DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th November 2024

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – POLITY

Context: Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently said that tribals would be exempted from the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) wherever it is implemented in India

Background: –

• At an event in Ranchi, Home Minister stated, “The BJP has introduced a model of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand. In this model, we have excluded tribals, respecting their customs, rituals, and laws. Wherever we implement the UCC, tribals will be kept out of its scope.”

Key takeaways

• A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
• Article 44 is one of the directive principles. These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.
• Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc. Article 43 mentions “state shall endeavour by suitable legislation” while the phrase “by suitable legislation” is absent in Article 44. All this implies that the duty of the state is greater in other directive principles than in Article 44.

Uniform Civil Code (UCC) of Uttarakhand

• UCC of Uttarakhand, enacted in early 2024, aims to standardize personal laws across the state, irrespective of religious affiliations.
• Key features include:
  • Marriage and Divorce: The UCC introduces uniform procedures for marriage and divorce, prohibiting practices like polygamy and child marriage. It sets a consistent minimum marriageable age for girls across all religious denominations.
  • Inheritance and Property Rights: The code ensures equal property rights for sons and daughters, eliminating distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate children concerning inheritance. It also provides equal property rights after death, including for adopted and biological children.
  • Live-in Relationships: The UCC regulates live-in relationships by imposing an obligation to register them.
  • Applicability: The code applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except the Scheduled Tribes.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The Union Environment Ministry-appointed expert committee, which is tasked with examining views and objections of state governments on eco-sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats, is likely to visit Goa soon to deliberate on the state’s submissions.

Background: –

• The committee will verify along with the state government whether its demands to omit villages marked as ESA are justified.

Key takeaways

• Early in August, the Centre had issued the sixth iteration of a draft notification declaring 56,825.7 sq. km of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive area.
• Once draft notification declaring 56,825.7 sqkm of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive area finalised, villages marked as ESA will see a complete ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining as well as phasing out of existing mines in five years.
• The demarcation of ESA has been pending for 13 years since the United Progressive Alliance first tasked an expert panel led by senior ecologist Madhav Gadgil to study the issue of protecting Western Ghats.
• The Gadgil panel submitted a report recommending that the entire Ghats region be tagged as ecologically sensitive and creation of an overarching ecological authority to regulate development.
• However, that report was never adopted and a panel led by space scientist K Kasturirangan was later formed to demarcate ESA’s using the Gadgil panel report as the foundation.
• The Kasturirangan committee report proposes 37 per cent of the total area of Western Ghats, which is roughly 60,000 square kilometres, to be declared as eco-sensitive area (ESA).
• The report recommended a blanket ban on mining, quarrying, setting up of red category industries and thermal power projects.
• It also stated that the impact of infrastructural projects on the forest and wildlife should be studied before permission is given for these activities.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu recently urged the Ministry of Railways to explore the possibility of running trains on the Kalka-Shimla railway, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on green hydrogen.

Background:

• Sukhu said the government aims to make Himachal Pradesh a green energy state by March 31, 2026

Key takeaways

• The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a narrow-gauge railway line connecting Kalka in Haryana to Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is known for its scenic route through the Shivalik range of the Himalayas.
• It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 as part of the “Mountain Railways of India”, along with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.

Historical Significance

• Opened in 1903 during British rule, the railway was constructed to provide better access to Shimla, then the summer capital of British India.
• Built by the Delhi-Umbala-Kalka Railway Company, this 96 km line is renowned for its engineering excellence and use of the hill railway technology of the period.

Engineering and Architectural Highlights

• The railway line features 103 tunnels and 864 bridges, demonstrating impressive engineering in a mountainous terrain.
• The Barog Tunnel (Tunnel No. 33) is the longest tunnel on this line, extending over 1 kilometer.
• Zig-zag patterns and sharp curves are unique aspects of its construction, with a gradient of 1:33, allowing the train to navigate steep ascents.

Cultural and Tourist Importance

• The Kalka-Shimla Railway is known for its toy trains, which attract tourists from around the world and offer panoramic views of the hills, valleys, and pine forests.
• It is often referred to as the “crown jewel” of Himachal tourism and plays a major role in promoting local tourism.

Source: Outlook

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: The Indian economy has grown at an average annual rate of 4.6% from 2019-20 to 2023-24, and 7.8% in the last three fiscal years (April-March) alone. The farm sector’s growth has averaged 4.2% and 3.6% for these respective periods. However, these macro growth numbers are not reflected in rural wages.

Background: –

• The average nominal year-on-year growth in rural wages during the five years ended 2023-24 worked out to 5.2%. It was higher, at 5.8%, for only agricultural wages. But in real inflation-adjusted terms, the average annual growth was -0.4% for rural and 0.2% for agricultural wages during this period.

Why are real rural wages stagnant, if not negative, when the GDP has been decent?

• One explanation has to do with rising Labour Force Participation Rates (LFPR) among women, especially in rural India.
• LFPR is the percentage of the population aged 15 years and above that is working or seeking/willing to work for a relatively long part of a particular year. The all-India average female LFPR was only 24.5% in 2018-19. It rose to 30% in 2019-20, 32.5% in 2020-21, 32.8% in 2021-22, 37% in 2022-23 and 41.7% in the latest official Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2023-24 (July-June).
• Even more impressive has been the increase in the rural female LFPR: From 26.4% in 2018-19 to 33%, 36.5%, 36.6%, 41.5%, and 47.6% in the following five years.
• The Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey for 2023-24 has attributed the sharp jump in the rural female LFPR (21.2 percentage points since 2018-19) mainly to the government’s schemes such as Ujjwala, Har Ghar Jal, Saubhagya, and Swachh Bharat.
• These programmes have not just substantially expanded household access to clean cooking fuel, electricity, piped drinking water, and toilets. They have also freed up rural women’s time and effort that went into fetching water or collecting firewood and dung.
• The above freeing up of women’s time and rise in female LFPR have, however, also ended up significantly boosting the aggregate size of the rural workforce. The resultant rightward shift of the labour supply curve – more people willing to work at the same or lower rates – has then exerted downward pressure on real rural wages.
• A second explanation looks at not the supply, but demand side of labour.
• While the rural female LFPR has soared, so has agriculture’s share in the employment of this workforce. Thus, the movement is from home to field, not to factory or office.
• That, in turn, has probably to do with the nature of GDP growth. The economic process is becoming increasingly capital-intensive and labour-saving as well as labour-displacing. If growth is coming from sectors or industries requiring fewer workers for every unit of output, it translates into a rising share of income generated from that accruing to capital (i.e. profits of firms) as against labour (wages/compensation of employees).
• Therefore, that the new entrants into the labour force, specifically women, are mostly finding employment in agriculture. This is a sector where marginal productivity (output per worker) is already low; the supply of more labour would only further depress wages. The fact that rural non-agricultural wages have grown even less – actually fallen in real terms – shows a worse picture for non-farm labour demand.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: India faces considerable challenges in developing, making affordable, and ensuring access to orphan drugs, particularly when compared to countries like the United States and those in the European Union.

Background: –

• Orphan drugs, critical in treating rare diseases, have increasingly gained attention in India following the implementation of the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) in 2021.

Key takeaways

• Orphan drugs are pharmaceutical agents developed specifically to treat rare (orphan) diseases. These diseases, though affecting only a small portion of the population, often lead to life-threatening conditions.
• Definitions of orphan drugs vary depending on the regulatory framework. In the U.S., a disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than 2,00,000 people, while in the European Union, a disease must affect fewer than 1 in 10,000 people to be considered rare.
• Although there is no formal prevalence-based definition in India, the NPRD of 2021 outlines a framework for diagnosing and treating rare diseases, with a low prevalence threshold expected.
• The lack of a clear definition complicates the identification of orphan drugs and the addressing of needs of patients affected by these conditions.

Classification of orphan drugs

• Under India’s NPRD, rare diseases are classified into three categories to facilitate treatment approaches.
• Group 1 includes disorders that are curable through one-time interventions, such as Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs) requiring Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). Group 2 encompasses diseases that need long-term or lifelong management but have relatively lower treatment costs, such as Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD). Group 3 covers conditions like Gaucher Disease and Pompe Disease, where treatment is available but complicated by high costs and the necessity for lifelong care.
• For a drug to receive orphan drug designation, it must meet certain criteria that vary across countries. Once designated, orphan drugs receive several incentives to encourage their development, including market exclusivity, tax credits for research and development (R&D) expenses, and fee waivers for regulatory applications.

Challenges for India

• Although orphan drug development has been incentivised globally, significant challenges remain, particularly in countries like India.
• The high cost of research and development is a barrier, as orphan drugs often target small patient populations, making it difficult for companies to justify the financial risk.
• Clinical trials for orphan drugs also face hurdles due to the limited number of patients available.
• Pricing and accessibility are additional challenges, as the high costs of orphan drugs often make them unaffordable for patients in countries like India. For instance, enzyme replacement therapies (ERTs) for diseases like Gaucher’s disease can cost several crores annually.
• India faces unique challenges in the development and accessibility of orphan drugs despite efforts like the NPRD. The country lacks a formal definition and comprehensive data on the prevalence of rare diseases, which hampers drug development efforts.
• While the NPRD provides a framework for diagnosing and treating rare diseases, it falls short in offering financial or regulatory incentives that could encourage the development and marketing of orphan drugs.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) Consider the following statements regarding orphan drugs

1. Orphan drugs are designed to treat diseases that affect a large portion of the population.
2. The National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) was implemented in India in 2021.
3. In the United States, a disease affecting fewer than 10,000 people qualifies for orphan drug status.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q2.)With regard to the Kalka-Shimla Railway, consider the following statements:

1. The railway line is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. It was built during British rule to connect Shimla, then the summer capital of British India.
3. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is known for its broad-gauge track.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

(a)1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q3.) Which of the following is true regarding Article 44 of the Indian Constitution?

1. Article 44 falls under the category of Fundamental Rights.
2. Article 44 mentions that the state shall endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens.
3. Article 44 is enforceable by any court in India.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

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

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) –  b

Q.2) – d

Q.3) – b