DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

13^th January 2022

1 – ABOUT RETAIL INFLATION:

GS III 

Topic – Indian Economy

• Inflation is defined as an increase in the price of most everyday or common goods and services, such as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transportation, consumer staples, and so on.
• Inflation is defined as the average change in the price of a basket of goods and services over time.
• Inflation is defined as a drop in the purchasing power of a country’s currency unit. This could eventually result in a slowdown in economic growth.
• However, to ensure that output is supported, the economy requires a moderate amount of inflation.
• In India, the National Statistics Office (NSO), which is part of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, monitors inflation.
• In India, two key indices, the WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and the CPI (Consumer Price Index), are used to assess wholesale and retail price fluctuations, respectively.
• CPI stands for Consumer Price Index:
• It tracks price fluctuations from the standpoint of a consumer.
• The CPI measures the price differential between goods and services purchased by Indian consumers, such as food, medical care, education, and gadgets.
• Food and beverages, fuel and light, housing and clothing, bedding and footwear are all part of the CPI.
• Source – The Hindu – 13^th January 2022 – Page Number 1

2 – DETAILS OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL:

GS I

Topic – Indian Culture

• Context:
• Today, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the 25th National Youth Festival (NYF) in Puducherry, the festival’s host state, through video conferencing.
• About National Youth Day/Festival:
• Every year on the 12th of January, the great philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda’s birthday is commemorated as National Youth Day. The National Youth Week begins on that day and lasts for a week. Every year, the Government of India hosts the National Youth Festival as part of National Youth Week events.
• The Government of India declared January 12 as National Youth Day in 1984, believing that it was a fantastic method to recall the youth’s eternal energy and motivate them, resulting in the nation’s overall success.
• Yuwa Diwas is another name for this festival.
• The topic for National Youth Day 2022 is Swami Vivekananda’s core principle, “It’s all in the mind.”
• In India, the National Youth Festival is an annual gathering of young people who participate in a variety of events, including competitive ones.
• It is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, in cooperation with one of the State Governments, to honor the birth anniversary of youth icon Swami Vivekananda. As a result, it is conducted in a different state each year during National Youth Week, which runs from the 12th to the 16th of January.
• The National Youth Festival first took place in 1995.
• The National Young Festival is one of the largest events of its kind, and the Ministry has been celebrating it with the goal of giving a platform for the country’s youth to come together and showcase their skills in a variety of activities.
• What is the purpose of the National Youth Festival:

• Every year from January 12th to 16th, the Government of India hosts the National Youth Festival to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, January 12th.
• The NYF’s main goal is to bring the country’s youth together in an effort to showcase their talents in a variety of activities that cover almost all socio-cultural aspects of life, while also giving amateur young artists an opportunity to express themselves, interact with other artists, and learn new art forms from experts in various disciplines.
• The Festival’s goal is to mold the minds of India’s young into a unified force for nation-building. It is one of the most significant efforts at social cohesion as well as intellectual and cultural unification. It aspires to bring together India’s various cultures and weave them into a unified thread of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.’

• Source – The Hindu – 13^th January 2022 – Page Number 7

3 – ABOUT THE DPSP:

GS II

Topic – Indian Constitution

• Implementation of DPSP:
• While Fundamental Rights are concerned with citizens’ political well-being, the DPSP is concerned with their social and economic well-being. DPSP, on the other hand, has been deemed non-justiciable, unlike Fundamental Rights.
• As a result, some constitutional scholars believe that DPSP are only religious frills, comparing them to a “cheque payable only when the bank’s resources permit.”
• However, such an opinion is unjustifiable because several elements of the DPSP have provided as inspiration for numerous programs implemented by both the federal and state governments since independence to implement the DPSP’s socio-economic justice goals.
• The following are some examples of the above:
• Policies like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are based on Article 39(a) of the Constitution, which states that everyone has the right to appropriate means of subsistence.
• Article 39(g), which deals with the protection of minors, is strengthened by laws like the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986.
• Article 48, which deals with the organization of agriculture and husbandry, provides the foundation for laws prohibiting the slaughter of cows and bullocks.
• Government policies such as the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP), the Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP), and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Ayushman Bharata, and others reflect the primary goals outlined in Article 47, which include raising the standard of living and improving public health.
• Land rules, which were the principal cause of inequality in British times, have been changed by the government. Such reforms give effect to Article 43, which aims to assure work, a livable wage, and working conditions that ensure a fair standard of living for all agricultural, industrial, and other employees through appropriate law, economic organization, or other means.
• States have established scholarship programs, provided subsidies to minority-run schools, and enacted the Right to Education Act (RTE) in 2006 to give effect to Article 46, which aims to promote the educational and economic interests of the poor.
• India’s foreign policy has centred around building an international order based on humanism, peace, dignified ties, and security, among other things, since independence. Organizations such as the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), the International Solar Organization, and even India’s adherence to the Paris climate agreements are examples of this. These policies give effect to Article 51, which aims to develop a just and compassionate foreign policy.

• Source – The Hindu – 13^th January 2022 – Page Number 5

4 – DETAILS OF THE NATO:

GS II

Topic – International Organizations

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in 1949.
• It is a military partnership between governments.
• The Washington Treaty established it.
• On April 4, 1949, a treaty was signed.
• Brussels, Belgium is where the company’s headquarters are located.
• Mons, Belgium, was the headquarters of the Allied Command Operations.
• Significance:
• It is a collective defense system in which its autonomous member nations agree to defend each other in the event of an external assault.
• Composition:
• The alliance has grown from 12 to 30 countries since its inception, thanks to the admission of new member states. North Macedonia was the most recent member state to join NATO on March 27, 2020.
• “Any additional European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area” is welcome to join NATO.
• Objectives:
• Political – NATO promotes democratic values by allowing members to communicate and collaborate on defense and security matters in order to solve difficulties, create confidence, and, in the long term, avoid confrontation.
• Military – NATO is committed to peaceful conflict resolution. It has the military power to conduct crisis-management operations if diplomatic attempts fail. These are carried out, either alone or in concert with other countries and international organizations, under the collective defense clause of NATO’s founding treaty – Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – or under a United Nations mandate.

• Source – The Hindu – 13^th January 2022 – Page Number 8

5 – ABOUT GSLV PROGRAM OF INDIA:

Prelims Specific Topic

• The relevance of the program:
• Phase 4 of the GSLV Program will allow the launch of 2 tonne class satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit for geo-imaging, navigation, data relay communication, and space sciences (GTO).
• Five GSLV flights have been scheduled for the years 2021-2024 as part of the GSLV Continuation Program.
• The GSLV Continuation Program – Phase 4 will meet the launch demand for satellites that will provide crucial Satellite Navigation Services and Data Relay Communication in support of India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program and the next interplanetary voyage to Mars.
• Overall importance:
• It will contribute to the country’s continued independence in the launch of similar satellites for national needs, such as next-generation navigation satellites, data relay communication satellites, and interplanetary missions.
• What is the GSLV, or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle:
• The GSLV is a three-stage vehicle that stands 49 meters tall, with the first stage consisting of a solid booster with four liquid strap-on engines weighing 40 tons each.
• The second stage is a liquid engine, and the third stage is the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), which is constructed in-house and employs 15 tons of cryogenic propellants like Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) as fuel and Liquid Oxygen (LOX) as an oxidizer.
• With the successful launch of GSLV-F11 on December 19, 2018, GSLV now has a total of ten national satellites in orbit.

• Source – The Hindu – 13^th January 2022 – Page Number 10