FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS - DAILY NEWS DIARY 22.03.2022
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 22.03.2022
DAILY NEWS DIARY
Of
22.03.2022
FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 22.03.2022
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.
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 22.03.2022
INDEX
GS 2
1. Implications of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka……………………………………………………………….….…….04
2. Top performers of the World Happiness Report 2022……………………………………………………………….06
3. Significance of the exercise LAMITIYE……………………………………………………………………………………….07
GS 3
1. Need for legally binding instrument for BBNJ.………………………………………………………………………….08
Prelims practice questions……………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
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DAILY NEWS DIARY 22.03.2022
GS 2
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Q) Analyse the reasons and implications of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Explain India’s
assistance to Sri Lanka.
Context:
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is aggravating rapidly, putting citizens through enormous hardship.
Reasons for the Crisis:
The first wave of the pandemic in 2020 offered early and sure signs of distress.
1. In-migration: Thousands of Sri Lankan labourers in West Asian countries were left
stranded and returned jobless.
2. Shut-down: Garment factories and tea estates could not function, as infections raged in
clusters. Tourism sector to saw a big dip.
3. Domestic job losses: Thousands of youths lost their jobs in cities as establishments
abruptly sacked them or shut down.
4. Forex decline: It meant that all key foreign exchange earning sectors, such as exports and
remittances, along with tourism, were brutally hit.
Policy failures in Sri Lanka:
No strategy: The lack of a comprehensive strategy to respond to the crisis then was
coupled with certain policy decisions last year.
Ill-advised policies: It included the government’s abrupt switch to organic farming —
widely deemed “ill-advised”, further aggravated the problem.
Food hoarding: The government declared emergency regulations for the distribution of
essential food items. It put wide import restrictions to save dollars which in turn led to
consequent market irregularities and reported hoarding.
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Continuous borrowing: Fears of a sovereign default rose by the end of 2021, with the
country’s foreign reserves plummeting to $1.6 billion, and deadlines for repaying external
loans looming.
Economic Impact:
The Sri Lankan rupee, which authorities floated this month, has fallen to nearly 265
against the U.S. dollar. Consumer Price inflation is at 16.8% and foreign reserves stood at
$2.31 billion at the end of February.
Sri Lanka must repay foreign debt totalling nearly $7 billion this year and continue
importing essentials from its dwindling dollar account.
Sri Lanka will incur an import bill of $22 billion this year, resulting in a trade deficit of $10
billion.
Implications on Public:
For citizens, this means long waits in queues for fuel, a shortage of cooking gas,
contending with prolonged power cuts in many localities and struggles to find medicines
for patients.
In families of working people, the crisis is translating to cutting down on milk for children,
eating fewer meals, or going to bed hungry.
India’s assistance:
Acting in the Neighbourhood’s first policy, India stands with Sri Lanka. $1 billion credit line signed
for supply of essential commodities. Key element of the package of support extended by India.
Beginning January 2022, India has extended assistance totalling $ 2.4 billion — including an $400
million RBI currency swap and a $500 million loan deferment.
Chinese lure of aid:
China is considering Sri Lanka’s recent request for further $2.5 billion assistance, in addition to
the $2.8 billion Beijing has extended since the outbreak of the pandemic.
India’s assistance being viewed in Sri Lanka:
Sacking key infra projects: The leadership has thanked India for the timely assistance, but
there is growing scepticism in Sri Lankan media and some sections, over Indian assistance
“being tied” to New Delhi inking key infrastructure projects.
Deep incursion: They mainly include the strategic Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm project; the
National Thermal Power Corporation’s recent agreement with Ceylon Electricity Board to
set up a solar power plant in Sampur, with investment from India’s Adani Group.
Diplomatic blackmail: SL media accuses New Delhi was resorting to “diplomatic
blackmail”. The political opposition has accused the Adani Group of entering Sri Lanka
through the “back door”, avoiding competitive bids and due process.
Source: The Hindu (22-03-2022)
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Snippets
SOCIAL ISSUES
Q) Who are the top performers of the World Happiness Report 2022?
Context:
India ranks 136th in the World Happiness Report 2022, while Finland becomes the happiest
country for the fifth consecutive year.
World Happiness Report:
The WHR is an annual publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
It measures three main well-being indicators: life evaluations, positive emotions, and
negative emotions (described in the report as positive and negative affect).
Since 2011, the World Happiness Report (WHR) is released every year around the time of
International Day of Happiness on March 20.
It was adopted by the UN General Assembly based on a resolution tabled by Bhutan.
How is the WHI derived?
The ranking is done on a three-year average based on surveys of ‘Life Evaluation’ conducted by
Gallup World Poll which surveys around 1000 people from each country to evaluate their current
life on a scale of 0-10.
On this scale, 10 marks the best possible and 0 as the worst possible life.
Further, six key variables GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom,
generosity, and corruption contribute to explaining life evaluations.
Top performers:
The top five countries in the list are from Europe.
1. While the United States held the 16th spot in the happiest countries list.
2. Following Finland, Denmark bagged the second rank, while Iceland and Switzerland stood
at third and fourth rank.
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3. The Netherlands was at the fifth rank in the list.
4. Meanwhile, Luxembourg, Norway, Israel, and New Zealand were the remaining countries
in the top 10.
Dismal performers:
Afghanistan held the last position of 146th in the list, with Lebanon (145th), Zimbabwe
(144th), Rwanda (143rd), and Botswana (142nd) following.
Bangladesh has improved its ranking by seven notches on the WHI from 101 last year to
94 in 2022 out of 146 countries included in the report.
Source: MINT (22-03-2022)
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Q) What is the significance of the exercise LAMITIYE?
Context:
The 9th Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE-2022 between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence
Forces (SDF) is being conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Seychelles.
Exercise LAMITIYE:
1. Lamitiye, which in Creole means friendship, is a biennial training event being conducted
in Seychelles since 2001.
2. This year, it will feature a range of complex military drills, demonstrations and discussions,
officials said.
3. The objective of the joint training exercise is to build and promote bilateral military
relations in addition to exchanging skills, experiences and good practices between both
the armies.
4. Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for
neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in a semi-urban environment.
5. The exercise will also witness showcasing of new-generation equipment and technology
for conducting joint operations.
6. LAMITIYE is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both nations in
the backdrop of the current global situation and growing security concerns in the Indian
Ocean region.
Source: PIB
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GS 3
ENVIRONMENT & BIODIVERSITY
Q) What is BBNJ treaty? Explain the need for legally binding instrument for BBNJ.
Context:
The fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC-4) was held in New York to
conclude a draft of the instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological
diversity in areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The IGC-4 is convened under the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
BBNJ Treaty:
The “BBNJ Treaty”, also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”, is an international
agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas
beyond national jurisdiction, currently under negotiation at the United Nations.
This new instrument is being developed within the framework of the UNCLOS, the main
international agreement governing human activities at sea.
It will achieve a more holistic management of high seas activities, which should better
balance the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.
BBNJ encompasses the high seas, beyond the exclusive economic zones or national
waters of countries.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these areas
account for “almost half of the Earth’s surface”.
These areas are hardly regulated and also least understood or explored for its biodiversity
- only 1% of these areas are under protection.
Launched at the One Ocean Summit in February 2022, the High Ambition Coalition on
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction brings together many delegations engaged in
the BBNJ negotiations on a common and ambitious outcome at the highest political level.
Need of Legally Binding Instrument for BBNJ:
1. Areas beyond national jurisdiction comprise 95% of the ocean and provide invaluable
ecological, economic, social, cultural, scientific and food-security benefits to humanity.
2. However, these areas teeming with life are now vulnerable to growing threats, including
pollution, overexploitation, and the impacts already visible of climate change.
3. The increasing demand for marine resources in the coming decades – for food, minerals
or biotechnology – threatens to exacerbate this problem.
4. The high seas are extremely biodiverse and have been exploited without even knowing
its impacts.
5. While there are scientific explorations of the surface water of the high seas, the deep sea
i.e. below 200 metres of the surface has hardly been studied.
6. The deep seafloors, believed to be the harshest habitat, the extinction process is setting
in.
7. The 184 species (of Molluscs) assessed, 62% are listed as threatened: 39 are critically
endangered, 32 are endangered and 43 are vulnerable.
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8. In the Indian Ocean vents, 100% molluscs are already listed as critically endangered. This
shows the urgent need to protect them from extinction. Yet, the International Seabed
Authority, a Jamaica-based intergovernmental body, is allowing deep sea mining
contracts.
Source: Indian Express (22-03-2022)
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Q) Which of the following best describes the Johkasou technology?
a) It is used for wastewater treatment.
b) It helps to improve connectivity in remote areas.
c) It is related to electric vehicles storage & battery system.
d) It is the key unit in Metro projects infrastructure.
Hey from Yesterday -
Q) Which of the following statements are incorrect with regard to the India’s Arctic Policy?
a) India holds one of the 13 positions as the Observer in the Arctic Council.
b) It aims to combat climate change and protect the environment.
c) The Arctic region comprises only the Arctic Ocean.
d) Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles.
Answer: c
Explanation:
The government has unveiled India’s Arctic Policy with an aim to combat climate change
and protect the environment.
India holds one of the 13 positions as the Observer in the Arctic Council.
The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada,
Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, USA (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland.
The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada,
Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, USA (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland.
These countries together form the core of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental
forum. The region is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which, about one-tenth
are indigenous people.
Though none of India’s territory directly falls in the Arctic region, it is a crucial area as
the Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the
earth’s ecosystem.
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