DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 24th October 2024

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 2

Context: The Indo-Pacific has emerged as a key geopolitical and strategic space, with India reaffirming its steadfast commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

Background: –

• The Indo-Pacific is a geographical area that encompasses the regions of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, along with the countries surrounding them and the crucial waterways and marine resources. It also includes critical maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Malacca, Taiwan Strait, the Bab-al-Mandeb, Straits of Lombok and Sunda, the South China Sea, etc.

What is the Indo-Pacific?

• The extent of Indo-Pacific varies from state to state. India’s conception of the Indo-Pacific ranges “from the shores of Africa to that of the Americas” to be more inclusive as laid out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The National Security Strategy (NSS), published under former US President Trump, defined the Indo-Pacific as “the region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the USA”.
• The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper of Australia defined the region as “ranging from the eastern Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean” including India, Southeast Asia, North Asia and the US.

From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific

• A cursory look at various strategy documents, speeches and Defence White papers of different nations reveals that the idea of the Indo-Pacific as a geopolitical construct has evolved and institutionalised in the first two decades of the 21st century and more so in the last decade. This also represented a shift in the usage of terminology, i.e. from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific by major powers in the region.
• Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan, was one of the early proponents of viewing the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean together to form a “broader Asia”. Abe articulated the idea in his landmark speech at the Indian Parliament titled “Confluence of the Two Seas”.
• The “Pivot to Asia” policy unveiled by former US President Obama dwelled upon the signs of a major shift in the policy towards the Pacific from the Middle East as it coincided with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Shifting and converging strategic interests

• In the past decade, shifting national interests have necessitated a shift in policy from the Asia-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific. This shift is essential to address the aggression of China, increasing threats to critical sea lanes and non-traditional security challenges. It was also important for the inclusion of India – a growing major power – into the policy frameworks of key global actors.
• A primary factor contributing to this transition was the convergence of strategic interests between India and the US. During Trump’s presidency, the US prioritised a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,”.
• Trump even adopted a National Security Strategy for the Indo-Pacific region and renamed the U.S. Pacific Command to the US Indo-Pacific Command in 2018, formalising the concept of Indo-Pacific. This formalisation led to resource allocation and diplomatic attention to the region.

India and Indo Pacific

• India’s strategic position in the Indian Ocean afforded it a crucial role in counterbalancing China. India’s strategic alignment with the US has further reinforced the Indo-Pacific notion.
• India, through its “Act East” policy is aiming to enhance collaboration with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific, while mitigating Beijing’s influence.
• For the US the ‘Indo-Pacific” was primarily a strategic initiative and a way of responding to the rise of China.
• New Delhi’s transformation of “Look East” policy to “Act East Policy” under Modi along with India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy is a key part of India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific.
• India’s approach to the region is rooted in its economic and strategic importance. The Indo-Pacific contributes 62 per cent of the global GDP and accounts for 50 per cent of global trade. In addition, about 40 per cent of global oil shipments pass through maritime routes in the Indo-Pacific. 90 per cent of India’s trade and 80 per cent of its critical freight transit through these waters.
• To sum up, the Indo-Pacific is not an exclusive region for addressing only traditional security concerns like military competition or territorial disputes. It holds immense potential to tackle a range of non-traditional security threats, such as climate change, maritime piracy, illegal fishing, natural disasters, and cybersecurity threats.
• Indo-Pacific is emerging as a space for bilateral and multilateral groupings addressing economic, political, and security issues. Organisations like ASEAN, the quad, and mechanisms such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) show the region’s role as a space for economic integration, technology cooperation, and infrastructure development.
• By engaging deeply in Indo-Pacific affairs, India not only secures its interests but also contributes to the creation of an inclusive, cooperative, and sustainable regional order.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: India and Pakistan agreed to renew their pact on the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for another five years. The pact was due to lapse on October 24.

Background: –

• The development comes after Jaishankar went to Pakistan recently to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.

Key takeaways

• The 4 km-long Kartarpur Corridor provides visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
• While the Corridor was opened in November 2019, movement was suspended in March 2020 after the pandemic struck. It was reopened later.
• The Agreement, signed on 24 October 2019 to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, was valid for a period of five years. Extension of the validity of Agreement will ensure uninterrupted operation of the Corridor.

Additional Information

• Kartarpur marks the most significant phase in the life of Guru Nanak Dev. It was here on the banks of the river Ravi that he laid the foundations of a new faith in a commune he set up. Guru Nanak came to the town between 1520 and 1522.

• He had spent the formative years of his life at Talwandi, about 90 km west of Lahore in Pakistan, where he was born in 1469.
• The next 10 years of Guru Nanak’s life were spent at Sultanpur Lodhi, where he gained enlightenment. He finally came to Kartarpur rich with experiences gained from his interactions with rulers, common people, clergymen, and thinkers.
• The janam sakhis on Guru Nanak’s life say he was offered this land by a ‘karori’ (administrator of a pargana). Guru Nanak called it Kartarpur, and started living here with his parents, wife Mata Sulakhni, and two sons, Sri Chand and Lakshmi Chand, thus demonstrating that he preferred the life of a householder to that of an ascetic.
• At Kartarpur, Guru Nanak practised what he preached—“naam japo, kirrt karo, wand chhako (worship, work, and share)” — as the path to liberation. He and his followers cultivated the land and also reared cattle. As per the janam sakhis, Guru Nanak used to bring his cattle to graze at the well of Ranjita Randhawa, a landlord at Pakhoke Randhawa, now called Dera Baba Nanak from where the Kartarpur Corridor starts, a few kilometres from Kartarpur.
• It was at Kartarpur that Nanak started the concept of ‘langar’, a community meal prepared in a community kitchen where everyone would sit on the floor and eat together regardless of background.
• The distinctive feature of Sikh identity — Service before Self — was formulated by Guru Nanak at Kartarpur.
• It was at Kartarpur that Nanak gave the three Gs — Gurdwara, the Granth, and the Guru himself — that underpin the Sikh faith.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The UN General Assembly recognised anti-microbial resistance (AMR) as an urgent “global health threat and developmental challenge”. This has brought the attention back on National One Health Mission.

Background: –

• Antimicrobial is an all-encompassing term that includes antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics administered to humans, animals and plants. They have been misused and overused not just to treat diseases but also as “growth promoters” in industrial-scale food production. In 2000, the WHO recommended rapidly phasing out antibiotic growth promoters from the agriculture and animal sectors.

Concept of One Health:

• One Health is a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and transdisciplinary approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the health of humans, animals, and the environment.
• It aims to prevent and control zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted between animals and humans) and other public health threats by working at the intersection of these three domains.

About National One Health Mission

• The National One Health Mission is a comprehensive initiative in India aimed at  integrating human, animal, and environmental health sectors to address health  challenges holistically.

Vision and Goals

• Vision: To build an integrated disease control and pandemic preparedness system  by bringing together human, animal, and environmental sectors for better health  outcomes, improved productivity, and conservation of biodiversity.
• Goals: The mission aims to enhance pandemic preparedness, integrated disease  control, and early warning systems for both endemic and emerging epidemic  threats.

The key pillars of the NOHM are:

• Technology enabled integrated surveillance across sectors.
• National network of Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories (for testing high-risk or unknown pathogens).
• Collaborative and integrated R&D for medical countermeasures including vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for human-animal-wildlife-livestock health.
• Data integration across sectors.
• Training and capacity building in all spheres related to One Health.

Governance Structure

• Executive Committee: Chaired by the Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family  Welfare, with the Principal Scientific Adviser as the vice-chair.
• Scientific Steering Committee: Chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser, providing overall scientific direction and oversight.

Source: PSA

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Countries are currently assembled in the Colombian city of Cali for the UN Biodiversity Conference that takes place every two years.

Background:

• This year’s meeting — the 16th Conference of Parties to CBD, or COP16 — is the first after a landmark agreement on biodiversity was finalised two years ago. This agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that was concluded at COP15 in Montreal in 2022, lay down four goals and 23 targets to be achieved collectively by 2030.

Key takeaways

• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international legally binding treaty aimed at the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
• Adopted: 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – UNCED).

Objectives of CBD:

• Conservation of Biological Diversity: Protecting ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity.
• Sustainable Use: Ensuring that natural resources are used in a way that doesn’t deplete them and allows for future generations to meet their needs.
• Fair and Equitable Sharing: Ensuring that benefits from the use of genetic resources, especially in developing countries, are shared equitably.

Key Protocols under CBD:

• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000):
  • Focuses on the safe transfer, handling, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from biotechnology.
  • Aims to protect biodiversity from potential risks posed by LMOs, especially those that cross national boundaries.
  • Biosafety Clearing-House: Platform for information exchange.
• Nagoya Protocol (2010):
  • Deals with Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources.
  • Ensures that benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, such as pharmaceuticals or agriculture, are shared fairly with the country of origin.
• India is a party to the CBD and has committed to implementing its objectives through various national initiatives.
• Biological Diversity Act, 2002: Indian law enacted in compliance with CBD to ensure the conservation of biological resources and equitable sharing of their benefits.
• National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): Established to regulate access to biological resources and share the benefits.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: Even after five decades have passed since thousands were uprooted to make way for the construction of Pong Dam, the cases of 6,736 families, who await rehabilitation, are still pending.

Background: –

• A total area of 75,000 acres, spread over 94 villages in Nurpur and Dehra tehsils in Himachal Pradesh, was acquired displacing 20,722 families and a population of 1.5 lakh.

About Pong Dam

• The Pong Dam is located on the Beas River in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is an earth-fill embankment dam.
• Also Known As: Maharana Pratap Sagar Dam (Reservoir is called Maharana Pratap Sagar).
• Purpose:
  • Hydroelectric Power Generation.
  • Irrigation: Provides irrigation to parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
  • Water Storage: It is a reservoir for regulating water supply.
• Year of Completion: 1974.
• The Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake formed by the dam is a Ramsar Wetland Site and a wildlife sanctuary, known for migratory birds.

Source: Hindustan Times

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 4

Context: In the last few decades, it has been noticed that the tendency of consumerism has been rising among people.

Background: –

• Over the course of the 20th Century, capitalism moulded the ordinary person into a consumer.

Consumerism:

• It is the idea that increasing the consumption of goods and services purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person’s well-being and happiness depend fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions.
• It is based on the assumption, that possession of material wealth and things make a person happy and satisfied.
• It is mainly driven by lifestyle obsession instead of necessity. For instance, replacing a perfectly working mobile phone or laptop because a new model is launched.

Ethical Values Undermined by Consumerism:

• Both consumers and brands can resort to means that are not ethically correct to achieve the end. For example, the advertisements of products that claim to change the user’s life.
• In the race to buy products and create collections, a person loses his awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings which prevents them from making the right decisions. For example, many people shop for things just for their social media uploads.
• Societies driven by consumerism have huge disparities; some people live lavish lives while other’s basic needs are not fulfilled which undermines the effort of social justice.
• Consumerism goes against most religions/societies’ propagation that satisfaction will bring inner solace. It also includes the loss of traditional cultures and values; and the decline of altruism and community.
• It ultimately creates a selfish society in which people just think about their needs. For example, many people spend lakhs on clothes, and this amount can be utilized to support the education of poor children.

Ways of Striking a Balance Between Needs and Desires:

• Promoting ethical consumerism helps in purchasing products and services in a way that minimizes negative impact on social and/or environmental consequences.
• It is the best way to include moral and consumer education as a part of the curriculum at all levels of education.
• Corporations should adopt ‘Stakeholder Capitalism’ instead of ‘Shareholder Capitalism’. Stakeholder capitalism proposes that corporations should serve the interests of all their stakeholders, and not just shareholders.
• Regulating authorities like the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) should keep an eye on the advertisements that try to manipulate consumers.
• Celebrities/influencers should become role models for others by practicing responsible consumption and making sustainable choices.
• It can be controlled by imposing taxes on luxury goods and giving incentives for sustainable practices.
• Volunteers of civil society organizations can carry out awareness to combat consumerism and promote sustainable living.

Source: The Guardian

Q1.) The One Health Approach refers to which of the following?

A) A holistic approach focusing on the conservation of biodiversity.
B) The integration of efforts across the disciplines of human health, animal health, and environmental health to prevent and control diseases.
C) A global initiative to promote sustainable agriculture practices.
D) An approach that focuses on human health while neglecting animal and environmental health concerns.

Q2.) Which of the following pairs of dams and their respective rivers is correctly matched?

A) Pong Dam – Sutlej River
B) Bhakra Dam – Beas River
C) Tehri Dam – Bhagirathi River
D) Sardar Sarovar Dam – Mahanadi River

Q3.) Consider the following statements regarding the National One Health Mission:

1. The One Health approach focuses solely on the health of humans.
2. The mission aims to address zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
3. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the primary ministry responsible for the implementation of the mission.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 2 and 3 only

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

ANSWERS FOR ’  24th October 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) –  a

Q.2) – a

Q.3) – b