1. Corridors of death: Elephants are victims of train collisions and electric fences in rising man-animal conflicts READ MORE
2. Delhi’s response to air pollution needs a rethinking READ MORE

1. True religiosity is a quest and has no boundaries READ MORE
2. Recognising Ambedkar: An Identity or An Idea? READ MORE
3. Soil is our real gift to the next generation READ MORE
4. Fruit of Education READ MORE

1. What the NFHS data reveals about inequality in India READ MORE
2. NFHS 5 Has Much To Say About India’s Nutrition. Who’s Listening? READ MORE
3. Revamped Poverty Estimates: The widening poverty within and across the region and states demands reorganisation of development priority. READ MORE

1. Recast this apples-and-oranges ranking method READ MORE
2. Cleansing lower judiciary: HC action can spur deterrence, improve justice delivery READ MORE
3. Constitutional Limits to Ridicule READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Benefits of MSP to Farmers READ MORE
2. NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION READ MORE
3. BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO CAMPAIGN READ MORE
4. China launches its first cross-border BRI train with Laos READ MORE
5. IMF: Chief Economist Gopinath To Be Second Ranking Official After Okamoto Leaves READ MORE
6. Pendant Found in Poland Could be the Oldest Surviving Jewellery Made by Humans READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 1

1. Legacy of Champaran Satyagraha in the Farmer Movement READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Recast this apples-and-oranges ranking method READ MORE
2. Cleansing lower judiciary: HC action can spur deterrence, improve justice delivery READ MORE
3. Constitutional Limits to Ridicule READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. What the NFHS data reveals about inequality in India READ MORE
2. NFHS 5 Has Much To Say About India’s Nutrition. Who’s Listening? READ MORE
3. Revamped Poverty Estimates: The widening poverty within and across the region and states demands reorganisation of development priority. READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. In an anarchic world, India’s power and burden READ MORE
2. Will the real Quad stand up? READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Turkey’s currency crisis shows why it’s a bad idea to cut interest rates amid inflation READ MORE   
2. National Family Benefit Scheme is in urgent need of revival READ MORE
3. Modi govt’s pandemic strategy focused on revival has worked. Economic indicators prove it READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Corridors of death: Elephants are victims of train collisions and electric fences in rising man-animal conflicts READ MORE
2. Delhi’s response to air pollution needs a rethinking READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Storm surges and relief: Why India should rethink its cyclone response READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. True religiosity is a quest and has no boundaries READ MORE
2. Recognising Ambedkar: An Identity or An Idea? READ MORE
3. Soil is our real gift to the next generation READ MORE
4. Fruit of Education READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘The Delhi-NCR’s plan to mitigate air pollution requires better-timed measures with actions being more ‘pre-emptive’ rather than ‘reactive’’. In the light of the statement, discuss whether the Delhi’s response to air pollution needs a rethinking?
2. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the structural faultlines in India’s social protection system. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The widening poverty within and across the region and states demands reorganisation of development priority.
• For constitutional constraints allow for the freedom of expression within the reasonable limits that offer protection to everyone’s dignity.
• The relationship between identity and idea posits a distinctive politics of recognition. It does not essentialise any con­structed identity, rather it develops a distinctive idea constitutive of identity.
• Ambedkar needs to be recognised as a human identity through his humanitarian worth. His real recognition is only in respecting the work he did and ideas he proposed.
• Farmers have defended India’s core values of secularism and pluralism, a vision that the government of the day was supposed to protect.
• The Delhi-NCR’s plan to mitigate air pollution requires better-timed measures with actions being more ‘pre-emptive’ rather than ‘reactive’.
• In an anarchic world, India will have to remain strategically clear, ruthlessly pragmatic, democratic, and socially cohesive.
• The absence of any form of life insurance appropriate for poor households is a gaping hole in India’s budding social security system.
• It is time the NIRF plans an appropriate mechanism to rate the output and the performance of institutes in light of their constraints and the resources available to them.

50-WORD TALK

• Supreme Court’s concern for Delhi’s children is admirable but pushing schools to close due to air pollution misses the point. Bad air doesn’t differentiate between home and school. Stopping outdoor activity is a solution, not shutting schools. Kids have suffered due to the pandemic. Their lordships should focus on polluters.
• CM Basavaraj Bommai’s BJP government in Karnataka should be commended for introducing eggs in school midday meals in seven districts with high malnutrition levels. Such urgent interventions are critical as NFHS findings show India’s nutritional indicators are worsening. Lingayat seers opposing eggs shouldn’t impose their conservativeness on children choosing nourishment.

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 GEOGRAPHY & WORLD GEOGRAPHY

THE 41^STINDIAN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO ANTARCTICA (ISEA)

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Earth Sciences launched the 41^st Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA), the first batch of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Maitri station for the Expedition will carry out various scientific activities in Antarctica, besides maintaining India’s two research stations viz Maitri and Bharati.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 41^stexpedition has two major objectives.
• The first encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station to understand the geological link between India and Antarctica in the past.
• The second goal involves ice core drilling work near the Maitri station, focusing primarily on improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea ice and greenhouse gases. Apart from these, other long-term observations in the field of geology, glaciology, ocean observations, and upper atmospheric sciences are continuing.
• The major thrust area of the scientific projects being taken up in Antarctica are focused on furthering the existing knowledge under various themes such as Climate Process & Linkages to change, Crustal Evolution, Environmental Processes & Conservation, Ecosystem of Terrestrial & Nearshore, Observational Research.
• Institute and universities from all over the country participate in the Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) with the operational support provided by NCPOR.
• Note: World Antarctica Day is celebrated on December 1.

THE DIFFERENT RESEARCH STATIONS IN THE ANTARCTIC

Dakshin Gangotri

• Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in Antarctica, as a part of the Indian Antarctic Program.
• Located at a distance of 2,500 kilometres from the South Pole, it was established during the third Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983/84.
• This was the first time an Indian team spent a winter in Antarctica to carry out scientific work.
• It has weakened and become just a supply base.

Maitri

• Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and finished in 1989.
• Maitri is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis. India also built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini.

Bharti

• Bharti, India’s latest research station operation since 2012. It has been constructed to help researchers work in safety despite the harsh weather.
• It is India’s first committed research facility and is located about 3000 km east of Maitri. Bharti made India an elite member of the club of nine nations that have multiple stations in the region.

OTHER RESEARCH FACILITIES

Sagar Nidhi

• In 2008, India commissioned the Sagar Nidhi, the pride of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), for research.
• An ice-class vessel, it can cut through the thin ice of 40 cm depth and is the first Indian vessel to navigate Antarctic waters.

CYCLONE JAWAD

THE CONTEXT:  According to the Indian meteorological department, Cyclonic storm Jawad, currently over the west-central Bay of Bengal, is likely to weaken into a deep depression before making landfall near Puri in Odisha. With this Cyclone Jawad has become the fifth cyclone of 2021. The

THE EXPLANATION:

• The postmonsoon season has proved to be pretty damp for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh so far, and with Cyclone Jawad gradually unleashing its wrath upon the coastal districts of both states, it looks like things are about to get worse in terms of rainfall.
• As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), the depression over the Southeast Bay of Bengal moved towards the Indian coast at a speed of 22 km/h and strengthened into Cyclonic Storm ‘Jawad’
• As far as district-wise alerts are concerned, most Andhra Pradesh and Odisha districts are on yellow and orange alert for December 4. Red warnings have been placed on Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri Jagatsinghapur in Odisha and Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh.
• Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the southeast and neighbouring east-central Bay of Bengal, and the west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal, and along and off the north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal beaches.
• The rains are expected to cause traffic disruption due to localised flooding of roads, inundation and waterlogging in low-lying areas and closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas of the affected regions.

Note

• All tropical cyclones are named as per a treaty in 1953 in the Atlantic region. The member countries propose a list of names on their behalf after which names are given in alphabetical order.
• IMD’s classification of cyclonic disturbances in the North Indian Ocean (the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) since 2015.
• Cyclone Jawad – pronounced as ‘Jowad’ – got its name from Saudi Arabia that means “generous and magnanimous”.

THE INDIAN SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

AID OF SEX WORKERS

THE CONTEXT:  The Supreme Court has reiterated its direction to States and Union Territories to supply dry rations to sex workers identified by the National AIDS Control Organisation and district legal authorities without insisting on the production of identity documents like ration cards.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The right to food has been recognised as a human right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Though there is some improvement in the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are of the view that the constitutional obligation on the State governments and Union Territories to provide basic amenities to the citizens of this country takes into its fold that the sex workers are entitled to be provided dry ration”.
• One of the petitioners in the case, Durbar Mahila Samanway Committee, the country’s oldest collective of sex workers, had said sex workers were entitled to live with dignity with access to food, shelter and social protection. It said the pandemic had ravaged their lives and livelihoods and left the community impoverished.
• It explained that many in the community are single mothers unable to afford an education for their children in the current scenario. Attempts to secure alternative livelihoods have failed due to social stigma.

THE DURBAR MAHILA SAMANWAYA COMMITTEE

• Durbar, is a collective of 65,000 sex workers in West Bengal. Established on 15 February 1992, in Sonagachi, the largest red-light district in Kolkata, West Bengal, India with estimated 11,000 sex workers, Durbar has been working on women’s rights and sex workers’ rights advocacy, anti-human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention.
• Durbar states that its aims are the challenging and altering of the barriers that form the everyday reality of sex workers’ lives as they relate to their poverty or their ostracism.
• Durbar runs 51 free clinics for sex workers across West Bengal, with support from organisations such as the Ford Foundation and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), who also help Durbar in its initiatives like networking, rights protection and creating alternative livelihood for sex workers.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CHINA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST CROSS-BORDER BRI TRAIN WITH LAOS

THE CONTEXT: China on Friday launched the first cross-border train of its multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from Laos, which Beijing says will help the small and only landlocked country in Southeast Asia turn into a land-linked hub, boost regional connectivity and supply chain resilience.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The first train of the China-Laos Railway left Vientiane soon after the cross-border railway was officially put into operation.
• Besides China, Laos shares borders with Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia which offered Beijing to extend the train project to those countries.
• Laos is the only landlocked country in South East Asia. Like China, which is ruled by the Communist Party, it is a one-party socialist republic governed by the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.
• The 1,035-km electrified passenger and cargo railway, connecting Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province with Laos’ capital Vientiane, fully adopts Chinese technical standards and consists of two sections.
• China believes that the railway could help Laos turn its strategy of turning from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub into reality, boost regional connectivity and supply chain resilience, and make contributions to regional development and prosperity.
• The railway will also establish a rapid transit and commercial link between the Southeast Asian country and China, the world’s second-largest economy, powering Laos’ economic growth.

Background:

BRI:

• BRI consisting of the land-based belt, ‘Silk Road Economic Belt, and ‘Maritime Silk Road’, aims to connect the East Asian economic region with the European economic circle and runs across the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
• BRI is China’s ambitious project announced in 2013. It covers about 65% of the world population, 60% of the world GDP and over 70 countries in six economic corridors.
• China is spending almost $1 trillion to revive and renew the overland and maritime trade links between China, Europe, West Asia, and East Africa through the construction of modern ports linked to high-speed road and rail corridors.

Concerns

• India argues that the BRI and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project violates its sovereignty because it passes through the part of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that belongs to India.
• Debt trap: BRI projects are pushing recipient countries into indebtedness, do not transfer skills or technology and are environmentally unsustainable.
• China is planning to extend the CPEC to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka are eagerly pursuing potential BRI projects.
• Through OBOR, China is countering the strategies of India in the North East region and is promoting its greater presence in North East India, part of which China claims as its own territory. This may have a security impact on India.
• The 99-year lease of the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka to China has raised red flags about the downside of the BRI and Beijing’s push for major infrastructure projects costing billions of dollars in smaller countries. However, the lack of transparency of the BRI agreements and mounting debt to China by smaller countries have raised global concerns.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

NBFC’S BAD LOANS MAY RISE ON RBI NORMS

THE CONTEXT:  The recent clarification by the Reserve Bank of India on non-performing advances (NPA) may increase non-banking financial companies’ (NBFC) bad loans by one third, says a report.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The RBI had provided clarification on income recognition asset classification and provisioning (IRAC) norms for banks, NBFCs and All-India Financial Institutions.
• Bad loans reported by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) may rise after March 2022 as the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) latest clarification on upgradation of non-performing assets (NPAs) kicks in. Analysts said while banks have been following the new rule on upgrades, it will be a fresh start for most NBFCs.
• NBFCs generally classify an account as stage 3 when there is a payment overdue for more than 90 days and typically for monthly payments, this would be when there are three or more instalments overdue on any account.
• But when the borrower makes part payment such that the total overdue is less than three instalments, the account is removed from NPA classification and classified as a standard asset, although it remains in the overdue category in case not all dues are cleared.
• NBFC borrowers are generally a weak class of borrowers and have volatile cash flows which could mean that once an account has been classified as NPA, it could remain there for a considerable period as the ability to clear all dues may be constrained.
• Meanwhile, the RBI circular also calls for daily stamping of accounts to count the number of days they are overdues instead of a monthly or quarterly stamping.

BACKGROUND

What are Nonbank Financial Companies?

Nonbank financial companies (NBFCs), also known as nonbank financial institutions (NBFIs) are financial institutions that offer various banking services but do not have a banking license. Generally, these institutions are not allowed to take traditional demand deposits—readily available funds, such as those in checking or savings accounts—from the public.

In line with the international practices and as per the recommendations made by the Narasimham Committee on the Financial System, the Reserve Bank of India has introduced,

• prudential norms for income recognition,
• asset classification and provisioning for the advances portfolio of the banks
• to move towards greater consistency and transparency in the published accounts.

The policy of income recognition should be objective and based on the record of recovery rather than on any subjective considerations.

INCOME RECOGNITION AND ASSET CLASSIFICATION NORMS

• IRAC are rules that prescribe when a loan should be declared as a non-performing asset (NPA).
• Once a loan is an NPA, the RBI requires that any recovery should not be classified as income.
• Banks are also required to share information regarding large borrowers with the RBI for its Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC).

CENTRAL REPOSITORY OF INFORMATION ON LARGE CREDITS (CRILC)

• The RBI has set up a CRILC to collect, store, and disseminate credit data to lenders.
• CRILC is a borrower-level supervisory dataset that keeps the record of loans of Rs 5 crore and above.
• In India, there are four privately owned credit information companies (CICs).
• They are CIBIL, Equifax, Experian, and High Mark Credit Information Services.
• The RBI has also mandated all its regulated entities to submit credit information individually to all four CICs.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

INDIA REVOKES PEPSICO’S POTATO PATENT

THE CONTEXT:  Two years after PepsiCo India provoked outrage by suing nine Gujarati farmers for allegedly infringing patent rights by growing its registered potato variety, the company’s registration of the variety has been revoked by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights’ Authority (PPV&FRA).

BACKGROUND:

• In 2019 the multi-billion-dollar conglomerate PepsiCo sued nine Gujarati farmers, asking them to pay ₹1.05 crore each as damages for ‘infringing its rights’ by growing the potato variety used in its Lays chips, farmers groups have launched a campaign calling for government intervention.
• Pepsi has sued the farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, grown exclusively for its popular Lay’s potato chips. The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

Pepsico’s Stand:

• PepsiCo has invoked Section 64 of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 to claim infringement of its rights.
• The section prohibits anyone other than the breeder of seeds or a registered licensee of that variety to sell, export, import or produces such variety.
• The farmers were allegedly growing a variety of potato namely FL 2027, also called FC5, on which PepsiCo claimed exclusive rights by virtue of a Plant Variety Certificate (PVC).

Farmers stand:

• However, farmers groups have said that section 39 of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 allows farmers to grow and sell any variety of crop or even seed as long as they don’t sell branded seed of registered varieties.
• The farmers have requested the government to interfere on their behalf and ask Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) to make a submission in court and fund legal costs through the National Gene Fund.

THE PROTECTION OF PLANT VARIETIES AND FARMERS’ RIGHTS (PPV&FR) ACT, 2001

• In order to provide for the establishment of an effective system for the protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants it has been considered necessary to recognize and to protect the rights of the farmers in respect of their contributions made at any time in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources for the development of new plant varieties.
• The Govt. of India enacted “The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001” adopting sui generis system. Indian legislation is not only in conformity with International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), 1978, but also have sufficient provisions to protect the interests of public sector breeding institutions and the farmers.
• The legislation recognizes the contributions of both commercial plant breeders and farmers in plant breeding activity and also provides to implement TRIPs in a way that supports the specific socio-economic interests of all the stakeholders including private, public sectors and research institutions, as well as resource-constrained farmers.

Rights under the Act

• Breeders’ Rights : Breeders will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected variety. Breeder can appoint agent/ licensee and may exercise for civil remedy in case of infringement of rights.
• Researchers’ Rights : Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting experiment or research. This includes the use of a variety as an initial source of variety for the purpose of developing another variety but repeated use needs prior permission of the registered breeder.

Farmers’ Rights

• A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety;
• Farmers variety can also be registered as an extant variety;
• A farmer can save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into force of this Act provided farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001;
• Farmers are eligible for recognition and rewards for the conservation of Plant Genetic Resources of land races and wild relatives of economic plants;
• There is also a provision for compensation to the farmers for non-performance of variety under Section 39 (2) of the Act, 2001 and
• Farmer shall not be liable to pay any fee in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar or the Tribunal or the High Court under the Act.

To implement the provisions of the Act the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare established the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority on 11″ November, 2005.

National Gene Fund

• In 2007, the National Gene Fund was constituted under the PPV&FR Act 2001.
• It started with an initial amount of Rs 50 lakh from the Central government and gets a contribution from the money paid by plant breeders as registration and annual fee.

NEW BUTTERFLY SPECIES DISCOVERED

THE CONTEXT: The new species of butterfly, now named the Chocolate-bordered Flitter, also carries the scientific name Zographetus dzonguensis, after Dzongu in north Sikkim, the place where it was discovered.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Its closest relatives are Zographetus pangi in Guangdong, and Zographetus hainanensis in Hainan, both in southeastern China, close to Hong Kong, says Dr. Krushnamegh Kunte of NCBS.
• It is a golden yellow butterfly with brown borders and spots. The physical appearance of the species differ slightly and the internal structures of the males also differ slightly.
• It is mentioned on the ‘Butterflies of India’ website which is maintained by the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru.

BACKGROUND:

Butterfly

• Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera of phylum Arthropoda which also includes moths.
• Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight.

Significance

• Rich Biodiversity: Abundance of butterflies in any area represents the rich biodiversity.
• Indicator Species: The butterfly acts as an indicator species.
• An indicator species provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem. They reflect the quality and changes in environmental conditions as well as aspects of community composition.
• Pollinator: It acts as a pollinator by helping in pollination and conserving several species of plants.

A LONG JOURNEY OF LESSER FLORICAN

THE CONTEXT: In a major discovery, the longest in-country migration route of lesser floricans, the endangered birds of the bustard group, has been tracked for the first time from Rajasthan to Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The mystery of the fast-disappearing birds may soon be resolved with the help of satellite transmitters fitted on them.
• The telemetry exercise was undertaken in the Shokaliya landscape of Ajmer district to trace the journey of lesser floricans from their breeding grounds to their places of origin, presumably in down South.
• Following initial failures, the scientific experiment has succeeded in locating a bird which travelled a distance of 1,000 km after breeding during the monsoon.
• The endangered bird is observed in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and some other regions during the monsoon season, when it breeds and later disappears with its chicks to unknown places.
• The bird is listed as “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species and its population has been identified as “decreasing”.

Lesser florican

• The lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus), also known as the likh or kharmore, is the smallest in the bustard family and the only member of the genus Sypheotides.
• It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall grasslands and is best known for the leaping breeding displays made by the males during the monsoon season.
• The male has a contrasting black and white breeding plumage and distinctive elongated head feathers that extend behind the neck. These bustards are found mainly in northwestern and central India during the summer but are found more widely distributed across India in winter.
• The species is highly endangered and has been extirpated in some parts of its range such as Pakistan. It is threatened both by hunting and habitat degradation.
• The only similar species is the Bengal florican (Houbarobsis bengalensis) which is larger and lacks the white throat, collar and elongated plumes.

THE MISCELLANEOUS

PENDENT: OLDEST SURVIVING JEWELLERY MADE BY HUMANS

THE CONTEXT: According to archaeologists, a newly discovered pendant carved from a woolly mammoth tusk could be the oldest surviving jewellery developed by humans. The pendant is dated 41,500 years old. The pendant was found in southern Poland inside the Stajnia cave.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The pendant from the Stajnia Cave has two holes drilled in it along with 50 other puncture marks (dots), the researchers reported in their research. Interestingly, the dots create a looping curve. However, the actual meaning of the
• se dots remains elusive. The researchers say that they may represent a counting system or a lunar observation, or something else. The radiocarbon dating has suggested that the mammoth tusk used to make the pendant was around 41,730 to 41,340 years ago. The awl was found to be 42,000 years old.
• This finding plays a unique role in demonstrating the importance of the direct date of an object of Paleolithic art to understand the origin of communication, celebration, and expression of Homo sapiens in Europe.
• The carbon dating has established that the pendant is thousands of years older than artefacts decorated similarly and found in other sites. In the Stajnia cave, the other objects found include an awl, a pointed tool used in making holes. The Stajina awl was 7-centimetre-long and carved from a horse bone.

What is Carbon Dating?

Radiocarbon dating or carbon dating or carbon-14 dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon a radioactive isotope of carbon. Unstable carbon-14 gradually decays to carbon-12 at a steady rate

How it works?

• Radiocarbon dating works by comparing the three different isotopes of carbon. Isotopes of a particular element have the same number of protons in their nucleus, but different numbers of neutrons. This means that although they are very similar chemically, they have different masses.
• The total mass of the isotope is indicated by the numerical superscript. While the lighter means its nucleus is so large that it is unstable.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Which among the following steps is most likely to be taken at the time of an economic recession?

a) Cut in tax rates accompanied by increase in interest rate.

b) Increase in expenditure on public projects.

c) Increase in tax rates accompanied by reduction of interest rate.

d) Reduction of expenditure on public projects.

ANSWER FOR DECEMBER 03^rd  2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

ANSWER: C

EXPLANATION:  Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was the secretary of Bethune school established in 1849 also known as Hindu female school. He was one of the pioneers of higher education for women in India.

INDIAN HISTORY AND ART & CULTURE

1. NIZAMUDDIN BASTI CONSERVATION PROJECT WINS TWO UNESCO AWARDS

THE CONTEXT: Delhi’s Nizamuddin Basti has received two awards at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation for the year 2021. The conservation initiative at Nizamuddin bagged the Award of Excellence and Special Recognition for Sustainable Development Award.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The conservation efforts include the restoration of over 20 historic monuments clustered around the 14th century mausoleum of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Stakeholders are also working towards the revival of local crafts and job creation.
• The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative was the only award-winning entry from India.
• The Nizamuddin Area comprises the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, the centuries-old settlement of Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery, in addition to the 16th Century Batashewala Tomb-Garden Complex, tomb of 16th Century courtier poet Khan I Khanan ‘Rahim’, and the Mughal-period caravanserai of Azimganj Serai.
• In 2020, the Sunder Nursery Conservation (formerly called Azim Bagh or Bagh-e-Azeem, is a 16th-century heritage park complex adjacent to the Humayun’s Tomb, )also received the twin UNESCO Awards — the Award of Excellence, 2020 & Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.
• Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has been recognising the efforts of private individuals and organisations in restoring, conserving, and transforming structures and buildings of distinct heritage value in the region.

2. PAIKA REBELLION

THE CONTEXT: Recently the Odisha Chief Minister requesting the centre that the Paika rebellion be declared the first war of Independence. However,the union government said, the 1817 Paika rebellion of Odisha could not be called the first war of Independence, but considering it as a beginning of a popular uprising against the British, it would be included as a case study in the Class 8 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) history textbook.

BACKGROUND:

Who are Paikas?

• Paikas were essentially the peasant militias of the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king during times of war while taking up cultivation during times of peace.
• They were the traditional land-owning militia of Odisha and served as warriors.

How the rebellion began?

• When armies of the East India Company overran most of Odisha in 1803, the Raja of Khurda lost his primacy and the power and prestige of the Paikas went on a decline. So, they rebelled back.
• The British were not comfortable with these aggressive, warlike new subjects and set up a commission under Walter Ewer to look into the issue.
• The commission recommended that the hereditary rent-free lands granted to the Paikas be taken over by the British administration and this recommendation was zealously adhered to. They revolted against the British.
• Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Bharamarbar Rai, the highest-ranking military general of King of Khorda Mukund Dev II, led the Paikas to join the uprising.
• However, the rebellion also had several other underlying causes – like the rise in the price of salt, abolition of the cowrie currency for payment of taxes and an overtly extortionist land revenue policy.

Outcome:

Although initially the Company struggled to respond they managed to put down the rebellion by May 1817. Many of the Paik leaders were hung or deported. Jagabandhu surrendered in 1825.

Nationalist movement or a peasant rebellion?

The Paika Rebellion is one among the peasant rebellions that took place in India when the British East India Company was expanding its military enterprise. Because these uprisings violently clashed with European colonialists and missionaries on many occasions, their resistance is sometimes seen as the first expression of resistance against colonial rule — and therefore considered to be “nationalist” in nature.

WINTER PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDING

3. THE DAM SAFETY BILL, 2019

THE CONTEXT: Winter Session of the Parliament 2021, both the houses of the parliament has passed the Dam Safety Bill 2019.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL:

• The Bill provides for the surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of all specified dams across the country. These are dams with height more than 15 metres, or height between 10 metres to 15 metres with certain design and structural conditions.
• It constitutes two national bodies: the National Committee on Dam Safety, whose functions include evolving policies and recommending regulations regarding dam safety standards; and the National Dam Safety Authority, whose functions include implementing policies of the National Committee, providing technical assistance to State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs), and resolving matters between SDSOs of states or between a SDSO and any dam owner in that state.
• It also constitutes two state bodies: State Committee on Dam Safety, and State Dam Safety Organisation. These bodies will be responsible for the surveillance, inspection, and monitoring the operation and maintenance of dams within their jurisdiction.
• Functions of the national bodies and the State Committees on Dam Safety have been provided in Schedules to the Bill. These Schedules can be amended by a government notification.
• An offence under the Bill can lead to imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both.

Key Issues and Analysis

• The Bill applies to all specified dams in the country. This includes dams built on both inter and intra state rivers. As per the Constitution, states can make laws on water including water storage and waterpower. However, Parliament may regulate and develop inter-state river valleys if it deems it necessary in public interest.  The question is whether Parliament has the jurisdiction to regulate dams on rivers flowing entirely within a state.
• The functions of the National Committee on Dam Safety, the National Dam Safety Authority, and the State Committee on Dam Safety are listed in Schedules to the Bill. These Schedules can be amended by the government through a notification. The question is whether core functions of authorities should be amended through a notification or whether such amendments should be passed by Parliament.

BACKGROUND:

As of June 2019, India has 5,745 large dams (includes dams under construction).  Of these, 5,675 large dams are operated by states, 40 by central public sector undertakings, and five by private agencies. Over 75% of these dams are more than 20 years old and about 220 dams are more than 100 years old. Most of these large dams are in Maharashtra (2394), Madhya Pradesh (906), and Gujarat (632).

Importance:

• As a large amount of water may be stored in a dam’s reservoir, its failure can cause large scale damage to life and property. Therefore, monitoring dam safety is essential.
• The Central Dam Safety Organisation, under the Central Water Commission (CWC), provides technical assistance to dam owners, and maintains data on dams.
• The National Committee on Dam Safety devises dam safety policies and regulations. Currently, 18 states and four dam owning organisations have their own Dam Safety Organisations. CWC provides that each dam owner should carry out pre and post monsoon inspections (covering site conditions, dam operations) every year.

 Obligation of dam owners:

Dam owners will be responsible for the safe construction, operation, maintenance and supervision of a dam. They must provide a dam safety unit in each dam. This unit will inspect the dams: (i) before and after monsoon season, and (ii) during and after every earthquake, flood, calamity, or any sign of distress. Functions of dam owners include: (i) preparing an emergency action plan, (ii) carrying out risk assessment studies at specified regular intervals, and (iii) preparing a comprehensive dam safety evaluation through a panel of experts.

 POLITY, GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

4. INDIA REPORTS FIRST CASES OF OMICRON

THE CONTEXT: Two men in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant. One of them, a 66-year-old South African national, had travelled from there and has already left India. The second – a 46-year-old doctor in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru – has no travel history.

THE EXPLANATION:

• These are the first cases of the new Omicron variant to be reported in India.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Omicron poses a “high infection risk”.
• South Africa alerted the world to the new variant on 24 November after it detected its first case of Omicron. Several countries have since announced travel restrictions.
• Initial evidence suggests Omicron has a higher re-infection risk. But scientists say it will take another three weeks to know how the heavily mutated variant impacts the effectiveness of various vaccines.

WHO GUIDELINES:

The WHO currently lists 5 variants of concern:

1. Omicron (B.1.1.529), identified in southern Africa in November 2021.
2. Delta (B.1.617.2), which emerged in India in late 2020 and spread around the world.
3. Gamma (P.1), which emerged in Brazil in late 2020.
4. Beta (B.1.351), which emerged in South Africa in early 2020.
5. Alpha (B.1.1.7), which merged in Britain in late 2020.

 What is a Variant of Concern?

According to the World Health Organisation, a variant of concern translates to a rise in transmissibility, an increase in fatality and a significant decrease in effectivenes

s of vaccines, therapy and other health measures.

What is a Variant of Interest?

According to WHO, a VOI is a SARS CoV-2 variant with a genetic capability that affects characteristics of the virus such as disease severity, immune escape, transmissibility and diagnostic escape. The world health body further confirmed that a VOI causes a consequential volume of community transmission. A global increase in cases poses a risk of large proportions to worldwide public health.

B.1.1.529 or the Omicron variant

The WHO on November 26, 2021  declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron.

5. THE BOOST FOR SCHOOL LEARNING

THE CONTEXT: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500-million loan to India to help improve the quality of school education and to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 on students’ learning.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The loan supports the Integrated Scheme for School Education (Samagra Shiksha) and the new Exemplar School Initiative of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to improve education quality by focusing on inclusive and equitable learning outcomes.
• About 1,800 government schools will be transformed into exemplar schools in the states of Assam, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand. Exemplar schools will demonstrate quality learning environments and effective learning, which will become a model for replication in other government schools across India.
• “ADB’s assistance will support the government’s commitment to providing high-quality education to all by accelerating quality education initiatives across the participating states.

Value Addition:

Samagra Shiksha

It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12. The scheme has been prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes. It subsumes the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) and was launched in 2018.

The scheme covers 1.16 million schools, over 156 million students and 5.7 million Teachers of Govt. and Aided schools (from pre-primary to senior secondary level).

Objectives

• Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students;
• Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education;
• Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education;
• Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions;
• Promoting Vocationalisation of education;
• Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and
• Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as a nodal agencies for teacher training.

About ADB:

• It is a regional development bank.
• established on 19 December 1966.
• headquartered — Manila, Philippines.
• official United Nations Observer.

Who can be its members?

The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East or ECAFE) and non-regional developed countries.

ADB now has 68 members, 49 from within Asia.

Voting rights:

• It is modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
• As of 31 December 2019, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).

Roles and functions:

• Dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
• This is carried out through investments – in the form of loans, grants and information sharing – in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems, helping nations prepare for the impact of climate change or better manage their natural resources, as well as other areas.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

6. THE GLOBAL CORPORATE TAXATION: THE NEW BARE MINIMUM

THE CONTEXT:  In October 2021, as many as 136 countries entered into an agreement earlier this month to redistribute taxing rights and impose a global minimum corporate tax on large multinational corporations. With the new agreement signed at a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, countries want to put an end to tax competition that has over the years forced global corporate tax rates to drop.

THE EXPLANATION:

WHAT IS THE GLOBAL MINIMUM TAX?

• A global deal to ensure big companies pay a minimum tax rate of 15% and make it harder for them to avoid taxation has been agreed by 136 countries, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
• Major economies are aiming to discourage multinational companies from shifting profits – and tax revenues – to low-tax countries regardless of where their sales are made. Increasingly, income from intangible sources such as drug patents, software and royalties on intellectual property has migrated to low tax jurisdictions, allowing companies to avoid paying higher taxes in their traditional home countries
• With an agreed global minimum, such tax based erosions can be reduced without causing a financial disadvantage to the firms.

How would a deal work?

• The global minimum tax rate would apply to overseas profits of multinational firms with 750 million euros ($868 million) in sales globally. Governments could still set whatever local corporate tax rate they want, but if companies pay lower rates in a particular country, their home governments could “top up” their taxes to the 15% minimum, eliminating the advantage of shifting profits.
• A second track of the overhaul would allow countries where revenues are earned to tax 25% of the largest multinationals’ so-called excess profit – defined as profit in excess of 10% of revenue.

Global Minimum Corporate Tax – Impact on India

• India is likely to benefit from the Global Minimum Corporate Tax rate of 15%, as the government has been willing to keep the corporate tax rate artificially lower to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
• As of June 2021, the corporate tax rate for New manufacturing companies is 15% and for companies that do not want to claim any exemption or incentives, the corporate tax rate is 25.17%.
• OECD estimates that with the new minimum rate, countries will have $150 billion annually in additional revenues.
• Countries will get to tax $125 billion of profit due to the provision of taxing where ever companies earn the profits.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

7. PAT: CENTRE’S DECARBONISATION SCHEME NOT EFFECTIVE ENOUGH, SAYS REPORT

THE CONTEXT: According to a recent report by New Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says, that the Indian government to improve energy efficiency in Indian industries and consequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not effective.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Government of India released the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008 to check the increasing energy consumption of industries and related carbon emissions.
• There were eight national missions under the NAPCC. One of them was the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STUDY:

• The CSE analysis found thermal power plants under this scheme in the last decade had reduced just 1-2 per cent of overall carbon dioxide emissions emitted by them.
• The report attributed the inefficiency of the scheme to non-transparency, loose targets and overlooked deadlines.
• The industrial sector consumes the most energy in India — accounting for 43 per cent of overall consumption — making it the major contributor to the country’s energy and environmental footprint.

• CSE analysed the efficacy of the PAT scheme for the thermal power plants. The analysis clearly shows that in both Cycles 1 and 2, TPPs had the most lenient target and underperformed in meeting the target among other sectors.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the energy sector are about 2,064 million tonnes of CO2, highlighting the carbon emission reductions achieved in both cycles.
• Electricity generation contributes to 40 per cent of this total emission, which is 825.6 million tonnes of CO2 in one year. The overall CO2 emission reduction achieved by thermal power plants in PAT cycle 1 and 2 is 13 and 11.9 million tonnes respectively.
• The total emission reduction from TPPs is 24.85 million tonnes of oil equivalent, which is only 3 per cent of the total emission from the sector. This highlights the fact that the target given to TPPs is very less compared to the overall emission reduction from the sector.
• The energy reduction target should be made stringent in order to meet up with the global climate commitments with respect to greenhouse gas emission mitigation. Targets must be interlinked to material CO2 reduction.

Value Addition:

Perform, Achieve, Trade (PAT) Scheme:

In line with the energy conservation and efficiency policies of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power, Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) as a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was launched in 2012.

• It is for reducing specific energy consumption in energy-intensive industries, with an associated market-based mechanism to enhance the cost-effectiveness through certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.
• The first cycle of the PAT Scheme (2012-2015) managed to reduce the energy consumption of more than 400 energy-intensive enterprises (Known as Designated Consumers-DCs) by 5.3%, above the initial target 4.1%.
• The targets were originally established based on annual specific energy consumption for each DC in 2010 (baseline) and adjusted to account for factors such as product mix, capacity utilisation, change in fuel quantity, import/export of power and other factors.
• PAT scheme covered about 13 energy-intensive sectors. Sectors included are thermal power plants (TPP), cement, aluminium, iron and steel, pulp and paper, fertiliser, Chlor-alkali, petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, distribution companies, railways, textile and commercial buildings (hotels and airports).

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the well-known greenhouse gas on our planet Earth. The rapid increase in its concentration in the atmosphere is the major cause of global temperature rise which in turn leads to many environmental and healthcare problems.
• The ‘greenhouse effect’ works in the case of CO2 when solar radiation hits the surface of the earth, part of the heat escapes the atmosphere while balance heat gets trapped which in turn, raises the earth’s temperature.
• This is a phenomenon popularly known as global warming. This primarily results in a severe impact on climate change, which has a ripple effect overall natural ecosystems, and by extension, all industries and people around the globe.

About Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)

• The Government of India has set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles.
• The primary objective of reduce the energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
• This will be achieved with active participation and collaboration of all stakeholders, resulting in accelerated and sustained adoption of energy efficiency in all sectors.

PAT Cycle VI (2020-21 to 2022-23)

• This cycle has commenced in April 2020.
• 135 DCs are selected with a target of 1.277 MTOE.
• The six sectors notified are cement, commercial buildings (hotels), iron and steel, petroleum refinery, pulp and paper and textiles.

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?

a) Annie Besant

b) Debendranath Tagore

c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

d) Sarojini Naidu

ANSWER FOR DECEMBER 2nd 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

ANSWER: D

EXPLANATION:

• Black money causes financial leakage, as unreported income that is not taxed causes the government to lose revenue.

1. Drug-resistant TB: Rise in cases poses a public health challenge READ MORE

1. Why make examinations larger-than-life events? READ MORE
2. Thought Management – 1 READ MORE
3. Inclusiveness: A prerequisite for leadership | OPINION READ MORE

1. Breathing fresh air into the NCR’s pollution control: Revisiting the UN Environment Programme’s review of China’s strategy provides useful lessons for policymakers READ MORE
2. Needed: Affirmative action on pollution READ MORE
3. Implementing climate change essentials in time READ MORE
4. IMD predicts a warm winter in some regions despite La Nina READ MORE

1. The politics-policy disconnect in India READ MORE
2. Tribunals must be integrated into the legal and administrative apparatus READ MORE
3. Another hurried Ordinance READ MORE
4. The vital third tier: Local governments must be strengthened READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Early Warning System for Landslides READ MORE
2. Minority Act READ MORE
3. Rajya Sabha passes Dam Safety Bill READ MORE
4. PAT: Centre’s decarbonisation scheme not effective enough, says new CSE report READ MORE
5. Parliament winter session: Lok Sabha passes Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill to regulate IVF clinics READ MORE
6. The ‘Law’ and ‘Order’ of Indian Parliamentary Democracy READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The politics-policy disconnect in India READ MORE
2. Tribunals must be integrated into the legal and administrative apparatus READ MORE
3. Another hurried Ordinance READ MORE
4. The vital third tier: Local governments must be strengthened READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Drug-resistant TB: Rise in cases poses a public health challenge READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Countering China’s expanded footprint and influence in South Asia READ MORE
2. Fostering relations with SAARC members READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. A white touch to a refreshed green revolution: The Amul model, of a socio-economic enterprise, has immense potential to aid India’s crop-growing farmers READ MORE  
2. Why not an inflation-based MSP regime? READ MORE
3. RBI report on digital lending: The path ahead for digital lending READ MORE

 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Breathing fresh air into the NCR’s pollution control: Revisiting the UN Environment Programme’s review of China’s strategy provides useful lessons for policymakers READ MORE
2. Needed: Affirmative action on pollution READ MORE
3. Implementing climate change essentials in time READ MORE
4. IMD predicts a warm winter in some regions despite La Nina READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Why make examinations larger-than-life events? READ MORE
2. Thought Management – 1 READ MORE
3. Inclusiveness: A prerequisite for leadership | OPINION READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The contemporary trend in democratic governance is more decentralization of governmental authority but the strategic use of the Union Territory concept by the Central Government seems to reverse the trend. Comment.
2. Access to justice requires an efficient Subordinate Judiciary. Examine the statement in the light of challenges faced by the Subordinate Judiciary in India.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The Amul model, of a socio-economic enterprise, has immense potential to aid India’s crop-growing farmers.
• Revisiting the UN Environment Programme’s review of China’s strategy provides useful lessons for policymakers.
• Tribal communities, workers, peasants, students and the common people braved imprisonment or bullets and fought for the dream of freedom that would ensure justice and equality.
• This disconnect between politics and policy is not a recent development, though it manifests differently across political divides.
• China has carefully developed an image of listening to what the countries need and delivering. Additionally, contrary to popular discourse, these states wield considerable agency.
• Crucial to arresting the spread of TB is bringing about more awareness of the government’s programmes to battle it.
• It’s time for SAARC nations to start pushing common concerns impacting their citizens.
• To achieve the goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 per cent of pre-industrial level, carbon dioxide emissions need to be 45 per cent below 2010 level by 2030.
• IMD observed in its temperature outlook that even though weak La Nina conditions are prevailing right now in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, they may strengthen during the winter season.
• Usually, people understand leadership as a position of power. But those leaders who were truly successful and loved by people lived in a position of continuous sacrifice because a leader means your life and activity are no longer about yourself.

50-WORD TALK

• The digital lending report provides a balanced framework encouraging innovation, protecting consumers, and minimising risks to the financial system. A framework of this nature is critical for the industry to grow and thrive at scale. There are many nuances that will get debated and clarified over time; however, this report is a seminal one and will likely lay the groundwork for the future of digital financial services in India.

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 105]

WINTER PARLIAMENT PROCEEDINGS 2021

MODERNIZATION OF AGRICULTURE

THE CONTEXT: Agriculture exports excluding allied products (Marine, Meat etc.) have set a record in 2020-21 with total Agri export of Rs. 213513.38 Crore which has been highest since last two decades.

THE EXPLANATION:

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, the  Government has taken various steps to modernize agriculture for sustainable growth in the agriculture sector. Some of the interventions in this direction are:

• Creation of a network of 722 KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs) for dissemination of knowledge and information about modern technology etc.
• Initiatives under Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) Scheme like Extension Reforms, Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension, Kisan Call Centres, Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres, Exhibitions/ Fairs etc.
• Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
• Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi.
• National Agriculture e-Market platform (e-NAM) has been established
• Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme.
• Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
• The mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.
• Promotion of 10,000 FPOs.

The top 10 agriculture commodities which are in demand in the international market are Rice (other than basmati), rice-basmati, spices, sugar, cotton, oil-meals, castor oil, fresh fruits, tea and fresh vegetables.

COVERAGE OF PMKSY-PDMC

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, the Per Drop More Crop Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) scheme is operational in the country from 2015-16 which focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation (MI).

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the Ministry, the total area of 59.37 lakh ha has been covered under Micro Irrigation in the country under PMKSY-PDMC from 2015-16 to 2021.
• During the last three years, Central assistance of Rs. 8141.96 crore was released to States and an area of 32.68 lakh ha covered under Micro Irrigation through the scheme.
• With the objective of facilitating the States in mobilising resources for expanding coverage of micro-irrigation, a Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore was created with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) during 2018-19.
• The States are encouraged to access MIF for innovative projects / additional incentives to farmers for the installation of Micro Irrigation systems by interest subvention of 3% than the cost of funds mobilized by NABRAD from the market.  So far, projects with loans under MIF amounting to Rs. 3970.17 Crore have been approved for 12.81 lakh ha of Micro Irrigation area.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC)

The PMKSY- PDMC is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the funds under the scheme are shared between the Central Government and State Government in the ratio of 60:40 for all States except the North Eastern and Himalayan states wherein sharing pattern is 90:10. In the case of  Union Territories, the funding pattern is 100% granted by the Central Government.

Its objectives are:

• Convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level,
• To expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani),
• To improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water,
• To enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop),
• To enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal based water for peri-urban agriculture and attract greater private investment in a precision irrigation system.

STATUS OF NIRBHAYA FUND

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre approved Rs 3856.70 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund for projects for women safety in 2021

THE EXPLANATION:

• The data states that the Centre released Rs 2282.59 crore of Rs 3856.70 crore allocated funds to the states and union territories. The funds are released to the states and union territories, as per project guidelines, in instalments, and depending on the demand specific to each project.
• As per information available, the total budgetary allocation for Nirbhaya Fund by the Government in the last three years is as below:

                Year                          Allocation (in Rs. Crore)

             2018-19                              550.00

             2019-20                             550.00

             2020-21                             1355.23

What is Nirbhaya Fund?

Post-2012, Nirbhaya Gang rape case, a dedicated fund was set up in 2013 with the focus on implementing the initiatives aimed at improving the security and safety of women in India. The fund was called “Nirbhaya Fund”, Nirbhaya meaning fearless, the pseudonym given to the gang-rape victim to conceal her identity.

The government’s contribution towards the non-lapsable corpus fund was Rs. 1000 crores.

Nodal agency:  Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance is responsible for the administration of the fund. While the Women and Child Development Ministry is the nodal agency for expenditure from the Nirbhaya Fund. It is involved in appraising, reviewing, and monitoring the progress of those schemes sanctioned under the Nirbhaya Fund. Earlier, it was the one releasing the funds but now it examines the programs submitted to it by the states under the Nirbhaya scheme, approves them and recommends to the Department of Economic affairs for allocating funds.

Under the Nirbhaya Fund, the Centre gives money to the states, which in turn spend it on programs meant for ensuring women’s safety.

Nirbhaya Fund – 3 Schemes

Considering the need to have a schematic intervention and a complete mechanism for providing support to the women in distress, three schemes are being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the Nirbhaya Fund.

Keeping in mind the need to have schematic interventions and a proper mechanism for handholding of women in distress, 3 schemes have been implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development

1. ‘One Stop Centre’
2. ‘Universalisation of Women Helpline
3. ‘Mahila Police Volunteer’

Schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs are as follows:

• Emergency Response Support System
• Central Victim Compensation Fund

It aims at creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it. There are 8 National Missions.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE GLOBAL GATEWAY PLAN

THE CONTEXT: The European Commission announced a plan to mobilise €300 billion ($340 billion) in public and private infrastructure investment around the world, a move seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “Global Gateway will aim at mobilising investments of up to 300 billion euros between 2021 and 2027… bringing together resources of the EU, member states, European financial institutions and national development finance institutions.
• The money to be made available will not come from EU and member state coffers, and the plan will need funding from international institutions and from the private sector if it is to get anywhere near its target.
• The West, however, sees it as a tool for China to influence poorer countries. They criticise Beijing for inciting emerging economies to take on too much debt and allege the secretive tender process is prone to corruption.
• The EU strategy is an offshoot of a plan by G7 countries to offer developing countries an alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative, presented in June at the industrial powers’ summit in Cornwall.

China’s Belt and Road initiative:

• China Belt and Road initiative is a flagship project of the country launched in 2013. Officially, it aims to develop land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and development. Many countries have become a part of this initiative. INDIA is not a part of the BRI project.
• There is a growing concern that China is using the BRI as a tool to influence poorer countries. China is being blamed for pushing forward financially unviable infrastructural projects which could push the countries into a debt trap.
• There are also concerns that China’s contractual terms ignore abuses of human, labour and environmental rights while also being a major cause of corruption in the recipient countries.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

5. KYHYTYSUKA SACHICARUM: NEW MARINE REPTILE

THE CONTEXT: An international team of researchers has discovered a new marine reptile. The specimen, a metre-long skull, has been named Kyhytysuka sachicarum.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A new 130-million-year-old swordfish-shaped marine reptile fossil sheds light on the evolution of hypercarnivory of these last-surviving ichthyosaurs.
• It is an extinct species. It was discovered from fossils found in central Columbia. Earlier scientists believed that it belonged to Platypterygius genus. Recently, it was discovered that it is a different species. And thus it is now named as Kyhytysuka sachicarum.

Kyhytysuka sachicarum honours Muisca tribal

• Kyhytysuka means “the one that cuts with something sharp”. The word belongs to the indigenous language of central Columbia.
• The new species has been named Kyhytysuka sachicarum to honour the Muisca culture of central Columbia. The Muisca are also called Chibcha. They were conquered by the Spanish in 1537. They were mainly agrarians. They also extracted salt from the sea.

Features of Kyhytysuka

• It was a mid–sized ophthalmosaurian. The Ophthalmosaurus belonged to the Jurassic period.
• It had extremely large sized eyes, dolphin – shaped body.
• The jaws had many robust teeth.
• It had several adaptations.
• It was a macro predatory vertebrate hunter, which means, it hunted larger vertebrates. Vertebrates are organisms with a backbone. Organisms without a backbone are called invertebrates.
• The species were mostly found in shallow waters.

Unique Feature: Teeth

• The dentary is the longest bone of the species. It measures 720 mm. The dentition is the most unique feature of the species. The teeth are seated in continuous grooves. The teeth are slightly curved posteriorly. Also, an alternating wave-like pattern is observed.

IMD DATA ON RAINFALL

THE CONTEXT: According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) the country saw 645 events of heavy rainfall and 168 events of very heavy rainfall in November 2021 the highest in the month in five years.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The IMD said India recorded 11 extremely heavy rainfall (more than 204.5 mm) events in November 2021 equalling the number reported last year. The country reported zero, four and one events of extremely heavy rainfall in November in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
• Peninsular India reported most of the extremely heavy to very heavy rainfall events which claimed 44 lives in Andhra Pradesh, 16 in Tamil Nadu, 15 in Karnataka and three in Kerala .
• Peninsular India comprises five meteorological subdivisions — Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikkal; coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam; Rayalaseema; Kerala and Mahe, and South Interior Karnataka.
• The IMD also said the region is most likely to see above-normal rainfall (more than 132% of the long period average) in December.
• Based on the data of the 1961-2010 period, the long period average of rainfall in peninsular India in December is 44.54 mm.
• To put things in perspective, the number of heavy rainfall events this November was more than the total such events in the last four years — 247 in 2020; 116 in 2019; 135 in 2018 and 139 in 2017.

   

What is a Retreating Monsoon?

During the months of October-November, the south-west monsoon winds become weaker and start to retreat from the skies

of North India. This phase of the monsoon is known as the retreating monsoon.

Impact of Retreating Monsoon

The retreating monsoon brings rainfall in an uneven amount to different places across India. Some  places receive heavy rainfall and places that witness scanty rainfall.

Areas of Heavy rainfall

• The western part of Western Ghats (200-400cm)
• North-eastern India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, etc)

Areas of low rainfall

• Karnataka
• Gujarat
• Maharashtra

‘1,160 ELEPHANTS KILLED IN A DECADE’

THE CONTEXT: According to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), a whopping 1,160 elephants were killed in the country for reasons other than natural causes in the 10 years up to December 31, 2020.

THE EXPLANATION:

• While electrocution claimed the lives of 741 elephants, train hits led to the death of 186 pachyderms, followed by poaching (169) and poisoning (64).
• Karnataka and Odisha lost 133 elephants each to electrocution during the period and Assam reported 129 deaths. Among elephant casualties due to train hits, Assam stood first with 62 deaths, followed by West Bengal at 57. A total of 169 elephants were killed by poachers in the 10 years and Odisha reported the highest of 49, followed by Kerala 23. Assam reported the highest number of elephants poisoned, 32, and Odisha stood second with 15.
• According to the Ministry, India had a total of 29,964 wild elephants as per an estimate done in 2017. The southern region comprising Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra accounted for the highest population — 14,612 elephants.
• A Permanent Coordination Committee has been constituted between the Ministry of Railways and the MoEFCC for preventing elephant deaths due to train hits.

Value Addition:

Elephants

• There are three subspecies of Asian elephants – the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan. The Indian has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent.
• IUCN Red List of threatened species status- African elephants are listed as “vulnerable” and Asian elephants as “endangered”.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) status- Appendix I. Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.

Conservation Efforts

• Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• Establishment of elephant reserves and adoption of the “World Elephant Day” (August 12) to help conserve and protect elephants in India and improve their welfare.
• ‘Gaj Yatra’ is a nationwide awareness campaign to celebrate elephants and highlight the necessity of securing elephant corridors.
• The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), had come out with a publication on the right of passage in 101 elephant corridors of the country in 2017, stressed on the need for greater surveillance and protection of elephant corridors.
• The Monitoring the Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme launched in 2003 is an international collaboration that tracks trends in information related to the illegal killing of elephants from across Africa and Asia, to monitor the effectiveness of field conservation efforts.

 THE BUTTERFLY SPECIES RECORD INCREASE

THE CONTEXT: The butterfly survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest Department and the Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS).

THE EXPLANATION:

• A butterfly survey at the Peechi-Vazhani wildlife division has recorded a remarkable increase in the species’ numbers. Southern Birdwing, the largest butterfly in India, and Grass Jewel, the smallest, were found during the survey. Buddha Peacock, the State butterfly of Kerala, was also recorded. Of the 326 found in Kerala, 156 species were recorded in the 242-sq. km. division.
• Peechi-Vazhany Wildlife sanctuary had 132 species of butterflies, Chimmony had 116 species, while Chulannur recorded 41 species. The survey noted 80 species, almost double, to the older record of Peechi-Vazhany, 33 to Chimmony, and 41 species to Chulannur.
• “The survey marks the beginning of a series of biodiversity assessments to prepare a new management plan for the region. It has a specific section targeting invasive species that are a threat to the indigenous biodiversity”.
• Other notable species are Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Travancore Evening Brown, Malabar Flash, Orange Tailed Awl, Southern Spotted Ace and Common Onyx. The report of Common Tinsel at Chulannur was another highlight. Altitudinal migration of Common Albatross was recorded in Chimmony.
• The division had 23 species of butterflies red-listed by the IUCN. Sixty-three species were protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The survey teams also recorded birds, odonates, reptiles, amphibians, and spiders — 152 bird species were recorded in Peechi-Vazhany, in Chimmony and 77 in Chulannur.

Peechi-Vazhani wildlife Sanctuary

• The sanctuary was established in 1958 consisting of Palappilli- Nelliyampathi forests including the area of Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary and is the second oldest sanctuary in Kerala.
• Kuthiran Tunnel, first road tunnel in Kerala, runs through the Peechi-Vazhani wildlife sanctuary.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/ INITIATIVES IN NEWS

SUPPORT FOR MARGINALIZED INDIVIDUALS FOR LIVELIHOOD & ENTERPRISE (SMILE)

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”, which includes sub-scheme – “Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging”.

THE EXPLANATION:

The scheme covers several comprehensive measures including welfare measures for persons, who are engaged in the act of begging. The focus of the scheme is extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, basic documentation, education, skill development, economic linkages and so on.

About Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood & Enterprise (SMILE)

• Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood & Enterprise (SMILE) which is a new Scheme after merger of existing Schemes for Beggars and Transgenders.
• The budgetary outlay is Rs 70.00 crore.
• Objective: is to cover the welfare measures for both transgender persons and persons who are engaged in the act of begging.
• Focus: On rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counseling, education, skill development etc with the support of State Governments/UTs/Local Urban Bodies, Voluntary Organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and institutions etc.
• It is estimated that an approximate 60,000 poorest persons would be benefited under this scheme for leading a life of dignity.

Comprehensive Rehabilitation Scheme of Beggars

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Highlights:

• It will be a comprehensive scheme for persons engaged in the act of begging.
• The scheme will cover identification, rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development with the support of State Governments, Local Urban Bodies and Voluntary Organizations.
• The scheme will be implemented in the selected cities having large concentrations of Beggar community during the financial year 2020-2021.
• The government is working in a mission mode with complete commitment to ‘Har Ek Kaam, Desh Ke Naam’.

Implementation

• 100% Assistance under the Scheme shall be provided to the States/UTs for its implementation.
• During the year 2019-20, this Ministry has released an amount of Rs. One Crore to National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and Rs. 70.00 Lakh to National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC) for skill development programmes for beggars.

National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation:

• NBCFDC was incorporated 13th January 1992 as a non-profit company under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India to improve and develop the economic activities for the members of Backward Classes who are living below double the poverty line.
• The Corporation can assist loans for their self-employment ventures in sectors like agriculture, transport and service etc.
• NBCFDC also provides Micro Financing through SCAs/ Self Help Groups (SHGs).
• The Corporation can assist a wide range of income generating activities to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures.

PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1. Which one of the following effects of the creation of black money in India has been the main cause of worry to the Government of India?

a) Diversion of resources to the purchase of real estate and investment in luxury housing.

b) Investment in unproductive activities and purchase of precious stones, jewellery, gold etc.

c) Large donations to political parties and growth of regionalism.

d) Loss of revenue to the state Exchequer due to tax evasion.

ANSWER FOR DECEMBER 1^ST 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

ANSWER: C

1. Paradise is for him who raises daughters READ MORE
2. Managing Stereotypes READ MORE

1. Oil Palm Plan Should Avoid ‘Catastrophic Mistakes’ of SE Asia: Scientists to PM READ MORE
2. Climate disasters displace more people than conflicts now: World Migration Report 2022 READ MORE

1. Feed the children, raise income security READ MORE

1. CJI’s remarks on a different accountability yardstick for judges is worrying READ MORE
2. The ‘Law’ and ‘Order’ of Indian Parliamentary Democracy READ MORE
3. India Internet Governance Forum: The what and why READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm READ MORE
2. Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission READ MORE
3. Explained: Is nuclear energy good for the climate? READ MORE
4. Explained: Barbados – the world’s newest republic READ MORE
5. South Africa flies 30 white rhinos to Rwanda READ MORE
6. Extreme weather: Over 5 million hectares of crop lost due to rain in 2021 READ MORE
7. Shillong all set to host the famous Cherry Blossom Festival from 25 November READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. CJI’s remarks on a different accountability yardstick for judges is worrying READ MORE
2. The ‘Law’ and ‘Order’ of Indian Parliamentary Democracy READ MORE
3. India Internet Governance Forum: The what and why READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Feed the children, raise income security READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. In border stand-off, a manufactured refugee crisis: This issue concerning the EU, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine subserves aspects of their foreign, domestic agendas READ MORE
2. The centrality of the Arctic in the India-Russia partnership READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Road to recovery: Policy makers must boost demand-supportive measures to ensure recovery sustains READ MORE
2. Cryptos, far from the regulators’ glare READ MORE
3. Here Are the Reforms India’s Farmers Really Need READ MORE
4. Why regulating cryptocurrencies is a big challenge for govt READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Oil Palm Plan Should Avoid ‘Catastrophic Mistakes’ of SE Asia: Scientists to PM READ MORE
2. Climate disasters displace more people than conflicts now: World Migration Report 2022 READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Law for national security: Vital point on rights is sidestepped in the way SC’s Pegasus case is framed READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Paradise is for him who raises daughters READ MORE
2. Managing Stereotypes READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Critically analyse the FCRA Amendment Act, 2020 while enumerating its salient features.
2. Discuss the necessity of FCRA. How far do you agree with the view that the recent amendment curtails the activities of the Third-Sector?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
• Policymakers must boost demand-supportive measures to ensure recovery sustains.
• In a recent speech, CJI stated that the framers of the Constitution made accountability integral to legislature and executive while putting the judiciary on a different pedestal.
• Regulators will have to upskill and increase the manpower equipped to deal with fintech entities so that they are not caught off-guard, once too often.
• At a fundamental level, a stereotype is a thought that is biased. With a stereotypical thought, the least we can do is to ensure that it does not create a negative emotion, worse, lead to any kind of discrimination.
• Public policies to deliver nutritional aid to children have not just to continue but also expand.
• The greatest achievement of the education system would be to remove the fear of memory-based tests so that students start learning and understanding concepts with teachers acting more as mentors than advisors at exam time.
• The Indian higher education system has to step up and distinguish a general business management course from an entrepreneurship course to motivate, train and support budding entrepreneurs.
• India’s agricultural sector needs reforms specific to the country’s particular context and development trajectory which should take a bottom-up, ‘sustainable livelihoods approach.
• Parliament is supreme in the United Kingdom. But in India, the Constitution is the suprema lex that every estate must follow. Being a House for democratic discussions, the debate therein cannot be denied.

50-WORD TALK

• GDP, GST, core sector output, fiscal deficit, unemployment – macro numbers prove economic recovery is underway. But remember, India had a slowdown before Covid. So, celebrations about pre-pandemic levels need tempering. India should also avoid knee-jerk reactions like lockdowns and travel restrictions to Omicron. Faster vaccination and preparedness are what’s needed.

Things to Remember:

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

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

WINTER PARLIAMENT PROCEEDINGS 2021

THE CONTEXT: Over 5 million hectares of agricultural area was affected due to heavy rains during 2021, according to a written reply in the Lok Sabha by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 50.4 lakh hectare area was affected due to cyclonic storms/flash floods/floods/landslides / cloudburst and others as of November 25, 2021, was from a total of 20 states.
• Karnataka was the worst hit, with crop loss on 4 million ha area, followed by Rajasthan (679,000 ha), West Bengal (690,000 ha), Bihar (580,000 ha), Maharashtra (455,000 ha). Other states included Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha among others.
• Rains have wreaked havoc on almost all of these states, which received either ‘large excess’ or ‘excess’ rainfall this year.
• Karnataka, which has the highest area under crop damage, for example, received 102 per cent excess rainfall from October-November, according to data by the Indian Meteorological Department.
• In the absence of any adaptation measures, yields of rainfed and irrigated rice, wheat and Kharif maize are likely to be reduced under projected climate change scenarios.
• The Government under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), is addressing the risk associated with climate change by devising appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies, ensuring food security in the country.
• To support the objectives of NAPCC, 33 states and union territories have already prepared their State Action Plan on Climate Change to address state-specific actions.

National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India launched a flagship network project ‘National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) in 2011.
• The project aims at strategic research on adaptation and mitigation, demonstration of technologies on farmers’ fields and creating awareness among farmers and other stakeholders to minimize the climatic change impacts on agriculture.
• In the strategic research, the main thrust areas covered are (i) identifying the most vulnerable districts/regions, (ii) evolving crop varieties and management practices for adaptation and mitigation, (iii) assessing climate change impacts on livestock, fisheries and poultry and identifying adaptation strategies.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

It was launched in 2008 by the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change.

It aims at creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, scientists, industry and the communities on the threat posed by climate change and the steps to counter it. There are 8 National Missions.

CASTE DISCRIMINATION

THE CONTEXT: A scheduled caste (SC) person faced crime every 10 minutes in India in the past year, cumulating to a total of 50,291 cases registered in 2020, an increase of 9.4% from the previous year, data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Uttar Pradesh constituted 25% of all crimes recorded against SCs and reported 12,714 cases in all. It was followed by Bihar (7,368), Rajasthan (7,017) and Madhya Pradesh (6,899).
• Together, these four states account for two-thirds of all crimes against SCs in India despite accounting for only around 40% of the country’s 197 million scheduled caste people.
• The rate of crimes – which is a measure of crime cases relative to the population of SC — was highest in Rajasthan, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
• In 2020, a total of 1,485 crimes against SCs were registered in India’s 19 metropolitan cities with a population of two million or more – indicating that 97% of the crimes against Dalits occurred in small towns and villages.
• The nature of crimes against SCs in big cities was also different. In the 20 big towns, criminal intimidation and rape were the most common crimes against Dalits. Overall, simple hurt and atrocities cases were the most common.
• The court pendency rate of cases, especially in cases filed under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of) Atrocities Act, continues to below. This also confirms standalone reports of cases of major caste crimes taking years to reach the final stage in courts and the difficulty faced by Dalits in proving crimes against upper-castes.
• The court pendency rate of cases under the SC/ST Act stood at 96.5% in 2020, up from 94% last year. At the end of the year, 177,379 cases were pending trial under the special legislation meant to protect the marginal castes and tribes.
• As per the data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, the total number of cases registered under these Acts for crime/atrocities against the members of SCs and STs in the last two years are as under:-

Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955

In 1976, the Untouchability (Offences ) Act, 1955 has been comprehensively amended and renamed as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 to enlarge the scope and make penal provisions more stringent. The act defines a civil right as any right accruing to a person by reason of the abolition of untouchability by Article 17 of the Constitution.

The Protection of Civil Rights Act (1955) declares the following acts as offences:\

1. preventing any person from entering any place of public worship or from worshipping therein;
2. justifying untouchability on traditional, religious, philosophical or other grounds;
3. denying access to any shop, hotel or places of public entertainment;
4. insulting a person belonging to a scheduled caste on the ground of untouchability;
5. refusing to admit persons in hospitals, educational institutions or hostels established for public benefit;
6. preaching untouchability directly or indirectly;
7. refusing to sell goods or render services to any person.

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989.

It known as the SC/ST Act was enacted to protect the marginalized communities against discrimination and atrocities.

• The Act lists various offences relating to various patterns or behaviours inflicting criminal offences and breaking the self-respect and esteem of the scheduled castes and tribes community, which includes denial of economic, democratic, and social rights, discrimination, exploitation, and abuse of the legal process.
• Under section 18 of the act, the provision for anticipatory bail is not available to the offenders.
• Any public servant, who deliberately neglects his duties under this act, is liable to punishment with imprisonment for up to 6 months.

SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities (Amendment) Act, 2015

Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 was introduced to make the act more stringent with the following provisions:

• It recognized more instances of “atrocities” as crimes against SCs and STs.
• It provided for the establishment of exclusive special courts and special public prosecutors to try offences under the PoA Act.
• Act defined the term ‘wilful negligence’ in the context of public servants at all levels, starting from the registration of the complaint to dereliction of duty under this Act.
• If the accused was acquainted with the victim or his family, the court will presume that the accused was aware of the caste or tribal identity of the victim unless proved otherwise.

2018 SC judgment

Supreme Court in its Kashinath Mahajan judgment, introduced the following safeguards to the accused under SC/ST act.

Key guidelines

• The bar on anticipatory bail under the Act need not prevent courts from granting advance bail if there is no merit in a complaint
• “Preliminary enquiry” to be conducted in all cases before registration of FIRs.
• The person can be arrested by an investigating officer, only if the “appointing authority” (in the case of a public servant) or the SP (in the case of others) approves such arrest.

2018 amendment to the Act

In 2018, in response to this dilution of the act and public uproar against it, Parliament introduced Section 18A to overturn safeguards introduced by the Supreme Court.

• The preliminary inquiry shall not be required for registration of a First Information Report against any person.
• No approval is required before the arrest of the accused under this act.
• It rules out any provision (Section 438 of the CrPC that deals with anticipatory bail) for anticipatory bail for the accused.

E-GOVERNANCE OF PANCHAYATS

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Panchayat, Currently, 2,58,694 Panchayati Raj Institutions have prepared Panchayat Development Plans for Financial Year 2021-22 and 2,75,252 Panchayati Raj Institutions have adopted eGramSwaraj for the purpose of accounting. Further, 2,53,523Panchayati Raj Institutions have on boarded eGramSwaraj-PFMS Interface for carrying out online transactions.

THE EXPLANATION:

• No direct financial assistance is provided to States / UTs for the implementation of e-governance in the Panchayats under the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project.
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has been providing programmatic support for the strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and capacity building of Elected Representatives and functionaries of PRIs to improve their functioning and effectiveness and make them self-reliant.

• 

  Panchayat being a State subject, providing basic infrastructure facilities including computers, electric power supply etc. is primarily the responsibility of concerned State Government / UT Administration for the proper working of e-governance of panchayats.

About Panchayati Raj Institutions:

• Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) is a system of rural local self-government in India.

  Local Self Government is the management of local affairs by such local bodies who have been elected by the local people.PRI was constitutionalized through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 to build democracy at the grassroots level and was entrusted with the task of rural development in the country.

• In its present form and structure, PRI has completed 28 years of existence. However, a lot remains to be done in order to further decentralization and strengthen democracy at the grass-root level.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

SOUTH AFRICA’S WHITE RHINOS’ TRANSLOCATION

THE CONTEXT: South Africa flies 30 white rhinos to Rwanda, this was the largest single transfer of white rhinos ever undertaken. The species is threatened by illegal poaching.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The animals traveled 3,400 kilometers from South Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve to Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda.
• They embarked on this 40-hour journey after months of preparation, said charity African Parks, which was involved in the operation.

Why were the rhinos transferred?

• It was part of a program to replenish the white rhino population, decimated by poaching since the 1970s.
• Also reintroduced to the Akagera National Park were lions and black rhinos, species which went extinct in the area due to poaching and destruction of habitat in the 1980s and 90s.
• The park also hosts African elephants, African buffalo, Masai giraffes and more than 490 species of birds.

Why is the white rhino threatened?

• The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies of white rhino, is considered “almost endangered” by the International Union for Conversation of Nature (IUCN).
• According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are currently 20,000 southern white rhinos in the world. White rhino populations decreased by 12% between 2012 and 2017.
• The other subspecies, the northern white rhino, is on the brink of extinction, with only two females remaining. Scientists are trying to save the species by harvesting eggs from one of the two surviving females and sperm from two deceased males to create embryos in an unprecedented breeding program.
• The main threat to these animals is illegal poaching. In South Africa, 1000 rhinos were killed between 2013 and 2017 due to high demand for their horns in certain Asian countries, mainly China and Vietnam.

SIMILAR CASE IN INDIA

• In April 2021 the ambitious Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) came with the release of two rhinos — an adult male and a female — in Assam’s Manas National Park transported from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary about 185 km to the east.
• Seven protected areas under IRV 2020 are Kaziranga, Pobitora, Orang National Park, Manas National Park, Laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Burachapori wildlife sanctuary and Dibru Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary.

About Great One-Horned Rhino

• It is found only in India. Also known as the Indian rhino, it is the largest of the rhino species.
• It is identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds.

Protection Status:

Greater One-Horned Rhino is one among the five different species of Rhino.

The other four are:

• Black Rhino: Smaller of the two African species.
• White Rhino: Recently, researchers have created an embryo of the northern white rhino by using In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) process.
• Javan Rhino: Critically endangered in IUCN Red List.
• Sumatran Rhino: Recently gone extinct in Malaysia.
• All three are listed under Appendix I (CITES).
• Greater one-horned rhino is Vulnerable and it is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

CLIMATE-FRIENDLY WAY TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY

THE CONTEXT:  According to the study published earlier this month by the Global Carbon Project (GCP), CO2 emissions are set to soar 4.9% in 2021, compared with the previous year.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Supporters of the controversial energy source say it’s a climate-friendly way to generate electricity. At the very least, it’s something we could use until we’re able to develop comprehensive alternatives.
• In 2020, emissions dropped 5.4% due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. Most observers expected a rebound this year — but not to such an extent. The energy sector continues to be the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with a share of 40% — and rising.

Is nuclear power a zero-emissions energy source?

• Nuclear energy is also responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, no energy source is completely free of emissions, but more on that later.
• When it comes to nuclear, uranium extraction, transport and processing produce emissions. The long and complex construction process of nuclear power plants also releases CO2, as does the demolition of decommissioned sites.
• Nuclear waste also has to be transported and stored under strict conditions — here, too, emissions must be taken into account.

How much CO2 does nuclear power produce?

• Results vary significantly, depending on whether we only consider the process of electricity generation, or take into account the entire life cycle of a nuclear power plant.
• A report released in 2014 by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for example, estimated a range of 3.7 to 110 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
• It’s long been assumed that nuclear plants generate an average of 66 grams of CO2/kWh — though scientist believes the actual figure is much higher. New power plants, for example, generate more CO2 during construction than those built-in previous decades, due to stricter safety regulations.

How climate-friendly is nuclear compared to other energies?

• If the entire life cycle of a nuclear plant is included in the calculation, nuclear energy certainly comes out ahead of fossil fuels like coal or natural gas. But the picture is drastically different when compared with renewable energy.
• According to the state-run German Environment Agency (UBA) as well as the WISE figures, nuclear power releases 3.5 times more CO2 per kilowatt-hour than photovoltaic solar panel systems. Compared with onshore wind power, that figure jumps to 13 times more CO2. When up against electricity from hydropower installations, nuclear generates 29 times more carbon.

THE INDIAN ECONOMY

WINTER PARLIAMENT PROCEEDINGS 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is developing Bhavanapadu, Machilipatnam and Ramayapatnam as Non-Major Port on a landlord basis.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It is intended to give a further boost to the maritime trade being largely done now by the State’s only major port at Visakhapatnam and the thriving private ports at Krishnapatnam (Nellore), Gangavaram (Visakhapatnam) and Kakinada (East Godavari).
• According to the sources, the Krishnapatnam, Ganagavaram and Kakinada ports together are handling over 100 million tonnes (mt) of cargo every year on an average.
• The Krishnapatnam port alone is handling 55 MT and it is followed by the Gangavaram port which accounts for about 35 MT.
• The Kakinada deepwater port is handling approximately 15 MT a year, up from a maximum of 4 MT two decades ago.
• The government recently got three additional berths constructed at the Kakinada port at a cost of ₹300 crore taking their total number to nine.
• The public sector port at Visakhapatnam is handling about 65 MT every year.
• Tenders are under preparation for the Bhavanapadu and Machilipatnam ports.

Ports in India are classified as Major and Minor Ports according to the jurisdiction of the Central and State government as defined under the Indian Ports Act, 1908 i.e., Major Ports are owned and managed by the Central Government and Minor ports are owned and managed by the State Governments.

Visakhapatnam Port is one of 13 major ports in India and the only major port of Andhra Pradesh. It is India’s third-largest state-owned port by volume of cargo handled and largest on the Eastern Coast.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/ INITIATIVES IN NEWS

THE PRADHAN MANTRIAYUSHMAN BHARAT HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE MISSION

THE CONTEXT: In the Budget speech of FY 21-22, ‘Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana’ (PMASBY) scheme which has now been renamed PM – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was announced on 1st February 2021. This scheme is in addition to the National Health Mission.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The measures under the scheme focus on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary and on preparing health systems in responding effectively to the current and future pandemics/disasters.

What is the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission?

• It is the largest pan-India scheme since 2005 for the creation and improvement of long-term public healthcare infrastructure. It is meant to be implemented in each district of the country. The government will spend Rs 64,180 crore on the scheme from the financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26.

What is the first component of the mission?

• The first component is to establish comprehensive surveillance of infectious diseases.

At the district level, Integrated Public Health laboratories in all 730 districts will be set up. At the state level, five regional branches and 20 metropolitan units of the National Centre for Disease Control. And at the national level, an Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) will be established.

What is the second component of the mission?

• The second component is the creation of comprehensive diagnostics and treatment facilities. At the district level, 17,788 new rural health and wellness centres will be set up; 11,024 new urban health and wellness centres will be set up; critical care hospital blocks will be established in each of 602 districts, with a population of more than 5 lakh.
• At the state level, 15 health emergency operation centres will be set up. At the national level, two container-based mobile hospitals will be set up; and critical care hospital blocks in 12 Government of India hospitals will be set up — which will also act as mentor institutions for training and capacity building.

What is the third component of the mission?

• The third component of the mission will be comprehensive pandemic research. At the district level, strengthening of existing 80 viral diagnostics and research labs will be undertaken. At the state level, 15 new bio-safety level III laboratories will be operationalised.
• At the national level, four new regional national institutes for virology will be operationalized and a regional research platform (digital) for WHO southeast Asia Region will also be set up.

National Health Mission: 

• The National Health Mission is envisaged to establish a fully functional, community-owned, decentralized health delivery system with inter-sectoral convergence at all levels.
• NHM aims to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care mainly focusing on primary and secondary care.
• However, PM-ABHIM is the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country which focuses on primary, secondary and tertiary care services.
• The major aim of PM-ABHIM is to establish a health system that is responding effectively to future pandemics/disasters.

THE MISCELLANEOUS

BARBADOS – THE WORLD’S NEWEST REPUBLIC

THE CONTEXT: Nearly 400 years after the country became a British colony, Barbados has become the world’s newest republic. The Caribbean Island nation removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head of the state in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles.

Who took over as the new head of Barbados?

Dame Sandra Prunella Mason, who was selected to become the first president of Barbados last month, took over as the President of the country.

History of Barbados as a British colony and after

Barbados, which is said to have been made a ‘slave society by the British, first became an English colony when a ship arrived at the Caribbean in 1625. On November 30, 1966, Barbados gained its independence. Barbados, however, will continue to be one of the 54 Commonwealth nations.

For how long has Barbados been preparing to become a Republic?

• While the decision to become a Republic is as recent as last year for Barbados, the island has been thinking about the move for decades. In 1979, the Cox Commission to attest to the feasibility of the republican system in Barbados was set up. The commission, however, had concluded that the public wished to remain under the system of constitutional monarchy.
• In 1998, a constitutional committee had recommended that the country adopt the republican status and end the monarchy. In 2003, Barbados changed its final court of appeal from the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. Consider the following statements:

1. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is appointed by the Central Government.
2. Certain provisions in the Constitution of India give the central Government the right to issue directions to the RBI in the public interest.
3. The Governor of the RBI draws his power from the RBI Act.

Which of the above statements are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR NOVEMBER 30^th 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Answer: A

Explanation:

Blue carbon

• Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.
• Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognised for their role in mitigating climate change.
• These ecosystems also provide essential benefits for climate change adaptation, including coastal protection and food security for many coastal communities.
• However, if the ecosystems are degraded or damaged, their carbon sink capacity is lost or adversely affected, and the carbon stored is released, resulting in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that contribute to climate change.
• Dedicated conservation efforts can ensure that coastal ecosystems continue to play their role as long-term carbon sinks.

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