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Economy
The chip superstardom: Taiwan’s triumphs and the perils that come with it
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economy
Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy
What’s the ongoing story- The silicon semiconductor chip, which sits at the heart of every new technology, is a device that Taiwan has an absolute mastery over. Its biggest manufacturer, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is the ninth-most valuable business in the world and has a virtual stranglehold over the fabrication of high-end chips that even major American tech majors such as Intel, Nvidia or Apple depend on.
Prerequisites:
— What are semiconductors?
— What is the significance of the semiconductor?
— Why Taiwan is important for India?
Key takeaways:
— It is precisely this aspect of Taiwan’s chip superstardom that makes the country almost irreplaceable – and, thereby, particularly vulnerable. China, which is already being cut off progressively from the most advanced chips, is threatening to take control of the island, triggering concerns over yet another flashpoint in a world where two wars are already raging.
— There is a paradox here too. While the semiconductor industry has been called Taiwan’s “silicon shield”, giving the world a big reason to defend the island if China were to invade, parts of the shield are now moving abroad.
— To meet the pressure to be physically closer to its customers, TSMC is now building new fabs in the US, Japan and Germany.
— The chip giant’s move to diversify its production beyond Taiwan has triggered fresh concern among a section of the locals, who worry that the move could eventually diminish the island’s importance as a global semiconductor powerhouse.
For Your Information:
— As the Union Cabinet approved a slew of semiconductor-related projects totalling investments of about Rs 1.26 lakh crore, the real breakthrough was the Tata Group’s semiconductor fabrication plant in partnership with Taiwan’s PSMC due to its strategic importance.
— While still a blueprint, this marks a big leap for India’s semiconductor ambitions — an area where successive governments have tried, and failed, to get global companies to set up shop in the country. This could also be significant given that about 70% of the current global manufacturing capacity is confined to South Korea, Taiwan and China, with the US and Japan making up for much of the rest, according to data from California-based semiconductor lobby organisation SEMI.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the issues concerning domestic manufacturing of semiconductors?
— What is the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)?
— India’s agreement with other countries (USA, Taiwan, EU) on cooperation in the semiconductor ecosystem.
(Thought process: Highlight the significance of indiginisation of the semiconductor ecosystem–connect it with economy-import bills-India’s mission to atmanirbhar Bharat–look at the semiconductor materials imported from other countries–look at government schemes and various agreements signed by the government).
Post Read Question:
Why India is aiming to become self-sufficient in chip manufacturing? Highlight the government initiatives to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
How India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant can help plug in to global value chain
Growth in private corporate sector sales moderates to 4.7% in FY24: RBI
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economy
Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment.
What’s the ongoing story- During the fiscal ended March 31, 2024, the listed private non-financial companies recorded double digit growth in profits and improved margins at the aggregated level, the (RBI) data showed.
Prerequisites:
— Read about the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
— What are the different types of sectors in an economy?
— What are non-financial companies?
Key takeaways:
— “Annual sales growth of listed private non-financial companies moderated to 4.7 per cent during 2023-24 from the high of 19.8 per cent in 2022-23, which included the post-pandemic recovery period,” the data on performance of private corporate business sector during 2023-24 showed. The analysis is based on the financial results of 3,281 listed non-government non-financial companies.
— Among major sectors, sales of manufacturing, information technology (IT) and non-IT services companies rose by 3.5 per cent, 5.5 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively, during fiscal 2024 as compared with 18 per cent, 19.4 per cent and 33.5 per cent, respectively, in the previous year.
— In 2023-24, sales of automobiles, electrical machinery and pharmaceuticals industries remained buoyant but the manufacturing sector’s overall performance was mainly dragged by chemicals and petroleum industries.
Points to Ponder
— What can the private sector do to boost India’s economic growth?
— What challenges does the Indian economy face?
— What initiatives has the government taken to promote growth in different sectors of the economy?
Post Read Question:
Define potential GDP and explain its determinants. What are the factors that have been inhibiting India from realizing its potential GDP? (UPSC CSE 2020)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
India’s GDP growth is impressive, but can it be sustained?
Express Network
Five army men swept away as tank gets stuck in Ladakh river
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Geography
Mains Examination: GS-I, III: Geography, Security
What’s the ongoing story- Five army personnel died early Saturday morning while de-inducting or withdrawing from a military training activity that involved crossing the Shyok River at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) area of eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army said.
Prerequisites:
— What are semi-amphibious vehicles?
— What is fording?
— What is the Border Roads Organisation (BRO)?
— Map work: Shyok River, Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) area, Sasoma, Saser La, Gapshan, Pangong Tso, and Gogra-Hot Springs area.
Key takeaways:
— A troop of Russian-origin T-72 tanks was engaged in fording activity as part of the exercise, Army sources said. The training area is ahead of the river, and fording training is carried out while crossing the river on tanks.
— Fording is a manoeuvre used by tanks or other semi-amphibious vehicles to cross water obstacles which are usually several metres deep. At times, the platform traversing the depth gets fully submerged in water.
— A rescue squad, comprising nine combat engineers attempted a mission in a BAUT (boat assault universal type), a type of military boat, but the operation failed due to strong river currents, the officials said.
— In the area where the training was on, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been constructing an alternate road to DBO—connecting Sasoma, Saser La and Gapshan. The existing 255-km long Durbuk-Shyok-DBO road running along the LAC is currently the only full operational road to reach DBO.
— Since the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020, there has been an increased armoured deployment in strategic DBO area of eastern Ladakh. DBO lies less than 10 km west of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Aksai Chin. A military outpost was created in DBO in reaction to China’s occupation of Aksai Chin and is at present manned by a combination of Army’s Ladakh Scouts and the ITBP.
For Your Information:
— The DSDBO highway provides the Indian military access to the section of theTibet-Xinjaing highway that passes through Aksai Chin. The road runs almost parallel to the LAC at Aksai Chin, the eastern ear of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state that China occupied in the 1950s, leading to the 1962 war in which India came off worse.
Points to Ponder:
— What is the strategic significance of the Durbuk-Shyok-DBO road?
— What are the security concerns for India in this area?
— What are the steps taken by India to counter those concerns?
Post Read Question:
Prelims
Siachen Glacier is situated to the (UPSC 2020)
(a) East of Aksai Chin
(b) East of Leh
(c) North of Gilgit
(d) North of Nubra Valley
Mains
Analyse internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard. (UPSC CSE 2020)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Explained: The strategic road to DBO
After hooch deaths, TN govt amends Act: Up to life term for bootleggers
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: GS-II, III: Issues related to Health, Science and Technology
What’s the ongoing story- Days after the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in the state that claimed over 60 lives, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday amended a prohibition act to substantially enhance the punishment, which included life imprisonment for bootleggers in case of fatalities following consumption of spurious liquor.
Prerequisites:
— What is hooch?
— What caused the death of people in Kallakurichi?
— What is the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937?
Key takeaways:
— The state amended the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937 to enhance the punishment term and quantum of fine for offences like manufacture, possession and selling of illicit liquor that endangers lives.
— The Tamil Nadu Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2024, which shall come into force on such date as notified by the government, aims to completely eradicate the menace of illicit liquor from the state.
— The amendment substantially enhances the term of imprisonment and quantum of fine for various offences under sections 4,5,6,7 and 11 of the Act.
— Accordingly, a maximum punishment of 10 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and a penalty of up to `5 lakh has been proposed in the amendment.
— In case of death due to consumption of illicit liquor, then the punishment for bootleggers will be RI for life with a fine not less than `10 lakh, it said.
For Your Information:
— Hooch is a commonly used term for poor quality alcohol, derived from Hoochinoo, a native Alaskan tribe that was known to produce very strong liquor. Unlike branded liquor which is produced in factories with sophisticated equipment and rigorous quality control, hooch is made in much more crude settings.
— There is an inherent risk associated with the crude methods of hooch production. The fermented mixture which is distilled contains more than just consumable alcohol (ethanol). It also contains methanol, an industrial alcohol that is highly toxic for human beings.
Points to Ponder:
— Why do certain states choose to ban the consumption of alcohol?
— How to regulate the hooch production?
— What are the necessary steps that need to be taken by the government to avoid tragedies like Kallakurichi?
Post Read Question:
Consider the following statements:
1. Methanol has a boiling point of 64.7 °C which is lower than that of ethanol 78.37 °C.
2. The consumption of Methanol can cause impaired vision, high toxicity, and metabolic acidosis.
Which of the following statements is correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy: Why spurious liquor can be deadly
Downpour in north, IMD warns of heavy rain for next 5 days
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography, Current events
Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-III: Geography and Disaster Management.
What’s the ongoing story- Torrential rains lashed several parts of north India on Saturday with the IMD predicting heavy to very heavy rain over the next four to five days.
Prerequisites:
— What is the southwest monsoon?
— Read about the India Meteorological Department (IMD)
— Read about the Colour-Coded Warnings by the IMD.
Key takeaways:
— For the next seven days, Delhi will experience moderate to heavy rain, and an ‘orange alert’ has been issued for the next three days, the IMD said.
— In Himachal Pradesh, an ‘orange’ alert was issued for heavy downpour and thunderstorms in the state from June 30 to July 2, the meteorological centre here said.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the mechanism and characteristics of the Indian monsoon?
— What are the major weather forecasting methods?
— What is urban flooding? What are its implications?
Post Read Question:
Why is the South-West Monsoon called ‘Purvaiya’ (easterly) in has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the region? (UPSC CSE 2023)
Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone prone areas given by India Meteorological Department. (UPSC CSE 2022)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
The City Page
NHRC seeks report after 3 die at Gr Noida sewage treatment plant
UPSC Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity
Mains Examination: GS-II: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies, Government policies and interventions.
What’s the ongoing story- The National Human Rights Commission on Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, seeking a detailed report within a week on the death of the three maintenance workers inside a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Greater Noida.
Prerequisites:
— Read about manual scavenging and the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers Act, 2013.
— What is the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)?
(Thought Process: When was it established, is it a statutory body or constitutional? What is the composition of NHRC?)
— What are the functions and powers of NHRC?
Key takeaways:
— The notice was issued after three maintenance workers died by drowning after falling into a septic tank of the STP at the multinational company NIIT Coforge on Monday.
— The commission in its notice said that the incident raises serious concerns on human rights violation and that the authorities have failed to be alert and conduct proper supervision on such hazardous activities.
For Your Information:
— The NHRC of India was established on October 12, 1993, under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, which was later amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.
— The NHRC is a multi-member body comprising a chairperson and five members.
Points to Ponder:
— What are the reasons behind the prevalence of manual scavenging in India?
— What initiatives has the government taken to eradicate manual scavenging?
— What steps should be taken to eliminate the menace of manual scavenging?
— What are the structural and practical limitations of the NHRC in redressing the complaints of human rights violations?
— What steps need to be taken to strengthen the NHRC?
Post Read Question:
Prelims
‘Rashtriya Garima Abhiyaan’ is a national campaign to (UPSC CSE 2016)
(a) rehabilitate the homeless and destitute persons and provide them with suitable sources of livelihood
(b) release the sex workers from their practice and provide them with alternative sources of livelihood
(c) eradicate the practice of manual scavenging and rehabilitate the manual scavengers
(d) release the bonded labourers from their bondage and rehabilitate them
Mains
Though the Human Rights Commissions have contributed immensely to the protection of human rights in India, yet they have failed to assert themselves against the mighty and powerful. Analysing theirstructural and practical limitations, suggest remedial measures. (UPSC CSE 2021)
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Institutional mechanism in India to address rights violations, says NHRC chief
