways to achieve those objectives see india lacks such national security strategy and in the recent past only india started the process of developing national security strategy so these are all the threats faced by india's defense sector now in the second part we will write about the practical solutions to overcome those challenges firstly india should promote the indigestion of defense production for example simplifying the procedures for investments and reducing the defense imports will help to boost domestic manufacturing of defense products okay secondly the government should increase the budgetary allocation for the defense sector in addition to this the government should also invest more in the research and development in the defense sector this will help india to achieve the goal of self reliance in the defense sector thirdly the government should frame the national security strategy at the earliest this enables the government to give a proper direction for the defense forces it will also create a synergy among the defense forces and it will increase coordination between the defense forces fourthly india should increase the corporatization of ordinance factory boards as we all know the ordinance factory boards are involved in the production of defense equipment in india so when we corporatize the ordinance factory boards it will increase functional autonomy efficiency and growth potential of such boards this in turn fosters innovation in the defense sector and finally center state cooperation should be enhanced for completing defense projects on time this would strengthen the necessary infrastructure of defense forces in india okay so these are all some of the practical solutions that can be taken to overcome challenges in india's defense sector this all about the body part of the answer now let us see the conclusion the conclusion should be balanced and it may be like a way forward the conclusion can be like a strong and developed defense sector is becoming a strategic necessity in the modern world particularly due to increasing geopolitical risks and an unstable neighborhood so the development of india's defense sector should be balanced by the indigenization process this will increase self-reliance and new employment opportunities in our country apart from this india should also learn the best practices from other countries like japan and china to modernize its defense equipment okay so this way you can write a conclusion for this particular question and that's all regarding this discussion in this discussion through the main's answer rating approach we saw the challenges faced by india's defense sector and we saw some practical solutions to overcome such challenges now with these points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion look at this news article this news article reports that over thousand people have been infected in a suspected cholera outbreak in odisha since december 11 and at least six people have died due to such outbreak so the health ministry of odisha urgently sought the help of union health ministry to control the cholera outbreak okay and this is the crux of the news article given here now in this discussion let us see the basics of cholera infection see the cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water the cholera is caused by bacterium vibrio cholera know that cholera remains a global threat to public health especially in the developing and underdeveloped countries the existence of cholera is a social health indicator of inequity and lack of social development in a country okay now let us see the causes of cholera the cholera is caused due to various reasons firstly it is caused due to inadequate access to clean water and sanitation facilities the areas which are at high risk of cholera outbreak include peri urban slums as well as the refugee camps secondly cholera can also happen due to the consumption of contaminated foods and drinks it can be spread through eating the vegetables that are grown with the use of water with human wastes thoroughly the cholera can be spread through the consumption of contaminated seafoods which are polluted with sewage wastes okay this is all about the causes of cholera now let us see the symptoms of cholera the symptoms of cholera include vomiting low blood pressure diarrhea rapid weight loss increased thirst loss of skin elasticity leg cramps and etc see it usually takes two to three days for symptoms to appear after a person ingests cholera bacteria now let us see the transmission route of cholera see the cholera bacteria primarily passes through fecus that is the poop it can be spread by drinking water or eating food that got contaminated by the fecus of an infected person see this may look odd but this occurs most often in underdeveloped countries which lack proper water supplies and sewage disposal here note that the cholera is not likely to spread directly from one person to another okay now finally let us see the prevention and control measures against cholera see a multifaceted approach is key to control cholera and its deaths a combination of surveillance of water and sanitation systems social mobilization and administration of oral cholera vaccines should be focused to prevent the spread of cholera note that there are currently three oral cholera vaccines available to prevent cholera they are duke oral shanchole and evichole plus see all these three vaccines require two doses for full protection against cholera bacteria okay and that's all regarding this discussion in this discussion we saw various facts about cholera disease now with these points in mind let us move on to the next news article discussion look at this news article recently the Lokshaba passed a new telecommunications bill 2023 this bill will replace old telecom laws of india including the 138 years old indian telegraph act apart from this the bill also aims to make telecom rules simple and better in addition to this the bill will also allow the government to manage telecom services for security reasons temporarily okay and this is the crux of the news article given here now in this discussion let us understand the key provisions of the telecommunications or telecom bill 2023 first of all know that the telecom bill 2023 will replace three existing acts related to telecom in india they include the indian telegraph act of 1885 the indian wireless telegraph act of 1933 and the telegraph wares unlawful position act 1950 in addition to this the telecom bill also attempts to bring in structural changes to the current regulatory mechanisms in the telecom sector okay now with these basics let us look at the key provisions of the telecom bill one by one the first provision is regarding the authorization for telecom related activities according to the bill obtaining prior approval from the central government is mandatory for providing telecom services in india the bill also states that central government's approval is essential for establishing operating or expanding telecom networks in india the bill also says that permission from central government is necessary even for possessing radio equipment okay this is the first important provision the second important provision is regarding allocation of spectrum the bill states that the spectrum will be assigned by auction except for certain specified uses the bill says that in some specific use cases spectrum will be allocated on a administrative basis rather than auction it includes purposes such as national security and defense disaster management weather forecasting transport satellite services such as dth and public broadcasting services okay note that the bill also allows the central government to take back the spectrum that is unutilized okay this is the second important provision then the third provision is regarding powers of interception granted to the central government the telecom bill gives enormous powers to the central government according to the bill the central government can suspend assume control or oversee any telecom services in case of public emergency or national security concerns in the bill empowers the central and state governments or a government authorized officer to seek interception disclosure and suspension of telecom services in case of public emergency or interest or safety okay this is the third important provision then the fourth important provision is the renaming of fund under the telecom sector see the government is maintaining a fund to provide telecom services in the underserved areas under the telecom bill 2023 this fund has been renamed as digital okay apart from providing telecom services in the underserved areas the fund will also be used for research and development in the telecom sector okay this is the fourth important provision and fifthly there is a provision for dispute settlement the telecom bill 2023 proposes to establish telecom disputes settlement and appellate tribunal this tribunal will be involved in adjudicating disputes related to telecom services and lastly the bill provides for the creation of biometric authentication of users according to the telecom bill 2023 the telecom entities have to carry out biometric authentication of their users in order to curb fraud okay so these are all some of the key provisions of the telecommunications or telecom bill 2023 now with these points in mind let us move on to the next part of the video that is to discuss preliminary practice questions as friends today we are having three questions i will solve two of them and one will be a quiz question for you look at the first question this question is regarding white bellied sea eagle here three statements are given we have to find how many of the statements are correct look at the first statement it primarily preys on reptiles and insects this statement is incorrect the white bellied sea eagle mostly preys on fishes in sea okay now come to the second statement it is commonly found in the arctic region see this statement is also incorrect the white bellied sea eagle is not found in arctic it is commonly found along coastal areas and around large bodies of water in the Indo-Pacific region now come to the third statement it is a smaller species compared to other eagles see this statement is also incorrect the white bellied sea eagle is one of the largest species of eagles and not the smaller one here all the given three statements are incorrect so the correct answer for the question is option d none moving on let's take up the second question this question is regarding cholera infection here also three statements are given we have to find how many of the statements are correct look at the first statement it is caused by a virus named vibrio cholera see this statement is incorrect cholera is a bacterial based infection and it is caused by vibrio cholera and it is not a virus infection now come to the second statement it is a water-borne disease caused by the consumption of contaminated foods and drinks see this statement is correct cholera is caused by consumption of contaminated foods and drinks now come to the third statement currently there are no vaccines for cholera infections see this statement is incorrect as we saw in the discussion there are three oral cholera vaccines available to prevent cholera okay here only second statement is correct so the correct answer for the question is option a only one displayed here is a question for you today i will post this question in a community section try to answer it with this we have come to the end of the video if you found our video to be useful do like comment and share it with your friends and don't forget to subscribe shankarai's academy youtube channel thank you for listening