UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (20TH AUGUST, 2024)

Lateral Entry into Indian Bureaucracy

Syllabus:GS2/Role of Civil Services in a Democracy

Context

• A recent advertisement to recruit 45 members laterally to posts under the aegis of the Union Service Public Commission has sparked controversy.

About the Lateral Entry

• It refers to the practice of recruiting individuals from outside the traditional civil services (such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Revenue Service) to fill senior and mid-level positions in government ministries and departments.
• The appointments are mainly to be made for the posts of the Director, Joint Secretary and also Deputy Secretary.
• A Joint Secretary, appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), has the third highest rank (after Secretary and Additional Secretary) in a Department, and functions as administrative head of a wing in the Department.
• Directors are a rank below that of Joint Secretary.
• These recruits typically come from diverse backgrounds — private sector, academia, or other specialised fields — and are brought in to infuse fresh perspectives, domain expertise, and efficiency into the bureaucracy.

Historical Context

• Congress-Led Rule: The concept of lateral entry isn’t entirely new. During previous Congress-led governments, lateral appointments were made.
  • For instance, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who later became Prime Minister, was appointed as Financial Secretary through lateral entry.
  • Similarly, Montek Singh Ahluwalia served as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission via the same route.
• NDA’s Approach: Under Prime Minister’s leadership, the process of lateral entry was organised and made more transparent. Experts from relevant fields are now recruited on a contractual basis through the UPSC, which aims to enhance efficiency and bring specialised skills into the bureaucracy.

UPSC’s Role

• The UPSC plays a crucial role in lateral entry. Online applications are invited for ministries, departments, public sector undertakings, and autonomous bodies.
• The contractual appointments are initially for three years, extendable based on performance.

Arguments in Favour

• Specialized Talent and Expertise: Proponents argue that lateral entry brings fresh perspectives and specialised skills.
  • By tapping into talent from diverse fields—such as technology, economics, or management—the government can enhance its decision-making processes and service delivery.
• Efficiency and Innovation: Lateral entrants can inject new ideas, improve efficiency, and drive innovation.
  • Their experience in the private sector or academia can lead to more effective policy implementation and administrative reforms.
• Transparency and Meritocracy: When done transparently, lateral entry ensures that qualified individuals are selected based on merit rather than just exam scores. This can strengthen the meritocratic principles of the bureaucracy.
• Shortfalls in number of Recruits: There is nearly 20% shortage of IAS officers in 24 state cadres in India. (Baswan Committee)
  • The number of appointees is insignificant to bridge the gap, especially as India faces a shortage of civil servants

Arguments Against

• Reservation Concerns: Critics worry that lateral entry bypasses reservation policies for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
  • They fear that it might disproportionately affect representation from marginalised communities.
• Lack of Institutional Memory: Traditional civil servants have a deep understanding of bureaucratic processes and institutional memory.
  • Lateral entrants may lack this context, leading to potential challenges in navigating complex administrative systems.
• Risk of Political Influence: There’s a risk that lateral entrants could be politically influenced or used to further specific agendas.
  • Striking the right balance between expertise and neutrality is crucial.

Why does lateral entry sidestep reservations?

• Single-Post Classification: When a ministry advertises a position for lateral entry, it treats it as a single vacancy. Unlike regular recruitment through the UPSC, where multiple candidates are selected for a cadre, lateral entry focuses on filling specific roles.
  • As a result, the mandatory quotas for SC/ST/OBC candidates don’t apply.
• Upside: Proponents argue that lateral entry brings fresh perspectives, domain expertise, and efficiency. After all, sometimes you need a seasoned chef to spice up the bureaucratic curry.
• Downside: Critics worry that this approach might sideline deserving candidates who’ve slogged through the UPSC exams.
  • They fear it could lead to a talent drain from the traditional civil services.

Conclusion and Way Forward

• The government should first focus on the creation of in house specialisation and out of government work deputation.
• For specialised technological upgrades where no Civil Servant is competent enough, a semi-permanent team may be created by Lateral Entry.
• The Limited Lateral Entry with focus on upskilling the in-house teams will help create a balance between much-needed experience and technological upgrades along with smooth functioning constitutional mechanisms.
• Lateral entry remains a contentious yet necessary reform. Striking the right balance between tradition and innovation is crucial for an efficient and responsive bureaucracy. As India continues to evolve, so must its administrative machinery.

Violence Against Healthcare Workers in India

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• Violence against healthcare workers is a disturbingly common occurrence in India.

About

• Statistics reveal a pattern of increasing aggression, particularly in public healthcare facilities. 
• These incidents highlight the harsh reality that violence is more prevalent in public health facilities and disproportionately affects younger and female professionals.

What kind of Violence is faced by Healthcare Professionals?

• According to a 2016 paper in the National Medical Journal of India, 75% of the violence against doctors is verbal, including intimidation and threats.
• Workplace violence is mostly directed at junior doctors and residents. 
• Studies also show that female medical professionals, with lesser years of experience, are objectively more at risk of being on the receiving end of both physical and verbal workplace violence.
• The violence also happens more often in high-stake settings, such as in the emergency wing and intensive care units.

What are the Reasons for the Violence?

• The perpetrators of violence are family members or relatives of the patient in 82.2% of cases, as per a paper published in PLoS ONE in 2020. 
• Often, patients or their relatives turn to violence because the healthcare system hasn’t met their expectations.
• Some perpetrators become violent over concerns of the patient’s condition, such as actual or perceived deterioration of their condition or doubts about the wrong treatment being administered. 
• Some others become violent due to issues such as high payment dues and protracted waiting times. Doctors aren’t responsible for either. 

Impact of Violence

• Psychological Impact: Being on the receiving end of verbal or physical violence has an immense psychological impact. 
  • Some studies have reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in doctors who have faced violence from patients or their kin.
• Effect Rural Healthcare: India has a skewed doctor-patient ratio, doctors often decide to operate in resource-abundant settings for their own security. This in turn affects rural healthcare.
• Effect of Quality of Healthcare: After experiencing violence, doctors wish to stop offering emergency services, refer patients sooner to more specialists, and over-investigate symptoms and prescribe more tests. 

Present Scenario of Legal Protection to Healthcare Professionals

• No central law existed to safeguard healthcare workers nationwide. 
• As of 2020, 19 States had implemented their statutes, each with varying provisions. Other States and Union Territories had no laws at all.
  • This lack of uniformity meant protection is inconsistent. 
  • Among States, Kerala and Karnataka now provide their healthcare workers with the most robust legal protections in India. 
• Challenges in enacting a Central law: A central law has not been enacted because public health is a State subject, and VAHCW is primarily a public health-related issue. 
• While the concurrent list allows for a central law, the central government has not prioritised this issue, leaving it to the States to manage.

Way Ahead

• Strengthen the System: To eliminate this ‘threat’, we must spend more money to strengthen the system from the grassroots level, such as reducing long waiting periods for treatment. 
  • The availability and accessibility of medicines, tests, and financial aid for those in need will greatly reduce their stress, instead of leaving them to hold their physicians responsible for it.
• Policy and Institutional Measures: Installing CCTV cameras and metal detectors at hospital entrances to deter relatives from carrying weapons are workable, but they are currently easier to realise in private settings and not at public facilities.
  • Ensuring that there are counselors to help patients and relatives in times of high emotional distress can eliminate any miscommunication regarding a patient’s condition and treatment. 
  • In addition, a robust security system and not allowing more than a few relatives by a patient’s bedside may also be important.
• After the West Bengal incident, the Central Government has declared that it will form a high-level committee to review the 2019 bill tabled in parliament for making the Central Act for protection of healthcare workers.
• Until a central law becomes a reality, these State-level reforms represent a significant step forward in safeguarding those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

Third Voice of Global South Summit

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• PM Modi addressed the inaugural session of the third Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS).

Background

• India hosted the inaugural Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) in January 2023, and the second edition in November 2023.
  • Both the sessions were held virtually.
• The theme of the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit is “An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future”.

What is Global South?

• The term “Global South” was coined by Carl Oglesby, an American political activist, in 1969. 
  • He used the term to describe countries suffering from political and economic exploitation by developed nations of the Global North.
• In the simplest sense, Global South refers to the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. 
• Most of these countries, where 88 per cent of the world population lives, experienced colonial rule and historically lagged in achieving substantial levels of industrialisation.

• According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Global South countries typically exhibit lower levels of development, higher income inequality, rapid population growth, agrarian-dominant economies, lower quality of life, shorter life expectancy, and significant external dependence.
• According to a World Bank report, “the gross domestic product (GDP) of the South, which represented about 20 percent of world GDP between the early 1970s and the late 1990s, doubled to about 40 percent by 2012.”

India as the voice of Global South

• India, with its history of a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement and G77 through the Cold War, has taken a considerable lead in assuming a leadership role and representing the collective interests of the Global South countries.
• During the G20 Summit in Delhi in 2023, India succeeded in its efforts to induct the African Union as a permanent member of the major economic bloc.
  • The expansion, the first since the formation of G20 in 1999, allows the African countries to voice their economic concerns directly to the world’s most influential countries.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, India distributed around 163 million doses across 96 countries under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ humanitarian drive between January 2021 and February 2022. 
• India’s digital public assets like UPI, RuPay, and India stack, which are supporting such a large portion of the Indian population, can be a powerful instrument for the digital transformation of other developing and emerging countries.

Challenges

• India’s own past experience with the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group-77 developing nations points to the real difficulty of uniting the Global South in pursuit of common goals. 
• The twin crises produced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine have had a devastating and disproportionate impact on the Global South.
• Possible neglect of Africa: In the rise of Asia, the continued neglect of Africa has been questioned as well.
• Many developed nations in the Global North have objected to China and India’s exclusion from the Global South, given their increasing industrialisation.

Conclusion

• The recent resurgence of the Global South reflects the evolving geopolitical landscape and the growing influence of developing nations in global affairs. 
• It is a platform to give voice to the needs and aspirations of those who have been unheard till now at a time when global governance and financial institutions formed in the last century have been unable to fight the challenges of this century.
• The world should respond to the priorities of the Global South, recognise the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities for global challenges, respect sovereignty of all nations, rule of law and reform international institutions like the United Nations. 

Justice Hema Committee Report

Syllabus: GS2/Governance/Social Issues

Context

• The Justice Hema Committee report exposed pervasive sexual exploitation and rights violations against women in the Malayalam film industry. 

About

• Five years ago, the report was submitted to the Kerala government.
• The committee identified at least 17 forms of exploitation experienced by women working in 30 different categories within the industry.
  • Key issues included the casting couch, lack of basic amenities, and threats against filing complaints.
• The committee confirms the rumoured existence of the practice of “casting couch” in the industry. 

Background

• The three-member committee, consisting of retired High Court Justice K. Hema, former actress Sharada, and retired IAS officer K.B. Valsala Kumari, was established in response to a demand from the Women in Cinema Collective. 
• This demand followed the abduction and sexual assault of a leading female actor in 2017—a case that remains in trial, with prominent actor Dileep listed as the eighth accused.

Major Concerns

• Producers are warned by the industry’s “power group” not to cast actors who fall out of favour with them. 
• Even the release of movies can be prevented as the Film Chamber of Commerce has to issue NOC. 
• The report highlights the lack of changing rooms or toilet facilities on the set, especially in outdoor locations, leading to urinary infection for many women. 
• Junior artists are in some cases “treated worse than slaves” with work extending up to 19 hours. 
• The lack of a written contract is exploited by some to deprive the actors and technicians of even the remuneration promised orally. 
• Another alarming finding is that many men assume that women willing to perform intimate scenes on-screen are also willing to do so off-set, reflecting a lack of professionalism and understanding of the craft among men in the industry.

Way Ahead

• The release of the Justice Hema Committee report marks a critical moment for the Malayalam film industry, as it confronts long standing issues of exploitation and gender inequality. 
• The findings call for urgent attention from civil society and industry leaders to address and rectify these deep-seated problems.
• The Hema Committee report recommends setting up a civil court-like tribunal to deal with serious issues faced by women employed in the Malayalam film industry.

Project to Address Microplastic Contamination in Food

Syllabus:GS3/ Environment 

In News 

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a project to address microplastic contamination in food.

About the project 

• Project Title: “Micro-and Nano-Plastics as Emerging Food Contaminants: Establishing Validated Methodologies and Understanding the Prevalence in Different Food Matrices.”
• Collaborating Institutions:CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow)
  • ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi)
  • Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani)

Objectives:

• Develop and validate methods for detecting micro and nano-plastics in food.
• Assess the prevalence and exposure levels of microplastics in various food products in India.

About Microplastics

• Microplastics originate from various sources, including the fragmentation of larger plastic debris, synthetic fibers from clothing, and microbeads in personal care products. 
• The FAO has reported microplastics in common food items like sugar and salt, highlighting the need for more data on health implications.

Status in India 

• In India, the problem is exacerbated by widespread plastic use and inadequate waste management systems. 
• Urban areas, where plastic consumption is high, and rural regions, often affected by poor waste disposal practices, both contribute to the distribution of microplastics
• India, with its vast population and rapid industrial growth, faces numerous environmental challenges. 

Impact and Concerns 

• Environmental : India’s diverse ecosystems, from the Himalayas to coastal regions, are increasingly affected by microplastics.
  •  In marine environments, these particles are ingested by marine life, leading to physical harm and potential transfer of toxins through the food chain.
  • Freshwater systems, including rivers and lakes, also suffer from microplastic contamination, impacting aquatic species and potentially affecting water quality for human consumption.
• Human Health Concerns: Microplastics can enter the human body through contaminated water and food, and their small size allows them to potentially penetrate cells and tissues. 

Regulatory and Mitigation Efforts

• India has taken some steps to address the issue of microplastics. 
• The government has implemented bans on single-use plastics and introduced regulations for waste management. 
• Additionally, there are ongoing efforts to promote alternative materials and improve recycling processes. 
• However, enforcement and compliance remain challenges, and the need for comprehensive policies and public awareness is crucial.

Conclusion and Way Forward 

• Microplastics represent a significant environmental and health challenge for India. While there are efforts underway to combat the problem, more robust measures are needed to effectively address the sources and impacts of microplastics.
•  Through increased awareness, improved regulations, and innovative solutions, India can make progress towards mitigating this pressing issue and safeguarding its ecosystems and public health
•  Public education campaigns can help raise awareness about the impact of microplastics and encourage more sustainable practices. Collaborative efforts involving government agencies, businesses, and communities will be vital in tackling this complex issue.

FACTS IN NEWS

Guam Island

Syllabus: GS1/Geography

Context

• INS Shivalik reached Guam, for an Operational Turnaround on successful completion of the recently concluded world’s largest Multinational Maritime Exercise RIMPAC 2024.

Guam Island

• Location: It is an island territory of the United States of America, in the North Pacific Ocean.
  • The Island is the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. 
• Capital: Hagåtña (Agana) 
• History: Guam remained under Spanish possession until 1898. However in the course of the Spanish-American War, the island was ceded to the United States.
• Native population: Ethnically called Chamorros, they are of Malayo-Indonesian descent with a considerable admixture of Spanish, Filipino, Mexican, and other European and Asian ancestries.

Exercise RIMPAC 2024

• It is a biennial event, hosted by the United States, that brings together naval forces from various countries to foster cooperative relationships and enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • It is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
• Theme: ‘Partners: Integrated and Prepared’
• It provides a unique platform for joint training, interoperability, strategic maritime partnerships, and trust-building among friendly foreign navies.

Revised Model Foster Care Guidelines

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry has released the revised model foster care guidelines.

Revised Guidelines

• It has broadened the scope of foster care in India by permitting single individuals — regardless of their marital status — to foster children, with the option of adoption after two years.
  • This change represents a significant departure from the previous regulations, which restricted foster care to married couples.
• Individuals aged between 25 and 60 can now foster children, regardless of their marital status.
  • This includes those who are unmarried, widowed, divorced, or legally separated. 
  • Single women can foster and adopt children of any gender, while single men are restricted to fostering and adopting male children.
• For married couples, a stable marital relationship of at least two years is now required before they can foster a child

Foster Care

• Foster care involves placing a child with either extended family members or unrelated individuals temporarily. 
• Eligible children for foster care in India are typically over the age of six, residing in childcare institutions, and without suitable guardians.

Super Blue Moon

Syllabus GS3/Space 

In News 

• Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) coincided with a “super blue moon”.

About 

• Super Blue Moon: It is a rare event where the full moon is both a “blue moon” and a “super moon.”
• Super blue moons are rare, occurring roughly every 10 to 20 years.
  • Super Moon: Occurs when the moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit (perigee) and is also a full moon. It appears about 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee (farthest point)
    • The term “supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.
  • Blue Moon:Though the expression “once in a blue moon” implies a rare or unusual occurrence, a blue moon is not that rare an astronomical phenomenon. There are a couple of definitions of a blue moon.
  • It is a second full moon in a single calendar month.
    • Or The third full moon in a season with four full moons.
  • The first recorded use of “Blue Moon” in English dates from 1528. 
  • Visibility: The moon won’t actually appear blue; the term “blue” refers to rarity, not color.
    • The moon might appear more yellow or orange when closer to the horizon due to atmospheric scattering.

Snowball Earth

Syllabus: GS1/Geography

Context

• Scientists have discovered rocks marking the Snowball Earth moment on The Garvellach islands off the west coast of Scotland.

About

• These rocks likely formed during the Sturtian glaciation, one of the planet’s most severe ice ages, which occurred between 662 and 720 million years ago. 
• This period is thought to have been crucial for the evolution of complex, multicellular life.
• Researchers believe these ancient rocks could signal the beginning of the Cryogenian Period. 
  • In geology, this important marker is known as a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), often symbolized by a “golden spike” embedded in the rock.
• The big freeze, which covered nearly all the globe in two phases for 80 million years, is known as “Snowball Earth”, after which the first animal life emerged.
• Significance: Clues hidden in rocks about the freeze have been wiped out everywhere – except in the Garvellachs.
  • Researchers hope the islands will tell us why Earth went into such an extreme icy state for so long and why it was necessary for complex life to emerge.

Namdhari Sect

Syllabus :GS 1/History 

In News

• Hundreds of followers of two rival groups of the Namdhari religious sect clashed violently in Rania in Haryana’s Sirsa district.

About the Namdharis

• The sect was founded by Satguru Ram Singh of Baisakhi in 1857.
•  He challenged the status quo, advocated social reform, and resisted the Raj in various ways.
• The British inflicted terrible punishments on the Namdharis and deported Ram Singh to Rangoon, from where he never returned.
• The Namdharis believe Ram Singh is still alive, and will return one day.
  •  Until then, they mourn his absence by wearing white.
• Believe system: Namdhari Sikhs consider the Guru Granth Sahib as the Supreme Gurbani, but they also believe in a living human Guru.
  • The Namdharis consider the cow to be sacred, they are teetotallers, and avoid even tea and coffee. 
  • The sect’s sprawling headquarters is located in Ludhiana’s Bhaini Sahib near village Raiyaan, where Ram Singh was born.
  •  The sect has its deras across Punjab and Haryana, and has a presence in a few other countries, too.

Restoration of Banni Grasslands

Syllabus: GS3/Conservation

Context

• Researchers evaluated different areas within Banni for sustainable grassland restoration for ecological value.

Restoration of Banni Grassland

• Researchers grouped Banni’s prospective restoration zones into five categories based on suitability:
  • Highly Suitable: About 937 sq. km (or 36%) of existing grassland falls into this category.
  • Suitable: Another 728 sq. km (28%) qualifies here.
  • Moderately Suitable: Covering 714 sq. km (27%).
  • Marginally Suitable: A smaller area of 182 sq. km (7%).
  • Not Suitable: Only 61 sq. km (2%) falls into this category.
• The first two categories—those “highly suitable” and “suitable” zones—make up nearly two-thirds of the entire Banni grassland.

Waggle Dance & Circle Dance

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• Recently scientists have flagged evidence of “problematic behavior” in scientific papers concerned with the honeybee waggle dance and co-authored by Mandyam Srinivasan.

About

• Bees use two kinds of dances to communicate information: the waggle dance and the circle dance. 
• The purpose of either dance is for some honey bees to communicate to others the location of a flower patch with more nectar or pollen.
  • One bee dances while the others watch it to figure out the directions.

Waggle dance

• During a waggle dance, the bees move in a figure of eight formation. The dance indicates both the distance and the direction to the patch. 
• In this the straight line in the roughly figure of eight formation is called the waggle run.

Circle dance

• In a circle dance, the bees move in a circle. 
• The dance indicates only the distance to the hive.

Operation Parakram

Syllabus: GS3/Defense

Context

• Recently, Former Chief General S Padmanabhan, who led the Indian Army in the ‘Operation Parakram’ against Pakistan, passed away.

About the Operation Parakram

• It was the second major military confrontation between India and Pakistan after both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998.
  • The first such conflict was the Kargil War in 1999.
• The trigger for Operation Parakram was a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, and subsequent attack on the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
• India attributed these attacks to two Pakistan-based terror groups: Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
  • These groups were believed to be backed by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Military Buildup

• In response to these attacks, India initiated a massive military buildup, deploying troops along the Indo-Pakistani border and the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed region of Kashmir, with codename Operation Parakram.
• The operation aimed to demonstrate India’s resolve and readiness for a potential conflict with Pakistan. Troops were positioned for an “eyeball to eyeball confrontation” with the Pakistani forces.

Legacy

• Operation Parakram remains a significant chapter in India-Pakistan relations. It highlighted the delicate balance between deterrence and the risk of escalation in a nuclear-armed region.
• Despite the military buildup, diplomatic channels ultimately prevailed, preventing a full-scale war.