THE HEALTH ISSUES

RAMSAY HUNT SYNDROME

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the famous Canadian singer has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which is causing him partial facial paralysis. 

THE EXPLANATION:

• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, or herpes zoster oticus, is a rare neurological disorder which usually leads to paralysis of the facial nerve and a rash that generally affects the ear or mouth. It sometimes causes ear ringing, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
• The condition is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults — the varicella-zoster virus. It generally occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near your ear. Most commonly known to leave a painful shingles rash, the syndrome can also cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in more serious cases.

SYMPTOMS:

• The most common symptoms are a red, rainfall rash around the ear, facial weakness and paralysis.
• Ear pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, dry mouth and eyes, and difficulty closing one eye are also common symptoms of the condition. And it is not contagious.

THIS WORD MEANS: AMYLOIDOSIS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Pakistan’s former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf is hospitalised in the UAE after his health deteriorated due to a complication of his ailment (Amyloidosis).

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Amyloidosis?

• Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in one’s organs, affecting their shape and functioning. Amyloid deposits can build up in the heart, brain, kidneys, spleen and other parts of the body, leading to life-threatening conditions like organ failure.
• Amyloid isn’t normally found in the body but can be formed from several different types of proteins. Some varieties of amyloidosis occur in association with other diseases. These types may improve with the treatment of the underlying disease. Some varieties of amyloidosis may lead to life-threatening organ failure.
• Amyloidosis may be secondary to a different health condition or can develop as a primary condition as well. Sometimes, it is due to a mutation in a gene, but usually, the cause of amyloidosis remains unknown.

What is the cause of the disease?

• Many different proteins can lead to amyloid deposits, but only a few lead to major health problems. The type of protein and where it collects tell the type of amyloidosis one has. Amyloid deposits may collect throughout one’s body or in just one area.
• Moreover, while some varieties are hereditary, others are caused by outside factors, such as inflammatory diseases or long-term dialysis.

There are also different amyloidosis that is prevalent:

• Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is the most common type in developed countries which can affect the kidneys, spleen, heart, and other organs. People with conditions such as multiple myeloma or bone marrow illness are more likely to have AL amyloidosis.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

THIS WORD MEANS: CHELONOIDIS PHANTASTICUS

THE CONTEXT: A giant tortoise, found alive in 2019, has been confirmed to belong a Galápagos species long believed extinct.

THE EXPLANATION:

·         Named Fernanda after her Fernandina Island home, the tortoise is the first of her species, Chelonoidis phantasticus, to be identified in more than a century. Researchers have reported the confirmation in a paper in Nature Communications Biology.

·         Chelonoidis phantasticus means “fantastic giant tortoise”. Commonly called the Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise, the species was so far known only from a single individual, collected in 1906.

·         To determine Fernanda’s species definitively, scientists sequenced her complete genome and compared it to the genome scientist were able to recover from the specimen collected in 1906. They also compared those two genomes to samples from the other 13 species of Galápagos tortoises — 12 living, one extinct.

CLASH OVER ‘GREEN GOLD’

THE CONTEXT: Tribal residents of 50 villages in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon and Kanker districts have decided to file an FIR against an official of the state forest department after he confiscated the tendu leaves that they had collected.

THE EXPLANATION:

ABOUT TENDU:

The tendu tree (Diospyros melanoxylon) is found widely across central India. Leaves plucked from its shrubs are used to wrap bidi, the poor man’s cigarette. About 550 billion pieces of bidi (rolled by 10 million people) are sold every year in India, according to the All India Bidi Industry Federation. Moreover, gathering tendu is labour-intensive and employs millions of tribals during the lean month of May, when they have very little else to earn from.

Why is there a dispute?

• Tendu is also called ‘green gold’ and is a prominent non-timber minor forest produced in In 1964, the trade-in tendu leaves were nationalised in then-undivided Madhya Pradesh. Until then, people were free to sell tendu leaves in markets across the country.
• Under this arrangement, the state forest department collects tendu leaves, allows their transportation and sells them to traders.
• In Chhattisgarh, tendu leaf is collected through the state minor forest produce federation. There are more than 10,300 collection centres or phads where tendu leaves are collected from collectors. About 1.37 million families collect tendu leaves every year in Chhattisgarh.

THE COVID CORNER

INDIA’S FIRST COVID-19 VACCINE FOR ANIMALS

THE CONTEXT: The Agriculture Ministry unveiled India’s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals. Developed by the Hisar-based National Research Centre on Equines, the vaccine, called Ancovax, can protect animals against the Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.

THE EXPLANATION:

HOW IT WORKS:

• Ancovax can be used in dogs, lions, leopards, mice, and rabbits. It is an inactivated vaccine developed using an infectious part of the Delta variant. In addition, it uses Alhydrogel as an adjuvant to boost the immune response.
• This is the first Covid-19 vaccine for animals developed in India. There were reports from Russia in 2021 that that country, too, had developed a vaccine against animals such as dogs, cats, minks, and foxes.

THE NEED:

• There have been reports of Covid-19 infection in several animals, including dogs and cats. “The vaccine can protect animals in the zoo. It can also prevent transmission from companion animals to the humans”.
• The risk of animals spreading the infection to humans is considered low, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The aim of the vaccine is to protect endangered animals such as lions and tigers. India reported at least nine Covid infections in Asiatic lions in Chennai zoo in 2021, with one of the lionesses likely to have died of it. This prompted the closure of tiger reserves for tourism. Other than that, a study by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute found at least three natural Covid infections in wild Asiatic lions, and a dead leopard cub was found dead and then tested positive for Covid-19.

THE PLACES IN THE NEWS

VALE DO JAVARI (BRAZIL-PERU BORDER)

THE CONTEXT: British journalist Dom Phillips and a Brazilian indigenous affairs expert, Bruno Araujo Pereira, recently

 went missing in a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest. The duo were last seen in Vale do Javari — the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari River, which forms the country’s border with Peru.

THE EXPLANATION:

•  It is the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari River.
•  It is home to the greatest concentration of isolated groups in the world with 14 indigenous tribes having nearly 6,000 inhabitants.
• Hotspot for violent crimes: Illegal gold prospecting & poaching, forms part of an international cocaine trafficking route.
• Subjected to environmental degradation which affects the inhabitants who depend on nature. Outside contact also puts these tribes at a grave health risk.

THE UPSC ESSENTIALS

ONE WORD A DAY- GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL

What is Gulf Cooperation Council?

• The GCC was formed in 1981 by an agreement among Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), that was concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• It is an economic and political union comprising all the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf except Iraq.
  • Although its current official name is the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, it is still popularly and unofficially known as the Gulf Cooperation Council.
  • The grouping was formed in view of the similar political establishments in the countries based on Islamic principles, their geographical proximity, joint destiny and common objectives.

Which countries are the GCC Members? (QUBOKS) 

The six members of the GCC are Saudi Arabia (absolute monarchy), Qatar (constitutional monarchy), Oman (absolute monarchy), UAE (federal monarchy), Bahrain, and Kuwait (constitutional monarchies).

Which are the possible future members of GCC?

The possible future members of GCC maybe Yemen, Jordan, and Morocco.

What is one of the ambitious projects of GCC?

The GCC aims of having a common market and economic nationality. There are also plans to have a single currency. Such a currency may be known as Khaleeji.

                    THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 11TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Which of the following is/are possible impacts of rupee depreciation?

1. Costly imports
2. Cheap foreign travel
3. Costly exports
4. Costly loans

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 and 4 only

d) 1 and 4 only

ANSWER FOR 10^TH JUNE 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

Five species of Rhino in the world:

1. Sumatran Rhino: The Sumatran rhino has been on earth longer than any other living mammal. IUCN status- Critically endangered.
2. Javan Rhino: The Javan rhino is possibly the rarest large mammal on earth. IUCN status- Critically endangered.
3. Black Rhino: Black rhinos are the smaller of the two African species.
4. Greater one-horned Rhino: Greater one-horned rhinos are semi-aquatic and often take up residence in swamps, forests and riversides. IUCN status- Vulnerable
5. White Rhino: The White rhino is also known as the Square-lipped rhino. There are two subspecies of White rhino:

• Southern: Ceratotherium simum simum approximately between 19,666 and 21,085 individuals exist. The Southern white rhino can be found mostly in South Africa, with smaller translocated populations found in Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
• Northern: Ceratotherium simum cottoni (only two animals remain). The Northern White Rhino is critically endangered. The sub-species was declared extinct in the wild in 2008, and there are only two individuals remaining in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

EXPLAINED: WHEN CAN A RAJYA SABHA VOTE BE REJECTED?

THE CONTEXT: Recently elections for 57 Rajya Sabha seats across 15 states are being held. With as many as 41 candidates having already been declared elected unopposed, the contest is on for 16 seats in four states — Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected through single transferable votes via an open ballot. Members of a state’s Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in what is called proportional representation with the single transferable vote (STV) system. Each MLA’s vote is counted only once.
• The commission turned to Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives the panel unprecedented powers to hold free-and-fair polls in situations not covered by the Representation of People’s Act, the law governing the election process in India.

How can votes be rejected in an open ballot system?

• Open ballot voting applies in elections to Council of States only. Every political party which has MLAs can appoint an authorised agent to verify whom its members have voted for.
• In 2016, Randeep Surjewala’s vote was rejected after he showed it to another MLA instead of his party’s authorised agent. Surjewala was an MLA in the 2016 Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana.

Can an authorised agent represent two parties simultaneously?

The spirit behind Rule 39AA of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 is that MLAs belonging to a political party shall show their ballot papers (after marking their vote) to the authorised agent of that party only and not to the authorised agent of other parties. As such, the same person cannot be appointed as the authorised agent of more than one party.

Can votes be rejected if a ballot paper is marked with another pen?

On the ballot paper, an MLA has to mark his or her choice of candidates by ranking them and they also have to use a special pen provided by the EC. If they use any other pen, or if their ballot papers remain incomplete, the vote would be regarded as invalid.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

RHINO REINTRODUCTION A HIT IN ASSAM RESERVE

THE CONTEXT: According to the 14th Assam rhino estimation census, the one-horned rhinos of western Assam’s Manas National Park, bordering Bhutan, are expected to have a high life expectancy and significant growth in population.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Manas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tiger reserve, had about 100 resident rhinos prior to 1990, but a prolonged ethnopolitical conflict thereafter took a heavy toll with extremist groups known to have traded the horns of the herbivores for weapons.
• A rhino reintroduction programme under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was started in 2006. This entailed the translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary besides orphans hand-reared at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Kaziranga.

VALUE ADDITION:

INDIAN RHINO VISION 2020 (IRV 2020)

• Launched in 2005.
• The initiative is led by the Forest Department, Government of Assam, in partnership with WWF India, the International Rhino Foundation.
• The goal of IRV2020 was to increase the rhino population in Assam to 3,000by, establishing populations in new areas.
• Rhinos are now found in four Protected Areas in Assam: Pabitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park.

ONE-HORNED RHINOS:

• Only the Great One-Horned Rhino is found 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 grey-brown hide with skin folds.
• They primarily graze, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
• Conservation status:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
• CITES Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.

The Greater One-Horned Rhino is one among the five different species of Rhino. The other four are:

1. Black Rhino: Smaller of the two African species. (IUCN: Critically Endangered)
2. White Rhino: Recently, researchers have created an embryo of the northern white Rhino by using In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) process. (ICUN: Near Threatened)
3. Javan Rhino: Critically endangered in IUCN Red List.
4. Sumatran Rhino: Recently gone extinct in Malaysia, but Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List.

70 ELEPHANTS DIED IN KARNATAKA IN 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to the forest officials, Karnataka, which harbours around 6,000 elephants in the wild as per the 2017 census, has lost 70 of them due to various reasons in 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• 15 were attributed to unnatural causes, including 10 due to electrocution. One elephant was killed in a train accident, another was shot, and one elephant died due to injuries caused by snares while the cause of death was not ascertained in one case. The remaining were classified as death due to natural causes.
• While the deaths due to natural causes are not reckoned to be worrying given the elephant population range in the State, the deaths due to electrocution alone underline the prevailing human-elephant conflict in the State.
• According to the officials, as far as 15 unnatural deaths are concerned 10 are due to electrocution, and even here one cannot infer that the elephants were targeted because the illegally powered fences installed by the farmers were meant to prevent wild boars though elephants do die in the process. But very few were intended to kill elephants.

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 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 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

EXPLAINED: TESTOSTERONE DEFICIENCY AND THE SAFETY OF REPLACEMENT THERAPY

THE CONTEXT: According to the new study in Lancet, Health Longevity looks at the short- to medium-term safety of testosterone treatment. Analysis of data from more than 3,400 patients with hypogonadism from 17 clinical trials found little evidence that testosterone treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke, in the short to medium term.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Hypogonadism is a condition caused by the deficiency of the male sex hormone, testosterone.
• Testosterone replacement therapy is the standard treatment for hypogonadism, which can cause sexual dysfunction, weakening of bones and muscles, and reduced quality of life. Risk factors include ageing (as testosterone levels decline with age), obesity and diabetes.
• Despite being widely used, the cardiovascular safety of testosterone treatment had so far remained unclear due to inconsistent findings. Most previous clinical studies relied on aggregate data, rather than individual participant data and have not published details of individual adverse events.
• According to the scientist, prescribing of testosterone for hypogonadism is increasing globally, but conflicting messages about its safety may have led to many patients not receiving the treatment. Ongoing studies should help to determine the longer-term safety of testosterone but, in the meantime, our results provide much-needed reassurance about its short-to-medium-term safety.

THE MISCELLANEOUS

IISC, BENGALURU TOP INDIAN UNIVERSITY

THE CONTEXT: According to the QS World University Rankings, 2023, The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc) is the new national leader in the which also shows that all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) improved their standing.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The latest edition of QS World University Rankings features 41 Indian universities, of which 12 improved their positions, 12 remained stable, 10 declined and seven are new entries.
• The IISc ranks 155th globally and is the global leader in the citations per faculty (CpF) indicator, which QS uses to evaluate the impact of the research produced by universities. It is the fastest-rising South Asian university among the top-200 universities in the QS rankings, having climbed 31 places year on year.
• The IIT Bombay, which was the top Indian university in the QS World University Rankings of the previous edition, is the second-best Indian institution this time and climbed five places globally to reach the 172 ranks.
• The third best Indian university is the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD), followed by IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur.
• The IISc is the world’s top research university, achieving a perfect score of 100/100 for CpF.
• The IIT in Guwahati and Roorkee and the University of Madras are also among the global top-50 research institutions. However, Indian universities struggle with teaching capacity and internationalisation. Thirty of India’s 41 ranked universities have suffered declines in the faculty-student ratio indicator with only four recording improvements.
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is the best-performing local institution for the proportion of international faculty ranking 411 globally and the Amity University is the national leader for the proportion of international students, ranking 542 globally.

                    THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 10TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Which of the following are critically endangered species of Rhino according to the IUCN Red Data Book?

1. Greater one-horned rhino
2. Sumatran Rhino
3. Javan Rhino

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 2 and 3 only
3. c) 1 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 9^TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Answer: D

Explanation:

• During each cropping season, the government announces minimum support prices for 23 crops. Simply put, the MSP for a crop is the price at which the government is supposed to procure/buy that crop from farmers if the market price falls below it.
• As such, MSPs provide a floor for market prices and ensure that farmers receive a certain “minimum” remuneration so that their costs of cultivation (and some profit) can be recovered.
• The MSPs serve one more policy purpose. Using them, the government incentivises the production of certain crops, thus ensuring that India does not run out of staple food grains.
• The MSPs are announced by the Union government and as such, it is the government’s decision. But the government largely bases its decision on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• MSPs have no statutory backing — a farmer cannot demand MSP as a matter of right

Q2. Answer: D

Explanation:

Crops covered by MSPs include:

1. 7 types of cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley),
2. 5 types of pulses (chana, arhar/tur, urad, moong and masur),
3. 7 oilseeds (rapeseed-mustard, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, safflower, nigerseed),
4. 4 commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw jute)

1. Warmer subsurface waters in Bay of Bengal likely fuelled Amphan super cyclone: Study READ MORE
2. Diversify crops, shift rice to places that can support it: Central panel READ MORE
3. Coal use to be banned in NCR, what impact could this have? READ MORE
4. How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild READ MORE
5. 50 Years of UN Environmental Diplomacy: Remembering the Stockholm Conference READ MORE

1. Messy battle: On the ongoing tug of war over Delhi’s status READ MORE
2. Is the ban on wheat exports good policy? READ MORE
3. Is marrying victim or member of victim’s family the way out of jail time? READ MORE
4. When can a Rajya Sabha vote be rejected? READ MORE
5. The Inefficiencies of India’s Justice System READ MORE

1. Hasdeo Aranya: Chhattisgarh government puts three mining projects on hold ‘indefinitely’ READ MORE
2. Invest more in India’s extremely young READ MORE

1. End misunderstandings through sound arguments READ MORE
2. Own the Best Umbrella READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Nirmala Sitharaman launches EASE 5.0 ‘Common reforms agenda’ for PSBs READ MORE
2. Fast radio burst READ MORE
3. How the President is elected READ MORE
4. The Weird Case of What Could’ve Been Our First Public-Sector Bt Cotton Variety READ MORE
5. India’s FDI rank rises to 7th position despite falling inflows: UNCTAD  READ MORE

GS 1

1. Diversify crops, shift rice to places that can support it: Central panel READ MORE
2. In India’s Unequal Research System, Frugal Labs Are Bittersweet Gems READ MORE
3. Warmer subsurface waters in Bay of Bengal likely fuelled Amphan super cyclone: Study READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Messy battle: On the ongoing tug of war over Delhi’s status READ MORE
2. Is the ban on wheat exports good policy? READ MORE
3. Is marrying victim or member of victim’s family the way out of jail time? READ MORE
4. When can a Rajya Sabha vote be rejected? READ MORE
5. The Inefficiencies of India’s Justice System READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Hasdeo Aranya: Chhattisgarh government puts three mining projects on hold ‘indefinitely’ READ MORE
2. Invest more in India’s extremely young READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. An enduring agreement bridging India-Pakistan ties READ MORE
2. Ties reset: On India-Iran relations READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Avoiding the coal scarcity trap READ MORE
2. GoI, support growth: Monetary policy will tighten even more. Investment, consumption need fiscal help READ MORE
3. The road map for India to sustain decent growth in a slowing world READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Coal use to be banned in NCR, what impact could this have? READ MORE
2. How cheetahs went extinct in India, and the plan to reintroduce them into the wild READ MORE
3. 50 Years of UN Environmental Diplomacy: Remembering the Stockholm Conference READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. The Big Bang Theory READ MORE
2. Wealthy Nations Are Carving up Space and Its Riches, Leaving Others Behind READ MORE
3. Why likely €1 bn French deal is a reminder of India’s failure to build indigenous jet engine READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. End misunderstandings through sound arguments READ MORE
2. Own the Best Umbrella READ MORE

50 WORD TALK

• India’s search for international collaboration to produce engines for next-generation fighter aircraft, as reported is a painful reminder of failure to develop an indigenous one. Technology deficits, personnel shortages, underfunding have undermined efforts to develop cutting-edge technologies. There’s no quick-fix: India must invest more in scientific research ecosystem.

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. How is the President of India elected? Comment on the nature and role of political parties in election of the President in India.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Under EASE 5.0, PSBs will continue to invest in new-age capabilities and deepen the ongoing reforms to respond to evolving customer needs, changing competition and the technology environment. EASE 5.0 will focus on digital customer experience, and integrated & inclusive banking, with emphasis on supporting small businesses and agriculture.
• India must continue to invest in reducing IMR. Improving healthcare delivery, ensuring support for pregnant women through regular check-ups and better diet, and improving neonatal care will go a long way to bring down the numbers.
• A justice system manipulated by the powerful for their personal ends is bound to lead to high costs and inefficiency. First, there is the direct cost of putting in place the broken justice system and administering it. And then there is the cost of manipulating it while trying to carry on the pretense of justice. The system of justice delivery has to function contrary to its stated purpose resulting in additional costs.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Imagination creates reality.
• Literacy is a vital skill that enhances dignity, improves health outcomes, empowers people to access their rights and bolsters opportunities.

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 on maps and 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.

1. Self-Marriage as a means to self-actualisation READ MORE
2. What is Intuition? READ MORE

1. The post-Covid learning challenge READ MORE
2. Climate disasters in Bihar, UP make children more vulnerable to trafficking READ MORE
3. Bihar, Delhi fared worst in Mid – Day meal scheme coverage in 2021-2022 Read More

1. The future of a Uniform Civil Code READ MORE
2. Safe foods: On the need to develop lab infrastructure in States READ MORE
3. Pandering to pressure groups READ MORE
4. The future of Indian secularism READ MORE
5. Ambiguity of legislation means over-reliance on judicial interpretation READ MORE
6. Media must be held accountable for mainstreaming hate speech, divisive nationalism READ MORE
7. Why Russia’s Ukraine invasion has put Nal Se Jal’s 2024 deadline in jeopardy READ MORE
8. EC’s pilot on remote voting for migrants is a big plus for democracy. Aim for 2024 full rollout READ MORE

1. Climate change new research shows alps mountains turning green, white READ MORE
2. This World Oceans Day let’s talk about marine litter READ MORE
3. Three things scientists don’t know about women farmers and climate change but really should READ MORE
4. An 8% national growth agenda: India’s guiding light should be becoming a $10 trillion economy by 2035, with states also setting high goals READ MORE
5. Environment reports don’t do justice to better measure of India’s carbon footprint READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Commission for Air Quality Management orders phase-out of coal in Delhi-NCR by January 1, 2023 READ MORE
2. Government announces hike in MSP for Kharif season READ MORE
3. Independent central banks READ MORE
4. The future of a Uniform Civil Code READ MORE
5. Inflation’s long shadow: On RBI’s actions READ MORE

GS 1

1. Climate change new research shows alps mountains turning green, white READ MORE
2. Archeology Sensation: An Ancient City Reemerges in Iraq Reservoir READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The future of a Uniform Civil Code READ MORE
2. Safe foods: On the need to develop lab infrastructure in States READ MORE
3. Pandering to pressure groups READ MORE
4. The future of Indian secularism READ MORE
5. Ambiguity of legislation means over-reliance on judicial interpretation READ MORE
6. Media must be held accountable for mainstreaming hate speech, divisive nationalism READ MORE
7. Why Russia’s Ukraine invasion has put Nal Se Jal’s 2024 deadline in jeopardy READ MORE
8. EC’s pilot on remote voting for migrants is a big plus for democracy. Aim for 2024 full rollout READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. The post-Covid learning challenge READ MORE
2. Climate disasters in Bihar, UP make children more vulnerable to trafficking READ MORE
3. Bihar, Delhi fared worst in Mid – Day meal scheme coverage in 2021-2022 Read More

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Dealing with the Indo-Pacific is not easy READ MORE
2. The Ukraine war and the global food crisis READ MORE
3. India and Vietnam sign mutual logistics agreement READ MORE
4. How tension with Russia & China is pushing Europe to do more business with India READ MORE
5. India, UAE to cooperate in the field of industries, advanced technologies READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Inflation’s long shadow: On RBI’s actions READ MORE
2. GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code reforms to push growth after ‘clouds recede’, says Chief Economic Advisor READ MORE
3. Need for Fertiliser Policy and Self-reliance with CPSEs READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. This World Oceans Day let’s talk about marine litter READ MORE
2. Three things scientists don’t know about women farmers and climate change but really should READ MORE
3. An 8% national growth agenda: India’s guiding light should be becoming a $10 trillion economy by 2035, with states also setting high goals READ MORE
4. Environment reports don’t do justice to better measure of India’s carbon footprint READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Next-generation Corvettes, and the combat edge Navy seeks through them READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Self-Marriage as a means to self-actualisation READ MORE
2. What is Intuition? READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The independence of central banks from the control of governments has been seen as extremely crucial to achieve economic growth and stability. In the light of above statement analyse the role of Reserve bank of india as an independent decision making body?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Two crucial moves to kick-start the discourse and practice of secularism. First, a shift of focus from a politically led project to a socially-driven movement for justice. Second, a shift of emphasis from inter-religious to intra-religious issues. I invoke the name of two great leaders, B.R. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, to make my point. B.R. Ambedkar dispassionately observed that when two roughly equal communities view each other as enemies, they get trapped in a majority-minority syndrome, a vicious cycle of spiralling political conflict and social alienation. This was true in the 1930s and the 1940s. Today, feeling extremely vulnerable, Indian Muslims appear to have opted out of this syndrome. When this happens, the syndrome implodes. The result is neither open conflict nor harmony, simply an exiled existence for Muslims in their own homeland.
• The Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden – provide free higher education to their people, and overseas students were able to study for free until recently. In Denmark, however, tuition fees were introduced for international students from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, in 2006. Sweden followed suit in 2011. Only Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Germany do not charge international students tuition fees. This ensures that students receive quality education in the streams that they desire rather than pursuing streams that allow them to earn highly so as to repay their student debt.
• There is a strong case for reviving philanthropy and community support for higher education in India. Corporates, generous alumni, and people at large can join in to create strong philanthropic support for higher education and make quality education tuition-free. The government, for its part, should be generous enough to declare such philanthropic donations to the cause of higher education and research tax-free, now that the treasury is full of funds from the ever-growing list of income tax and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) payers.

ESSAY TOPIC

• The future of a Uniform Civil Code 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 on maps and 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.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

TAMIL NADU TOPS FOOD SAFETY INDEX

THE CONTEXT: Tamil Nadu topped the State Food Safety Index, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra. Among the smaller States, Goa stood first, followed by Manipur and Sikkim. Among the Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh secured first, second and third ranks.

THE EXPLANATION:

• This was the fourth State Food Safety Index award, which was started in 2018-19 with the aim of creating a competitive and positive change in India’s food safety ecosystem. States that showed significant improvement were also felicitated.

State Food Safety Index (SFSI)

FSSAI has developed State Food Safety Index to measure the performance of states on various parameters of Food Safety.

This index is based on the performance of State/ UT on five significant parameters set by the Health Ministry, namely

1. Human Resources and Institutional Data
2. Compliance
3. Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance
4. Training & Capacity Building and
5. Consumer Empowerment

The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.

THE NATIONAL AIR SPORTS POLICY

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022). NASP 2022 lays out the vision of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by providing a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Air sports, as the names suggests, encompasses various sports activities involving the medium of air.  These include sports like air-racing, aerobatics, aero modeling, hang gliding, paragliding, para motoring and skydiving etc. India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports.  It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography, and fair-weather conditions.
• It has a large population, especially the youth.  It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. The NASP 2022, is a step in this direction. It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will ensure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services.

The policy will cover the following air sports in India: –

1. Aerobatics
2. Aero modeling and model rocketry
3. Amateur-built and experimental aircraft
4. Ballooning
5. Drones
6. Gliding and powered gliding
7. Hang gliding and powered hang gliding
8. Parachuting (including skydiving, BASE  jumping and wing suits etc.)
9. Paragliding and para motoring (including powered parachute trikes etc.)
10. Powered aircraft (including ultra light, micro light and light sports aircraft etc.)
11. Rotorcraft (including autogyro)

Under the new policy, there will be four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely

• Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body
• National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
• Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
• District-level air sports associations, as appropriate

Key Objectives of NASP 2022:-

1. Promote an air sports culture in the country
2. Enable adoption of international good practices in safety including but not limited to, air sports infrastructure, equipment, operations, maintenance and training
3. Develop a simple, stakeholder-friendly and effective governance structure
4. Enhance participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events; and
5. Promote design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment in India in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

JOINT COUNT OF ELEPHANT AND BIG CATS

THE CONTEXT: The Central government will for the first time this year present a unified count of the tiger, leopard and elephant populations of the country, according to officials in the Union Environment Ministry.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The tiger survey is usually held once in four years and elephants are counted once in five years. According to the most recent 2018-19 survey, there were 2,967 tigers in India. According to the last count in 2017, there were 29,964 elephants in India.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):

• Tiger survey in India is conducted by the NTCA, every four years.
• NTCA is a statutory body, constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It was established in 2005 following the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force.
• Objectives:
• To provide statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
• To Foster accountability of Centre-State in management of Tiger Reserves.
• To address livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Functions:

• To approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the state government.
• To ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area/tiger reserve with another are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses.
• To facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the state for biodiversity conservation.

Chairman: Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Latest Tiger Survey:

• As per the latest Tiger Census conducted in 2018-19, tiger population in India has increased to 2967.
• India accounts for about 70% of the world’s tiger population.

Elephant Census:

• India does have an elephant census but this is largely a headcount of elephants in various elephant habitats conducted by state forest departments.
• The last census was carried out in 2017 and concluded that India has 29,964 elephants.
• According to current population estimates, there are about 50,000-60,000 Asian elephants in the world, with more than 60 per cent of them in India.
• Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
• In 2020, 87 elephants and 359 people died in human-elephant conflicts.

Methods used for conducting census:

• Tigers are counted by deploying camera traps, identifying individuals based on stripes, as well as statistical analysis.
• The “head counting” method which is used for conducting elephant counting, has become obsolete and it frequently leads to double counting.

New method proposed:

• In August 2021, the Union government had made public the new population estimation protocol to be adopted in the all-India elephant and tiger population survey in 2022.
• Under the new method, Elephant numbers would be estimated by States based on DNA analysis of their dung droppings and statistical techniques.

The methodology will involve three phases:

• ground surveys, analyses of remotely sensed data and camera traps.
• Elephant populations using this method will be assessed for first time.
• The procedure is routinely used for estimating tiger and leopard populations in India.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

RBI HIKES REPO RATE BY 50 BASIS POINTS

THE CONTEXT: The Monetary Policy Committee of Reserve Bank of India, which met from 6-8 June 2022, has unanimously decided to hike the Repo Rate by 50 basis points to 4.90 %. Consequently, Standing Deposit Facility Rate stands adjusted to 4.65% and Marginal Standing Facility rate and Bank Rate to 5.15%.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The MPC has observed that the global economy continues to grapple with multi-decadal high inflation and slowing growth, persisting geopolitical tensions and sanctions, elevated prices of crude oil and other commodities and lingering COVID-19 related supply chain bottlenecks.
• Economic indicators for April –May (2022) indicate a broadening of the recovery in economic activity in India. Urban demand is recovering and rural demand is gradually improving. Merchandise exports posted robust double-digit growth for the fifteenth month in a row during May while non-oil non-gold imports continued to expand at a healthy pace, pointing to recovery of domestic demand.

Real GDP growth for 2022-23 is estimated at 7.2%

• According to NSO provisional estimates released on May 31, India’s GDP growth in 2021-22 is estimated at 8.7%, higher than pre-pandemic level.

Measures to benefit Cooperative Banks

• Taking into account the increase in housing prices since the limits were last revised and considering the customer needs, it has been decided to increase the existing limits on individual housing loans by cooperative banks. Accordingly, the limits for Tier I /Tier II UCBs shall stand revised from ₹30 lakh/ ₹70 lakh to ₹60 lakh/ ₹140 lakh, respectively. As regards RCBs, the limits shall increase from ₹20 lakh to ₹50 lakh for RCBs with assessed net worth less than ₹100 crore; and from ₹30 lakh to ₹75 lakh for other RCBs.
• Urban cooperative banks can now extend doorstep banking services to customers Will enable these banks to better meet the needs of their customers, especially senior citizens and differently abled persons-
• Rural cooperative banks can now extend finance to commercial real estate (loans to residential housing projects) within existing aggregate housing finance limit of 5% of total assets

Enhancement of limit on e-mandate transactions

• To further augment customer convenience and facilitate recurring payments like subscriptions, insurance premia and education fees of larger value, limit per transcation for e-mandate based recurring payments increased from ₹5,000 to ₹ 15,000.

Enhancing scope of UPI payment system.

• Now, credit cards too can be linked with UPI platform, beginning with RuPay cards. This will provide additional convenience to users and enhance scope of digital payments.  UPI has become the most inclusive mode of payment in India. Currently, over 26 crore unique users and 5 crore merchants are onboarded on the UPI platform.

Glossary:

What is Monetary policy?

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

Goals of Monetary Policy

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

(a) below 6 percent by January 2016

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

Monetary Policy Committee:

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

Repo rate & Reverse repo rate?

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

Headline inflation:

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

CPI- Inflation:

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

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

Open Market Operations:

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

THE EXCLUSIVE PRELIMS FACTS

ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC COOPERATION

• The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation is the world’s second-largest multilateral body after the UN.
• It was established by the First Islamic Summit Conference held in Morocco in September 1969.
• It was known as the Organisation of Islamic Conference until 2011

Objective: 

• To safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.

Members:

• As of now, 57 members, all of them are Islamic countries or Muslim majority members.
• The Central African Republic, Russia, Thailand, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and the unrecognised Turkish Cypriot “state”, have Observer status.

India & OIC

• India has the world’s second-largest Muslim community, and had been invited to the founding conference at Rabat in 1969, but was humiliatingly ejected at Pakistan’s behest.
• In 2006, as India turned the economic corner and improved ties with the US, Saudi Arabia invited Delhi to join as an observer.
• However, India refrained from joining citing that it did not want to join an organisation founded on religion. Secondly, there was the risk that improving bilateral relations with individual member states would come under pressure in a grouping, especially on issues such as Kashmir.
• The OIC is mainly controlled by Saudi Arabia, but Pakistan, as the only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, has had a large say since its inception.

Changing terms:

• After building close ties with powerful members such as UAE and Saudi Arabia, India has been confident of riding over any statement by the grouping.
• India has consistently underlined that J&K is an “integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India”, and that the OIC has no locus standi on the issue.
• In 2019, India made its maiden appearance at the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting, as a “guest of honour”.
• The OIC includes two of India’s close neighbours, Bangladesh and Maldives. Both countries privately admit they do not want to complicate their bilateral ties with India on Kashmir.

Significance of OIC for India:

• OIC’s growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times.
• Individually, India has good relations with almost all member nations. Ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

THE DATA POINT

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 8THJUNE2022

Q1. India is a member of which of the following groupings?

1. NSG
2. Wassenaar Arrangement
3. Australia Group
4. MTCR

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

              a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 2, 3 and 4 only

d) All of them

ANSWER FOR THE7^THJUNE 2022

Answer: C

Explanation:

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

• It is the second-largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states.
• It was established in September 1969.
• Headquarters- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.(therefore, statement C is incorrect)
• It is the collective voice of the Muslim world.
• India is not member of OIC.
• Indian Foreign minister was invited as a guest of honour at 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Minister in 2019 (the 50^th anniversary of OIC).

1. Reservoir storage declined 7% every month between March, June; can kharif sowing proceed READ MORE
2. What are ‘green jobs’, mentioned by PM in his Environment Day speech? READ MORE
3. What are ‘carbon bombs’, why environmentalists want them defused? READ MORE
4. SC order on eco-sensitive zone has no scientific basis, case-to-case ESZ needed, say experts READ MORE
5. Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (June 7, 2022) READ MORE

1. Sabhas we listen to READ MORE
2. Tamil Nadu tops food safety index READ MORE

1. advisory board on disability not re-constituted since Nov. 2020 READ MORE

1. The ‘Physician’s Pledge’ in new draft code of ethics for doctors, and how it differs from Charak, Hippocratic oaths READ MORE
2. Listen to the meaning, not to the words READ MORE
3. The world of progress READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Assam celebrates annual festival for good rain and harvest READ MORE
2. Blue Duke declared state butterfly READ MORE
3. Resolve GST disputes quickly and smartly READ MORE
4. India ranks lowest among 180 countries in environmental performance index READ MORE
5. Here’s how RBI’s Repo rate hike of 50 bps impacts you READ MORE
6. Of what good is a bad bank? READ MORE
7. Maharashtra gets 12 new conservation reserves and three wildlife sanctuaries READ MORE

GS 1

1. History and significance of Mela Kheerbhawani for Kashmiri Pandits, being held today READ MORE
2. Reservoir storage declined 7% every month between March, June; can kharif sowing proceed READ MORE

GS 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Sabhas we listen to READ MORE
2. Tamil Nadu tops food safety index READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. advisory board on disability not re-constituted since Nov. 2020 READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Decoding China’s occupation READ MORE
2. India looks forward to joining the NSG, says External Affairs Minister Jaishankar READ MORE

GS 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The weight of the GST Council ruling READ MORE
2. The shadows over global growth recovery are long READ MORE
3. World Bank cuts India’s economic growth forecast to 7.5% for FY23 READ MORE
4. It is potentially ‘stagflation’ READ MORE
5. Will the WTO wake up to the food crisis? READ MORE
6. RBI likely to hike policy interest rates; raise inflation forecast today READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. What are ‘green jobs’, mentioned by PM in his Environment Day speech? READ MORE
2. What are ‘carbon bombs’, why environmentalists want them defused? READ MORE
3. SC order on eco-sensitive zone has no scientific basis, case-to-case ESZ needed, say experts READ MORE
4. Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (June 7, 2022) READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. What are the draft amendments to IT Rules, 2021? READ MORE
2. India successfully tests intermediate-range ballistic missile Agni-4 READ MORE

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The ‘Physician’s Pledge’ in new draft code of ethics for doctors, and how it differs from Charak, Hippocratic oaths READ MORE
2. Listen to the meaning, not to the words READ MORE
3. The world of progress READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1.How has the covid 19 pandemic brought out the over centralized model of globalization?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Many critics have pointed to several problems with the idea of a bad bank. Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has been one of the fiercest critics of the idea, arguing that a bad bank by the government will merely shift bad assets from the hands of public sector banks, which are owned by the government, to the hands of a bad bank, which is again owned by the government.
• Look deeper into things. People may use the same words, but they don’t use them with the same meaning. Listen to the meaning rather than only listening to the words. If all you listen to is the words you will never understand people.
• Success we cannot depend on, because somebody will always come along and make our success pale into insignificance. When we live in the success-world, sooner than at once, we are doomed to frustration. But when we live in the progress-world, there is always tremendous joy. This joy comes not only from transcending one’s capacities but from the effort itself.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Scope of “green jobs” 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 on maps and 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 240]

THE ART AND CULTURE

1. TAMIL NADU SCULPTURES RECOVERED FROM AUSTRALIA, US

THE CONTEXT: Ten antiquities retrieved from Australia and the United States were handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu in Delhi last week. A look at some of the returned antiquities, and how they had gone missing.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Ten antiquities (sculptures) retrieved from Australia and the United States were handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu in Delhi last week. Union Culture Minister said at the event, “Bringing Our Gods Home is an initiative by the government that is rooted in preserving, promoting and propagating our heritage”. He said only 13 antiquities had been brought back to India between Independence and 2013, compared to 228 antiquities since 2014.

Some of the returned antiquities, and how they had gone missing:

• Dvarapala: Retrieved in 2020 from Australia, this stone sculpture belongs to the Vijayanagar dynasty dating to the 15th-16th century. He is holding a gada in one hand and has another leg raised up to the level of his knee. The sculpture was burgled from Moondreeswaram udayar Temple, Tiruneveli in1994.
• Nataraja: Retrieved in 2021 from the US, this image of Nataraja, a depiction of Shiva, in his divine cosmic dance form, is in tribhanga posture, standing on the lotus pedestal. It is dateable to the 11th-12th century. Possibly, anandatandava or the Dance of Bliss is portrayed here. The sculpture was burgled from the strong room of Punnainallur Arulmigu Mariyamman Temple, Thanjavur, in 2018.
• Kankalamurti: Retrieved in 2021 from the US, Kankalamurti is depicted as a fearsome aspect of Lord Shiva and Bhairava. The sculpture is four-armed, holding ayudhas such as damaru and trishula in the upper hands and a bowl and a trefoil shaped object, as a treat for the playful fawn, in the lower right hand. The idol is dateable to the 12th-13th century, and was stolen from Narasinganadhar Swamy Temple, Tirunelveli in 1985.
• Nandikeshvara: Retrieved in 2021 from the US, this bronze image of Nandikeshvara, dateable to the 13th century, is shown standing in tribhanga posture with folded arms, holding an axe and a fawn in the upper arms, with his forearms in namaskara mudra. This sculpture was stolen from Narasinganadhar Swamy Temple, Tirunelveli, in 1985.
• Four-armed Vishnu: Retrieved in 2021 from the US, dateable to the 11th century, and belonging to the later Chola period. The sculpture has Lord Vishnu standing on a padma pedestal holding attributes such as shankha and chakra in two hands; while the lower right hand is in abhaya mudra. It was stolen from ArulmiguVaradharaja Perumal Temple, Ariyalur, in 2008.
• Goddess Parvati: Retrieved in 2021 from the US, the image depicts a Chola-period sculpture dateable to the 11th century. She is shown holding a lotus in the left hand whereas the right is hanging down near her kati. This sculpture was also stolen from ArulmiguVaradharaja Perumal Temple, Ariyalur in 2008.
• Standing child Sambandar: Retrieved in 2022 from Australia. Sambandar, the popular 7th-century child saint, is one of the Muvar, the three principal saints of South India. The sculpture is dateable to the 11th century. The legend goes that after receiving a bowl of milk from Goddess Uma, the infant Sambandar devoted his life to composing hymns in praise of Lord Shiva. The sculpture displays the saint’s childlike quality, while also empowering him with the maturity and authority of a spiritual leader. It was stolen from Sayavaneeswarar Temple, Nagapattinam, between 1965 and 1975.

2.WHO WAS SANT KABIR, THE EXTRAORDINARY POET-SAINT OF THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT?

THE CONTEXT: During his address at the Kabir Chaura Dham, President said, “The life of Kabir is an epitome of human virtue and his teachings are relevant today even after 650 years. Kabir’s life was an ideal example of communal solidarity.”

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Bhakti movement, which began in the 7th century in South India, had begun to spread across north India in the 14th and the 15th centuries. The movement was characterized by popular poet-saints who sang devotional songs to God in vernacular languages, with many preaching for the abolishing the Varna system and some kind of Hindu-Muslim unity. They emphasized an intense emotional attachment with God.
• One school within the Bhakti movement was the Nirguni tradition and Sant Kabir was a prominent member of it. In this tradition, God was understood to be a universal and formless being.
• Many of the saints of the Bhakti movement came from the ranks of the lower to middle artisanal classes. Kabir was a ‘low caste’ weaver (Julaha), Raidas was a leather worker and Dadu a cotton carder.
• Their radical dissent against orthodoxy and rejection of caste made these poet-saints extremely popular among the masses and their ideology of egalitarianism spread across India.
• Kabir’s compositions can be classified into three literary forms – dohas (short two liners), ramanas (rhymed 4 liners), sung compositions of varying length, known as padas (verses) and sabdas (words).
• Kabir is in modern times portrayed as a figure that synthesized Islam and Hinduism. In many of the popular bhajans associated with him today, his strong dissent towards religion is somewhat muted, according to religious studies scholar David Lorenzen. While he did borrow elements from different traditions, he very forcefully proclaimed his independence from them.
• He did not only target the rituals and practices of both Hinduism and Islam, but also dismissed the sacred authority of their religious books, the Vedas and the Quran. Kabir did use the name Rama in his poems, but he clarified that he was not referring to the avatar of Vishnu, but a formless and general Hindu name for the divine. Author Manu S Pillai writes that he even combined Allah and Ram.
• Kabir’s revolt against the caste system also sought to do away with the complex rituals and ceremonies performed by the Brahmins. He, like the other prominent saints of his time, argued that it was only through bhakti, intense love or devotion to God could one attain salvation.
• In many of his verses, Kabir proclaimed that people of all castes have the right to salvation through the bhakti tradition.

THE SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. COVID RAISED INEQUALITIES — BY HOW MUCH?

THE CONTEXT: At the recent World Economic Forum conference in Davos, the exclusive get-together of the global elite, in May, Oxfam released its new report titled ‘Profiting from Pain’ that illustrates how the Covid pandemic caused havoc to millions across the globe and how the already persisting inequality on this planet just got intensified by the once-in-a-century pandemic.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Some catchy figures in the above-mentioned report immediately drew headlines all over the world. For example, along with 40 new pharma billionaires, a whopping 573 people became new billionaires during the pandemic, at the rate of one every 30 hours.
• In fact, the number of billionaires has increased more than 27 per cent since the pandemic started. The billionaires of the world own $3.78 trillion more, up nearly 30 per cent, from 2020. And the world’s 10 richest men own more wealth than the bottom 3.1 billion people. Rising income inequality had been observed through Gini index.
• Significantly, for every new billionaire created during the pandemic, nearly a million people could have been pushed into extreme poverty in 2022 every 33 hours — nearly the same rate, as is portrayed in the Oxfam report. Specifically, it was estimated that 263 million more people will crash into extreme poverty this year.
• The Oxfam report says that billionaires’ wealth rose more in the first 24 months of Covid than in 23 years. And corporations in the energy, food, and pharmaceutical sectors are experiencing record-high profits. As the cost of essential goods rises faster than it has in decades, billionaires in the food and energy sectors increased their fortunes by $1 billion every two days during the pandemic period.
• Well, there is no denying that global inequality was widened by the pandemic — the rich became richer while millions lost jobs. In fact, a few months ago, the World Inequality Report 2022, prepared by the World Inequality Lab at the Paris School of Economics, also portrayed a grim picture of widened global inequality.
• In fact, in many countries, no official income data is available. Incidentally, the last available consumer expenditure survey data in India is about a decade old. One may certainly wonder how the income distributions of these countries are at all estimated in these worldwide inequality calculations.
• If some data from some privately organised surveys are used, there would always be room for doubting that. Different organisations certainly use a lot of auxiliary data with bunches of unrealistic assumptions while measuring the income distribution of a country.
• Governments of different countries injected millions of dollars into their economies as stimulus during the Covid pandemic, significant money has been invested to develop and distribute vaccines, and near- zero-interest loans were given.
• And there is little doubt that, in many places, the rich became richer — the number of yachts increased, not the boats. And the economic recovery in many countries is observed to be K-shaped, indeed. It was possibly destined to be so. Some experts knew that apriori though.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

4. TAKING STEPS TO ENSURE SEX WORKERS’ RIGHTS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, in Budhadev Karmaskar v. State of West Bengal & Ors, while issuing interim directions to States and Union Territories, the Supreme Court re-asserted that sex workers and their children cannot be deprived of their right to live with dignity and human decency. The court said that notwithstanding the profession, every individual in this country has the right to a dignified life.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The court’s directions are nothing, but the recommendations made by the panel constituted by the Supreme Court in July 2011 and headed by a senior advocate, Pradip Ghosh, with regard to“conditions conducive for sex workers who wish to continue as sex workers to live with dignity in accordance with the provisions of Article 21 of the Constitution of India”.
• Since the Government of India had certain reservations about four of the 10 recommendations of the panel, the court directed the government to implement the other six recommendations as well as the provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) of 1956. These are: to provide immediate medical assistance to sex workers who are victims of sexual assault; to release adult sex workers detained in ITPA protective homes against their will; to sensitise the police and other law-enforcement agencies about the rights of sex workers to live with dignity; to ask the Press Council of India to issue guidelines to the media so that they don’t reveal the identities of sex workers while reporting on arrest, raid and rescue operations; to not consider health measures that sex workers employ for their safety (such as condoms) as evidence of commission of an offence; and to ensure that the legal service authorities of the Central and State governments educate sex workers about their rights vis-à-vis the legality of sex work.
• A provision is already available in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on providing medical assistance to sex workers who are victims of sexual assault. However, the law is silent about not revealing the identity of sex workers. Similarly, though an order to send the sex worker to a protective home is passed by a magistrate after due inquiry about her need of care and protection, the ITPA and CrPC may be amended suitably to enforce the directions of the Supreme Court. Other directions may be implemented through executive orders by the governments.
• It is noteworthy that carrying on sex work outside the notified areas or outside a distance of 200metres of any place of public religious worship, educational institution, hospital, etc. is not punishable under the ITPA. The irony is that when the essential ingredient of sex work is ‘sexual exploitation’ or ‘abuse of persons’ for commercial purpose, how can this be allowed anywhere? Therefore, now with the court’s directives on the anvil, it will be apposite for the government to differentiate between prostitution and the work of sex workers and consider banning prostitution per se and allowing voluntary sex work with certain conditions keeping in mind the public interest.
• It is not disputed that women in the flesh trade should be viewed more as victims of adverse socioeconomic circumstances rather than as offenders. However, with all our laws and policies, we as a society have failed to contain prostitution.
• Therefore, the government may now use the Supreme Court’s directions as an opportunity to improve the conditions of sex workers and their surrounding environment, facilitate rehabilitation, and remove the various ambiguities and inconsistencies in the applicable laws and bring about clarity.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

5. A ‘SILVER’ MOMENT TO PROPEL A BAY OF BENGAL DREAM

THE CONTEXT: June 6 marked the completion of 25 years since the 1997 Bangkok Declaration launched a modest grouping (of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand), with the acronym, BIST-EC. Three countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar) joined it later to make it the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

THE EXPLANATION:

• This unique set of five countries from South Asia and two from Southeast Asia are parents to an institution with an unwieldy name but lofty ambitions. It is the parents’ responsibility that the 25-year-old offspring, now a full adult, begins taking strides to achieve the goals set before it.
• BIMSTEC has several achievements to its credit. It has crafted a new Charter for itself, spelling out the grouping’s vision, functions of its constituent parts, and has secured a legal personality. It has prioritised the sectors of cooperation, reducing them from the unwieldy 14 to the more manageable seven, with each member-state serving as the lead country for the assigned sector. It has, finally, taken measures to strengthen the Secretariat, although some members are yet to extend adequate personnel support to it.
• Above all, its success lies in its survival through the turns and twists of internal tensions. The BIMSTEC region witnessed the influx of over a million Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, the result of oppression by the Myanmar military; the coup in Myanmar that led to its virtual boycott by a large segment of the international community; and the grave political and economic crisis afflicting Sri Lanka.
• Unlike the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, post-2014, BIMSTEC has continued to hold its summits and meetings of Foreign Ministers. Unlike the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) which held only one summit since its establishment in 1997, BIMSTEC has succeeded in holding five summits so far; it has now resolved to hold regular summits once in two years.
• The grouping has also registered progress in combating terrorism, forging security cooperation, and creating mechanisms and practices for the better management of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
• A whole basket of memoranda of understanding, agreements and legal instruments provide the foundation for developing functional cooperation in select areas such as agriculture, trade, sustainable development and connectivity. Institutions such as an Energy Centre and the Centre on Weather and Climate are in place to push sectoral cooperation forward.
• A fair balance sheet must factor in the shortfalls and the gaps between ambition and action. A major failure relates to the continuing inability to produce a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 18 years after the signing of the Framework Agreement. Official sources concede that of the seven agreements needed to operationalise the FTA, only two are “ready” — a disappointing record. What is worse is that the highest political leaders, in their summit declarations, continue to “direct” ministers and officials to expedite action, but, alas, with little impact. Heads of state and government need to assert their authority or abandon the FTA as an unachievable goal.
• The other disappointment is connectivity — in infrastructure (roads, railways, air, river, and coastal shipping links), energy, the digital and financial domain, and institutions that bring people closer together for trade, tourism and cultural exchanges. Only limited progress has been achieved so far, despite the adoption of the Master Plan for Connectivity supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• Much of the connectivity established recently is the outcome of bilateral initiatives taken by India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan to strengthen transport links. Mega-projects aimed to improve connectivity between India and Myanmar (and Thailand) have been delayed inordinately.
• For greater regional connectivity, more financial resources are needed. The movement towards establishing the BIMSTEC Development Fund is minimal. The grouping has talked about the Blue Economy but is yet to begin any work on it. Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the activities of BIMSTEC.
• This leaves the grouping largely in the hands of officials and experts. The involvement of the ‘Third Space’ needs to be expanded significantly.
• An objective evaluation may award an A- to BIMSTEC@25, with the remark that it must do better. An exciting destiny awaits it as it works to realise the vision of the Bay of Bengal Community (BOBC). In this Indo-Pacific century, the BOBC has the potential to play a pivotal role, deepening linkages between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• It should accelerate the region’s economic development by collaborating with the newly minted Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). New synergy should be created between BIMSTEC and the IPEF.
• Finally, while all member-states are equal, three have a special responsibility: Bangladesh as the host of the BIMSTEC Secretariat; Thailand as the representative of Southeast Asia; and India as the largest state in South Asia. This trio must be the engine to pull the BIMSTEC train with imagination and determination.
• when operating in difficult terrain, unsafe operating environments and also bad weather.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6.THE NEED FOR DIGITAL COLLABORATION

THE CONTEXT: The fact that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has simplified its approval process for local universities to collaborate with their counterparts abroad, to offer joint degrees, dual degrees, and twinning programmes, is heartening.

THE EXPLANATION:

• As per the rules, any Indian Higher Education Institution (HEI) accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council with a minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale or featuring in the top 1,000 of the Times Higher Education or QS World University Rankings will be eligible to participate in the collaboration.
• For Indian institutes, being in the top 100 list of the National Institute Ranking Framework is also an acceptable criterion. Foreign institutes willing to enter a partnership must rank in the top 1,000 in either of the two world university rankings.
• While multiple steps taken by the present dispensation to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic include leveraging the potential of information and communication technology in the teaching and learning process, the fact that the UGC’s regulations do not allow academic collaboration with foreign institutions for online learning and open and distance learning (ODL) is puzzling.
• In order to increase the gross enrolment ratio in HEIs in India, the National Education Policy of 2020 suggested that more ODL and online programmes be started, especially to improve access for those living in remote areas. ODL programmes impart education to people for whom the regular mode of learning is a distant dream owing to financial, personal and professional constraints. Often, part-time employees in both the organised and unorganised sectors are the ones who opt for ODL in order to upgrade their qualifications for better career prospects.
• At the postgraduate, undergraduate, PG Diploma, Diploma, and Certificate levels, the share of distance enrolment in university is 13.8%, 35.9%, 1.1%, 1.5% and 0.4%, respectively (All India Survey on Higher Education, or AISHE, 2019-2000). Distance enrolment constitutes 11.1% of the total enrolment in higher education. These programmes are more affordable compared to the in-person programmes and are therefore popular among disadvantaged sections.
• In order to promote online education in India, initiatives such as MOOCs, SWAYAM and NPTEL are sponsored by the UGC, the Department of Education, and other national institutes of repute. Of late, universities and colleges are centrally funded under the RUSA and TEQIP-III programmes to create and strengthen infrastructure for online and digital education. The Union Budget too announced the establishment of a digital university.
• It is inexplicable, therefore, that while online education is being encouraged on the one hand through several government initiatives, online programmes are being kept out of the ambit of international collaboration efforts by the UGC on the other.
• According to AISHE’s findings, 49,348 international students from 168 countries are enrolled in courses offered by Indian universities. The highest share of foreign students (45.6%) come from four neighbouring nations: Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
• Reaching out to the HEIs of such countries for international collaboration, notwithstanding their present standing and rank, will pave the way for an increase in the footfall of international students in India. This may especially prove to be a game changer for the financially constrained HEIs. Also, it will help to compensate the outflow of foreign exchange from India.
• The allocation of grants to central universities has risen to ₹9,420 crore from ₹7,643.26 crore last year in higher education. Monetary support to the IITs has increased by ₹658.9 crore and to the IIMs by ₹177.9 crore in 2022-23 compared to last year.
• These institutions, generously funded by the Centre, outplay their State-sponsored counterparts in other academic indicators too, such as faculty strength and modernised laboratories and libraries. Hence, that State-funded HEIs do not perform well in the ranking system is no surprise. Now, their chances for smooth international collaboration is also impeded by the UGC regulations. This will only exacerbate the divide between central and State institutes.
• The UGC needs to revisit its policies for foreign collaborations. It must look at the present and overall needs of the education system so that students studying in State-sponsored HEIs and opting for ODL and online education are not deprived of benefits in India.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 7TH JUNE 2022

Q1. Which of the following statement is incorrect about Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC)?

a) It was established in 1969.

b) It has total 57 member countries.

c) Its headquarter is located in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

d) India is not a member of OIC.

ANSWER FOR THE 6^TH JUNE 2022

Answer: A

Explanation:

1. Change-4 – Moon probe of China
2. Tianwen-1 – Mars probe of China
3. Tiangong-1 – Space station of China

[WpProQuiz 239]

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