DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 16th March 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current event

Context: On February 17, Tamil Nadu banned the sale of cotton candy or candy floss after analysis confirmed the presence of Rhodamine-B.Since then, the Karnataka Government has banned the use of harmful colouring agents in cotton candy and Gobi Manchurian.

Background:-

• When taken even in small quantities for many years, Rhodamine B can cause a lot of health problems including cancers.

About Rhodamine B:-  

• Rhodamine-B is a fluorescent dye used in cosmetics, textile and leather industries. It gives you brilliant pinks, greens and blues.
• Unfortunately, it is used as a food colouring agent not only in cotton candy but also in the preparation of sweets, various manchurian items and pakodas and in the preparation of sauces for Chinese food.
• Rhodamine-B has been routinely used in many coloured foods such as cotton candy to make it look appealing and attractive to young persons and children.
• Studies have shown that Rhodamine-B can cause cell death. In long-term use, it can damage the cerebellum tissue and brainstem. There is recent evidence that it damages the kidney, liver and increases the risk of stomach tumour. It is toxic to the human body and is a carcinogen.
• FSSAI has approved certain food colours and flavors as safe for consumption. These include: Caramel, Riboflavin (Lactoflavin), Saffron, Annatto, Curcumin (Turmeric), Carotene and carotenoids, including Beta-carotene, red colour from Ponceau 4R, Carmoisine, and Erythrosine, yellow colour (Tartrazine and Sunset Yellow FCF), blue colour (Indigo Carmine and Brilliant Blue FCF) and green colour (Fast Green FCF).

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims and Mains – Polity

Context: The High-level Committee (HLC) on One Nation, One Election submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday (March 14) morning.

Background:

• HLC was chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

What is meant by simultaneous elections?

• Simultaneous elections, popularly referred to as “One Nation, One Election”, means holding elections to Lok Sabha, all state Legislative Assemblies, and urban and rural local bodies (municipalities and panchayats) at the same time.
• Currently, all these elections are held independently of one another, following timelines dictated by the terms of every individual elected body.
• Simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies used to happen in India until the fourth general elections of 1967. However, as successive central governments used constitutional provisions to dismiss state governments before the end of their term, and as coalition governments in the states and the Centre kept collapsing, country came to see elections at different times through the year.
• According to the HLC report, the country now sees five to six elections in a year — if municipalities and panchayat elections are also included, the number of elections will increase manifold.

What is the need for holding simultaneous elections?

• Frequent elections burden the government exchequer with additional expenditure. If the expenditure incurred by political parties is also added, these figures will be even higher.
• Asynchronous elections cause uncertainty and instability, thwarting supply chains, business investments and economic growth.
• Disruption of government machinery due to asynchronous elections causes hardship to citizens.
• Frequent use of government officials and security forces adversely affect discharge of their duties.
• Frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) causes policy paralysis and slows down the pace of the developmental programmes.
• Staggered elections induce ‘voters’ fatigue’ and present a significant challenge in ensuring their participation.

Important  recommendations of HLC

• AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION: The Constitution should be amended to enable simultaneous elections in two steps.In the first step, simultaneous elections will be held to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. For this, no ratification by the states will be required for the constitutional amendment.In the second step, elections to municipalities and the panchayats will be synchronised with elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in such a way that local body elections are held within 100 days of the elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. This will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.
• SINGLE ELECTORAL ROLL AND ELECTION ID: For the purpose of preparation of single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards for use in elections to all the three tiers of government, the Constitution should be amended, so that the Election Commission of India can prepare a single electoral roll and election ID in consultation with the State Election Commissions. These amendments will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.
• SINGLE ELECTORAL ROLL AND ELECTION ID: For the purpose of preparation of single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards for use in elections to all the three tiers of government, the Constitution should be amended, so that the Election Commission of India can prepare a single electoral roll and election ID in consultation with the State Election Commissions. These amendments will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.

Source: The Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains -Environment

Context: Recently, International Energy Agency (IEA) has released Global Methane Tracker 2024.

Background:

• The Global Methane Pledge, led by the US and EU, aims to slash methane emissions by 30% by 2030

About Global Methane Tracker

• The Global Methane Tracker is an annual report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• It provides the most recent data on methane emissions from the energy sector, incorporating new scientific studies, measurement campaigns, and satellite-collected information.

Key Highlights of the 2024 Report:

• Methane emissions from fuel use in 2023 were nearly the highest ever, at 120 million tonnes (Mt). This is a slight increase compared to 2022.
• Bioenergy, a renewable energy form generated by plant and animal waste, contributed an additional 10 million tons of emissions.
• Of the 120 Mt of methane released into the atmosphere, around 80 million tons came from just 10 countries.
• The United States led in methane emissions from oil and gas operations, closely followed by Russia.
• China led in emissions from coal operations.
• To achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C, the world needs to reduce methane emissions from fossil fuels by 75% by 2030.
• The IEA estimated that this goal would require about $170 billion in spending, less than 5% of the income generated by the fossil fuel industry in 2023.

About the International Energy Agency (IEA):

• The IEA is an autonomous inter-governmental organization within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) framework.
• It was created in response to the 1973-1974 oil crisis when an oil embargo by major producers pushed prices to historic levels and exposed the vulnerability of industrialized countries to dependency on oil imports.

Source: IEA

Syllabus

• Prelims – Science

Context: Recently, The FAO published an analytical report on the Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR) for 2019-22 report has released recently.

Background:

• The report showed low levels of resistance in both the fisheries and animal sectors to certain less commonly used antibiotics (such as chloramphenicol).

About INDIAN NETWORK FOR FISHERY AND ANIMAL ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (INFAAR):

• The Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR) is a network of laboratories established under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
• It is dedicated to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) surveillance in the fisheries and livestock sectors.
• The network aims to document AMR in different production systems, describe the spread of resistant bacterial strains and resistance genes, identify trends in resistance, and generate hypotheses about sources and reservoirs of resistant bacteria through a structured national surveillance program.
• INFAAR also collates surveillance data to evaluate baseline data and get indications about the AMR trends in livestock, poultry, and fisheries.
• This helps to understand the impact of interventions required for the mitigation of antimicrobial resistance.
• The rise of AMR is exacerbated by the irrational use of antimicrobial agents in human and animal health and their presence in the environment.
• Over half of the antimicrobials used in animals/fish are excreted as waste, contributing to the emergence and spread of AMR.

Source: Down To Earth

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: India and the five-member Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), led by Russia, are poised to commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA).

Background:

• This proposed agreement aims to boost India’s exports to the EAEU countries, particularly in sectors such as engineering goods, electronics, and agriculture.

About Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)

• The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU) is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia.
• The member states are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
• The EAEU was established to promote the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital.

Key facts about the EAEU:

• The EAEU was officially established on January 1, 2015.
• The union operates through supranational and intergovernmental institutions.
• The EAEU has an integrated single market.
• As of 2023, it consists of 183 million people and a gross domestic product of over $2.4 trillion.
• The EAEU encourages the free movement of goods and services, and provides for common policies in the macroeconomic sphere, transport, industry and agriculture, energy, foreign trade and investment, customs, technical regulation, competition, and antitrust regulation.
• Provisions for a single currency and greater integration are envisioned for the future.
• The EAEU’s formal objectives are to create a common market much like the European Union (EU).
• However, unlike the EU, the EAEU does not share a common currency.

Source: Business Standard

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – Science

Context: Researchers at the Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered vanadium, a critical mineral from the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat.

Background:

• Rarely found in its pure form naturally, vanadium is present in over 55 different minerals, which makes its production costly.At Gulf of Khambhat, it has been found in a mineral called titanomagnetite, which is formed when molten lava cools rapidly.

About Vanadium:

• It is a chemical element with the symbol “V” and the atomic number 23 and is classified as a transition metal.
• It is an abundant element in the earth’s crust, ranking 22nd in position in the upper continental crust.
• It is listed as one of the 30 critical minerals identified by the Government of India.
• It rarely exists as a free element in nature but can be found in about 65 different minerals, including magnetite, vanadinite, carnotite, and patronite.
• It can be detected spectroscopically in the Sun’s rays and occasionally in the light of other stars.

Applications of Vanadium:

• It is used in vanadium redox flow batteries, a type of rechargeable battery used for large-scale energy storage in renewable energy systems.
• It is used as an alloying element in steel production, where it imparts increased strength, toughness, and heat resistance to the steel. The addition of 0.15% vanadium strengthens cast iron by 10-25%.
• Its compounds are used as catalysts in the production of chemicals, plastics, and other materials.
• Its alloys are also used to make nuclear reactors because of their low-neutron-absorbing properties.
• It is used for the treatment of prediabetes and diabetes.
• It is used in the manufacture of aerospace and aviation components due to its high strength, lightweight, and heat resistance properties.
• It is used in the production of pigments, and ceramics, and as a reducing agent in metallurgy.

Source: Times Of India

Q1.)Consider the following countries:

1. Armenia
2. Belarus
3. Kazakhstan
4. Kyrgyzstan
5. Afghanistan
6. Russia

How many of the above-mentioned countries are the members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)?

1. Only two
2. Only three
3. Only four
4. Only five

Q2.) With reference to Indian Network for Fishery and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR), consider the following statements:

1. It is a network of laboratories established under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
2. INFAAR collates surveillance data to evaluate baseline data and identify AMR trends in livestock, poultry, and fisheries.
3. It seeks to understand the impact of interventions required for the mitigation of antimicrobial resistance.

How many of the statements given above are not correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Q3.) Consider the following statements:

1. The Global Methane Tracker is an annual report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
2. It provides the most recent data on methane emissions from the energy sector.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  16th March  2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – b

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – d