30 November 2022

MAINS QUESTIONS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. India’s judicial system shouldn’t recognise sedition, a charge from the colonial past that is regularly used to dissuade Indians from expressing their democratic right to dissent. Do you concur? Deliberate. (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS II – International Relations

Introduction:

• Seditious behaviour is defined by Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code as any verbal or written statements, visual displays, or other acts that incite or make an attempt to incite hatred, contempt, or disaffection toward the legitimate government of India.

Body:

Background:

• Prior to independence, charges of sedition against the government were addressed in Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.
• Numerous judicial rulings have changed the definition of “sedition” in India in light of Article 19 of the Constitution.
• The right to free speech and expression and the state’s ability to impose reasonable limits can coexist (Article 19(2)).
• The Supreme Court affirmed Section 124A in Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar in 1962, finding that it struck the “proper balance” between the requirement for public order and fundamental rights.
• The court severely limited the application of the Sedition law to situations where there is a call for imminent violence designed to overthrow the government.
• The Court added that in addition to the current government, other institutions that serve as symbols of statehood are also under attack.

Issues about Section 124A:

• It violates democratic ideals because it stifles the public’s democratic and constitutional right to criticise the government.
• Lack of State Machinery The police are probably not “necessarily” educated enough to know the effects of enforcing such “stringent” regulations.
• Misuse Potential Disagreement has previously been arbitrarily silenced. The major targets have historically been authors, journalists, activists who criticise government policies, and political dissidents.
• The harsh provisions of this law—the crime is not subject to bail, the punishment is not cognizable, and it may last a lifetime—have a powerful deterrent impact on discord even when they are not employed.
• used to suppress the media: In order for the press to expose government secrets and inform the public, it must be protected. Governmental dishonesty can only be properly exposed by a free and unrestricted press.

Supporters of Section 124A include:

• The statute isn’t particularly onerous because the Supreme Court’s orders caused it to have a narrower scope. It may only be used for the authorised purposes set forth by the court.
• One of the legitimate constraints is application. It is spelled forth in Article 19. (2).
• actually does not restrict free expression Without starting a riot, any poisonous term can be used to criticise the government. But such unhappiness shouldn’t be used as a pretext to try to rift the nation.
• Anti-national elements and dividing forces like the naxals, separatists with support from both within and beyond the nation, are present, endangering the nation’s unity and integrity.
• Simple exploitation cannot be invoked as a justification for repeal; instead, measures to stop such exploitation should be taken.

Conclusion:

• Any ambiguity must be cleared out by amending the IPC to include Section 124A of the SC’s instructions. Seditious behaviour is only defined as conduct that directly leads to the use of violence or the encouragement of violence. To the extent necessary, the state police must be told when and where to apply this section. Include clauses that demand the government be held accountable if it abuses the section. This will guarantee that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression is balanced with state security and efficient government operations in accordance with section 124 A of the IPC.

Q2. What are the main sources of black carbon emissions? Assess the impact on the Himalayan Ecosystem. (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III – Environmental Conservation

Introduction:

• Particulate matter is produced when fossil fuels, wood, and other fuels are burned improperly, and one of the main factors that leads to global warming is black carbon.
• Crop burning and forest fires are the primary drivers of the recent roughly two-fold rise in black carbon concentration on Gangotri Glacier, according to a study by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.

Body:

Primarily occurring sources of black carbon:

• Log fires (According to the Forest Survey of India, the forest fire activity is generally reported in Uttarakhand from February to June, with a peak in fire incidences in May and June.)
• building labour, crop residue burned seasonally, and home and commercial wood burning.
• Because of the pollution that builds up across the Himalayan region from local, regional, and worldwide sources, black carbon concentrations are increasing.
• black carbon emissions from stoves and diesel engines.
• Affected is the Himalayan Ecosystem
• A recent study found that tarballs accounted for around 28% of the particles in air samples collected from a study location in the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau.
• New World Bank research indicates that new, currently implementable policies could considerably reduce human-caused black carbon (BC) deposits, which hasten the pace of glacier and snow melt in the Himalayan region, by an additional 50% from current levels (WB).
• The tiny particles take in a million times more energy than carbon dioxide.
• Black carbon traps solar energy, which warms the atmosphere. When it rains, snow and ice surfaces become darker, which lowers their albedo (a surface’s ability to reflect light), warms the snow, and speeds up melting.
• Black carbon concentrations close to the Gangotri glacier surged 400 times in the summer as a result of forest fires and the burning of agricultural waste stubble. This led to glacial melt.
• Dark materials produce infrared radiation and absorb more light, which causes the temperature to rise. As a result, when black carbon levels rise in the higher Himalayas, the Himalayan glaciers will melt more quickly.
• Glacier melt is the primary cause of flash floods, landslides, soil erosion, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). In the near future, the increased amounts of melt water may momentarily replace retreating groundwater downstream. The existing shortfall would, however, get worse over time if there were a water shortage.
• The climate (including patterns of rain and snow precipitation), natural resources, and socioeconomic activities of the high Himalayan will all be impacted by long-term changes in the region’s atmospheric composition.
• Changes in rainfall patterns can have a big effect on ecosystems and human livelihoods. For instance, the agriculture in most of Asia and Africa may be interrupted during the monsoon season.

Affecting human health:

• The highest levels of black carbon particles are seen in the placentas of pregnant women who are often exposed to airborne pollution.
• As a result of inhalation, these particles travel from the mother’s lungs to the placenta, changing the baby’s development for the rest of its life and causing irreparable damage to the lung tissues.
• According to this study, breathing air that is polluted increases the risk of miscarriages, premature deliveries, and low birth weights, all of which raise the risk of diabetes, asthma, stroke, heart disease, and a number of other illnesses.
• According to the World Bank, while implementing new policies and incorporating them through regional cooperation among nations can result in enhanced benefits, doing so will only lead to a 23% reduction in BC. This was stated in the research report “Glaciers of the Himalayas, Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience.”

Conclusion:

• Aerosols containing black carbon (BC) are extremely important in causing global warming because of their capacity to absorb light. It is highly alarming since they reside in environmentally vulnerable locations, such as the valleys of the Himalayan glaciers, and this necessitates constant monitoring.
• The second short-lived pollutant after carbon dioxide that has a substantial impact on global warming is BC (CO2). Unlike other greenhouse gas emissions, BC is quickly and easily eliminated from the atmosphere if emissions are stopped.