Table of Contents
”UPSC News Diary For Today” is every day published in the evening between 6-7 PM and contains all current affairs articles from the day on a single platform. ”UPSC News Diary For Today” covers various topics from UPSC Syllabus and is very helpful and time managing for UPSC Aspirants. The framing of this daily current affairs compilation article is easy to read and understandable also.
In the ”UPSC News Diary For Today” article, we focus on both UPSC Preliminary and Mains exam-oriented current affairs & prepare a gist of daily important news articles from leading National Newspapers, PIB, and other various official sources.
Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022
Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022: Why In News?
Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) published proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, easing diversion of forests and exempting certain categories of development from the need to take clearance from the Ministry.
Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022: Proposed Amendments
- All land acquired by the Railways and Roads Ministries prior to 1980 be exempted from the Act.
- For individuals whose lands fall within a state-specific Private Forests Act or come within the dictionary meaning of forest as specified in the 1996 Supreme Court order, the government proposes to allow “construction of structures for bona fide purposes’’ including residential units up to 250 sq m as a one-time relaxation.
- Defence projects near international borders will be exempted from forest clearance.
- Oil and natural gas extraction from forested lands will be permitted, but only if technologies such as Extended Reach Drilling are used.
- The Ministry has proposed doing away with levies for non-forestry purposes during the renewal of a lease, saying the double levy at the time of awarding of the lease and the renewal is “not rational”.
- Strip plantations alongside roads that would fall under the Act will be exempted.
Vellore Sepoy Uprising
Vellore Sepoy Uprising: Why In the News?
- Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi payed homage at the Vellore Sepoy Mutiny Memorial Pillar on Sunday.
- Lasted just a day but costed around 400 lives, the Vellore Mutiny was a signal that dissent against the British was beginning to gain hold.
Vellore Sepoy Uprising: Key Facts
- It was a time when India was under British rule. Though the atmosphere was fairly peaceful, anger against the rules imposed on Indians was gradually building up.
- In 1805, General Sir John Craddock, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, ordered a change in the army’s uniform that hurt the sentiments of both Hindu as well as Muslim soldiers.
- Hindus were prohibited from putting religious marks on their forehead and Muslims were forced to trim their moustaches and beards.
- Further, in place of the turban they were used to wearing, they were asked to wear a round hat usually associated with Europeans. This naturally angered the soldiers. Those who protested were punished with whipping and sent out of the army.
- Another trigger point was Tipu Sultan, who was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore till he was defeated and killed by the British in 1799.
- After his death, his wives, children and servants were confined to the city of Vellore. People were angry about the disrespect shown by the British to the erstwhile ruler’s sons. An attack was planned.
- Though the revolt was suppressed within a day, it was successful in sending across a message to the British — that dissent was starting to simmer.
Section 69A of the IT Act
Section 69A of the IT Act: Why In the News?
- On July 5, microblogging platform Twitter moved the Karnataka High Court seeking to set aside multiple blocking orders of the Central government as well as to alter their directions to identify specific violative content than imposing a blanket ban on individual accounts.
- According to Twitter, the blocking orders were “procedurally and substantially” non-compliant with Section 69A of the Information Technology Act (IT Act).
What kind of content has fallen under the purview of Section 69A?
- Between February 2, 2021 and February 28 this year, Twitter received directions to block 1,474 accounts and 175 tweets in India. Of these, it is challenging 39 URLs with its latest petition. Several of these URLs had journalistic or political content. Previous judgments of the Supreme Court have suggested the content must be viewed from the standards of a “strong-minded, firm and courageous” person. The assessment must not be from the standpoint of a “weak” and “vacillating” individual who may sense danger in every hostile point of view. It is in this light that Twitter has argued the blocked content does not meet the “threshold” for restricting access. Twitter has also argued that the vast majority of people who consume the content under scrutiny are necessarily literate and can reasonably perceive the full context of the content.
Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2012)
- The Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of Section 69A in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2012) because its adherence to accord a hearing to the author of the content as well as the intermediary.
- It is guaranteed under Rule 8 of the procedural norms but Twitter stated that the government has neither provided any notice nor any hearing.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: Why In the News?
On July 1, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, put out a note, proposing amendments in the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: Proposed Amendments
- The Environment Ministry has proposed amendments in four key legislations: The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Public Liability Insurance (PLI) Act, 1991.
- These are the cornerstone environmental laws that led to the setting up of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), empowering it to take action against individuals and corporate bodies who pollute air, water and land.
What is the Era of Great Dying?
- The Permian era (298.9 million to 252.2 million years ago) was a time before the dinosaurs ruled the planet.
- The oceans were 10o C warmer than they are now, and oxygen levels were 80 per cent lower.
- During the period, land masses collided to form the arid supercontinent Pangaea.
- The massive Panthalassic Ocean, which covered much of the Earth, was home to many sponge and coral species, ammonites (tiny shelled organisms), brachiopods (invertebrate animals closely related to starfish), and fusulinid foraminifera (single-celled organisms closely associated with modern amoebas).
- Reptiles began to flourish, and Sharks and bony fish thrived.
- Towards the end of the era, a series of volcanic eruptions in the present-day central Siberia region injected massive amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. Then the uncontrolled GHG emissions triggered climatic changes.
- This sounded the death knell for the flourishing and diverse life forms. Roughly 96 per cent of marine species and 70 per cent of land species went extinct. Thus, scientists refer to this period as the “Great Dying”.
- Climate change that happened at the end of the Permian era is similar to the one that is unfolding now.
How Oceans are the planet’s largest ecosystem?
- Oceans are the planet’s largest ecosystem, accounting for 95 per cent of all space available for life and hosting 90 per cent of the planet’s total species.
- Beneath the oceans lies a world that is vast, diverse and elusive. Mountain ranges, hydrothermal vents that resemble terrestrial hot springs, and volcanoes rise from the seafloor.
- The landscape is dotted with trenches, which go as deep as 11,000 metres (m).
- The oceans are home to organisms of all sizes and shapes: from microorganisms to the blue whale.
- The average depth of the oceans is 3,700 m, and 80 per cent of the areas have not been explored at all.
- The exact number of species that live in the ocean is unknown; 91 per cent of the species have yet to be classified. As it is popularly said, we know more about the moon and Mars surfaces than the sea surface.
- What we know with certainty is that the oceans modulate the global climate and control the planetary temperature, and thus the weather events like rain, storms, cyclones, floods and droughts.
- Human lives are intimately tied to the oceans. About 50-80 per cent of the oxygen produced on Earth can be traced back to the sea.
- These saltwater bodies support the livelihoods of 3 billion people, according to the United Nations (UN).
- Also, ocean currents—the continuous movement of water—have an essential role. Acting as conveyor belts, they transport warm water from the equators to the pole and cooler waters from the poles to the equators.
- Upwelling currents allow the vertical movement of water, pushing cold, nutrient-rich water from the ocean depths to the surface, which is critical for fisheries.
- But the most important role the oceans play is that of a carbon sink: four-fifths of the global carbon cycle is circulated through them.
- According to the 5th Assessment Report published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) in 2014, the oceans have absorbed more than 90 per cent of the global warming created by humans since the 1970s.
- To make sense of this, without the oceans, the global average temperatures would have jumped by almost 56o C.
- The atmosphere has a low heat capacity compared to the ocean water, which can accommodate 1,000 times more heat. So, most of it is moving into the ocean.
The Editorial Analysis- The Uprising
Sri Lankan Crisis- Relevance for UPSC Exam
- GS Paper 2: International Relations- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
Sri Lankan Crisis in News
- Public wrath is paving the way for momentous changes in Sri Lanka. The ongoing protests against the precipitous fall in the island nation’s economic fortunes have reached a crescendo.
Sri Lankan Crisis- Recent Developments
- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s secretariat was overrun by thousands of people and his official residence occupied by boisterous protesters.
- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private residence was also set ablaze.
- Both President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka have expressed readiness to resign from their respective posts.
- An alternative all party government is to take over the affairs of the Sri Lanka as discussed in a recent all party meeting chaired by the Speaker of Sri Lanka.
- The current Speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, takes over as President so that, within 30 days, Parliament can elect a new President by a secret ballot.
- Under the country’s Constitution, the Prime Minister and then the Speaker of Parliament are in line to act as President if the highest office falls vacant.
- However, these moves will be contingent on the resignations actually materialising.
The Editorial Analysis: Sri Lankan Lessons for India
Sri Lankan Crisis- Associated concerns
- Forex Reserve Dried Up
- At the end of 2019, Sri Lanka had $7.6bn (£5.8bn) in foreign currency reserves.
- By March 2020 this had fallen to $1.93bn (£1.5bn) and recently the government said it had just $50m (£40.5m) left.
- Despite the arrival of some overseas aid and commencement of a process for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, there has been no significant relief for the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
- Sustainability of Alternative Government: The concern is whether the political class can rise above its differences and put in place an alternative regime that can steer the country towards economic recovery.
Sri Lankan Crisis- Conclusion
- The occupants of the two main offices will have to make their decisions early so that the country’s transition to a stable regime can be easy.
- It is possible to argue that mere regime change may redound to nobody’s benefit, will achieve nothing more than mollifying the masses for now, and will not ease the economic travails of the people.
Crisis in Sri Lanka- Sri Lankan PM Resigns
Schemes Launched to Boost Pharma Infrastructure in India
Pharma industry in India: Relevance
- GS 3: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Pharma sector in India: Context
- The department of pharmaceuticals has recently launched a scheme, Strengthening of Pharmaceuticals Industry (SPI) to strengthen the existing infrastructure facilities of pharmaceutical industries to make India a global leader in the pharma sector.
Pharmaceutical sector in India: Key points
- The department of pharmaceuticals now plans to issue a detailed guideline of the SPI scheme and is expected to release the notification of inviting the application for both sub-schemes of the SPI soon.
- The scheme constitutes of two components: Assistance to Pharmaceutical Industry for Common Facilities (API-CF) and Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS).
API-CF
- The API-CF sub-scheme has an outlay of ₹178 crore and is a five-year period scheme.
- The scheme aims to strengthen existing pharma clusters’ capacity for sustained growth, by creating common facilities with a focus on research and development labs, testing laboratories, effluent treatment plants, logistic and training centres.
PTUS sub-scheme
- The PTUAS sub-scheme has an outlay of ₹300 crore.
- The scheme proposes support for pharma SMEs, either through up to a maximum of 5% per annum (6% in case of units owned and managed by SC/STs) of interest subvention or through credit-linked capital subsidy of 10%.
Strengthening of Pharmaceuticals Industry: Significance of the scheme
- Though India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally, it is still dependent on other countries for medical devices.
- India is 70-80% dependent on other countries and the announcement of the medical device policy will help address the 12-15% disability faced in attempting to manufacture medical devices in India.
Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI) objectives
- To strengthen the existing infrastructure facilities in order to make India a global leader in the Pharma Sector by providing Financial assistance to pharma clusters for creation of Common Facilities.
- To upgrade the production facilities of SMEs and MSMEs, to meet national and international regulatory standards, by providing interest subvention or capital subsidy on their capital loans.
- To promote knowledge and awareness about the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Industry by taking up studies, building databases and brining industry leaders, academia and policy makers together to share their knowledge and experience.
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Sustainable Use of Wild Species: A Report by IPBES
Sustainable Use of Wild Species: Relevance
- GS 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Sustainable Use of Wild Species: Context
- Recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has released a new report stating that about 50,000 wild species globally can meet the needs of billions of people.
Sustainable Use of Wild Species: Key points
- The first of the kind report is the has been conceived after a period of four years.
- The 2019 Global Assessment of the IPBES has identified over-exploitation of wild species as one of the main drivers of current biodiversity loss.
- The report has shortlisted five categories of practices used for wild species — fishing, gathering, logging, terrestrial animal harvesting which includes hunting and non-extractive practices such as observing.
- The report examined specific uses for each category regarding food, materials, medical benefits, energy, recreational and ceremonial purposes and decorations over the past two decades.
Sustainable Use of Wild Species: Key findings
- About 50,000 wild species are used through different practices, including more than 10,000 wild species harvested directly for human food.
- Rural people in developing countries are most at risk from unsustainable use, with lack of complementary alternatives often forcing them to further exploit wild species already at risk.
- One out of five source their food from wild plants, algae and fungi, while 2.4 billion depend on firewood for cooking and around 90 per cent of the 120 million population pursuing fisheries rely on small-scale fishing.
- According to the report, the use of wild species defines identities and livelihoods and also holds cultural significance.
- Helping indigenous and local communities maintain their ability to use wild species sustainably and protecting their cultural practices associated with them would ensure their survival.
- The report also noted that indigenous people and local communities used local knowledge, practices and spirituality for the sustainable use of wild species.
- They respected nature and only took what they needed. This ensured that healthy populations of wild species were maintained.
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Tobacco production in India
Tobacco production in India: Relevance
- GS 3: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country
Tobacco cultivation in India: Context
- Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Markfed has created history by exporting to the U.S. on a pilot basis 120 tonne of tobacco, a first by a government agency.
Tobacco Cultivation in Andhra Pradesh: Key points
- Andhra Pradesh is a major tobacco producing State in the country.
- Tobacco Board regulates tobacco production in the country, and has set the crop size for Andhra Pradesh at 130 mkg last year.
Tobacco cultivation
- Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is believed to have originated from South America.
- Present world production is about 3 million tons of leaves from 4.2 million ha.
Climatic conditions for tobacco
- Tobacco is grown under a wide range of climates but requires a frost-free period of 90 to 120 days from transplanting to last harvest of leaves.
- Optimum mean daily temperature for growth is between 20 and 30°C.
- A dry period is required for ripening and harvest of the leaves.
- Excess rainfall results in thin, lightweight leaves.
- Except for some short-day varieties, cultivated tobacco is day-neutral in its response to flowering.
- The crop is sensitive to waterlogging and demands well-aerated and drained soils.
- The optimum pH ranges from 5 to 6.5. Quality of the leaves is affected by soil salinity.
- The water requirements for maximum yield vary with climate and length of growing period from 400 to 600mm.
Tobacco cultivation in India
- India stands second in tobacco production and exports in the world. China ranks first.
- Tobacco earns annually Rs 4,400 crores as foreign exchange and Rs more than 13,000 crores as excise revenue. Its total contribution to the national economy is Rs 18,255 crores.
- In India, the tobacco crop directly or indirectly supports around 36 million people engaged in production, processing, marketing and exports which includes six million farmers and 5 million people involved in bidi-rolling and tendu leaf-plucking.
- Thus, the crop is a lifeline for sizeable chunk of population, particularly rural women, tribals and other weaker sections of the society.
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National Industrial Corridor Development Programme
NICDP UPSC: Relevance
- GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
NICDP ADB: Context
- Recently, the 1st meeting of Apex Monitoring Authority for National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) chaired by Union Finance Minister was held in Delhi.
NICDP meeting: Key points
- The Meeting was attended by 6 Chief Ministers and Industries Ministers of the States from which the Industrial Corridor is passing.
- Finance Minister has asked the NITI Aayog to prepare a report that maps all the industrial zones including industrial corridors, logistics parks and pharma hubs to be incorporated under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
- She has also urged the shipping ministry to explore linkages that can be achieved between seaports and the industrial corridors.
What is NICDP?
- National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is India’s most ambitious infrastructure programme aiming to develop futuristic industrial cities in India which can compete with the best manufacturing and investment destinations in the world.
- NICDP is an endeavour of Union Government along with States/ UTs to foster innovation, facilitates investment, enhance skill development, and build new world class infrastructure and upscale existing industrial ecosystem.
- National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) is implementing holistic & coordinated development of these Industrial Corridors across the country.
- NICDP will create employment opportunities and economic growth leading to overall socio-economic development.
- In 2021, Asian Development Bank (ADB) had approved a $250 million loan to support the National Industrial Corridor Development Program (NICDP).
NICDC Projects
There are 32 projects in 4 phases under the following 11 Industrial Corridors that forms part of National Infrastructure Pipeline
- Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)
- Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC)
- Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC)
- Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC)
- Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC)
- Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC)
- Hyderabad Nagpur Industrial Corridor (HNIC)
- Hyderabad Warangal Industrial Corridor (HWIC)
- Hyderabad Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (HBIC)
- Extension of CBIC to Kochi via Coimbatore
- Delhi Nagpur Industrial Corridor (DNIC)
PM Gati Shakti meaning
- Gati Shakti is a digital platform that will bring 16 Ministries—including Railways and Roadways—together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
- It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.
- Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive.
- It will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics).
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Section 69A of the IT Act
Section 69A of the IT Act- Relevance for UPSC Exam
Section 69A of the IT Act: Information Technology (IT) Act is an important legislation that governs and regulates information technology related aspects in the country. Section 69A of the IT Act is important for UPSC CSE Mains GS Paper 2 (Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Section 69A of the IT Act in News
- Recently, Twitter moved the Karnataka High Court seeking to set aside multiple blocking orders of the Central government as well as to alter their directions to identify specific violative content than imposing a blanket ban on individual accounts.
- Twitter holds that the government has allegedly not shown why the restrictions were necessary in the interest of public order or for any other reason.
What is Section 69A of the IT Act?
- Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the government to restrict access to any content in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of the country.
- Under Section 69A of the IT Act, all directions to restrict information or content in circulation must be recorded in writing.
- Grounds for Restrictions: Government can restrict the access of any content on the grounds of-
- Sovereignty and integrity of the country,
- Security of the state,
- Friendly relations with foreign states or
- Public order.
- Punishment: Social media intermediaries failing to comply with the regulations are liable to be monetarily penalised along with an imprisonment term which may extend up to seven years.
Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009
Information Technology Rules 2009 lists the procedures for executing the provisions of the Information Technology Act. Key details are listed below-
- IT Rules entails that a government-designated officer along with an examination committee assess the content in question within 48 hours of receiving the takedown request.
- It must enable an opportunity to the author or originator of the content to provide clarifications.
- The recommendations are then sent to the Secretary of the Dept of Information Technology for approval to forward a request to the social media intermediary for restricting access.
- Emergency provisions stipulate that the clarification be sought after the content has been blocked for specified reasons, but within 48 hours.
- They can be revoked after due examination.
The Right to Information Act: RTI vs Right to Privacy vs Official Secrets Act (OSA)
Associated Concerns
- Internet advocacy groups have been particularly critical of Rule 16 that suggests strict confidentiality be maintained on all requests and actions taken thereof — often attributed to be the cause for lack of transparency.
- The mentioned legislations are to be read under the purview of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression.
- However, Clause 2 of the article permits the state to impose ‘reasonable restrictions’ for the same reasons as those for Section 69A.
Draft Amendments to IT Rules, 2021
