10-06-2021

10-JUNE-2021

The Hindu News Analysis – 10th June 2021 – Shankar IAS Academy
S. Page Number*
News Articles
No. C B D H T
1 The murky space of ‘social audio’ (OPED) 7 7 7 7 7
2 Central agencies pry on Clubhouse chat rooms - - - - 5
3 Govt. officials targeted in phishing attempt 8 8 8 8 8
4 Erdogan to visit Karabakh region won by Azerbaijan 11 11 13 11 11
5 Encouraging accord (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6
6 Govt. extends Jain’s term at RBI by 2 years 12 12 14 12 12
7 Cabinet approves 5 MHz spectrum for Railways 12 12 14 12 12
8 Centre announces hike in MSP for paddy, pulses, oilseeds 1,8 1,8 1,8 1,8 1,8
9 The promise and perils of digital justice delivery (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6
10 Hybrid hearings to continue in courts 10 10 10 10 10
11 Dihing Patkai is Assam’s 7th National Park - - 4 - -
12 Prelims Practice Questions
@ end of the video
13 Mains Practice Questions
*C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

1
 10-06-2021

Pg: 5 - T;

Pg: 7 – C, B, D, H, T;

Part A—Preliminary Examination • Background: Rising popularity of Clubhouse app

- concerns regarding privacy and data rights.
Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance.
Clubhouse App
 Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political
System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, • An invitation-only, audio-chat social networking
etc.
app.
Part B—Main Examination
• Joining: Existing user have to invite from
PAPER-III
their app giving access to set up an account.
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity,
Social Justice and International relations • Limitation on number of invitations by a
 Government policies and interventions for development member.
in various sectors and issues arising out of their design
• After joining - select topics of interest.
and implementation.
 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements  Share more info to get recommendations on
involving India and/or affecting India’s interests more conversation rooms and individuals.

2
 10-06-2021

• No end-to-end encryption - data might be

• Market - valued at $4 billion.
accessible to the developers.
 Estimated user base - >2 million.
 Back-end infrastructure of Clubhouse - by a
Concerns Chinese start-up.

• Social media apps (Instagram, Facebook, • Violates existing legal provisions.

etc.) allows browsing in relative invisibility.
 European General Data Protection Regulation -
 Clubhouse interactions - more opportunity violation of confidentiality of communications,
for cyberbullying and trolling. consent for processing of personal data etc.

• Audio-based interactions - faster & in real • Increased vulnerability of Indians to data

time compared to text-based interactions. breaches and privacy violations - lack a stringent

 Need more vigilant mechanisms. Indian data protection law.

• Temporary audio recording feature - done • Private policy - sharing personal info to law
enforcement, govt authorities and private parties.
without user’s consent.
 Chances of government surveillance.

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT, 2000

• App seeks access to contacts - access to
69. Power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or
data of those who are not using the app.
decryption of any information through any computer
• Concern regarding social media giants. resource.—
(1) Where the Central Government or a State Government or
 Either acquires start-ups or cloning any of its officers specially authorised by the Central
their unique features to their own Government or the State Government, as the case may be,
in this behalf may, if satisfied that it is necessary or
platforms.
expedient so to do, in the interest of the sovereignty or
• Govt surveillance - Central agencies - IB, integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State,
friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for
RAW, NIA, Enforcement Directorate, CBI
preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable
etc. - authorised to track the rooms offence relating to above or for investigation of any
scheduled by clubs. offence, it may subject to the provisions of sub-section (2),
for reasons to be recorded in writing, by order, direct any
 Empowered to act under Section 69 (1) agency of the appropriate Government to intercept,
of IT Act, 2000. monitor or decrypt or cause to be intercepted or monitored
or decrypted any information generated, transmitted,
received or stored in any computer resource.

3
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Section 69 of the Information Technology
Act, 2000, frequently seen in news, is
related to:
(a) Exemption from liability of
intermediary in certain cases.
(b) Punishment for sending offensive
messages through communication
service.
(c) Punishment for Cyber terrorism.
(d) Powers to issue directions for
interception of any information
through any computer resource.

Pg: 8 – C, B, D, H, T;

4
 10-06-2021

Phishing

• Process of attempting to acquire sensitive information (usernames, passwords and credit card
details) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

• Attempt could be by an individual or a group.

Image source: https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in
• Typically carried out by
e-mail or instant messaging
- directs users to enter
details at a fake website
resembling the legitimate
website.

 Exposes victims to future

information compromises.

• It is a social engineering attack. Spear phishing

 Communications are used to lure the • Targeted in nature - emails are carefully
unsuspecting public claiming to be from designed to target a particular user/
financial institutions, popular social web company/ organisation.
sites, auction sites, or online payment
• Greater risk:
processors or IT administrators.
 Identifying key and high-value individuals -
 Attacks posing as other types of
their credentials and data access are of
organizations, such as charities.
most value in the organization.
 Take advantage of current events and
 Complete social profile research about the
certain times of the year - Natural
user and their organization.
disasters, Epidemics and health scares etc.

• Fraudulent websites may contain malicious code

- steals confidential data or injects malware.

5
 10-06-2021

Image source: https://www.mod.gov.in/

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements:
1. Spear phishing is targeted in nature,
where emails are carefully designed to
target a particular user or company.
2. Smishing is a social engineering attack
that exploits text messages, whereas
Vishing leverages voice communications.
Which of the statements given above is/are
incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

6
 10-06-2021

Pg: 11 – C, B, H, T;
Pg: 13 – D

7
 10-06-2021

Timeline
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
• 1920s: Soviet govt established Nagorno-Karabakh
• Nagorno-Karabakh - internationally
Autonomous Region within Azerbaijan
recognised as part of Azerbaijan -
controlled by Armenian separatists.  Majority - Armenian (95%) - Christians

 Turkic Azeris - Muslims

• Late 1980s - Collapse of USSR

 Armenia’s regional Parliament voted for the

Nagorno-Karabakh’s transfer to Armenia.

• 1988: Nagorno-Karabakh legislature passed a

resolution to join Armenia.

• 1991: Dissolution of USSR - war between Armenia

and Azerbaijan.

• 1994: Russia brokered a ceasefire.

Image source: https://indianexpress.com/

• 2016: a Four-Day War before Russia mediated

peace. • International involvement:

• Role of Minsk Group - created in 1994, a  Turkey backs Azerbaijan.

mediation effort led by the Organization for
 Condemned Armenia’s actions.
Security and Cooperation in Europe.
 Provided weaponry to Azerbaijan during
 Co-chaired by USA, France, and Russia.
the 2020 war.
• 2020: Armenia-Azerbaijan war.
 Russia supports Armenia.
 Impact: Disrupt oil and gas exports from
the region.

 Azerbaijan - significant oil and gas

exporter to Central Asia and Europe.

8
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. The Nagorno-Karabakh region, recently
seen in news, is a disputed landlocked
territory between:
(a) Russia and Ukraine
(b) Turkey and Iran
(c) China and the Philippines
(d) Armenia and Azerbaijan

Pg: 6 – C, B, D, H, T;

9
 10-06-2021

Part A—Preliminary Examination

• World economy shrunk by 3.5% in 20 20 - global
Paper I - (200 marks)
pandemic.
 Current events of national and international
importance.  Forced countries to rely on taxations.
 Economic and Social Development – Sustainable
• Loopholes are exploited by the multinational
Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics,
national companies (MNCs) to avoid taxation.
Social Sector initiatives, etc.
Part B—Main Examination  Tax avoidance - Use of legal methods to
minimize the amount of income tax owed
PAPER-III
by an individual or a business.
General Studies-II: Governance, Constitution, Polity,
Social Justice and International Relations. • Global minimum corporate tax - to plug the
• Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and loopholes in international taxation regime.
Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian
Diaspora.

G7 Agreement
Need for Global Tax
• Finance Ministers of G7 nations agreed to set a
• Last decade - rapid and relentless march of
global minimum tax of at least 15%
technological advancement - global
• G7 - Broader efforts under way through the communications and connectivity.
G20/OECD to address tax challenges arising from
• 2016 - digital sphere estimated at $11.5
globalisation and digitalisation of economy.
trillion (over one-sixth of global GDP).
 G7 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
 Increase in digitalisation exacerbated the
the United Kingdom and the United States.
challenge of taxing multinational
 G20 - forum for the governments and central corporations.
bank governors from 19 countries and the
• MNCs avoid taxation by shifting their revenue
European Union (EU).
to tax havens - huge loss of revenue to
 OECD - group of countries - discuss and countries.
develop economic and social policy.

10
 10-06-2021

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

• Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)
Development (OECD) - estimated countries
 A tax evading practice by multinational companies – shifting
are collectively deprived of $240 billion in their incomes or profits to their subsidiaries, located in low
tax revenue annually. tax countries.
 Erosion in tax base & shifting of profits to other countries.
 OECD + G20 - spearheading ‘Inclusive
 Problems:
Framework on Base Erosion and Profit
 Undermines the fairness and integrity of tax systems.
Shifting’ - aimed at ending tax  Undermines voluntary compliance by all taxpayers.
avoidance.  Affects the developed and developing countries, which
mainly relies on corporate income tax.
• Secretary-General of OECD - Mathias
• Inclusive Framework on BEPS
Cormann, welcomed the global tax.
 initiated by OECD and G20 grouping
 Tax avoidance can only be effectively  A modern international tax framework - ensures profits are
addressed through a multilaterally agreed taxed where economic activity and value creation occur.

solution.  135+ countries implementing 15 Actions.

 India - a member.

Benefits

• G7 agreed on an equitable allocation of Issues

taxing rights. • Local levies on digital transactions -

 Awards market countries taxing rights on Counterproductive to the concept of GMCT.

at least 20% of profit exceeding a 10% • Lack of political will to ensure greater
margin for the largest and most profitable fairness and equity in revenue sharing.
multinational enterprises.

• Highly beneficial to India.

 India losing more than $10 billion in

revenue each year - Tax Justice Network.

11
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. Critically analyze the “Global minimum
corporate tax”.
(150 words, 10 marks)

Reserve Bank of India

• Established - April 1, 1935 - under provisions

of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

• Functions of RBI

 Regulate the issue of Bank notes

 Keeping of reserves - to securing monetary

stability in India.

 Monetary policy framework - meet the

challenge of complex economy.

 Maintain price stability along with the

objective of growth.

Pg: 12 – C, B, D, H, T;

12
 10-06-2021

Structure of RBI • Appointed by Central government.

• Governed by a central board of directors -  Tenure - 3 years.

appointed by the Government of India.  Eligible for re-appointment.

 Full time members - Governor and Deputy  Not above 60 years of age.
Governors of RBI.
• Qualification
Deputy Governor of RBI
 At least 25 years of work experience in
• In charge of Public Administration - level of Secretary
or equivalent in GOI.
 Monetary Policy
 At least 25 years of work experience in an
 Banking supervision
Indian or International Public Financial
• Present - 4 Deputy Governors of RBI - one of
Institution.
them nominated as the Vice Chairman of Board
 Exceptional merit and track record at the
for Financial Supervision.
national or international level

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements with
reference Deputy Governor of RBI.
1. He/she is appointed by the Governor of
the Reserve Bank of India.
2. The person appointed as Deputy
Governor is eligible for reappointment.
Which of the statements given above
is/are incorrect?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

13
 10-06-2021

News

• Railways planning to introduce Long-Term

Evolution (LTE)-based Mobile Train Radio
Communication (MTRC).

 To prevent train accidents and reduce

delays by enabling real-time interaction
between the Loco Pilot, Station Master
and the Control Centre.

 To be completed in five years.

 Estimated cost - over ₹ 25,000 crore.

Pg: 12 – C, B,
D, H, T;

Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Internet of Things (IoT)

• Fourth-generation (4G) wireless standard. • Interlinking of digital devices, people,

• Provides increased network capacity and speed machines, appliances, and other objects with

for cell phones and other cellular devices one another - through wireless networks.

compared with third-generation (3G) technology. • Allows machines and people to be connected

• Higher peak data transfer - initially up to and communicate.

100 Mbps downstream and 30 Mbps upstream. • Future of the internet.

• Benefits: • Applications.

 Reduced latency  Daily life - small tasks.

 Scalable bandwidth capacity  Industries - Reduce human error, increase

efficiency, and improve productivity.
 Backward-compatibility with Global System
for Mobile communication & Universal Mobile  Agriculture - Enhance weather forecasting
Telecommunications Service technology. which can increase overall productivity.

14
 10-06-2021

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2018

Q. When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you
wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser
 Healthcare - Better diagnosis of diseases. to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your
bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the
 Media - Analyze and predict consumer level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some
groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it
behavior and apply target marketing for recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for
better return on investment in the supply of fresh grocery items. When You step out of your
house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC
advertising/marketing campaigns. machines get switched off automatically. On your way to
office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and
 Smart Cities - solid waste management, suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a
meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly.
smart power grids, smart energy
In the context of emerging communication technologies,
management systems etc. which one of the following terms best applies to the above
scenario?
 Government - Offer better citizen services.
a) Border Gateway Protocol
b) Internet of Things
c) Internet Protocol
d) Virtual Private Network

Pg: 1,8 – C, B, D, H, T;

15
 10-06-2021

Minimum Support Price • Set twice a year - Rabi, Kharif.

• Minimum price set by the government for certain • Market price below declared MSP - govt
agricultural products. would purchase entire quantity from the

• Products directly be bought from the farmers if the farmers at MSP.

open market prices are less than cost incurred. • Declared during the sowing season.
• Why MSP • Commission for Agricultural Costs and
 To encourage higher investments and production of Prices recommends MS P - considers various
crops. factors to determine the prices

 To insure the farmers against steep decline in  Entire structure of the economy of a
the prices of goods particular or group of commodities.

 To help prevent losses.  Cost of production

 To safegaurd supply chain after the glut.  Changes in input prices

 Input-output price parity • Cereal • Oilseeds • Pulses

 Trends in market prices  Paddy  Groundnut  Arhar/tur

 Demand and supply  wheat  rapeseed/mustard  Gram

 Inter-crop price parity  Jowar  Soybean  Moong

 Effect on industrial cost structure  Barley  Toria  Lentil

 Effect on the cost of living  Bajra  Sesamum  Urad

 Effect on the general price level  Ragi  Sunflower seed • Raw cotton

 International price situation  Maize  Safflower seed • Raw jute

 Parity between prices paid and  Niger Seed • Copra

prices received by the farmers
• De-husked coconut
 Effect on issue prices and
• Virginia flu cured
implications for subsidy
(VFC) tobacco

16
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. With reference MSP, consider the
following statements:
• MSP is only an indicative price
1. They are determined during the
• Market price can raise way above or way
harvest season.
below MSP
2. Zaid and Kharif seasons are taken into
• Market players are not legally bound to keep focus.
prices lower or higher than MSP.
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

Pg: 6 – C, B, D, H, T;

17
 10-06-2021

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance.
 Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. •
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations
 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
 Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the
Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
 Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance, applications, models, successes,
limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures

Need for measures E-Court Project

• Pending cases: • Conceptualized by ‘National Policy and Action Plan for

Implementation of ICT’.
 3.27 crore cases pending before
Indian courts. • Phases I and II - digitisation of the judiciary.

 85,000 cases - pending for over 30  e-filing

years.  Tracking cases online

• Delays in Justice delivery -  Uploading judgments online etc.

accumulation of cases - burden on the
• Phase III - ecosystem approach - commitments are:
court system.
 Digitisation of court processes.
• Pandemic and lockdown - restriction
in mobility and closure of physical  Plans to upgrade the electronic infrastructure of the
courts - need for ICT enabled court judiciary.
systems
 Enable access to lawyers and litigants. Etc.

18
 10-06-2021

• Governed by E-Committee of
the Supreme Court.

 Transform the judicial

system of the country by
ICT enablement of courts

• Monitored and funded by the

Department of Justice,
MoL&J.

Image Source: https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/

Inter-operable Criminal Justice Negative Aspects of Phase-III e-courts projects

System (ICJS) • Seamless exchange of information between various branches
• Initiative of the e-Committee. of the State - judiciary, police and prison system.

• Seamless transfer of data and  Data creation happens at local police stations - increase

information among different pillars existing class and caste inequalities.

of the criminal justice system.

• 360-degree profile - integrating interactions with
Hybrid Hearing government agencies.

• News - E-Committee Chairperson  Leads to profiling and surveillance.

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud - hybrid • Data collected, shared and collated - housed within the Home
hearings to continue considering Ministry under the ICJS - no clear explanation.
the pandemic situation.
• Large-scale gathering and storage of data.
• Integration of Physical hearing of
 Privacy of Individuals - a concern - SC must care not to
cases along with video
violate the privacy standards - Puttaswamy case 2017.
conferences.

19
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. The idea of e-Court system can provide
the judiciary with an opportunity to
address the problem of delayed justice.
Critically Examine.
(150 words, 10 marks)

Pg: 4 – D

20
 10-06-2021

• Dihing Patkai National Park - Assam’s 7th

National Park.
• Raimona National Park - Assam’s
Dihing Patkai National Park
• Situated in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Civil
Districts, Assam.
• Bio-geographical location
Brahmaputra valley.
 Birds - long-billed vulture, white winged wood-
duck and Greater Adjutant Stork.
6th N P.
• Hoolock gibbon - flagship species
 only Western ape found in India
 WPA - Schedule-I
 CITES - Appendix-1
- North-East
• Prime habitat of Asiatic Elephant.

• Includes Evergreen Rain Forests. • Critically endangered tree species - Vatica

lanceaefolia (Morhal).
• Endangered
• National Parks of Assam - Kaziranga, Manas,
 Mammals - tiger, wild dog, elephant,
Nameri, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa.
hoolock gibbon and Gangetic dolphin.

21
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q1. Consider the following statements:
1. Spear phishing is targeted in nature,
where emails are carefully designed to
target a particular user or company.
2. Smishing is a social engineering attack
that exploits text messages, whereas
Vishing leverages voice communications.
Which of the statements given above is/are
incorrect?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2

Practice Question – Prelims

Q2. Section 69 of the Information Technology
Act, 2000, frequently seen in news, is
related to:
(a) Exemption from liability of
intermediary in certain cases.
(b) Punishment for sending offensive
messages through communication
service.
(c) Punishment for Cyber terrorism.
(d) Powers to issue directions for
interception of any information
through any computer resource.

22
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q3.With reference MSP, consider the
following statements:
1. They are determined during the
harvest season.
2. Zaid and Kharif seasons are taken into
focus.
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

Previous Year Question – Prelims 2018

Q4. When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning,
you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your
geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in
your bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the
level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some
groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it
recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for
the supply of fresh grocery items. When You step out of your
house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC
machines get switched off automatically. On your way to
office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and
suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a
meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly.
In the context of emerging communication technologies,
which one of the following terms best applies to the above
scenario?
a) Border Gateway Protocol
b) Internet of Things
c) Internet Protocol
d) Virtual Private Network

23
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Q5.Consider the following statements with
reference Deputy Governor of RBI.
1. He/she is appointed by the Governor of
the Reserve Bank of India.
2. The person appointed as Deputy
Governor is eligible for reappointment.
Which of the statements given above
is/are incorrect?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Practice Question – Prelims

Q6.The Nagorno-Karabakh region, recently
seen in news, is a disputed landlocked
territory between:
(a) Russia and Ukraine
(b) Turkey and Iran
(c) China and the Philippines
(d) Armenia and Azerbaijan

24
 10-06-2021

Practice Question – Prelims

Answers

Q1. Option (d) – Neither 1 nor 2

Q2. Option (d) – Powers to issue directions
for interception of any information
through any computer resource.
Q3. Option (d) – Neither 1 nor 2
Q4. Option (b) – Internet of Things
Q5. Option (a) – 1 only
Q6. Option (d) – Armenia and Azerbaijan

Practice Question – Mains

Practice Question – Mains
GS – II
Q. Critically analyze the “Global minimum
corporate tax”.
(150 words, 10 marks)
GS – II
Q. The idea of e-Court system can provide
the judiciary with an opportunity to
address the problem of delayed justice.
Critically Examine.
(150 words, 10 marks)

25