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THE INDIAN HISTORY

1. ALLURI SITARAMA RAJU

THE CONTEXT: In honor of Alluri Sitarama Raju’s 125th birth anniversary Prime Minister unveiled a 30-foot bronze statue of the freedom fighter. As part of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Independence, the statue was placed in the Municipal Park at ASR Nagar in Bhimavaram.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 125th anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju’s birth, as well as the 100th anniversary of “Rampa Kranti,” will be commemorated throughout the year marking 75 years of independence.

Who was Alluri Sitarama Raju?

• Alluri Sitarama Raju was popularly known as ‘Manyam Veerdu’ (Hero of the Forest). He also referred to by his surname Alluri. He was born at Pandrangi village of then Visakhapatnam district, on July 4, 1897.
• Regular patriotic discourse during the freedom struggle had highly influenced him. After the death of his father, his schooling got disrupted. He went on a pilgrimage and toured the western, north, north-western, and north-eastern India during his teens.
• The socio-economic conditions of India under the British regime, especially in the tribal areas, moved him deeply.

Rampa Rebellion

• During his tourney to almost entire India, he met revolutionaries in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). Following this, he decided to build a movement against the British. He organised local Adivasis in forest areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts into a potent force, for launching a frontal attack. Thus, ‘Rampa Rebellion’ or ‘Manyam Uprising’ born, in the Rampachodavaram forest area of East Godavari district.
• This force was using the traditional weapons of Adivasis’ like bows and arrows and spears. However, he later realised that traditional weaponry was no match to heavily armed British forces. Thus, he planned to snatch weapons of the British in 1924, he got trapped and captured by the British at Koyyuru village in Chintapalle forests. He was tied to a tree and executed by a firing squad.

2. T. N. SENDS SOIL SAMPLES FOR PROJECT RELATING TO NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING

THE CONTEXT: The rich cultural history of the Tamils will be featured in a project relating to the new Parliament being constructed by the Union government in New Delhi.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Multiple sources confirmed on a request from Delhi, multiple State government departments coordinated to collect the soil samples and sent them to the capital late last month (June 2022). Brief synopses of the samples, such as the place of origin, its geological features and historical importance, have also been sent.
• Soil samples from five ecological regions mentioned in ancient Tamil Sangam literature — Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal and Paalai — have been collected and sent to the capital recently.

VALUE ADDITION:

SANGAM LITERATURE

• Tolkappiyam, Pattuppattu, Ettutogai,Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named Silappathikaram (Written by Ilango Adigal) and Manimegalai (Written by Sittalai Sattanar) are among the Sangam literature.
• Tolkappiyam: It was written by Tolkappiyar and is thought to be the earliest Tamil literary work.
• Despite the fact that it is a study on Tamil grammar, it also contains information about the political and socio-economic conditions of the time.
• It is a unique work on grammar and poetics that deals with Ezhuthu (letter), Col (word), and Porul (subject matter) in three parts, each with nine sections.
• Tolkappiyar’s study encompasses almost all levels of human language, from spoken to poetic, as he treats phonology, morphology, syntax, rhetoric, prosody, and poetics in exquisitely poetic and epigrammatic statements.

THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

3. EXPLAINED: THE FREQUENCY, REASONS, AND CONTROVERSY OVER INTERNET SUSPENSIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT

THE CONTEXT: According to the Software Freedom Law Center, since 2012 there have been 665 Internet shutdowns in India to date.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Following the brutal on-camera killing of tailor Kanhaiyalal Teli in Udaipur by two men, the Rajasthan government imposed a ban on Internet services. Shutting down the Internet as an administrative or law-and-order measure has been a common step taken across India — for a range of reasons and by almost all political parties and governments.
• There is no official data on the number of shutdowns but based on estimates by research organisations, it would seem their frequency has increased over the last few years. An increasing number of people have been impacted as a result, because Internet usage has been going up in India, and the coronavirus pandemic has made it even more of a commonly used essential service.

What do the data on internet suspensions say?

• According to the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), a legal services organisation working in this field in India, since 2012 there have been 665 Internet shutdowns in India to date. Here, ‘shutdowns’ mean a total ban on mobile (3G, 4G/LTE), or fixed-line (dial-up, wired/wireless broadband) Internet, both or either of which may be shut down.
• According to Internet freedom and tech policy organisations, India is the leading country (by number) for Internet disruption incidents and frequency of shutdowns. This year, 59 shutdowns have been enforced, according to SFLC, which determines shutdowns based on government orders and media reports.
• This brings up another question: Internet shutdowns are not always officially announced, so it might be difficult to know if your phone is simply not working properly, or if a shutdown is in place.

State with highest Suspension

• Jammu and Kashmir has had more than 411 shutdowns since 2012, and the longest one went on for more than 552 days after the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state.
• Among the states, Rajasthan has had the most shutdowns — with 88 such instances in almost 10 years. The reasons have ranged from protests by the Gujjar community for reservation, to preventing cheating in the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) held to select primary school teachers last year, which was taken by an estimated 16 lakh aspirants.

How do governments justify shutting down the Internet?

• Governments say misinformation and rumours can lead to deterioration in law and order in an area, so curbing the flow of information helps maintain peace among communities in times of crisis.
• But many experts have countered that in the absence of information sources like news outlets, rumours can actually end up spreading even more. Also, important services such as those related to payments, banking, and educational access, all get cut in an instant, resulting in disruptions at multiple levels and economic losses.

What is the procedure for shutting down the Internet?

• In February 2022, Lok Sabha MP asked in Parliament whether the government maintains records for shutdowns or has plans to do so, and if not, what protocol is followed.
• Minister of State for Communications replied that The Review Committee in states, chaired by the Chief Secretary (the senior-most civil servant in a state) is mandated through the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, to decide that the shutdowns have been made as per rules.
• The rules framed by the central government say temporary suspensions can be “due to public emergency or public safety” and give senior bureaucrats from the Home Ministry at the central and state levels the power to order shutdowns.
• Before these rules came into force in 2017, Internet shutdowns were ordered under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which gives District Magistrates broad powers during dangerous situations.

Apex Court’s view

• In SC order passed in January 2020, the court ruled that “freedom of speech and expression and the freedom to practice any profession or carry on any trade, business or occupation over the medium of Internet enjoys constitutional protection under Article 19 (1) (a) and Article 19 (1) (g)”.
• It said, “restriction upon such fundamental rights should be in consonance with the mandate under Article 19 (2) and (6) of the Constitution, inclusive of the test of proportionality”.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. EXPLAINED: ENFORCING THE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAN

THE CONTEXT: A ban on the use of single-use plastics that was notified by the Union Environment Ministry on August 2021 came into effect on July 1 2022. The notification said national and State-level control rooms would be set up to check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned single use plastic items.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, will also prohibit manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022.

What is single-use plastic?

• The Centre defines it as an object made of plastic that is intended to be used “only once” before being disposed off or recycled. For the purposes of the ban, there is a list of 21 items that come under the definition of single-use plastic including ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, stirrers.
• These objects were listed by the Environment Ministry in August when it notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. Single-use plastic items such as these had “low utility and high littering potential,” it noted.
• Plastic packaging waste, a major contributor to the much larger problem of plastic waste pollution, isn’t yet covered under the phase-out of single-use plastic items. Mineral water bottles or plastic bottles of aerated drinks are unaffected by the ban, though, in popular imagination, they are representative of ‘plastic pollution.’

Why are Single Use Plastics disastrous?

• By 2050, it has been predicted that single-use plastic might contribute 5–10% of greenhouse gas emissions, depending on the production trajectory currently in place.
• India ranks 94th out of the top 100 nations for producing the most single-use plastic garbage, behind Singapore, Australia, and Oman according to Australia’s charitable organisation, the Minderoo Foundation.
• India produces 4 kg of single-use plastic garbage per person yearly, with 11.8 million metric tonnes produced domestically and 2.9 million tonnes imported.
• The decision to ban the initial batch of single-use plastic items was made due to their “difficulty of collection, and consequently recycling.”
• Microplastics, which are particularly dangerous, are created when plastic is left in the environment for a very long time and does not decompose.
• These microplastics then find their way into our food supplies and eventually into our bodies.

How do other nations handle single-use plastic?

• A resolution to draft an agreement that will eventually make it legally binding for the signatories to address the full life of plastics from production to disposal in order to end plastic pollution was signed earlier this year by 124 countries, parties to the United Nations Environment Assembly, including India.
• In 2002, Bangladesh became the first nation to outlaw thin plastic bags. In July 2019, New Zealand became the most recent nation to outlaw plastic bags. 2020 saw the issuance of a phased-in ban on plastic bags in China.
• 68 nations had plastic bag bans in place as of July 2019 with various levels of enforcement.
• Plastic straws are totally prohibited in Vanuatu and the Seychelles.

Way forward

• The lack of specific recommendations regarding alternatives to the ban has drawn criticism.
• In its statement, the CPCB mentions biodegradable plastics, cotton bags, sustainable apparel, bamboo tableware and straws, wood from sustainably managed forests for domestic products, pottery without hazardous glazes, and ceramics.
• Additionally, it created a Standard operating procedure (SOP) for awarding biodegradable plastics makers and merchants with certificates.
• The CPCB is required by the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2022 to create a sustainable packaging guideline based on the following criteria: package designing that encourages reuse; package designing that is conducive to recycling; recycled plastic content in plastic packaging material; and package designing for the environment. However, nothing is publicly available yet.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. EXPLAINED: THE NEED FOR SPACE SUSTAINABILITY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the U.K. hosted the fourth summit for Space Sustainability in London in collaboration with the Secure World Foundation. During the summit, the UK launched a new ‘Plan for Space Sustainability’.

THE EXPLANATION:

About the ‘Plan for Space Sustainability’

Aim:

• To set a global commercial framework for the insurability, licensing and regulation of commercial satellites.
• To reduce the cost for those who comply with the best sustainability standards and thus encourage a thriving ecosystem for the industry.
• The plan also hopes to drive the sustainability factor internationally and provide an opportunity for the private sector to develop models that enhance operations’ safety and reduce debris footprint.

How does the plan propose to achieve space sustainability?

• The U.K. calls for an “Astro Carta” for space sustainability, based on the Artemis Accords model for sustainable space exploration.
• The plan proposes a) Active debris removal and in-orbit servicing, b) Encouraging space research and the development of technology to ensure the reuse and recycling of satellites at every stage.

Where does India stand on space sustainability?

India has always emphasised cost-effective and efficient missions with problem-solving applications. For example, India’s debris footprint is minuscule; India has 114 debris among the 25,182 pieces of sizes larger than 10 cm, in the lower earth orbits. Apart from that, the recent activities of India on space sustainability are,

• Project NETRA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has initiated ‘Project NETRA’ to monitor space debris, 2
• Earlier this year, India and the U.S. signed a new pact for monitoring space objects at the 2+2 dialogue.
• Increased private participation: With Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-SPACe), India expects an increased role of the private sector in India’s space activities, and
• SPADEX: ISRO is developing a docking experiment to provide in-orbit servicing named SPADEX. It looks at docking a satellite on an existing satellite, offering support in re-fuelling and other in-orbit services while enhancing the capability of a satellite. Hence, the SPADEX can increase the longevity of a mission and also provide a futuristic option to combine missions/experiments.

What are the challenges in achieving space sustainability?

• Orbital crowding poses a big threat to space sustainability. This poses a direct threat to the operations and safety of a mission and is likely to cause legal and insurance-related conflicts.
• Space debris: After the completion of a mission, an ‘end-of-life protocol’ requires space objects to be moved to the graveyard orbit or to a low altitude. Neither of the options is sustainable in the long run.
• Solar and magnetic storms: These storms can potentially damage communication systems. Such space weather threats need to be addressed along with the efforts to identify the terrestrial carbon footprint of outer space missions.
• Note: Outer space is considered a shared natural resource. The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 2019 adopted a set of 21 voluntary, non-binding guidelines to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

What’s Next?

• A collective effort by all space players, with the active role of the UN COPUOS or the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), is needed to set equitable standards for the ease of activities.
• Many of the measures for sustainability are resource-consuming and expensive for medium-and-small space programs. Hence, there is a need for addressing the principles and rules that guide the activities in outer space with better clarity.
• Encourage the private sector with a set of sustainability guidelines to ensure optimum utilisation of resources and increase the safety and productivity of missions.

VALUE ADDITION:

ABOUT UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS (UNOOSA):

• The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space, and in the utilisation of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development.
• The Office assists any United Nations Member States to establish legal and regulatory frameworks to govern space activities and strengthens the capacity of developing countries to use space science technology and applications for development by helping to integrate space capabilities into national development programmes.
• UNOOSA is also responsible for implementing the Secretary-General’s responsibilities under international space law and maintaining the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
• UNOOSA is the current secretariat of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG).
• Headquartered: Vienna, Austria.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

1. Why was Alluri Sitarama Raju well known?
(a) He led the militant movement of tribal peasants in Andhra Pradesh.
(b) He led a peasant movement in Avadh.
(c) He led a satyagraha movement in Bardoli.
(d) He set up an organisation for the uplifment of the dalits.

 ANSWER FOR 4^TH JULY 2022

ANSWER: A

EXPLANATION:

• The Athirappilly Falls is located in Kerala.