Analysis of THE HINDU, 14 April 2017

What‟s Inside:

• News Analysis

• News Editorials

• Map Study

• MCQs

• Descriptive Question

1. Farmer Suicides: [Documentary: Nero‟s Guests]

FARMER suicides in the country spiked by over 40 per cent

between 2014 and 2015. While 2014 saw 5,650 farmer

suicides, the figure crossed 8,000 in 2015. NCRB data

• Maharashtra continues to witness the highest number of

farmer suicides. The state saw an 18 per cent jump

between 2014 and 2015 — from 2,568 to 3,030.

• Telangana, which came in at second place in 2015,

recorded over 1,350 farmer suicides, up from 898.

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Page 7

S.C. says: fundamental right of expression includes “the

right to be informed and the right to know and the feeling

of protection of expansive connectivity” the Internet offers on the click of a button.

Prohibition should kick in only if the content found online is violative of Section 22 (prohibition of advertisement relating to pre-natal determination of sex) under the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection)

(PCPNDT) Act of 1994.

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The three Internet search engines — Microsoft, Google India and

Yahoo! India — gave their assurances to the Supreme Court that

they would neither advertise nor sponsor advertisements violative

of the PNPCDT Act.

Q. What is your observation?

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Page 10

Elections: There should be no iota

of Doubt about transparency of

Elections.

Political parties are an important constituent in our democracy.

EC- VVPAT in 2019 General elections.

Question 1: Which constitution amendment reduced voting age from 21

to 18.

2. Should the age to contest Lok Sabha election be reduced to 21 years?

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Page 10

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act.

The constitutional declaration of its abolition under Article 17

of the Constitution.

What is the percentage of S.C.s and S.T.s according to latest

census.

Which 5 states have got largest S.C./S.T. population.

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Page 11.

• India and the U.K. on agreed to cooperate on developing advanced defence products such as high-end gas turbine enginesand air defence missile systems and to cooperate on some aspects of aircraft carrier technology.

• Collaboration is underway between Rolls-Royce and the Defence Research and Development Organisation on the engine technology.

• Vikrant trial in 2018: India‟s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is in an advanced stage of production

• DRDO- established in which year?

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Page 11: EPFO

1. Employees‟ Provident Fund Organisation subscribers for 20 years or more will get a loyalty-cum-life benefit of up to ₹50,000 at the time of retirement.

2. The benefit will be provided in case of permanent disability even if the members have contributed for less than 20 years, the EPFO Board has decided.

3. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the organisation has recommended a minimum sum assured of ₹2.5 lakh in the event of the death of a subscriber.

[Basel- situated where? Basel norms to be implemented from?]

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Page 12: Trump lips on NATO, China.

1. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the military

alliance of the U.S., Canada, 25 European countries and

Turkey, is Good!!! [NATO- estd.???]

2. The NATO summit in Warsaw last year had resolved to

prepare itself to face threats from two fronts— Russia and

Islamists. [Warsaw???].

3. The President also abandoned his earlier position that

China was a currency manipulator.

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Business Page: 13 FRBM Panel on States. [Economic Times]

1. For states, the FRBM panel has suggested a fiscal deficit glide

path of 0.16 per cent per annum over a period of eight years.

2. As per the N K Singh-headed panel report, the combined fiscal

deficit of states needs to be brought down from 2.82 per cent in

the current fiscal to 1.70 per cent in 2024-25.

3. In case of debt-GDP ratio of states, the report said it ought to be

reduced from 21.65 per cent this fiscal to 21.02 per cent in

2024-25. In case of the Centre, however, the panel wants the

fiscal deficit should be brought down to 2.5 per cent by 2022-23

from 3.2 per cent in the current fiscal.

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Editorial 1: Hike of fuel prices: On a glide path?

Right Step:

• If one considers the latest price change effected by oil companies

(a ₹3.77 reduction per litre in the price of petrol accompanied by

a ₹2.91 cut for diesel on March 31), the case for a daily price

reset makes eminent sense.

• It is illogical for an economy integrated with the global financial

and commodity markets to keep fuel prices unchanged for as

much as a fortnight, aligning prices daily and

• Spreading out the degree of change will lessen the impact on

consumers, on both the upside and the downside.

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• A more gradual ascent or descent in fuel prices, rather than abrupt

shifts over randomly selected intervals, makes good sense, given

how closely our fiscal outlook is tied to oil price movements.

• Deregulation: was necessary as previous attempts at abandoning the

administered price mechanism for India‟s largely import-

dependent consumption of petroleum products never really took off,

even as subsidies distorted the system further.

• The latest price cuts(2 months) Overlapping with the Assembly

elections in five States. A transparently formulated and dynamic

pricing regime would hopefully prevent such distortionary

coincidences in the future.

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More Benefits:

1. It would also allow private companies to compete with the

PSU oil marketers, which today control 95% of fuel outlets.

2. The government, on its part, must start winding down the

extremely high petroleum product taxes imposed since June

2014, when oil prices began to fall, along with its energy

subsidy liabilities.

[India signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday

that allows the Gulf OPEC country to fill half of an underground

crude oil storage facility at Mangalore, Karnataka.]

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Editorial 2: Ahmedinajad‟s bid for Presidency.

• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered himself as a candidate in

Iran‟s presidential election scheduled for May 19.

• After leaving the office of President in 2013 at the end of two

controversial terms, the firebrand populist has been largely

inactive in politics.

• He began as a favourite of the ayatollahs, but during his

second term he had a turbulent relationship with Ayatollah Ali

Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who asked him not to run

for President again.

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• Ahmadinejad‟s defiant return to the race shows the

growing significance of hard-line politics in a charged

region.(Why charged region).

• He was ziddi in dealing with Israel and the U.S., refusing to

meaningfully negotiate with the West over Iran‟s nuclear

programme despite crippling economic sanctions.

Upcoming Election sgnificance:

• This election is crucial for Iran as it is seen as a

referendum on the nuclear deal it reached in 2015 with

global powers.

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• President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the deal on the

promise that better ties with the West would help improve

Iran‟s economy, is expected to seek re-election.

• He faces challenges from hardliners, who say Iran needs a

stronger leader who can stand up to Donald Trump‟s

America.

• The rising anti-Iran rhetoric of the Trump administration,

which imposed new sanctions on Tehran over a missile test,

has given the hardliners a fresh handle.

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Election process:

Clerical Guardian Council

National Interest

120 Candidates Final list: A few will be left.

Thereafter, the election is expected to be free. It is not clear if Mr. Ahmadinejad intends to stay as a candidate or plans to shape the election agenda in favour of the hardliners.

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As of now, the most powerful conservative candidate is Ebrahim Raisi, a close ally of Ayatollah Khamenei and a clear favourite of the clerical establishment.

• For the conservatives, this is an opportunity to reclaim the presidency — one of the three main pillars of the Iranian state, but the only one with a popular mandate — and reclaim legitimacy for their hard-line agenda.

• For the moderates, the challenge is to push back the Strongman narrative of the conservatives and shape the agenda around economic development and incremental freedoms, as opposed to strengthening theocracy and a stand-off with the West.

• In 2013, Mr. Rouhani had shown the political aptitude to stitch together an alliance with moderates as well as conservatives who had fallen out with the clerical establishment.

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Lead Article: Courting Faith and Reason.

The Challenger space shuttle exploded in 1986.

Then, a teacher of sociology who said the disaster occurred

because of “normalisation of deviance”. The phrase meant that

“people within the organisation become so much accustomed to a

deviant behaviour that they don't consider it as deviant,

• Today, on B.R. Ambedkar‟s 126th birth anniversary, violence

over cow slaughter threatens the Republic and his magnificent

Constitution which gave us a secular country with a

fundamental right to life and liberty assured to every citizen.

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It is time to recount Ambedkar‟s normalisation of deviance in the Constituent Assembly on the question of cow protection.

In 1948, Ambedkar published his book The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables?

He wrote: “In the first place, we have the fact that the Untouchables or the main communities which compose them eat the dead cow and those who eat the dead cow are tainted with untouchability and no others.

The co-relation between untouchability and the use of the dead cow is so great and so close that the thesis that it is the root of untouchability seems to be incontrovertible.

In the second place if there is anything that separates the Untouchables from the Hindus, it is beef-eating.

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The reason why only these people became Untouchables was because in addition to being Buddhists they retained their habit of beef-eating which gave additional ground for offence to the Brahmins to carry their new-found love and reverence to the cow to its logical conclusion.

However, in the Constituent Assembly debates around the same time, Ambedkar was not as vocal against „cow reverers‟.

• In February 1948, the first draft of the Constitution contained no reference to cow slaughter.

• The cow protection brigade within the Assembly pushed for an amendment seeking for cow protection as a fundamental right. Ambedkar and his team of draftsmen came up with a constitutional compromise.

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• A directive principle, seemingly based on economic and

scientific grounds, was allowed to be introduced by Pandit

Thakurdas Bhargava,

• It read: “The State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and

animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in

particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds,

and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other

milch and draught cattle.

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Seth Govind Das, amplified Ambedkar‟s lawyerly thinking in

the matter. “I had then stated that just as the practice of

untouchability was going to be declared an offence so also we

should declare the slaughter of cows to be an offence. But it was

said that while untouchability directly affected human beings, the

slaughter of cows affected the life of animals only and that as

fundamental rights were for human beings, this provision could

not be included therein.

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• A bench of five judges of the Supreme Court in the 1959 case

of Mohammed Hanif Quareshi v the State of Bihar

strengthened the compromise when it did not uphold a

complete ban on slaughter.

• Bhargava, appearing as an amicus{friend of Court} in this

matter, submitted that the directive principle of cow protection

in Article 48 ought to have primacy over any fundamental

right of the petitioners.

• Turning him down, the court said that “a harmonious

interpretation has to be placed upon the Constitution

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S.C. So interpreted it means that the State should certainly implement the directive principles but it must do so in such a way that its laws do not take away or abridge the fundamental rights”.

The court finally concluded:

“(i) a total ban on the slaughter of cows of all age and calves of cows and calves of she-buffaloes, male and female, is quite reasonable and valid and is in consonance with the directive principles laid down in Art. 48;

(ii) a total ban on the slaughter of she-buffaloes or breeding bulls or working bullocks (cattle as well as buffaloes) as long as they are as milch or draught cattle is also reasonable and valid; and

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(iii) a total ban on the slaughter of she-buffaloes, bulls and bullocks (cattle or buffalo) after they cease to be capable of yielding milk or of breeding or working as draught animals cannot be supported as reasonable in the interest of the general public.”

This formulation held till 2005 when a 7-judge bench was constituted by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti with five vegetarian judges on it. The resultant judgment had the Supreme Court — by a 6-1 majority — permitting State governments to impose total bans on cow slaughter. The reasoning was that “Times have changed; so have changed the social and economic needs… there is no escape from the conclusion that the protection conferred by impugned enactment on cow progeny is needed in the interest of Nation‟s economy.

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Justice A.K. Mathur dissented on the principle of stare decisis —

that long-settled positions of law should not be easily reversed —

adding, “There is no material change in ground realities

warranting reversal of earlier decisions.”

Stare decisis:- Standing by earlier judgement.

Questions for our Republic:

The questions that today haunt our Republic are — would

the country not have been safer and better off had Ambedkar

stuck to his first draft, which had no reference to cow

slaughter at all?

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Did he allow a “normalisation of deviance” from the

constitutional norm of secularism when he allowed a religious

belief to be disguised as an economic principle? Has the Supreme

Court done justice to the original intent of Ambedkar‟s

magnificent Constitution by reversing itself to keep up with

political fashions of the day? A Challenger need not explode for

us to realise that deviance into vigilantism can‟t always be

normalised.

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Censorship

Arguments Against:

-S. Rangarajan v P. Jagjivan Ram case: “Movie motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention.

The focusing of an intense light on a screen with the dramatizing of facts and opinion makes the ideas more effective (Sunny Deol)

Thus Censorship is necessary.

The Supreme Court went on to cite an academic study according to which “continual exposure to films of a similar character” would significantly affect the attitude of an individual or a group.

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1. Colonial hangover: The Cinematograph Act of 1952 was derived from colonial censorship laws. But the world has changed dramatically: audiences no longer run out of movie halls like they did watching The Arrival of a Train, fearful of the locomotive advancing towards them.

2. The Average Visual Literacy Rate: The average „visual literacy level‟ has gone up dramatically in this age of 24x7 TV, YouTube and video-selfies.

3. The state considers every citizen rational enough to make serious, life-affecting decisions like who to vote for (at 18), who to marry (at 21), what career to choose, investments to make etc

Solution: Yes, India is a diverse society. Yes, there will always be

grievances from some section of civil society. And yes, we need

an arbitration mechanism to address a wide range of concerns.

We need a multi-layered solution to Censorship regime in India.

(i) The industry must set up the Film Council of India to deal with civil

society grievances.

(ii) The CBFC‟s scope must be limited to certification, with no powers

to maim, mutilate or ban any film.

(iii )For any film it finds „objectionable‟, the CBFC should refer it to

the Film Certification Tribunal. The tribunal comprising retired

judges, lawyers, filmmakers, writers and artists must become the sole

forum for a considered dialogue with the filmmaker.

The final recommendations of the Shyam Benegal Committee

are disappointing as they chose not to examine any of the

“reasonable restrictions” U/A Article 19(2) into the

Cinematograph Act.

Much of the political censorship that our cinema, particularly

documentary films, are subjected to stem from these holy cow

exceptions, especially as they allow politically partisan

members of the CBFC to intervene and subvert free speech.

Censorship has no space in a mature democracy.

Arguments for: Total censorship and absolute freedom are problematic. India has varying needs.

1. The same freedom enshrined in the Constitution applies to cinema as well. Neither cinema nor the press are separately listed in the Constitution, though they are derived from Article 19 (1)(a) expression.

2. The balance has been elaborated in the form of restrictions to freedom of expression under Article 19 (2) and these are (1) Sovereignty and integrity of India, (2) The security of the state, (3) Friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.

In the sense, there will be reasonable restrictions to free

speech which affects the country‟s integrity and disturbs

public order, decency and so on and so forth.

2. Vetting important: The idea behind vetting is to ensure that

people do not get exposed to potentially psychologically

dangerous material.

3. The combination of speech and sight and action in the

semi-dark environment of a theatre can impact viewers in

ways we cannot even imagine.

3. Films as a medium of entertainment require a different

treatment from books or newspapers. Watching a film is

not like reading a newspaper. That is why films have to be

certified in order for them to be exhibited in a public place

according to age as Unrestricted, Adult or Under Parental

Guidance or Special category.

Neutral Stand:-

1. The name of the Central Board of Film Censors was changed to the Central Board of Film Certification in 1983 and that pretty much explains the responsibility of the CBFC.

2. The certification should make it clear that UA means watching films under parental guidance.

3. It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that he or she accompanies the child.

4. Movies certified Adult should not be censored at all.

5. Like the West, we should have a child-centric certification, one which seeks to protect our children against adult content. The certification board should certify and not censor.

However, it is not as easy:

1. Hate Speech

2. Also, when a film creates hostility between

Communities/Gender or caste.

CBFC- Focuses on one particular dialogue or scene. It should

rather see the context.

Basic argument: If we don‟t engage, how will we critique

anything? This nervousness with examining issues has created a

strange situation where we censor rather than examine the

context.

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MCQs Dated 13th April 2017

Question.1 Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria. Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine ? (a) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium (b) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection (c) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria (d) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host

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Question 2. Consider the following statements: 1. The boundaries of a National Park are defined by legislation. 2. A Biosphere Reserve is declared to conserve a few specific species of flora and fauna. 3. In a Wildlife Sanctuary, limited „ biotic interference is permitted.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct ? (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

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Q3. In the context of the affairs of which of the

following is the phrase “Special Safeguard

Mechanisms” mentioned in the news frequently ?

(a) United Nations Environment Programme

(b) World Trade Organisation

(c) ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement

(d) G-20 Summits

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Q4. Consider the following statements : 1. Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions. 2. India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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.

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Descriptive Question. 13th April

Analyse the achievements under FRBM Act 2003 of the Centre on one hand and the states on the other hand. Also cite the related articles governing the borrowing power of the State Govts?

Ans. [FRBMA- ARTICLE 292]

Currently, India‟s Debt-GDP ratio stands at 67%. The Centre alone accounts for 49% of this debt.

States have collectively performed relatively better than the Union. States Collectively have a revenue surplus.

Reason- VAT- higher Tax revenue.

Article 293(3)- Centre gives loans, guarantees.

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MCQs For 14th April 2017. Q1. If a wetland of international importance is brought under the

„Montreux Record‟, what does it imply?

(a) Changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or

are likely to occur in the wetland as a result of human interference.

(b) The country in which the wetland is located should enact a law to

prohibit any human activity within five kilo metres from the edge of

the wetland

(c) The survival of the wetland depends on the cultural practices and

traditions of certain communities living in its vicinity and therefore the

cultural diversity therein should not be destroyed

(d) It is given the status of „World Heritage Site‟

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Q2. With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements:

1.‟Photovoltaics‟ is a technology that generates electricity by direct conversion of light into electricity, while „Solar Thermal‟ is a technology that utilizes the Sun‟s rays to generate heat which is further used in electricity generation process.

2. Photovoltaics generates Alternating Current (AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC).

3. India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics.

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Q3. Consider the following pairs:

1. Dampa Tiger Reserve : Mizoram

2. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary : Sikkim

3. Saramati Peak : Nagaland

Which of the above pairs is /are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

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Q4. Which one of the following is the largest Committee of

the Parliament?

(a) The Committee on Public Accounts

(b) The Committee on Estimates

(c) The Committee on Public Undertakings

(d) The Committee on Petitions.

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Q5. The terms „Marginal Standing Facility Rate‟ and „Net

Demand and Time Liabilities‟, sometimes appearing in

news, are used in relation to:

(a) banking operations

(b) communication networking

(c) military strategies

(d) supply and demand of agricultural products