DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 4th January 2025

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has pointed out concerns regarding ground water in various parts of the country arising from nitrates, arsenic, fluoride and uranium among others.

Background: –

• While it is a good sign that India now has a robust, scientific system of assessment to monitor the health of groundwater blocks annually, efforts are lacking in getting States to act on these findings

Key takeaways

• The number of districts with excessive nitrate in their groundwater has risen from 359 in 2017 to 440 in 2023. This translates to a little more than half of India’s 779 districts having excessive nitrate, or more than 45 mg/L (milligram per litre).
• There are two major concerns with excess nitrate content: first, methemoglobinemia, or a reduced ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. This sometimes causes ‘Blue Baby Syndrome,’ in infants. 
• The bigger problem is environmental: once nitrates in groundwater rise to the surface and become part of lakes and ponds, algal blooms throttle the health of aquatic ecosystems.
• High nitrate levels in groundwater can be a result of excessive irrigation which can push nitrates from fertilizers deep into the soil, the report said. 
• Poor management of animal waste in livestock farming adds to the problem, as it releases nitrates into the soil. Urbanisation and population growth increase wastewater and sewage, which often contain high nitrate levels, while leaking septic systems and poor sewage disposal worsen contamination.
• Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have a perennial nitrate problem, primarily from geological factors, with relative levels fairly constant since 2017, the report says.
• The report further said fluoride concentrations exceeding the permissible limit are a major concern in Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
• Elevated arsenic levels (more than 10 parts per billion) were found in several states, particularly in the floodplains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
• Long-term exposure to fluoride and arsenic contaminants can have severe health consequences, including fluorosis (from fluoride) and cancer or skin lesions (from arsenic).
• Another major concern is the elevated levels of uranium in several regions. Forty-two per cent of samples with uranium concentrations exceeding 100 ppb (parts per billion) came from Rajasthan, and 30 per cent from Punjab, indicating regional hotspots of uranium contamination, the report said.
• Chronic exposure to uranium can lead to kidney damage.
• The report said that groundwater samples with uranium concentrations above 30 ppb were clustered in areas identified as over-exploited, critical and semi-critical groundwater stress zones, such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Source: Business Standard

Syllabus:

• Mains – GS 2 & GS 3

Context: Increasing resort to cash transfer schemes by political parties for winning elections is a matter of serious concern.

Background: –

• The success of incumbent parties in Maharashtra and Jharkhand appears to be the result of such cash-transfer schemes directed towards women. There are now more than 10 states that have either implemented or announced such schemes.

Key takeaways

• The temptation to use cash transfers as the one-size-fits-all solution for political parties is many. 
• With universal access to financial services, these are easy-to-implement, tangible benefits for voters, directly delivered to beneficiaries. 
• The success of the scheme is also due to the preference of beneficiaries for such cash transfers as they are fungible and unconditional. Most importantly, they bypass middlemen.
• While cash transfers may be politically successful, there is no evidence of whether they actually deliver on the purpose for which they are designed. 
• A study on 20 cash transfer schemes in Latin America found inconclusive evidence regarding their impact on women’s empowerment. Similarly, cash transfers to farmers show limited evidence of success, with real incomes declining since 2018-19, leading to growing farmer unrest. 
• While it may be premature to assess impacts in the short run, the core issue lies in the assumption that cash transfers alone can solve complex problems, oversimplifying deeper systemic challenges.
• Most reforms require policy interventions, which are unlikely to result in any tangible gain in the short run, and require consensus-building and carefully-designed interventions with active participation and investment from the government machinery. For governments, the effort is not worth the benefits that cash transfers deliver in the short run.
• This is not to suggest that all cash transfers are undesirable. Programs like the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) have proven effective as social protection nets, while maternity entitlements and scholarships have contributed to improved human development outcomes. However, these schemes cannot replace state investments in services such as health and education. Instead, they function as complementary incentives, encouraging households/communities to utilize these services.
• One consequence of cash transfers has been the excessive fiscal strain on government finances at the cost of essential spending on health, education, nutrition or basic infrastructure. 
• While new cash transfers have been announced, spending on existing basic social protection such as the NSAP, MGNREGA or the maternity-entitlement scheme remains frozen with decline in real terms. 
• What is needed is a nuanced understanding of the role of cash transfers in supplementing and expanding the social safety nets rather than a quick-fix solution guaranteed to deliver political dividends.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – POLITY

Context: The right to property is a human right and a constitutional right and no person can be deprived of his or her property without being paid adequate compensation, the Supreme Court ruled recently while also holding that in exceptional circumstances of inordinate delay in disbursement of compensation, the date of fixing the valuation can be shifted to a more recent one.

Background:

• Supreme Court in the judgment directed that compensation to people who lost their land for the over 20,000-acre Bengaluru-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project over two decades ago, must be paid according to the market value prevailing in 2019.

Key takeaways from the judgement

• Right to Property ceased to be a Fundamental Right by the Constitution (Forty-Fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, however, it continues to be a human right in a welfare State, and a constitutional right under Article 300-A of the Constitution, SC ruled.
• Article 300-A of the Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law. The State cannot dispossess a citizen of his property except in accordance with the procedure established by law, SC said.

The case details

• The petitioners, who purchased residential plots in Karnataka’s Gottigere village between 1995 and 1997, had their lands acquired in 2003 under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act, 1966, for BMIC project.
• Despite taking possession of the land, state authorities did not finalise compensation for over two decades, forcing the landowners to repeatedly approach courts. 
• Referring to the principle of eminent domain, the court observed that the State’s power to acquire land against the owner’s wishes comes with an obligation to ensure prompt and fair compensation.
• Recognising this injustice, the Supreme Court invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to shift the valuation date of the land to 2019.

Source: Hindustan Times

Syllabus:

• Prelims – HISTORY

Context: On Savitribai Phule’s 194th birth anniversary on Friday (January 3), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X paid tribute to India’s first woman teacher.

Background: –

• A Dalit woman from the Mali community, Savitribai was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra’s Naigaon village. Married off at the age of 10, her husband Jyotirao Phule is said to have educated her. Throughout their life, the couple supported each other and in doing so, broke many social barriers.

Key takeaways

• At a time when it was considered unacceptable for women to even attain education, the Savitribai and Jyotirao went on to open a school for girls in Bhidewada, Pune, in 1848. This became the country’s first girls’ school.
• The couple opened more such schools for girls, Shudras and Ati-Shudras in Pune, leading to discontent among  nationalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• Couple started the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (‘Home for the Prevention of Infanticide’) for pregnant widows facing discrimination. This was inspired by a turn of events wherein a Brahmin widow was sentenced to life imprisonment. The man who had raped the widow refused to take up any responsibility for the child, driving the widow to infanticide.
• Savitribai Phule also advocated inter-caste marriages, widow remarriage, and eradication of child marriage, sati and dowry systems, among other social issues.
• In 1873, the Phules set up the Satyashodhak Samaj, a platform open to all, irrespective of their caste, religion or class hierarchies, with the sole aim of bringing social equity. As an extension, they started ‘Satyashodhak Marriage’ – a rejection of Brahmanical rituals where the marrying couple takes a pledge to promote education and equality.
• At her husband’s funeral procession on November 28, 1890, Savitribai again defied convention and carried the titve (earthen pot). Walking ahead of the procession, Savitribai was the one who consigned his body to the flames.
• Savitribai Phule published her first collection of poems, called Kavya Phule (‘Poetry’s Blossoms’), at the age of 23 in 1854. She published Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (‘The Ocean of Pure Gems’), in 1892.
• Setting an extraordinary example of living a life of compassion, service and courage, Savitribai became involved in relief work during the 1896 famine in Maharashtra and the 1897 Bubonic plague. She herself contracted the disease while taking a sick child to the hospital, and breathed her last on March 10, 1897.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called to “open up” the North Sea and get rid of windmills in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Background: –

• Oil companies have been steadily exiting the North Sea in recent decades with production declining from a peak of 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) at the start of the millennium to around 1.3 million boe/d today.

Key takeaways 

• The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by several European countries: the UK, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
• Location: Lies between Great Britain to the west and mainland Europe to the east, connecting to the Atlantic Ocean via the English Channel and to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak Strait.

Economic Importance

• Fishing: The North Sea has been a vital fishing ground for centuries, providing a significant source of seafood for many countries.
• Oil and Gas: The discovery of oil and natural gas in the North Sea in the 1960s revolutionized the energy industry. The region remains one of the world’s major offshore oil and gas production areas.
• Shipping and Trade: The North Sea is a crucial route for maritime trade, connecting major European ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, and London.
• Renewable Energy: Offshore wind farms are increasingly being developed in the North Sea, contributing to the region’s renewable energy goals.

Whats happening in North Sea?

• Trump’s post was in response to a report about U.S. oil and gas producer APA Corp’s unit Apache’s plans to exit North Sea by year-end 2029. The company expects North Sea production to fall by 20% year over year in 2025.
• Last year, the British government said it would increase a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers to 38% from 35%. The government wants to use the revenue from oil and gas to raise funds for renewable energy projects.
• North Sea producers have warned that the higher tax rate could lead to a sharp drop in investments and are exiting from the ageing basin ahead of the new tax increases.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) With reference to the Right to Property in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Right to Property is a Fundamental Right under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
2. Article 300-A of the Indian Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of their property except by the authority of law.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q2.) With reference to the North Sea, consider the following statements:

1. It is bordered by the UK, Norway, and Iceland.
2. It is a major region for offshore oil production in Europe.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q3.) With reference to Savitribai Phule, consider the following statements:

1. Savitribai Phule was involved in setting up India’s first school for girls in Pune.
2. She and her husband Jyotirao Phule established the Satyashodhak Samaj to promote widow remarriage and inter-caste marriage.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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) – b

Q.3) – b