DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
| . No. | Topic Name | Prelims/Mains |
| 1. | Sexual Harassment in Sports | Prelims & Mains |
| 2. | Energy Justice | Prelims & Mains |
| 3. | Debt for Climate Swaps | Prelims & Mains |
| 4. | Listeria Monocytogenes Bacteria | Prelims & Mains |
1 – Sexual Harassment in Sports: GS I – Women Empowerment:
Context:
- The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, which requires an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to create a safe workplace for women, has been found to be disregarded by up to 16 of India’s 30 national sports federations.
The Internal Complaints Committee:
- The ICC is the initial point of contact for any complaint under the PoSH Act, and it requires a minimum of four members, at least half of whom must be women, as well as one external member, preferably from an NGO or association that works to empower women or a person knowledgeable about sexual harassment issues, such as a lawyer.
Status of different federations on the ICC:
- Federation ICC Status Volleyball Federation, Handball Federation, Wrestling Federation, Table Tennis Federation, Judo Federation of India, Squash Rackets Federation, and Billiards & Snooker Federation ICC only has three members.
- The Indian Triathlon Federation, Basketball Federation, Archery Association, and Badminton Association of India do not have any external members.
Typical problems experienced by female athletes
- Finance and assistance issuesFor instance, despite having received less money, the US women’s soccer team has won more championships than the men’s squad.
- Discrimination based on genderIt’s possible for female athletes to experience prejudice because of their gender, such as being told they aren’t as capable or strong as male athletes.
- For instance, the political link and male predominance in positions of power in Indian sport make for a deadly mix.
Abuse and sexual harassment:
- Former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli was accused of sexual assault by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai in 2018; the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal; and tennis player Ruchika Girhotra, who in 1990 dared to speak out against the then-president of the tennis federation and the IG Haryana Police.
A dearth of media coverage:
- Sports competitions for women are frequently given less media attention than competitions for males, which can reduce their exposure and sponsorship opportunities.
- Training of Lower QualityLack of well-trained instructors, subpar facilities and equipment
- Objectification and stereotyping Female athletes may be stereotyped and objectified more for their attractiveness than for their athletic prowess.
- Disfigurement and Social Attitudesbad performance reviews, starting position loss, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Issues of EthicsThe abuse of power, breach of trust, violation of human rights, and the development of hostile and unsafe conditions are some of the ethical problems associated with sexual harassment of women in sports.
Actions taken and still needed to be taken to alleviate the problems faced by female athletes:
Step Example:
- Awareness and EducationAs an illustration, the IOC’s Athlete365 initiative provides educational materials on a variety of subjects, including athlete safety.
- establishment of policy and guidelinesFemale coaches must travel with female athletes, according to Sports Authority of India’s norms.
- methods for filing complaints and sportswomen can submit their sexual harassment accusations through a single window by using the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box (SHe-Box).
- Enforcement and responsibility in response to allegations of inappropriate behavior by a coach, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent notices to the Union Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India.
- assistance and empowerment in order to promote sports at the grassroots level with a particular focus on boosting female involvement, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports introduced the Khelo India Scheme in 2018.
Major Clauses of the 2013 POSH Act:
Description:
- Sexual harassment is described as “any one or more” of the “unwelcome acts or behavior” that are either directly or indirectly committed: Any unwanted physical, verbal, or nonverbal behaviour of a sexual character, including advances and physical contact, requests for sexual favors, remarks with sexual overtones, pornographic displays, and more, is prohibited.
- Every employer is obligated to establish an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each location with 10 or more staff members.
- Complaint Committees: In terms of calling and mandating the oath-taking of any individual as well as the discovery and production of documents, the ICC has authority comparable to that of a civil court.
- Time: The complaint must be filed “within three months of the incident date.”
- Conciliation: At the request of the victimized lady, the ICC may permit the dispute to be resolved through conciliation (although no monetary settlement is permitted).
- Punishment: Failure to abide by the Act’s rules is punishable by a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
- In order to assess compensation, five factors must be taken into account: the woman’s suffering and emotional anguish, the loss of her job opportunity, her medical costs, the respondent’s income and financial situation, and the viability of such a payment.
- Domestic Worker: Domestic workers are protected by the Act and are entitled to seek remedies from the Local Complaints Committee (LCC) when they are sexually harassed at work.
Conclusion:
- to address the problems that women in athletics face. To provide a secure and fair environment for women in sports, numerous stakeholders—including governments, sports leagues, and civil society—will need to work together.
Source The Hindu
2 – Energy Justice: GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues:
Context:
- Assuring energy access, availability, and affordability for India’s sizable population drives India’s energy policy, which is currently recognized as being pragmatic and balanced.
How does energy justice work?
- As a framework for identifying energy inequities, energy justice entails components of a global energy system that equitably distributes the advantages and disadvantages of energy services.
Quick-term measures to ensure energy justice in India:
- significant reductions in the excise tax and VAT rates on gasoline and diesel.
- ATF, diesel, and gasoline export taxes.
- Domestic petroleum products are subject to a windfall tax in order to prevent producers and refiners from making excessive profits at the expense of domestic customers.
- For the city gas distribution sector, the amount of APM gas that is subsidized has significantly increased.
- APM gas price will be rationalized and reformed by updating the New Domestic Gas price Guidelines 2014.
Outcome:
- Diesel costs have decreased in India during the past year. India imports approximately 85% of its crude oil needs and 55% of its natural gas needs, and during this time, worldwide gasoline and diesel prices have increased by 35–40%.
- No fuel scarcity anywhere in India: To regulate demand, numerous neighboring countries have experienced power outages and dry outs.
Long-term initiatives to ensure energy justice:
- The strategic choice to widen the network of crude oil suppliers not only insured that Indian customers could afford energy, but it also brought stability to the world petroleum markets.
- To maintain a steady supply of crude oil, relations should be strengthened with nations like the US (energy trade has increased 13 times in the last four years) and Russia.
Increasing the manufacturing of petrochemicals:
- India is a major supplier of petroleum products, and it has the fourth-largest refining capacity in the world, behind the US, China, and Russia.
- To increase its capacity to 450 MMT by 2040, work is now being done.
- Innovation and investments in exploration and production (E&P): By 2025, India plans to increase the net geographic area under exploration from 8% to 15% (0.5 million sq km), and it has drastically decreased the no-go zones in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
- Energy transition: Nevertheless, as was shown in Glasgow, India is dedicated to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
Developing a gas-based economy:
- by raising gas’s percentage from its present 3 to 15% by the year 2030.
- Over 9.5 crore families in India now have access to clean cooking fuel in the last nine years.
- From 28 lakh in 2014 to over 1 crore in 2023, PNG connections have risen.
- From 938 in 2014 to 4,900 in 2023, India will have more CNG stations.
- The length of India’s gas pipeline network has expanded from 2014, going from 14,700 km to 22,000 km in 2023.
The biofuel revolution:
- India has introduced E20, a 20% ethanol mixed gasoline that will be made available nationwide over the following two years, at the India Energy Week 2023.
- From barely 53% in 2013–14 to 10.17% in 2023, India’s ethanol-blend gasoline has increased.
- India is also building five second-generation ethanol plants, which can turn agricultural waste into biofuel, reduce pollution from burning stubble, and provide farmers a profit.
Creating the full green hydrogen ecosystem:
- With a budget of Rs 19,744 crore, the National Green Hydrogen Mission was established to quicken India’s progress toward its 2030 goals of producing 4 MT of green hydrogen annually and reducing fossil fuel imports by Rs 1 lakh crore.
Future transportation channels in India should be transitioned in an integrated manner:
- India is promoting electric vehicles in addition to green hydrogen and biofuels through a production-linked incentive program.
- By May 2024, India hopes to have installed alternative fuel stations at 22,000 retail locations, including those for EV charging, CNG, LPG, LNG, and CBG.
Conclusion:
- The IEA predicts that between 2020 and 2040, India will be responsible for almost 25% of the increase in the world’s energy demand.
- Implementing a novel plan for achieving energy independence and security is urgently needed as India strives to grow its GDP to $26 trillion by 2047.
Source The Hindu
3 – Debt for Climate Swaps: GS II – Environmental Conservation related issues:
Context:
- Debt-for-climate swaps have been more and more common among low- and middle-income nations during the past ten years.
Swaps of debt for the environment/nature:
- Meaning: It is a method of debt restructuring between a creditor and a debtor in which the former agrees to give up part of the latter’s foreign debt or relieve its burden in exchange for the latter’s pledge to fund particular environmental mitigation and adaption measures.
Who stands to gain?
- Small island developing states (SIDS), low- and middle-income nations.
Example:
- Caribbean SIDS: The COVID-19 epidemic reduced foreign visitor numbers by 73% in 2020 and exacerbated the region’s debt situation.
Need:
- Due to their high levels of debt, these nations are the most susceptible to the effects of climate change and have the lowest ability to invest in boosting resilience.
- The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) and the signatories to the Paris Agreement have vowed to support poor nations financially as they create sustainable, climate-resilient futures.
Advantages:
the two goals are:
- to encourage targeted spending and policy changes (that target tackling climate change), on the one hand, and some debt reduction, on the other.
to liberate up financial resources:
- Governments are able to increase resilience without causing a financial crisis or cutting investment on other development goals.
- Through this alluring and open mechanism, developed nations can fulfill their commitments (to support poor nations).
Grants that can be swapped for grants that include conditions:
Swap:
- Offer debt relief that is greater than what is required to pay for climate investments (net debt relief), resulting in a bigger fiscal transfer and the opening up of additional funds for spending.
Conditional grants:
- cover the cost of an investment and necessitate economic disruption or the withdrawal of resources from deliberate development initiatives.
Successful execution:
- 2017 saw the successful conclusion of discussions for a debt-for-adaptation swap under a tripartite approach, according to the small African nation of Seychelles.
- In exchange for a commitment to establish 13 new marine protected areas, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a US-based environmental organization, purchased $22 million of its debt.
Long term:
- These instruments can be used by nations like Sri Lanka, which is regarded as being extremely vulnerable to climate change calamities and is simultaneously dealing with a severe sovereign debt problem.
Source The Hindu
4 – Listeria Monocytogenes Bacteria: GS II – Health-related issues
Context:
- Due to the possibility of Listeria monocytogenes bacterium contamination, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of the United Kingdom has ordered a recall for a number of dessert products bearing the Cadbury name.
About:
- Listeria monocytogenes are a type of bacterium.
- An infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes can affect both people and animals. It frequently turns up in soil, water, and the intestines of some animals. Foods that are ready to consume, such as prepared meats, dairy products, and fresh produce, are more vulnerable to listeria contamination.
Symptoms:
- High fever, muscle discomfort, chills, feeling or being unwell, and diarrhea are all possible signs of a Listeria infection.
Impact:
- Listeria infection causes listeriosis, a disease that can have life-threatening complications include meningitis, sepsis, and miscarriage
Source The Hindu