UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks :  Insta Links help you think beyond the  current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents 

GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024)

1. Comptroller & Auditor General

GS Paper 3:

2. Intellectual Property Rights

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. Global Energy Efficiency Alliance

2. Oriental Pied Hornbill

3. Thai Sacbrood Virus

4. Willingdon Island

5. Exercise Poorvi Prahar

6. Long-Range Hypersonic Missile

7. Māori Group

Mapping:

1. Panchachuli Mountain Range

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024

GS Paper 2:

Comptroller & Auditor General

Syllabus: Polity

 Source:  PIB

 Context: During the 4th Audit Diwas event in New Delhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla highlighted the critical role of the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG) in promoting accountability, transparency, and good governance.

About Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG):

Basics:

• Independent Constitutional Office: Established under Article 148, CAG ensures accountability in public financial administration.
• Guardian of Public Purse: Oversees the entire financial system at both Central and State levels.
• Appointment and Tenure:
  • Appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
  • Holds office for six years or until age 65, whichever is earlier.
• Salary and Service Conditions: Determined by Parliament and charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India.
• Non-Eligibility for Further Office: Post-retirement, the CAG cannot hold office under Central/State Governments.

Relevant Articles:

• Article 149: Parliament defines CAG’s duties and powers.
• Article 150: Determines the format of Union and State accounts on CAG’s advice.
• Article 151: CAG reports submitted to the President and laid before Parliament.
• Article 279: Certifies net proceeds of taxes, binding on the government.

Powers and Duties of CAG:

• Audit Financial Transactions: Audits expenditures from the Consolidated, Contingency, and Public Accounts of India and states. Also examines receipts, debts, and remittances of the government.
• Scrutiny of Revenue: Ensures effective rules for revenue assessment, collection, and allocation.
• Audit of Local Bodies: Audits transactions of local authorities and government-funded bodies upon request.
• Formulation of Accounts: Advises the President on the format for maintaining Union and State accounts.
• Reporting to Legislatures: Submits audit reports to the President (Centre) and Governors (States) for legislative scrutiny.
• Public Accounts Committee Role: Acts as a guide and advisor to PAC, assisting in scrutinizing government expenditures.

Challenges and Issues:

• Limited Powers: Cannot enforce compliance for timely information.
• Ambiguity in Scope: Lack of clarity on auditing Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and power distribution companies.
• Secret Service Expenditure: Cannot audit such expenditures; relies on administrative certifications.
• Delays in Reporting: Significant reduction in CAG reports over recent years.
• Conflict of Interest: Appointment process influenced by the Executive, raising transparency concerns.
• Single-Member Structure: Debate on converting the CAG into a multi-member body for better decision-making.

Recommendations for Reform

• Expand Audit Scope: Include PPPs, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and government-funded societies.
• Strengthen Appointment Process: Create a collegium-style mechanism for CAG selection.
• Enhance Powers: Amend the CAG Act of 1971 to include punitive measures for non-compliance.
• Timely Access to Information: Mandate access to records within seven days; penalize undue delays.
• Transparency and Independence: Adopt international best practices to ensure independence in selection and functioning.
• Capacity Building: Equip CAG to audit emerging areas like SDGs and Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Conclusion:

The CAG is indispensable for ensuring financial accountability and transparency in governance. Strengthening its powers and operational framework will enhance its effectiveness, fostering public trust in fiscal administration.

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024 GS Paper 3:

Intellectual Property Rights

Syllabus: IPR and Related Issues

Source:  PIB

 Context: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has highlighted India’s exceptional performance in its 2024 World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report, showcasing India as a rising leader in patents, trademarks, and industrial designs.

What are Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)?

• Definition: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protect creations of the human mind, including innovations, literary works, designs, and symbols.
• Objectives:
  • Promote innovation by granting creators exclusive rights.
  • Encourage fair competition while balancing public interest.
  • Protect traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.

Types of IPR:

• Patents: Protection for inventions meeting novelty, non-obviousness, and industrial applicability.
• Copyrights: Rights over artistic, literary, and creative works (e.g., books, music, software).
• Trademarks: Distinctive signs or symbols identifying goods/services.
• Industrial Designs: Aesthetic and functional designs of products.
• Geographical Indications: Protection for products linked to specific regions (e.g., Darjeeling Tea).
• Trade Secrets: Confidential business information protected against unauthorized use.

India’s Performance in WIPO 2024 Intellectual Property Report:

• Patent Growth:
  • India ranked 6th globally with 64,480 filings (+15.7% growth in 2023).
  • 55.2% of filings by residents, reflecting a shift towards local innovation.
• Trademark Filings:
  • India ranked 4th globally, with a 6.1% increase in 2023.
  • 90% filings by residents, highlighting domestic brand awareness.
• Industrial Designs:
  • 36.4% growth in applications, emphasizing product innovation.
• Patent-to-GDP Ratio:
  • Improved from 144 (2013) to 381 (2023), reflecting an innovation-driven economy.

Advantages of IPR:

• Promotes Innovation: IPR incentivizes creators and inventors by offering exclusive rights, motivating them to invest in developing new ideas, products, and technologies.
• Economic Growth: Licensing and commercialization of IPR assets generate revenue, contributing to the national and global economy.
• Encourages Fair Competition: Protects intellectual creations, ensuring businesses maintain unique identities and build trust in the marketplace.
• Supports Research: Allows researchers access to patented information, fostering further development and innovation in technology and science.
• Cultural Preservation: Safeguards traditional knowledge and practices, ensuring they are credited and economically benefit indigenous communities.

Government Initiatives:

• National IPR Policy, 2016: A comprehensive framework to streamline IPR laws and procedures, making them accessible and efficient.
• KAPILA Program: Focuses on creating awareness among students and faculty about IP filing processes and their benefits.
• Startup India: Encourages startups to innovate by providing IP support and reducing associated costs for filing patents and trademarks.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): Promotes problem-solving skills and entrepreneurship through initiatives like Tinkering Labs and Incubation Centers.
• Digital Modernization: Enhances IP processes by digitizing filings, reducing processing times, and improving transparency.
• SPRIHA Program: Strengthens academia’s role in IP awareness and research by integrating IPR education into higher learning institutions.

Issues and Disadvantages:

• Cost Barrier: High registration and enforcement costs deter small businesses and individuals from seeking IP protection.
• Evergreening: Companies misuse patents to extend monopoly rights, especially in pharmaceuticals, affecting accessibility to affordable drugs.
• Piracy: Despite legal protections, unauthorized use or copying of IP continues, harming the original creator’s financial interests.
• Global Inequities: Differences in IPR laws across countries create challenges for innovators to secure consistent protection worldwide.
• Limited Awareness: Lack of knowledge about IPR, especially in rural areas and MSMEs, results in underutilization of IP protection benefits.

Conclusion:

India’s performance in WIPO’s 2024 report cements its position as a global innovation hub, reflecting a mature IP ecosystem and effective government support. Continued reforms, education, and enforcement are essential to sustain this momentum and leverage IPR for economic growth.

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968

Context: Kerala has suspended two IAS officers, N. Prashant and K. Gopalakrishnan, for alleged violations of the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968:

• Ethical Standards: Officers must maintain high ethics, integrity, honesty, political neutrality, accountability, and transparency.
• Constitutional Supremacy: Must uphold constitutional values in all actions.
• Media Engagement: Officers can communicate in public media only in bona fide discharge of duties; criticism of government policies is prohibited.
• Court or Press Appeal: Cannot approach courts or press to vindicate actions under criticism without prior government approval.
• Omnibus Clause: Officers shall not act in a manner deemed “unbecoming of a member of the service.”
• Amendments Over Time: The rules have been updated but lack explicit provisions for social media conduct.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Global Energy Efficiency Alliance

Source: ANI

Context: At COP29 in Azerbaijan, the UAE announced the establishment of the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance, a major step to enhance global energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

About Global Energy Efficiency Alliance:

• Objective: Double annual global energy efficiency rates by 2030 and reduce carbon emissions.
• Vision: Aligns with the UAE Consensus from COP28 to minimize natural resource consumption.
• Leadership: UAE leads by sharing best practices, promoting knowledge transfer, and fostering public-private partnerships.
• Key Actions:
  • Encouraging investments in energy efficiency projects.
  • Developing technologies and policies to meet sustainability goals.
  • Promoting standardization across member countries.
• Focus on Africa: Highlights financing and technological solutions for African nations to boost energy efficiency.
• Collaboration: Invites global governments, organizations, and private sector leaders to unite under the alliance.

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Oriental Pied Hornbill

Source:  TH

 Context: In Mayong village, Morigaon district, Assam, a unique community-driven conservation initiative has established an ideal habitat for the oriental pied hornbill, showcasing exemplary efforts in biodiversity conservation.

About Mayong Village Initiative:

• Community conservation: Villagers collectively support the nesting and breeding of oriental pied hornbills, ensuring their safety and well-being.
• Plantation drive: Fruit-bearing trees like banana and papaya have been planted extensively to provide natural food sources for the hornbills.
• Sacred connection: Hornbills are revered as harbingers of peace and prosperity, fostering a harmonious relationship with the community.

About Oriental Pied Hornbill:

• Scientific name: Anthracoceros albirostris
  • Two other common names for this species are Sunda pied hornbill(convexus) and Malaysian pied hornbill.
• IUCN Status: Least concern
• Habitat: Found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests across the Himalayan foothills, northeast India, and Southeast Asia.
• Role in Ecosystem: Known as ‘forest engineers’ for dispersing seeds of tropical trees, contributing to forest health.
• Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on fruits, insects, shellfish, small reptiles, mammals, and bird eggs.
• Characteristics: Smallest and most common of the Asian hornbills; adaptable and widespread across its range.

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Thai Sacbrood Virus

Source:   TH

 Context: Research found that pathogen spillover from managed honey bees to wild pollinators poses a serious threat, with shared habitats facilitating disease transmission and endangering pollinator ecosystems.

About Thai Sacbrood Virus:

• Impact on Bees: Devastated 90% of Asiatic honeybee colonies in South India (1991–1992) and reemerged in Telangana in 2021.
• Symptoms: Kills larvae, preventing colony growth and reproduction.
• Geographical Spread: Reported in India, China, and Vietnam.
• Host Range: Less virulent in western honeybees but significantly threatens Asiatic honeybees (Apis cerana indica).

• India hosts more than 700 bee species, including four indigenous honey bees Asiatic honey bee (Apis cerana indica), giant rock bee (Apis dorsata), dwarf honey bee (Apis florea), and the stingless bee (sp. Trigona).
• Western honey bees were introduced in India in 1983 to increase the country’s honey yield.

• Transmission: Unclear pathways; likely through shared habitats or migratory routes of managed bees.

Other Diseases Impacting Butterflies:

• Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE): A protozoan parasite that infects monarch butterflies, leading to wing deformities and shortened lifespans.
• Nosema: A fungal disease that affects butterfly reproduction and energy levels.
• Baculovirus: Impacts caterpillar stages, causing high mortality rates.
• Viral Polyhedrosis: Targets larvae, disrupting metamorphosis and development.
• Bacterial Infections: Pathogens like Serratia marcescens can infect butterflies, particularly in captive populations.

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Willingdon Island

Source:  TH

Context: Willingdon Island, built in the 1920s, has lost prominence since container operations moved to Vallarpadam. Stakeholders seek revival through tourism, commerce, and logistics, preserving its heritage while boosting opportunities.

About Willingdon Island:

• Historical Significance: Constructed in the 1920s, named after Viceroy Lord Willingdon, and served as a vital port hub for Cochin.
  • A man-made marvel built in the 1920s by Sir Robert Bristow, was once the nucleus of port-related activities in Kochi.
• It is also home to the Kochi Naval Base of the Indian Navy, the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and the Port of Kochi.
• Decline: Operations reduced post-2011 when the container terminal shifted to Vallarpadam under a build-operate-transfer model.
• Potential: Ideal for coastal and defence cargo handling, cold storage, godown networks, and container freight stations.
• Tourism Appeal: Waterfront location suitable for tourism activities such as cruise operations, luxury yachts, water sports, and wellness retreats.
• Challenges: Rigid land lease policies and lack of infrastructural upgrades, including transportation and logistics, hinder development.

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Exercise Poorvi Prahar

Source:  DD News

Context: The Indian Armed Forces are conducting Exercise Poorvi Prahar, a tri-services joint operation in Arunachal Pradesh from November 10th to 18th, 2024.

About Exercise Poorvi Prahar:

• Objective: To enhance combat effectiveness and synergy across the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force for integrated joint operations.
• Location: Forward areas of Arunachal Pradesh, emphasizing operational readiness in mountainous terrain.
• Participation: Cutting-edge military platforms including advanced fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, Chinook helicopters, Advanced Light Helicopters (Rudra), and M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers.
• Technological Integration: Utilisation of swarm drones, loitering munitions, and advanced situational awareness systems for precision strikes and enhanced flexibility.
• Strategic Relevance: Reinforces India’s defence posture along the Eastern frontier, reflecting its capability to execute multi-domain operations across land, air, and sea.

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Long-Range Hypersonic Missile

Source:  TH

Context: India successfully tested its first long-range hypersonic missile, marking a significant milestone in defence technology and joining a select group of nations capable of developing advanced hypersonic weapons.

About India’s First Hypersonic Missile:

• Features
• Mach 6 Speed: Travels six times the speed of sound, reducing enemy reaction time.
• Long Range: Covers over 1,500 km for deep-strike missions.
• Mid-Flight Manoeuvrability: Combines ballistic missile speed with cruise missile agility to evade defences.
• Multi-Payload Capacity: Can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
• Advanced Tracking: Precision targeting ensured by cutting-edge multi-domain monitoring systems.
• Indigenous Design: Fully developed by DRDO, showcasing India’s self-reliance in advanced defence technology.
• Capabilities:
  • Strategic Deterrence: Enhances defence readiness and border security.
  • Multi-Domain Use: Adaptable for land, air, and naval platforms, including ship-targeting.
  • Defence Evasion: Overcomes modern missile defence systems with speed and agility.
  • Precision Strikes: Pinpoint targeting of critical enemy assets with minimal collateral damage.
• Applications: Multiple uses across Army, Navy, and Air Force; naval version aimed at destroying enemy warships with precision at long ranges.
• Developmental Background: Builds upon the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) project initiated in 2019.
• Global Context: Positions India alongside major military powers like China, Russia, and the US in hypersonic weapon technology.

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Māori Group

Source:  IE

Context: New Zealand’s parliament briefly paused as Māori Party MPs performed a haka to protest the Treaty Principles Bill, opposing changes to the 184-year-old Treaty of Waitangi.

About Māori Group:

• Origin: Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand (Aotearoa) who migrated from East Polynesia between 1320-1350.
• Cultural Development: Over centuries in isolation, the Māori developed a distinctive culture, including language, mythology, crafts, and performing arts.
• Treaty of Waitangi: Signed in 1840 with the British, it established coexistence but has been a source of ongoing political and economic redress.
• Population: Māori are the second-largest ethnic group in New Zealand, following European New Zealanders (Pākehā), with over 170,000 Māori living in Australia.

About Haka:

• Definition: A ceremonial dance in Māori culture expressing pride, strength, and unity.
• Origin: Traditionally an ancient war dance performed by both men and women.
• Purpose: Used for social functions, celebrations, welcoming guests, or as a war cry/challenge.
• Expression: Involves vigorous movements, rhythmic chanting, foot-stomping, and body-slapping.

Insta Links:

Tags: Māori culture, Treaty of Waitangi, haka protest, New Zealand Indigenous rights, Polynesian settlers, Māori political activism, Haka.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18 November 2024 Mapping:

Panchachuli Mountain Range

Source:  NIE

 Context: Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh faces environmental degradation as tourism and emissions accelerate glacier melt in the Panchachuli range.

About Panchachuli Mountain Range:

• Group of Peaks: Comprises five snow-capped peaks, forming a part of the Kumaon Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India.
• Altitude Range: Peaks rise from 6,334 m (20,781 ft) to 6,904 m (22,651 ft), with Panchchuli II being the tallest.
• Geographical Significance: Lies at the watershed between the Gori and Darmaganga valleys, near Munsiyari, and on the Gori Ganga-Lassar Yankti divide.
• Cultural Legend: Named after the Pandavas’ “Five Chulis” (cooking hearths) from Indian mythology.
• First Ascent: Panchchuli II was first scaled by an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team led by Mahendra Singh on May 26, 1973.
• Tourism Impact: Located 138 km from Pithoragarh, the peaks attract trekkers and pilgrims but face environmental degradation due to human activities.

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Daily Current Affairs + PIB Summary 18 Nov 2024

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