National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 23rd January 2020

Democracy Index

Topic: Reports and Indices

In News: India slipped 10 places in the 2019 Democracy Index published by Economic Intelligence Unit. India’s rank is 51.

More on the Topic:

• The survey attributes the primary cause of “the democratic regression” to “an erosion of civil liberties in the country”.
• India’s overall score fell from 7.23 to 6.9, on a scale of 0-10, within a year (2018-2019) — the country’s lowest since 2006.
• India was graded in electoral process and pluralism (8.67), government functioning (6.79), political participation (6.67), political culture (5.63) and civil liberties (6.76).
• In the Asia and Australasia region, India ranks eighth, behind Taiwan and Timor-Leste.
• The report talks about the repeal of both Article 370 and Article 35A and how ahead of the move, “the government deployed a large number of troops in J&K, imposed various other security measures and placed local leaders under house arrest, including those with pro-India credentials.”
• The report also make note on the restricted Internet access in the State.
• The report observed that the NRC exercise in Assam excluded 1.9 million people from the final list, and that “the vast majority of people excluded from the NRC are Muslims.
• On the CAA issue, the report stated stoked communal tensions and large protests in major cities.
• The Index also categorises India under “flawed democracies”, countries that hold free and fair elections and where basic civil liberties are respected, but have significant weaknesses in aspects of democracy, such as problems in governance, an underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political participation.

Global Scenario:

• The average global score also recorded its worst value ever, down from 5.48 in 2018 to 5.44, driven by a sharp regression in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, a lesser one in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and by stagnation in the remaining regions that were covered.
• The report records how global democracy fared, analysing 165 independent states and two territories.
• According to the report, there are only 22 “full democracies” as compared to 54 “authoritarian regimes” and as many “flawed democracies,” that include the U.S.
• Almost one-half (48.4%) of the world’s population live in a democracy of some sort, although only 5.7% reside in a “full democracy”, down from 8.9% in 2015 as a result of the US being demoted from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” in 2016.
• China registered the greatest decline in the ranking as discrimination against minorities, especially in Xinjiang, intensified, and digital surveillance of the population continued apace.
• Norway (9.87) topped the lst and followed by Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand. North Korea (1.08) figures at the bottom.

Source: Hindu

Bal Shakti Puraskar

Topic: Awards and Honours

In News: President Ram Nath Kovind confers Bal Shakti Puraskar at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

More on the Topic:

• Forty-nine children in the age group of five to 18 won the award in the fields of innovation, social service, scholastic, sports, art and culture and bravery. The award carries a medal, a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a certificate and a citation.

Source: Hindu

World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2020

Topic: Reports and Indices

In News: The report World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2020 (WESO) has been released.

More on the Topic:

• Un-employment: Global unemployment is projected to increase by around 2.5 million in 2020. The number of people unemployed around the world stands at some 188 million.
• In addition, 165 million people do not have enough paid work, and 120 million have either given up actively searching for work or otherwise lack access to the labour market.
• In total, more than 470 million people worldwide are affected.
• Some 267 million young people aged 15-24 are not in employment, education or training, and many more endure substandard working condition.
• Almost half a billion people are working fewer paid hours than they would like or lack adequate access to paid work.
• Not enough new jobs are being generated to absorb new entrants to the labour market.
• Poverty: Currently working poverty (defined as earning less than USD 3.20 per day in purchasing power parity terms) affects more than 630 million workers, or one in five of the global working population.
• Inequalities: related to gender, age and geographical location continue to plague the job market, with the report showing that these factors limit both individual opportunity and economic growth.

· The WESO report is an initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO). · The ILO is a UN agency whose mandate is to advance social justice and promote decent work by setting international labour standards. · The report analyses key labour market issues, including unemployment, labour underutilization, working poverty, income inequality, labour income share and factors that exclude people from decent work.

Source: Hindu

Global Risks Report 2020

Topic: Reports and Indices

In News: World Economic Forum (WEF) published the top five risks to humanity in it’s Global Risks Report.

More on the Topic:

• The report warned about the increasing economic and societal costs due to non-communicable diseases and the lack of research on vaccines and drug resistance to address the threat of pandemics in the recent future.
• “Economic confrontations” and “domestic political polarization” are significant short-term risks in 2020.
• This is a warning for the global South including India and Africa where social unrest has seen a rise.
• The report highlights today’s younger generation, consisting of “Millenials” born after 1980 have ranked environmental risks higher than other older respondents in the short- and long-terms.

The top five risks by likelihood over the next decade are:

• Extreme weather events like floods and storms
• Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Major natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and geomagnetic storms
• Major biodiversity losses and ecosystem collapse
• Human-made environmental damage and disasters

Top 5 risks by severity of impact over the next 10 years:

• Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Weapons of mass destruction
• Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse
• Extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, etc.)
• Water crises

Top most strongly connected global risks

• Extreme weather events and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Large-scale cyber-attacks and breakdown of critical information infrastructure and networks
• High structural unemployment or underemployment and adverse consequences of technological advances
• Major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Food crises and extreme weather events

Source: Hindu

Carbon Disclosure Project

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2019 report was recently published.

More on the Topic:

• India secured the 5th spot on the project report.
• The CDP Report 2019 said that a total of 58 companies shared details about the environment-related activities undertaken by them in this year.
• The report also claims that over 98 percent of top Indian companies have formed some type or committee or group within its organization to drive and address climate-related issues.
• The report also showcased the changing mind-set of India Inc with nearly all major companies setting up some form of oversight to evaluate climate risk.
• India is the first developing economy with a maximum number of companies committing to the science-based targets.

Global Statistics:

• The US topped the annual CDP report with 135 companies disclosing their climate-related activities, followed by Japan in the second position with 83 companies and the UK in the third position with 78 countries.
• While France was placed fourth with 51 companies disclosing their details, India was placed fifth with 38 companies committing to the science-based targets.
• In 2018, India had only 25 companies committing to the SBTs.
• India is followed by Germany and Sweden with 30 and 27 companies respectively, while Switzerland and Spain had 23 and 22 companies respectively.
• Netherlands was listed 10th on the list with 18 companies committing to SBT initiatives.

CDP: ·  CDP is published by the Global Reporting Initiative. ·  It is aimed at measuring the carbon reduction activities undertaken by different companies and firms operating in various countries across the globe. · The report surveys corporate commitments to science-based targets (SBT) and evaluates the climate change risk that they are exposed to.

Source: Hindu

Vyom Mitra

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: ISRO will send Vyom Mitra, the human-resembling model(Humanoid robot) in a space capsule around the end of 2020 or early 2021 to study how she  and later real astronauts respond to living outside earth in controlled zero-gravity conditions.

More on the Topic:

• Humanoid will simulate the human functions required for space before real astronauts take off before August 2022.
• She can detect and give out warnings if environmental changes within the cabin get uncomfortable to astronauts and change the air condition.
• She can take up postures suited for launch and tasks and take commands.
• She can also do switch panel operations, be a companion, converse with the astronauts, recognise them and also respond to their queries.

Source: Hindu

Police Commissionerate System

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the commissionerate system of policing for state capital Lucknow, and Noida.

More on the Topic:

• The system gives more responsibilities, including magisterial powers, to IPS officers of Inspector General of Police (IG) rank posted as commissioners. Depending on its success , the policing system may gradually be implemented in other districts as well.

What is police commissionerate system?

• Under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution, ‘Police’ is under the State list, meaning individual states typically legislate and exercise control over this subject. In the arrangement in force at the district level, a ‘dual system’ of control exists, in which the Superintendent of Police (SP) has to work with the District Magistrate (DM) for supervising police administration.
• At the metropolitan level, many states have replaced the dual system with the commissionerate system, as it is supposed to allow for faster decision-making to solve complex urban-centric issues.
• In the commissionerate system, the Commissioner of Police (CP) is the head of a unified police command structure, is responsible for the force in the city, and is accountable to the state government. The office also has magisterial powers, including those related to regulation, control, and licensing.
• The CP is drawn from the Deputy Inspector General rank or above, and is assisted by Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy Commissioners.

How many states have it?

• Almost all states barring Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, UT of J&K, and some Northeastern states have a commissionerate system.
• The British brought the system first in Kolkata and followed it in Mumbai and Chennai presidencies. Delhi turned into a commissionerate during the Morarji Desai regime.
• The delay in UP was due to resistance from the IAS lobby.

What is different under the system?

• Policing is based on the Police Act of 1861. Under the colonial system, the overall in-charge of a district or region was the district collector; the SP reported to him.
• The powers of the executive magistrate, such as issuing orders for preventive arrests or imposition of Section 144 CrPC, were vested in the district collector. This was called the dual system of police administration.
• Under the commissionerate system, the commissioner does not report to the DM. In Mumbai and Delhi, he reports directly to the government. It gives an integrated command structure. It helps fix responsibility with the Commissioner and eliminates blame game between civil administration and police when something goes wrong.

Background: ·  The primary objective of the British was revenue collection in rural India. They needed a force that could support this objective and unleash tyranny and oppression when needed to suit the objective. The worst of officers from the British police were sent to India. So there was need to put them under the District Collector.

Source: Hindu