1. The vaccination milestone and a distant goal: The Government ought to realise that vaccinating all Indians as quickly as possible is linked to their health and progress READ MORE
2. NCB’s credibility at stake: Charges against zonal head must be probed thoroughly READ MORE
3. An unhealthy nutrition policy: Globally, scientific studies have shown that fortification programmes lead to increased market share for larger formal players, and reduce market share of the informal sector READ MORE
4. The Real ‘State’ in India Is Its Criminal Justice System READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Australia will beat 2030 goal for lower emissions: Scott Morrison READ MORE
2. Explained: Queen Heo Hwang-ok of Korea, and her Ayodhya connection READ MORE
3. New climate vulnerability index finds Assam and Andhra most at risk, Kerala least READ MORE
4. Contagious Cancers in Animals Are a Warning to Humans READ MORE
5. The journey of Pallava script from Tamil Nadu to South East Asia READ MORE
6. Troop of ‘Blue Langurs’ spotted in Gujarat’s chemical paradise Ankleshwar READ MORE

Main Exam  

GS Paper- 1

1. Safety first: T.N. must assure Kerala that all instruments for monitoring the dam’s safety are in place READ MORE
2. Our children don’t need a ‘deshbhakti’ curriculum READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The vaccination milestone and a distant goal: The Government ought to realise that vaccinating all Indians as quickly as possible is linked to their health and progress READ MORE
2. NCB’s credibility at stake: Charges against zonal head must be probed thoroughly READ MORE
3. An unhealthy nutrition policy: Globally, scientific studies have shown that fortification programmes lead to increased market share for larger formal players, and reduce market share of the informal sector READ MORE
4. The Real ‘State’ in India Is Its Criminal Justice System READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Social Justice Matters | India must have a caste census READ MORE
2. Education through the lens of future READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Neighbourhood is still India’s Achilles’ heel READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Despite challenges, WTO is relevant for India READ MORE
2. Sustainable growth: Govt needs a realistic economic assessment READ MORE
3. OECD’s global tax framework is a win-win for India. Just focus on our long-term gains READ MORE
4. How Indian states fare in ensuring access to socio-economic security, basic amenities and justice READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. 2020 deadline missed, developed countries now hope to deliver $100 bn climate finance by 2023 READ MORE
2. Why should India announce a target of net zero emissions by 2060? READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. You are at liberty to rewrite your life story READ MORE
2. Trust in times of covid: Health personnel need more of it READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Truth and transparency should be the hallmark of government actions and communication with the public to avoid vaccine hesitancy. Elaborate.
2. What is biofortification? Do you think that Biofortification method helps in addressing India’s Nutrition deficiency? Comment

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• I have nothing of the communalist in me because my Hinduism is all inclusive. — Mahatma Gandhi.
• The Government ought to realise that vaccinating all Indians as quickly as possible is linked to their health and progress.
• The generation of greater trust in healthcare services will go a long way towards better outcomes.
• If the Government tries to find a solution based on political, constitutional, and human rights, the Valley might soon become a Taliban valley. The Government needs to think beyond the political and constitutional agenda.
• The Bangladeshi infiltrators have not only affected the economic, social, and religious fields but are also participating in the country’s democratic system.
• Globally, scientific studies have shown that fortification programmes lead to increased market share for larger formal players and reduce market share of the informal sector.
• If the police can regularly defy the orders of the Supreme Court, it is because they are assured of protection by a partisan state or the party in power whose political agenda they seek to further.
• With the aim of understanding inequality from the lens of opportunities, a new index measures the disproportionality of access across the country.

50- WORD TALK

• Invoking UAPA against Kashmiri students for celebrating Pakistan’s cricket victory is an over-the-top response. Attaching criminality to cricket reactions is what nervous nations do. What began as a ‘Go to Pakistan’ abuse on social media has now escalated to authorities applying draconian, un-bailable laws. Mature societies need a nuanced response.
• Killings over Hindu-Muslim relationships, a spurt in religious vigilantism, a government survey of churches over conversion – the rise in disturbing, communal headlines from Karnataka is worrying. New CM Bommai’s government should crack down on religious polarisation, not ignore or encourage it. Karnataka shouldn’t emulate the dangerous politics of heartland states.
• Being a member of the WTO brings many benefits. The proposed waiver, for instance, on intellectual property rights for all technologies for the detection, prevention and treatment of Covid-19, is an excellent example of the way in which the agency can play a pivotal role. It will enable all to share the various technologies to tackle the pandemic rather than making each country seek separate waivers. The proposal was mooted by India and Japan.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

ART AND CULTURE

1. QUEEN HEO HWANG-OK MEMORIAL PARK

THE CONTEXT:   On the banks of the Sarayu in Ayodhya, acres of green space will be known as Queen Heo Hwang-ok Memorial Park, after a Korean queen believed to have had Indian roots.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Queen Heo Hwang-ok was a Korean queen who is believed to have been born Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya, daughter of King Padmasen and Indumati. Padmasen ruled the ancient kingdom of Kausala, a region that extended from present-day UP to Odisha.
• Her story is described in Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of Three Kingdoms), a 13th-century collection of legends, folktales, and history of Korea’s three kingdoms — Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla — and some other regions.
• In 48 BC, the princess, then 16, travelled to Korea from the ancient land of ‘Ayuta’ and married Kim Suro, founder, and King of Geumgwan Gaya in south-eastern Korea. She travelled by boat along with an entourage, having been sent by her father, who is said to have had a dream about her marrying Suro. She became the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya, believed to be located around modern-day Gimhae city in Southern Gyeonsang province. The couple are said to have had 12 children.
• More than six million present-day Koreans trace their lineage to Heo Hwang-ok. For years now, many Koreans have visited Ayodhya to pay homage to the queen’s ancestral home.
• In 2000, India and South Korea signed an agreement to develop Ayodhya and Gimhae as sister cities.
• The memorial now comprises Queen and King pavilions with their busts in place, and a pond to represent Princess Suriratna’s journey. According to the legend, the princess had taken a golden egg to Korea, and the park includes an egg made of granite.
• The story has helped boost the relationship between India and South Korea. But there is some debate about her Indian origins.
• There are many versions of the same story. While Samguk Yusa talks about the queen from a distant land named Ayuta and popular culture considers it Ayodhya, no Indian document or scripture has any record of her.
• Some historians also believe that the princess could actually be from Thailand’s Ayutthaya kingdom. But the kingdom in Thailand came about in 1350, years after Samguk Yusa had already been written.

SOURCE: IE

2. THE JOURNEY OF PALLAVA SCRIPT FROM TN TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA

THE CONTEXT:   Amidst its vast collection of Buddhist images and Hindu sculptures, India gets several mentions in the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum in Sukhothai, Thailand.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Indian influence is clearly visible across the vast Sukhothai Historical Park, which houses the museum and comprises the ruins of 13th and 14th-century temples, monasteries and other structures of the Sukhothai Kingdom.
• Thais revere this kingdom and King Ramkhamhaeng, who is believed to have invented the Sukhothai script, which was derived from Old Khmer, itself derived from the Pallava script.
• Traditional scripts across South East Asia were derived from the Pallava writing system, named after the Pallava dynasty (3rd Century BCE to 9th Century CE).
• The journey of the Pallava script to South East Asia is an interesting, even if not fully understood, part of history.
• History books in South East Asian countries say that the script spread to the region through traders, priests, monks and scholars who went to South East Asia during the reign of the Pallavas.
• The export of the script to South East Asia is believed to have commenced during the reign of Mahendravarman I (600 CE to 630 CE), who was a major patron of the Tamil language.
• This “two-language” policy was adopted by the Khmer Empire.
• The oldest inscription in the Khmer script that has been found in Cambodia dates back to 611 CE.
• The script, which was developed from Pallava, then spread across the Khmer Empire to the Mekong Delta, to parts of modern-day Laos and Thailand. Sanskrit and Lao inscriptions in Laos detail incidents from the country’s Khmer past.
• The Khmer script was used in central and northern Thailand until it was replaced by the Sukhothai script, which later evolved into the modern Thai script. Some of the famous Khmer and Sanskrit inscriptions of the Khmer Empire are found in archaeological sites in Thailand.
• The Pallava script also reached the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago in the 8th century CE. The Sojomerto inscription (9th century CE) in Central Java is the oldest discovered specimen of Old Malay, a language that was deeply influenced by Sanskrit and had several Dravidian words.
• Even the Philippines had a writing system that was a variant of the Pallava script.
• Despite the logistical difficulties and the time taken for the movement of people and ideas in the 7th century, southern India and South East Asia seemed to be better connected at that time.
• Asia was not plagued then by the ideas of national identity cards, passports and the modern nation-state.
• India welcomed pilgrims and travellers from other parts of Asia, some of whom stayed behind and became Indians. The exchange worked both ways, with Indians settling in East and South-East Asia in small numbers.

SOURCE:  Scroll

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. INDIA NEEDS TO BOLSTER ITS HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

THE CONTEXT:    Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) president Jin Liqun that India should strike a balance between ramping up the physical infrastructure and the social infrastructure such as healthcare systems.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Stressing that the country faces a ‘huge need’ to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure, the AIIB president said that the multilateral lender would look to fund both social as well as climate-resilient infrastructure in India in the coming years.
• The AIIB will align its operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement to cope with climate change by July 2023, and expects to finance infrastructure projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change worth $50 billion by 2030

ABOUT AIIB

• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank.
• It is headquartered in Beijing and began its operations in January 2016.
• China is the largest contributor to the Bank, contributing USD 50 billion, half of the initial subscribed capital.
• India is the second-largest shareholder, contributing USD 8.4 billion.
• Voting rights: China is the largest shareholder with 26.61 % voting shares in the bank followed by India (7.6%), Russia (6.01%) and Germany (4.2 %)

SOURCE:  PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

4. AUSTRALIA WILL BEAT 2030 GOAL FOR LOWER EMISSIONS

THE CONTEXT: Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country is set to reduce emissions by 35% below 2005 levels by 2030, but he won’t commit to such a target at the U.N. climate conference in Scotland.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The country will commit to a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the Glasgow conference.
• Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and liquified natural gas.
• Morrison said his net-zero plan would not shut down Australia’s coal or gas production or increase costs to households and businesses. The government expected existing technologies would take Australia 85% of the way toward net-zero and emerging technologies would achieve the remainder.
• Policy levers include investment in technologies and incentives. At least 20 billion Australian dollars ($15 billion) would be invested in low-emissions technology by 2030.
• The government has yet to release economic and climate modelling behind the plan.
• The conditions also include a government review every five years of the economic impacts of the net-zero target outside major cities. The first assessment would be delivered in 2023.
• However, Australia is likely to be criticized in Glasgow for its relatively weak 2030 target. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels. Britain has pledged to cut emissions by 68% below 1990 levels.

 SOURCE: TH

5. TRIGONOPTERUS CORONA

THE CONTEXT:  On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, museum scientists have discovered 28 new species of beetles.

THE EXPLANATION:

• One of them has been named Trigonopterus corona. This reflects the large impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this project.
• It is not the only insect species to be named after the pandemic. A new species of caddisfly (a moth-like insect) was collected near a stream in Kosovo by a team of scientists and named Potamophylax coronavirus.
• Out of six new species of Brazilian wasps described in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, one was named Allorhagas quarentenus, a reference to the quarantine.

SOURCE: TH

6. CLIMATE VULNERABILITY INDEX 

THE CONTEXT: According to Climate Vulnerability Index released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the states of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are the most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The report ‘Mapping India’s Climate Vulnerability – A District-level Assessment’, which has been supported by the India Climate Collaborative and Edelgive Foundation, has analysed 640 districts in India and found that 463 of these are vulnerable to extreme floods, droughts and cyclones.
• Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Khammam in Telangana, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, Sangli in Maharashtra and Chennai in Tamil Nadu are among India’s most climate-vulnerable districts, finds the study.
• More than 80 per cent of Indians live in districts vulnerable to climate risks, that is, 17 of 20 people in the country are vulnerable to climate risks, out of which every five Indians live in areas that are extremely vulnerable.
• More than 45 per cent of these districts have undergone unsustainable landscape and infrastructure changes.
• Further, 183 hotspot districts are highly vulnerable to more than one extreme climate event.

SOURCE:  IE

7. CLIMATE DELIVERY PLAN

THE CONTEXT: The UK COP26 Presidency released the ‘Climate Delivery Plan’, outlining an agenda and a timetable for developed countries to deliver $100 billion worth of monetary help to low-income countries to manage the climate crisis.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The $100 billion packages were supposed to have been delivered by 2020, with developed countries contributing the same amount every year for a period of five years, until 2025. The latest Climate Delivery Plan, however, suggests developed countries may not be able to drum up $100 billion before 2023 — three years after the original deadline.
• So far, 18 out of the 23 developed countries that had initially agreed to supply the $100 billion have made fresh pledges double/increase the amount previously pledged ahead of COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, where climate finance is expected to play a central role in negotiations.
• These countries are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
• The $100 billion goals had been originally decided upon in 2009, at the COP15, with the intention of supporting developing countries to cope with climate mitigation and adaptation. The goal was reaffirmed and extended in 2015, at COP21, to mobilise the finance from 2020 to 2025. In 2016, developed countries came up with a roadmap to achieve the $100 billion goals by 2020.
• But by 2019, developed countries had contributed only $79.6 billion towards climate finance for low-income countries

SOURCE: THEPRINT

MISCELLANEOUS

8. FIRST DIRECT FLIGHT ON SHILLONG-DIBRUGARH

THE CONTEXT: Union Minister of Civil Aviation virtually flagged off the first direct flight on the Shillong – Dibrugarh route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the Government of India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Due to the non-availability of any direct mode of transportation, people were compelled to cover a long 12-hour journey by road & train to travel between Shillong & Dibrugarh.
• Now, natives can easily fly between the two cities by opting for a flight of just 75 mins.

ABOUT UDAN SCHEME

• In 2016, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), a regional connectivity plan.
• The scheme’s goal is to develop affordable, yet economically sustainable and successful, regional flights so that flying becomes accessible to the general public, even in tiny towns.
• The plan calls for the revitalization of existing airstrips and airports to provide connectivity to the country’s underserved and unserved airports. The scheme is in place for a ten-year term.
• Under-served airports have fewer than one flight per day, while unserved airports have no operations.
• To date, 389 routes and 62 airports (including 5 heliports and 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme.

SOURCE: PIB

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS:

Q1.  Consider the following statements about AIIB:

1. It is a multilateral development finance bank.
2. Its headquarter is located in Shanghai, China.
3. India is the third-largest shareholder in it after China and Japan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 26, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Answer: C

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
• Statement 3 is correct: Its secretariat hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

1. The individual is not really a single entity READ MORE
2. What the Facebook leaks say about social media ethics in India READ MORE

1. Time to declare war on climate change READ MORE
2. Atmospheric river storms can drive costly flooding — and climate change is making them stronger READ MORE
3. Explained: The SDRF manual on how to prepare for and tackle natural disasters READ MORE

1. India: Facebook struggles in its battle against fake news READ MORE
2. What makes a social movement tick READ MORE
3. Income support during lockdown didn’t just battle poverty – it might have helped combat Covid-19 too READ MORE

1. End the impasse: A solution is needed for core issues concerning farmers, and not merely for road blocks READ MORE
2. Upgrading judicial infrastructure READ MORE
3. Internal Documents Show Facebook Wavered in Checking Misinformation, Hate Speech in India: Report READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Explained | What are India’s expectations from COP26? READ MORE
2. 18th ASEAN-India Summit (October 28, 2021) and 16th East Asia Summit (October 27, 2021) READ MORE
3. PM launches PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission READ MORE
4. SC directs panel to specify maximum water level at Mullaperiyar dam READ MORE
5. Greenhouse gas concentrations hit a new record in 2020: UN READ MORE
6. More studies show the superiority of hybrid immunity READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1.  India: Facebook struggles in its battle against fake news READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. End the impasse: A solution is needed for core issues concerning farmers, and not merely for road blocks READ MORE
2. Upgrading judicial infrastructure READ MORE
3. Internal Documents Show Facebook Wavered in Checking Misinformation, Hate Speech in India: Report READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. What makes a social movement tick READ MORE
2. Income support during lockdown didn’t just battle poverty – it might have helped combat Covid-19 too READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A festering crisis in the Palk Strait: A moratorium on bottom trawling and support to the fishermen is a good first step towards a solution READ MORE
2. A ‘bubbles of trust’ approach: This offers a middle path between the extremes of technological sovereignty and laissez-faire globalization READ MORE
3. India must pay greater attention to its most difficult neighbor READ MORE
4. China’s new border law: De-escalation along LAC nowhere in sight READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Reforms needed to tackle power crisis: Improving efficiency of thermal plants, developing a regional market, and greater thrust on renewables are vital READ MORE  
2. The fuel crisis could be a wake-up call READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Time to declare war on climate change READ MORE
2. Atmospheric river storms can drive costly flooding — and climate change is making them stronger READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Explained: The SDRF manual on how to prepare for and tackle natural disasters READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The individual is not really a single entity READ MORE
2. What the Facebook leaks say about social media ethics in India READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Being a developing country, India shall continue to rely on fossil-based power to meet the growing demands of the economy’. Do you agree with the view? Justify your opinion.
2. Critically analyse China’s new border law. How it will impact India.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Nuclear weapons offer us nothing but a balance of terror, and a balance of terror is still terror.
• For Delhi, the current crisis in Pakistan is not a moment for schadenfreude. It should be an occasion to reflect on the long-term regional consequences.
• A solution is needed for core issues concerning farmers, and not merely for roadblocks.
• Improving the efficiency of thermal plants, developing a regional market, and greater thrust on renewables is vital.
• Being a developing country, India shall continue to rely on fossil-based power to meet the growing demands of the economy.
• Unless we reclaim the language of the Constitution, secularism, and individual rights, violence, hate and bigotry will win.
• The issues of pendency, delays and backlogs can be tackled to large extent by strengthening the physical, digital, and human infrastructure of the courts.
• The Government should look for long-term solutions to correct the current situation of heavy reliance on imports and reduce these to 10-15 per cent.

50- WORD TALK

• The new claims, allegations and counter-allegations involving NCB in the Aryan Khan drugs case have made a murky scandal murkier. A premier law enforcement agency and its officer being entangled in such allegations badly damages its reputation. Headline hunting can turn into a slippery slope. It’s time NCB came clean.
• The internal investigation at Facebook against users spreading deliberate misinformation and religious hatred in India is indisputable proof that the social media company knew about it and has been unwilling, not unable, to act. Lives were lost in the Delhi riots and Facebook’s role should be probed and accountability fixed.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. AYUSHMAN BHARAT HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE MISSION

THE CONTEXT:  Prime Minister launched the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, one of the largest Pan-India schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It is one of the largest Pan-India schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country. It is in addition to the National Health Mission.
• Its objective is to fill gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas. It will provide support for 17,788 rural health and wellness centres in 10 high-focus states. Further, 11,024 urban health and wellness centres will be established in all the States.
• Through this, critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than five lakh populations through exclusive critical care hospital blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.
• People will have access to a full range of diagnostic services in the public healthcare system through a network of laboratories across the country, and integrated public health labs will be set up in all the districts.

PM AYUSHMAN BHARAT HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE MISSION

• There are 3 major aspects of the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission to address the different gaps in the health sector of the country.
• The first is related to the creation of elaborate facilities for diagnostics and treatment. Under this, Health and Wellness Centers are being opened in villages and cities, where there will be facilities for early detection of diseases. Facilities like free medical consultation, free tests, and free medicine will be available in these centres. For serious illness, 35 thousand new critical care-related beds are being added in 600 districts and referral facilities will be given in 125 districts.
• The second aspect of the scheme is related to the testing network for the diagnosis of diseases. The necessary infrastructure will be developed for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases. 730 districts of the country will get Integrated Public Health labs and 3 thousand blocks will get Block Public Health Units. Apart from that, 5 Regional National Centers for Disease Control, 20 Metropolitan units, and 15 BSL labs will further strengthen this network, said the Prime Minister.
• The Third aspect is the expansion of existing research institutions that study pandemics. Existing 80 Viral Diagnostic and research labs will be strengthened, 15 Biosafety level 15 labs will be operationalized, 4 new National institutes of Virology and a National Institute for One Health are being established.

SOURCE:  PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

2. CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS IN 2020 ABOVE DECADAL AVERAGE

THE CONTEXT: A report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the increase in CO2 from 2019 to 2020 was slightly lower than that observed from 2018 to 2019 but higher than the average annual growth rate over the last decade. 

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Bulletin, as the WMO report is called, flagged concern that the ability of land ecosystems and oceans to act as ‘sinks’ may become less effective in future, thus reducing their ability to absorb CO2 and act as a buffer against larger temperature increases.
• The Bulletin shows that from 1990 to 2020, radiative forcing (the warming effect on our climate) by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 47%, with CO2 accounting for about 80% of this increase. The numbers are based on monitoring by WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network.
• This is despite the approximately 5.6% drop in fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2020due to restrictions related to the pandemic.
• For methane, the increase from 2019 to 2020 was higher than that observed from 2018 to 2019 and also higher than the average annual growth rate over the last decade.
• For nitrous oxides also, the increase was higher and also than the average annual growth rate over the past 10 years.
• The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most significant greenhouse gas, reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020 and is 149% of the pre-industrial level.
• Methane (CH4) is 262% and nitrous oxide (N2O) is 123% of the levels in 1,750 when human activities started disrupting earth’s natural equilibrium.
• Roughly half of the CO2 emitted by human activities today remains in the atmosphere. The other half is taken up by oceans and land ecosystems.

SOURCE:TH

3. INDIA’S EXPECTATIONS FROM COP26

THE CONTEXT: Ahead of the 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) next month in Glasgow, there have been several bilateral meetings between India and other countries. The big push at the COP will be to have more countries commit to a “net-zero” deadline by mid-century. Huge expectations include arriving at a consensus on unresolved issues of the Paris Agreement Rule Book, long-term climate finance and market-based mechanisms

WHY HASN’T INDIA AGREED TO A NET-ZERO TARGET?

• India sees a mid-century target upon itself as opposed to the principle of “common but differentiated” responsibility that allows countries to eschew fossil fuel without compromising equitable development.
• Net-zero means that a country must commit to a year beyond which its emissions won’t peak and a point at which it will balance out its emissions by taking out an equivalent amount of greenhouse gas from the air.
• Even theoretically committing to a net-zero by 2050 would require India to retire its coal plants and fossil fuel use overnight and even this wouldn’t guarantee that temperature-rise stays below 1.5C by the end of the century.
• India says countries responsible for the climate crisis haven’t made good on previous promises to fund mitigation and adaptation projects and so future net zero promises are therefore hollow.

WHAT ARE INDIA’S EXPECTATIONS FROM COP 26?

• India was also hoping to strengthen global climate initiatives including the International Solar Alliance, Coalition Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT Group), Call for Action on Adaptation and Resilience and Mission Innovation.
• India has said it is “open to all options” provided it gets assurances that commitments in previous COPs such as developing countries getting compensated to the tune of $100 billion annually, the carbon-credit markets be reinvigorated and the countries historically responsible for the climate crisis be compensated by way of “Loss and Damages,” and clean development technologies be made available in ways that its industries can painlessly adapt to.

ABOUT LEAD IT

• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
• It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• The Management Board is made up of representatives from Sweden, India, and the World Economic Forum. A Technical and Expert Committee, made up of LeadIT member representatives, advises the Board.
• The Secretariat is responsible for managing the work of the Leadership Group and is hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

SOURCE: TH

4. MAXIMUM WATER LEVEL AT MULLAPERIYAR DAM

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court directed the Supervisory Committee to take an immediate and firm decision on the maximum water level that can be maintained at Mullaperiyar dam amidst torrential rains in Kerala.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Kerala said the water level should not go above 139 feet. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, informed the court that the level in the dam was 137.2 ft.
• The Supreme Court made it clear that this was not an issue to play politics about.The court directed the Supervisory Committee to get to work as there was an immediate need to specify the maximum water level in the dam because of the rains.
• The order came in a petition filed by Idukki resident Joe Joseph and office-bearers of the Kothamangalam block panchayat in Kerala, who had expressed their apprehensions about the supervision of water levels in the Mullaperiyar dam located along the Periyar tiger reserve, especially during the rainy season.

ABOUT MULLAPERIYAR DAM

• It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala.
• It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area.
• The dam created the PeriyarThekkady reservoir, from which water was diverted eastwards via a tunnel to augment the small flow of the Vaigai River.
• The dam is built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers.
• The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar but is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state

SOURCE: TH

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. THE SUPERIORITY OF HYBRID IMMUNITY

THE CONTEXT: The study, posted in the preprint server medRxiv  has found that in 500 healthcare workers, the neutralising antibodies were twofold more in people immunised with Pfizer vaccine following natural infection compared with people immunised with Pfizer vaccine but without prior infection.

SOURCE: TH

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

6. 18TH ASEAN-INDIA SUMMIT AND 16TH EAST ASIA SUMMIT

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister will attend the 18th ASEAN-India Summit to be held virtually on October 28, 2021. Prime Minister will also attend the 16th East Asia Summit to be held on October 27, 2021, virtually.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 18th ASEAN-India Summit will review the status of the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and take stock of progress made in key areas including Covid-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity, and Education & Culture.
• Important regional and international developments including post-pandemic economic recovery will also be discussed.
• ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership stands on a strong foundation of shared geographical, historical and civilizational ties. ASEAN is central to our Act East Policy and our wider vision of the Indo-Pacific.
• The year 2022 will mark 30 years of ASEAN-India relations.
• The East Asia Summit is the premier Leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific. Since its inception in 2005, it has played a significant role in the strategic and geopolitical evolution of East Asia. Apart from the 10 ASEAN Member states, East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
• India, being a founding member of the East Asia Summit, is committed to strengthening the East Asia Summit and making it more effective for dealing with contemporary challenges.
• It is also an important platform for furthering practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific by building upon the convergence between ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative (IPOI).
• At the 16th East Asia Summit, Leaders will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concern including maritime security, terrorism, Covid-19 cooperation.
• Leaders are also expected to accept declarations on Mental Health, Economic recovery through Tourism and Green Recovery, which are being co-sponsored by India.

SOURCE: PIB

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Consider the following statements about Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT):

1. It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019.
2. It is an inter-governmental forum of countries that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
3. Its secretariat is hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 23, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Answer: B

Explanation:

Tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh:

1. Kanha Tiger Reserve
2. Pench Tiger Reserve
3. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
4. Panna Tiger Reserve
5. Satpura Tiger Reserve
6. Sanjay-Dhubri Tiger Reserve

Note: Achanakmar tiger reserve is located in Chhattisgarh.

Q2.Answer: D

Explanation:

Buffaloes from Banni are also called “Kutchi” or “Kundi.” The Kutch area of Gujarat is home to this kind of buffalo. The term ‘Banni’ refers not just to buffaloes, but also to pasture grass species native to this region. The ‘Maldharis,’ a Kutch-based community, is dedicated to preserving this breed of buffalo.

1. To end violence, raise human consciousness READ MORE
2. The Practice Of Listening READ MORE
3. Educate to achieve attitudinal changes READ MORE

1. Explained | Why is India facing bouts of extreme weather? READ MORE
2. In Glasgow, all eyes on 2030: COP26 must focus sharply on reducing emissions till 2030, rather than on net-zero 2050, which is too distant a goal READ MORE
3. No lessons learnt from past flood disasters READ MORE

1. A new vision of the education system READ MORE
2. Avoid jail for drug users, seizure of small amounts: Social justice ministry READ MORE

1. It’s time for regulation READ MORE
2. Quasi-judicial bodies: Inordinate delay in appointments defeating their purpose READ MORE
3. NCB is high on NDPS — the law with loopholes. Rhea Chakraborty to Aryan Khan READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. India’s First Banni Buffalo IVF Calf Born READ MORE
2. Is genetically modified rice grown in India? READ MORE
3. What is ‘conscious possession’ of drugs? READ MORE
4. China’s new law ‘formalises’ its LAC actions READ MORE
5. Leopardess released back into the wild READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. It’s time for regulation READ MORE
2. Quasi-judicial bodies: Inordinate delay in appointments defeating their purpose READ MORE
3. NCB is high on NDPS — the law with loopholes. Rhea Chakraborty to Aryan Khan READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. A new vision of the education system READ MORE
2. Avoid jail for drug users, seizure of small amounts: Social justice ministry READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. How Palestine is distinct, de-linked from India’s Israel policy READ MORE
2. Indian aid and flag need to touch down in Afghanistan. ‘Influencers’ are already flying in READ MORE
3. India Needs Independent Foreign Policy to Exert Influence in Afghanistan: New Delhi’s participation in the Troika Plus initiative meeting with the Taliban in Moscow has failed to get the desired results READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Intellectual property rights and wage inequality READ MORE
2. Peanut penalty and reputation risks for banks READ MORE
3. The Bad Bank, good intentions and bad lending READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Explained | Why is India facing bouts of extreme weather? READ MORE
2. In Glasgow, all eyes on 2030: COP26 must focus sharply on reducing emissions till 2030, rather than on net-zero 2050, which is too distant a goal READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. No lessons learnt from past flood disasters READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Artificial Intelligence in counter-terrorism READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. To end violence, raise human consciousness READ MORE
2. The Practice Of Listening READ MORE
3. Educate to achieve attitudinal changes READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Do you think the view that PM Gati Shakti will transform Indian infrastructure and logistics to compete with the world’s leading economies? Justify your view.
2. Discuss the need for the shifting of Agriculture in North India from nutritional security crops to sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The dramatic developments in Afghanistan have catalysed new geostrategic and geoeconomic concerns for the region.
• An advisory issued by the National Medical Commission does not offer specific guidelines for changes, puts onus on medical colleges and authors of textbooks alone and has no clarity on how to tackle queerphobia among current set of health professionals.
• We are violent towards each other because we identify ourselves with different things and have forgotten that we are human beings.
• We are violent towards each other because we identify ourselves with different things and have forgotten that we are human beings.
• By shifting from rice to maize and diversifying to fruits and vegetables, farmers can earn more, while practising sustainable farming.
• It will transform Indian infrastructure and logistics to compete with the world’s leading economies.
• It is difficult to fully visualise the sheer scale of development and investments planned under the PM Gati Shakti Masterplan. It will be an inflection point in the history of our nation.
• The harms of social media are coming into view and the solutions for it must involve the best minds of the world.
• The marginalisation of the Palestinian question in India’s policy has been gradual. If the past is an indication, the EAM will visit Palestine in the future but without going to Israel.
• The NEP 2020 recommends the integration of academic and vocational knowledge, which indicates the impact of the Gandhian education philosophy.
• New ways to improve the standard of education need to be adopted for a work culture of intimacy, involvement and best work practices.

50- WORD TALK

• A close look at the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, makes it clear that there is an attempt to assert executive dominance in appointments to the discomfort of the judiciary. While the judiciary and the government indulge in a slugfest over who controls appointments to tribunals and consumer commissions, the consumers continue to suffer. This unpleasant situation must end at the earliest.
• Along with better forecasts, we need better monitoring and reporting of actual rainfall, water levels in rivers and incidents of landslides. More timely and location-specific forecasts that would enable the disaster management authorities to take the necessary advance actions would help. Such emergency action plans would follow only if there is a functional, accountable and participatory disaster management mechanism in place.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the main point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. CONSCIOUS POSSESSION OF DRUGS

THE CONTEXT:  A special court in Mumbai denied bail to Aryan Khan, even though the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) did not find any drugs on him during his arrest on October 3 after a raid on a cruise ship off Mumbai. The court rejected his bail application on the ground that he had “conscious possession” of drugs.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Section 35 of the Act recognises the ‘presumption of culpable mental state’. Possession need not be physical and could be ‘constructive.
• The Supreme Court defines the word ‘conscious’ as “awareness about a particular fact” — a state of mind which is deliberate or intended. That is, a person can still have power and control over the article in question, while another to whom physical possession is given holds it, subject to that power or control.
• An illustration of ‘conscious possession’ is if a person keeps his gun in his mother’s flat, which is safer than his own home, he must be considered to be in possession of the firearm.
• The liability is on the accused to dispel the court’s presumption of his culpable mental state.
• Section 54 of the Act also allows for a similar presumption in the possession of illicit articles.

ABOUT NCB

• The government constituted the NCB on March 17, 1986, to coordinate with other departments and ministries to fight illicit traffic in drugs and drug abuse.
• One of the Directive Principles in the Constitution (Article 47) directs the state to act against narcotic activities injurious to health.
• The NDPS Act mandates the formation of a central authority to exercise its powers and functions under the statute.

SOURCE:  PIB

ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

2. DATA ON EXPORT OF RICE FROM INDIA

THE CONTEXT: About 500 tonnes of broken rice imported from India were claimed to be genetically modified (GM) by a French manufacturer. This has drawn sharp reactions from the European countries as the European Union (EU) does not permit GM rice. An American company recalled four of its product lines fearing GM contamination. Data show that rice exports form the fifth-highest share in terms of India’s total exports. India is also the biggest exporter of rice globally, forming over 30% of the world’s exports. However, less than 5% of the rice exported from India is destined for the European countries. But for many European countries, India is their primary source for rice imports.

SOURCE:TH

3. INDIA’S FIRST BANNI BUFFALO IVF CALF BORN

THE CONTEXT: At a farmer’s house in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, India’s first in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) calf of the Banni breed of buffaloes was born.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Banni buffalo breed is mostly found in Gujarat’s Kutch region.
• The IVC procedure was used to increase the number of genetically superior buffaloes in order to increase milk output.
• A dairy farmer’s Banni buffalo from Dhanej village gave birth to an IVF male calf.
• Using IVF technology, Banni donors’ embryos were implanted in 18 recipient buffaloes.
• At the farmer’s farm, the Banni breed had produced six pregnancies, one of which was a calf. In a few days, more will be born.
• JKBovagenix of NGO JK Trust, a social project of Raymond Group, carried out this technique.

ABOUT BUFFALO BANNI

• Buffaloes from Banni are also called “Kutchi” or “Kundi.” The Kutch area of Gujarat is home to this kind of buffalo.
• The term ‘Banni’ refers not just to buffaloes, but also to pasture grass species native to this region.
• The ‘Maldharis,’ a Kutch-based community, is dedicated to preserving this breed of buffalo.
• A typical Banni buffalo produces 12 to 18 litres of milk each day. They’re noted for their better milk production capacity as well as their ability to withstand arid conditions.
• They have a different genetic makeup than other breeds, which allows them to have longer lactation periods and higher milk production capacity.

SOURCE: PIB

4. ONE IN THREE SPECIES OF SHARKS AND RAYS IS NEARING EXTINCTION 

THE CONTEXT: Sharks, rays and chimaeras are now the second-most threatened vertebrate group, after amphibians. In a recent study, we found that over one-third of sharks and rays are threatened with extinction.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The IUCN Shark Specialist Group reassessed the extinction risk of all species of sharks and rays. This eight-year project took hundreds of experts from all over the world to compile the data we needed to shed light on the status of sharks and rays.
• Of the 1,199 species of sharks and rays, 391 (32.5%) are classified in one of the three threatened categories: “critically endangered”, “endangered” and “vulnerable.” Additionally, 123 (10.4%) are “near threatened,” 529 (44.1%) are of “least concern”, and 156 (12.9%) are “data deficient”. Overall, as many as 450 species (37.5%) of sharks and rays may be “threatened” if the “data deficient” species are as threatened as the species for which we have sufficient data.
• Nearly all species of sharks and rays (99.6%) are captured in fishing operations and all threatened species are imperiled by overfishing.
• Shark and ray populations are in free fall, with little effective management to halt or even slow down their decline.
• Whether the capture of sharks and rays is intentional or not, most species end up being retained at some level to be eaten or processed into animal feed. The skins of sharks and rays are made into leather for apparel and accessories (wallets and belts) and the liver oil is used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and even as a form of biodiesel.

SOURCE: Scroll

5. INDIA FACING BOUTS OF EXTREME WEATHER

THE CONTEXT: Even as the southwest monsoon began to retreat from the subcontinent, Kerala and Uttrakhand received record rainfall in October. In both these States over the last few years, there have been variations in the pattern and intensity of rainfall.

THE EXPLANATION:

• There are different factors at play in Kerala and Uttrakhand. There have been two rain-bearing ‘low-pressure systems’ that are active in the Arabian Sea as well as the Bay of Bengal.
• The low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea contributed to the heavy rain in Kerala, whereas western disturbances, which are periodic influxes of moisture-laden clouds from the Mediterranean, and common during winter, are what caused the rain in northern India.
• The Bay of Bengal is still warm and strong winds from there are reaching as far as Uttrakhand and will contribute to rainfall in several parts of north-eastern India.
• October is the month when the southwest monsoon entirely retreats from India and the northeast monsoon sets in, bringing rain over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Both low pressures, as well as western disturbances, are tangentially connected to the larger pattern of global warming.
• The Bay of Bengal is historically the warmer ocean that seeds low pressures and cyclones that bring rain to India. In recent years, however, the Arabian Sea, too, has been warmer than normal, and leading to significant cyclonic activity.
• Overall elevated temperatures are also contributing to warmer waters in the Arctic Ocean and drawing colder air from the poles with greater intensity. This added to the increased moisture, thereby seeding more intense western disturbance activity over north India.
• The monsoon cycle is prone to large variations, and every year regional factors get accentuated — it’s hard to predict which in advance — that then lead to extreme climate events.

SOURCE : TH

6. LEOPARD RELEASED IN WILD

THE CONTEXT: A female leopard, rescued from a forest in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district over two months back, has now been released in the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Hoshangabad district.  It was subsequently brought to Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park where it was treated by a team of veterinarians.

Source: ZEE

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

7. CHINA’S NEW LAW ‘FORMALISES’ ITS LAC ACTIONS

THE CONTEXT: China’s legislature has adopted a new border law, to take effect on January 1, that calls on the state and military to safeguard the territory and “combat any acts” that undermine China’s territorial claims.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The law was first proposed in March this year, a year into tensions that erupted along the Line of Actual Control(LAC) with India after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) mobilised two divisions in forwarding areas and carried out multiple transgressions.
• China has unresolved border disputes with India and Bhutan. The new law would formalise some of China’s recent actions in disputed territories with both India and Bhutan, including the PLA’s massing of troops in forwarding areas along the India border, multiple transgressions across the LAC, and the construction of new “frontier villages” along the border with Bhutan.
• The law stipulates that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China are sacred and inviolable.
• The state shall take measures to safeguard territorial integrity and land boundaries and guard against and combat any act that undermines territorial sovereignty and land boundaries.
• It also calls on the state to take measures to strengthen border defence, support economic and social development as well as opening-up in border areas, improve public services and infrastructure in such areas, encourage and support people’s life and work there, and promote coordination between border defence and social, economic development in border areas.

SOURCE: TH

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Which of the following Tiger reserve is not located in Madhya Pradesh?

a) Satpura Tiger Reserve

b) Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

c) Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

d) Panna Tiger Reserve

Q2. Which community/tribe is dedicated to preserving banni breed of buffalo

a) Chenchus

b) Gaddis

c) Todas

d) Maldharis

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 23, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Loktak lake is located in Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. Also, it is included as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. 
• Statement 2 is correct: It is famous for the phumdis(heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil and organic matter at various stages of decomposition) floating over it.
• Statement 3 is correct: KeibulLamjao National Park located on this phumdis, is the only floating national park in the world. The park is the last natural refuge of the endangered Sangai (state animal), or Manipur brown-antlered deer, one of three subspecies of Eld’s deer.

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. SAKSHAM CENTRES

THE CONTEXT:  A total of 152 Centre for Financial Literacy & Service Delivery (SAKSHAM Centres) across 77 districts of 13 states launched under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Centre for Financial Literacy & Service Delivery (CFL&SD) would act as one stop solution/single window system for the basic financial needs of Self-Help Group (SHG) households in rural areas.
• The main objective of the center is to provide financial literacy & facilitate delivery of financial services (savings, credit, insurance, pensions etc.) to SHG members and rural poor.
• These Centers will be managed by SHG network, largely at the level of the Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), with the help of trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs).
• Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has also developed a mobile & web-based application called “SAKSHAM” which will be used by the community resource person of the Centre to know the penetration of various financial services for each SHG & village, identify major gaps and accordingly provide training and deliver the required financial services.
• This application will also measure the impact of the programme on regular interval for mid-course correction in strategy, if any.

SOURCE:  PIB

2. WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

THE CONTEXT:  The month-long winter session of Parliament is likely to commence from the fourth week of November.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The session, which is likely to have around 20 sittings, would conclude ahead of Christmas.
• In the wake of the pandemic, the winter session of Parliament was not held last year and all the subsequent sessions — Budget and Monsoon — were curtailed due to Covid.
• Though, an official decision has not been taken yet, the sources said the session could commence from November 29 and would end around December 23.

 SOURCE:  PIB

 ENVIRONMENT, GEOGRAPHY AND AGRICULTURE

3. MIGRATORY AMUR FALCONS REACH MANIPUR

THE CONTEXT: With the arrival of the migratory Amur falcons to Tamenglong district of Manipur for the annual stopover, State Forest and Environment Minister has appealed to the people not to hunt the seasonal visitors.

THE EXPLANATION:

• These falcons visit the district every year from breeding grounds in China and Russia before beginning their onward voyage to Africa for the winter — a journey of more than 30,000 km.
• The hunting of the bird was punishable under the Manipur Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and could lead to three years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000.

ABOUT LOKTAK LAKE

• The population of the brow-antlered deer (Sangai) found only in Manipur stood at fewer than 300 in its natural habitat, the 40 sq km Keibul Lamjao National park in Bishnupur district.
• The lake is located at Moirang (about 50 Km form Imphal) in Manipur, India.
• Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and is famous for the phumdis (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil and organic matter at various stages of decomposition) floating over it.
• Keibul Lamjao National Park is located on one of the Phumdis in the lake and it is the only floating national park in the world.
• It is last natural refuge of the endangered Sangai (state animal) (critically endangered), or Manipur brow-antlered deer, one of three subspecies of Eld’s deer (or thamin).
• It was designated as a wetland of international importance in 1990 under Ramsar Convention.

SOURCE: TH

4. INDIA DOESN’T RULE OUT ‘NET ZERO’ COMMITMENT

THE CONTEXT:   According to sources, India hasn’t entirely ruled out on the possibility of agreeing to a ‘net zero’ target

THE EXPLANATION:

• Though it will not budge on demands from developed nations on making good on previous commitments, such as an annual $100 billion to developing countries for mitigating the impacts of climate change, facilitating technology transfer and putting in place a tangible market-based mechanism to activate the moribund carbon credit markets.
• Ahead of the 26th meeting of United Nations’ Conference of Parties (CoP) that begins November 1 in Glasgow, the focus on making the meet a success is to have all nations commit to a ‘net zero’, or a year by when a country’s fossil fuel emissions would peak and at some point be neutralized by taking out excess carbon from the atmosphere.
• All countries doing this by 2050 would mean a chance of restricting average temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius provided emissions fall to around 45% of 2010 levels by 2030.

SOURCE: TH

5. PLASTIC POLLUTION IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS MAY TRIPLE BY 2040

THE CONTEXT: A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has rung alarm bells: The amount of plastics in the oceans has been estimated to be around 75-199 million tonnes at present. Without meaningful action, emissions of plastic waste into aquatic ecosystems are projected to nearly triple by 2040.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The report flagged that under a business-as-usual scenario and in the absence of necessary interventions, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tonnes a year in 2016 to 23-37 million tonnes a year by 2040.
• Of the seven billion tonnes of plastic waste generated so far, an estimated 10 per cent was recycled, 14 per cent incinerated and the remaining 76 per cent went into landfills, dumps and littered in the natural environment.
• The estimated annual loss in the value of plastic packaging waste during sorting and processing alone is $80-120 billion.
• Plastics labelled as biodegradable may take hundreds of years to degrade in the oceans; litter poses similar risks to individuals, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
• The main sources of marine litter and plastic pollution are land-based. Approximately 7,000 million of the estimated 9,200 million tonnes of cumulative plastic production between 1950 and 2017 became plastic waste.

SOURCE: DTE

6. LIST OF ‘COUNTRIES OF CONCERN’ ON CLIMATE

THE CONTEXT: The United States has categorized India as a ‘country of concern’ along with 10 others that in the assessment of the American intelligence community will bear the brunt of global warming that could include intensifying and more frequent heatwaves and droughts and water and power scarcity.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The first-ever National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on climate was put together by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversee 16 intelligence agencies.
• The other countries on the list are Afghanistan, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Colombia, Myanmar and North Korea.
• The IC (Intelligence Community) identified 11 countries and two regions of concern from the threat from climate change. Building resilience in these countries and regions would probably be especially helpful in mitigating future risks to US interests.”
• The report said the intelligence community assessed that these countries are likely to face warming temperatures, more extreme weather, and disruption to ocean patterns that will threaten their energy, food, water, and health security.
• Intensifying and more frequent heatwaves and droughts will in turn create water supply volatility and probably strain their electric utility operations while growing economies and populations will increase electricity demands to handle rising temperatures.

SOURCE: HT

INDIAN SECURITY

7. INDIA AMONG SELECT FEW COUNTRIES DEVELOPING HYPERSONIC MISSILES

THE CONTEXT: The independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that although the U.S., Russia and China possess the most advanced hypersonic weapons programmes, a number of other countries, including Australia, India, France, Germany and Japan, are also developing hypersonic weapons technology.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Congressional report is prepared by independent subject area experts for members of the U.S. Congress.
• While Australia has collaborated with the U.S., India has collaborated with Russia on this.
• India has collaborated with Russia on the development of BrahMos II, a Mach 7 hypersonic cruise missile.
• India operates approximately 12 hypersonic wind tunnels and is capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 13.
• China tested the nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August that circled the globe before speeding towards its target, demonstrating an advanced space capability that caught U.S. intelligence by surprise.

SOURCE: TH

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

8. INDIA-U.K. TIES VITAL IN COMING DECADES

THE CONTEXT: U.K. Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss said relation between the United Kingdom and India is vital over the coming decades. Ms Truss is on a three-day visit to India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• She is scheduled to be a special guest at a ceremony to mark the visit of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group in Mumbai (‘Konkan Shakti’ exercise).
• Truss said her visit would boost partnership, and pointed out technology and infrastructure, security and defence, and “building back after COVID” as the areas of collaboration between the two sides.
• Truss and Mr Jaishankar welcomed the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership” that was announced at the India-U.K. virtual summit.
• Both Ministers agreed on the need for launching FTA negotiations at the earliest, with a focus on negotiating an interim agreement that can deliver quick gains to businesses in both India and the U.K.

ABOUT KONKAN SHAKTI

• Konkan Shakti is the first tri-service exercise between India and the United Kingdom.
• The tri-service exercise aims to derive mutual benefits from each other’s experiences and also showcase the continuing cooperation between the two countries.
• Maritime cooperation is a distinguishable symbol of the commitment of both nations in ensuring a positive climate at sea for enhancing strategic stability and promoting global economic prosperity.

SOURCE: TH

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1.  Consider the following statements:

1. Loktak lake is located in Nagaland.
2. It is famous for phumdis, floating organic matter.
3. It is the last natural refuge of the Sangai.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only                        b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only                         d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR OCTOBER 22, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: It was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989.
• Statement 3 is correct: Its Secretariat is located at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: On June 25, 2010, India was taken in as the 34th country member of FATF. Therefore, India is not a founding member of FATF

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1. Indians 15% More Vulnerable to Extreme Heat: Lancet Study: India is among five countries where vulnerable populations had the highest exposure to heatwaves. READ MORE
2. Development that is mindful of nature: Course correction is inevitable in Kerala, which seems to be trapped in a mindless consumerism that is threatening its future READ MORE

1. Is there a good way for a political party to achieve internal democracy? READ MORE
2. The idea of political accountability READ MORE
3. NEP 2020 and the Language-in-Education Policy in India READ MORE

1. Bhagwad Gita’s advice on building better ties READ MORE
2. Truth and Fact of Dalit Atrocity READ MORE