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UPSC Key- May 23, 2023: Know about Harappan Civilisation, De-risking and Macroeconomic impact of Climate Change

Exclusive for Subscribers from Monday to Friday: The Indian Express UPSC Key May 23, 2023, will help you prepare for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations with cues on how to read and understand content from the most authoritative news source in India.

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UPSC Key- May 23, 2023: Know about Harappan Civilisation, De-risking and Macroeconomic impact of Climate Change
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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for May 23, 2023. If you missed the May 22, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

Delhi’s G20 message from J&K: 2 generations lost, change here

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

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• What’s the ongoing story– The G20 tourism working group meeting is a “a moment of rejuvenation and reincarnation” for Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh told foreign delegates as the three-day event got underway in Srinagar Monday. A total of 61 delegates from 29 nations are participating in the meeting — the first such international event to be held in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

• How Film tourism has emerged as a powerful medium to promote tourism industry in J&K?

Festive offer

• A draft National Strategy on Film Tourism-Know its key features

• The G20 tourism working group meeting in J&K is significant-why?

• What is G20?

• Know the origin of G20

• How G20 Works?

• G20 or Group of Twenty-About, Purpose and Member Countries

• What is the theme of India’s G20 Presidency?

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• For Your Information-The G20 Presidency steers the G20 agenda for one year and hosts the Summit. The G20 consists of two parallel tracks: the Finance Track and the Sherpa Track. Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors lead the Finance Track while Sherpas lead the Sherpa Track. The Group does not have a permanent secretariat.

• India is currently part of the G-20 Troika (current, previous and incoming presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India-What is G20 ‘Troika’?

• G20 ‘Troika’ and India-Know in detail

• Procedure for taking over the G20 presidency-How it is Decided?

• G20-Relevance in today’s Changing Geopolitical Dynamics?

• Map Work-G20 member Countries

• In the context of India’s G-20 presidency, what will be India’s “evolving priorities”?

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• “Greater voice for the global south” in economic cooperation and the need to “reform 21st century institutions”-Why the term ‘Global South’ is gaining currency?

• ‘G-20 deliberations have acquired a greater salience in the current global economic and political context’-Discuss

• Do You Know-The G-20, or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum of major developed and developing economies. It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and nations under the European Union (EU). The G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world’s population.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍G20 tourism meet in Jammu & Kashmir from today: The TL;DR

Previous UPSC Prelims Questions based on Same Theme:

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📍With reference to the “G20 Common Framework”, consider the following statements: (GS1, 2022)
1. It is an initiative endorsed by the G20 together with the Paris Club.
2. It is an initiative to support Low Income Countries with unsustainable debt.
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

📍In which one of the following groups are all the four countries members of G20? (GS1, 2020)
a) Argentina Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.
b) Australia Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand
c) Brazil, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam
d) Indonesia Japan Singapore and South Korea

📍The term ‘Digital Single Market Strategy’ seen in the news refers to (GS1, 2017)
a) ASEAN
b) BRICS
c) EU
d) G20

What Centre did not tell SC: It said no to Rajasthan request for cheetahs

Syllabus:

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Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

• General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Last week, expressing concern over the death of three cheetahs in Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to rise above politics and consider shifting a few to Rajasthan. “It appears that Kuno is not sufficient for so many cheetahs… Why don’t you look for a suitable place in Rajasthan? Merely because Rajasthan is ruled by (an) Opposition party does not mean you will not consider it,” a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol told the Centre.

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• Why did the Supreme Court ask the Centre to shift a few cheetahs to Rajasthan?

• Map Work-Mukundra Hills National Park

• Do You Know-Declared a tiger reserve in 2013, Mukundra got its first tigers in 2018 when a pair was shifted from Ranthambhore to a 12-foot-high enclosure encompassing 82 sq km. The reserve has lost four adults and three cubs since and is now left with a solitary tiger. But the enclosure constructed in 2017 made Mukundra one of the potential sites in the government’s Cheetah Action Plan.

• The Rajasthan Forest Department proposed hosting a few cheetahs in Mukundra but the Centre rejected-Why?

• What is the Reintroduction of the cheetah in India plan?

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For Your Information-According to the Cheetah Action Plan 2022, Kuno has space for 23 cheetahs. Eight were flown in from Namibia on September 17 last year, followed by another 12 from South Africa on February 18. Day after the first cheetah’s death was reported on March 27, four cubs were born in Kuno. Two more cheetahs died, on April 23 and May 10, and the population is pushing the limit at 21.

• Cheetah in India- Background

• Extinction of Cheetah from Indian Landscape-know the reasons

• Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India-Important Highlights

• Know the difference between cheetah and Leopard and African cheetah and Asiatic cheetah

• Supreme Court of India on Translocating Animals-know in detail

• Trans-continental translocation of Animals-know the Issues and Challenges

• Map Work World-South Africa, Namibia and Botswana

• Map Work India-Kuno Palpur National Park (Madhya Pradesh)

• For Your Information-Cheetahs are among the oldest of the big cat species, with its ancestors going back about 8.5 million years. It is listed as “vulnerable” by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Two subspecies, the Asiatic cheetah and the Northwest African cheetah, are listed as “critically endangered”.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild

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📍What it takes to successfully move big cats like cheetahs out of their natural habitats

At Harappan site, a mystery buried in time: Whose graves are these?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The dry, arid soil on a 16-hectare expanse on the outskirts of Khatiya village in Gujarat’s Kutch district has thrown up several surprises — a shell bangle, pottery shards, stones blades, even human skeletal remains. Since 2018, a multi-disciplinary international team of archeologists has discovered 500 graves and excavated 197 of those here, but deep below, the site holds the key to an enduring mystery: whose graves are these?

• ‘Pre-urban’ phase of the Harappan civilisation-What is that?

• Map Work- Khatiya, Dholavira, Lothal, Rakhigarhi, Desalpar and Khirsara, Kotda Bhadli, Nadapa and other Harrapan Sites

• What new finds at Harappan site could mean?

• Pre-urban’ Harappan phase, Urban Harappan phase and the Post-urban Harappan phase-Compare and Contrast

• For Your Information-“Dholavira, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest metropolises of the Harappan civilisation, is in Kutch. it is 150 kilometres away from Khatiya that’s among the western-most of the Harappan sites in India. Given the distance, researchers say, it’s unlikely that people in the urban settlements of Dholavira were buried at the Khatiya site.
“Desalpar and Khirsara, Kotda Bhadli and Nadapa are the other well-known Harappan sites in western Kutch. But each of them is a site of urban and post-urban periods of the Harappan civilisation and more than 50 km away from Khatiya. Being a pre-urban Harappan cemetery, there is a possibility that either there was a big settlement in Khatiya or there were smaller settlements around Khatiya and the cemetery was a common burial ground for them,” said Prof Rajesh, who has studied regional chalcolithic cultures (Copper Age) of Gujarat as part of his doctoral research project.
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• Who are the people whose remains were interred in these graves (Khatiya) and where did they come from?

• Indus Valley Civilization or Origin of Harappan Civilization-Know the date and Area and Areas of extension

• Harappan-Know the Urban infrastructure and architecture

• Harappan- Know about Harappan society and religion

• Know in detail-Harappan art, craft and pottery

• Know in detail-Harappan Language and Scripts

• Reasons for Decline-Various Debates (Perspective-Left, Marxists and Conservatives etc)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What new finds at Harappan site could mean

Previous UPSC Prelims Questions based on Same Theme:

📍 Which one of the following is not a Harappan site? (GS Paper 1, 2019)
(a) Chanhudaro
(b) Kot Diji
(c) Sohgaura
(d) Desalpur

📍 Which one of the following ancient towns is well known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelising water into connected reservoirs? (GS Paper 1, 2021)
(a) Dholavira
(b) Kalibangan
(c) Rakhigarhi
(d) Ropar

📍With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct? (GS Paper 1, 2017)
(1) Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
(2) Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
(3) Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

📍Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of the Indus Valley Civilization? ? (GS Paper 1, 2013)
1. They possessed great palaces and temples
2. They worshipped both male and female deities
3. They employed horse-drawn chariots
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below:
a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 only
c. 1, 2 and 3
d. None of the statements given above is correct

EXPRESS NETWORK

Guidelines in medical admission for the disabled: from progressive to restrictive

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The new guidelines under development by the National Medical Commission (NMC), to assess whether a candidate with disability may enrol in a medical course and whether candidates should receive the benefits of quota, are a mixed bag. The recommendations of a 16-member expert panel range from a “progressive outlook” for those with mental illness — suggesting that anyone who can complete all course requirements be allowed to study medicine — to “extremely restrictive” requirements for locomotor disabilities, suggesting wheelchair-bound people or those using two crutches be disqualified.

• What are the recommendations given by the expert panel?

• For Your Information-The recommendations of a 16-member expert panel range from a “progressive outlook” for those with mental illness suggesting that anyone who can complete all course requirements be allowed to study medicine to “extremely restrictive” requirements for locomotor disabilities, suggesting wheelchair-bound people or those using two crutches be disqualified. The panel was set up after the Delhi High Court, earlier this year, directed the NMC to explore the possibility of candidates with disability pursuing some disciplines, if not all, of medical education.

• What are those strict guidelines given by the panel?

• National Medical Commission-Know its Role, Vision and Mission

• What are the present guidelines of the NMC regarding candidates with disabilities in a medical course?

• What are the issues and concerns?

• Disabled population Statistics given by Census 2011-Know the Data

• Supreme Court on Ravinder Kumar Dhariwal and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors-Know the Key Points

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act)-Know the Key highlights

• Disable and Disability-Know these terms (Multidimensional approach like Social, Physical, Economical-try to connect the dots)

• What are the Constitutional Frameworks for Differently abled in India?

• Know the Government Programmes and initiatives for Disabled in India

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and International Day of Persons with
Disabilities by the United Nations.

• Disability and Rehabilitation Services in India-What are the Issues and Challenges

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: How much of India’s population lives with disabilities?

EXPLAINED

De-Risking, not decoupling: The G7’s calibrated strategy against China

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- In a statement issued on May 20 at the end of the leaders’ summit in Hiroshima, Japan, G7 countries said they would build economic resilience for themselves, based on a strategy of “diversifying and deepening partnerships and de-risking, not decoupling”. The word “de-risking” was again used in the statement to describe the G7 countries’ stance towards China on economic matters. And during a press conference at the end of the summit, United States President Joe Biden said: “We’re not looking to decouple from China. We’re looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China.” Biden said that the incident with “this silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars worth of spying equipment” had changed “everything…in terms of talking to one another”, but he expected a “thaw very shortly”.

• What does “de-risking” mean?

• Have ‘de-risking’ and ‘decoupling’ been used earlier in the context of diplomatic strategy?

• Has China said anything about this?

• What is G7 group?

• Who are the members of G7?

• Know the name of G7 countries

• Map Work-G7 Countries

• The G7 countries Global GDP

• G7 and India-Know in Brief

• Know the difference between G7 and G20

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍A FINER BALANCE

📍PM at G7: Raise voice against unilateral change in status quo

Economics of climate change

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story– Over the past few weeks and months there have been several stories about how extreme weather events (such as unexpected rainfall or unusually high temperatures) have disrupted normal life in India. There is also a constant reminder that more of the same can be expected with each passing year. To be sure, the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 had ranked India seventh in the list of most affected countries in terms of exposure and vulnerability to climate risk events.

• What Is Climate Change?

• How Is Climate Change measured over time?

• What Causes Climate Change?

• What are the effects of Climate Change?

• How will climate change affect the lives of today’s children tomorrow, if no immediate action is taken?

• What is Climate Resilient Development?

• What are the major climate change agreements?

• What is climate change ‘Loss and Damage’?

• How is climate change causing loss and damage?

• What is the extent of loss and damage?

• What is the economic cost of climate change?

• How vulnerable is India’s economy to such climate change?

• What will happen to our GDP and inflation if timely action is not taken to address climate concerns?

• What is the evidence of climate change?

• How vulnerable is India to climate change?

• What is the macroeconomic impact of climate change on India?

• Can policies provide some solutions?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: What is the IPCC, and why are its Assessment Reports important?

ECONOMY

Why has the EU slapped Meta with a record €1.2 bn fine?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Tech giant Meta was hit with a record € 1.2 billion fine and ordered to stop data transfers of Facebook users in Europe to the United States, for not complying with the European Union’s privacy framework. The social media company’s data transfers to the United States “did not address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms” of Facebook’s European users, the Irish data protection protection board held. The penalty – which is the highest ever for violating EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – applies only to Facebook and not to other Meta group entities like Instagram. The ruling comes with a period of at least five months for Meta to comply, but the company has said that it will appeal the decision.

• Why was Meta fined?

• How has Meta reacted to the ruling?

• What Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said?

• Why did the ruling come from the Irish regulator?

• What is the Significance of the ruling?

• What will be the Impact of the ruling?

• What is European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

• European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and United Kingdom’s Data Protection Act, 2018-Compare and contrast

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Facebook given record $1.3 bln fine, given 5 months to stop EU-US data flows

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com
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First uploaded on: 23-05-2023 at 17:55 IST
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