DAILY NEWS DIARY FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS - 20.01.2021 Of - Sosin Classes
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 20.01.2021
DAILY NEWS DIARY
Of
20.01.2021
FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 20.01.2021
Warm Greetings.
DnD aims to provide every day news analysis in sync with the
UPSC pattern.
It is targeted at UPSC – Prelims & Mains.
Daily articles are provided in the form of Question and
Answers
To have a bank of mains questions.
And interesting to read.
Providing precise information that can be carried
straight to the exam, rather than over dumping.
Enjoy reading.
THE HINDU - TH
INDIAN EXPRESS - IE
BUSINESS LINE - BL
ECONOMIC TIMES - ET
TIMES OF INDIA - TOI
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 20.01.2021
INDEX
Essay Paper
Editorial
1. Test series win in Australia ……………………………………………………………………………………………..………..04
GS 2
Governance
1. How polluted is Yamuna ………………...……………….…………………………………………………………………………..…05
International Relations
1. India a the healthcare needs of the global community ……………………………………………………………………..06
GS 3
Economic Development
1. India’s Progress remain a part of the Global Economy ………………………………………………………………….....08
Snippets
1. Eight-year citizenship path Bill of the U.S………………………………………………………………………………………….08
2. Privacy Policy changes by whatsApp ………………………………………………………………………………………………..09
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 20.01.2021
ESSAY PAPER
EDITORIAL
Q –How is the recent Test series win in Australia, proving time and again that Indian Cricket talent at
Indian grass roots certainly has a future?
INTRODUCTION = In a truly historic moment for Indian cricket, Team India secured an emphatic win on the
last day of the fourth Test in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. Amazingly, the triumph came at the
Gabba in Brisbane – a venue where Australia had been unbeaten since 1988. However, the latest act will
rank right up in an all-time list of great Test series ever since the sport’s longest format commenced at
Melbourne in 1877.
India breached this Aussie fortress by chasing down an unprecedented 328 at the venue with 18 balls to
spare. Plus, this was seen to be a depleted Indian squad with many top players missing due to injuries and
other reasons, while youngsters like Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and Washington
Sundar were just cutting their teeth in international Test cricket.
The emotional outpouring should not deflect the reality of India’s leaping growth in the game. This was
no fairytale, Brisbane 2021 was not a coincidence-
1. This is the outcome of sustained planning, systematic development and an ambition to be the global
leader in the game. That a largely second or third-rung team could produce this victory is an attestation
of the efforts put behind the scenes to ensure the progression of cricket and cricketers in the country.
2. A domestic circuit that pays well or the ample opportunities and quick riches that IPL provides has taught
millions of Indian cricketers to dream, aspire and inspire. It has widened the talent pool of the country,
revved up the competition as well as opportunities, made world-class facilities accessible even to aspiring
cricketers.
3. Credit here should also be given to Rahul Dravid – who now heads the National Cricket Academy – for
grooming youngsters and giving them international exposure through the India A tours. There is no country
in the cricketing world they have not travelled in the last five years, they are constantly interacting with
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world-class coaches, Rahul Dravid, for instance, and getting acquainted with alien conditions at a young
age.
Overall, this has been a fantastic Test series and a great advertisement for the longest format of the game.
Tests certainly have a future if they are played with such quality and intensity.
GS 2
Governance
Q – How polluted is Yamuna and what are the debates around measures taken to curb it?
BACKGROUND = For over two decades now, the concentration of pollutants in the Yamuna has been
steadily rising, with no decrease in the industrial and sewage discharge into the river despite preventive
measures taken various agencies.
A boat ride down the Yamuna in the capital provides visual proof of how polluted the river is. But a new
technology quantifies this presence of pollutants. The “Water-to-Cloud” tech uses sensors attached to
the boat. When the system traverses the riverine course, the sensors send real-time readings to a hand-
held device that allows researchers to analyse the spots along the river where the pollution is highest.
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The Centre recently accused Delhi of being a “habitual offender” in polluting the waters of the Yamuna.
While the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) preesed to “immediately stop” Haryana from discharging pollutants into
the Yamuna, which is causing an alarming increase in ammonia levels in the water. The Board said the
increased ammonia level has impaired its water treatment plants and a drinking water and health crises
loom large in Delhi.
Delhi Jal Board – Haryana Debate - The national capital’s woes were made worse with Haryana not
releasing the full quantity of water entitled to Delhi at Wazirabad. Instead of releasing at least 450
cusecs downstream from Wazirabad, only 330 cusecs have been released. Due to lesser water being
released, the concentration of ammonia in the water reaching Delhi has increased,
The DJB petition maintains that the “actions/inactions constitute a violation of the principle of
cooperative federalism. It amounts to an upper riparian State taking undue advantage of a shared river
for irrigation and industrial purposes while effectively not allowing a lower riparian State to access water
for drinking”.
National Green Tribunal’s - appointed River Yamuna Monitoring Committee and its REPORR about
recommendations to improve the quality of water and the extent to which the States have implemented
their suggestions is awaited by the Supreme Court.
The committee is overseeing the programme on the Yamuna. It will help us know about the status of
sewage treatment plants etc.
The Supreme Court had, on January 13, taken suo motu cognisance of the contamination of rivers by
sewage effluents through lapses committed by municipalities, saying –
a. “Open surface water resources including rivers are the lifeline of human civilisation”.
b. Deterioration of quality of fresh water has a direct co-relation with the quality of public health... The right
to clean environment, and further, pollution-free water, has been protected under the broad rubric of the
right to life
International Relations
Q – How in the Pandemic has India a long-trusted partner in South Asia meeting the healthcare needs
of the global community?
BACKGROUND = India will begin to ship out lakhs of doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine to
neighbouring countries, with the first batches expected to reach Bhutan and the Maldives among several
countries by special planes as a grant or gift.
Shipments to Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and the Seychelles would commence
this week, while those to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius were awaiting “necessary regulatory
clearances”.
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The release of the shipments is part of the government’s “Neighbourhood First” initiative, and will make
India the first country to reach COVID-19 vaccines in South Asia, ahead of China, which has promised but
not so far delivered, the World Health Organization and GAVI’s vaccine alliance programme.
The region’s preference for Indian vaccines, including the Covishield from the Serum Institute of India
(SII) developed with Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, are due to cost,
easier storage requirements and the geographical proximity
1. Bhutan will receive the first shipment of 1, 50,000 Covishield vaccines. And the government hopes to ship
about 1 million doses to Thimphu, the country it shares the closest ties with in the neighbourhood.
2. The Maldives is due to receive its first shipment with about 1, 00,000 doses meant to reach Male’s Velana
international airport by an Air India flight.
3. Bangladesh’s Health and Family Welfare Ministry announced that Dhaka will also receive the batch of 20
lakh doses of Covishield, as part of a “friendly gesture”. Beximco, one of the largest Bangladeshi
pharmaceutical companies, will procure about 30 million vaccines from the SII on a commercial basis as
well.
4. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is expected to announce the shipment schedule
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5. Colombo is expecting the vaccines to arrive as it has not completed “internal processes to receive them”
yet. In addition to signing up for the COVAX facility, through the World Health Organization, Sri Lanka has
been in talks with China and Russia for vaccines.
6. The only exception to India’s regional vaccine diplomacy would be Pakistan, which has cleared the
AstraZeneca vaccine for use, but has neither requested nor discussed any doses from India yet.
NITI Aayog ensured that the Vaccine disbursal is closely monitored while stressing that the government
will continue to “ensure enough for India’s domestic requirement”.
GS 3
Economic Development
Q – According to NITI Aayog how can India’s Progress remain a part of the Global Economy?
BACKGROUND = NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant says India must remain an integral part of the global
economy if it has to grow at 9-10% over the next three decades. And India is in line to achieve this through
–
1. Becoming a major global exporting nation. Without it, it will not be possible to become richer and create
wealth for its people over the next three decades.
2. It must be an integral part of the global supply chain. And Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative is not about
protectionism, it is about making India part of the global supply chain.
3. Post-pandemic, global supply chain will be restructured, and you can be only competitive if you can use
the power of technology.
4. About the production-linked incentive (PLI) plan, Mr. Kant said the scheme in electronics and mobile
manufacturing has received very good response.
5. Under the PLI Scheme, All the top companies have applied and they have committed to making mobile
phones and equipment worth ₹10 lakh crore in the country in the next 5 years out of which ₹7 lakh crore
will be meant for exports.
Snippets
GS 2
International Relations
Q – Discuss the contents of the eight-year citizenship path Bill of the U.S?
United States President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration Bill on the first day of his
administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people
living in the U.S. without legal status — a massive reversal from the Trump administration’s harsh
immigration policies.
The Bill puts Mr. Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise important to Latino voters and
other immigrant communities after four years of President Donald Trump’s restrictive policies and mass
deportations.
Under the legislation, those living in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2021, without legal status would have a five-
year path to temporary legal status, or a green card, if they pass background checks, pay taxes and fulfill
other basic requirements. From there, it’s a three-year path to naturalisation, if they decide to pursue
citizenship.
The Bill provides one of the fastest pathways to citizenship for those living without legal status of any
measure in recent years, but it fails to include the traditional trade-off of enhanced border security
favored by many Republicans, putting its passage in a narrowly divided Congress in doubt.
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GS 3
Science & Technology
Q – What Privacy Policy changes by whatsApp raised “grave concerns” over the implications of the
choice and autonomy of Indian citizens?
In a letter to WhatsApp chief executive officer Will Cathcart, the government pointed out that by not
giving the option to opt out of data-sharing with Facebook companies, Indian users were being treated
differently from those in Europe.
Whether this [the new policy] will enable better provision of service to users or not is beside the point,
the issue is the impact it has on informational privacy, data security and user choice.
Adding that sovereign independence of India’s distinct identity and its people must be properly respected
and any unilateral changes to WhatsApp terms of service and privacy would not be fair and acceptable.
This differential and discriminatory treatment of Indian and European users is attracting serious criticism
and betrays a lack of respect for the rights and interest of Indian citizens, who form a substantial portion
of WhatsApp’s user base
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Consider the following –
1. Development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts as well
as technologies sharing
2. Improving after-sales service system.
3. Mutual logistics support agreement
4. Strengthening maritime cooperation
Which of the above strategic points are not a part of the Indo-Russian defence co-
operation dialogues?
a. 2 only b. 4 only
c. 2,3,4 d. None of the above
Hey from yesterday….
Consider the following Statements –
1. An increase in the threshold for standing orders from the existing 100 to 300
2. The four codes have amalgamated 29 Central labour laws, including those covering
matters of minimum wages, benefits for workers and strikes.
3. Gig and platform workers have been covered under the social security schemes.
4. The time slot for arbitration proceedings has been included in the conditions for workers
Identify which statements from the above Labour Laws of 2020 are Regressive and protested
terming them anti-worker by the Central Trade Unions?
a. 1 alone
b. 2 and 3
c. 1,3,4
d. 1 and 4
Answer – D
NOTE: The Lok Sabha, on 22nd September 2020, passed three new labour bills – The Industrial
Relations Code Bill, 2020; Code on Social Security Bill, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and
Working Conditions Code Bill, 2020. These three labour bill, are part of the government’s reform
formulated in order to simplify India's labour legislation and improve the ease of trade and commerce
in the nation.
The four codes have amalgamated 29 Central labour laws, including those covering matters of
minimum wages, benefits for workers and strikes. For the first time, gig and platform workers have
been covered under the social security schemes.
CONCERNS RAISED OVER THE NEW LABOUR CODES (ANALYSIS)
In the wise of Analysts, the increase in the threshold for standing orders will curb down the labour
rights for workers in small establishments having less than 300 workers. “The increase in the
threshold for standing orders from the existing 100 to 300 is uncalled for and shows the government
is very keen to give tremendous amounts of flexibility to the employers in terms of hiring and
firing…dismissal for alleged misconduct and retrenchment for economic reasons will be completely
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possible for all the industrial establishments employing less than 300 workers. This is complete
demolition of employment security,” XLRI professor and labour economist KR Shyam Sundar said.
The new conditions are introduced by The Industrial Relations Code for carrying out a legal strike. The
time slot for arbitration proceedings has been included in the conditions for workers before going on
a legal strike against only the time for conciliation at present.
Just for an instance, the IR Code proposes that no person employed in any industrial establishment
shall go on strike without a 60-day notice and during the pendency of proceedings before a Tribunal
or a National Industrial Tribunal and sixty days after the conclusion of such proceedings. Therefore,
elongating the legally permissible time frame before the workers can go on a legal strike, making a
legal strike well-nigh impossible.
The Industrial Relations Code has extended to cover all industrial establishments for the required
notice period and other conditions for a legal strike. The Standing Committee on Labour had
recommended against the expansion of the required notice period for strike beyond the public utility
services like water, electricity, natural gas, telephone and other essential services.
Currently, a person employed in a public utility service cannot go on strike without giving notice for a
strike within six weeks before going on strike or within fourteen days of giving such notice, which the
IR Code now proposes to apply for all the industrial establishments.
CONCLUSION:
In the country like India, where social justice is becoming a distant dream, a total dilution of rights of
workers is nothing more than an authoritarian rule which is completely opposed to the democratic
principles that the Constitution espouses. Labour reforms were indeed needed in India. Therefore,
the government fulfilled its duty by introducing the three Labour Bills, 2020, which ensure greater
operational flexibility to the employers. The central government has come up with three codes which
reform various action plans and give steps to increase the efficiency. It has also made checklist for
the state governments to ensure that they follow the norms diligently. India required an overhaul of
reform from the ground level therefore these labour codes on Operational safety, Health and
Working conditions, the Industrial code and the Social Security Code will bring a new revolution for
the labours in India.
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