UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 2 May 2024

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically.

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically.

Table of Contents:

GS Paper 3:

• Evaluation of Street Vendors Act, 2014

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

• Impact of GI-certified products

• India’s High Food Inflation

• Reports/Study in News

• Ethylene

• Goldman Environmental Prize

• Pakistan’s Hangor class submarine

Mapping

• Indian Ocean

Evaluation of Street Vendors Act, 2014

#### GS Paper 2

Syllabus: Governance

Source: TH

Context: The Street Vendors Act, implemented in 2014, faces challenges despite being hailed as progressive.

Who are Street Vendors?

Street vendors are individuals who sell goods or services in public spaces such as sidewalks, streets, or markets. They often operate small businesses, selling a variety of items ranging from food and beverages to clothing, accessories, and household goods. In India, approximately 50 lakh street vendors have been identified. Uttar Pradesh leads with over 8 lakh, followed by Madhya Pradesh with over 7 lakh.

Significance of Street Vendors:

Street vendors (comprising an average of 2.5% of the city population) play a crucial role in urban India by serving diverse functions, including providing essential daily services like fresh produce and affordable food. They are integral to Indian culture, contributing iconic dishes like Mumbai’s vada pav and Chennai’s dosai.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Street Vendors in India:

Constitutional Provision | Description

Right to Trade | Article 19 (1) (g) grants Indian citizens the fundamental right to practice any profession and carry on any occupation, trade, or business.

Equality Before Law | Article 14 ensures that the state cannot deny any person equality before the law or equal protection of the laws within India’s territory.

Social Justice | The preamble declares India as a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic, aiming to secure justice, social, economic, and political.

Directive Principles | Article 38(1) instructs the state to promote the welfare of the people by establishing a social order where justice is prevalent in all aspects.

Article 38(2) mandates the minimization of inequalities in income, status, facilities, and opportunities.

Article 39(a) requires the state to create policies ensuring both men and women have the right to adequate means of livelihood.

Article 41 guarantees the right to work within the state’s economic capacity.

About Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014:

It was enacted to address the challenges faced by street vendors in India by regulating their activities and safeguarding their rights. This legislation aimed to create a conducive environment for street vendors to carry out their businesses while also protecting their interests.

Objectives of the Street Vendors Act, 2014:

• Regulation of Street Vending: The Act aims to regulate street vending activities by demarcating vending zones and implementing a participatory process for the formation of Town Vending Committees (TVCs). Town Vending Committees (TVCs) will comprise street vendor representatives comprising 40% of members, including 33% women. These committees oversee vendor inclusion and address grievances. The Street Vendors Act ensures the inclusion of all existing vendors in vending zones by issuing vending certificates

• The Act aims to regulate street vending activities by demarcating vending zones and implementing a participatory process for the formation of Town Vending Committees (TVCs).

• Town Vending Committees (TVCs) will comprise street vendor representatives comprising 40% of members, including 33% women. These committees oversee vendor inclusion and address grievances.

• The Street Vendors Act ensures the inclusion of all existing vendors in vending zones by issuing vending certificates

• Protection of Livelihoods: The Act intends to protect the livelihoods of street vendors by providing legal recognition for their occupation and preventing arbitrary evictions.

• The Act intends to protect the livelihoods of street vendors by providing legal recognition for their occupation and preventing arbitrary evictions.

• Promotion of Inclusive Urban Development: The Act seeks to promote inclusive urban development by integrating street vendors into the urban planning process and ensuring their participation in decision-making.

• The Act seeks to promote inclusive urban development by integrating street vendors into the urban planning process and ensuring their participation in decision-making.

• Ensuring Social Security and Welfare: The Act aims to improve the social security and welfare of street vendors by providing them with access to credit, social schemes, and protection against harassment.

• The Act aims to improve the social security and welfare of street vendors by providing them with access to credit, social schemes, and protection against harassment.

• Recognition of Rights: The Act recognizes the rights of street vendors to carry out their trade without harassment, arbitrary confiscation of goods, or extortion.

• The Act recognizes the rights of street vendors to carry out their trade without harassment, arbitrary confiscation of goods, or extortion.

• The Act also proposes a Grievance Redressal Committee chaired by a civil judge or judicial magistrate and mandates periodic surveys by States/ULBs to identify street vendors every five years.

Evaluating the objectives

• Positive Impact on Regulation: The Act has brought about a more structured approach to street vending by delineating vending zones and involving vendors in decision-making through TVCs.

• The Act has brought about a more structured approach to street vending by delineating vending zones and involving vendors in decision-making through TVCs.

• For Example: In Pune, the implementation of the Act resulted in the formation of TVCs, leading to better organization of street vending activities.

• Safeguarding Livelihoods: The Act has provided legal recognition to street vending as a legitimate occupation, preventing arbitrary evictions and securing the livelihoods of vendors.

• The Act has provided legal recognition to street vending as a legitimate occupation, preventing arbitrary evictions and securing the livelihoods of vendors.

• Example: In Ahmedabad, vendors’ livelihoods were protected as the Act prevented their eviction without proper procedures.

Challenges in Implementation:

Despite the Act’s intentions, challenges such as lack of awareness among vendors, delayed survey and certification, and resistance from local authorities have hindered effective implementation. Example: In some cities, vendors’ access to vending certificates has been delayed due to administrative bottlenecks.

• Administrative challenges: A) Increased harassment and evictions of street vendors. B) Outdated bureaucratic mindset regarding vendors. C) Lack of awareness about the Act among authorities and vendors. D) Limited influence of street vendor representatives and tokenistic representation of women vendors.

• Governance challenges: A) Weak urban governance mechanisms. B) Lack of integration with the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. C) Insufficient powers and capacities of ULBs. D) Top-down urban policies ignoring provisions for vendor inclusion.

• Societal challenges: A) Exclusionary perception of ‘world-class cities’ marginalizing B) City planning and policies view vendors as obstacles to urban growth rather than contributors to the economy.

Way forward:

Ensure timely implementation, addressing gaps in schemes’ accessibility, awareness, and identification. Provide benefits such as maternity allowances, accident relief, and education support. States should prevent harassment of street vendors, safeguarding their right to livelihood. Enhance ULBs’ capacity to plan for street vending. Tackle issues like climate change impact, increased vendor numbers, e-commerce competition, and income reduction

Other Initiatives for Street Vendors:

• SVANidhi Scheme: Launched to support over 50 lakh urban street vendors, including those from peri-urban/rural areas. It promotes digital transactions with cash-back incentives of up to Rs. 1,200 annually.

• National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI): An organization dedicated to safeguarding the livelihood rights of street vendors nationwide. NASVI unites street vendor organizations to advocate for systemic changes.

Conclusion

The Street Vendors Act, 2014, has made significant strides in regulating street vending activities and safeguarding the rights of vendors. Despite challenges in implementation, the Act’s objectives of providing legal recognition, promoting inclusive urban development, and ensuring social security for street vendors mark a positive step towards integrating this informal sector into the urban fabric of India.

Mains Link:

How has globalization led to the reduction of employment in the formal sector of the Indian economy? Is increased informalization detrimental to the development of the country? (UPSC 2016)

Impact of GI-certified products

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

Context: NABARD has initiated a study to evaluate the impact of Geographical Indication (GI) products.

• This study aims to assess the benefits received by artisans and producers due to GI tags.

In India, GI registration is governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.

Administered by the Registrar of Geographical Indications (RGI), it identifies agricultural, natural, or manufactured goods, providing legal protection for 10 years, renewable.

India’s High Food Inflation

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: IE

Context: In 2023, while world food prices experienced a significant decline from their 2022 highs, India saw persistently high food inflation, reaching 9.5% in December 2023. This contrasts sharply with global deflation of -10.1% during the same period.

Factors contributing to the drop in global food prices include:

• An abundant supply of key crops: Bumper harvests in 2023, particularly of wheat, resulted in a surplus in the global market, contrasting with concerns over supply disruptions in 2022.

• Improved supply from Russia and Ukraine: Despite disruptions, both countries maintained wheat exports, easing supply anxieties.

• Lower demand for vegetable oils: Increased vegetable oil supplies and reduced use for biofuel production led to an approx. 32% drop in the UN’s Vegetable Price Index.

• Slowing demand: High inflation and economic recession fears reduced consumer demand, particularly in major food-importing regions, decreasing import demand and lowering global prices.

India’s high food inflation amid falling global food prices can be attributed to several factors:

• Limited transmission of global prices: While world food prices decreased, India’s remained elevated due to limited transmission of international prices to domestic markets, except for edible oils and pulses.

• Export bans and import duties: The Indian government imposed bans on certain food exports and provided import duty waivers, reducing global market influences on domestic prices.

• Domestic production challenges: Weather conditions affecting crop yields, particularly for cereals, pulses, and sugar, contributed to supply shortages and higher prices domestically.

• Low stock levels: Low stock levels for commodities like wheat and sugar exacerbated price pressures.

Food inflation in India is primarily calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Food and Beverages, a key measure tracking price changes of a typical consumer basket. Food carries a weight of 45.9% in the CPI, but its contribution to overall inflation has risen from 48% in April 2022 to 67% in November 2023.

Recent data from the government’s Household Consumption Survey indicates a decline in food’s share of the consumption basket, dropping below 50% for rural consumers and 39% for urban consumers.

Reports/Study in News

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: Multiple

Reports/Study | Description

Study on Methane concentration | A recent study suggests that methane emissions from fossil fuels have been declining since the 1990s and have remained stable since, while methane produced by microbes has been on the rise. This finding challenges previous assumptions that fossil fuel is the main source of methane in the atmosphere.

According to recent estimates, the atmospheric concentration of methane today is three times what it was 300 years ago.

Methane (CH4) accounts for 15–35% of the rise in human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Between 2020 and 2024, methane emissions rose from 15 to around 21 parts per billion (ppb).

Methane is the second most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas after CO2 but has a stronger warming effect. Its global warming potential over a century is 28 times that of CO2, and even higher over shorter periods.

ISRO releases Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) for 2023 | ISSAR 2023, compiled by ISRO’s System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM), shows a rise in space object population.

Concerns include an increasing trend in Collision Avoidance Manoeuvres (CAMs) and risks to spacecraft operations and astronauts’ lives due to space debris, potentially leading to the Kessler syndrome

IS4OM, operational since 2022, safeguards ISRO’s space assets

India has taken proactive steps to mitigate risks associated with space operations and safeguard its space assets e.g., Object Proximity Analysis (SOPA) for Satellites; Collision Avoidance Analysis (COLA) (conducted for launch vehicles to ensure safe trajectories); ISR O’s Network for space object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project (enhances space surveillance capabilities); Inter-Agency Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) (India collaborating with 13 space agencies to manage space debris collectively)

‘Standards for a Net Zero Iron and Steel sector in India’ | Released by the International Energy Agency

The policy brief emphasizes standards for low and near-zero emissions steel (including the promotion of Green Steel), covering measurement methodologies and defining emissions thresholds.

India ranks as the world’s second-largest steel-producing country, contributing 7% of total crude steel productionIndia’s steel industry presently represents 12% of carbon dioxide emissions, a figure projected to double by 2030, fueled by government infrastructure initiatives.

Initiatives to standardize the steel sector in India include the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy of 2019, the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, and the establishment of 14 Task Forces by the Ministry of Steel to support the development of a “Roadmap for Green Steel.” Globally, initiatives such as the Steel Breakthrough launched during COP26 in 2021 and the Steel Standard Principles introduced at COP28 in 2023 focus on defining and establishing measurement methodologies for low and near-zero emissions steel.

The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 association countries (including India) of the IEA represent 75% of global energy demand.

India, which joined the IEA Family as an Association country in 2017, sent a formal request for full membership to IEA ministers in October 2023.

Goldman Environmental Prize

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: IE

Context: Alok Shukla, a forest and tribal rights activist of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan

, has won the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize for his campaign saving over 4 lakh acres of forests in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Aranya region from 21 planned coal mines.

The Hasdeo Aranya forests, spread across 1.70 lakh hectares in Chhattisgarh, are vital for biodiversity, home to 25 endangered species, 92 bird species, and 167 rare plants. The Hasdeo River, fed by these forests, irrigates 741,000 acres of farmland. Chhattisgarh, with 44% forest coverage, ranks third in India.

The award, also known as the Green Nobel, is given by the Goldman Environmental Foundation to grassroots environmental leaders worldwide, with winners receiving USD 200,000.

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: TH

Context: Two individuals were apprehended in Hyderabad for using an artificial ripening agent, ethylene, on mangoes.

• Authorities stated that the use of such chemicals breaches FSSAI guidelines and poses health risks including skin burns, irritation, inflammation, lung irritation, heavy metal poisoning, and neurological issues when consumed.

About Ethylene:

• Ethylene is a colourless, flammable, and lighter-than-air hydrocarbon gas with a sweet, musky odour and the chemical formula C₂H₄ or H₂C=CH₂.

• It is the simplest alkene and the second simplest unsaturated hydrocarbon.

• Ethylene is a plant hormone that regulates growth and senescence and is used in agriculture to ripen fruits and germinate seeds.

• As a fruit matures, it produces ethylene to signal ripening.

• Ethylene is also widely used in the chemical industry, and the world produces more ethylene than any other organic compound.

• Polyethene is produced using ethylene.

Pakistan’s Hangor class submarine

#### Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: IE

Context: Pakistan has unveiled its inaugural Hangor class submarine, designed as a direct counterpart to India’s Kalvari class submarines.

About Kalvari class submarines:

It was constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited under Project-75, are derived from the French Scorpeneclass submarines. These vessels feature diesel-electric propulsion and serve as attack submarines. India currently operates six submarines of this class: Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir, and Vagshir. The Indian Navy is in the process of equipping these submarines with an indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, enabling extended submerged operations for non-nuclear submarines.

Indian Ocean

#### Mapping

Source: TH

Context: A recent study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) predicts a significant warming of the Indian Ocean, leading to a tenfold increase in marine heatwaves, from an average of 20 days per year to 220–250 days per year. The Arabian Sea experiences maximum warming.

Consequences:

This warming trend, largely attributed to global warming, is expected to have severe consequences, including coral bleaching, seagrass destruction, and loss of kelp forests, adversely impacting the fisheries sector. The study also highlights a substantial increase in the ocean’s heat content, which contributes to sea-level rise and affects the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), potentially altering monsoon patterns.

About the Indian Ocean:

The Indian Ocean is the third-largest ocean in the world, covering an area of over 70 million square kilometers. It is bounded by Africa to the west, Asia to the north, Australia to the east, and the Southern Ocean to the south. The ocean is known for its warm waters and diverse marine life, including coral reefs, whales, dolphins, and various species of fish.

Oceans on Earth are (larger to smaller): the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean