Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 16th November 2022

United Nations (UN) World Population Prospects 2022:

United Nations recently said that India’s population growth appeared to be stabilising, which shows that the country’s national policies and health systems, including access to family planning services, are working.

• The world population touched eight billion on November 15, 2022 and India was the largest contributor to the milestone, having added 177 million people of the last billion people born in the world.
• The UN population report said the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 per cent in 2020.
• The world’s population could grow to around 5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.
• India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, “with prospects to reap the demographic dividend as the median age of an Indian this year was 28.7 years, compared to 38.4 for China and 48.6 for Japan against a global value of 30.3 years,”.
• The population prospects report had said that India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China’s 1.426 billion.
• India is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century.
• According to UNFPA estimates, 68 per cent of India’s population is between 15-64 years old in 2022, while people aged 65 and above comprise seven per cent of the population.
• As per UN estimates, over 27 per cent of the country’s population is between the ages of 15-29. At 253 million, India is also home to the world’s largest adolescent population (10-19 years).
• UNFPA has noted that India has its largest ever adolescent and youth population.
• According to UNFPA projections, India will continue to have one of the youngest populations in the world till 2030 and is currently experiencing a demographic window of opportunity, a “youth bulge” that will last till 2025.
• China added 73 million people; the projection is that its contribution to the next billion in the global population will be in the negative.
• China, which is weighed down by a rapidly increasing ageing population, is projected to enter a “severe ageing” phase in 2035 with 400 million people above 60 years. This can be blamed mainly on its decades of one-child policy.
• China’s population grew by less than half a million-last year to 1.4126 billion as the birth rates fell for the fifth consecutive year.

Yudh Abhyas:

18th edition of India-US joint military training exercise Yudh Abhyas will begin on November 16, 2022 in Auli, Uttrakhand.

• The 15-day-long exercise will focus on high altitude and extremely cold climate warfare.
• Exercise Yudh Abhyas is conducted annually between India and US with the aim of exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures between the Armies of the two nations.
• The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
• The schedule will include all operations related to peacekeeping and peace enforcement.
• The troops from both nations will work together to achieve common objectives.
• The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
• US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the Assam Regiment will be participating in the exercise.

Multimodal Logistics Park:

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has been awarded the project to build India’s first multimodal logistics park (MMLP) in Chennai.

• To set up the country’s first MMLP, the Centre and Tamil Nadu government have come together to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV), which is amongst National Highways Logistics Management, Rail Vikas Nigam, Chennai Port Authority and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation.
• The estimated project cost is ₹1,424 crore and the total concession period is 45 years.
• The project would likely be monitored by the highest levels of the government, as it falls under the high-priority list of projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Centre’s project monitoring system.
• These parks will also facilitate intermodal transportation – roads, railways, and inland waterways, with the aim of strengthening and diversifying the logistics system.
• MMPLs will play a crucial role in reducing logistics costs.
• India’s logistics cost as a percentage of GDP is very high at 16 per cent, while in developed countries such as the US and Europe, it is around 8 per cent.
• China’s logistics costs are 10 per cent.
• The government wants to bring down the logistics cost to 10 per cent of GDP.

National Sports Awards 2022:

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recently announced National Sports Awards 2022.

• India’s Table Tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal has been conferred with the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award for 2022.
• Seema Punia and Lakshya Sen were amongst the Arjuna Award winners for this year.
• Eldhose Paul, Avinash Mukund Sable, and Nikhat Zareen were also conferred with Arjuna Awards.
• The Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games Regular category went to Jiwanjot Singh Teja (Archery), Mohammad Ali Qamar (Boxing), Suma Siddharth Shirur (Para Shooting) and Sujeet Maan (Wrestling).

Awards:

• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: It is the highest sporting honour of India. It was instituted in 1991–92. The recipient(s) is/are honoured for their outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years at international level.
• Dronacharya Awards: It was instituted in 1985 to honour eminent Coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events.
• Arjuna awards: It was instituted in 1961. To be eligible for the Award, a sportsperson should have had not only good performance over the previous four years at the International level but also should have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
• Dhyan Chand Award: It was instituted in 2002. It is an award for life-time achievements in sports.
• Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award: It is the highest national recognition for outstanding achievements in the field of adventure on land, sea and air.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: It was instituted in 1956-57 to honour the top overall performing university in the Inter-University Tournaments.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar: It was instituted from 2009 to recognize the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

In Our LiFEtime Campaign:

“In our LiFEtime” Campaign was recently launched by India at COP 27, Sharm El-Sheikh.

• National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), jointly launched “In Our LiFEtime” campaign.
• It aims to encourage youth between the ages of 18 to 23 years to become message bearers of sustainable lifestyles.
• This campaign envisions to recognize youth from around the world taking climate action initiatives that resonate with the concept of LiFE.
• The campaign will involve more youth in the conversation about climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and provide them a platform to share their concerns, issues and solutions with the leaders of the world.

Sea Vigil-22:

The third edition of the ‘Pan-India’ Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-22’ will be conducted on 15-16 Nov 22.

• This National Level Coastal Defence Exercise was conceptualised in 2018 to validate various measures that have been instituted towards enhancing maritime security since ‘26/11’.
• The concept of ‘Sea Vigil’ is to activate the Coastal Security apparatus across India and assess the overarching Coastal D
• The exercise will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and will involve all the Coastal States and Union territories along with other maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
• The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Coast Guard and other ministries entrusted with the task of maritime activities.
• The exercise is a build up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which the Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum Maritime Security challenges.

A Decade of POCSO: Developments, Challenges And Insights From Judicial Data

Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy launched a report, ‘A Decade of POCSO: Developments, Challenges and Insights from Judicial Data’.

Highlights:

• As per 2020 NCRB data, over 90% of perpetrators are people known to victims
• High pendency of cases
• Low conviction rate ( only around 14% )
• Issue of a higher age of consent thereby minors getting convicted for even consensual acts.
• Tamil Nadu stands ahead of other States in terms of reporting cases and conviction of the accused.
• Need for after-school care: Children whose parents work are usually left on their own after school, and this heightens vulnerability

POCSO Act 2012:

• It was passed to protect children from sexual abuse/assault/harassment or pornography.
• Features of the act :
  • Establish Special Courts to try sexual offences involving children in a child-friendly manner.
  • Gender neutral law
  • Effective reporting, recording of evidence and investigation.
• The National Commission for protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and its states monitor the implementation of the law.

Jharkhand Assembly Passed Two Bills:

The Jharkhand Assembly has cleared two Bills, but these changes will come into force only after the Centre carries out amendments to include these in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services (Amendment) Bill, 2022:

• It raises reservations to 77%.
• Within the reserved category, the Scheduled Castes will get a quota of 12 %, up from 10%; 27% for OBCs, up from 14%; 28% for Scheduled Tribes, a 2 % increase; and 10% for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Jharkhand Local Persons Bill, 2022:

• It aims at granting local residents “certain rights, benefits, and preferential treatment” over their land; in their stake in local development of rivers, lakes, fisheries; in local traditional and cultural and commercial enterprises; in rights over agricultural indebtedness or availing agricultural loans; in maintenance and protection of land records; for their social security; in employment in private and public sector; and, for trade and commerce in the state.
• The 77 % reservation breaches the 50 % ceiling set by the Supreme Court in the 1992 Indra Sawhney v Union of India verdict.
• However, placing a legislation in the Ninth Schedule shields it from judicial scrutiny.
• Previously, the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993, reserved 69 % of the seats in colleges and jobs in the state government.