 A very good evening aspirants, welcome to the Hindu newspaper analysis brought to you by Shankar Ayes Academy. Today's date is 25th November 2022. Displayed here all the list of news articles that we are going to discuss today. So without much delay, let's get into the first news article discussion. See this editorial article here, it speaks about the bilateral trade between India and Australia. Now suddenly this is in spotlight because recently Australian Parliament has passed the free trade agreement that is FTA that was earlier signed with India. So in this context let us learn some of the important points given in the news article. Before that the syllabus relevant to this news article is highlighted here for a reference. You can go through it. See to understand the article better, let us first understand the background of the FTA. See in April this year India has signed major free trade agreement with Australia and the agreement is came to be known as Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement or ECDA. Know that in over a decade this is India's first major free trade deal with a developed economy. The deal was signed when Scott Morrison was a Prime Minister of Australia. After one month of signing the deal, there was a power change in Australia and Antony Albanese came into power as a Prime Minister. Consequently Scott Morrison became leader of opposition. Interestingly despite the power change the Antony Albanese administration has steered the ratification of free trade agreement through Parliament and the deal was recently passed by the Australian Parliament. So what does this tell us? It symbolizes that the India-Australia partnership enjoys wide bipartisan support in Australia. Now this deal is likely to be operationalized soon and it pays way to easier market access for Indian goods and services in Australia. So this is the brief background about the deal. Now let us see why Australia has started to leaning more towards India. See Australia has been upset with China's trade weaponization strategy. If you have to know more about this trade weaponization strategy I would suggest you to go back to our Hindu newspaper analysis dated 15 November 2022. Now coming back under this strategy the China is using trade as a tool of constraint to achieve strategic influence over the other nation. This exploitative strategy of China has forced Australia to turn towards India from China. Also Australia is believing that India is a more trustworthy partner than China. Here you have to remember one thing India and Australia are already part of recently formed global groups like the Four Nation Quad which comprises USA, India, Japan and Australia. Then the trilateral supply chain resilience initiative and the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum, IPEF. So these common interests are also one of the reasons that pushed Australia towards India. Secondly the bilateral trade deal between India and Australia is a strong positive signal about India's credentials to the other nations. So in turn this will attract more nations towards India. Having known this now let's understand how this trade agreement will help India. See the agreement will enhance the volume of trade. India is expecting that the bilateral trade between India and Australia will rise to about 50 billion USD from the current level of 31 billion USD in five years. So Indian export sector is going to be largely benefited from this surge of trade and this is going to create about 1 million new jobs in labour intensive sectors. Secondly when the agreement comes into force zero duty benefits will be extended to all Indian products within five years in Australian tariff lines. Then Australia in turn will get zero duty benefits for its export to India. So the raw materials like coal, metal and wool which are imported from Australia will become cheaper for Indian industries. Then the agreement will also enhance the annual visa quotas for Indian chefs and Yoho trainers and a post-steady work visa regime for Indian students. So this will further help to strengthen ties between India and Australia. Remember the agreement will also foster the approval of a double taxation avoidance agreement by Australia. This will help Indian IT firms to save millions of dollars a year. While these are the opportunities that are waiting for India through this agreement India should also remember that just by this trade agreement India will not automatically account for higher exports or better trade balance. So India should devise strategies to better utilize such free trade agreement. So these are all very important points that you have to remember with this news article discussion. So in this news article discussion we saw about a free trade agreement signed between India and Australia. We saw the benefits associated with this agreement. Make note of all these points very very important. So with these learnt points now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now take a look at this news article. It says that there are negotiations going on regarding the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea. And as per the article India is hoping that the code will be fully consistent with international law like United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea UN clause. So this is about the news article given here. In this context let us understand what necessitated this Code of Conduct. But before that you have to know the location of South China Sea. See in this map here this region is only South China Sea. Now why do you think there is a need for code for conduct for South China Sea? See the main reason is the importance of South China Sea and the climbing of it by different countries. The South China Sea is one of the most important sea lines of communication in the world. It is because the sea is strategically positioned in terms of military and trade flow. And here different territories are climbed by different countries. Four of the primary climates are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation that is Asia. They include Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. And the other important climate who is the major problem in the region is China. So the dispute here is regarding the climbing of different territory in South China Sea by these countries. And this is a regional issue but it gained prominence after a major law. And the law that led to the increase in the intensity of the disputes is United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea. See as we all know it was established in the year 1982. It is an agreement on the matter of nations responsibilities and rights on the world's waterways. Now look at this image here. This is the water right as per Yuan clause. So based on this the four Asian countries and China started making extensive climbs in the South China Sea because of the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. And this led to so many disputes. Secondly, since exclusive economic zone includes the establishment and use of artificial islands, installments and structures, China is creating its own artificial islands in South China Sea and climbing 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone from the baseline of that artificial islands. Now look at this image here. It shows the climb made by different countries in the region. The red line is what China is climbing and you can see what the Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia is climbing. The parasol islands, Scarborough, Scowl Island and the Spratly Islands often make news because it is climbed by more than one country. So this is only the reason why a code of conduct is needed for the South China Sea. Apart from this, know that code of conduct is not a new concept. The evolution of the code of conduct dates back to 1992. It was when the Asian issued its first statement on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. So, a declaration on the conduct of parties in the South China Sea was signed by China and the Asian countries in 2002. It aims to promote a peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the South China Sea for the enhancement of stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region. This declaration on conduct of parties has already played a major role in stabilizing the area and if a code of conduct is adopted, then it would be an updated step towards regional peace and stability. So, that's all regarding this news article discussion. In this news article discussion, we saw in detail about the issue surrounding the South China Sea. Then we saw about the UN clause, then the declaration on conduct of parties in the South China Sea. So, these learnt points. Now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now take a look at this news article. See, this news article talks about the revival of nutritious millets by Kutia Kond tribes in Odisha. The revival of the millets is done through a traditional annual festival of the Kutia Kond tribe called the Burlang Yatra. See, in this festival, women of the community worship and exchange seats through a celebratory mode of songs and dances. So, this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us understand a few facts about Kutia Kond tribes from Prelims perspective. First of all, know that Kutia Kond are a particularly vulnerable tribal group in Kalahandi District, Odisha. They live in Blanjigarh, Tuamul, Rampur, Madanpur, Rampur and Bhavani Patna blocks. They are one of the primitive sections of Kondha tribe. The Kondhas who live in Hilltop and valleys are known as Kutia Kond and those who live in Highland and near the streams are called Dongria Kond. Also know that Kond's who are residing in Plain area are known as Desia Kond. So, this information, let us move on to the characteristics of the tribe. See, these Kond's they worship nature like many other tribal groups in the country. Secondly, the members of the community protect forest and wildlife. The notable factor here is that despite living in poverty and depending on natural resources for survival, the Kond's do not use wood from the forest for fuel. Apart from this, they also prevent illegal trading of trees. See, you can quote these points in your mains and writing. Just make note of this point. Thirdly, let us see about their settlement. See, a typical Kutia Kond settlement has two rows of houses facing each other and spreads over a rectangular space. Fourthly, let us see their social structure. Their social structure is well organized and unified. Their families are mostly nuclear and patriarchal in character. Women play a big role in the collection, processing and sale of non-timber forest produce that is NTFP. In addition to this, they perform most of the domestic work and they take care of children. And there is this practice where the adolescent females of the tribe live separately from the rest of the members at youth dormitories. But this practice is slowly losing prominence. Fifthly, talking about the agriculture. See, shifting cultivation or slash and burn agriculture is the primary source of food. The Kond's call it as donger chaas or podu chaas. The major crops cultivated or minor millets like ragi, which is in English called as finger millet, kozala, kangu and arhar. Finally, let us see about the economic life. See, collection and sale of NTFPs or non-timber forest produce, then casual labor and remittances from migrants or the primary source of income other than agriculture. Also know that they also earn a living by selling livestock. Wages from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Improvement Guarantee Scheme serves as the main source of income for many households. So, that's all regarding this news article discussion. See, in this news article discussion, we saw in detail about Kutia Kond tribes in Odisha. We saw about their culture, their settlement, their social structure, their agriculture and their economic life. So, these learned points in mind. Now, let us move on to the next news article discussion. See this article here, it says that some areas in North Chennai will get drinking water supply from Pulel Water Treatment Plant. It is because Minjur desalination plant is under maintenance. So, this is the crux of the news article given here. In this context, let us understand about the desalination process. First of all, why desalination is required? See, water covers 70 percentage. Now, you may think it is more than enough, right? Know that out of this 70 percentage water, the freshwater makes up only 3 percentage and out of this 3 percentage, the two-third is not readily available. It means that the freshwater is in the form of ice or it is sometimes inaccessible. You may not believe this, but around 1.1 billion people around the world do not have access to freshwater. The most unfortunate thing is that the freshwater scarcity is experienced in areas that are very close to the sea and this is where desalination comes in. So, to improve the freshwater scarcity conditions, desalination is done. See, this process makes the water fit for human conception, irrigation and industrial applications. So, now, what is this desalination? Desalination is the process by which the dissolved mineral salts in water are removed. It is largely used to remove salts from seawater. See, many methods are utilized for desalination. We will see them one by one. First is distillation. See, this process involves boiling seawater and collecting steam and condensing it to obtain freshwater. The second one is reverse osmosis. This process uses pressure to pass the seawater into a semi-permeable membrane. This membrane will filter the salts. The third method is electrodialysis. It consists of moving the salt water through electrically charged membranes. These membranes trap the salt ions dissolved in the water, allowing freshwater to be extracted. The fourth one is nanofiltration. See, this process uses nanotube membranes with higher permeability than reverse osmosis. And this allows more water to be processed in less space using less energy. Okay? And the final one is solar distillation. This process imitates the water cycle. I mean, how seawater is evaporated and drain top is formed? No. Likewise, only this method also works. See, this method consists of evaporating seawater in large facilities with roofs where it is condensed and collected as freshwater. Here, the energy used is the sun's heat. And for the process, large area of land are required. So, that's all regarding this news article discussion. So, in this news article discussion, we saw about desalination, why desalination is required, and we saw some of the methods of desalination. So, these learnt points. Now, let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now, take a look at this editorial article from yesterday's newspaper. This article talks about the mitigation steps for the malnutrition problem. See, this topic is very important for mates. That is why we have chosen this news article for today's discussion. So, before getting into the discussion, what is malnutrition? According to WHO, malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person's intake of energy. And the term malnutrition covers two broad groups of conditions. One is under nutrition. This includes stunting, that is low height for age, then wasting, that is low weight for height, then underweight, that is low weight for age. And then it also includes micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies, which means lack of important vitamins and minerals in the body. Okay? Then the other group is overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. This includes heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. So, this basic understanding, let us know India's malnutrition status. See, in the global hunger index, that is GHI 2022, India ranked 107 out of 121 countries. So, what is this GHI? GHI is nothing but a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional and national levels. Okay? So, this reflects multiple dimensions of hunger over time. So, to know more about GHI, watch our Hindi newspaper analysis dated 15 October 2022. Now, coming back, in response to the index, the government of India attempted to discredit the index immediately. Yes, it denied the findings of the report and the government even termed this GHI report as a conspiracy against India. But the author of this news article highlights the importance of the GHI because it is an important indicator of nutrition particularly among children. If you ask me why, just now we saw that GHI looks at stunting, wasting and mortality among children's right. So, according to the author, it is such an important index and not an international conspiracy. The author of this article is saying this so because even in India's National Family Health Survey, NFHS-5, that is from 2019 to 21, it is reported that in children below the age of five years, 35.5% were standard. 19.3% showed wasting and 32.1% were underweight. Okay? Now, with this basic understanding, let us see the reasons cited by the author of this news article for his malnutrition problem. Firstly, he says that the government schemes are not delivering. See, several government schemes like the Saksham, Anganwadi, Potiaan Abhyan, etc. are the centrally sponsored schemes. The problem is there are gaps in their funding and implementation. For example, take the Pradhan Mantri Potiaan Shakti Nirman which was previously known as the midday meal scheme. The budget allocation for this scheme for financial year 2022-23 is 10,233.75 crore rupees. Now, this is 21% is lower than the expenditure in financial year 2022-21. Not only this, there are manpower constraints also. See, over 50% of child development project offices, CDPO posts were vacant in Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. So, this is the second major reason. Thirdly, the social audits are not conducted properly. See, midday meal scheme is widely recognized as a revolutionary scheme. Right? But its quality of service, say for example, what is provided in the midday meal, what is the quality of the meal provided, has to be checked. This kind of routine checks are not carried out. So, the author says that under funding of these nutritional schemes, then improper utilization of the lauded funds have to be fixed. Then only, India's multi-dimensional nutrition challenge can be addressed. The author also suggested a solution to address these problems. It is the cash transfers. See, cash transfers through the Jamminity, i.e. Jandan bank accounts, Aadhar and mobile is the best solution because it helps in targeting the right beneficiaries. In this case, pregnant women and families with children under the age of five. So, all these are possible through cash transfer. Also, cash gives the beneficiaries an expanding choice. That is, they can make decision on what to put on their plates. Okay? But this also has some problems. Firstly, though the cash transfer improves household food security, they do not necessarily improve child nutrition. Secondly, inflation reduces the value of cash. Thirdly, there are some social factors hindering the gender neutrality. See, take the son preference which can influence household level decisions. Yes, even now nutrition needs of son or met first when compared to daughters. So, the author says that cash alone cannot solve the nutritional issues. A comprehensive social education program is also required. In addition to this, it is clear that malnutrition persists due to depressed economic conditions in large part of the country, then the poor state of agriculture in India, then persistent level of unsafe sanitation practices, etc. So, all these are main reasons for prevailing malnutrition problems. So, the author concludes that in addition to cash transfer, great involvement of local government and local community groups is essential. Especially in the decision and delivery of tailored nutrition interventions, their participation is required. Apart from this, a comprehensive program targeting adolescent girls is required and then all the child nutritional programs should be implemented properly. So, that's all regarding this news article discussion. I hope you got a lot of new points added to this malnutrition topic. Make note of all these points, very very important. So, with these learnt points, now let us move on to the next news article discussion. Now, take a look at this news article. This news article talks about the unemployment rate. The news is that there is a marginal dip in the unemployment rate from July to September. So, in this news article discussion, let us understand about the periodic labour force survey and its findings. First of all, what is this periodic labour force survey? See, it is India's first computer-based survey launched by the National Statistical Office. This survey essentially maps the state of employment in the country. So, it collects data on several variables such as the level of unemployment, the types of employment and their respective shares, the wages earned from different types of jobs, the number of hours worked etc. So, what is the key objective of this survey? See, the key objective is to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators. For example, it calculates the worker population ratio, labour force participation rate, unemployment rate etc. So, it measures the employment data of both rural and urban area. So, here remember labour force means the sum of number of persons employed and the number of persons unemployed. So, now coming to the unemployment rate, see the unemployment rate simply reflects the proportion of the labour force that does not have a job. But they are available and actively looking for job. It is calculated by expressing the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the total number of persons in the labour force. Okay? Then comes the working population ratio. It is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population. Then what about this labour force participation rate? It is defined as the percentage of persons in labour force who are working or seeking or available for work in the population. So, having this basic understanding, now let's move on to see some of the important findings of the report. Firstly, the unemployment rate in urban area east because a year ago it was 9.8% and now it is only 7.2%. Remember, this is for persons above the age of 15. Secondly, the unemployment rate got reduced for men and women. See, it was 9.3% for men and 11.6% for women in July to September 2021. But now it is 6.6% for men and 9.4% for women. Thirdly, the worker population ratio has also increased marginally. Here, the worker population ratio in urban area for persons aged 15 and over stood at 42.3% in the year 2021. But now it has increased to 44.5%. Fourthly, take the worker population ratio for men. It was 66.6% and for women it was 17.6% in the year 2021. So, this also increased to 68.6% among men and 19.7% among women. Fifthly, take the labour force participation rate LFPR. See, the labour force participation rate in urban area for persons aged 15 and above was 46.9% in 2021. But now it is 47.9%. Okay, now sixthly, when you take the LFPR among men, it was 73.5% and among women, it was 19.9% in the year 2021. But now it is 73.4% among men and 21.7% among women. See, here you have to make note of these facts to justify your argument whenever you write a mains answer. So, that is why I am exposing you to all these datas. If you can write any one data in your mains answer writing, it is well and good. So, in this news article discussion, we saw in detail about periodic labour force survey and its finding. So, with these learnt points, now let us move on to the next part of the news article discussion which is the preliminary practice question discussion. Now look at this first question. With reference to the United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements. Statement one, a coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention. See, this statement is actually correct. Up to 12 nautical miles, we have territorial waters. Then up to 24 nautical miles, we have contiguous zone and up to 200 nautical miles, we have exclusive economic zone. Now look at the second statement. Ships of all states whether coastal or landlocked enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial water. See, this statement is also correct. Ships of all states whether coastal or landlocked enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial water. Now look at this third statement. The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. See, this statement is actually correct. We saw that in our discussion itself, right? So here the correct answer for the question is option D one, two and three because all the three statements given here are correct answer. Now moving on, look at this two statement question. Let me read out the first statement. The acceptable limit of pH value of drinking water in India is 4.5 to 6.5. Statement two, the permissible limit of total dissolved solids in the absence of alternative source is 2000 milligram per liter. You have to choose the correct answer option A one only, option B two only, option C both one and two and option D neither one nor two. See, the correct answer for the question is option B two only. Statement one is incorrect because the acceptable limit of pH value of drinking water in India is 6.5 to 8.5. It's not 4.5 to 6.5. Here you can use your common sense also. If the pH value is 4 to 6, then it is considered as acid. We cannot drink acid, right? So the first statement is incorrect but the second statement is correct here. The permissible limit of total dissolved solids in the absence of alternative source is 2000 milligram per liter. So the correct answer for the question is option B two only. Now moving on, which among the following are termed as the particularly vulnerable tribal groups? First is Todas. Second is Kutia cones. Third is Kurumbas. And fourth is Khoraga. So among these four, you have to find who are termed as the particularly vulnerable tribal groups? Option A one, two and three only, option B two, three and four only, option C one, two and four only and option D one, two, three and four. See the correct answer for the question is option D one, two, three and four. All the four are particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Here Todas or PVTG of Tamil Nadu. Then Kutia cones or PVTGs of Odisha. We saw that in our news article discussion. Then Kurumbas or PVTGs of Kerala. And finally Khoraga is a PVTG in Karnataka. So here the criteria for identification of PVTG is four. Firstly, pre-agricultural level of technology. Then low level of literacy, economic backwardness. Then a declining or stagnant population. See as per 2011 census, 75 PVTGs have been identified in the country according to this criteria. So here the correct answer for the question is option D one, two, three and four. Now moving on the question displayed here is the problem quiz question for you today. Just go through the question. It is a very simple question. You can mention the correct answer in the comment section. So the two main questions displayed here are the main practice question for you today. Just go through the question, write an answer and post it in the comment section. So 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 Shankarayis Academy YouTube channel. Now thank you for listening.