Daily News Reader

February 10, 2022

Top Headlines

● India-Britain free trade agreement

● Disaster preparedness in the coastal areas
● Marine Heatwaves
● India’s patent waiver plan at WTO
 UPSC PATHSHALA

● PM CARES Fund

1. India-Britain free trade agreement

Theme: Government Schemes

Context: India-UK FTA negotiations are underway.

Prelims Analysis
❖ What is a Free Trade Agreement?
➢ It is a type of trade pact between two or more countries to reduce barriers to
imports and exports among them. These barriers may be tariffs, quotas,
subsidies, or prohibitions to inhibit their trade exchange.
➢ India has FTAs with Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Singapore, ASEAN,
Japan.
❖ State of India-UK bilateral trade
➢ There is a significant bilateral trade between the two countries ($15.5 bn in
2019-20)) already and it can be increased to $100 bn by 2030 if the FTA is
concluded.
➢ The two countries have an Enhanced Trade Partnership signed in 2021.

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➢ Both countries are negotiating an Interim Agreement that generates early

benefits till the time the Free Trade Agreement is negotiated.
➢ In terms of investments also, the UK is the top-most investor in India. India too
is the second-largest investor in the UK in dynamic sectors like fintech, electric
vehicles, and batteries.
❖ What would be the benefits of the FTA?
➢ It will stimulate growth and employment in both countries.
➢ It will incentivize exports from MSMEs as the regulatory compliance would
reduce.
➢ The end consumers in both countries will enjoy a greater variety of goods and
services at better prices.
➢ It will promote the culture of globalization and open economies in times of
geostrategic competition and protectionism.

Prelims Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements about the United Kingdom-

1. It is part of the Schengen Area but not the EU.

2. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
3. It has an Enhanced Trade Partnership with India.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1 and 3
a.
b. 2 only
c. 2 and 3
d. None of the above
Ans. c
Explanation: After Brexit, the UK came out of the European Union. It was not part of
the Schengen Area ever. The remaining two statements are correct.
Q2. Consider the statements about the different trade agreements-

1. RCEP is an example of a free trade agreement.

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2. Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is the most comprehensive

type of trade pact.
3. India does not have any trade pact with Japan and South Korea.
Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

a) 1 and 2
b) 2 and 3
c) 1 only
d) All of the above
Ans. b
Explanation: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is the highest/most
comprehensive type of trade pact. India has this pact with Japan and South Korea.

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Mains Practise Questions:

Q.1 In recent years, the India-UK trade partnership has seen several improvements.
Illustrate. Also examine the reasons for the same.

2. Disaster preparedness in the coastal areas

Theme: Disaster Management

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Context: INCOIS has recently undertaken the coastal vulnerability assessment of Indian
coastline.

Prelims Analysis
❖ About INCOIS (Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services)
➢ It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Earth Sciences that is
working to provide ocean information and advisory services to society,
industry, government agencies.
➢ It provides information like tsunami early warning system, ocean temperature
and salinity, potential fishing zones, etc.
➢ It prepares a coastal vulnerability index to aid in coastal disaster management
and building resilient coastal communities.
❖ About the Coastal Vulnerabilty Index
➢ India has a long coastline of 7516.6 km.
➢ It faces several risks due to future sea-level rise.
➢ The CVI maps the extent of this risk by tracking factors like tidal range, wave
height, coastal elevation or slope, geomorphology, etc.
➢ It thus identifies hazard zones that can be inundated along with the coastal low-
lying areas.
➢ It prepares hazard vulnerability maps based on this assessment.

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Mains Analysis
❖ Steps that can be undertaken to mitigate the risks
➢ With the help of these hazard maps, proper land-use planning can be
undertaken.
➢ Engineered structures that can withstand the forces of extreme winds/water
should be constructed in risky areas.
➢ Cyclone shelters can be built to help the vulnerable community from cyclones.
➢ Well-designed drainage systems, embankments, levees, artificial hills, etc. to
mitigate flooding.
➢ Increasing the vegetation cover, mangrove plantation, etc. can be undertaken as
they increase the water infiltration capacity.
❖ India’s disaster management efforts
➢ National Disaster Management Authority (a statutory body that frames
policies, guidelines, and coordinates with SDMAs for disaster management)
manages the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project of the government.
➢ To manage the risk of storm surges, there is an Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM) Plan of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change.
➢ To ensure an early warning system, the India Meteorological Department
(IMD) alerts people by using color-coded warnings for cyclones.
➢ INCOIS prepares coastal vulnerability assessments.

Prelims Questions
Q1. Which of the following organizations prepares the Coastal Vulnerability Index
in India?

a) India Meteorological Department

b) National Disaster Management Agency
c) INCOIS
d) None of the above
Ans. c

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Explanation: The CVI for the Indian coastline is prepared by INCOIS.

Mains Practise Questions:

Q.1 Critically examine the preparedness of the government of India with respect to
increased disaster risk associated with extreme weather events.

3. Marine Heatwaves
Theme: Geography

Context: The occurrence of marine heatwaves has been on the rise in the waters around
India..

Prelims Analysis
❖ What is a marine heatwave?
➢ Heat waves that originate over the oceans, identified by extremely warm
marine temperatures for an extended period of time are called marine
heatwaves.

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➢ They may occur in summers or in winters. They are identified based on the
difference in temperature from the expected temperatures for the location and
time of year.

Mains Analysis
❖ Why do they occur?
➢ They may be caused by atmospheric heatwaves that can warm the ocean
surface.
➢ They may be caused by ocean currents that come from warm regions.
➢ They may be caused by climate events like el-nino that brings abnromally hot
ocean water to some regions.
➢ They may also be caused by a low wind speed which leads to slow convection.
As a result, warm surface water does not get mixed with cooler layers beneath
and stays warm.
❖ Effects
➢ They affect the ecosystem diversity of the region by supporting some species
over others.
➢ They lead to coral bleaching and ocean acidification.
➢ They also lead to algal blooms and deoxygenation.
➢ They are known to cause mass mortality of some marine species.
➢ They lead to unreasonably warm and dry weather in the land area surrounding
such oceans.
➢ They change the nature of the marine industry in the area. For instance, the
season and catch of fishing might change.
❖ Impact of higher incidence around the Indian waters
➢ The Western Indian Ocean and the North Bay of Bengal are known to
experience the largest increase in marine heatwaves frequency.
➢ This has made the central Indian subcontinent more dry and hot. This has led to
increased convectional rainfall over peninsular India.

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➢ Coral bleaching off the Gulf of Mannar has increased.

Prelims Questions
Q1. What are the potential effects of marine heatwaves?

a) Change in monsoonal wind pattern

b) Dryness in some regions and heavy rain in others
c) Coral bleaching
d) All of the above
Ans. d
Explanation: All the above-mentioned events can be caused by marine heatwaves.

Mains Practise Questions:

Q.1 There is a report showing an increased incidence of marine heatwaves in waters
around India. Examine the reasons.

Q.2 What are marine heatwaves? They can have many adverse affects on the ocean
ecosystem. Enumerate.

Prelims Factfile

4. India’s patent waiver plan at WTO

Theme: Health, IPR

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Context: India and South Africa had co-proposed a temporary waiver on IPRs held on
vaccines therapeutics and diagnostics for covid-19 at the WTO last year. There are chances
of India being excluded from this waiver now.

❖ Why is the waiver to India being opposed?

➢ Western negotiators feel that waiving off IPR rights will not increase the
production capacity of vaccines or the deployment of vaccines. It could instead
make way for counterfeit vaccines to enter the supply chain.
➢ This is because India and China are already the world’s largest suppliers of
medicines despite any extra waivers.
➢ That is why there are proposals of geographical exclusion to cut Indian and
Chinese companies out of the waivers. (China was not even part of the
proposal)
➢ There are fears among western negotiators that India and China can easily
counter the western market if given any additional waivers. They want the
waivers to be restricted to African countries.

5. PM CARES Fund
Theme: Governance

Context: 64% of the PM CARES fund amount of Rs. 10,990 crore has remained utilized.

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❖ Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-

CARES) fund is dedicated to covid-relief and other similar emergencies.
❖ It was established in 2020 as a public charitable trust fund with 4 ex-officio trustees:
➢ Prime Minister
➢ Minister of Defence
➢ Minister of Home Affairs
➢ Minister of Finance
❖ It is not considered a government fund and the amount collected by it does not go to
the Consolidated Fund of India.
❖ It allows micro-donations, foreign donations, institutional donations, etc. with 100%
tax exemption.
❖ There is no need for Parliamentary approval for making expenditure from this fund.

Prelims Questions
Q1. Parliamentary approval is required after expenditure from which of the
following funds?

a) PM CARES
b) PMNRF
c) Contingency Fund of India
d) Consolidated Fund of India
Ans. c
Explanation: Approval from Parliament ‘after’ the expenditure, is taken for the
Contingency Fund of India. If making any expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of
India, parliamentary approval is needed prior to the expenditure. For PMNRF and PM
CARES, no parliamentary approval is required.

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