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Daily Mains Practice Questions 16-03-2023

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March 16, 2023

General Studies – II

International Relations

1) Do you think that the BIMSTEC group needs to shift its focus to agri-food trade policy? Comment (200 Words)

Refer - Business Line

 

General Studies – III

Economy

2) The Reserve Bank of India should ensure banks are protected from global contagion and mismanagement. Explain (200 Words)

Refer - The Hindu

 

Energy

3) In the crucial electricity sector, an online with in-person hearing mode can boost the public participation in the country. Discuss (200 Words)

Refer - The Hindu

 

Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.

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IAS Parliament 1 year

KEY POINTS

·        Trade and investment are major instruments to attain food security across the BIMSTEC member-states, particularly in a climate-affected, post-pandemic world.

·        The share of all BIMSTEC countries  that include two ASEAN member-states, namely, Thailand and Myanmar  in world trade is less than 4 per cent.

·        BIMSTEC’s progress is hindered by a lack of internal integration; countries adjacent to the Bay of Bengal are less integrated today than they were 50 years ago.

·        A better overview of changing agri-food market trends in the region, and how individual countries fit into these, is required.

·        Like in manufacturing and services, there is greater value chain integration that transcends borders and specialisation occurs in components of the value chain.

·        Value capture from agri-food trade requires countries to settle on a specific component of the value chain where they have a comparative advantage.

·        For example, India’s unpredictable trading rules for pulses are a significant barrier for Myanmar, which produces pigeon peas almost solely for export to India.

·        BIMSTEC needs to be recalibrated and repurposed to have a greater focus on the agri-food trade.

·        A complete overhaul of thinking about agri-food trade within the global value chain framework —that includes an openness on both sides (importing and exporting).


KEY POINTS

·        A faltering bank, this time on the U.S. West Coast, sparked a déjà vu moment across global markets last week as fears of a Lehman redux triggered sharp declines in banking stocks worldwide and saw investors make a beeline for safe haven assets such as gold.

·        While the coordinated steps have, at least for now, restored a degree of calm in most markets, there are lessons that have been learnt and others that could, perhaps, be gleaned over time.

·        Silicon Valley Bank’s case is fairly unique. With the depositor base comprising start-ups and venture capitalists, mostly from the tech hub of Silicon Valley, the customers were geographically and sectorally concentrated.

·        Signature, on the other hand, had exposed itself to highly volatile cryptocurrencies by providing services to those investing in digital assets. That, along with a run on deposits, ultimately proved to be its undoing.

·        The Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines of 2018 advising banks to create an Investment Fluctuation Reserve is just the kind of countercyclical tool that has relatively insulated Indian lenders from interest rate risks.

·        Still, the RBI must remain on guard to ensure neither global contagion nor management missteps threaten any local lender.


KEY POINTS

·        The scale of operations of electricity distribution companies is clear from the fact that their annual revenue requirement is 20% of the Union Budget.

·        It is natural that decisions on the planning and the operation of the power sector have a significant impact on the public.

·        Given such an impact, it is crucial that the citizen’s voice is incorporated in a proper way in power sector decisions.

·        Public hearings that are conducted by Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) provide a platform for this.

·        The central ERC recently issued a public notice where it announced that hearings would resume through in-person mode.

·        The ERCs in Tamil Nadu and Telangana have also reverted to in-person hearings.

·        It is no surprise that both these extremes have their pros and cons with regard to a citizen’s participation in public hearings.

·        The most important and popular public hearing held by the ERC deals with tariff revision.

·        Public hearings conducted in hybrid mode, with the choice of mode being left to the citizen, are best suited to improving access.

·        When in-person and online options are operationalised together, they plug access gaps, provide flexibility of participation to the citizen, and enable a robust avenue for public participation.

 

Sivasurya 1 year

Q. 1

IAS Parliament 1 year

Good attempt. Keep Writing.

PANDI SANTHOSH RAJA S 1 year

KINDLY REVIEW

IAS Parliament 1 year

Good attempt. Keep Writing.

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