17 July 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Different kinds of moon missions: GS III – Science and Technology

Context:

• The Chandrayaan-3 mission is one of many space missions planned to get to the moon, along with NASA’s Artemis II and Russia’s Luna 25 mission.

Numerous varieties of lunar trips:

Flybys:

• These were the lunar approaches that the spacecraft made but were unable to orbit.
• These were either en route to another planetary body, a target for deep space exploration, or they had the intention of studying the Moon from a distance when they happened to pass by the celestial object.
• Pioneer 3 and 4 by the United States and Luna 3 by the former USSR are two examples of flypast missions.

Orbiters:

• These were spacecraft built to orbit the Moon and conduct in-depth investigations of its surface and atmosphere.
• The Chandrayaan-1 orbiter was made in India.
• The most popular method for examining a planetary body is through orbiter missions.
• Only the Moon, Mars, and Venus have so far allowed for landings.
• Flyby or orbiter missions have been used to study all other planetary bodies.

Impact Objective:

• They represent a development from orbiter missions.
• One or more of the main spacecraft’s instruments crash-land on the moon’s surface as it continues to orbit the moon.
• They provide some useful information about the Moon despite being destroyed upon impact.
• Another piece of equipment on Chandrayaan-1 called the Moon Impact Probe, or MIP, was likewise set up for a collision landing on the moon’s surface.

Landers:

• The spacecraft must gently touch down on the Moon for these missions.
• The Luna 9 spacecraft from the then-USSR made the first lunar landing on January 31, 1966.

Rovers:

• These represent a development from lander missions.
• The lander’s special rovers, or wheeled payloads, could detach from the spacecraft and wander around on the surface of the moon, gathering extremely important data that the internal electronics of the lander would be unable to obtain.
• Pragyaan was the name of the rover that was attached to the Chandrayaan-2 mission’s Vikram lander.

Missions led by humans:

• In these, astronauts are shown strolling on the moon.
• Up until now, only NASA from the US has made it to the moon.
• So far, six two-person teams—all launched between 1969 and 1972—have reached the moon.
• There have been no other attempts to land on the Moon since that time.
• But with the launch of NASA’s Artemis III in 2025, astronauts will return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Chandrayaan-1:

• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which launched the highly successful Chandrayaan 1 (“Lunar Vehicle 1”) mission in October 2008, was ISRO’s first attempt.
• The rocket was loaded with an impact probe and a satellite-like lunar orbiter.
• As it approached the moon, the impactor probe collected information on the chemical composition of the lunar atmosphere.
• This trip proved that there are water molecules on the moon.
• To commemorate the country’s landing, the spaceship also engraved the Indian flag onto the Moon.

Chandrayan 2:

• Chandrayaan 2 was launched in 2019 by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
• One of its payloads was a moon lander with a rover that would be launched onto the moon.
• Unfortunately, a software flaw led to the lander’s collision with the moon’s surface, and the rover did not disengage from the lander.

Source The Hindu

2 – Sagar Sampark: GS III – Security-related issues

Context:

• A native Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS), known as Sagar Sampark, was formally introduced by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.

About DGNSS:

• The DGNSS is a terrestrial-based augmentation system that can the Global Navigation Satellite System’s (GNSS) flaws and inconsistencies to offer more accurate location data.
• The DGNSS service will lessen the chance of collisions, groundings, and accidents in the port and harbour sectors in addition to supporting seafarers with safe navigation.
• In compliance with international standards, DGNSS assists sailors in improving their placement within 5 metres and further enhances availability and redundancy.
• The adjustments from GPS (USA) and GLONASS (RUSSIA) can now be transmitted via Sagar Sampark.
• The error correction precision has been raised from 5 to 10 metres to less than 5 metres for 100 nautical miles away from Indian coasts.

Source The Hindu

3 – Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana.

Regarding the strategy:

• The Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) was introduced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• This programme recognises the elderly’s significant contribution to society and works to protect their welfare and social inclusion.

Aim:

• India’s elderly are given more influence.
• Encourage them to engage completely and to be a part of all aspects of life.

Previous name:

• The National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrc) was modified, renamed, and merged as the Atal VayoAbhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) in 2021.

Sub-schemes:

• Under the aegis of the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC), the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) provides financial assistance to approved groups for the operation and maintenance of Senior Citizen Homes/Continuous Care Homes.
• Another component of the AVYAY Scheme called Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) attempts to provide seniors who qualify with age-related disabilities or infirmities with assistive living devices that can restore virtually normal physiological functioning.

Eligibility:

• The “Below Poverty Line” (BPL) category or a monthly income of up to Rs. 15,000 (Rupees Fifteen Thousand) must be met by beneficiaries in order to qualify.

Source The Hindu

4 – Section 144: GS II – Indian Laws

Context:

• The Delhi Police adopted prohibitory measures in accordance with CrPC section 144 in the areas of the city that are prone to flooding.

In relation to Section 144:

• Section 144 CrPC, a law from the colonial era, is still in force today.
• To avoid and manage urgent situations of deemed risk or nuisance, a district magistrate, subdivisional magistrate, or any other executive magistrate specially recognised by the state government may issue orders.

The magistrate must issue a written order that can be addressed at:

• a specific individual, or
• to citizens of a certain area or location, or
• to the general population when visiting or frequenting a particular site.
• These orders may be given by the magistrate in an emergency without prior warning to the target of the order.

Regulatory authority:

• To refrain from doing something or pursue a specific course of action with regard to property that is in his custody or under his supervision, anyone may request a magistrate’s order.

Usually, this includes

• motion restrictions,
• possessing weapons,
• from convening in an unlawful manner.
• It is generally understood that meetings of three or more are prohibited by Section 144.
• It can be used to impose limitations on even a single person, though.

Duration:

• No order issued under Section 144 may be in force more than two months after the order’s date, unless the state government deems it necessary.
• Even then, the total time cannot be longer than six months.

Questions about Section 144:

Magistrate with too much authority:

• The lengthy section gives the magistrate unwarranted absolute power.

Rare remedies for abuses of human rights include:

• A revision application that is delivered to the original issuing authority is the first line of defence against the order in court.
• An individual may submit a writ petition in the High Court if they believe the order infringes their fundamental rights.
• It is likely that the state has already violated their rights regularly before the High Court intervened.

Unauthorised burden:

• Furthermore, it has been argued that issuing blanket prohibition orders throughout a wide region is inappropriate because various sites have unique security circumstances that necessitate distinct strategies.
• as an example. It took place across all of Uttar Pradesh as a part of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Source The Hindu

5 – Multidimensional Poverty: GS II – Poverty-related issues

Context:

• According to data from the United Nations (UN), a total of 415 million people in India were able to escape poverty during the years 2005–2006 and 2019–21, during which time the prevalence of poverty decreased from 55.1% to 16.4%.

Important details:

• The most recent update of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for the entire world was created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
• It stated that over a 15-year period, 25 countries, including India, have successfully reduced their global MPI levels in half.
• Morocco, Serbia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Congo, Honduras, India, Indonesia, and Indonesia are some of these countries.
• Multidimensional poverty affected around 645 million people in India in 2005–2006; this number fell to 370 million in 2015–16 and 230 million in 2019–21.
• The percentage of people in India who are multidimensionally poor and deprived under the nutrition indicator declined from 44.3% in 2005-06 to 11.8% in 2019–21, while child mortality decreased from 4.5% to 1.5%.
• India was one of the 19 countries whose global MPI value fell by 50% between 2005–2006 and 2015–2016.
• According to the 2023 release, out of 6.1 billion people (or acute multidimensional poverty), 1.1 billion people, or little more than 18%, live in 110 countries.

Information about the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI):

• The Multidimensional Poverty Index is used to assess acute multidimensional poverty in emerging countries.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index looks at ten variables to determine acute deprivations in standard of living, education, and health:

• nutrition,
• infant deaths,
• years of schooling,
• participation in school,
• access to cooking fuel
• sanitation,
• drinking water
• electricity,
• housing,
• possessing anything.
• It also considers the prevalence and severity of poverty.

The term “multidimensional poverty” describes the variety of deprivations that poor people experience on a daily basis, such as:

• Poor health
• inadequate education,
• bad living circumstances,
• disempowerment,
• poor quality of the work
• the likelihood of violence,
• living under hazardous environmental conditions
• If a person lacks at least one-third of the weighted markers, they are multidimensionally destitute.
• A person would experience extreme multidimensional poverty if they lacked at least half of the weighted markers, however.

National Multidimensional Poverty Index by NITI Ayog:

• The government think tank Niti Aayog created the first Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in 2021, which measures poverty at the municipal, state/UT, and federal levels.
• According to the first index, Bihar has the highest level of multidimensional poverty.
• As a supplement to existing data on poverty based on per capita consumer spending, the MPI aims to quantify poverty in all of its forms.
• The National MPI intends to dismantle the Global MPI and establish a globally aligned but personalised India MPI for developing thorough Reform Action Plans, with the overall goal of improving India’s standing in the Global MPI rankings.
• Health, education, and standard of living are the three elements that are equally weighted.

National MPI Data & Methodology:

• A reliable technique that serves as the cornerstone of the national MPI was created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
• This baseline report for the national MPI measure was based on the National Family Health Survey reference period of 2015–16 (NFHS–4).
• To better understand the situation on the ground, a baseline multidimensional poverty estimate was made using the NFHS-4 data prior to the full implementation of several central government policies.

Levels of Poverty:

• Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand are the three states with the largest proportions of multidimensionally disadvantaged citizens.
• The least impoverished state is Kerala, which is closely followed by Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Goa, and Sikkim.

Individuals that are underweight:

• Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh are the states with the most undernourished residents, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

The index’s relevance:

Implementation of Public Policy Instrument Contribution:

• The creation of the Index is an essential first step in creating a public policy tool that monitors multidimensional poverty and directs evidence-based, targeted interventions to ensure that no one is left behind.

General description of poverty:

• This provides an overall picture of poverty in the country and allows for more in-depth examination of specific sectors and areas of interest, complementing the present monetary poverty data.

Assist in achieving the SDGs by:

• It assists in monitoring the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 1.2, which aims to reduce “at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions.”

The world and India in 2022:

• 2022 Index includes 6.1 billion people from 111 developing countries.
• With a record 415 million people pulled out of poverty over the previous 15 years and a halving of the prevalence of poverty, India is one of the most incredible success stories of poverty reduction in the most recent MPI.
• In the past five years, 140 million individuals in India have been able to overcome poverty.
• South Asia has moved up from being one of the world’s poorest areas as a result of India’s tremendous drop in poverty.
• Access to power, fuel for cooking, and sanitation have all seen clear investments in India; all three indicators have seen large gains.
• ‘Deprivation bundles’—repeating patterns of poverty that frequently impact people who live in multidimensional poverty throughout the world—are first featured in the most current MPI Report.
• With the use of this technology, comprehensive policy solutions that concurrently address numerous impoverished groups can be created.
• For instance, a midday meal initiative emphasises nutrition and school attendance.

Challenges:

Indians who are most in need:

• The country is home to the most impoverished population on earth, including 97 million poor children.

Various inequalities:

• Households headed by women are significantly poorer than those headed by men, and since the publication of the report’s previous edition in 2015/16, only one Indian state (West Bengal) has dropped off the list of the “10 poorest states.” There are still significant gaps between the rural and urban areas.

Inadequate knowledge:

• This research does not sufficiently account for the effects of the pandemic due to limits on data accessibility, and grim scenarios are in fact plausible.

Conclusion:

• To realise our common vision of a future in which no one is left behind, policymakers in India are starting to recognise the value of employing a holistic approach to analyse deprivation.
• India must keep working to decrease deprivations in a variety of sectors if it is to end poverty.
• The MPI has provided India with the opportunity to track poverty and deprivations in a more comprehensive manner, enabling it to continue the fight to improve the lives of millions of its citizens.

Source The Hindu