 A very good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hinton US paper analysis brought to you by Shankar IAS Academy. Today's date is 12th December 2023. Now, before getting into the news article discussion, I have an important announcement for you to know. Batch 4 of pre-storming the series of Shankar IAS Academy is going to start on 16th December 2023. Even though the orientation was started on 10th December 2023, you can even enroll today itself and have your test on 16th December 2023. You have ample amount of time. So, what are you waiting for? Just enroll and check your progress in UPSC civil services examination preparation. So, with this good note, we shall look at the list of articles today. These are the list of articles that you are going to discuss today. So, without much delay, let us get into the first news article discussion. Look at this news article. As we all know, the recently occurred Mechang cyclone has inundated most part of the Chennai city During flooding, the crude oil was mixed with the flood water in the Ennoor Manali region of Chennai. It is said that the oil was spilled from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. CPCL. The oil spill has adversely impacted the livelihood of the fishing community. It caused damage to the fishing nets and fishing boats. Apart from this, the fishers also died and floated on the water surface. So, yesterday, the Tamil Nadu government's state of oil spill crisis management group met to discuss the remediation of the oil spill. The group had directed the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. CPCL to undertake rapid mitigation efforts. And this is the crux of the news article given here. So, in this news article discussion today, let us understand about some oil spill remediation methods. First, let us see the impacts of oil spill. See, crude oil is an ancient fossil fuel. We use crude oil to run our vehicles, then to generate electricity and to power large sectors of our economy. But when oil accidentally spills into the ocean or any other water bodies, it can cause big problems. For example, oil spills can harm sea creatures and result in loss of habitat. It also impacts local economies due to low share of beaches, waterways and commercial fishing. And the oil spill also makes seafood unsafe to eat. So, quick remediation measures should be taken to prevent the harmful effects of oil spilling. Now, let us see the important oil spill remediation methods. See, the first and most common method is the use of oil, contaminant, booms and skimmers. See, booms are nothing but temporary barriers made up of plastic, metal or any other materials. The booms act like a fence to prevent the oil from further spreading or floating away. After the prevention of further spreading, the oil can be sucked using skimmers. See, skimmers or machines that are specifically designed to suck up the oil from the water surface like a vacuum cleaner. Once the oil has been confined by using oil booms, skimmers can be deployed using the boats. The skimmers, in turn, remove the oil from the water surface. So, this is the first method. The second important method is using sorbents. See, sorbents are materials that are used to absorb oil. They are made up of peat moss, straw, clay, plastic, foam or fibers. They look like sheets or rolls. The sorbent can soak up oil by observing them and prevents further contamination. This is the second method. The third important method is insight to burning of oil. See, in this method, the oil floating on the water surface is ignited to burn it off. This insight to burning of oil can effectively remove up to 98% of an oil spill. But the problem here is that the toxic fumes released from the burning can cause significant damage to the environment and marine life. The fourth important method is using dispersants. See, some chemicals have the ability to disintegrate oil. They are called dispersant or dispersal agents. The dispersants are sprayed upon the oil spill with the help of aircraft and boats. The dispersants allow the oil to chemically bond with water. This ensures that the oil, like, does not travel over the water's surface. Also, they aid in the natural breakdown of oil components by microbes. The fifth important option is using bioremediation methods. See, bioremediation refers to the use of specific microorganisms to remove any toxic or harmful substances. For example, various bacteria, fungi and algae can be able to degrade petroleum products by breaking them into smaller and non-toxic molecules. So, the bioremediation process also helps in remediation of oil spills. And finally, manual labour is also used to clean the oil spill. See, as the name itself suggests, this method requires hand-held tools and manual labour to clean up the oil contaminants. It involves the use of hands or shovels to clean the surface oil and oily debris. So, manual labour is also one of the methods used in the remediation of oil spills. These are all some of the very important oil spill remediation methods that you have to know about. Make note of them. So, with these learnt points, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Look at this news article. The news is that Mr. Gautam Kumar, who is a school teacher, was allegedly kidnapped from his place of work and forcefully married at gunpoint. This is called the practice of Pakadwa Viva. So, in our news article discussion, let us see what is Pakadwa Viva? It's a distribution reason for such practice and consequences. See, Pakadwa Viva means forced marriage or marriage of a groom by abduction. In case of Pakadwa Viva, the groom is abducted by the bride's family and is forced to marry. Here note that in Pakadwa Viva, neither the consent of the boy nor the girl is taken for marriage. This practice is prevalent in Bihar. Bihusarai, Lakisarai, Munga, Kagarai and Navada in the state are considered hotbeds of Pakadwa Viva. According to Bihar State Crime Records Bureau, 70,194 forced marriage cases were reported in the state in 2020. So, here comes the question, why does this practice start? See, believe it or not, these Pakadwa marriages were organized as a social initiative. Eligible bachelors in Bihar, like all other states of India, ask for a huge sum of money as dowry. The higher the caste, the better the job, the more the dowry. But Bihar is one of the poorest state in our country. Bihar's pet capital income for 2021-22 was 54,383 rupees against the national average of 150,007 rupees. The parents of the bride, most often, will not be able to afford the huge dowry demanded by the groom and their family. So, to marry their daughters to employed men, especially eligible bachelors, the parents of the bride started the practice of Pakadwa marriage. This happened in the 1970s and 80s. Since the 1990s, this practice has been taken over by criminal gangs. The parents of the bride started employing criminals who abducted the groom at gunpoint and forced them to marry their daughter. So, we can summarize that the main reason for such practice still exists is because of the prevalence of dowry and lack of employment opportunity in Bihar. In addition to these two reasons, lack of reporting of this matter to the police for fear of violence and societal pressure is another reason why this practice is still prevalent. Finally, before concluding, let us see the consequence of such a practice. See, as I mentioned already in Pakadwa Viva, neither the consent of the boy nor the girl is taken for marriage. So, due to forced marriage, both the bride and groom would be traumatized for life. There are also cases where they would be able to lead a normal life as well. So, these are also of the important points that you have to remember about Pakadwa Viva. You can use this as a case study wherever in your main sense of Viva. So, with these learned points, now let us move on to the next news article discussion. This text and context article is about a report published by the Financial Stability Board, FSB. So, the report is on multifunction crypto asset intermediaries. Here, multifunction crypto asset intermediaries is basically a cryptocurrency trading platform. The report seeks to enhance cross-border coordination and information sharing among local authorities. This is to effectively regulate and address gaps in multifunction crypto asset intermediaries, in short, called as MCIs, operating globally. Now, remember this term MCI, it can be asked in preliminary question. So, this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us see some points about Financial Stability Board, FSB. See, the FSB was established in 2009 after a G20 summit. The FSB replaced the erstwhile Financial Stability Forum. Its headquarters is located in Bissell, Switzerland. The FSB is like a global watchdog for the financial world. It monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system. Now, what are the objectives of the FSB? See, its objectives are to ensure international financial stability and increase the stability of international financial markets. To achieve these objectives, the FSB performs the following functions. The first function is that the FSB assesses vulnerabilities affecting the global financial system in a timely manner and recommends related actions needed to address these vulnerabilities. The FSB also promotes coordination and information exchange among authorities responsible for financial stability. It also reviews the working of the international standard-setting bodies. Finally, FSB collaborate with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, to conduct early warning exercises. Here note that FSB's decisions are not legally binding on its members. The FSB instead operates by moral, suasion and peer pressure. Suasion is nothing but persuasion as opposed to a force or compulsion. So, this is about the objectives and functions of FSB. Finally, let us see the organizational structure of FSB See, the FSB has one plenary, one steering committee and three standing committees. The plenary is the sole decision-making body. The steering committee acts as a bridge between the plenary and standing committee. It takes forward operational work in between plenary meetings and three standing committees. The three standing committees are Standing Committee on Assessment of Vulnerabilities, SCAV, Planning Committee on Supervisory and Regulatory Cooperation, SRC, Standing Committee on Standard Implementation, SCSI. So, this is about the operational structure. I hope you got a clear idea about what is FSB and how it functions with its objectives. So, with these learnt points, now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now, look at this news article. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the power of the president to abrogate special status of Gemma and Kashmir under Article 370 of the constitution. The court held that the president has the power as the special circumstances warrant a special solution. So, this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, we will write an answer for a mains question related to this judgment of Article 370. So, while discussing the mains question, we will also cover some of the important points that is mentioned in the news article as well. Let me read out the question for you. Gemma and Kashmir does not have any internal sovereignty and Article 30 is only a temporary provision. In the light of this recent Supreme Court judgment, analyze its implications for Indian polity. See, this question can be asked in GS paper 2 and it comes under the syllabus topic. Issues and challenges pertaining to federal structure, devaluation of power and separation of power. Now, again have a look at the question. This question is a straightforward question. It asks you to analyze about the Supreme Court judgment and its implication. So, we should show caution while answering this kind of question as we need to be impartial, objective and respect to the institution of judiciary. So, in the introduction part, you can start by talking about the Article 370 and its abolition. See, Article 370 was the first article of Part 21 of the Constitution of India as temporary transitional and special provision. Know that it granted special autonomous status to the erstwhile state of Gemma and Kashmir. The various provisions include firstly, it allows the Gemma and Kashmir to have its own constitution. Secondly, due to Article 370, the parliament needed the concurrence of the state for applying all laws to the state, except certain exceptions like defence, foreign affairs, finance and communication. These provisions were abolished with the constitution Application to Gemma and Kashmir Order 2019 issued by the President of India. Technically, it has not abrogated Article 370 completely. On the other hand, it withdrew the special status of Gemma and Kashmir. So, you can write these points in the introduction part. Now, moving on to the main body of the answer, here you have to analyze the implications of the judgment. Firstly, you can write about federalism. See, the judgment made a conclusion that when a state is under President's rule, parliament can do any act. Note that such act can have irreversible consequences on behalf of the state legislature as well. This interpretation could pose risk in the future. It could be used to undermine the rights of states and basic structure of the state. Now, secondly, with respect to the misuse of the President's rule, note that before abrogation of Article 370, the Union government introduced President's rule in the state and made the governor as a substitute for the elected assembly. This has two issues. One is the governor is the representative of the Union government in the state. So, consulting him does not mean the state assembly in a moral sense. Moreover, the President's rule is a temporary phenomenon. So, the decision of a permanent character such as changing the entire status of a state in this setup is not questioned in this judgment. The judgment noted that the President could remove the state's special status without any recommendation. This could be a dangerous sign because it can happen to any other state as well. Thirdly, the judgment recent that Article 370 does not give internal sovereignty and it should be based on the principle of asymmetric federalism. But it didn't explain or analyze how the historical obligations and promises could be taken away without even a proper consultation with the state and its people. Fourthly, an important issue of reorganizing the state of Jemoon Kashmir and its downgrading to a Union territory. See, technically, Article 3 allows for changes of boundaries of state, their names and even identity. But it is silent on changing the status of a state itself and downgrading it to a Union territory. The court's failure to give its ruling on whether the Constitution permits the reorganization of Jemoon Kashmir into two Union territories is an example of judicial evasion. The judgment avoids this issue by simply accepting an open-ended promise from the government with no specified date that statehood will be restored. Fifthly, one of the judges proposed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This called for an analysis of the suffering caused by both state and non-state actors. Moreover, this should be based on the non-partisan communal lines. But we need to see whether this will be implemented. Finally, even though the court held that the Constitutional Order 272 which changed the meaning of Jemoon Kashmir Constitutional Assembly and Jemoon Kashmir Legislative Assembly as Governor, this conclusion did not affect the outcome of the judgment. This is because the court held that the recommendation of JNK Constitutional Assembly was not necessary for the President to declare Article 370 as inoperative. This observation could be also open to interpretation for the future government. So you can write these points in the main body of the answer. Now coming to the conclusion part, here you can write like abrogation of Article 370 in itself would not solve the Kashmir issue. There should be a balance of both security oriented approach which curb the radicalization of the youth and reducing the terror attacks and the developmental approach which aims to improve the growth of economy, reducing poverty and etc. There should be policy of conciliation with all the stakeholders of the process like the regional parties, the civil society organizations, etc. for a holistic development. However, we should follow the strategy of Insaniath i.e. Humanism, Jamho Riyadh i.e. Democracy and Kisha Riyadh i.e. Kashmir's Legacy of Amity. So this way you can conclude the answer for this question. So these are all very important points. It can even reflect in 2024 main's question. So make note of it right now and revise it frequently. So with these learnt points, now let us move on to the next part of this article discussion which is the preliminary practice question discussion. We have only one question for practice today. Now look at this question. How many of the statements mentioned here about financial stability board, FSB or correct? Four statements are given here. First statement says it was established in 2009. At the G20 Bitsburg Summit, the statement is correct. Statement 2 says India is a member of FSB. This statement is also correct. Statement 3 says an active member of FSB. India has three seats in its planetary represented by secretary, then deputy governor of RBI and chairman of SEBI. So this statement is correct. Statement 3 says it is hosted and funded by the bank for international settlements. This statement is also correct. BIS is like a bank for central banks around the world. These big banks work together and assist in managing and coordinating financial activities between countries. So this statement is also correct. Now look at this fourth statement. It's decisions are legally binding on its members. This statement is incorrect. It is not legally binding on the member. So the correct answer here is option C only three. So displayed here are the main practice questions for you today. Just go through the questions and try to answer it in the comment section. With this we came to the end of the news article discussion. If you like the video, hit like, do comment and don't forget to subscribe to Shankara A.S. Academy YouTube channel. Now thank you so much for listening.