 Good evening aspirants, welcome to the Hindu news analysis by Shankarayesh academy for the rate 27th of August 2022. Before seeing the list of news articles, I have an announcement for you. See pre-storming test series batch 1 is going to start at Shankarayesh academy's Annanagar branch. The test series consists of a total of 66 tests. It includes both CSAT, GS and mock test. The batch starts on 12th September 2022. Then all the tests will be conducted in offline mode on the scheduled dates from 2pm to 4pm and it will be followed by a live discussion from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. The students who missed the offline test can take the test online after two days. For students who are taking the test online will be provided recorded discussion videos. You can take the test online only until the start of Shankarayesh academy's mock test that will be held before Prelims 2023. Let us see the list of news articles that we will be discussing today. Without wasting much time, now let us take up the first article for our discussion. Have a look at this news article. The news article talks about the lumpy skin disease. See this disease killed thousands of cattle in many states. But the managing director of Amul said that this is under total control in the state of Gujarat. So it will not impact the milk production, the milk sales or the milk prices in the long run. He also said that proper vaccination could curb the disease in other parts of the country too. This is the crux of the news article given here. So in this context, let us learn about lumpy skin disease. See lumpy skin disease is an infectious viral disease of cattle. It is caused by lumpy skin disease virus of the capripovirus genus in the poxiviridae family. This occurs in episodic form. Here episodic means an outbreak of disease that is affecting many animals of one kind at the same time. Now let us take the symptoms of the disease. The disease is characterized by the eruption of nodules in the skin, which may cover whole of the animal's body. Note that the lesions are often found in the mouth and the upper respiratory tract. The lumps generally open up like large and deep wounds and the severity of the disease varies considerably between breeds and strains of cattle. Many cattle become very weak and thin after infection and some also suffer loss of production of milk for several months. The skin lesions cause permanent damage to the hide of the cattle and in case of aggravated symptoms, the cows stop producing milk and even the pregnant cows suffer miscarriage. So these are some of the symptoms of the lumpy skin disease. Now moving on to transmission. The mode of transmission of the disease has not yet been clearly established. The two main reasons for the spread of the lumpy skin disease are the multiplication of vectors like house flies, ticks, as well as mosquitoes during monsoons months. And the second is unrestricted movement of stray cattle. See the transmission occurs in a wide variety of biotapes. That is the transmission can occur in semi-desert to temperate grassland and irrigated land. It has the potential to extend its range further. So this is about the transmission of lumpy skin disease. Now moving on to the spread of the disease. In India the disease has spread to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu. And the maximum cases are reported from Rajasthan and Gujarat. Finally before concluding, let us see the measures that can be taken to prevent the disease. See goat pox vaccine is a trade and tested vaccine against the lumpy skin disease. This is because the lumpy skin disease virus is genetically similar to the goat and sheep pox virus. There is an lumpy skin disease vaccine also, but it has been observed that it is not safe and it is not as effective as the goat pox vaccine. As a result, admission of goat pox vaccine can prevent the occurrence of the lumpy skin disease. But once the cattle gets infected, administration of antibiotics are done to control secondary infection. And also if the cattle get infected by the disease, good nursing care is provided to maintain the health of the cattle. So these are the measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease. So that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw about lumpy skin disease, we saw its symptoms, its spread and measures to prevent the disease. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this editorial article. This editorial article talks about the draconian law that is armed forces special powers act 1958. It is also called as AFSPA. This article is written by Mr. M. P. Nathaniel, who was the Inspector General of Police in Central Reserve Police Force, that is CRPF. So this editorial is very relevant for our examination. Seeing this editorial, Mr. M. P. Nathaniel focuses on the evolution of AFSPA. After that, he talks about the reasons why it is implemented. And finally, he states various issues with the AFSPA. What he tries to conclude is, this armed forces special powers act is draconian and government must take steps to remove the act from existence. This is the basic essence of the editorial. Our present government has also taken some steps to remove the act. See, recently our Prime Minister said that not these needs to be freed from the net of AFSPA. So our government has taken steps by partially withdrawing AFSPA from the parts of Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur. So this is about the editorial article. In this context, let us learn about the origins of AFSPA, then its major provisions, then let us see why it is implemented, we will also see where it is currently in force and finally we will see the pros and cons of AFSPA. This is the plan for this discussion, before getting into the discussion, I have displayed here the syllabus regarding this discussion. Just pass the video and go through it, so that you can understand the relevance of this discussion for our mains preparation. Now let us start our discussion. First let us know about the origins of AFSPA. The British colonial government has promulgated the armed forces special powers ordinance on 15th August 1942. This was to suppress the quit India movement, particularly in Assam and Bengal. Note that this was the foundation for four ordinances. This includes the ordinance for the Assam disturbed area invoked in 1947. This is to deal with partition induced internal security challenges. Then came the Assam disturbed area act of 1955. This was followed by the armed forces Assam and Manipur special powers act 1958. This is to deal with the uprising in the Naha hills and the adjoining areas. Note that law continues to be enforced in its new formators armed forces special powers act 1958. Also note that there are two AFSPAs which are in operation. In this one AFSPA is exclusively for the Jammu and Kashmir. This act is known as the armed forces Jammu and Kashmir special powers act 1990. The other act is applicable to some of the northeastern states of India, which is the armed forces special powers act of 1958. So this is about the origin and the evolution of AFSPA. Now let us see some of the major provisions of this AFSPA. See this act enables certain special powers to be conferred upon the members of the armed forces in disturbed areas in the state. For example, it allows them to open fire against any person in contravention to the law or carrying arms and ammunition. Also it gives them powers to arrest individuals without warrants on the basis of reasonable suspicion. And the armed forces act can search premises without warrants also. Note that for the purpose of AFSPA, the central government can declare any area as disturbed area by notification in the official consent. Any area can be declared as disturbed area if the central government or governor or the lieutenant governor is of the opinion that particular area or even the whole of the state is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition. And the use of armed forces in the aid of civil power is necessary to prevent these activities such as the activities involving terrorist acts and activities directed towards disclaiming, questioning or disrupting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. Ok, now a question arises. Why is it implemented? See, the act was implemented in the 1950s when the Naga insurgents resorted to large scale violence. Hundreds of Indian Army soldiers, central and state paramilitary personnel were either killed or injured by the insurgents. Then the situation took an ugly turn after the group led by Isaac Chusee Shu and Twinglang Muiwa formed the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, Isaac Muiwa. This is better known as the NSCN IM. And it was formed in January 1980. This resorted to large scale violence across the state of Nagaland and Manipur. Though the Naga framework agreement was signed, the government has not agreed to permit a separate flag and constitution for Nagaland which the NSCN IM is determined to have. Hence, a generation has lived with Afspa in Manipur and Nagaland. Now having seen the reason for the implementation, now let us see currently where Afspa is in force. See, we know that the act can be imposed by the center or the governor of the state on the state or parts of it. This is after these areas are declared disturbed under section 3 of the Afspa Act 1958. Ok, the act was amended in 1972 and the powers to declare an area as disturbed were conferred concurrently upon the central government. Along with the states, and currently the Union Home Ministry imposes periodic disturbed area notification to extend Afspa only for the state of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. By the notification for Manipur and Assam is issued by the state governments. And then when you take Tirupura, they revoked the act in 2015. And Mahalaya, it was revoked by the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1st April 2018. Ok, now let us see the issues with Afspa. See, firstly there is no prosecution against the armed forces for any wrongdoing without the previous sanction of the central government. Here, an important thing to be noted is that Afspa 1958 empowers even a non-commissioned officer to fire upon or otherwise use force even to the causing of death. This is the first issue with Afspa. Secondly, as a consequence of the first issue, this draconian law causes more fake encounters. See, in 2012, a red petition was filed in the Supreme Court. In this, the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings alleged 1528 fake encounters that had taken place in the state. This is from March 1979 to May 2012. Following this petition, the Supreme Court set up a commission to scrutinize six of these cases. And the commission found all the six to be fake encounters. So, due to the powers given by Afspa, the armed forces are committing fake encounters against the citizens. This is the second issue. Thirdly, there have been instances where the center has overruled the state. For example, in Thirupura in the year 1972, there was imposition of Afspa by the center without consulting the state government. Okay, so this is the third issue. Moving on, fourthly, it further deepens the feeling of alienation among the people. This is an important issue of Afspa. For this, take the example of people of Naga. The use of force and Afspa further their feeling of alienation. Thereby, solidifying the Naga nationalism. See, these are the four main issues surrounding Afspa. In spite of all these, there are some points in favor of Afspa. Now, let us see these points. See, though Afspa is considered as a draconian law, it still prevails in certain states. This is because Afspa is mainly put to address the insurgency in these disturbed areas or states. Insurgency is mainly to establish a separate nation. For example, take the case of Nagas who ask for the separate nation of Greater Nagali. In order to address this and protect the territorial integrity of India, the imposition of Afspa has become necessary. The second point is that insurgency in India cannot be only viewed through the lens of regionalism. It can also be construed as a proxy war against India. Here also, take Naga insurgency as example. Here, the Chinese government might support this insurgency activity to collapse the territorial integrity of India. So, the imposition of Afspa has become necessary. See, in the start of the discussion, I mentioned that government has taken steps to remove Afspa from various states. Or government has limited the application of Afspa to only certain areas of the state. So, in these areas also, if the issue of regionalism and insurgency is addressed, the Afspa can be removed from these areas also. So, in some cases, implementation of Afspa to achieve the objective of territorial integrity of India has become necessary. So, these are two points in favor of Afspa. But finally, see, no section of a society would ever allow itself to be subjected to a law that is as draconian as Afspa. Because this curves the liberty and the rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution. And we know that the Indian constitution is held sacrosanct by the nation. So, a withdrawal of this draconian law as soon as possible with an alternative effort to curb the insurgents would be a wiser move. So, that's all regarding this discussion. See, in this discussion, first we saw the evolution of Afspa. Then we saw the powers provided by this Afspa. After that, we saw where it is implemented. Then we saw some of the issues with this implementation and some points in favor of this implementation. So, I hope you found this discussion useful. Now, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. The news article states that yesterday the Metra's High Court has granted bail to a Muslim youth stating that acquisition based on imagination could not be termed as a terrorist act as defined under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967. So, in this news article discussion, let us focus on Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and some of the changes made in the 2019 amendment. Firstly, to understand the law better, let us see its origin. See, in the mid-1960s, many called for cessation from India. It was just at that time the reorganization of states got over. This created a lot of internal disturbances and the Union government was considering a stringent law against this. The situation reached its climax when a percent uprising took place in Nexelbury. Later, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 came into force to provide for more effective prevention of unlawful activities of individuals and associations. This is the origin of UAPA 1967. So, under the Act, any association or body of individuals can be declared unlawful if they indulged in any activities that support cessation. Later, the UAPA was amended to be modeled as an anti-terror law in 2004 and 2008. In 2019, the Act was amended again to include special procedures that deal with terrorist activities, among other things. Now, we shall see some of the provisions added after the amendment. See, under the Act, the central government may designate any organization as a terrorist organization if it commits or participates in an act of terrorism, prepares for terrorism, promotes terrorism or is otherwise involved in terrorism. The bill additionally imposed the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same ground. The second amendment is with respect to approval for seizure of property by National Investigation Agency. See, under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism. The bill adds that if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency, the approval of the Director General of National Investigation Agency would be required for seizure of such properties. Third is with respect to investigation by the NIA. Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or ABU. The bill additionally imposed the officers of NIA of the rank of Inspector or ABU to investigate cases. The last major amendment is with respect to insertion to the schedule of treaties. See, the Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in the schedule to the Act. The schedule lists nine treaties including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings 1997 and the Convention against taking of hostages 1979. The bill adds another treaty to the list. This is the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. So, that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw the origin of UAPA 1967. Then we saw the changes made to the UAPA through the 2019 amendment. That's all regarding this discussion. Now, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Now, take a look at this news article. The news article says that the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a case against UPCM and the case is regarding hate speech. The issue is not important for our examination, but the issue surrounding hate speech is important for our examination. So, let us focus on that. So, in this discussion, let us learn about hate speech and some of the provisions in India against hate speech. Firstly, what is hate speech? Hate speech does not just include spoken words. It has a wider definition. It includes all kinds of communication, which includes speech, writing or even behavior. The main intention behind giving a hate speech is to create hatred towards a particular community, religion, race or a group. See, by this definition, what Adolf Hitler made against the Jewish community can be termed as hate speech. Remember, the speech may or may not have a meaning, but if it is likely to result in violence, then we will call it as hate speech. In addition to this, to determine whether the speech is hate speech or not, the context in which the speech is given is also very relevant. This is about hate speech. See, India being a democratic country, it guarantees freedom of speech and expression. It is made a part of the fundamental rights of the Constitution under Article 19-1A. The article says that free speech is necessary to promote plurality of opinion among Indians, but it excludes hate speech from its ambit. See, generally, hate speech is considered as a limitation on free speech as it exposes a person or a group or a section of society to hate and violence. So, this is the basics about hate speech and freedom of speech and expression mentioned in the Constitution. Now, we shall see some of the provisions in India against hate speech. See, legal protection against hate speech is given under both Indian Penal Code and under Representation of People's Act. We will see them one by one. Firstly, let us take the Indian Penal Code. Under this, Section 153A and Section 153B punishes act that causes enmity and hatred between two groups. The section considers this as an offense punishable with three years imprisonment. It attracts a five-year term if the offense is committed in a place of worship or an assembly engaged in religious worship. Moving on, let us take Section 295A of Indian Penal Code. Section 295A deals with punishing acts which deliberately or with malicious intention outrages the religious feelings of a class of persons. And the last important provision is sections 5051 and 5052. Both these sections make the publication and circulation of content which may cause ill will or hatred between different groups as an offense. So, these are the provisions under Indian Penal Code that gives us legal protection against hate speech. Now, moving on to the Representation of People's Act. See, Section 8 of Representation of People's Act 1951 prevents a person convicted of the illegal use of freedom of speech from contesting an election. And the other provision is Section 123A and 125 of Representation of People's Act 1951. See, these sections bars the promotion of animosity on grounds of race, religion, community, caste or language in reference to election and include it under corrupt electoral practices. See, these provisions of Representation of People's Act helps prevent the use of hate speech during the election campaigning by the politicians. So, these are the important legal provisions in India that grants us protection against hate speech. That's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, first we saw what is hate speech and after that we saw the legal protections against it. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. The news article says that the Coimbedo Market Management Committee has initiated studies to make the whole market carbon neutral. They are also planning to decongest the premise as part of the modernization scheme. So, in this background, let us quickly go through what is carbon neutral and some of the steps taken by the Indian government to achieve carbon neutrality. Firstly, know that carbon neutrality is a state of net zero carbon dioxide emission. That is, it is a state of balance between the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere and the CO2 removed from the atmosphere. Since the effects of carbon emissions are clearly visible, attaining carbon neutrality is very important to reverse rising sea level, extreme temperatures and storms that are partially tied to climate change. Now, let us see some of the measures taken by the Indian government to achieve carbon neutrality. First is the National Action Plan on Climate Change. It was launched in June 2008 and it contains the national strategy for implementing India's commitments at the UNFCC. It proposes eight national missions to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts. It includes missions on solar, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, green India, sustainable agriculture and finally, strategic knowledge for climate change. This is the first step. The next is the Energy Conservation Act 2001. This act established a dedicated regulatory body called the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. This body is empowered to make regulations on a wide array of energy efficiency matters. See, once energy efficiency increases, the consumption of energy decreases. And we all know production of energy is one of the major emitters of greenhouse gases. So once the energy consumption decreases, the emission of greenhouse gases also decreases. This is the second major step. Moving on, in 2016, the National Tariff Policy was issued by the Ministry of Power under the Electricity Act 2003. One of the key objectives of this policy is to promote electricity generation from renewable resources. It recommended incentives for electricity projects that deploy green development mechanisms and results in lower greenhouse gases emission. Okay, the next is the National Electricity Plan under the Electricity Act 2003. See, this plan sets a renewable energy capacity target of 175 gigawatts by 2022. If this target is achieved, it will result in reduced reliance on coal-based energy generation and thus reduce the overall greenhouse gas emission. Okay, moving on, in regards to fuels, the government in 2018 published the National Biofuels Policy. This policy was notified by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. One of the key objectives of this policy is to reduce import dependence on oil and gas. See, we all know that ethanol blending results in reduced CO2 emissions. So the other major objective of the National Biofuels Policy in 2018 is to reduce CO2 emission through ethanol blending in petrol. Okay, finally, in 2019, the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan was adopted by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. This plan targets to achieve 30% electric vehicles as transportation means by 2030. See, once we all start adopting electric vehicles, the net fossil fuel consumption comes down. Okay, this in turn reduces the greenhouse gas emissions. So these are some of the steps taken by the government to achieve carbon neutrality. So in this discussion, we saw what is carbon neutrality and the steps taken by the government. With this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Before taking up the next news article, let us take up this question. Vishnugad Pippalkoti Hydroelectric Project is constructed across which of the following rivers? Option A, Chambal, Option B, Alaknanda, Option C, Bagirathi and Option D, Manas. To know the answer for this question, let us take up the news article. See, this news article is about the Vishnugad Pippalkoti Hydro Power Project. Now first, let us see some of the facts about the project. See, this project is constructed across the river Alaknanda. And it is located in the Chamodi district of Uttarakhand. This project is built by the Thagiri Hydro Power Development Corporation. And this project is primarily funded by the World Bank. These are some of the facts regarding Vishnugad Pippalkoti Hydroelectric Project. See, this news article highlights some of the issues regarding the project. The main issue is that dam threatens the local Lakshmi Narayanan Temple. See, this temple is deemed to be a historical and cultural importance by the Archaeological Society of India. And some other issues highlighted by this news article are there is the issue of resettlement of the local people. And there is also the issue of loss of livelihood. And finally, the compensation provided for resettlement is also very low. So, these are the issues regarding the Vishnugad Pippalkoti Hydro Power Project highlighted by this news article. So, from this discussion, we can arrive at the answer for this question. So, the correct answer for this question is Option B, Alaknanda. Like before, now also, let us first take up the question before seeing the news article. Let me read out the question. The word Zorovar recently seen in news is related to which of the following. Indigenous Stealth Corvetteship. Indigenous Microsatellite Launched by SSLV. Indigenous Indian Light Tank. And D, Indigenous Attack UAV. To find the answer for this question, let us take up the news article. This article talks about Indigenous Indian Light Tank Zorovar. First, let us see some of the basic facts about the light tank. See, this tank is procured under the Project Zorovar. See, Indian Army is prioritizing the procurement of this Indigenous Indian Light Tank for deployment in the mountain ranges. This is done to outmaneuver the movement of Chinese forces. See, these tanks, once they are procured, they will be placed at 15,000 feet high at the eastern Ladakh region. Now, let us see some of the advantages of this light tank. See, these tanks are very agile because they have missile firing capability, counter drone apparatus, warning system and the power to weight ratio for this tank is very low. Since they have low power to weight ratio, they can be deployed in high altitude regions, marginal terrains like the runoff catch, high land territories, plains, semi deserts and deserts. See, the main advantage of the light tanks is they are air portable. Since they are air portable, these tanks can be lifted by aircraft and can be placed in the battle area. And these tanks, when it is used, will act as a force multiplier. So, these are some facts about the Indian Light Tank Zorovar. Now, let us move back to the question. So, from this discussion, we know the correct answer here. The correct answer is option C, Indigenous Indian Light Tank. So, that is all regarding this discussion. With this, we have come to the end of the news article discussion session. Now, let us take up the practice prelims questions. See, we have four practice prelims questions today. Let us see them one by one. Let us take up the first question. It is a previous year question and it appeared on the 2017 prelims paper. Let me read out the question. In the context of mitigating the impeding global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of CO2, which of the following can be the potential sites for carbon sequestration? Abandoned and anachromic coal mine, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, subterrain, deep saline formalities. We have to find which among the three can be used as potential sites for carbon sequestration? First, what is carbon sequestration? See, it is the process of storing atmospheric CO2 in carbonate forms. It is used for reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The three sites provided in the question are correct. All the three sites, that is, abandoned and anachromic coal seams, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, subterrain, deep saline formalities can be used as sites for carbon sequestration. So, the correct answer here is option D1213. Let us take up the second question. In this question, four diseases are given. We have to find which among them are caused by virus. Let us take up the first disease, lumpy skin disease. We saw in the discussion itself, it is caused by lumpy skin disease virus, which is of poxiviridae family. Now, let us take up the second disease, foot and mouth disease. It is caused by a virus and it affects hoofed animals. It mainly affects domestic animals like cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs. Now, let us take render pest. See, render pest is also a viral disease. Moving on to avian influenza. Avian influenza, which is also known as bird flu, is caused by influenza virus. It mainly affects chicken, turkey, waterfall, beach birds and starlings. So, all the four diseases given here are caused by virus. So, the correct answer here is option D, all of the above. Now, let us take up the third question. This question is in reference to hate speech. Two statements are given. We have to find the correct statement. Hate speech does not refer to offensive or foul-mouthed speech directed at people or complaints directed at government. See, this statement is correct because hate speech or speech that can cause actual material harm through social, economic and political marginalization of a community. Here, remember the act of hate speech is not always intended to lead to physical violence, but the act itself is violent because it causes exclusion of a community. Now, let us take up the second statement. Hate speech has not been defined in any law in India. See, this statement is also correct. Indeed, hate speech has not been defined in any law in India. However, there are legal protection in India that acts against hate speech. In our discussion itself, we saw various legal protections in India against hate speech, right? So, although there are legal protections, there is no clear definition of hate speech. So, statement one is correct and statement two is correct. So, correct answer here is option C, both one and two. Look at this question. It is a three-statement question regarding unlawful activities prevention act. This is a quiz question for you. So, interested aspirants, post the answer for this question in the comment section. The main question based on today's discussion is displayed here. Aspirants, write the answer and post it in the comment section. With this, we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like today's video, like, comment and share the video with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankar IS Academy YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.