DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
| S. No. | Topic Name | Prelims/Mains |
| 1. | Cyclones | Prelims & Mains |
| 2. | Agricultural Exports Imports | Prelims & Mains |
| 3. | PM Cares Fund | Prelims & Mains |
| 4. | Article 355 | Prelims & Mains |
1 – Cyclones: GS I – Geography-related issues
Context:
- According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), a cyclonic/low-pressure area is present in the Bay of Bengal and has the potential to intensify into a cyclonic storm.
What does this weather system go by?
- In honour of the Red Sea port city that is credited with delivering coffee to the world more over 500 years ago, Yemen proposed the name Cyclone Mocha (pronounced “Mokha”).
What are cyclones exactly, and how do they form?
- Meaning A system of low pressure that forms over warm oceans is known as a cyclone.
- the process of formationlow pressure will be present where it is hot, and high pressure will be present where it is cold.
- As the air rises and warms over hotter areas, low pressure forms over the surface it is covering.
- The air rises and blows (in the northern hemisphere) anticlockwise around a depression or low pressure area.
- This is due to the Coriolis effect, which is a result of the earth rotating on its axis.
Favorable conditions:
- The growth and intensification of cyclones thrive in warm waters, which also support similar systems above the ocean.
- Effects As warm air rises and cools, water vapour can condense into clouds, causing rain.
- the area that is most at riskDuring the height of summer in May, one of the strongest meteorological systems in the North Indian Ocean region formed over the Bay of Bengal.
- Specific dangers, such as storm surge, flooding, extremely strong winds, tornadoes, and lightning, which can result in fatalities and property damage, may be caused by threats.
What names are given to cyclones?
- The Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) and regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) assign them names.
- Worldwide, there are five and six RSMCs.
- The north Indian Ocean cyclones that the IMD designates as an RSMC include the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
- The IMD is also mandated to alert 12 other countries in the area when cyclones and storms are developing.
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific/World Meteorological Organisation (WMO/ESCAP):
- The decision to start naming cyclones in the region was reached in 2000 by the group, which consists of Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
- After each country submitted suggestions, the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) finalised the list.
Source The Hindu
2 – Agricultural Export-Import: GS III – Indian Economy
Context:
- Both agricultural imports and exports to India achieved record highs in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2023.
Agriculture imports and exports àdata from the Department of Commerce:
- Agriculture’s exports minus imports have fallen somewhat, from $17.82 billion to $17.46 billion.
- The surplus is dramatically decreased if fertiliser imports are taken into account, which rose from $14.17 billion in 2021–2022 to $17.21 billion in 2022–2023.
The key determinants are global prices:
- The Food Price Index (FPI), which tracks the weighted average of world food prices over a reference period value (2014–16 = 100), has stayed high since 2020–21.
- On the international market, India’s agricultural products become more cost-competitive.
India’s Export Profile:
Basmati exports are mainly sent to countries in the Persian Gulf, while non-basmati shipments are sent to other places, including:
- Asia (China, Malaysia, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh).
- Africa (including Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Benin, as well as Somalia and Madagascar).
- Thanks to non-basmati rice, India has surpassed Thailand as the world’s top exporter.
- The country is now the world’s second-largest sugar exporter behind Brazil.
- Indian mills have created markets for both forms of raw sugar among refineries in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
- Usually from plantations, white people (in China, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Africa).
- Exports of spices have not altered from 2020–21.
- Exports of raw cotton, guar gum, and oil meals have also decreased. Guar gum is a thickening agent used in shale oil and gas production.
Description of imports:
- Imports provide 10% of India’s needs for pulses and over 60% of its needs for vegetable oil.
- India has long been a net exporter of cotton, cashews, and spices; all three of these imports have demonstrated an increased trend.
Concerns:
A weak regulatory framework:
- Due to the production of GM Bt cotton and high global pricing, India is now the world’s No. 1 producer (behind China) and No. 2 exporter of natural fibre.
- The country used to be a net exporter of cotton, but now it is an importer since the government restricts the use of modern gene technology.
Deficiencies in household crops:
- especially in cotton, soyabean, guar gum, oil meal, and soy.
- Reduced price competition (in comparison to Guatemala and Vietnam for pepper) is the cause of the rise in spice imports.
- Export prohibitions: The government levied a 20% tax on all exports of non-parboiled non-basmati rice and prohibited the export of wheat and broken rice.
Government programmes to encourage the export of agricultural goods:
Agriculture Export Policy for 2018:
- In order to increase farmer incomes and establish India as a global player in the industry, it seeks to harness the export potential of Indian agriculture.
- The objectives of the Agriculture Export Policy would be carried out through the Department of Commerce’s “District as Export Hub” Initiative.
- Transport and Marketing Assistance for Specified Agriculture Products is a central sector scheme to lessen the freight disadvantage for the export of agricultural products.
- Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme is referred to as TIES.
- Programme for Market Access Initiatives (MAI).
- The Export Promotion Schemes under APEDA.
Future risks:
- The most recent FPI reading suggests that prices are trending downward globally.
- If the rainfall during the ensuing southwest monsoon season is below average, there could be a rise in local food prices, more export restrictions, and higher import liberalisation.
Source The Hindu
3 – PM Cares Fund: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions
Context:
- Over the past three years, foreign contributions to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) have reached a total of Rs 535.44 crore.
PM CARES Fund details:
- Launched In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was founded on March 27, 2020, with the intention of ending the disease in India.
- Nature It is a private fund that the trustees and the prime minister are free to use at their discretion; it is not recorded in the government of India’s financial statements.
- Chairman The prime minister of India serves as the fund’s ex-officio chairman.
- Trustees The Ministers of Defence, Home Affairs, and Finance serve as ex-officio trustees.
- The PM has suggested Justice K T Thomas (retired), Kariya Munda, and Ratan N Tata as three trustees for the Board.
Contributions to the PM CARES Fund are permitted if:
- based on the Income Tax Act of 1961, for a complete exemption.
- It must be regarded as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending under the 2013 Companies Act.
- It is also exempt from the FCRA, and a separate account has been set up to accept donations from outside the United States.
Source The Hindu
4 – Article 355: GS II – Indian Constitution
Context
- According to reports, the Centre took over security in Manipur by purportedly invoking Article 355, sending 12 companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and airlifting anti-riot vehicles to the north eastern state.
- Following multiple villages and community-specific metropolitan areas being destroyed during tribal conflicts, as well as at least 10 murders at the hands of mobs, the action takes place.
In accordance with Article 355 of the Indian Constitution:
Definition:
- Article 355 of the Indian Constitution grants the Union government the power to defend every state from external aggression and internal turmoil.
Articles 356 and 355 Comparison:
The President is permitted by Article 356 to impose President’s Rule in a state in the event that the constitutional system malfunctions or is destroyed, and the Union government is permitted by Article 355 to:
- to protect each Indian state from invasion from the outside and internal unrest
- to issue directives to any state so that it abides by the Union’s laws and regulations
Constitutional clause
- Part XVIII of the “Emergency Provisions” of the Indian Constitution.
Principle:
- based on the “duty to protect” tenet that the Constitution enshrines.
Restrictions:
- Prior to release, the state government should be given a chance to voice its opinions. Only when the state apparatus fails to follow or put into effect any Union legislation or rule may instructions be given. They must be urgent in character and may not last longer than the time required to fix the malfunction.
Duration:
- missing in the Constitution a definition.
- Withdrawal The Union government may rescind the measure if conditions return to normal or if the state government asks it.
Imposition requirements:
- Failure of the state to comply with Union directives; a threat to India’s security; a threat to India’s unity and integrity resulting from violent behaviour by any group or organisation; and a request for the Union’s help in maintaining public order when the situation in the state cannot be controlled by the state’s own forces.
The scope of legal review:
- The satisfaction of the President in applying Article 355 is subject to judicial scrutiny and can be questioned in court if any fundamental rights or constitutional provisions are infringed.
Source The Hindu