UPSC Key | UNIFIL, Europa Clipper, Brain-eating amoeba and more (2024)

Front Page

As UN peacekeepers come under fire, India backs joint statement against Israeli action

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora; Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

What’s the ongoing story- A day after it expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation along the Israel-Lebanon border, India Saturday joined the troop-contributing countries in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and aligned itself against Israeli military’s action that has wounded two UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Key Points to Ponder-

— What is UNIFIL?

— What is the role of UN peacekeepers in conflict zones?

— What is India’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping missions?

— Read about the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

— Read about the Hezbollah and Hamas.

— What is the role of the UN Security Council?

— Map work: Locate Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, Golan Heights, and other places in news related to the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.

For Your Information-

— Two UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were wounded in an Israeli strike Friday near their watchtower in Naqoura in south Lebanon, Israel’s military said, while blasts shook the peacekeepers’ main base in the area for the second time in 48 hours as Israeli forces battled the Hezbollah.

— The UNIFIL force called it a “serious development” and said the security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed.

— The force has more than 10,000 peacekeepers from dozens of countries, and Indian troops account for the second largest number with about 900 personnel serving there.

— The joint statement by the troop contributing countries “strongly condemned” the attacks on the UNIFIL peacekeepers and said that “such actions must stop immediately” and “should be adequately investigated”.

— This statement also reflects India’s disquiet over Israel’s actions targeting the UN forces — a very different position from its balancing act, and support for Israel’s actions against Hamas and Hezbollah over the last one year, especially in the last few months.

Do You Know-

— The UN has kept the peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, in southern Lebanon since 1978. Its mission is largely observational, though its mandate was expanded in 2006 at the end of the last war between Israel and Hezbollah.

— The United Nations Interim Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon is an international body of more than 10,000 civilian and military personnel from 50 countries assigned to prevent violations along the border between Lebanon and Israel. That 121-km stretch is often called the Blue Line.

— UNIFIL is supposed to prevent violations in the border zone and report breaches to the UN Security Council. Although they are armed, the peacekeepers are generally restricted to using force only when their safety or the safety of civilians is in immediate danger.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Who are the UN peacekeepers at Lebanon’s border with Israel?

📍‘Inviolability of UN premises must be respected’: India after attack on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Consider the following statements:

1. The UN has kept UNIFIL in southern Lebanon since 1978.

2. UNIFIL is supposed to prevent violations in the border zone and report breaches to the UN Security Council.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Child rights panel to states: Stop funding, shut down madrasas

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and Indian Polity, Right issues.

Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution, Polity, Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education.

What’s the ongoing story- The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the chief secretaries of all States and Union territories recommending that madrasa boards be “discontinued and closed down”, State funding to madrasas and madrasa boards be stopped, and children attending madrasas be enrolled in “formal schools.”

Key Points to Ponder-

— What are Madrasas and how are they funded? Who recognises such bodies in India?

— Read about the NCPCR.

— What is the Right to Education Act?

— What are the constitutional provisions concerning cultural and educational rights?

— What is the concept of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution of India? How is it different from Western secularism?

— What are the challenges faced by the Indian education system?

— What are the initiatives taken by the government to promote education?

For Your Information-

— The October 11 letter from NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said, “It has also been recommended that all non-Muslim children be taken out of madrasas and admitted in schools for receiving fundamental education as per the RTE Act, 2009.”

— Kanoongo’s letter claims that the exemption of religious institutions from the RTE Act, 2009 led to the “exclusion of children attending only religious institutions from the formal education system”, and that “while Articles 29 and 30 (of the constitution) protected minority rights, children in these schools were deprived of equal access to quality education under the RTE Act.” It adds that what was intended to empower children ultimately created new layers of “deprivation and discrimination due to wrong interpretation.”

— The commission has, along with the letter, sent a recent report prepared by the NCPCR titled ‘Guardians of Faith or Oppressors of Rights: Constitutional Rights of Children vs Madrasas’ which claims that madrasas “violate the educational rights of children.”

— The report claims that the curriculum in madrasas is not “as per the RTE Act” and the NCPCR found “abnormalities” in the curriculum – “objectionable content in Diniyat books” in the curriculum, the teaching of texts that profess the “supremacy of Islam”, and the Bihar Madrasa Board prescribing books that are “published in Pakistan.”

— It also claims that in the NCPCR’s interactions with state authorities it found that madrasas lack trained and qualified teachers as prescribed by the National Council for Teacher Education, and that the teachers in madrasas are “largely dependent upon the conventional methods used in learning Quran and other religious texts.”

— The report claims that these institutions impart Islamic education and are “not following the basic principle of secularism”; madrasas “deprive children” of facilities and entitlements which are provided to students studying in regular schools.

Do You Know-

— Last month, the NCPCR told the Supreme Court that education imparted in madrasas “is not comprehensive and is therefore against the provisions of Right to Education Act.”

— Madrasa is an Arabic word for an educational institution. In the early centuries of Islam, mosques served also as places of education, but from the 10th century onward, madrasas came to acquire a distinct identity as institutions of religious and secular learning in the Islamic world.

— As of 2018-19, there were 24,010 madrasas in India, 19,132 of which were recognised madrasas, and the remaining 4,878 were unrecognised, then Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told Rajya Sabha on February 3, 2020.

— Recognised madrasas come under the state boards for madrasa education; the unrecognised ones follow the curriculum prescribed by the bigger seminaries such as the Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama (Lucknow) and Darul Uloom Deoband.

— There are two categories of madrasas in India — Madrasa Darse Nizami, which are run as public charities, and are not bound to follow the school education curriculum of the state; and the Madrasa Darse Aliya, which are affiliated to the state’s madrasa education board (such as the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education).

— As many as 60% of the country’s madrasas were in Uttar Pradesh. The second highest number of madrasas were in Rajasthan.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Madrasas ‘unsuitable’ places to get proper education: Child rights body to SC

📍All you need to know about madrasas

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Which of the following provisions of the Constitution does India have a bearing on Education? (UPSC CSE 2012)

1. Directive Principles of State Policy

2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies

3. Fifth Schedule

4. Sixth Schedule

5. Seventh Schedule

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 1, 2 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

How is the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of secularism? Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2016)

Army looks to hire civil choppers for logistics on northern borders

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Security challenges and their management in border areas– linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

What’s the ongoing story- The Indian Army is looking to hire helicopters from civil agencies to carry out a range of jobs along the country’s northern borders such as logistics supplies, carrying troops to forward locations and casualty evacuation when needed, The Indian Express has learnt.

Key Points to Ponder-

— Read about the Advanced Light Helicopter.

— What are the operational advantages of using civil helicopters for military logistics?

— What are the challenges associated with the Indian Army’s dependence on civil helicopters for logistics in high-risk areas?

— Know the government initiatives related to the defence modernisation.

— Map work: Locate Drass, Kargil, Batalik, Doda, Kishtwar and Gurez on the map.

For Your Information-

— It plans to deploy these single-engine helicopters in specific sectors in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, such as Drass, Kargil, Batalik, Doda, Kishtwar and Gurez. Barring the specific sectors, the helicopters will be mostly deployed during the winters — from November to April — for stocking of ration, fuel, other stores and operational purposes.

— According to officials, this is a rare instance when the Army will hire helicopters for winter stocking, carrying out logistics work and supplies and other operational purposes.

— There are plans for the Armed Forces to increasingly move towards outsourcing of major platforms and equipment instead of buying them — these need massive capital expenditure — and the Army’s move to hire the helicopters reflects that.

— It is learnt that the helicopters will be used to fill in for the ageing Chetak and Cheetah fleet with the Army, which continue to face serviceability issues due to their long, extended years of service and the fact that many of them will begin completing their total technical life in the next three years. The Army plans to eventually replace them with the indigenous light utility helicopters.

— The hiring of helicopters will be done under the Delegation of Financial Powers to Defence Services (DFPDS-2021) which was unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

— The DFPDS is the only document which lays out the financial powers of the three services for defence revenue procurements. All defence capital procurements are governed by the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020.

Do You Know-

— The Army operates the Chetak, Cheetah and variants of the Indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter. It has around 190 Cheetah, Chetak and Cheetal choppers, of which around 25 are under maintenance at any point. These choppers are key for supplies and evacuations, but a majority are over 30 years old.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Army plans to start replacing Chetak, Cheetah helicopters in next 3-4 years

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Prachand is a:

(a) Air to air missile

(b) Unmanned aerial vehicle

(c) Surface to air missile

(d) Light Combat Helicopter

Express Network

How Kerala is forging ahead in fight against rare fatal disease

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Health, Science.

What’s the ongoing story- An alert medical fraternity and public, aggressive investigation, and a standard operating procedure – these are the major reasons why Kerala has been able to bring down mortality rate in the rare primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), commonly called the “brain eating amoeba”, from the 97 percent globally to 26 percent in Kerala.

Key Points to Ponder-

— What is “brain-eating amoeba” (primary amoebic meningoencephalitis)?

— In which season is PAM more likely to occur?

— Read about the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES).

— What steps should we take to stop the spread of PAM?

For Your Information-

— Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm, fresh water and soil, and infects people when it enters the body through the nose.

— According to the data submitted by Kerala health minister Veena George in the state Assembly early this week, of the 29 PAM cases that Kerala has reported so far in 2024, only five have died. State health department pegs the mortality rate for the disease at 26 percent – considerably lower than the 97 percent globally.

— The first case of PAM in India was reported in 1971, and the country has seen just around two dozen cases since then until last year. The first case in Kerala was reported in 2016.

— All reported cases in India had led to the patient’s death – that is, until July this year, when 14-year-old Afanan Jasim from Thikkodi in Kerala’s Kozhikode district became the first Indian to survive the disease. He was only the 11th PAM survivor in the world.

— The spike in cases this year is attributed to increased testing for acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) – a condition that can be caused by various diseases including amoebic meningoencephalitis – as well as other factors such as climate change and environmental pollution.

— In July, Kerala issued a special treatment protocol and a standard operating procedure for the management of amoebic meningoencephalitis cases – the first state in India to do so.

— According to the health department source, Kerala has reported two types of amoebae that cause brain infections. “We have cases reported from Kerala due to amoebas naegleria, which has a mortality rate of 97 percent, and acanthamoeba, which has mortality 60-90 percent. Hence, the state’s fatality rate was pegged at 26 percent,” the source said.

Do You Know-

— According to experts, Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a very rare but fatal infection of the brain and its protective layers by an organism called Naegleria fowleri. “So the disease is also called Naegliriasis and the organism is commonly known as ‘brain-eating amoeba’,” Dr Bharat Subramanya, Brain and Spine Surgeon, Apollo Clinic, Electronic City, said.

— This organism primarily resides in unhygienic or poorly maintained water bodies like ponds, wells, swimming pools and marshlands. “They enter the body through the nose and directly spread to the brain through the olfactory nerve (nerve for smell sensation). It causes severe inflammation and oedema/swelling of the brain.”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How common is primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, and does it occur more during the monsoon season?

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Consider the following statements about the amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM):

1. The first case of PAM in India was reported in 1971.

2. It is caused by Naegleria fowleri.

3. Kerala is the first state in India to issue a special treatment protocol and a standard operating procedure for the management of amoebic meningoencephalitis cases.

How many of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

The World

NASA spacecraft to scour Jupiter moon for life beyond Earth

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, General Science

Mains Examination: GS-III: Science and Technology, Awareness in the Field of Space.

What’s the ongoing story- A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth.

Key Points to Ponder-

— What is Europa Clipper?

— Read about the Jupiter.

— What is the purpose of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission?

— What are the international collaborations involved in the Europa Clipper mission?

— What are the ISRO’s future interplanetary missions?

For Your Information-

— Europa Clipper will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether conditions there could support it. Another mission would be needed to flush out any microorganisms lurking there.

— “It’s a chance for us to explore not a world that might have been habitable billions of years ago, but a world that might be habitable today — right now,” said program scientist Curt Niebur.

— Its massive solar panels make Clipper the biggest craft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It will take 5 1/2 years to reach Jupiter and will sneak within 16 miles (25 kilometers) of Europa’s surface — considerably closer than any other spacecraft.

— Liftoff is targeted for this month aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Mission cost: $5.2 billion.

Do You Know-

— Europa is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon and its diameter is about one-quarter that of the Earth. Even though Europa has a very thin oxygen atmosphere, it is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to find present-day environments that are suitable for life beyond the Earth.

— It is also believed that underneath Europa’s icy surface the amount of water is twice that on Earth. NASA notes that scientists believe Europa’s ice shell is 15-25 km thick and is floating on an ocean, which is estimated to be between 60-150 km deep. Interestingly, while its diameter is less than the Earth’s, Europa probably contains twice the amount of the water in all of the Earth’s oceans.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Giant planets like Jupiter can stop life on Earth-like neighbours

📍Explained: What a new research about Jupiter’s moon Europa means

UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Europa Clipper mission is associated with:

(a) NASA

(b) ISRO

(c) European Space Agency

(d) None of the above

Economy

PM’s call for India-ASEAN Trade deal review amid rising trade gap, imports from China

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance and Economic Development

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effects of liberalisation on the economy

What’s the ongoing story- A review of the India-ASEAN trade deal by 2025 finds a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10-point plan to enhance cooperation between the two side during the ongoing 21st ASEAN-India Summit. From New Delhi’s perspective, a key reason for this is the progressive shift in the trade balance in favour of the ASEAN region, coupled with a simultaneous increase in investments from China into the 10-member bloc.

Key Points to Ponder-

— What is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)?

— What is India’s Act East Policy?

— What are the key highlights of ASEAN Summit 2024?

— What is the history of India-ASEAN relations?

— What are the reasons behind the trade balance being in favour of the ASEAN region?

— What is a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)?

— Map Work: Member countries of ASEAN and RCEP.

For Your Information-

— The India-ASEAN trade deal was signed in 2009 during the UPA era and over the years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become an important source of input materials for the Indian industry. While palm oil, natural gas are sourced from Indonesia and Malaysia, items like natural rubber come from Thailand.

— However, Indian industry has progressively started to call for anti-subsidy measures against industrial imports from ASEAN, on the grounds that Chinese products are being rerouted through the region to claim benefits under the India-ASEAN trade deal. Moreover, the trade deficit between the two regions is rapidly rising, especially after the pandemic.

— Fears of a fresh surge in imports have also emerged as ASEAN has joined the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal. India had opted out of the RCEP negotiations in 2019 fearing rising imports from China. Notably, China-ASEAN trade is on the rise, with bilateral trade growing 15 per cent in 2022 after the deal came into force.

— The two sides agreed to initiate a review during the 16th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Meeting (AIEMM) in September 2019. However, it took three years to barely agree on the scope of the review at the 19th AIEMM in September 2022.

— The rising presence of Chinese investments and products in ASEAN has raised concerns about the rerouting of Chinese goods into India through ASEAN. In response, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry initiated an anti-dumping investigation last month against steel products from Vietnam.

Do You Know-

— ASEAN is central to India’s Act East policy, which focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region. The 10 member states of ASEAN include Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos.

— India’s Act East policy was originally conceived as an economic initiative but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including the establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.

— In 2010, a Free Trade Agreement was also signed and entered into force between India and ASEAN. While India was part of negotiations to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020, it ultimately decided not to do so. However, in the past eight years, trade has grown in terms of value, barring the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

— India and ASEAN started to hold summits together in 2002 — a decade after the country established formal engagement with the group.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: All about ASEAN and East Asia Summits, to be attended by PM Modi

📍ASEAN Summit 2024: PM Modi unveils 10-point plan to strengthen India-ASEAN relations

📍Knowledge nugget of the day: ASEAN

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

📍Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE 2018)

1. Australia

2. Canada

3. China

4. India

5. Japan

6. USA

Which of the above are among the ‘free-trade partners’ of ASEAN?

(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5

(b) 3, 4, 5 and 6

(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5

(d) 2, 3, 4 and 6

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

Evaluate the economic and strategic dimensions of India’s Look East Policy in the context of the post Cold War international scenario. (UPSC CSE 2016)

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