UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles
InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. 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.
Table of Contents
GS Paper 2: (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024)
• Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law made more Stringent
Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law made more Stringent
• Counting Nutritional Deficiency Among the Poor
Counting Nutritional Deficiency Among the Poor
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• Vinesh Phogat’s Inspiring Journey to the Olympics
Vinesh Phogat’s Inspiring Journey to the Olympics
Facts for Prelims (FFP)
• Copper
Copper
• QCI Surajya Recognition & Ranking Framework
QCI Surajya Recognition & Ranking Framework
• Kasturi Cotton Bharat
Kasturi Cotton Bharat
• Anaemia Mukt Bharat
Anaemia Mukt Bharat
• Sucralose
Sucralose
• Miombo forest
Miombo forest
• Indian Siris
Indian Siris
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024
#### GS Paper 2:
Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law made more Stringent
Syllabus: Government Policies and Interventions/ Fundamental Rights
Source: TH
Context: Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly amended the 2021 anti-conversion law, making its provisions more stringent.
Aim of the amendments:
The amendment strengthens the 2021 anti-conversion law to curb alleged “organized and well-planned” activities by “foreign and anti-national elements” accused of influencing demographic changes through unlawful conversions. With 427 cases registered under the original Act between January 2021 and April 2023, the goal is to more effectively address these concerns.
Key amendments Introduced:
Amendment Area | Previous Provisions | New Provisions
- 1.Increased Penalties | a) Punishment: 1 to 5 years in prison and a ₹15,000 fine. | a) Punishment: 5 to 10 years in prison and a ₹50,000 fine.
b) Specific Cases: For conversions involving minors, women, or SC/ST, | b) Specific Cases: Penalty raised to 5 to 14 years in prison and a fine of ₹1 lakh.
- 1.New Offenses | a) Not specified. | a) Foreign/Illegal Funds: 7 to 14 years in prison and a ₹10 lakh fine for using illegal funds.
| b) Forced Conversion: 20 years to life imprisonment for conversion through threats, violence, or deceit.
- 1.Complaint Filing | a) Complaint Filer: Only the aggrieved person or close relatives could file complaints. | a) Complaint Filer: Now, any person can file a complaint.
- 2.Bail Provisions | a) Cognizable and Non-Bailable: Offenses were bailable. | a) Cognizable and Non-Bailable: All offences are now cognizable and non-bailable.
b) Bail Conditions: Standard bail provisions. | b) Bail Conditions: Twin conditions of bail, requiring the prosecutor’s input and the court’s satisfaction.
Comparison of Anti-Conversion Laws Across States
• States: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand.
• Notification Requirements: Madhya Pradesh: 60 days. Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand: 30 days. Uttar Pradesh: 60 days + police inquiry.
• Madhya Pradesh: 60 days.
• Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand: 30 days.
• Uttar Pradesh: 60 days + police inquiry.
• Complaint Filing: Other states: Aggrieved person or family. Uttar Pradesh: Any person can file an FIR.
• Other states: Aggrieved person or family.
• Uttar Pradesh: Any person can file an FIR.
• Bail Conditions: Uttar Pradesh: Strict. Other states: Less stringent.
• Uttar Pradesh: Strict.
• Other states: Less stringent.
• Penalties: Uttar Pradesh: 5 years to life. Other states: 2 to 10 years.
• Uttar Pradesh: 5 years to life.
• Other states: 2 to 10 years.
Key Constitutional Provisions related to religious conversions:
Provisions | Details
Article 25 | Guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality, and health. Allows regulation of secular activities associated with religion.
Article 26 | Entitles religious denominations to manage their own religious affairs, subject to public order, morality, and health.
Articles 27-30 | Guarantee the freedom to manage religious affairs, contribute monetarily to religion, and establish and administer educational institutions.
How Has the Supreme Court Interpreted Religious Conversions?
• Stainislaus vs. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977): Article 25(1) allows the spreading of religion but not converting others.
• Sarla Mudgal vs. Union of India (1995) and Lilly Thomas vs. Union of India (2000): Conversions for polygamy are invalid.
• M Chandra vs. M Thangamuthu & Another (2010): Evidence of conversion and acceptance into the new community is required.
• Graham Staines Case (2011): Conversion by force or incitement is unjustifiable.
• Right to Privacy Case (2017): Upholds the right to freedom of religion, with state interference needing to be proportionate.
• Note: No definitive ruling on “propagate” under Article 25 yet.
About Anti-Conversion Laws in India:
• About: Aim to prevent forced, fraudulent, or induced religious conversions.
• Historical Context: Pre-Independence laws restricted conversions; post-Independence central attempts failed.
• State-Level Laws: Enacted in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and other states, often requiring notification or prohibiting forceful conversions.
• Centre’s Stand: Affirms the right to religion excludes coercive conversions; no special law proposed.
• Challenges: Constitutional concerns, burden of proof on accused, impact on interfaith marriages, misuse and targeting of minorities.
• Way Forward: Define key terms clearly, uphold innocence, standardize regulations, consider a national framework, and promote interfaith dialogue.
Prelims Link:
• About Article 21.
• Article 25.
• What has the Allahabad High Court said in the Salamat Ansari-Priyanka Kharwar case?
Mains Link:
The right to choose a partner or live with a person of choice was part of a citizen’s fundamental right to life and liberty. Discuss.
Counting Nutritional Deficiency Among the Poor
Syllabus: Social Justice: Poverty and Hunger Issues
Source: TH
Context: The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (2022-23) has highlighted significant nutritional deficiencies among India’s poor.
Key Findings of the Report
• Expenditure Thresholds: Rural India needs ₹2,197 (₹1,569 for food, ₹628 for non-food); Urban India needs ₹3,077 (₹2,098 for food, ₹979 for non-food) for adequate nourishment.
• The proportion of Poor: 17.1% in rural and 14% in urban areas are considered poor.
• Thresholds for Poorest 10%: Increase to ₹2,395 for rural and ₹3,416 for urban, raising deprivation to 23.2% (rural) and 19.4% (urban).
• Calorie Intake: The poorest 5% consume 1,564 kcal (rural) and 1,607 kcal (urban), below the required 2,172 kcal (rural) and 2,135 kcal (urban).
What is Nutritional Security?
Nutritional security ensures access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food for a healthy life, focusing on both the quality and quantity of food.
Why is it Necessary?
• Holistic Health: Goes beyond calorie intake to ensure a balanced nutrient supply.
• Economic Impact: Improves productivity and reduces healthcare costs, with micronutrient deficiencies costing 0.8%-2.5% of GDP.
• Cognitive Development: Enhances IQ and educational outcomes, breaking poverty cycles.
• Disease Resilience: Strengthens immune response, reducing healthcare burdens.
• Biodiversity: Promotes dietary diversity and supports agricultural biodiversity.
Key Challenges in Handling Nutrition in India
• Economic Inequality: 74% can’t afford a healthy diet.
• Inadequate Dietary Intake: Shift to low-quality, processed foods lacking essential nutrients.
• Poor Sanitation: Only 69% use improved sanitation facilities.
• Lack of Health Infrastructure: Low doctor (0.73) and nurse (1.74) density per 1000 people.
• Delayed/Inconsistent Delivery: Only 50.3% of children receive Anganwadi services.
• Inadequate Monitoring: Poor assessment of program effectiveness.
Other reasons:
• Green Revolution: Focus on staple crops has led to micronutrient deficiencies.
• Climate Change: Affects crop yields and increases food prices.
• Knowledge Gap: Low nutritional literacy impacts dietary choices.
• Urbanization: Leads to food deserts and unhealthy lifestyles.
• Policy Implementation: Inefficiencies and underutilization of funds hinder progress.
• Food Safety: Issues like adulteration and contamination reduce food quality.
• Food Loss: Significant waste and poor storage raise food prices.
Initiatives taken by India:
Initiative | Description
Mission Poshan 2.0 | Focuses on improving maternal nutrition and child feeding norms, integrating multiple schemes.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme | Provides food, preschool education, and primary healthcare to children under 6 and their mothers.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) | Offers financial incentives to pregnant and lactating mothers for health and nutrition.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM Poshan) | Supplies nutritious meals to school children; introduces millets to enhance dietary diversity.
Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) | Aims to improve the nutritional and health status of adolescent girls.
Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA) | Promotes breastfeeding to improve child health and nutrition.
Poshan Vatikas | Establishes nutrition gardens to provide locally grown nutritious food for children and mothers.
Recommendations of the Child Nutrition Report 2024:
• Enhance data systems to assess Child Food Poverty severity.
• Reform food systems to make nutritious foods accessible, affordable, and desirable.
• Utilize health systems for essential nutrition services, including child feeding counselling.
• Transform food, health, and social protection systems for children.
What more needs to be done:
• SBCC Plan:Develop a targeted Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) plan.
• Local Foods: Promote consumption of nutritious, locally available foods.
• Communication: Use local languages and various channels (radio, videos, outreach).
• Nutrition-Integrated Welfare: Expand programs like PDS to include diverse, nutrient-rich foods and introduce nutrition education.
• Nutrition Coupons: Provide customized food coupons for malnourished families to buy nutrient-rich foods.
• School Nutrition Hubs: Revamp Mid-Day Meals with balanced diets, school gardens, and health check-ups.
• Nutri-Preneur Program: Support businesses focusing on nutrition with funding and mentorship.
• Nutrition Surveillance: Set up a system for real-time nutritional data and emergency responses.
• Nutri-Smart Agriculture: Promote diverse, nutrient-rich crops with incentives for farmers.
• Community Champions: Train local volunteers to educate and counsel on nutrition.
Insta Links:
• Acute malnutrition risking 30 million children’s lives
Mains Link:
How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India? (UPSC 2018)
Prelims Link:
Which of the following is/are the indicators/ indicators used by IFPRI to compute the Global Hunger Index Report? (UPSC 2016)
• Undernourishment
• Child stunting
• Child mortality
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 3 only
Ans: C
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
Vinesh Phogat’s Inspiring Journey to the Olympics
Source: The Better India
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic journey was marked by resilience despite recent setbacks. Although disqualified from the Paris 2024 Olympics for exceeding the weight limit by 100 grams, Phogat’s achievements remain remarkable. Just a day before, she defeated Japan’s Yui Susaki, the reigning Olympic champion, to become the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final.
Key ethical values from Vinesh Phogat’s life:
• Resilience: Overcoming setbacks and criticism to continue pursuing her goals.
• Determination: Persisted despite injuries, controversies, and disqualification.
• Courage: Took a stand for justice and faced challenges head-on esp. during wrestler’s protest
• Commitment: Dedicated herself to wrestling and the future of young wrestlers.
• Selflessness: Fought not only for her career but for the betterment of others in her sport.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Copper
Source: TH
Context: Many miners are seeking to register copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for delivery against London Metal Exchange (LME) contracts.
• This move would provide financing opportunities for producers in an oversupplied market and generate fee income for the LME, which has not accepted new Russian metal.
Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, making it essential for electrical wiring and electronics.
The top copper-producing countries include Chile, Peru, China, the United States, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
QCI Surajya Recognition & Ranking Framework
Source: PIB
Context: The Quality Council of India (QCI) has launched the QCI Surajya Recognition & Ranking Framework to promote excellence among states, enhancing citizens’ quality of life towards a developed India (Viksit Bharat).
The framework evaluates performance across four pillars: Shiksha (Education), Swasthya (Health), Samriddhi (Prosperity), and Sushasan (Governance).
Key highlights:
• Shiksha: Uttar Pradesh leads in education, with Delhi also performing well.
• Swasthya: Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Manipur excel in health certifications under the Ayushman Arogya Yojana, while Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra top the Medical Entry Level Testing Labs rankings.
• Samriddhi: Gujarat, Karnataka, and Rajasthan lead in economic prosperity through ZED certifications, with Maharashtra and Bihar excelling in the MSME Competitive LEAN Scheme.
Kasturi Cotton Bharat
- •Source: PIB*
Context: The Ministry of Textiles in India has launched the Kasturi Cotton Bharat programme to enhance the traceability, certification, and branding of Indian cotton.
• The programme employs QR-based certification technology and blockchain for end-to-end traceability of Kasturi Cotton Bharat tagged bales.
• A microsite with QR code verification and a blockchain platform has been developed for this purpose. The programme is promoted both nationally and internationally.
Kasturi Cotton Bharat:
A collaborative effort by the Ministry of Textiles, the Cotton Corporation of India, trade bodies, and industry.
Enhance the global competitiveness of Indian cotton through self-regulation, branding, traceability, and certification, creating a sustainable ecosystem for stakeholders.
Implementing Agency: The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) is designated as the apex body for implementing traceability, certification, and branding.
Anaemia Mukt Bharat
Source: PIB
Context: The Indian government is implementing the Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy to reduce anaemia among six key groups: children aged 6-59 months, children 5-9 years, adolescents 10-19 years, women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and lactating women.
• The strategy includes six interventions such as iron-folic acid supplementation, deworming, behaviour change communication campaigns, anaemia testing and treatment, fortified food provision, and addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia.
Sucralose
Source: TH
Context: A recent Indian study highlights the benefits of replacing sucrose with sucralose, a non-nutritive sweetener, in beverages for adults with Type 2 diabetes.
• A randomized controlled trial showed no adverse effects on glucose or HbA1c levels and indicated slight improvements in body weight, waist circumference, and BMI.
About Sucralose:
Sucralose, a substituted disaccharide, is a non-nutritive sweetener that is synthesized by selective chlorination of sucrose at three of the primary hydroxyl groups, involving inversion of configuration at carbon-4, from the gluco- to the galactoanalogue.
Miombo forest
- •Source: DTE*
Context: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) have launched two significant projects to protect the Miombo forest and enhance food security in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
• Miombo Forest Project: This project focuses on sustainable management, biodiversity conservation, and community-based practices in the Miombo forest, benefiting 5,000 families.
• Zim-Moza Agriculture Value Chain & Trade Development Project (Zim-Moza ATDP): This project aims to improve agricultural value chains and trade between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Both projects align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aim to promote resilience against environmental and economic challenges.
Miombo Biome:
• Type: Tropical and subtropical grasslands, bushlands, and savannahs.
• Distribution: Found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Indian Siris
- •Source: TH*
Context: The century-old Indian Siris tree in East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, recently collapsed during the Godavari floods.
• Known for featuring in over a hundred movies, the tree’s fall became viral online as people shared their memories of it.
• The Andhra Pradesh State Forest Department is now working to revive the tree through a 45-day chemical treatment, given the soil fertility and root system.
Indian Siris (Albizia lebbeck):
• Native Range: India and Southeast Asia.
• Family: Fabaceae.
• Characteristics: Deciduous tropical tree.
• Climate and Soil: Thrives in warm, humid climates and can grow in clay, loam, and sandy soils.
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 8 August 2024 [PDF]
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