POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICES DAY 2023

TAGS: GS-II-POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT:The National Civil Services Day is celebrated annually in India on April 21 to recognize the contributions and achievements of civil servants in the country. On this day, the Prime Minister of India awards officers from the central and state governments for their outstanding contributions to public administration.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The theme of this year’s Civil Service Day is – Viksit Bharat (विकसितभारत) aimed at ‘Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile’.
• The theme underscores the Government’s resolve and firm commitment to achieving a more equitable and prosperous India for all its citizens by engaging in inclusive growth.

History and Significance:

• The first National Civil Services Day was celebrated at a function held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on April 21, 2006.
• The date April 21, is chosen for the celebration of National Civil Service Day, commemorates the day when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Independent India’s first Home Minister, addressed the probationers of the Administrative Services Officers in 1947.
• In his inspirational speech, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel acknowledged the civil servants of the country as the “steel frame of India.” National Civil Services Day recognises the exemplary services of the government workers in the country.
• The civil servants in India play a vital role in shaping the policies and programs that drive the country’s development. They work tirelessly to ensure that the government’s vision is translated into action on the ground. The day is a reminder of the importance of public service and the critical role that civil servants play in the development of the country.

PRIME MINISTER’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

• On the occasion of Civil Services Day,Prime Minister will address civil servants on April 21, 2023 in honour of National Civil Services Day.
• During the event, PM will confer the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration. These have been instituted with a view to recognize the extraordinary and innovative work done by districts and organizations of the central and State governments for the welfare of common citizens.

Exemplary work done in four identified priority programmes will be given awards and they are:

1. Har Ghar Jal Yojana
2. Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
3. Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Center
4. Aspirational Districts Programme

Eight awards for these four identified programmes will be given while seven awards shall be for innovations.

HEALTH ISSUES

2. N-NITROSODIMETHYLAMINE (NDMA)

TAGS:GS-II-HEALTH ISSUES-PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT: The Gujarat High Court recently issued a notice to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), under the Union Health Ministry, and the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking immediate removal of drugs and medicines containing “cancerous impurities” such as NDMA from the Indian market.

THE EXPLANATION:

• N-Nitrosodimethylamine is a volatile, combustible, yellow, oily liquid nitrosamine with a faint characteristic odor that decomposes when exposed to light and emits toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides when heated to decomposition.
• N-Nitrosodimethylamine is primarily used in laboratory research to induce tumors in experimental animals.
• This substance may be formed during the cooking of foods, especially cured meats and fish, that contain sodium nitrite as a preservative, but is also found in several vegetables, cheeses, alcoholic beverages and fruits, and as a contaminant in rubber products.
• Exposure to Nitrosodimethylamine irritates the skin and eyes and damages the liver. This substance is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

Applications:

• n-Nitrosodimethylamine is produced by industry only in small amounts for research. At room temperature, it is a yellow liquid with no distinct odor. It was used to make rocket fuel, but this use was stopped after unusually high levels of this chemical were found in air, water, and soil samples collected near a rocket fuel manufacturing plant. It is used in some cosmetic and toiletry products and in cleansers.n-Nitrosodimethylamine is unintentionally formed during various manufacturing processes and in air, water, and soil from reactions involving other chemicals called alkylamines. It is also found in some foods and may be formed in the body.

AGRICULTURE

3. TEA MOSQUITO BUG INFESTATION

TAGS: GS-III-AGRICULTURE-PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT:The United Planters Association of South India (UPASI) has urged the government to immediately intervene and take appropriate steps to control the Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora) (TMB) problem in the tea plantations in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

Tea Mosquito Bug (Helopeltis theivora):

• Tea mosquito bugs (TMB) (Helopeltis spp.)are serious pests of cashew during cropping season in India and other cashew growing countries.
• Pest damage begins during flushing stage of cashew and continues during flowering and fruiting. As such, TMB is a low-density pest, but causes reduction in nut yields ranging between 20 and 80 percent depending on the intensity of pest population.

Distribution and status: Serious pest of tea and widely distributed in Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Host range: Cashew, neem, moringa and guava are other host plants.

Symptoms of damage:

• Adults and nymphs suck the sap from buds, young leaves and tender stems
• Puncturing the plant tissues with their needle like rostrum and inject toxic saliva.
• Punctures appear as reddish brown spots.
• Leaves curl up, badly deformed and shoots dry up.

Identification of the pest:

• Adult – black colour with red thorax, black and white abdomen and greenish brown wings.

4. BIOMASS PELLETS

TAGS: GS-III-AGRICULTURE-PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT:The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revised the financial grants for biomass pellet manufacturing units in March 2023.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Biomass pellet is one kind of biofuel resources.
• Biomass pellets are of two kinds — torrefied and non-torrefied. Biomass, if processed at 250-350°C in the absence of oxygen, leads to the formation of torrefied biomass. Whereas, in the case of non-torrefied pellets, biomass is shredded, grinded and sent to a pellet reactor, where it is compressed into pellet form with the help of binders such as sawdust, bagasse, molasses, starch and others.

Biomass Pellets Application

• Building heating: Biomass pellets can be used in a pellet stove or furnace to heating room at school, hospital, marketplace, company, etc. Cooking with biomass pellets is also available.
• Industrial boiler: Bio-pellets can partly(or entirely) replace coal or fossil fuel in co-firing heating for large-scale industrial operation to reduce the energy cost.
• power plants :Biomass pellets can be used in power plants to solve the problem of insufficient power supply.
• Animal bedding:Bio-pellets made of softwood is a kind of slap-up animal bedding to raising animal experience.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INTERVENTIONS

5. SATHI PORTAL

TAGS:GS-III-GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

THE CONTEXT: The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launched the Sathi (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) portal and mobile app, a centralized online system designed to address seed production challenges, seed quality identification, and certification.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory (SATHI) portal is a Centralized Online System designed to deal with the challenges of seed production, quality seed identification and seed certification.
• Developed by the NIC in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the portal aims to curb the sale of spurious seeds and ensure quality seeds reach farmers.
• It will ensure a quality assurance system, and identify the source of seed in the seed production chain.
• The system will consist of integrated 7 verticals of the seed chain – Research Organisation, Seed Certification, Seed Licensing, Seed Catalogue, Dealer to Farmer Sales, Farmer Registration and Seed DBT.
• Seeds with valid certification can only be sold by valid licensed dealers to centrally registered farmers who will receive a subsidy through DBT directly into their pre-validated bank accounts.

About NIC:

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) was initially established in 1976 by Late N Seshagiri under the Electronics Commission of India. It was subsequently transferred under the then Planning Commission of India and eventually came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. SEA CUCUMBER

TAGS: GS-III-ENVIRONMENT- PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT:Recently, 105 kilograms of sea cucumber was seized by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) near Attangarai in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.

About Sea Cucumber:

• Sea cucumbers are echinoderms—like starfish and sea urchins. And they are marine invertebrates that live on the seafloor found generally in tropical regions. They’re named for their unusual oblong shape that resembles a fat cucumber.
• There are some 1,250 known species, and many of these animals are indeed shaped like soft-bodied cucumbers.
• They act like garbage collectors of the ocean world, and they recycle nutrients, thus playing an important role in keeping coral reefs in good condition.
• They are an important constituent of the marine ecosystem as they play a significant role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
• It has no limbs or eyes, or blood.

Demand:

• Sea cucumbers are in high demand in China and Southeast Asia, where they are consumed as food and used in medicine.
• This endangered species is primarily smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka.

Protection Status:

• As per IUCN Red List, Brown Sea Cucumber has been listed as an
• In India, it is listed under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• In 2022, COP19 of CITES listed sea cucumbers as ‘threatened’.
• Recently, Lakshadweep administration unveils world’s first sea cucumber conservation reserve.

2. ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL RULES, 2023

TAGS: GS-III-ENVIRONMENT- PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT:The Central Government has notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 under Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960 and after superseding the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001.

THE EXPLANATION:

• As per the extant Rules, Animal Birth Control programme for the sterilization and immunization of the stray dogs are to be carried out by the respective local bodies/municipalities/Municipal Corporations and Panchayats.
• Also, the Cruelty involved for carrying out of ABC programme need to be addressed. By effective implementation of these Rules, the Animal Birth Control programme can be conducted by the local bodies which will help in reducing the stray dog population addressing the animal welfare issues.
• The Municipal Corporations need to implement the ABC and Anti Rabies Program jointly. The Rules also provides the guidelines how to deal with the human and stray dog conflicts without relocating the dogs in an area.
• One of the requirements under the Rule is that the Animal Birth Control Programme needs to be carried out by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) recognized organization specifically recognised for Animal Birth Control programme.
• The list of such Organizations will be made available on the website of the Board which will also be updated time to time. The Central Government has already issued letters to all the State Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries of Animal Husbandry Department and Urban Development Department.
• Therefore, the local bodies are requested to implement the Rules in letter and spirit and not to permit any Organizations to carry out ABC programme which are not recognized by AWBI and approved for ABC programme or otherwise elaborated in the Rules.

Connect the dots:

• Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA), 1960

3. TRIPEDALIA MALIPOENSIS

TAGS: GS-III-ENVIRONMENT- PRELIMS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Hong Kong scientists have discovered a new species of box jellyfish in Mai Po Nature Reserve in northern Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

THE EXPLANATION:

• It was the first discovery of a new box jellyfish species from the waters of China. A paper describing the new species was published in the international academic journal Zoological Studies in March 2023.
• The new jellyfish species was named Tripedaliamaipoensis, or Mai Po Tripedalia, by the research team.
• Box jellyfish are a small group with only 49 species reported worldwide, and are even poorly known in Chinese marine waters.
• The new species, as most other species of box jellyfish, has a transparent, colorless body and three tentacles at each of its four corners. A flat pedal-shaped structure at the base of each tentacle that looks like a boat paddle, allows box jellyfish to produce strong thrusts when contracting bodies, thus making them swim faster than other kinds of jellyfish.
• Named for its cube-shaped body, the box jellyfish, or scientifically known as class Cubozoa, includes some of the highly venomous marine animals that are widely known in the tropical waters.
• The newly discovered Tripedalia malipoensis belongs to the family Tripedaliidae of the class Cubozoa and is the fourth described species of Tripedaliidae around the world.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. NATIONAL QUANTUM MISSION (NQM)

TAGS: GS-III-SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT:The Union Cabinet, chaired by the  Prime Minister recently approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) at a total cost of Rs.6003.65 crore from 2023-24 to 2030-31, aiming to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT).

THE EXPLANATION:

Objectives:

• The new mission targets developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years in various platforms like superconducting and photonic technology.
• Satellite based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2000 kilometres within India, long distance secure quantum communications with other countries, inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km as well as multi-node Quantum network with quantum memories are also some of the deliverables of the Mission.
• The mission will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems and Atomic Clocks for precision timing, communications and navigation. It will also support design and synthesis of quantum materials such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices.
• Single photon sources/detectors, entangled photon sources will also be developed for quantum communications, sensing and metrological applications.
• Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) will be set up in top academic and National R&D institutes on the domains – Quantum Computing, Quantum Communication, Quantum Sensing & Metrology and Quantum Materials & Devices.
• The hubs which will focus on generation of new knowledge through basic and applied research as well as promote R&D in areas that are mandated to them.
• NQM can take the technology development eco-system in the country to a globally competitive level. The mission would greatly benefit communication, health, financial and energy sectors as well as drug design, and space applications.
• It will provide a huge boost to National priorities like digital India, Make in India, Skill India and Stand-up India, Start-up India, Self-reliant India and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

5. LIMITED PURPOSE CLEARING CORPORATION (LPCC)

TAGS: GS-III- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released a circular announcing a dispute resolution mechanism for Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC). The mechanism will be placed for the settlement of disputes or claims arising out of transactions cleared and settled by the regulator, in the manner specified by SEBI in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

THE EXPLANATION:

• LPCC is an organization that has been created to manage the process of clearing and settling repo transactions. An efficient repo market enhances the growth of the debt securities market by increasing the liquidity of the underlying debt securities.
• Additionally, it enables market players to obtain funds temporarily by monetizing their debt holdings without disposing of the underlying assets.
• According to the circular, an LPCC shall adopt the dispute resolution mechanism prescribed by the market regulator.
• If there are any disagreements that arise among the clearing members of LPCC, they will be resolved through the process of conciliation or by an arbitration panel made up of three clearing members who are not involved in the dispute. The ruling of the arbitration panel would be considered final and binding for the parties involved.
• Moreover, SEBI has announced that any disputes between a clearing member and the LPCC will be settled following the prescribed dispute resolution mechanism.
• If either the LPCC or a clearing member is not content with the decision made through SEBI’s mechanism, then any disputes between them will be resolved using the procedure outlined in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act of 2007, along with the corresponding rules and directions that have been notified.

Connect the Dots:

• SEBI
• Payment and Settlement Systems Act of 2007

[WpProQuiz 464]

1. A sustainable future without us humans READ MORE
2. Gender makes no difference READ MORE

1. How clean-energy-based solutions can help Indian agricultural sector in achieving net zero target READ MORE
2. What is ‘heat dome’, the phenomenon causing record temperatures across US? READ MORE

1. India as most populous can be more boon than bane READ MORE
2. The dream of universal health care can be realized READ MORE

1. A judgment that upholds the Constitution READ MORE
2. Upendra Baxi writes on 50 years of Kesavananda Bharati judgment: It prescribed the basic structure doctrine, set limits to parliamentary sovereignty READ MORE
3. The debilitating disruption of Parliament READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Seven worst years for polar ice sheet melting occurred in past decade: study READ MORE  
2. Pushkaralu festival returns to the Ganga after a gap of 12 years READ MORE
3. Centre intensifies crackdown with aim to make India drug-free by 2047 READ MORE
4. ISRO launches PSLV-C55 with two Singapore satellites READ MORE
5. Jal Shakti Ministry plans network of groundwater sensors to monitor quality, contamination levels READ MORE
6. Explained | How can a juvenile be tried as an adult in Court? READ MORE
7. A new troika for India’s northeast region READ MORE
8. No small change: on the raising of returns on small savings schemes READ MORE
9. 50 years of Kesavananda Bharati case and its legacy: How Supreme Court has invoked the basic structure doctrine over the years READ MORE
10. What is sepsis? How to spot, manage and prevent it READ MORE
11. What is ‘heat dome’, the phenomenon causing record temperatures across US? READ MORE

 Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. India as most populous can be more boon than bane READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A judgment that upholds the Constitution READ MORE
2. Upendra Baxi writes on 50 years of Kesavananda Bharati judgment: It prescribed the basic structure doctrine, set limits to parliamentary sovereignty READ MORE
3. The debilitating disruption of Parliament READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The dream of universal health care can be realized READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Substance and subtext: On India-Bhutan ties READ MORE
2. Is the India-Bhutan relationship intact? READ MORE
3. In Middle East, how once improbable ties are setting a new tone READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. How to make India a human capital powerhouse READ MORE
2. India can’t beat poverty without growth in jobs and rise in wages READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Promise & politics of 6G: It is a fact that 35,000 Indian villages do not even have 2G network READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. How clean-energy-based solutions can help Indian agricultural sector in achieving net zero target READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Should India make tactical nukes to counter China? Delhi’s no-first-use rule has no room for it READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. A sustainable future without us humans READ MORE
2. Gender makes no difference READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The current overemphasis on acquiring skills at the cost of compromising life fundamentals would be counterproductive in the long run and needs a relook. Discuss how work-life balance can be maintained?
2. To achieve its long-term goal of stable inflation and growth, RBI needs to look at different instruments to reduce the impact of supply shock-induced inflation volatility. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.
• As with the shrinkage of Russian space globally, the country that benefits most from this outcome is China, which is able to successfully portray itself as “the leader speaking on behalf of the Global South”.
• India may be face-to-face with China over its Himalayan borders, and it may even be a part of the Quad, a visibly anti-China alliance, but these only matter if the conflict comes to a head.
• Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, China is playing its cards tactically to expand its own influence at the expense of Russia, its ‘closest ally’.
• Developed, rather than emerging markets, have been the source of financial and economic instability since the 2008 global financial crisis.
• The future of employment might lie, counter-intuitively, in agriculture if India can adopt higher-value, employment-intensive farming practices that will increase productivity, jobs, and wages.
• For success in world-beating manufacturing, India has to invest in firm-level R&D and innovation.
• Integration into joint formation structures is a very important issue professionally impacting the functioning of the armed forces to best meet national security challenges.
• In such a complex scenario, where geoeconomics and geopolitics intersect, Chekunkov’s visit signifies Kremlin’s prioritisation of India as a key partner for the development of Russian Far East, although China is manifestly keen to connect the Arctic to its Belt and Road Initiative.
• The current overemphasis on acquiring skills at the cost of compromising life fundamentals would be counterproductive in the long run and needs a relook.
• In the recent times, there have been many challenges in managing the wildlife. A fresh innovative approach is required to manage the life on the planet.
• The first principle of democracy is to have deference for the views and feelings of others. Without this, democracy cannot endure.
• To achieve its long-term goal of stable inflation and growth, RBI needs to look at different instruments to reduce the impact of supply shock-induced inflation volatility.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.

50-WORD TALK

• Former US President Donald Trump’s claims that America is “going to hell” has charged up his base—but his demagoguery is deeply dangerous. Even if the hush-money case against Trump is fake, the place to win the argument is a courtroom. Elected politicians must respect the institutions on which democracies rest.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and 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.