Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pmfias Ca 2023 11 04
Pmfias Ca 2023 11 04
Table of Contents
Context (IE): Nearly all states slipped on food safety compared to 2019.
Context (TH): The U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Defence Secretary will travel to New Delhi for the
‘2+2’ meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister and Defence Minister.
• The 2+2 dialogue is a format of the meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of India and its
allies on strategic and security issues.
• India has 2+2 dialogues with four key strategic partners:
1. US
2. Australia
3. Japan
4. Russia
• Besides Russia, the other three countries are India’s partners in the Quad.
India-US Groupings
1. QUAD
2. I2U2
3. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
4. Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative
Importance
Strengthening the cooperation between the two militaries will play a significant role in tackling Chi-
na's aggression.
• India and the US have signed three key "foundational pacts" to deepen military cooperation:
1. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.
2. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) following the first 2+2 dia-
logue in 2018.
3. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020.
Context (TH): India will continue collaborating with Sri Lanka on debt treatment, says FM.
• Sri Lanka must bring its major creditors to unlock the second tranche of the International Monetary
Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
• The Extended Fund Facility is the lending facility of the fund of the IMF to help countries address
medium and longer-term balance of payments problems. It was established in 1974.
• It assists countries experiencing serious payment imbalances because of structural weakness or
slow growth and an inherently weak balance of payments.
• An EFF provides support for comprehensive programs, including the policies needed to correct struc-
tural imbalances over an extended period.
Context (TH): UPSC tightens guidelines for appointing State Director General of Police (DGP).
• The guidelines were revised to discourage States from appointing “favourite officers” about to re-
tire in a bid to extend their tenure.
Zone of Consideration
Service Tenure: Police officers must have at least 6 months of service before retirement.
Experience: Police officers must have at least 25 years of experience (Earlier, it was 30 years).
Relevant areas: Police officers should have at least 10 years of experience in areas such as law and
order, crime branch, economic offences wing, or intelligence wing, and deputation to central bodies
such as the Intelligence Bureau, RAW, or CBI, etc.
Voluntary: Officers will not be included in the panel unless they themselves are willing.
Centre’s consent: Police officers on central deputation should not be considered if the Union
Home Ministry informs the State government that “it will not be possible to relieve the officers.”
Empanelment Committee
• The Committee for empanelling officers for appointment as DGP (Chief of the Police) of the State
Government consists of:
1. UPSC Chairman (President)
2. Union Home Secretary
3. State’s Chief Secretary and
4. State’s DGP
5. One of the heads of the Central Armed Police Forces nominated by the MHA who is not from
the same State cadre.
• The Empanelment Committee shortlist a maximum of three officers. They can shortlist less than
three officers in exceptional circumstances.
• DGP is selected by the State government from the top three officers included in the panel by the
Empanelment Committee.
UPSC rules stipulate a two-year fixed tenure for a State DGP.
Context (NIE): Desert storms aiding carbon sequestration in the Arabian Sea.
• Deserts are considered barren and a challenge for human habitation.
• But they contribute significantly in making oceans productive and turning them into carbon sinks.
• Desert dust particles carried by wind are major source of minerals for phythoplanktons in oceans.
• Phytoplankton biomass amounts to only ∽1-2% of global plant carbon. But phytoplankton fix
40% of the total global carbon emission.
Context (TH): World Biosphere Reserve Day is observed on 3rd November annually.
Zones of BRs
• BRs are divided into three zones.
Core Zone
• It is the most protected area of a BR.
• It may contain centres of endemism and serve as a genetic reservoir.
• It is kept free from human activities.
• In India, core are National Parks or Sanctuaries protected by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Buffer Zone
• It adjoins or surrounds the core zone.
• Human activities in this area are regulated to protect the core zone's natural condition.
• Activities allowed include tourism, fishing, grazing, research and educational activities.
Transition Zone
• It is the outermost part of a BR.
• It is a zone of cooperation where human activities and conservation are harmonised.
• Activities allowed include settlements, croplands, managed forests, intensive recreation, and other
economic uses characteristics of the region.
Benefits of BRs
Biodiversity conservation: For e.g., the Sundarbans BR has helped to conserve the Bengal tiger.
Sustainable development: For e.g., the Nilgiri BR has promoted sustainable agriculture and forestry
practices among local communities.
Adaptive management: They offer a framework for adapting to environmental and social changes.
Global cooperation for protecting biodiversity
Context (IE): Lewis Model on Labour and Industrialisation is a theory of economic development
proposed by Sir William Arthur Lewis in 1954.
Sir William Arthur Lewis won the Economics Nobel Prize in 1979.
• The model suggests that developing countries with ample low-cost labour can achieve significant
industrialisation. The theory has worked in China but failed in India.
Way Forward
• NITI Aayog is developing a new economic model for India, focusing on creating well-paying jobs
“in and around agriculture”.
• These jobs can involve activities like aggregating, grading, packaging, transporting, processing,
warehousing, retailing of produce, or providing inputs and services to farmers.
• Other promising sectors around agriculture are biofuels and bioproducts.
Context (TH): N.R. Narayana Murthy stated that India has one of the lowest productivity rates and
suggested that the country’s youth should consider working 70 hours a week.
• The data shows that Murthy is wrong on several counts.
• India ranks seventh globally for average weekly working hours, with 48 hours per worker per
week, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
• A significant proportion of the population in the UAE and Qatar comprises Indians, who are among
the top ten on the hardworking list.
The GoI’s time-use survey in 2019 found that men between 15 and 59 in urban India spent an av-
erage of over 60 hours a week in paid employment.
• A research paper published in Harvard Business shows that the surge in working hours in devel-
oped nations can be partially attributed to the availability of the Indian and Chinese workforce.
Way Forward
• It is not advisable for the country's youth to work excessively long hours, as this can have adverse
effects on their health and well-being and can ultimately hinder growth and development.
• Gains made from long working hours will eventually be offset by higher healthcare costs and lower
life-expectancy.
• Indians should be encouraged to work smarter, not longer. An exhausted nation won’t have the time
or resources to upskill or innovate. India cannot afford to stop growing.
• It is crucial to implement stricter labour laws that limit working hours to ensure that employees are
healthy, productive, and capable of sustaining their careers without compromising their well-
being.
• Achieving this balance is essential for the overall well-being of the workforce and the long-term suc-
cess of any nation.
Many countries have implemented limits on work hours, typically ranging from 30 to 45 hours per
week, with a maximum cap of 55 hours to protect the well-being of employees.
• The government should improve the education system and provide workers with the skills neces-
sary to compete, enhancing productivity.
• It is essential to provide jobs to more people and offer them a chance to enter the formal economy
rather than relying on employee overtime.
As per the “State of Working India 2023” report, over 40 per cent of graduates under 25 years
old are unemployed.
Context (TOI): Uttarakhand Forest Department has successfully saved the critically endangered
plant gentiana kurroo from extinction.
• Gentiana kurroo (also called Himalayan gentian or Trayman) is a perennial herb with blue flowers.
• It is a medicinal plant that treats liver ailments, digestive disorders, diabetes, asthma, and urinary tract
infections (UTI).
• Distribution: It is native to the Himalayas region of India (UK, J&K, HP), Nepal, and Pakistan.
• Habitat: It is found in grasslands and rocky areas.
• Threats: Overexploitation, habitat loss, climate change.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: CR