Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 8 November 2022

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 2022

Q) With respect to the Law Commission of India, consider the following statements:

1. It is constituted for a period of three year by the President of India.
2. It examines the existing laws with a view of promoting gender equality.
3. It has suo-moto power to take up research on a matter of importance.
4. The Reports of the Law Commission are laid in Parliament by the President of India.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 7  November 2022

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body and is constituted for a period of three years by a notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Legal Affairs with a definite terms of reference. Recently the Central Government has constituted the 22nd Law Commission of India with former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi as its Chairperson.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Terms of Reference of the Law Commission, inter alia, includes review/repeal of obsolete laws, to examine the Laws which affect the poor and carry out post-audit for socio-economic legislations, to keep under review the system of judicial administration to ensure that it is responsive to the reasonable demands of the times and in particular to secure, to examine the existing laws in the light of Directive Principles of State Policy and to suggest ways of improvement and reform and also to suggest such legislations as might be necessary to implement the Directive Principles and to attain the objectives set out in the Preamble to the Constitution, Examine the existing laws with a view for promoting gender equality and suggesting amendments thereto, to revise the Central Acts of general importance so as to simplify them and to remove anomalies, ambiguities and inequities, to examine the impact of globalization on food security, unemployment and recommend measures for the protection of the interests of the marginalized.
• Statement 3 is correct: The Commission works on projects based on the references received from the Central Government and/or from the Supreme Court and High Courts. At times, keeping in view the importance of the subject matter, the Commission initiates study on specific subjects, suo motu.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The Reports of the Law Commission are laid in Parliament from time to time by the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice and forwarded to the concerned administrative Departments/Ministries for implementation. They are acted upon by concerned Departments/ Ministries depending on the Government’s decision. Invariably, the Reports are cited in Courts, Parliamentary Standing Committees, in academic and public discourses.

Q) Consider the following statements, with reference to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction:

1. It aims to strengthen the governance of member countries in disaster risk management.
2. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has been launched under the Sendai framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was the first major agreement that provides Member States with concrete steps to protect development gains from the risk of disaster. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015). It has set such priorities as understanding disaster risk; strengthening governance in disaster risk to manage disaster risk challenges; investing in reducing disaster risk for resilience; improving disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Building Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) was announced by India at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 held in New York City, USA. It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, financing mechanisms, private sector, and knowledge institutions will promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development. CDRI thus aims to enable the achievement of objectives of expanding universal access to basic services and enabling prosperity as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals, while also working at the intersection of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Q) Consider the following statements, with reference to 103^rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019:

1. It provides for reservation up to 10 percent in public appointments in favor of any economically weaker sections of citizens.
2. In order to avail benefit of reservation, a person must not own agricultural land above 10 acres.
3. The benefit of reservation is available for taking admission in all the educational institutions.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: As per 103^rd Constitution Amendment Act, under Article 16(6), the state is permitted to make a provision for the reservation of upto 10% of appointments or posts in favour of economically weaker sections (EWSs) of citizens apart from backward classes of citizens mentioned under Article 16(4). So, the EWS reservation is not available to the Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. EWS reservation of upto 10% would be in addition to the existing reservation.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: A person whose family owns or possesses any one of the following assets are to be excluded from being identified as EWSs, irrespective of the family income: 5 acres of Agricultural land and above; Residential flat of 1000 sq.ft and above; Residential plot of 100 sq.yards and above in notified municipalities; Residential plot of 200 sq.yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Under Article 15(6) of the Constitution, the state is empowered to make any special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens. Further, the state is allowed to make a provision for the reservation of upto 10% of seats for such sections in admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, except the minority educational institutions. This reservation of upto 10% would be in addition to the existing reservations.

Q) With respect to Ocean Acidification, consider the following statements:

1. About one-third of the annual anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the oceans.
2. As per the Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022, the Global mean ocean pH level has been rapidly increasing.
3. Increase in ocean acidification harmfully affects the corals by reducing the concentration of carbonate ions in the ocean waters.

Which of the statements given above are not correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Ocean acidification is largely the result of loading Earth’s atmosphere with large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), produced by vehicles and industrial and agricultural processes. The ocean absorbs around 23% of the annual emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: As per the Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022, Global mean ocean pH has been steadily declining at rates not seen for at least the past 26,000 years. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution about 1750, roughly one-third to one-half of the CO2 released into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities has been absorbed by the oceans. During that time period, scientists have estimated, the average pH of seawater declined from 8.19 to 8.05, which corresponds to a 30 percent increase in acidity.
• Statement 3 is correct: Marine scientists are concerned that the process of ocean acidification constitutesa threat to sea life and to the cultures that depend on the ocean for their food and livelihood. Increases in ocean acidity reduce the concentration of carbonate ions and the availability of aragonite (a significant source of calcium carbonate) in seawater. Marine scientists expect that coral, shellfish, and other marine calcifiers (that is, organisms that use carbonates) will be less able to obtain the raw materials that they use to build and maintain their skeletons and shells.

Q) Recently seen in news, the Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022 was released by which one of the following?

1. World Bank
2. World Metrological Organization
3. Institute for Economics and Peace
4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Explanation:

• Option (b) is correct: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has published the ‘Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022’ in the backdrop of the ongoing UNFCCC’s COP27 at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. It is an annual publication by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report uses several climate Indicators to describe the changing climate providing a broad view of the climate at a global scale. As per the report, increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities are a major driver of climate change. Atmospheric CO2 reached 149% of the pre-industrial level in 2021, primarily because of emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and cement production. As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does global mean surface temperature (GMST). GMST in 2022 is currently estimated to be 1.15 ± 0.13 °C above the pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900). The eight years 2015 to 2022 are likely to be the eight warmest years on record.

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