WATER RESOURCES & INTER-STATE RELATIONS

1. KEN-BETWA LINK PROJECT

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project.

What is the Ken Betwa Link Project?

• The Ken-Betwa Link Project is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers. Under this project, water from the Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa river. Both these rivers are tributaries of the river Yamuna.
• The Ken-Betwa Link Project has two phases. Under Phase-I, one of the components — The daudhan dam complex and its appurtenances like Low-Level Tunnel, High-Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa link canal and Powerhouses — will be completed. While in Phase-II, three components — Lower Orr dam, Bina complex project and Kotha barrage — will be constructed.

Significance:

• The project will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh ha, drinking water supply to a population of about 62 lakhs and also generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW solar power. The Project is proposed to be implemented in 8 years with state-of-the-art technology.
• According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, out of the 6,017 ha of forest area coming under submergence of Daudhan dam of Ken Betwa Link Project, 4,206 ha of the area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve.
• The Project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved Bundelkhand region, spread across the states of MP and UP.
• The project is expected to boost socio-economic prosperity in the backward Bundelkhand region on account of increased agricultural activities and employment generation. It would also help in arresting distress migration from this region.

National Perspective Plan (NNP) 

The NPP comprised two components:

1. Himalayan Rivers Development.
2. Peninsular Rivers Development.

Based on the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) identified 30 river links—16 under Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component. Later, the river linking idea was revived under the then NDA Government in 2002. Ken Betwa Link Project is one of the 16 river linking projects under the Peninsular component.

Which are the clearances required for a river-linking project?

• There are 4-5 types of clearances are required for the interlinking of river projects.
• These are: Techno-economic (given by the Central Water Commission); Forest Clearance and Environmental clearance (Ministry of Environment & Forests); Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Plan of Tribal Population (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) and Wildlife clearance (Central Empowered Committee).

 THE SOCIAL ISSUES & SOCIAL JUSTICE

2. WORLD INEQUALITY REPORT, 2022

THE CONTEXT: The report, titled ‘World Inequality Report 2022’, released by World Inequality Lab stated that India stands out as a poor and very unequal country, with the top 1% of the population holding more than one-fifth of the total national income in 2021 and the bottom half just 13%.

THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:

WEALTH INEQUALITY

• According to the report, the average household wealth in India is equal to 35,000 Euro or Rs 983,010, as per the data shared by the World Inequality Lab. “The bottom 50% own almost nothing, with an average wealth of 4,200 Euro or Rs 66,280)”.
• The report notes, “Indian income inequality was very high under British colonial rule (1858-1947), with a top 10% income share around 50%. After independence, socialist-inspired five-year plans contributed to reducing this share to 35-40%.
• Since the mid-1980s, deregulation and liberalisation policies have led to one of the most extreme increases in income and wealth inequality observed in the world. While the top 1% has largely benefited from economic reforms, growth among low and middle-income groups has been relatively slow and poverty persists.”
• The middle class is relatively poor, with an average wealth of only 26,400 Euro or Rs 723,930. This constitutes 5% of the total wealth. The top 10% of the population owns over 65% of the total wealth, with an average wealth at 231,300 Euros or Rs 6,354,070. The report claimed that the share of the top 1% in the national wealth stands at 33%.

GENDER INEQUALITY

• As per the report, “Gender inequalities in India are very high. The female labour income share is equal to 18%. This is significantly lower than the average in Asia (21%, excluding China)”. This particular value in India is one of the lowest in the world and only just higher than the average share in the Middle East, where the share of females in national income is at 15%.

CARBON INEQUALITY

• The report notes that the average person in the “bottom 50% of the Indian population is responsible for, on average, five times fewer emissions than the average person in the bottom 50% in the European Union and ten times fewer than the average person in the bottom 50% in the US.”
• “India is a low carbon emitter: the average per capita consumption of greenhouse gas is equal to just over two tCO2e. (tCO2e stands for tonnes (t) of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent (e)). These levels are typically comparable with carbon footprints in sub-Saharan African countries. The bottom 50%, middle 40% and top 10% respectively consume 1, 2, and 9 tCO2e/capita”.

THE GLOBAL PICTURE

• The report noted that income and wealth inequalities have been on the rise nearly everywhere since the 1980s, following a series of deregulation and liberalisation programs which took different forms in different countries.
• “The rise has not been uniform: certain countries have experienced spectacular increases in inequality [including the U.S., Russia and India] while others [European countries and China] have experienced relatively smaller rises,”.The report pointed out that in 2021, after three decades of trade and financial globalisation, global inequalities remain extremely pronounced.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The report suggested levying a modest progressive wealth tax on multimillionaires. Given the large volume of wealth concentration, modest progressive taxes can generate significant revenues for governments.

       THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. NEW SPECIES OF BIRD DISCOVERED IN SOUTH AMERICA

THE CONTEXT: A team of ornithologists from Brazil and Finland has discovered a cryptic new species of flatbill flycatcher living in the Amazonian lowlands.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “The new species is named the cryptic flatbill (Rhynchocyclus cryptos) after its remarkable morphological cryptic nature, which strongly contrasts with its high levels of vocal and genetic differentiation, two characteristics which probably allow for the sympatry with Rhynchocyclus guianensis throughout its range”.

• Flatbill flycatchers are members of the genus Rhynchocyclus in the exclusively New World family Tyrannidae.
• Four known species in the genus are distributed from southern Mexico to northeastern Bolivia, eastern Venezuela, and Brazil.
• Rhynchocyclus currently includes four species: the olivaceous flatbill (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus), the eye-ringed flatbill (Rhynchocyclus brevirostris), the Pacific flatbill (Rhynchocyclus pacificus) and the fulvous-breasted flatbill (Rhynchocyclus fulvipectus)”.
• “Two of these are monotypic (Rhynchocyclus Pacificus and Rhynchocyclus fulvipectus), and the other two are polytypic (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus and Rhynchocyclus brevirostris).” IUCN STATUS: LEAST CONCERN.
• “All are large-headed and flat-billed; with whitish eye-rings; upperparts olive-green; wings and tail dark brown with olive-green (edged feathers); lower parts grayish-green, striated with yellowish; centre of the abdomen yellowish; iris dark-brown; maxilla blackish; mandible white; and tarsi bluish-grey.”

THREATS:

• “The main threats for Rhynchocyclus cryptus are deforestation caused by the rapid progress of Madeira River, livestock farms, monocultures and implementation of large hydroelectric dams on the which affect the flow of sediments supporting seasonally flooded forests along its banks”.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. RBI MONETARY POLICY

THE CONTEXT: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), based on an assessment of the macroeconomic situation and outlook, the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate remains unchanged at 4.25%. The reverse repo rate also remains unchanged at 3.35%.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the RBI Governor, the economic recovery that had been interrupted by the second wave of the pandemic was regaining traction but was not yet strong enough to be self-sustaining and durable. The downside risks to the outlook had risen with the emergence of Omicron and renewed surges of COVID-19 infections in a number of countries.
• Considering all these factors, the projection for real GDP growth is retained at 9.5% FY22 consisting of 6.6% in Q3 and 6.0% in Q4 of FY22. Real GDP growth is projected at 17.2% for Q1:FY23 and at 7.8% for Q2:FY23.
• Emphasising that cost-push pressures continue to impinge on core inflation, though their pass-through may remain muted due to the slack in the economy, also over the rest of the year, inflation prints are likely to be somewhat higher as base effects turn adverse; however, it is expected that headline inflation will peak in Q4:2021-22 and soften thereafter.
• Taking into consideration all these factors, CPI inflation is projected at 5.3% for FY22; 5.1% in Q3; 5.7% in Q4 of 2021-22, with risks broadly balanced.
• CPI inflation is then expected to ease to 5% in Q1:FY23 and stay at 5% in Q2:FY23.

Surplus liquidity

• According to the Governor, RBI has maintained ample surplus liquidity in the banking system to nurture the nascent growth impulses and support a durable economic recovery.
• “This has facilitated swifter and more complete monetary policy transmission and the orderly conduct of the market borrowing programme of the Government. The Reserve Bank will continue to manage liquidity in a manner that is conducive to entrenching the recovery and fostering macroeconomic and financial stability”.
• It has proposed to enhance the 14-day variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auction amounts on a fortnightly basis in the following manner: ₹6.5 lakh crore on December 17; and further to ₹7.5 lakh crore on December 31, 2021.
• The Reserve Bank will also undertake Operation Twists (OT) and regular open-market operations (OMOs) as may be required for effective monetary transmission and anchoring of interest rate expectations in line with the evolving macroeconomic and financial conditions.
• To rebalance the liquidity surplus, it has now been decided to provide one more option to banks to prepay the outstanding amount of funds availed under the Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO 1.0 and 2.0) announced on March 27 and April 17, 2020.

Glossary:

What is Monetary policy?

Monetary policy refers to the use of instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate the availability, cost and use of money and credit.

Goals of Monetary Policy

1. Price Stability along with growth
2. The agreement on Monetary Policy Framework between the Government and the Reserve Bank of India in 2015 defines the price stability objective explicitly in terms of the target for i.e.,

(a) below 6 per cent by January 2016

(b) 4 per cent (+/-) 2 per cent for the financial year 2016-17 and all subsequent years.

Monetary Policy Committee:

The Monetary Policy Committee is a statutory and institutionalized framework under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, for maintaining price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth. It is recommended by the Urjit Patel Committee in 2014.

Repo rate & Reverse repo rate?

• Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank gives loans to commercial banks against government securities. Reverse repo rate is the interest that RBI pays to banks for the funds that the banks deposit with it.

Headline inflation:

• It is a measure of the total inflation within an economy, including commodities such as food and energy prices (e.g., oil and gas), which tend to be much more volatile and prone to inflationary spikes.

CPI- Inflation:

Consumer Price Index or CPI is the measure of changes in the price level of a basket of consumer goods and services bought by households.

• The CPI captures changes in price level at the consumer level.
• Changes in prices at the producer level are tracked by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
• CPI can capture the change in the prices of services which the WPI cannot.

Open Market Operations:

• Open Market Operations refers to buying and selling of bonds issued by the Government in the open market.
• One of the Quantitative Tools: OMO is one of the quantitative tools that RBI uses to smoothen the liquidity conditions through the year and minimise its impact on the interest rate and inflation rate levels.
• Quantitative tools control the extent of the money supply by changing the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), or bank rate or open market operations.

5. NIGERIA’S DIGITAL CURRENCY ‘E-NAIRA’

THE CONTEXT: Nigeria recently became the first African country to introduce a digital currency. It joins the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in being among the first jurisdictions in the world to roll out national digital currencies. (Naira is the currency of Nigeria).

THE EXPLANATION:

What is a digital currency and how does it work?

• A digital currency is a means of payment or money that exists in a purely electronic form. Central bank digital currencies are issued and regulated by the nation’s monetary authority, or central bank, and backed by the government.
• They are different from existing electronic central bank money, which is provided by central banks but can only be used by banks and selected financial institutions. When financial institutions pay each other, they pay in reserves from accounts held with a central bank.

Reasons behind:

• Since oil prices crashed in 2014, the Nigerian economy has struggled to stay afloat—and so has the naira. The value of the naira has plunged roughly 160 percent against the dollar since 2012, a steep drop that has spiked inflation.
• Headline inflation in Nigeria is currently above 16 percent, and the official exchange rate hovers around 411 naira to the dollar (and at more than 560 on the street). The impact of these figures becomes clear when one considers that imports make up 65 percent of Nigeria’s total trade and that the naira-dollar exchange rate is central to most of these transactions.
• The eNaira was presented as a practical solution to these long-standing economic problems, even though it could never solve the problem of Nigeria’s unstable exchange rate and dwindling foreign reserves on its own.

SECURITY, DEFENCE AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

6. LANDSLIDES IN CHAMUNDI HILLS

THE CONTEXT: The region has been getting heavy rainfall frequently. Due to rains which lashed the area near the Nandi Statue, meters around the earlier three landslides, has become a reason for worry to the District Administration as it has to take up massive scale works to restore the roads and the hillock to its original shape.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bengaluru had visited Chamundi Hill after the last landslide. Four major landslides have been reported on Mysuru’s Chamundi Hill since 2019.
• They studied the landslide pattern and took samples from faults, joints and bedding surfaces, which are contact points between rock and soil and contribute to landslides.
• The experts indicated that erosion had already set in and could be arrested only by not taking up any more construction activities as well as the movement of heavy transport vehicles.
• The Chamundi Hills are located 13 km east of Mysore, Karnataka, India. The name comes from the Chamundeshwari temple at the peak. The average elevation is 1,060 metres (3,480 ft).

Value Addition:

Landslides:

• Landslide is a rapid movement of rock, soil, and vegetation down the slope under the influence of gravity. It may be induced by natural agencies, e.g., heavy rain, earthquake, or it may be caused by human over- interference with the slope – stability.
• Man breaks rocks for constructing roads, railways, buildings, tunnels, etc. In such cases rocks become loose and landslide occurs.
• Earth flow, mass movement, mudflow, rotational slip, and avalanches are all examples of landslides.
• Landslides are rarely on a scale comparable to seismic or volcanic events. The intensity and magnitude of the landslide, however, depends on the geological structure, angle of dip of the slope, nature of sedimentary rocks, and human interaction with the slope.

The major causes of landslides are –

1. Rainfall and Snowfall
2. Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions
3. Mining, Quarrying and Road cutting
4. Loading by the construction of houses

7. CHOPPER CRASH IN TAMIL NADU

THE CONTEXT: The helicopter that crashed at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu leading to the deaths of the Chief of Defence Staff and 12 others, was a Russian-made Mi-17V5.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Chief of Defence Staff has died following a chopper crash in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu that claimed the lives of 13 people. Four crew members and ten passengers, including the CDS, were on board the Air Force’s Mi-17V5 helicopter.
• The chopper crashed shortly after it took off this morning from an Air Force base in Sulur near Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore. It was heading to Wellington in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, where a Defence Services Staff College is located.

Features of Mi-17V5:

• It is a part of the Russian Mi-17 series, which can fly at high altitudes in complex weather conditions, be it in tropical and maritime climates or even in desert conditions.
• According to the Russian agency, the Mi-17V5s, domestically known in Russia as the Mi-8MTV-5, are designed for personnel transportation, and for carrying cargo internally or on an external sling. They are medium twin-turbine choppers useful in search and rescue operations and can be equipped with weapons.
• The larger family of Mi-17s are an upgrade from the Soviet-era Mi-8s. They are medium multipurpose two-engine turbo-shaft helicopters.
• However, But the Russian-made Mi-series choppers have been involved in several crashes over the past 10 years. As many as five accidents have taken place since 2010, claiming the lives of at least 42 people

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS):

• The Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces is the head and the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.
• The Chief of Defence is the military’s chief executive with operational and strategic authority over the defence forces and not its commander. He is a four-star officer.

History of the Chief of Defence Staff:

• Although the idea of the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff position has been floated post the independence of India, it was officially suggested through the recommendation of the Kargil Review Committee after the end of the Kargil War (which ended on July 26, 1999). Subsequent commissions such as the Naresh Chandra task force in 2012 and the Lieutenant General D.B. Shekatkar Committee in 2016 had also proposed their own versions of a Chief of Defence Staff position.
• On 2019 Independence day, Prime Minister announced the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff. A formal statement was issued by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on 24 December 2019 about the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/INITIATIVES IN NEWS

8. EXTENSION OF PRADHAN MANTRI AWAAS YOJANA – GRAMIN (PMAY-G)

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development for the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) beyond March 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The continuation of PMAY-G beyond March 2021 till March 2024 as per the existing norms to complete remaining houses within a cumulative target of 2.95 crore houses.

Benefits:

• The continuation of the scheme till March 2024 ensures that the remaining 155.75 lakh households within the overall target of 2.95 crore houses under PMAY-G would be aided with the construction of Pucca houses with basic amenities to achieve the objective of “Housing for All” in rural areas.
• As of 29th November 2021, 1.65 crore PMAY-G houses have been constructed out of the total target of 2.95 crores. It is estimated that 2.02 crore houses, which is almost equal to SECC 2011 database based Permanent Wait List will be completed by the deadline of 15th August 2022. Therefore, to achieve the total target of 2.95 crore houses, the scheme needs to be continued till March 2024.

ABOUT PRADHAN MANTRI AWAAS YOJANA – GRAMIN (PMAY-G)

Objective

To provide pucca houses to all who are houseless and living in dilapidated houses in rural areas by 2022.

Funding Pattern

• Under PMAY, the cost of unit assistance is to be shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for Northeastern and hilly states.
• The unit assistance given to beneficiaries under the programme is Rs 1,20,000 in plain areas and Rs 1,30,000 in hilly states/difficult areas /Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Selected Tribal and Backward Districts. Presently the NE States, States of HP, J&K and Uttarakhand and all 82 LWE districts are identified as difficult and hilly areas. The unit size is 25 sq.m including a dedicated area for hygienic cooking.
• The beneficiary is entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA.
• The beneficiary would be facilitated to avail loan of up to Rs.70,000/- for construction of the house which is optional.

Target Group

• Identification of beneficiaries eligible for assistance and their prioritisation to be done using information from Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) ensuring total transparency and objectivity. The list will be presented to Gram Sabha to identify beneficiaries who have been assisted before or who have become ineligible due to other reasons.

PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTION

Q1. Consider the following statements about Ken River:

1. It is a tributary of the Son River.
2. Raneh Falls is located on the Ken River.
3. It passes through Panna National Park.
4. Daudhan dam is being constructed across the Ken River.

Which of the given statements are correct?

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

c) 2, 3 and 4 only             d) All of them

ANSWER FOR 8^TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: D

Explanation:

sources of Hydrogen sulfide:

• Hydrogen sulfide is often produced from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps and sewers.
• It also occurs in volcanic gases, natural gas, and some sources of well water.

1. Indian civil servants are expected to be karma yogis. But look at ground reality first READ MORE
2. Uncivil debate READ MORE
3. Nagaland Ambush: Not Just AFSPA, It’s Time To Do Away With Most Special Laws READ MORE

1. Urbanisation, gender, and social change: Women’s mobility in north India READ MORE
2. Anaemia and malnutrition: A vicious cycle leading to child growth failure READ MORE

1. India’s mounting plastic challenge READ MORE
2. Colonial outlook can’t fix climate issues now READ MORE

1. Killing in God’s name: Pakistan’s political class and army can’t even think of changing blasphemy law READ MORE
2. Deal with Negative Thoughts READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. National Food Security Mission READ MORE
2. Zero Budget Farming READ MORE
3. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) READ MORE
4. Explained: Why implementation of the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee in the Western Ghats is important READ MORE
5. Why WHO doesn’t recommend convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 READ MORE
6. Hornbill Festival READ MORE
7. New research finds that hydrogen sulphide suppresses HIV infection READ MORE

Main Exam 

GS Paper- 1

1. Urbanisation, gender, and social change: Women’s mobility in north India READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Indian civil servants are expected to be karma yogis. But look at ground reality first READ MORE
2. Uncivil debate READ MORE
3. Nagaland Ambush: Not Just AFSPA, It’s Time To Do Away With Most Special Laws READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Anaemia and malnutrition: A vicious cycle leading to child growth failure READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A robust friendship: India and Russia have to navigate a complex geopolitical landscape while deepening ties READ MORE
2. Why India and Russia are moving closer READ MORE
3. New messiahs of diaspora: India’s success or failure? READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Job-intensive sectors need a helping hand READ MORE
2. India’s labour market distress READ MORE
3. ‘Half of India without significant wealth’ READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. India’s mounting plastic challenge READ MORE
2. Colonial outlook can’t fix climate issues now READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Naga peace talks at an impasse READ MORE
2. Explained: AFSPA and the Northeast READ MORE

GS Paper- 1

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Killing in God’s name: Pakistan’s political class and army can’t even think of changing blasphemy law READ MORE
2. Deal with Negative Thoughts READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Should MSP be legalized? Discuss its pros and cons.
2. A key policy goal in responding to the hardship caused by Covid-19 should be to both support the economy and the vulnerable in the short run, and promote long-term development goals. Examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• India and Russia have to navigate a complex geopolitical landscape while deepening ties.
• The hype around NFTs may be a gold rush, but it has made an important idea mainstream: Creators need to take back control from Big Tech.
• Although India has experienced structural and social changes that promote gender equality in many respects, women’s physical mobility remains very low.
• In the urban areas, the services sector is continuing to lag behind. With the data showing the uneven nature of the revival even in the second quarter, it is time for greater support to be extended to this segment of the economy.
• In all this lies a lesson on the dangers to societies in which the state allows religious sentiments to be sharpened and the paths of moderation abandoned.
• Singling out coal won’t serve the purpose. India’s argument that other fossil fuels used by the rich nations are equally responsible for emissions is logical.
• With deeper cooperation under the US-led and China-opposing four-power Quad hanging in the balance, India did not consider it prudent to sign an agreement that would have given each other’s defence establishments access to military bases.
• India is at a socio-economic juncture where it needs to ask important questions vis-à-vis its governance and administrative systems that play a vital role in giving shape to the country’s ambitions.
• Preventing early marriage, teen pregnancies and improving women’s nutritional status can go a long way in breaking the inter-generational cycle of under-nutrition. It is time to invest in nutrition over lifespan, as this has an impact over generations.

50-WORD TALK

• India’s move to reaffirm its faith in its old friendship with Russia is pragmatic. It can look like a return to strategic ambiguity but New Delhi can’t be faulted if it perceives the signals from Biden’s America as mixed and prefers some hedge. Besides, Russia has strong ties with China.
• India’s delay in approving Covid booster shots is reminiscent of an earlier confusion when the government declared vaccines would be given to those who need them, not those who want them. India was devastated by that hesitancy and cannot risk a rerun. INSACOG too emphasised that – before making a U-turn.

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 SOCIETY AND CULTURE

1. NAGALAND’S HORNBILL FESTIVAL

THE CONTEXT: Amid tensions in Nagaland’s Mon district protest against the killing of 14 civilians by the security forces while the State Government called off a major ongoing festival as a mark of respect to the deceased.

THE EXPLANATION:

About the Festival:

• The Hornbill Festival, which is called the ‘Festivals of Festivals’, is a 10-day annual cultural fest of Nagaland that showcases the rich and diverse Naga ethnicity through folk dances, traditional music, local cuisine, handicraft, art workshops etc. The start of this festival (December 1) marks Nagaland statehood day.
• The festival is named after the Indian Hornbill Bird. It is a large and colourful forest bird. The festival is named after the bird as it is displayed in the folklore of most of the tribals in the state of Nagaland.

Economic potential

• The festival has contributed significant tourism revenue to the northeastern part of India. This is mainly because the Hornbill festival provides an insight into the different Tribes of Nagaland. It provides a colourful mixture of craft, dancers, sports, religious ceremonies and food fairs. Naga Morungs exhibition is also organised during the festival.

Naga Morungs

• The Naga Morungs is also called the They are the ethnic groups native to North-Western Myanmar and North-Eastern India. These groups have similar cultures and form the majority of the population in Nagaland and Naga self-administered zone. The Naga self-administered zone is located in the Naga Hills of the Sagaing region of Myanmar.

 Other Naga Festival

Apart from the Hornbill festival, the other popular festival of the Nagas is the Lui Ngai Ni. It is the seed sowing festival that is celebrated by the Naga Tribes of Manipur. It is celebrated in the month of February to mark the beginning of the spring season.

About Hornbill

• There are three main areas of origin of hornbill species in the Indomalayan region, namely, species restricted to the Southeast Asian mainland forests (but including parts of South Asia), species in the Sunda shelf forests and species that occur in the various island archipelagos.
• India is home to nine species of hornbills, of which two are endemic.
• It is referred to as ‘forest engineers’ or ‘farmers of the forest’ for playing a key role in dispersing seeds of tropical trees.
• The Hornbills indicate the prosperity and balance of the forest they build nests in.
• The Great Hornbill occurs in north, north-east and south India, apart from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• Within India, the Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus, Rufous-necked Hornbill Aceros nipalensis and the White-throated Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus austeni are restricted to north-east India.
• Hornbills are the largest fruit-eating birds (also called frugivores) in Asian rainforests.
• The Great Hornbill is also the state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and several tribes have myths and stories about hornbills that form an important part of their folklore.

NOTE: State Bird of Nagaland is Blyth’s Tragopan,

Conservation Status of Hornbills

• The Rufous-necked Hornbill and Great Hornbill is listed as ‘Vulnerable‘ by the IUCN, while the  Brown Hornbill and the Malabar Pied Hornbill are listed under the Lower risk/Near threatened category.
• Other Hornbill species in India are listed as ‘Least Concern’.
• Six species of hornbills are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India (1972)e. the Great Hornbill, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Narcondam Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill and the Brown Hornbill.

Tribes in Nagaland

Nagaland has 16 recognised tribes — Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Dimasa Kachari, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Kuki, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Yimchungrü and Zeliang. The Kachari and Kuki are non-Naga tribes while the Zeliang comprises two Naga communities — Zeme and Liangmai.

HEALTH

2. THE CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY FOR COVID-19

THE CONTEXT: The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended against the use of convalescent plasma therapy for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment. High uncertainty of outcome, logistical concerns were some of the factors cited by the United Nations health agency.

What is plasma therapy?

Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Convalescent plasma, extracted from the blood of patients recovering from an infection, is a source of antibodies against the infection. The therapy involves using their plasma to help others recover. For Covid-19, this has been one of the treatment options. The donor would have to be a documented case of Covid-19 and healthy for 28 days since the last symptoms.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the WHO, “the current evidence shows that it does not improve survival nor reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, and it is costly and time-consuming to administer,”.
• There was sufficient uncertainty in patients with severe and critical illness to warrant the continuation of randomised controlled trials, the organisation said. The recommendation was based on findings from 16 trials involving 16,236 patients with non-severe, severe and critical infections.
• WHO also listed several logistical concerns surrounding this line of treatment. The process of identifying and testing potential donors, collecting, storing and administering plasma therapy is not entirely practical and causes feasibility issues, according to the agency.

The guidance adds to a list of previous recommendations on:

• Use of interleukin-6 receptor blockers and systemic corticosteroids for patients with severe or critical COVID-19
• Use of neutralising monoclonal antibodies in selected patients
• Use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine in patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease severity

The treatment uses blood from those who have recovered from COVID-19 since they have antibodies from natural infection. Antibodies and plasma — a clear liquid — are separated from blood cells and introduced into the patient’s body.

Studies published in late 2020 and early 2021 had made a case for plasma therapy in treating COVID-19. Peer-reviewed articles published later, however, did not find similar benefits. Among them was a study done in India.

Early 2021, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Indian Council of Medical Research COVID-19 National Task Force and the Union health ministry decided to drop the treatment.

Convalescent plasma therapy “did not lead to a reduction in progression to severe COVID-19 or all-cause mortality, according to a November 2020 study by ICMR. The study included 464 “moderately ill” patients.

3. HYDROGEN SULPHIDE GAS

THE CONTEXT: The researchers at the Indian Institute of Science have found out that hydrogen sulphide gas can suppress the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV virus. They ascertained that increased hydrogen sulphide in the body reduces the rate at which the HIV virus multiplies in the immune cells.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to an IISc, current state-of-the-art combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) is not a cure for HIV. It can only suppress the virus by causing it to become latent.

• In some cases, cART is known to fail even when patients fully follow their drug regimen. Certain negative effects are also associated with cART, such as the build-up of toxic molecules leading to ‘oxidative stress and loss of function in the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse. These effects can contribute to inflammation and organ damage. Stopping cART is also not an option because the virus can reactivate – emerge from its latent state – in the absence of therapy,”.
• Scientists have recently begun exploring the beneficial effects of the presence of H2S in HIV-infected cells on both oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

About Hydrogen sulphide

• It is a chemical compound with the formula H2S.
• It is a colorless chalcogen hydride gas with the characteristic foul odour of rotten eggs.
• It is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable.
• Hydrogen sulphide is often produced from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps and sewers; this process is commonly known as anaerobic digestion.
• H2S also occurs in volcanic gases, natural gas, and in some sources of well water.
• The human body produces small amounts of H2S and uses it as a signalling molecule.
• Hydrogen sulphide is slightly denser than air. A mixture of H
  2S and air can be explosive. Hydrogen sulphide burns in oxygen with a blue flame to form sulphur dioxide (SO2) and water.

Value Addition:

1. HIV:

• HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. There is currently no effective cure for HIV. But with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. Some groups of people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of many factors, including their sex partners and risk behaviors.

2. Transmission

• HIV is transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids including blood, semen, vaginal secretions, anal fluids and breast milk.
• To transmit HIV, bodily fluids must contain enough of the virus. A person with ‘Undetectable HIV’ cannot transfer HIV to another person even after the transfer of fluids.
• ‘Undetectable HIV’ is when the amount of HIV in the body is so low that a blood test cannot detect it. Treatment can make this possible. But regular monitoring of the same through blood tests.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. KASTURIRANGAN COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Karnataka Chief Minister informed the Centre that the state is opposed to the Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats. Also, he stated that declaring the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive zone would adversely affect the livelihood of people in the region.

THE BACKGROUND:

• The Western Ghats is an extensive region spanning over six States, 44 districts and 142 taluks.
• It is the home of many endangered plants and animals. Western Ghats host India’s richest wilderness in 13 national parks and several sanctuaries. Recognised by UNESCO as one of the world’s eight most important biodiversity hotspots, these forested hills are also sourcing to numerous rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery.
• The 39 sites are located across the Western Ghats and distributed across the states (Kerala 19), Karnataka (10), Tamil Nadu (6) and Maharashtra (4). The boundary of the sites are in most cases, boundaries of the legally demarcated national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and forest divisions and therefore, already accorded with high level of protection.

Madhav Gadgil Committee Report on the Western Ghats

Gadgil Commission, an environmental research commission known as Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). The commission submitted the report to the Government of India on 31 August 2011.

Report Highlights:

• The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) designated the entire hill range as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
• The panel, in its report, has classified the 142 taluks in the Western Ghats boundary into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) 1, 2 and 3.
• ESZ-1 being of high priority, almost all developmental activities (mining, thermal power plants etc) were restricted in it.
• Gadgil report recommended that “no new dams based on large-scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1. Since both the Athirappilly of Kerala and Gundia of Karnataka hydel project sites fall in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1, these projects should not be accorded environmental clearance,”.
• Gadgil Committee report specifies that the present system of governance of the environment should be changed. It asked for a bottom to top approach (right from Gram sabhas) rather than a top to bottom approach. It also asked for decentralization and more powers to local authorities.
• The commission recommended the constitution of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA), as a statutory authority under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, with the powers under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Madhav Gadgil committee recommendations faced huge criticism because of its more environment-friendly and not in tune with the ground realities. As many mafias created fear among the people that the Gadgil report is anti-farmer and anti-people, people burnt the Gadgil Committee report.

And it is in this background that another committee was appointed to study Gadgil Report, review and suggest measures for implementation.

 Kasturirangan committee

The Kasturirangan committee was constituted to examine the WGEEP report. The committee is often called HLWG – it denotes the 10 members high-level working group (HLWG).

Recommendations:

The Kasturirangan committee report proposes 37 per cent of the total area of the Western Ghats, which is roughly 60,000 square kilometres, be declared as an eco-sensitive area (ESA).

• A complete ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining in ESA.
• Distinguished between cultural (58% occupied in the Western Ghats by it like human settlements, agricultural fields and plantations) and natural landscape (90% of it should come under ESA according to the committee).
• Current mining areas in the ESA should be phased out within the next five years, or at the time of expiry of mining lease, whichever is earlier.
• No thermal power be allowed and hydropower projects are allowed only after detailed study.
• Red industries. which are highly polluting be strictly banned in these areas.
• Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats has made several pro-farmer recommendations, including the exclusion of inhabited regions and plantations from the purview of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs).
• The Kasturirangan report had said 123 villages fall under the ESA purview.

The Kasturirangan panel had submitted its report to the Ministry on April 15, 2013.

What is the present status of the deemed forest land in Karnataka?

• While there is a growing concern over the forest encroachments in Karnataka, the state government has planned to further shrink the deemed forest area from 3,30,186.938 hectares to 2 lakh hectares.
• In the order dated December 12, 1996 of the Supreme Court of India in Writ Petition in Godavarman Thirumulpad Vs Union of India & others, the term forest as per dictionary meaning and the forests recorded in government records were to be included in the broad definition of ‘forests’ along with notified forests for consideration of any diversion proposal under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
• The expert committee appointed by the Government of Karnataka identified 10 lakh hectares of land in the State as deemed forest. The state expert committee in 1997 had identified 10 lakh hectares of deemed forest area which over the years were shrunk by the successive governments.

 Conclusion: While the Gadgil Committee report prioritized the Environment and recommended measures to keep it at the centre, the Kasturirangan committee tried to balance the recommendations with development, simultaneously with safeguards.

However, both the reports have evoked sharp reactions from the stakeholders, in terms of protest by various forums, common citizens.

While one major criticism rests on a view that the Kasturirangan report has watered the provision of the earlier report, there exists another view questioning the practicality of the earlier report, concerns of livelihood, small farming communities. Nevertheless, it is true that both the reports have garnered public attention and scrutiny, inviting nature enthusiasts and commercial establishments. Therefore, a threadbare discussion with all stakeholders, addressing concerns of all those affected, would result in effective conservation of the Ecologically Sensitive Western Ghats.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

5. NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS

THE CONTEXT: NFT sales have had a breakthrough year in 2021, with total sales volume surging to $12 billion and its market is dominated by a handful of standout leaders due to their popularity and rarity.

THE EXPLANATION:

The cryptocurrency boom over the past two years has helped propel a newer market to record heights: digital collectibles, also known as NFTs.

What are Fungible and Non-Fungible assets?

• A fungible asset is something that can be readily interchanged like money. With money, you can swap a £10 note for two £5 notes, and it will have the same value.
• On the other hand, a non-fungible asset means it has unique properties which cannot be interchanged with something else.

Example: It could be a painting that is one of a kind. You can take a photo of the painting or buy a print, but there will only ever be one original painting.

What are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)?

• Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated.
• They are one-of-a-kind assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property, but they have no tangible form of their own.
• The digital tokens can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.

How do they work?

• Non- Fungible tokens are unique, irreplaceable, mostly digital items that users buy and sell online.
• NFTs use blockchain technology to keep a digital record of ownership, similar to cryptocurrencies. They were first launched on ethereum, the same blockchain that supports the cryptocurrency ether, and to this day most NFTs can still only be purchased using ether.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/ INITIATIVES IN NEWS

AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (AIF)

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Agriculture & farmer’s welfare, the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund aims at providing a medium-long term debt financing facility till 2025-2026. Till date, a total of 8488 projects have been sanctioned under the scheme with a loan amount of Rs. 6098 crores, out of which, Rs. 2071 crores have been disbursed for 4003 projects.

THE BACKGROUND:

Aim:

In July 2020, the Union Cabinet has approved a new pan India Central Sector Scheme called Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. The scheme shall provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.

The duration of the Scheme shall be from FY2020 to FY2032 (10 years).

Intended beneficiaries

Under the scheme, Rs. One Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Group (SHG), Farmers, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, Aggregation Infrastructure Providers and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Project.

Benefits

• All loans under this financing facility will have an interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 crores. This interest subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.
• Further, credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to 2 crores. The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government.
• In the case of FPOs, the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under the FPO promotion scheme of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DACFW).
• The moratorium for repayment under this financing facility may vary subject to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 2 years.

Management: The fund will be managed and monitored through an online Management Information System (MIS) platform. It will enable all the qualified entities to apply for loans under the Fund.

THE PRELIM PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Consider the following statements about CAMPA:

1. It is a statutory body established under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
2. It is meant to promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.
3. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change is chairperson of CAMPA.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

               a) 1 only                                b) 1 and 2 only

               c) 2 and 3 only                     d) All of them

Q2. In Which of the following states, AFSPA is not implemented at present?

           a) Assam                                 b) Nagaland

           c) Manipur                              d) Tripura

ANSWER FOR 7^TH DECEMBER 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Public Accounts Committee was first constituted in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1919.
• Statement 2 is correct: The term of office of the members is one year.
• Statement 3 is correct: A minister cannot be elected as a member of the committee.

[WpProQuiz 108]

GEOGRAPHY

1. INDONESIA’S SEMERU VOLCANIC ERUPTION

THE CONTEXT: The eruption of Indonesia ‘s Semeru volcano has killed at least 22 people and injured dozens.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The sudden eruption was triggered by a thunderstorm and days of heavy rains, according to the geological survey centre.
• Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java Island, threw up towers of ash and hot clouds that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic.
• Semeru, more than 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) high, is one of Indonesia‘s nearly 130 active volcanoes. It erupted in January 2021, causing no casualties.
• Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
• In 2010, an eruption of the Merapi volcano on Java Island killed over 350 people and displaced 400,000.

About Mount Semeru

• Mount Semeru is an active volcano in East Java, Indonesia.
• It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate.
• This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru, meaning “The Great Mountain” in Sanskrit. Semeru is named after Sumeru, the central world-mountain in Hinduism.
• Semeru’s eruptive history is extensive. Since 1818, at least 55 eruptions have been recorded (11 of which resulted in fatalities) consisting of both lava flows and pyroclastic flows.
• Semeru has been in a state of near-constant eruption from 1967 to the present.

Volcanoes are grouped into four types:

• Cinder cones.
• Composite volcanoes.
• Shield volcanoes.
• Lava volcanoes.

Stratovolcanoes

• It is called “composite volcanoes” because of their composite stratified structure built up from sequential outpourings of erupted materials.
• Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and periodic intervals of explosive eruptions and effusive eruptions, although some have collapsed summit craters called calderas.
• The lava flowing from stratovolcanoes typically cools and hardens before spreading far, due to high viscosity.
• The magma forming this lava is often felsic, having high-to-intermediate levels of silica (as in rhyolite, dacite, or andesite), with lesser amounts of less-viscous mafic magma.
• Two famous examples of stratovolcanoes are Krakatoa in Indonesia, known for its catastrophic eruption in 1883, and Vesuvius in Italy, whose catastrophic eruption in AD 79 buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

About the Ring of Fire

• Many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire were created through a process of subduction. And most of the planet’s subduction zones happen to be located in the Ring of Fire
• It is a string of at least 450 active and dormant volcanoes that form a semi-circle, or horse shoe, around the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific Plate, Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates, and the Nazca Plate.
• There is a lot of seismic activity in the area. And, also 90 per cent of all earthquakes strike within the Ring of Fire.

Why many volcanoes in Ring of fire?

• The tectonic plates move non-stop over a layer of partly solid and partly molten rock which is called the Earth’s mantle.
• When the plates collide or move apart, for instance, the Earth moves.
• Mountains, like the Andes in South America and the Rockies in North America, as well as volcanoes have formed through the collision of tectonic plates.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VISIT TO INDIA

THE CONTEXT: Indian Prime Minister and Russian President held the 21st India-Russia summit, covering an array of areas with an aim to further enhance the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The prime focus of the meeting was on terrorism as a common threat to both countries and the region.
• The two sides also have a shared concern of terrorism, as the security situation emanating out of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan remains challenging.
• India, however, has a historical relationship with Russia, spanning over the last seven decades. While the relationship has stagnated in some areas and atrophied in some others, the strongest pillar of the strategic partnership is of the defence basket.
• Although New Delhi has consciously diversified its new purchases from other countries, the bulk of its defence equipment is from Russia. Estimates say 60 to 70 per cent of India’s supplies are from Russia, and New Delhi needs regular and reliable supply from Russia for the spare parts from the Russian defence industry.
• At this time of tension at the border, Defence minister of India had discussed the issue of defence equipment supply and purchase of new systems — like the S-400 missile defence system — with the Russian top brass in the military and government.

THE FIRST INDIA & RUSSIA 2+2 DIALOGUE

• India now has a 2+2 format dialogue mechanism on strategic and security issues with four of its key strategic partners, Russia being the latest. The three others — Australia, the US and Japan — are also ‘Quad’ partners.
• The 2+2 dialogue is held between the foreign and defence ministers of two countries and is generally seen to be aimed at creating a mechanism under which the bilateral relationship takes a decisive strategic turn with greater integration of defence, security and intelligence apparatus.
• A 2+2 ministerial dialogue enables both sides to understand each other’s strategic sensitivities more deeply, while taking into account the political nuances of the relationship, and also enabling the building of a more strategic grouping in a rapidly changing global environment, diplomatic and strategic sources
• India and Russia signed four different pacts in the field of defence at the end of the 20th meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) on Monday, including a contract for procurement of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles.

Defense and Security Relations

• India-Russia military-technical cooperation has evolved from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research, development and production of advanced defence technologies and systems
• Joint Tri-Services Exercise ‘INDRA 2021’ between India and Russia was carried out simultaneously in Volgograd, Russia in August 2021.

The joint military programmes between India and Russia include:

• BrahMos cruise missile programme.
• 5th generation fighter jet programme.
• Sukhoi Su-30MKI programme.
• Ilyushin/HAL Tactical Transport Aircraft.
• KA-226T twin-engine utility helicopters.

The military hardware purchased/leased by India from Russia includes:

• S-400 Triumf.
• Kamov Ka-226 200 to be made in India under the Make in India initiative.
• T-90S Bhishma.
• INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier programme.
• S-400 air defence system.

Russia also plays a very important role in assisting the Indian Navy with its submarine programmes:

• Indian Navy’s first submarine, ‘Foxtrot Class’ came from Russia.
• India is dependent on Russia for its nuclear submarine programme.
• INS Vikramaditya, the sole aircraft carrier operated by India, is also Russian in origin.
• Nine of the fourteen conventional submarines operated by India are Russians.

3. THE FORMER MYANMAR PRESIDENT GETS 4 YEARS SENTENCES

THE CONTEXT: A special court in Myanmar’s capital sentenced the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to four years in prison after finding her guilty of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions.

THE BACKGROUND:

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

• Aung San Suu Kyi served as the State Counsellor of Myanmar between 2016 and 2021. The post is equivalent to that of the Prime Ministerial post.
• She is the youngest daughter of Aung San. Aung San is the Father of Myanmar.
• She was called the “Children of Gandhi”.

About 8888 Uprising:

Aung San Suu Kyi became famous through 8888 uprising. The 8888 uprising is also called People Power Uprising. It includes a series of protests throughout Myanmar. It was caused by withdrawal of currency notes without compensation, police brutality, economic mismanagement, totalitarian one – party rule of Ne Win, corruption. It led to the resignation of Ne Win.

Path to power

• Ms Suu Kyi spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010. Her personal struggle to bring democracy to then military-ruled Myanmar (also known as Burma) – made her an international symbol of peaceful resistance in the face of oppression.
• Despite her landslide victory in 2015, the Myanmar constitution forbade her from becoming president because she has children who are foreign nationals. But Ms Suu Kyi, was widely seen as de facto leader.
• In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, while still under house arrest, and hailed as “an outstanding example of the power of the powerless”.

Political Instability:

• On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military has grabbed power in a coup – the third time in the nation’s history since its independence from British rule in 1948.
• Myanmar’s democratic transition had been a work in progress. The results of the 2020 election, held during the pandemic, were being seen by the NLD as a mandate for its plan of constitutional reform, through which it aimed to do away with the military’s role in politics and governance.

Why was Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to jail?

She was sentenced to be prisoned for two charges. They are inciting the public against the military of Myanmar and for breaching COVID1-19 protocols. Currently, she is facing 11 charges that can bring a maximum imprisonment of 102 years. The other major controversial cases against her are as follows:

• Alleged use of walkie – talkies by her security guards
• Corruption in granting permits to buy a helicopter
• Violating the Official Secrets Act.

Issues Concerning India

• One important reason for the change is that India’s security relationship with the Myanmar military.
• These days, it has become extremely close, and it would be difficult to “burn bridges” with them given their assistance in securing the Northeast frontiers from insurgent groups.
• Apart from strategic concerns, India has cultivated several infrastructure and development projects with Myanmar, which it sees as the “gateway to the East” and ASEAN countries.
• These include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-modal transit transport network, as well as a plan for a Special Economic Zone at the Sittwe deep-water port.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. THE HIGHLY INVASIVE SNAIL SPOTTED IN KERALA

THE CONTEXT: Researchers of the Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CuUSAT) identified it as the acute bladder snail Physella acuta, globally branded as highly invasive.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A tiny snail with a striking, pellucid, golden-yellow shell found in the Edappally canal in Kochi has been flagged as an invasive species that could play havoc with native ecosystems.

• This is the first time this snail has been reported in Kerala, according to the research team. What makes its discovery worrying is that it plays host to worms that can cause food-borne diseases and skin itches in humans. Moreover, its rapid growth rate, air-breathing capability, and tolerance to pollution makes the Physella acuta a potential competitor to native fauna.
• The team recovered 23 live specimens from the Eroor part of the Edappally canal during the biodiversity impact assessment for the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) in Kochi.
• Physella acuta is considered native to North America but is now found in all continents except Antarctica. It was first reported in India in the early 1990s. It is believed to have reached Kerala through the aquarium trade, a major vector for invasive species.
• In the Edappally canal, the snail had made its home in a highly polluted stretch plagued by high sedimentation, untreated sewage, effluents, construction waste and a thick growth of invasive aquatic weeds.

Physical Features

Small in size, the snail can grow to 16 mm in height and 9 mm in width. Physella acuta is easily identified by its sinistral (left-opening aperture) shell. Its good looks make this snail a favourite of aquariums.

How alien invasive plant s threaten Western Ghats?

• The ecological equilibrium of an ecosystem can be maintained only by balancing the floral and faunal population. But often ecosystems like shola forests, evergreen forests, grasslands, plain forests, mangrove forests and aquatic ecosystems get badly affected due to invading alien invasive alien plant species are non-native species that spread and interfere in a new ecosystem by posing a serious threat to the native biodiversity, leading to economic loss.
• Invasive species don’t allow local species to grow and wildlife to move through. A resin like substance that oozes from such alien species makes the soil acidic, preventing the growth of any other plant species. Species like Lantana, that grow extensively, create a mat-like structure leading to degradation and destruction of the biodiversity.
• As a result, herbivores like Gaur, Chital and Sambar are deprived of their food. This also affects the survival of carnivores such as tigers and panthers, interlinked to the ecological equilibrium.
• In the Western Ghats, where vast plantations of eucalyptus and wattle were raised in the past by converting grasslands and shola forests, the original habitat of the Nilgiri Tahr has been devastated. Nowadays, the Indian Bison makes frequent visits to the Kodaikanal town in Tamil Nadu because of the non-availability of food plants due to extensive plantations of alien species.

FAUNA OF THE WESTERN GHATS

• The fauna of the western Ghats includes over over 100 species of mammals, 350 species of birds, 80 species of reptiles and amphibians, 300 species of butterflies and innumerable invertebrates. 39 species of fish, 31 amphibians and 60 species of reptile’s endemic to the Western Ghats.
• Fresh water fish such as Danio neilgheriensis,Hypselobarbusdubuis and Puntius bovanicus are restricted to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, slender loris, blackbuck, tiger, gaur, Indian elephant and marten are some of the animals found here.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

5. THE NAGALAND CIVILIAN KILLINGS

THE CONTEXT: At least 15 civilians and one soldier were killed in a botched ambush and retaliatory violence in Nagaland’s Mon district, prompting the State government and the Army to order a probe into the incident.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The vehicle was allegedly fired upon by Army personnel, who were conducting an operation in the area after receiving inputs on the movement of militants of Yung Aung faction of proscribed outfit NSCN (K).
• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, “Six out of eight people in the vehicle died. It was later found to be a case of mistaken identity. Two others who were injured were taken to the nearest health centre by the army. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been directed to investigate the civilian deaths and report back in a month’s time.
• Nagaland is home to India’s oldest ethnic rebellion, dating back to the 1950s. The armed movement revolves around the demand for an ethnic homeland – a sovereign territory that includes Nagaland and all Naga-habited areas of the neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh as well as Myanmar.

Demands to repeal AFSPA

• Anger over the incident is rising in Nagaland, where people have frequently accused security forces of wrongly targeting innocent locals in counterinsurgency operations against rebel groups under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
• Besides sweeping powers of search and arrest, the law, enforced in parts of four of the seven northeastern states as well as Indian-administered Kashmir, allows Indian forces to open fire to maintain public order in areas designated as “disturbed areas”.
• Nagaland is covered by the law as India says rebel groups operate from thick jungles of an unfenced region that also spans the neighbouring states of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, which border Myanmar.

What are Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)?

How is a region declared ‘disturbed’?

• Section (3) of the AFSPA empowers the governor of the state or Union territoryto issue an official notification in The Gazette of India, following which the Centre has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid.
• Once declared ‘disturbed’, the region has to maintain status quo for a minimum of three months, according to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976.

Criticism of AFSPA:

• Sec 4(a) in which army can shoot to kill, as it violates article 21 which gives right to life.
• Section 4(b) search without warrants violates right to liberty and article 22.
• Dispersion of civil assembly by armed forces under section 121 violates right to assembly
• No judicial magistrate permission required while arresting –violate article 22
• Overrides CrPC.
• Violation of human rights
• It alienates the people from army and then from the rest of the India. A feeling of other worldly is generated in their mind.

What should be done?

• Create committees at district level with representatives of army, administrators and public which will report, assess and track complains in that area.
• All investigations should be time bound reasons for the delay must be communicated with the aggrieved.
• Amendments In Laws :The lacunae in the Act, as a result of definitional voids with respect to terms like “disturbed”, “dangerous” and “land forces” need to be amplified to ensure greater clarity.
• The onus of proving the alleged person as terrorists should lie with the forces. Sec 7 should be suitable amended to this effect.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/ INITIATIVES IN NEWS

6. PROJECT RE-HAB

THE CONTEXT: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a project aimed at reducing elephant-human conflict using bees in Assam, nine months after it was initiated in Karnataka.
THE EXPLANATION:

What is Project RE – HAB?

The Project RE – HAB creates “bee fences”. The honeybees in these fences’ thwart elephant attacks in human habitations. They dissuade the elephants without harming them. It is highly cost – effective as compared to erecting fences or digging trenches. Simultaneously, it increases honey production and increases farmer income. Also, the project helps to address climate change issues by regenerating forest cover.

What is the need for the project?

Between 2014 and 2019, around 403 deaths occurred due to elephant – human conflict. 397 deaths occurred in Odisha, 349 in Jharkhand, 332 in Assam, 170 in Karnataka and 289 in Chhattisgarh. Also, around 500 elephants died in human – elephant conflict in the last five years alone.

How does the project work?

• Under the project, the bee boxes are placed in the premises of human habitation. They are placed as fences. Around 15 to 20 bee boxes are placed around the habita
  tion that is to be protected. The buzz of the bees irritate the elephants the most.
• They fear that the honey bees might sting them in their trunks and eyes. And therefore, they do not walk ahead of the boxes. The boxes are connected with a string. When the elephants try to pass through the string, a pull or tug causes the bees to swarm towards the elephant.

Implementing Agency

• The Project RE – HAB is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The KVIC is a statutory body established under Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
• The main function of KVIC is to plan, promote, organize and implement programmes for the development of village industries in rural areas. It functions under the Ministry of Micro, small and Medium Enterprises.
• The Project RE – HAB is a sub mission to National Honey Mission of KVIC. It was launched to provide awareness and training in using bee boxes along the bee colonies. The mission was launched in 2017 and is in line with Sweet Revolution.

7. SWACHH BHARAT MISSION-URBAN 2.0

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India to strengthen the waste management sector in India under the overall ambit of Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban 2.0.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Solid waste management has been a key focus of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban since its launch in 2014. With concerted focus on source segregation and scientific processing of municipal solid waste, the waste processing capacity in India has gone up by nearly 4 times, from 18% in 2014, to 70% on date.
• The MoU, UNDP India will also be facilitating setting up of 75 Smart Swachhata Kendras across the country, working with local partners and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Moreover, in line with SBM-U 2.0’s core objective of sanitation and waste workers’ welfare, the model will also focus on integrating informal waste pickers – Safai Saathis – and linking them to various government welfare schemes. With digital technologies playing a critical role in driving Mission outcomes of SBM-U 2.0, the MoHUA- UNDP model will also make use of digital enablers such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to digitize the waste flow and streamline activities in the Swachhata Kendras.
• With the vision of making cities ‘Garbage Free’, SBM-U 2.0 is focused on achieving 100% waste processing along with bio-remediation of legacy dumpsites, construction and demolition waste and plastic waste management.
• The collaboration between MoHUA and UNDP India is another step towards realizing the vision of ‘Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Land’ in urban India through a circular economy approach based on the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle)

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0

• SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities ‘Garbage Free’ and ensure grey and black water management in all cities other than those covered under AMRUT, make all urban local bodies as ODF+ and those with a population of less than 1 lakh as ODF++, thereby achieving the vision of safe sanitation in urban areas.
• The Mission will focus on source segregation of solid waste, utilizing the principles of 3Rs (Reduce, reuse, recycle), scientific processing of all types of municipal solid waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites for effective solid waste management.
• The outlay of SBM-U 2.0 is around 1.41 lakh crore.

AMRUT 2.0

• AMRUT 2.0 mission will prove to be a major step towards making cities self-reliant and ensuring water security.
• Under this mission, drinking water surveys will be conducted to provide better water services to the people.
• AMRUT 2.0 aims to provide 100% coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies by providing about 2.68 crore tap connections and 100% coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities by providing around 2.64 crore sewer/ septage connections, which will benefit more than 10.5 crore people in urban areas.
• ‘Pey Jal Survekshan’ will be conducted to promote progressive competition among cities. The outlay of AMRUT 2.0 is around Rs. 2.87 lakh crore.

THE EXCLUSIVE PRELIMS FACTS

8. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RAIGAD FORT

THE CONTEXT: President of India, on his four-day to Maharashtra’s Raigad Fort where he will pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

THE EXPLANATION:

Where is Raigad fort located?

• Raigad is a hill fort situated about 25 km from Mahad in the Raigad district and stands 2,851 feet above sea level. The British Gazette states the fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East.
• Its decisive feature is a mile and a half flat top which has adequate room for buildings. In its prime, the fort had 300 stone houses and a garrison of 2,000 men.

When was it built?

• The fort, which was earlier called Rairi, was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century. The fort changed hands a number of times from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizamshahis and then the Adilshahis. In 1956, Chhatrapati Shivaji captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate.
• The fort not only helped Shivaji challenge the supremacy of the Adilshahi dynasty but also opened up the routes towards Konkan for the extension of his power.

Significance of the fort in Shivaji’s life

• In 1662, Shivaji formally changed the fort’s name to Raigad and added a number of structures to it. By 1664, the fort had emerged as the seat of Shivaji’s government.
• As the Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji gained strength in their struggle against the Mughals, the announcement of a sovereign, independent state was made.
• On June 6, 1674, Shivaji was coronated at Raigad by Gagabhatt where he took on the title of Chhatrapati. Six years later, Shivaji passed away in Raigad in 1680 and cas cremated at the fort.

Importance of Raigad Fort in Maharashtra’s polity

• Chhatrapati Shivaji is the tallest and the most revered icon in Maharashtra and there is a constant attempt by political parties of all hues to appropriate his legacy.
• Due to the significance of Raigad in his life, many political leaders make it a point to visit the fort.
• Maharashtra has already announced a mid-sea memorial in the Arabian Sea for the Maratha warrior king.
• The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government is also seeking the World Heritage Site tag for 14 forts, including Raigad, from the era of 17th century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the theme of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTION

Q1. Consider the following statements about CAMPA:

1. It is a statutory body established under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
2. It is meant to promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.
3. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change is chairperson of CAMPA.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

      a) 1 only                               b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only                   d) All of them

Q2. In Which of the following states, AFSPA is not implemented at present?

      a) Assam                             b) Nagaland

c) Manipur                         d) Tripura

ANSWER FOR 6^TH DECEMBER, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Public Accounts Committee was first constituted in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1919.
• Statement 2 is correct: The term of office of the members is one year.
• Statement 3 is correct: A minister cannot be elected as a member of the committee.

1. Humanism And Decency READ MORE
2. Ecological Harmony READ MORE

1. Climate change is making one of the world’s strongest currents flow faster READ MORE
2. Greenpiece: Rethinking smog and smog towers in Delhi READ MORE

1. The way to tackle malnutrition: It is high time that the process of monitoring nutrition got importance over survey outcomes READ MORE
2. A new report shows worrying growth of the diabetes pandemic READ MORE

1. A docket full of unresolved constitutional cases: These involve crucial questions about state power, accountability and impunity, and cannot be left hanging by the courts READ MORE
2. Nagaland killings: AFSPA has no place in a democratic country. It must go READ MORE
3. Democratic practices are in decline READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main:

1. MoHUA and UNDP sign MoU for Strengthening Waste Management Sector in India under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 READ MORE
2. PM Modi holds summit talks with Russian President Putin READ MORE
3. Explained: The significance of Raigad fort in Maratha history READ MORE
4. Indonesia Semeru Volcanic Eruption Kills 13; Dozens Injured READ MORE
5. India is neglecting its methane problem despite being the third-largest emitter of the potent gas READ MORE
6. KVIC rolls out project in Assam to prevent elephant-human conflict READ MORE
7. Afforestation funds released to States READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. Climate change is making one of the world’s strongest currents flow faster READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A docket full of unresolved constitutional cases: These involve crucial questions about state power, accountability and impunity, and cannot be left hanging by the courts READ MORE
2. Nagaland killings: AFSPA has no place in a democratic country. It must go READ MORE
3. Democratic practices are in decline READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. The way to tackle malnutrition: It is high time that the process of monitoring nutrition got importance over survey outcomes READ MORE
2. A new report shows worrying growth of the diabetes pandemic READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Expanding India’s engagement envelope with Russia READ MORE
2. Why Vladimir Putin visit to India is significant READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The supply chain hurdle in India’s recovery READ MORE
2. India should abandon the MSP track now READ MORE
3. GDP: Growth is real, but challenges abound READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Greenpiece: Rethinking smog and smog towers in Delhi READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Nagaland outrage: Need to restore civilians’ faith in security forces READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Humanism And Decency READ MORE
2. Ecological Harmony READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Without any real progress on finance, there will be no equity in climate negotiations’. Comment.  
2. ‘Violence and instability in the Northeast have important implications for national security and territorial integrity’. In the light of the statement, suggest the way forward for India to address the security and instability issues in the northeast.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
• Constitutional cases involve crucial questions about state power, accountability and impunity, and cannot be left hanging by the courts.
• It is high time that the process of monitoring nutrition got importance over survey outcomes.
• Both Poshan Abhiyan and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana need to be monitored with the help of the community to ensure sustainable nutrition security.
• The country must do more to build resilience in its supply chains, in order to protect its key manufacturing sectors.
• Without any real progress on finance, there will be no equity in climate negotiations. This could greatly jeopardise any mitigation efforts by developing countries.
• Violence and instability in the Northeast have important implications for national security and territorial integrity. That’s why the Centre should go the extra mile to prevent things from spinning out of control.
• The very existence of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act undermines constitutional principles such as the right to life and liberty.
• The Vedic, Jain, and Buddhist traditions established the principles of ecological harmony centuries ago through their quest for spiritual and physical symbiosis, synthesized in a system of ethical awareness and moral responsibility.
• Saving democracy calls for an accommodative leadership committed to addressing deeper structural problems. Creating an environment where citizens and larger civil society can work together by respecting dissenting voices will be instrumental towards restoring democratic practices.

50-WORD TALK

• Civilian killings in Army operation in Nagaland are shocking. Such tragedies are inevitable if Delhi keeps kicking the can down the road. Parallel ‘governments’ by rebels, tense forces sharing space with them and a suspended peace process have meant Nagaland remains fragile. Only swift investigation and justice can regain trust.

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.

[WpProQuiz 107]

INDIAN ART AND CULTURE

1. THE CULTURE MAPPING OF 80 VILLAGES

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Culture, Culture mapping of 80 villages associated with noted personalities in history, in particular the freedom movement, unique crafts and festivals had been started as a pilot project.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Culture Mapping?

• Cultural mapping is a mode of inquiry and a methodological toolthat aims to make visible the ways local stories, practices, relationships, memories, and rituals constitute places as meaningful locations.

Database creation

• “The aim is to create a huge database related to our villages and the culture, customs and traditions there. The mapping of 80 villages would be completed in this financial year,”
• From Sempore in Kashmir to Kanjirapally in Kerala, villages with a connection to the Independence struggle as well as those with their own art practices had been selected for the pilot project being conducted by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).
• Also, the project would lead to a “national register and interactive database of artists and art practices from the villages of India”. Each artist would be given a unique ID and an e-commerce platform set up.

List of Villages:

• On the list of villages selected, was Sempore or Pandrenthan in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir that is associated with 14th Century mystic Lal Ded or Lalleshwari. From Ladakh, the pilot project included Choglamsar and Wanla villages, known for wood carving. Khatkar Kalan village in Punjab, which has a memorial of Bhagat Singh; Reni village of Uttarakhand, where the Chipko movement started; and Kathputli Colony in Delhi, known for the “migrant kathputli artists”, were also on the list.

Two villages of Tamil Nadu

• Sites of religious importance, including Shringverpur in Uttar Pradesh which, was “associated with Lord Rama – Lord Rama stayed here for one night after Nishadraj Guha”, were also included in the list of villages.
• Two villages of Tamil Nadu – Ettayapuram (the birthplace of poet Subramania Bharathi) and Thiruchigadi (a village of “women potters) – are also on the list.
• Kanjirapally village, associated with Accama Cherian, an Independence activist known as the Jhansi Rani of Travancore, was on the list.

While the Culture Ministry had launched the culture mapping mission in 2017, the project had been slow to take off, before it was handed over to the IGNCA.

INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ARTS (IGNCA)

“IGNCA, which is an autonomous organisation under the administrative control of Ministry of Culture has been designated as implementation agency for the National Mission on Cultural Mapping.

The work under the mission involves coordinating the data collection through ground and field surveys conducted on the basis of detailed formats and questionnaires, mobile application, interactive web-portal and an Over-The-Top (OTT) platform to showcase ethnographic documentaries/ cultural events/ festival/ melas etc. of villages,”

INDIAN POLITY, GOVERNANCE & SOCIAL JUSTICE

2. THE DEFAULT BAIL

THE CONTEXT: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has approached the Supreme Court against a Bombay High Court order granting bail to advocate and activist Sudha Bharadwaj. While she was given ‘default bail’, eight others were denied the benefit in the same case.

THE EXPLANATION:

What happened in Sudha Bharadwaj’s case?

• In the Bhima Koregaon case, which is under UAPA, the prosecution got the 90-day limit extended to 180 days. Ms. Bharadwaj completed 90 days in prison in January 2019, but the charge sheet was filed only in February 2021.
• Meanwhile, she had applied for default bail on the ground that the extension given by a Sessions Court earlier was without jurisdiction. The court agreed that only a Special Court could have authorised the extension beyond 90 days. Therefore, she was entitled to statutory bail. However, eight others, who had argued that the court order taking cognisance of the charge sheet was defective, but did not specifically seek default bail, were not given the same relief.

BACKGROUND:

What is bail & types of bails in India?

The term ‘bail’ is originated from an old French verb ‘bailer’ which means ‘to give’ or ‘to deliver’. Bail refers to the provisional release of the accused in a criminal case in which the court is yet to announce the judgment. The term ‘bail’ means the security that is deposited in order to secure the release of the accused.

Depending upon the sage of the criminal matter, there are commonly three types of bail in India:

1. Regular bail- A regular bail is generally granted to a person who has been arrested or is in police custody. A bail application can be filed for the regular bail under section 437 and 439 of CrPC.
2. Interim bail– This type of bail is granted for a short period of time and it is granted before the hearing for the grant of regular bail or anticipatory bail.
3. Anticipatory bail– Anticipatory bail is granted under section 438 of CrPC either by session court or High Court. An application for the grant of anticipatory bail can be filed by the person who discerns that he may be arrested by the police for a non- bailable offence.

What is default bail?

• Also known as statutory bail, this is a right to bail that accrues when the police fail to complete investigation within a specified period in respect of a person in judicial custody. This is enshrined in Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure where it is not possible for the police to complete an investigation in 24 hours, the police produce the suspect in court and seek orders for either police or judicial custody. This section concerns the total period up to which a person may be remanded in custody prior to filing of charge sheet.
• For most offences, the police have 60 days to complete the investigation and file a final report before the court. However, where the offence attracts death sentence or life imprisonment, or a jail term of not less than 10 years, the period available is 90 days. In other words, a magistrate cannot authorise a person’s judicial remand beyond the 60-or 90-day limit.
• At the end of this period, if the investigation is not complete, the court shall release the person “if he is prepared to and does furnish bail”.

How does the provision vary for special laws?

The 60- or 90-day limit is only for ordinary penal law. Special enactments allow greater latitude to the police for completing the probe. In the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the period is 180 days. However, in cases involving substances in commercial quantity, the period may be extended up to one year. This extension beyond 180 days can be granted only on a report by the Public Prosecutor indicating the progress made in the investigation and giving reasons to keep the accused in continued detention.

In the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the default limit is 90 days only. The court may grant an extension of another 90 days, if it is satisfied with a report by the Public Prosecutor showing the progress made in the investigation and giving reasons to keep the accused in further custody. These provisions show that the extension of time is not automatic but requires a judicial order.

What are the laid-down principles on this aspect?

• Default or statutory bail is a right, regardless of the nature of the crime. The stipulated period within which the charge sheet has to be filed begins from the day the accused is remanded for the first time.
• It includes days undergone in both police and judicial custody, but not days spent in house-arrest. A requirement for the grant of statutory bail is that the right should be claimed by the person in custody. If the charge sheet is not filed within the stipulated period, but there is no application for bail under Section 167(2), there is no automatic bail.
• In general, the right to bail on the investigation agency’s default is considered an ‘indefeasible right’, but it should be availed of at the appropriate time.

3. NATIONAL JUDICIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AUTHORITY OF INDIA (NJIAI)

THE CONTEXT: Chief Justice of India suggests one central agency, with a degree of autonomy, for overseeing infrastructure development of subordinate courts in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to Department of Justice, total of ₹981.98 crore sanctioned in 2019-20 under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) to the States and Union Territories for development of infrastructure in the courts, only ₹84.9 crore was utilised by a combined five States, rendering the remaining 91.36% funds unused.
• This underutilisation of funds is not an anomaly induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue has been plaguing the Indian judiciary for nearly three decades when the CSS was introduced in 1993-94.
• This is one of the reasons why the Chief Justice of India, recently proposed creation of a National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI), which will take control of the budgeting and infrastructure development of subordinate courts in the country.

Need for Judicial Infrastructure?

• The Indian judiciary’s infrastructure has not kept pace with the sheer number of litigations instituted every year. A point cemented by the fact that the total sanctioned strength of judicial officers in the country is 24,280, but the number of court halls available is just 20,143, including 620 rented halls.
• Also, there are only 17,800 residential units, including 3,988 rented ones, for the judicial officers.
• As much as 26% of the court complexes do not have separate ladies toilets and 16% do not have gents toilets. Only 32% of the courtrooms have separate record rooms and only 51% of the court complexes have a library.
• Only 5% of the court complexes have basic medical facilities and, only 51% of the court complexes have a library. While the pandemic has forced most of the courts to adopt a hybrid system — physical and videoconferencing mode — of hearing, only 27% of the courtrooms have a computer placed on the judge’s dais with videoconferencing facility.

Greater Autonomy:

• He stressed on the need for “financial autonomy of the judiciary” and creation of the NJIAI that will work as a central agency with a degree of autonomy.
• According to CJI, Explaining the requirement for a greater autonomy for the NJIAI, a source familiar with the development in the Supreme Court, said, “The lack of one particular coordinating agency means each year the funds get lapsed. It remains underutilised.”
• This claim is supported by the fact that in 2020-21, of the ₹594.36 crore released under the CSS, only ₹41.28 crore was utilised by a single State — Rajasthan.
• The data released by the Department of Justice further revealed that in 2018-19, of the ₹650 crore released by the Centre under the CSS, the utilisation certificate was submitted by 11 States for a total of ₹225 crore.
• The current fund-sharing pattern of the CSS stands at 60:40 (Centre:State) and 90:10 for the eight north-eastern and three Himalayan States. The Union Territories get 100% funding.
• Also, he said, “If the scheme (NJIAI) is placed under the Government, it will be much like the current scheme of thing. Nobody will bother. There has to be a special purpose vehicle driven by a sense of belongingness and passion, with a degree of authority. That authority has to come from the Supreme Court,”

NALSA model

• The proposed NJIAI could work as a central agency with each State having its own State Judicial Infrastructure Authority, much like the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) model.
• It has also been suggested that the Chief Justice of India could be the patron-in-chief of the NJIAI, like in NALSA, and one of the Supreme Court judges nominated by the Chief Justice could be the executive chairman.
• But, unlike NALSA which is serviced by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the proposed NJIAI should be placed under the Supreme Court of India.
• “In the NJIAI there could be a few High Court judges as members, and some Central Government officials because the Centre must also know where the funds are being utilised.
• Similarly, in the State Judicial Infrastructure Authority, he said, in addition to the Chief Justice of the respective High Court and a nominated judge, four to five district court judges and State Government officials could be members.

“Institutionalising the mechanism for augmenting and creating state-of-the-art judicial infrastructure is the best gift that we can think of giving to our people and our country in this 75th year of our Independence”.

4. THE WORLD’S LARGEST SOCIAL PROGRAMME ON CHILDHOOD SERVICES: ICDS

THE CONTEXT: According to National Family Health Service (NFHS)-5 data, in 2019-20, less than 15% of five-year-olds attended any pre-primary school at all. A recent study estimates that the time women spend on unpaid work may have increased by 30% during the pandemic.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Being closed since the April 2020-lockdown, anganwadis are slowly reopening. Those in Karnataka, Bihar and Tamil Nadu are opening or considering opening shortly.
• As part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), anganwadis play a crucial role in supporting households, particularly from low-income families, by providing childcare, health and nutrition, education, supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-up and referral services.
• The largest in the world, ICDS covers about 88 million children aged 0-6 years in India. Their closure significantly impacted service delivery and weakened an important social safety net.

The Empirical data:

• Surveys by IDinsight across five States in November 2018 and November 2019 found that anganwadi workers were a primary source of nutrition information for families. Even as anganwadis resumed services, the closure has impacted their ability to serve as childcare centres.
• A recent study estimates that the time women spend on unpaid work may have increased by 30% during the pandemic. In COVID-19 rural household surveys across eight States, 58% of women cited home-schooling as the biggest contributor to increase in unpaid work. Sending younger children to anganwadis will free up women’s time, including for economic activities. Early childhood, the period from birth to five years of age, is a crucial developmental window.
• As platforms for early childhood education and nutrition support, anganwadis can play an important role for children to achieve their potential. The National Education Policy, 2020, places anganwadis at the centre of the push to universalise access to early childhood care and education (ECCE).
• NITI Aayog found that only 59% of anganwadis had adequate seating for children and workers, and more than half were unhygienic. These issues worsen in an urban context, with the utilisation of early childcare services at anganwadis at only 28%, compared to 42% for rural areas, according to NFHS-4 data.

Value Addition:

Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS)

It is a scheme providing for supplementary nutrition, immunization and pre-school education to the children is a popular flagship programme of the government.

Launched in 1975, it is one of the world’s largest programmes providing for an integrated package of services for the holistic development of the child.

• ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented by state governments and union territories.
• The scheme is universal covering all the districts of the country.
• The Scheme has been renamed as Anganwadi Services.

Objectives

• To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
• To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
• To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
• To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
• To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

Beneficiaries

• Children in the age group of 0-6 years
• Pregnant women and
• Lactating mothers

Services under ICDS

The ICDS Scheme offers a package of six services, viz.

• Supplementary Nutrition
• Pre-school non-formal education
• Nutrition & health education
• Immunization
• Health check-up and
• Referral services

Three of the six services viz. immunization, health check-up and referral services are related to health and are provided through National Health Mission and Public Health Infrastructure. The services are offered at Anganwadi Centres through Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHS) at grassroots level.

As the world’s largest provider of early childhood services, anganwadis perform a crucial role in contributing to life outcomes of children across India. To improve these outcomes, we need to invest more significantly in anganwadis, and roll out proven innovative interventions.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. INDIA’S FIRST PRIVATELY BUILT FULLY CRYOGENIC ENGINE

THE CONTEXT: Hyderabad based startup- Skyroot Aerospace successfully tested Dhawan-1, it became the country’s first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It running on two high-performance rocket propellants — liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LoX). The indigenous engine was developed using 3D printing with a superalloy.
• Now, after successfully demonstrating the technology, the startup will work on scaling it up to build a bigger engine that will be flying to space in its Vikram-2 launch vehicle in 2023.
• Traditionally liquisd hydrogen has been used, but now space agencies as well as space companies are working on LNG because it is not only a greener fuel but also more cost effective as compared to liquid hydrogen.

What is Cryogenic Engine?

• Cryogenic means low temperature. Cryogenic engines are highly efficient liquid propellant engines. They use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as the propellant. Oxygen can be kept in liquid state at below -1830 C temperature, while hydrogen requires temperature below -253°C to be in liquid form.
• Moreover, the liquid oxygen is very reactive. So, effective technology is required to ensure that both come in contact only in the combustion chamber. Apart from this technological care, two quite different state of temperature are required to be maintained.
• To keep propellant in liquid state, low temperature is to be maintained while in the combustion chamber very high temperature and pressure are created by combustion to create a greater thrust. These engines produce greater thrust by the same weight of propellant than other engines. They are highly efficient and are used throughout the world.

Cryogenic engines are very useful in launching of heavy satellite launch vehicles like GSLV. We will be able to launch much heavier satellites into orbit. Even satellite launching market will be available for India in the world. Cryogenic engines will not only make India progress in its own programmes, but commercialisation of this technology and its services will get India foreign currency.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS

6. THE ANTI-DRONE SYSTEM

THE CONTEXT: According to the Home Minister, India is developing indigenous technology to thwart the growing threat of drones on the country’s borders, and it will soon be made available to the security forces.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an anti-drone system to neutralize enemy drone attacks. The indigenous drone technology is capable of counter-attacks including detection, Soft Kill (for jamming the communication links of drone) and Hard Kill (laser-based hard kill to destroy the drone) of enemy Drones. The system is already demonstrated to Armed Services and other internal security agencies.
• The indigenous DRDO Counter-Drone Technology is transferred to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Simultaneously, Transfer of Technology (ToT) of the Counter-Drone System is offered to other companies.

What is an Anti-drone system?

Anti-drone systems detect and or intercept unwanted drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They are deployed to protect areas such as airports, critical infrastructure, large public spaces such as stadiums, and military installations and battlefields.

Need for anti-drone system

Increased use of unmanned drones to target, drop and supply weapons, explosives and ammunition across the western borders by the terror groups to their network in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab has raised security concerns. Therefore, in a bid to counter these attacks, the DRDO has developed the anti-Drone system.

How does the anti-drone system developed by DRDO work?

• The anti-drone system houses a radar that helps in the 360-degree coverage to detect micro drones up to 4 km and the Electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors that can detect micro drones up to 2 km in a specified direction. These sensors when paired with machine vision and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms lessen the risk of false positives and false negatives.
• EO/IR gimbals for anti-drone systems combine multiple cameras into one payload that can be mounted on a fixed site or moving vehicle.
• Acoustic CUAS detection systems compare the noise made by drone propulsion systems to a database of sounds. However, their accuracy can be affected by other noises in the vicinity.
• On 29 June 2021, Prime Minister chaired a meeting attended by Cabinet Ministers to expedite the process of devising a drone policy for India. It is to be noted that India doesn’t have a universal policy to deal with rogue drones.
• Means its nucleus is so large that it is unstable.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1: Consider the following statements about ICDS scheme:

1. It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
2. It is implemented by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
3. Supplementary Nutrition Programme is part of ICDS scheme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only                                            b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only                                d) All of them

ANSWER FOR DECEMBER 04^th  2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

ANSWER: B

EXPLANATION:

• Economic Recession refers to a significant decline in general economic activity in a designated region. Increase in expenditure on public projects will have a multiplier effect on the pace of economic growth of the country. Public expenditure has the expansionary effect on the growth of national income, employment opportunities, etc.
• Private investors are incapable of making massive investments on the various infrastructural projects like road-bridge-dam construction, power plants, transport and communications, etc. It is imperative that the government undertakes such projects. Greater the public expenditure, higher is the level of economic development.

1. The Omicron response is not making sense READ MORE
2. Explained: The Dam Safety Bill, and why Tamil Nadu is against it READ MORE
3. Illegal drug trade: Baddi raid points to magnitude of nefarious activity READ MORE
4. The injustice of justice: DIG Anand case brings out starkly the ordeal judges can cause if they falter READ MORE
5. Parliamentary Committee’s PDP Bill report a low-hanging fruit. Data privacy needs rethink READ MORE

1. The Teacher Within READ MORE
2. Women: Significant other of humankind READ MORE
3. HANDLING STRESS OF THE TIMES READ MORE

1. Ambiguities remain amid India’s pledges at COP26 READ MORE
2. Himalayan glaciers may be melting even in the winters READ MORE

1. Introduction to e-Symposium: Urbanisation, gender, and social change in north India READ MORE
2. The need to reopen anganwadis: India must invest robustly in the world’s largest social programme on early childhood services READ MORE
3. Women: Significant other of humankind READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. S. slams China ‘drive’ for hypersonic weapons READ MORE
2. Rocketmen from Hyderabad READ MORE
3. Culture mapping of 80 villages kicks off READ MORE
4. When can an individual get statutory bail? READ MORE
5. India developing indigenous anti-drone technology READ MORE
6. What’s the hype about 2+2 talks India’s holding with US, Japan, Australia & now Russia READ MORE
7. Explained: Assam Rifles’ dual control structure, and its role READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Introduction to e-Symposium: Urbanisation, gender, and social change in north India READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The Omicron response is not making sense READ MORE
2. Explained: The Dam Safety Bill, and why Tamil Nadu is against it READ MORE
3. Illegal drug trade: Baddi raid points to magnitude of nefarious activity READ MORE
4. The injustice of justice: DIG Anand case brings out starkly the ordeal judges can cause if they falter READ MORE
5. Parliamentary Committee’s PDP Bill report a low-hanging fruit. Data privacy needs rethink READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. The need to reopen anganwadis: India must invest robustly in the world’s largest social programme on early childhood services READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Putin’s visit must be used to realise the potential of India-Russia ties READ MORE
2. The crisis in SAU is a symbol of the crisis of SAARC READ MORE
3. India-Bangladesh Ties at Inflection Point READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Protecting the economy READ MORE
2. Look at jobs: Economic output has recovered. But there are worries on employment READ MORE
3. Stay the course: RBI should not stop the normalisation process READ MORE
4. US and China trade disputes are an opportunity. India could become the next tech hub READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Ambiguities remain amid India’s pledges at COP26 READ MORE
2. Himalayan glaciers may be melting even in the winters READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Fighting together: Only the political leadership can clear the way for joint theatre commands READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The Teacher Within READ MORE
2. Women: Significant other of humankind READ MORE
3. HANDLING STRESS OF THE TIMES READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘It is inevitable that even as India emerges as an important global player in dealing with climate change challenges, but India is not the leader in technology to offer the solutions that are needed’. Examine.
2. ‘Justice is the sum of all moral duty’. Explain the statement and its relevance.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Justice is the sum of all moral duty.
• The Indian economy will grow and expand in the decades to come, and coal will remain the mainstay of the country’s economic growth.
• It is inevitable that even as India emerges as an important global player in dealing with climate change challenges but India is not the leader in technology to offer the solutions that are needed.
• The rich countries have mostly disappointed the rest of the world in terms of global solidarity in the pandemic response, which includes vaccine inequity.
• As the world’s largest provider of early childhood services, anganwadis perform a crucial role in contributing to life outcomes of children across India. To improve these outcomes, we need to invest more significantly in anganwadis, and roll out proven innovative interventions.
• Great power politics puts limits on the bilateral relationship. But Delhi and Moscow have no reason to be satisfied with the poor state of their commercial ties.
• The improvement in high-frequency economic indicators is a positive development. However, economic policy makers need to look beyond them to gauge the extent of damage caused by Covid.
• The future of SAARC and specialised bodies such as SAU is directly proportional to India’s political interest. Notwithstanding Pakistan’s recalcitrant attitude, SAARC serves India’s interests.
• Education, rather than reservation, may well be the key to women’s emancipation and genuine progress as compared to mere tokenism.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Justice is the sum of all moral duty.

50-WORD TALK

• India’s significant progress as a digital economy and in related infrastructure, coupled with the efficient use of data, will shape its future as a technology innovation hub. With the unprecedented growth and expansion of the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, and software-defined networking, India must significantly increase its focus on digital engineering if it is to be the leader in technology innovation.

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.