DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam –17th May 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims – Polity

Context:  During the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, 96.8 crore electors are enrolled to vote at 10.5 lakh polling stations spread out nationwide.

Background:-

• The list of polling stations undergoes verification and updation during annual electoral roll revisions.

Key Takeaways

• Under Section 25 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA), the district election officer (DEO) is assigned the responsibility to set up and publish the list of polling stations in their district.

Setting up polling stations: norms and principles

• There are some principles on the basis of which polling stations are set up.
• These include ensuring that voters do not have to travel more than two km to cast their vote, a station has a minimum area of 20 sq m, a station serves at most 1,500 electors, and a village with over 300 voters is provided with a polling station.
• These principles, however, are not set in stone. Polling stations can even cater to less than 300 voters in case access is a problem, say in rugged terrain. For instance, Arunachal Pradesh’s Malogam polling station caters to only a single voter. Conversely, in cases where the number of electors exceeds 1,500, auxiliary polling stations are set up, preferably in the same building.
• In urban areas, one building can have a maximum of four polling stations, whereas in rural areas, it can have at most two.
• Locations for polling stations are chosen carefully, preferably in government or semi-government institutions.
• Private buildings are avoided unless absolutely necessary — they can be requisitioned with the written consent of the owner, or forcefully under Section 160 of the RPA.

Layout and some facilities

• There are separate entrance and exit points for voters, even if only one door is available. This is done with temporary fencing using bamboo and ropes.
• The voting compartment, constructed from opaque corrugated plastic sheet or steel grey flex board, measures at least 24 x 24 x 30 inches (length × width × height), and is positioned away from windows or doors.

People inside a polling station, voting day restrictions

• Only specific individuals are permitted access inside a polling station. These include registered electors, polling officers, candidates, one polling agent per candidate at a time, authorised media personnel, public servants on election duty, ECI-appointed observers, micro observers, videographers, photographers, and webcasting staff for critical/sensitive polling stations, a child in arms accompanying an elector, a person assisting a blind or infirm voter, and any others admitted by the Presiding Officer for voter identification or assistance purposes, whenever required.
• A polling party comprises a Presiding Officer and three Polling Officers. The first Polling Officer verifies the elector’s identity, the second applies indelible ink on their left index finger, maintains the voters’ register, and issues voter slips. The third Polling Officer takes back the voter slip issued by the second polling officer, manages the EVM’s control unit, and ensures that an elector has been properly inked before being allowed to vote.
• There is also a prohibition on any political propaganda, use of cameras, mobile phones, and canvassing within a 100 metre radius of the polling station, with a penalty of arrest without warrant under Section 130 of the RPA.
• Candidates can set up their booths beyond 200 m of the polling station, and there are also restriction on the use of loudspeakers.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims – Environment

Context: The Governments of Albania, Burkina Faso, India, Montenegro and Uganda have united to combat chemical pollution, launching a $134-million “Phasing out mercury measuring devices in healthcare project” to eliminate the use of mercury in medical devices.

Background:

• Mercury is one of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern, according to WHO. Released to the environment from a variety of human activities, it is transported around the globe and bioaccumulates in the food chain.People are exposed to mercury primarily through eating contaminated fish or breathing mercury vapour directly.Children, infants and fetuses are at the highest risk because of their developing nervous systems.

About Mercury

• Mercury is a chemical element symbolized by Hg on the periodic table. It’s the only common metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures.It’s heavy, silvery-white, and slowly tarnishes in moist air.

Mercury Pollution

• Mercury occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, but human activities, such as mining and fossil fuel combustion, have led to widespread global mercury pollution.
• Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic pollutant. When released into the environment, it accumulates in water laid sediments where it converts into toxic methylmercury and enters the food chain. Mercury contamination is a significant public health and environmental problem because methylmercury easily enters the bloodstream and affects the brain.
• Mercury is introduced into the environment in three ways. First, mercury is emitted into the air naturally from volcanoes, the weathering of rocks, forest fires, and soils. Second, mercury is emitted into the air from the burning of fossil fuels and municipal or medical waste. Lastly, mercury can be re-introduced into the environment through natural processes such as evaporation of ocean water.
• Human exposure to mercury occurs from eating fish and shellfish contaminated with methylmercury.
• Mercury can also be found in beauty products, particularly skin-lightening creams, but also eye make-up and eye-cleansing products6.
• Globally, artisanal and small-scale gold mining is the largest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions (37.7%), followed by stationary combustion of coal (21%)
• Medical thermometers and sphygmomanometers (devices which measure blood pressure) contain mercury and are harmless as long as they remain intact.
• However, when these devices break or are taken out of service, the mercury they contain can escape into the environment where it vaporises, exposing health care workers and patients to harmful fumes. Inhalation can cause damage to the lungs, kidneys and nervous system, while the waste generated can contaminate the immediate area of the spill, as well as a facility’s wastewater.

Phasing out mercury measuring devices in healthcare project

• Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Phasing out mercury measuring devices in healthcare project will develop and implement nation-wide strategies to stop the import, export and manufacture of thermometers and sphygmomanometers, encourage the adoption of accurate, affordable and safe mercury-free alternatives, while improving the management of mercury-containing medical waste

Source: UNEP

Syllabus

• Prelims – Polity

ConteTwo months after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which was enacted by Parliament in December 2019, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Wednesday physically handed over the first set of citizenship certificates to 14 applicants.

Background:

• Despite its enactment four years ago, the CAA could not be implemented because the rules were not notified untill recently.Centre notified CAA rules ahead of Lok Sabha polls schedule announcement.

About CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT :

• The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019.
• The CAA intends to make it easier for persecuted people from neighbouring countries to become Indian citizens.
• This act amended the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• The CAA is for illegal migrants who entered India before December 31, 2014.
• It covers migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.Specifically, it benefits those of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian faiths.
• CAA does not grant such eligibility to Muslims from these countries
• Under the Citizenship Act, 1955, an illegal migrant is a foreigner who enters the country without valid travel documents like a passport and visa, or enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period.
• The Amendment exempts the members of the six communities from any criminal case under the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920. The two Acts (Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920) specify punishment for entering the country illegally and staying here on expired visas and permits.
• Under The Citizenship Act, 1955, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalisation is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, as well as for 11 of the previous 14 years.
• The amendment relaxes the second requirement from 11 years to 5 years as a specific condition for applicants belonging to these six religions (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian) and the aforementioned three countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan).

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims – Geography

Context: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting in the central town of Handlova.

Background:

• The former Communist Party member took power for the fourth time last October and has turned the country’s foreign policy towards more pro-Russian views.During his current term, Robert Fico has garnered worldwide attention after a series of inflammatory comments about Ukraine, calling for Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow to end the war.

ABOUT SLOVAKIA :

• Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
• It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest.
• Slovakia’s mostly mountainous territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi), hosting a population exceeding 5.4 million.
• The capital and largest city is Bratislava, while the second largest city is Košice.
• Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993.
• Slovakia is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy.
• Slovakia is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen Area, the United Nations, NATO, CERN, the OECD, the WTO, the Council of Europe.
• The world’s largest per-capita car producer, Slovakia manufactured a total of 1.1 million cars in 2019, representing 43% of its total industrial output.

Source: NDTV

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: Media reports suggest that the complex and contentious policy issue of rewiring the Indian military into integrated theatre commands (ITC) is gaining traction and that the armed forces are looking at the appointment of a Vice Chief of Defence Staff and a Deputy Chief of Defence Staff.

Background:

• New posts at the higher level are being envisaged to enable the CDS to realise the larger objective of enhancing jointness (the sharing of domain expertise and assets) and improving composite combat capability.

About CDS:

• It is the military head and permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) of the Indian Armed Forces.
• It is the highest-ranking uniformed officer on active duty in the Indian military and chief military adviser to the Minister of Defence.
• The Chief also heads the Department of Military Affairs.
• The first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, took office on 1 January 2020
• The position was created with the aim of improving coordination, tri-service effectiveness and overall integration of the combat capabilities of the Indian armed forces.
• The government amended Service Rules of the Army, Navy and Air Force, allowing retired Service Chiefs and three-star officers eligible for consideration for the country’s top military post.
• Age limit that the retired officer should not have attained 62 years on the date of appointment.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Mains – GS 2

Context: The World Bank released a Recipe for a Livable Planet Report stating that annual investments of USD 260 billion are necessary to cut agri-food emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

Background:

• Recipe for a Livable Planet is the first comprehensive global roadmap for mitigating the agrifood system’s contributions to climate change. It shows how the agriculture system that produces the world’s food can cut greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to feed the world.

Key Highlights of the Report:

• “Recipe for a Livable Planet” provides a global strategic framework for reducing the agri-food system’s impact on climate change. It outlines how the world’s food production can significantly
• lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while continuing to ensure global food security.
• The global agri-food system can decrease nearly a third of the world’s GHG emissions through
• feasible and accessible measures. These measures will enhance food security, increase the climate resilience of the food system, and protect vulnerable communities during this transition.
• Agri-food contributes roughly one-third of global GHG emissions, more than all of the world’s heat and electricity emissions combined.
• About three-quarters of these emissions originate from developing countries, necessitating targeted mitigation actions as per the specific needs of the region.
• Addressing emissions from the entire food value chain, including land use changes, is critical as over half of the emissions stem from beyond the farm level.

Opportunities Highlighted by the Report:

• The agri-food sector offers significant, cost-effective opportunities for climate action, including drawing carbon from the atmosphere through enhanced land management.
• The financial outlay required to halve agri-food emissions by 2030 would yield substantial returns, greatly outweighing the costs with beneficial impacts on health, the economy, and the environment.
• High-income countries should reduce their agri-food energy demands, support lower-income countries through funding and technology transfer, and modify consumer diets away from high-emission foods.
• Middle-income countries can achieve significant emissions reductions through better land use management and agricultural practices.
• Low-income countries focus on sustainable growth without the burden of high-emission infrastructures, leveraging strategies like agroforestry to boost productivity and resilience.
• Enhance private sector investment in agri-food mitigation, repurpose subsidies, and implement policies favouring low-emission technologies.
• Use digital technologies for better emissions data and invest in innovations to transform the agri-food system, ensuring inclusive stakeholder participation for a just transition.

Key Highlights Related to India in the Report:

• The report identifies India as one of the top 3 countries in terms of total annual agri-food system emissions, along with China, and Brazil.
• The report notes that in countries like India, around 80% of the technical mitigation potential in agriculture could be achieved by adopting cost-saving measures alone. This represents a major opportunity for India to reduce emissions while also improving agricultural productivity and incomes.
• Key mitigation options for India include better livestock feeding (Harit Dhara, a nti-methanogenic feed) and breeding, fertiliser management, and better water management in water-intensive crops.
• A marginal abatement cost curve for India’s agriculture sector shows these are some of the most cost-effective interventions India can pursue to cut agri-food emissions substantially by 2030.
• India needs to curb methane emissions from agricultural production. Adopting practices like intermittent irrigation and promoting varieties that emit less methane provide mitigation opportunities.
• India has high rates of food loss and waste. As per the Food Waste Index Report 2021, Indian households generate 50 kg of food waste per capita per year. Reducing food loss and waste can provide another high-impact, cost-effective avenue for India.
• India will need international financial and technical support to realise its agri-food mitigation potential.

Source: World Bank

Q1.) Consider the following Countries

1. Ethipoia
2. Slovakia
3. Uzbekistan
4. Armenia
5. Belarus

How many of the above given countries are landlocked?

1. Only two
2. Only three
3. Only Four
4. All

Q2.) Consider the following statements about mercury pollution :

1. Mercury is emitted into the air naturally from volcanoes, the weathering of rocks and forest fires.
2. Medical sphygmomanometers contain mercury.
3. Children, infants and fetuses are at the highest risk due to mercury pollution.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

Q3.) Consider the following statements about Polling stations during Lok Sabha elections.

1. Private buildings cannot be used as polling stations under any circumstance.
2. Under Section 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA), the district election officer (DEO) is assigned the responsibility to set up and publish the list of polling stations in their district.
3. Candidates can set up their booths beyond 100 m of the polling station.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

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

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

ANSWERS FOR ’  17th May 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – b

Q.2) – a

Q.3) – d