[Mission 2022] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 03 June 2022 – INSIGHTSIAS

GS Paper 2:

Syllabus: India’s neighbourhood relations.

Afghanistan’s Taliban govt:

Context:

For the first time since the Taliban takeover, India has sent an official delegation to Afghanistan, led by J.P. Singh, joint secretary at MEA.

Areas of discussion:

Resumption of stalled infrastructure projects, activation of diplomatic ties, and restarting the issue of visas for Afghan students and patients.

India’s assistance so far:

• In terms of humanitarian assistance, India has sent 20,000 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat, 13 tonnes of medicines, 500,000 doses of Covid vaccines, and winter clothing for the Afghan people so far.
• This aid has been distributed through international organisations like the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF because India doesn’t have people on the ground to distribute it.

India’s stand on Afghanistan after Taliban takeover:

• Under India’s presidency, UNSC adopted resolution 2593. It stated that the territory of Afghanistan is not to be used to threaten any country or shelter terrorists.
• Participated in the UN High-Level Meeting on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan held in September. In this meeting, India called for normalisation of regular commercial operations of Kabul airport which could help the flow of relief material to Afghans.
• India hosted the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan in November 2021.

What’s the issue?

Taliban has taken full control of Afghanistan. People have no jobs and incomes. Over 22 million Afghans will suffer food insecurity last winter as a drought driven by climate change adds to their woes. This will force them to choose between migration and starvation.

Significance of Afghan stability :

• Can have spill over to Neighbouring central Asian countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekiatan etc
• Taliban resurgence will revive extremism in the region and the region can become a safe sanctuary for Let,ISIS etc.
• Civil war in Afghanistan will lead to a refugee crisis in Central Asia and beyond.
• Afghanistan’s stability will help the Central Asian countries with the shortest access to the seaports of the Indian ocean.
• Afghanistan has been an important link in the regional trade, cultural, playing the role of a connecting bridge for Central and the rest of the world.

Why is it imperative now for India to engage with the Taliban?

• Taliban is now having a significant presence in Afghanistan.
• India is already having huge investments in Afghanistan.To secure assets worth $3 billion, India should engage with all parties in Afghanistan.
• Taliban engaging with Pak deep state will not be in India’s best interest.
• If India does not engage now Russia, Iran, Pakistan and China will emerge as the shapers of Afghanistan’s political and geopolitical destiny, which for sure will be detrimental to Indian interests.

Need of the hour:

• Urgent need to collectively act for the safety of Afghan civilians by checking violence by Taliban
• Afghanistan should be given enough space in Central Asian architectures like SCO (Shanghai cooperation organisation)
• The USA,Iran,China,and Russia should actively involve India to maintain stability in Afghanistan.
• Unified action for the refugee crisis if it arises.
• Indian engagement with Taliban to maintain peace with immediate neighbours.

Insta Curious:

Know about the US- Taliban peace deal: https://www.insightsonindia.com/2021/01/27/u-s-taliban-peace-deal/.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About Taliban.
2. Afghan Crisis.
3. About NATO.
4. India’s investments in Afghanistan Projects.

Mains Link:

Discuss why India should engage with Afghanistan now.

Q.1) Afghanistan is bordered by:

1. 1. Turkmenistan
   2. Uzbekistan
   3. Tajikistan

Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1. 1 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. Both.
   4. None.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 2:

Syllabus: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

Context:

India and Sweden recently hosted the Industry Transition Dialogue in Stockholm, as a part of their joint initiative i.e. Leadership for Industry Transition (LeadIT).

About LeadIT:

• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
• It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• Purpose: LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• The Management Board is made up of representatives from Sweden, India, and the World Economic Forum.
• The Secretariat is responsible for managing the work of the Leadership Group and is hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

Members:

Currently, the Group has a membership of 16 countries and 19 companies including Dalmia Cement, Mahindra Group and SpiceJet from India.

What is the significance of the LeadIT Initiative?

Industry sectors together contribute about 30% of the total CO2 emissions. Hence, initiatives like LeadIT to drive low carbon development pathways in the industry sector are critical for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About LeadIT.
2. About WEF.
3. Goals of Paris Agreement.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of Paris Agreement.

Q.2) Consider the following statements:

1. 1. As part of the Paris Agreement, India pledged a 33%–35% reduction in the “emissions intensity” of its economy by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.
   2. Paris Agreement was adopted and came into effect in 2017.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. Both.
   4. None.

Sources: the Hindu.

GS Paper 3:

Syllabus: Awareness in space.

Context:

India’s first liquid-mirror telescope- International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) has now entered the commissioning phase and will start scientific observations some time in October this year.

About the International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT):

It is located at an altitude of 2,450 metres on the Devasthal Observatory campus of the Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital district, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

• It is the only liquid-mirror telescope operational anywhere in the world.
• It will also hold the unique tag of being the maiden liquid-telescope globally to be designed exclusively for astronomical purposes.
• This international telescope facility is the result of collaborative work between astronomers from Canada, Belgium and India.

Features of the Telescope:

• Unlike the conventional telescopes that can be steered to track specific stellar source objects, the ILMT will be stationary.
• It will basically carry out observations and imaging at the zenith, that is, of the overhead sky.
• This is a survey telescope having high potential for discovering newer objects.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About India’s first liquid-mirror telescope.
2. ARIES Telescope.
3. Nanital Telescope.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT).

Q.3) Consider the following statements regarding the International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT):

1. 1. It is located in Nainital.
   2. It is the only liquid-mirror telescope operational anywhere in the world.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. Both.
   4. None.

Sources: Indian Express.

GS Paper 3:

Syllabus: Environment and Conservation related issues.

Context:

31st May is observed as ‘World No Tobacco Day’ every year to spread awareness around the deadly effects of tobacco consumption.

• The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
• In 1988, Resolution WHA 42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.
• Theme for 2022: “Tobacco: Threat to our environment.” This drive aims to create awareness among the public on the detrimental impact of tobacco cultivation, production, distribution, and waste on the environment, besides human health.
• The WHO has selected Jharkhand for the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award-2022.

Impact of tobacco on environment:

• About 3.5 million hectares of land are cleared for growing tobacco each year.
• It causes deforestation mainly in the developing nations.
• Tobacco cultivation results in soil degradation, making it infertile to support the growth of other crops or vegetation.
• Tobacco contributes 84 megatons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year.
• Around twenty-two billion litres of water is consumed in the production of cigarettes every year.
• Tobacco is a very nutrient-hungry crop, and it depletes soil nutrients more rapidly.

Tobacco cultivation in India:

It is one of the important cash crops.

• Today, India is the second-largest crop producer in the world after China.
• Around 760 million kg of Tobacco is grown in India on about 40 lakh hectares of land.
• The sector provides jobs to millions of people and contributes as much as Rs.22,737 crore as excise duty and Rs.5,969 crore in foreign exchange to the national treasury.

Impact on health:

• It is estimated that about 29% of the adult Indian population consumes Tobacco. Most commonly, it is consumed as Smokeless Tobacco Products like khaini, gutkha, and zarda.
• The smokeless forms pose high risks of oral and oesophageal cancer.
• Their consumption by pregnant women can also lead to stillbirth and low birth weight in infants.
• People addicted to smoking are at very high risk of uterine cervix, and bone marrow cancers.
• Tobacco kills more people than tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria combined worldwide.
• Tobacco farmers are prone to suffer from a work-related ailment known as “Green Tobacco Sickness” (GTS), which is caused mainly by nicotine absorption via the skin.

Efforts by Government in this regard:

• The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA 2003): This Act includes the prohibition of smoking in public places, advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco products, sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products to anyone below the age of 18 years, and prohibition of selling areas like schools, colleges, etc.
• To make India addiction-free, the Government has launched programmes like National Tobacco Control Programme and Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
• Crop diversification programme: Farmers are encouraged to replace tobacco crops with less water-consuming alternatives to conserve water and soil.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About Tobacco Cultivation in India.
2. National Tobacco Control Programme.
3. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
4. Crop diversification programme.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of world no Tobacco Day.

Q.4) Consider the following statements:

1. 1. The WHO has selected Jharkhand for the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award-2022.
   2. India is the second-largest crop producer in the world after China.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1. 1 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. Both.
   4. None.

Sources: Down to Earth.

GS Paper 3:

Syllabus: Biotechnology related issues.

Context:

Health ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) highly industrialised countries recently recognised antimicrobial resistance was a bigger threat to low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) even though fighting it was a shared responsibility.

Concerns associated:

• Nearly 700,000 people die of AMR every year.
• The toll can rise to as many as 10 million by 2050 and eat up 3.8 per cent of annual global gross domestic product (GDP).

Proposed plan by G7:

1. To establish new international integrated surveillance systems.
2. Improve existing systems to monitor AMR and antibiotics use among humans, animals and plants and the effect on the environment.
3. Enhance the scientific basis to inform risk assessments and identify opportunities for mitigation.
4. To promote prudent and appropriate use of antimicrobials through 2023 by defining national measurable targets on AMR in line with domestic authorities, including antibiotic usage in human health.
5. To prepare the upcoming report on infection prevention and control and present it at the World Health Summit in Berlin in October.

What is Antibiotic resistance?

It is the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it. As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.

Why is Antimicrobial resistance a silent threat of the future?

• Antibiotics have saved millions of lives till date. Unfortunately, they are now becoming ineffective as many infectious diseases have ceased to respond to antibiotics.
• Even though antimicrobial resistance is a natural process, the misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process.
• A large number of infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and gonorrhea are becoming very difficult to treat since the antibiotics used for their treatment are becoming less effective.
• Globally, use of antibiotics in animals is expected to increase by 67% by 2030 from 2010 levels. The resistance to antibiotics in germs is a man-made disaster.
• Irresponsible use of antibiotics is rampant in human health, animal health, fisheries, and agriculture.
• Complex surgeries such as organ transplantation and cardiac bypass might become difficult to undertake because of untreatable infectious complications that may result post-surgery.

Measures Taken to Address AMR (India):

• National Programme on AMR containment: Launched in 2012.
• National Action Plan on AMR was launched in April 2017.
• AMR Surveillance and Research Network (AMRSN) was launched in 2013.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. What is Antibiotic resistance?
2. What are antibodies?
3. Milk production and consumption in India.
4. What are critically important antibiotics (CIAs)?

Mains link:

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest health challenges of the 21st century. Examine why. 

Q.5) Antibiotic resistance can be caused by?

1. 1. Bacteria.
   2. Viruses.
   3. Algae.

Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1. 1 only.
   2. 2 only.
   3. Both.
   4. None.

Sources: Down to Earth.

GS Paper 3:

Syllabus: Conservation related issues.

Context:

The 50th anniversary of the Stockholm conference is being observed.

About the Stockholm conference:

• The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm between June 5 to June 16, 1972.
• It was the first such worldwide convergence on planetary environment, with the theme ‘Only One Earth’.
• It resulted in the Stockholm Declaration which contained principles and an Action Plan containing recommendations for environmental policy.

The three dimensions of this conference were:

1. Countries agreeing not to “harm each other’s environment or the areas beyond national jurisdiction”.
2. An action plan to study the threat to Earth’s environment.
3. Establishment of an international body called the UN Environment programme (UNEP) to bring in cooperation among countries.

Significance and outcomes of the Stockholm Conference:

• Until 1972, no country had an environment ministry.
• Norwegian delegates returned from the conference to set up a ministry for the environment.
• India set up its ministry of environment and forest in 1985.

Insta Curious:

• Did you know that Stockholm Conference is also known as the Swedish Initiative?
• It is because in 1968 Sweden first proposed the idea of the Stockholm conference.

Q.6) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty drawn at:

1. 1. United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 1972.
   2. UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
   3. World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002.
   4. UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, 2009.

Sources: Down to Earth.