THE HEALTH ISSUES

1. EBOLA REARS HEAD AGAIN IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

THE CONTEXT: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported a fresh outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD).

THE EXPLANATION:

The Ministry of Health of the DRC declared an outbreak of EVD on April 22, 2022, after a casualty was confirmed in the country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

• The WHO warned of the virus spreading within healthcare workers since the IPC measures were not good enough. “The exposure of the first case remains unknown and therefore, it is difficult to assess the extent of the outbreak at this stage,” the global body noted.
• “Some of the improvements achieved by establishing capacities such as IPC measures in health facilities during previous outbreaks have not been maintained over time to tackle the current outbreak.
• “There is a need to support the province’s health professionals to conduct an effective response. In addition, logistical support is needed to reactivate the health infrastructure that was put in place during previous epidemics,” it added.
• EVD is endemic in the country so these cases are not a surprise. Nevertheless, the WHO has assessed the risk to be moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is Ebola Virus Disease?

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a deadly disease with occasional outbreaks that occur mostly on the African continent. EVD most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates (such as monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It is caused by an infection with a group of viruses within the genus Ebolavirus:

• Ebola virus (species Zaire ebolavirus)
• Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus)
• Taï Forest virus (species Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus)
• Bundibugyo virus (species Bundibugyo ebolavirus)
• Reston virus (species Reston ebolavirus)
• Bombali virus (species Bombali ebolavirus)

Of these, only four (Ebola, Sudan, Taï Forest, and Bundibugyo viruses) have caused disease in people. Reston virus can cause disease in nonhuman primates and pigs, but there have not been cases in people. Bombali virus was first identified in bats in 2018, and experts do not know yet if it causes disease in either animals or people.

When was the first instance?

• Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the virus has been infecting people from time to time, leading to outbreaks in several African countries.

Vaccines:

• An experimental Ebola vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV proved highly protective against EVD in a major trial in Guinea in 2015.
• The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine is being used in the ongoing 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak in DRC. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should have access to the vaccine under the same conditions as for the general population.
• The public mistrust and militia attacks have prevented health workers from reaching some hard-hit areas for administering the vaccines.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. OVER 60 COUNTRIES JOIN HANDS FOR OPEN, FREE AND SECURE GLOBAL INTERNET

THE CONTEXT: The US, all the European Union (EU) member states and 32 non-EU countries have signed a “Declaration for the Future of the Internet” that calls for an “open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure” internet.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India is not among the 60 countries that have signed a global declaration to keep the Internet open, free, and neutral. The countries that have signed the declaration include the US, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada and France. Called the ‘Declaration for the Future of the Internet’, the document is an agreement to prevent digital authoritarianism.
• According to a White House statement, “Globally, we are witnessing a trend of rising digital authoritarianism where some states act to repress freedom of expression, censor independent news sites, interfere with elections, promote disinformation, and deny their citizens other human rights. At the same time, millions of people still face barriers to access and cyber security risks and threats undermine the trust and reliability of networks”.
• India, China and Russia are among the large nations that are not part of this declaration.
• The Declaration’s principles include commitments to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, promote a global Internet that advances the free flow of information, advancing “inclusive and affordable” connectivity, promote trust in the global digital ecosystem, including through protection of privacy and protecting and strengthening the multi stakeholder approach to governance that keeps the Internet running for the benefit of all.

3. MISSION SAGAR IX

THE CONTEXT: With the overarching aim of providing critical medical aid to Sri Lanka during the ongoing crisis, INS Gharial as part of Mission SAGAR IX arrived at Colombo on 29 Apr 22 and delivered over 760 kgs of 107 types of critical lifesaving medicines

THE EXPLANATION:

• In line with GoI’s vision of SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region – the Indian Navy undertakes several deployments titled ‘Mission SAGAR’ to assist friendly IOR littorals. Since May 2020, Indian Navy has successfully concluded eight such missions, deploying ten ships to 18 Friendly Foreign Countries.
• With a steadfast intent of delivering a high quantum of humanitarian assistance to our neighbors, personnel from ships and shore organizations of Indian Navy have invested close to a million man-hours to bring succor to our friends, overseas.

Value Addition:

Mission SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)

• SAGAR is a term coined by Prime Minister in 2015 during his Mauritius visit with a focus on the blue economy.
• It is a maritime initiative which gives priority to the Indian Ocean region for ensuring peace, stability and prosperity of India in the Indian Ocean region.
• The goal is to seek a climate of trust and transparency; respect for international maritime rules and norms by all countries; sensitivity to each other`s interests; peaceful resolution of maritime issues; and increase in maritime cooperation.
• It is in line with the principles of the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

 THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. NABARD PLANS FARMER DISTRESS INDEX

THE CONTEXT: With small and marginal farmers getting a raw deal in farm loan waivers, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is planning to formulate a farmer distress index (FDI) to track, identify and support the real needy and distressed farmers.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to a study jointly conducted by NABARD and Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS), a farmers producers’ organization, in Punjab, more than 60 percent of the ‘very high’ and ‘high’ distress small and marginal farmers (SMFs) did not receive farm loan waiver (FLW) benefits. The exclusion rate was also 60 percent for the medium distress category SMFs.
• In Maharashtra, SMFs that were relatively better off as they were categorized as ‘low’ distress received the maximum FLW benefits. Close to 42 percent of the SMF whose distress category was ‘very high’ did not receive FLW benefits.
• In UP, 47 percent of the ‘very high distress’ category, and 45 percent of the ‘high distress’ category SMF did not receive FLW benefits. In the three states together, more than 40 percent of the ‘very high distress’ farmers did not receive any FLW benefits.
• NABARD study says this farmer distress index can integrate the available high-frequency data on key agricultural variables like deviation of monsoon rains, excessive rainfall, drought and dry spells, variations in temperature and soil moisture, yield of major crops in the district, proportion of area under irrigation, depth of underground water, unusual frost, marketing opportunities available to the farmer that may include the proportion of wheat, paddy, chana, tur, groundnut, soybean etc. produced and procured at MSP.
• NABARD also noted that “Use of weather data derived from remote sensing technology, automatic weather stations, mobile telephony and artificial intelligence can help in identifying the distressed villages”.
• “Use of data of claims received for crop insurance is also likely to help in identification of distressed regions. These can be tracked on a real-time basis and be used to monitor and predict the level of farmer distress,” the study said.
• Technology breakthroughs like use of space technology, AI and block chain in agriculture can be harnessed to bring dynamism and credibility to the system.
• Further, depending on the kind and severity of distress, the support can be given as a combination of unconditional grants, loan restructuring and/or a complete debt waiver. The assistance to individual farmers can be based on a combination of district index and individual farmers’ distress captured via irrigation status of his land, income from crops grown by him, average productivity of the district and the average price in APMC markets of this district as compared to the average price of the state.

VALUE ADDTION:

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

• NABARD is a development bank focusing primarily on the rural sector of the country. It is the apex banking institution to provide finance for Agriculture and rural development. It headquarter is located in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital.
• It is responsible for the development of the small industries, cottage industries, and any other such village or rural projects.
• It is a statutory body established in 1982 under Parliamentary act-National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981.

NABARD and RBI

• Reserve Bank of India is the central bank of the country with sole right to regulate the banking industry and supervise the various institutions/banks
• This also include NABARD defined under Banking Regulation Act of 1949.
• RBI provides 3 directors to NABARD’s Board of Directors.
• NABARD provides recommendations to Reserve Bank of India on issue of licenses to Cooperative Banks, opening of new branches by State Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).

5. CORE INDUSTRIES GROW BY 10.4% DURING FY 2021-22

THE CONTEXT: According to DPIIT, cumulative growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) during April-March 2021-22 was 10.4% (provisional) as compared to the corresponding period of last Financial Year. The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stood at 157.3 in March 2022, which increased by 4.3 per cent (provisional) as compared to the Index of March 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Final growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries for December 2021 is revised to 4.1% from its provisional level 8%.
• The Office of Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade released the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for the Month of March 2022. ICI measures combined and individual performance of production in selected eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The Eight Core Industries comprise 27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). Details of yearly and monthly indices and growth rates are provided at Annex I & II respectively.
• The production of Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity industries increased in March 2022 over the corresponding period of last year (2021).

The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries is given below:

1. Coal – Coal production (weight: 10.33 per cent) declined by 0.1 percent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
2. Crude Oil – Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 per cent) declined by 3.4 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
3. Natural Gas – Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88 per cent) increased by 7.6 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
4. Petroleum Refinery Products – Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04 per cent) increased by 6.2 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
5. Fertilizers – Fertilizers production (weight: 2.63 per cent) increased by 15.3 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
6. Steel – Steel production (weight: 17.92 per cent) increased by 3.7 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
7. Cement – Cement production (weight: 5.37 per cent) increased by 8.8 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.
8. Electricity – Electricity generation (weight: 19.85 per cent) increased by 4.9 per cent in March, 2022 over March, 2021.

VALUE ADDITION:

• The eight industries have a combined share of 27 per cent in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which gives the growth rates of different industry groups in a specified period.

Eight core industries weightage

• The eight Core Industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN NEWS

6. GOOGLE SIGNS MOU WITH TELANGANA GOVERNMENT

THE CONTEXT: Technology giant Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Telangana government to bring benefits of digital economy to youth and women entrepreneurs.

THE EXPLANATION:

• As part of the partnership, Google will collaborate with the State through its various arms to extend scholarships for Google Career Certificates to Telangana’s youth, support women entrepreneurs through digital, business and financial skills training, and strengthen the government’s school modernization efforts with digital teaching and learning tools and solutions.
• As part of the joint effort, Google will also support the Telangana government’s efforts to improve public transportation and use of digital technologies in agriculture.

Expanding presence in Telangana

• The company also unveiled the design of its ground-up development at the 7.3-acre site it acquired in Gachibowli in 2019. Upon commissioning, the three million square foot building will offer a highly skilled tech workforce a healthy, collaborative workplace that is both resilient and adaptable, designed to serve the city for years to come.

Components of the MoU

Google will collaborate with the Telangana government to:

• Provide Google Career Certificate Scholarships to undeserved youth: Google will collaborate with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge to provide scholarships and wrap-around training for pursuing Google Career Certificates in high demand fields like IT Support, IT Automation, UX Design, Data Analytics, and Project Management.
• Roll out Women Will programme to equip women with training and tools for their entrepreneurship journeys: Together with WE-Hub, Google will roll out its Women Will programme to deliver digital, business and financial skills to nano, micro and small women-led businesses and entrepreneurs across Telangana.
• Empower public schools with digital education through Google for Education’s shareable devices and collaborative tools: Google for Education will partner in the State’s education modernization efforts through needs assessment, impact demonstrations, and student and educator training on the use of e-Learning technologies for improved learning outcomes.

 THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q1. Which of the following statements is correct?

a) The chief justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the chief justice of India and the governor of the state concerned.

b) Constitution has prescribed minimum age for appointment as a judge of a high court.

c) Constitution prescribes a fixed tenure of a judge of a high court.

d) Constitution prescribes the procedure relating to the removal of a judge of a high court by the process of impeachment.

ANSWER FOR 29TH APRIL 2022

Q1. Answer: D

Explanation:

• Odissi dance uses Jayadeva’s ‘Gita Govinda’ extensively.

Q2. Answer: B

Explanation:

• Giddha, Sammi, and Kikli are folk dances from Punjab state.

THE GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND INTERVENTION

1. CABINET APPROVES NUTRIENT BASED SUBSIDY (NBS) RATES FOR PHOSPHATIC AND POTASSIC (P&K) FERTILIZERS FOR KHARIF SEASON

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet chaired has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers for Kharif Season – 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

Financial Implications:

Subsidy approved by Cabinet for the NBS Kharif-2022 will be Rs. 60,939.23 Crores including support for indigenous fertilizer (SSP) through freight subsidy and additional support for indigenous manufacturing and imports of DAP.

Benefits:

• The increase in the international prices of Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and its raw materials have been primarily absorbed by the Union Government. The Union Government has decided to provide subsidy of Rs. 2501 per bag on DAP instead of existing subsidy of Rs.1650 per bag which is a 50% increase over the last year’s subsidy rates (2021).
• The increase in the prices of DAP & its raw material is in the range of approx. 80%. It will help farmers to receive notified P&K fertilizers on subsidized, affordable and reasonable rates and support the agriculture sector.

Implementation Strategy and targets:

The subsidy on P&K fertilizers will be provided based on the NBS rates for Kharif season -2022 to ensure smooth availability of these fertilizers to the farmers at affordable prices.

Background:

• Government is making available fertilizers, namely Urea and 25 grades of P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer manufacturers/ importers. The subsidy on P&K fertilizers is being governed by NBS Scheme w.e.f 01.04.2010.
• In accordance with its farmer friendly approach, the Govt. is committed to ensure the availability of P&K fertilizers to the farmers at affordable prices. In view of steep increase in the international prices of fertilizers & inputs i.e. Urea, DAP, MOP and Sulphur, Government has decided to absorb the increased prices by increasing subsidy on P&K fertilizers including DAP.
• The subsidy would be released to fertilizer companies as per approved rates so that they can make available fertilizers to farmers at an affordable price than it would have been otherwise.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. INDIA’S DESIGNATION BY THE USCIRF

THE CONTEXT: The 2022 Annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that India be designated a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), i.e., the category of governments performing most poorly on religious freedom criteria.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It has also called for “targeted sanctions” on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry” into the U.S.

What is the USCIRF?

• The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan body created by the International Religious Freedom Act, 1998 (IRFA) with a mandate to monitor religious freedom violations globally and make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. It is a congressionally created entity and not an NGO or advocacy organisation.
• It is led by nine part-time commissioners appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the House and the Senate.

What does a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC) designation mean?

• IRFA requires the USCIRF to annually identify countries that merit a CPC designation. As per IRFA, CPCs are countries whose governments either engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations” of religious freedom, which are defined as “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of the internationally recognized right to freedom of religion”.
• The other designation, for less serious violations, is Special Watch List (SWL).

Which other countries have been designated as CPCs?

• For 2022, based on religious freedom conditions in 2021, a total of 15 countries have been recommended for the CPC designation. They include India, Pakistan, Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam.
• Countries recommended for an SWL designation include Algeria, Cuba, Nicaragua, Azerbaijan, Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

Why does USCIRF want India to be designated as a CPC?

• The USCIRF, in its annual report, states that in 2021, “religious freedom conditions in India significantly worsened.”
• Noting that the “Indian government escalated its promotion and enforcement of policies —including those promoting a Hindu-nationalist agenda — that negatively affect Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious minorities,” the report observed that “the government continued to systemise its ideological vision of a Hindu state at both the national and State levels through the use of both existing and new laws and structural changes hostile to the country’s religious minorities.”
• It highlighted the use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against those documenting religious persecution and violence, detailed the creation of “hurdles against the licensure and receipt of international funding” by religious and charitable NGOs, and observed that “numerous attacks were made on religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, and their neighborhoods, businesses, homes, and houses of worship”. It also criticized the spate of fresh anti-conversion legislation’s, noting that “national, State and local governments demonized and attacked the conversion of Hindus to Christianity or Islam.”
• Taking into account all these aspects, it concluded that India met the criteria of “systematic, ongoing, egregious” violations of religious freedom and therefore deserved a CPC designation.

3. INDIA APPROVES NEW EMBASSY IN LITHUANIA

THE CONTEXT: The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to open a new Indian embassy in Lithuania, the first full-fledged embassy in the Baltic region, currently at the forefront of forging a more aggressive European position against Russia over the Ukraine war. Lithuania is also at the centre of a diplomatic spat with China over the opening of a de-facto embassy by Taiwan.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Indian government said the opening of the mission in Lithuania would help India expand its political, strategic and economic engagements with that country.
• “Opening of the Indian mission in Lithuania will help expand India’s diplomatic footprint, deepen political relations and strategic cooperation, enable the growth of bilateral trade, investment and economic engagements and facilitate stronger people-to-people contacts”.
• The government said setting up the mission will provide more sustained political outreach and help garner support for India’s foreign policy objectives.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. INDONESIA’S PALM OIL EXPORT BAN

THE CONTEXT: Indonesia began imposing a complete ban on palm oil exports as the world’s largest producer of the commodity risked destabilising a global vegetable oil market already hitting peak prices.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The archipelago nation is facing a shortage of domestic supplies of cooking oil and soaring prices, with consumers in several cities having to wait for hours in front of distribution centres to buy the essential commodity at subsidised rates.
• Authorities in Southeast Asia’s most populous country fear the scarcity and rising costs could provoke social tensions and have moved to secure supplies of the product, which is used in a range of goods such as chocolate spreads and cosmetics.

How important is palm oil to global supply chains?

• Palm oil is the world’s most widely used vegetable oil with its global production in the year 2020 being over 73 million tonnes (MT), according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• It is estimated to be 77 million tonnes for the current year. Made from the African oil palm, it is used as cooking oil, and in everything from cosmetics, processed foods, cakes, chocolates, spreads, soaps, shampoo, and cleaning products to bio fuel.
• Indonesia and Malaysia together account for almost 90% of the global palm oil production, with Indonesia producing the largest quantity at over 45 million tonnes in 2021.

According to data, palm oil makes up 40% of the global supply of the four most widely used edible oils: palm, soybean, rapeseed (canola), and sunflower oil. Indonesia is responsible for 60% of the global supply of palm oil. India is the biggest importer of palm oil.

• The months-long shortage has been exacerbated by poor regulation and producers who are reluctant to sell at home because high international prices have made exports more profitable.
• Jakarta plans to resume exports when the price of bulk cooking oil in local markets has fallen to 14,000 rupiah (97 cents) per litre, having rocketed 70 percent in recent weeks to 26,000 rupiah ($1.80).
• Vegetable oils are among a number of staple food items that have seen prices hit record highs in recent weeks, following Russia’s invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

How will it impact India?

• India is the biggest importer of palm oil, which makes up 40% of its vegetable oil consumption, as per the USDA. India meets half of its annual need for 8.3 million tonnes of palm oil from Indonesia. In 2021, the Centre also unveiled its plan to boost India’s domestic palm oil production.
• Already grappling with record-high wholesale inflation, the late January (2021) export controls exercised by Indonesia had led to a 38% rise in the landed cost of CPO in India. The price of soybean oil, most consumed after palm, rose by 29% in the country this year; while sunflower oil, 90% of which India gets from Russia and Ukraine, stopped coming in almost completely.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN THE NEWS

5. J&K HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT APPROVED

THE CONTEXT: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the investment of Rs 4,526.12 crore for the 540 MW Kwar Hydro-electric project located on Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

THE EXPLANATION:

• This is part of the Indus basin and would be one of the at least four projects coming up in the district, including the 1,000 MWs PakalDul hydroelectric project and 624 MWs run-of-the-river Kiru hydroelectric project.
• Under the 1960 vintage Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan, the two countries share the waters of six rivers in the Indus basin that flow through India towards Pakistan. Of these, India has complete rights over three eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, while Pakistan has rights over the western rivers – Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus.
• India can, however, build run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers. Over the last five years, the government has been on an approval and construction spree to fully tap the potential in the Indian side of the Indus basin.
• The Kwar hydropower project will be implemented by Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Ltd (CVPPL), a joint venture company between NHPC Ltd and Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) with equity contributions of 51 percent and 49 percent respectively. The project shall generate 1,975.54 million units in a 90 percent dependable year.

 VALUE ADDITION:

THE NEWS IN NUMBERS

6. REAL ESTATE GROWTH

Around 65,000 crore, the expected growth of Indian real estate (RE) by 2040, according to a report by consultancy firm CIRIL. By 2025, the sector is expected to contribute 13% of the country’s GDP (Gross domestic product). In 2019, the size of the RE market was ₹12,000 crore. Despite fears related to the Omicron crisis, the market in 2022 looked bullish while demand is accelerating across all categories, the report added.

7. DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT

20 million of women certified to be digitally literate in India under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) programme dedicated to digital literacy, according to Union Ministry of Women and Child Development of India and it aims to empower people in rural areas by training them to operate computers or digital access devices (like tablets, smartphones, etc.), send and receive e-mails, browse the internet, access government services, and undertake digital payment, among others

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. The government of India recently approved the construction of Kwar hydro-electric project across which of the following rivers?

1. Jhelum river
2. Chenab river
3. Beas river
4. Ravi river

ANSWER FOR 27TH APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: After rising in 2020 for the first time since 2015, total coal power capacity under development slid last year to a record low of 457 gigawatts(GW), from 525 gigawatts.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: China-led global coal power expansion in 2021, with about 25,000 MW of new plants, followed by India with about 6,100 MW, re- ported the Global Energy Monitor which conducts an annual survey of coal power capacity under development or deployment.

GEOGRAPHY: NATURAL RESOURCES

1. GLOBAL COAL PLANT CAPACITY DIPS IN 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to a report by the Global Energy Monitor, Global coal-plant capacity under development declined in 2021, which conducts an annual survey of coal power capacity under development or deployment. China leads in coal power expansion, with about 25,000 MW in new coal plants, followed by India with around 6,100 MW.

THE EXPLANATION:

After rising in 2020 for the first time since 2015, total coal power capacity under development declined 13% last year, from 525 gigawatts (GW) to 457 GW, a record low. 1 GW is 1,000 MW.

• Thirty-four countries have new coal plants under consideration, down from 41 countries in January 2021. China, South Korea, and Japan have pledged to stop funding new coal plants in other countries, but China continued to lead all countries in domestic development of new coal plants, commissioning more coal capacity than the rest of the world combined.
• In all, 45,000 MW of global coal power capacity — a little over half of which was from China — was commissioned in 2021 while 26,8000 MW was retired, causing a net increase in the global coal fleet of 18,200 MW. In 2020, the net increase was 11,500 MW, which was the result of 56,800 MW in new capacity and 45,300 MW of global retirements.
• The report comes on the back of an influential report earlier this month from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which showed there was no carbon budget left to accommodate new coal plants, and that coal use needed to fall by 75% by 2030 (from 2019 levels) to limit global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Watershed year

• 2021 was a significant year in the continued global shift away from new coal power, with multiple countries making significant public commitments to pivot their energy futures and swathes of pre-construction coal capacity cancelled.
• In all, 65 countries have made commitments not to build new plants — up from 36 in January 2021. This is almost a doubling of the number of countries turning away from new coal in just a single year. Many countries have now scrapped their proposed coal projects and several others have indicated their intent to do the same.
• The European Union’s 27 member states retired a record 12.9 GW in 2021, with the most retirements in Germany (5.8 GW), Spain (1.7 GW), and Portugal (1.9 GW). Portugal became coal free in November 2021, nine years before its targeted 2030 phase-out date.
• There has been a 77% fall in coal plant capacity in pre-construction since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

 On track in India

• However, India has also insisted that its right to use coal be recognised in the context of principles of climate justice. From 2015 to 2021, pre-construction coal power capacity in the country decreased nearly 90%, from approximately 238.6 GW in 2015, to 36.6 GW in 2020 — and down an additional 12.7 GW in 2021, to 23.8 GW. 1 GW is 1000 MW.
• Despite the phase-down of new coal, more than 23.8 GW of planned capacity remains, with more than half (12.6 GW or 52%) permitted; 31.3 GW under construction; and few if any plants with firm retirement dates. The Environment Ministry has introduced more stringent pollution standards for coal plants in 2015, but the deadline to comply with the standards has been repeatedly delayed.

2. RETHINK SAND USE, MOVE TO CIRCULAR ECONOMY: UNEP

THE CONTEXT: The report released by UNEP’s Global Resource Information Database-Geneva team provides necessary guidance gathered from world experts to switch to improved practices for the extraction and management of soil.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The world needs to rethink the extraction and use of sand, the second-most used resource globally, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlighted in a new report.
• Extracting sand where it plays an active role, such as rivers and coastal or marine ecosystems, can cause a series of damages to the environment, according to Sand and Sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis. The damages include
• Erosion
• Salination of aquifers
• Loss of protection against storm surges
• Impacts on biodiversity

These challenges pose a threat to livelihoods through water supply, food production, fisheries, or to the tourism industry, the report said.

• Around 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel is used every year, which is enough to build a wall 27 metres wide and 27 metres high around Earth, according to UNEP. Sand is being used faster than it can be naturally replenished, so its responsible management is crucial, it added.
• Sand must be recognised as a strategic resource, not only as a material for construction, but also for its multiple roles in the environment, said the authors of the report.
• They stressed that governments, industries and consumers should price sand in a way that recognises its true social and environmental value.
• Extraction of sand from beaches should be banned due to its importance for coastal resilience, the environment and the economy, the report recommended. It is the “most cost-effective strategy for adapting to climate change due to how it protects against storm surges and impacts from sea level rise”, the body observed.
• An international standard on how sand is extracted from the marine environment should be developed, UNEP proposed in the report. This can bring about dramatic improvements as most marine dredging is done through public tenders open to international companies.
• The need for new institutional and legal structures for better governance of the resource and involvement of stakeholders and need for “place-based approaches” for better management of the resource, the report underlined.
• Sand provides “breeding grounds for diverse flora and fauna, and it also plays a vital function in supporting biodiversity, including marine plants that act as carbon sinks or filter water”, the report said, stressing why sand is important for sustaining life on earth.
• Solutions exist for moving towards a circular economy for sand, such as banning the landfilling of mineral waste and encouraging sand to be reused in public procurement contracts, the report highlighted.
• Alternatives to sand like crushed rock or recycled construction and demolition material, as well as ‘ore-sand’ from mine-tailings can also help in the transition.

THE HEALTH ISSUES

3. CHINA REPORTS FIRST HUMAN CASE OF H3N8 BIRD FLU

THE CONTEXT: According to the country’s health authority, China has recorded the first human infection with the H3N8 strain of bird flu, but the risk of it spreading among people was low.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the country’s health authority, the H3N8 variant has previously been detected elsewhere in the world in horses, dogs, birds and seals but no human cases of H3N8 have been reported.
• China has huge populations of both farmed and wild birds of many species, creating an ideal environment for avian viruses to mix and mutate.
• Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.

Background:

• The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centres for Disease Control.
• Human infections of zoonotic, or animal-borne, influenzas are “primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in efficient transmission of these viruses between people”, according to the World Health Organisation.
• In 2012, H3N8 was blamed for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the north-eastern coast of the United States after it caused deadly pneumonia in the animals.

 Value Addition:

What is avian influenza?

• Avian Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease that affects both domestic and wild birds. Avian Influenza viruses have also been isolated, although less frequently, from mammalian species, including rats, mice, weasels, ferrets, pigs, cats, tigers, dogs and horses, as well as from humans.
• Circulation of avian influenza viruses is not a new phenomenon. There are many descriptions of historical outbreaks of avian influenza disseminating within domestic poultry flocks in the literature. AI occurs worldwide and different strains are more prevalent in certain areas of the world than others.
• Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds. Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza. There are many AI virus strains, which are usually classified into two categories, low pathogenic (LPAI) strains, which typically cause few or no clinical signs in poultry and highly pathogenic (HPAI) strains, which can cause severe clinical signs and potentially high mortality rates among poultry

There are 4 types of influenza:

• Influenza A viruses infect humans and many different animals. The emergence of a new and very different influenza A virus with the ability to infect people and have sustained human-to-human transmission can cause an influenza pandemic.
• Influenza B viruses circulate among humans and cause seasonal epidemics. Recent data showed seals also can be infected.
• Influenza C viruses can infect both humans and pigs but infections are generally mild and are rarely reported.
• Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. EXPLAINED: WHY IS MAHARASHTRA EXPERIENCING A HEATWAVE AGAIN?

THE CONTEXT: A heatwave has gripped the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra. This is the fourth heatwave in the last two months and the second in April 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

The state’s highest maximum temperatures (in degrees Celsius) were recorded at Brahmapuri (44.7), followed by Akola (44.5), Chandrapur and Wardha (44.4 each), Gondiya (43.5), Amravati (43.2), Nagpur, Washim and Parbhani (43 each), Ahmednagar (42.3) and Solapur (41.4).

What is a heatwave?

• A region is under the grip of a heatwave if the maximum temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius or more in the plains and at least 30 degrees Celsius or more in hilly regions. When the maximum temperature departure ranges between 4.5 and 6 degrees, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares a heatwave.
• A severe heatwave is declared when the recorded maximum temperature of a locality departure from normal is over 6.4 degrees Celsius. Also, if an area records over 45 degrees and 47 degrees Celsius on any given day, then the IMD declares heatwave and severe heatwave conditions, respectively.

Lack of pre-monsoon showers

Except for the southern peninsula and northeast regions, the weather has remained dry across the rest of the country. Once, in the last week, parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi reported light to moderate rainfall. The lack of pre-monsoon showers has also led to an increase in the overall maximum temperature. Maharashtra recorded 63 per cent deficient rainfall from March 1 to April 26, 2022.

What’s the weather forecast for Maharashtra?

• The IMD has said heatwave conditions are very likely to prevail in isolated pockets of Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha. Maximum temperatures will remain above normal to appreciably above normal during this season.

5. WORLD WILL FACE AT LEAST 560 CLIMATE DISASTERS EVERY YEAR BY 2030, WARNS UN

THE CONTEXT: According to a new report released by United Nations, the world will face around 560 disasters every year by 2030.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The world has experienced 350-500 medium- to large-scale disasters every year over the last 20 years, said the report published March 26, 2022. This is five times higher than the previous three decades, the Global Assessment Report (GAR 2022) released by the United Nations.
• The rapid rise in the disaster frequency can be attributed to climate change and inadequate risk management, according to the intergovernmental organisation. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) released the report ahead of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in May, 2022.

• Poor governance and risk management systems are fundamentally underestimating true global risk and putting all our socio-economic gains in danger, it noted.
• As the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework is underway, this report should be a wake-up call that countries need to accelerate action across the Framework’s four priorities to stop the spiral of increasing disasters.

Poverty burden will increase

• The frequent disasters will add to the poverty burden of the world, the report said. An additional 37.6 million people are estimated to be living in conditions of extreme poverty due to the impacts of climate change and disasters by 2030, it noted.
• A “worst case” scenario of climate change and disasters will push an additional 100.7 million into poverty by 2030, according to UN.
• The poorest are most vulnerable and will bear the brunt of the disasters, the analysis noted citing the INFORM Natural Hazard Risk Index. 
• A majority of countries that face a high disaster risk are also among those with the highest share of population living under the national poverty line, it said.
• These include the Philippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam from the Asia-Pacific region.

Around 90 per cent of the countries which are at a high risk according to the INFORM Natural Hazard Risk Index are middle- and lower-income countries, with an average national poverty rate of 34 per cent.

• In comparison, the countries which are supposedly under “low risk” have a poverty rate of less than one per cent.
• The poor are affected the most because of their high dependency on outdoor work like in agriculture or reliability on natural capital, both of which are vulnerable to a changing climate.
• With inadequate financial means to adapt, the poorest are most vulnerable in both the developing and developed nations, the UN report said.

Developing nations most vulnerable, not insured 

• Annual direct economic loss from disasters has more than doubled over the past three decades. It increased to over $170 billion in the 2010s from an average of around $70 billion in the 1990s.
• Just 40 per cent of all disaster-related losses were insured between 1980 and 2018.
• This means, 60 per cent of all disaster-related losses were not insured. Once again, there exists a wide inequality between the developed and developing nations.

Direct economic loss

• Global warming reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius in the near-term will cause unavoidable increases in multiple climate hazards and present multiple risks to ecosystems and humans, said the IPCC report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
• Around $170 billion per year has been the average cost of the natural disasters over the last decade, according to UN. Low-income and lower-middle income lose, on average, one per cent of their national GDP to disasters every year, compared to 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent in high-income countries and upper middle-income countries respectively.
• Of these, the greatest share of economic loss is borne by countries in the Asia and Pacific region, where the countries lose on average 1.6 per cent of GDP to disasters each year.
• Africa is the second-most affected region, losing an average of 0.6 per cent of GDP to disasters, the UN estimated. 
• The first four months of 2022 have been devastating for Africa, which faced at least six major climate-led disasters, including the recent floods in South Africa, the body noted.

The damaging floods in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa followed three tropical cyclones and two tropical storms that hit South-East Africa in just six weeks of the year.

Building back better

• A range of sectors, including the financial, governmental, development, insurance and risk management sectors, can stop this spiral of self-destruction and safeguard the future of the planet amid rising risks, the report suggested.
• Insurance is a key tool to adapt for building back from disasters, reminded the report. It is a wake-up call to adapt to “climate emergency” by estimating the disaster losses better, and insuring them.
• The recommendations in the report were built on the Glasgow Pact of the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that called for doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience.
• ‘Climate action failure’ has been identified as the number one global risk with potentially the most severe impact over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum.
• Lack of data will be a major obstacle to addressing the risks which are not measured well, the UN report flagged. “The basic data-collection systems of most countries are not yet able to fully track the extent of disaster damage and loss, the organisation noted.
• According to UN, there is also the need for governments and the financial industry to improve accounting of the financial assets at risk under various future climate change scenarios. Financial systems, including insurance, must be reworked to account for the real costs of risk, particularly long-term risks.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

6. CARBON DATING FINDS ASURGARH IS ODISHA’S OLDEST FORTIFIED SETTLEMENT

THE CONTEXT: The Asurgarh fortified settlement, which was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, has been ascertained to be the oldest among the major fortified settlements in the State. It dates back to the ninth century BC.

THE EXPLANATION:

• To determine the age of the ancient settlement, archaeologists deployed the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon technique, which established the Asurgarh era as spanning over three cultural phases from ninth century BC to second-third century AD.
• The Asurgarh era has been compared with early historic sites in Odisha such as Sisupalgarh (near Bhubaneswar); Jaugarh, a fortified settlement on the Rushikulya valley (Ganjam); Manamunda (Boudh); Khalkattapatna (Puri); the port site of Manikpatna (Puri); Radhanagar (Jajpur); Kharligarh (Balangir) and Budhigarh (Kalahandi). Excavations were carried out by scholars to find parallels with early civilisations such as the Harappan Civilisation.
• Modern carbon dating methods have not been used to determine age in any of the other excavation sites.
• The analysis of artifacts and materials suggest that local inhabitants might have started to carve out a rural settlement in the landscape around ninth century BC.
• Subsequently, the settlement might have expanded along with development of iron metallurgy between fourth century BC to second century AD. This era was contemporary to the Mauryan period. During second century AD to third-fourth century AD, the fortified settlement is believed to have lost steam. “It might have declined due to the territorial expansion of a neighbouring State like the Satavahana and early Gupta dynasties, or due to ecological changes.
• According to Archaeologist, a total number of 417 antiquities have been retrieved from the site. Beads of coral, lapis lazuli, carnelian, glass, jasper, garnet, shell, agate, milky quartz, terracotta, kaolin, and soft stone, and circular discs made out of potsherds and stone, form the richest collection among the antiquities.
• Apart from charcoal samples being tested by the AMS radiocarbon technique, there were relative dated objects such as a silver punch-marked coin of imperial variety, and bricks and terracotta roof tiles found at the site.

 VALUE ADDITION:

What is Carbon Dating?

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

How does it work?

• Radiocarbon dating works by comparing the three different isotopes of carbon. Isotopes of a particular element have the same number of protons in their nucleus but different numbers of neutrons. This means that although they are very similar chemically, they have different masses.

The total mass of the isotope is indicated by the numerical superscript. While the lighter isotopes 12C and 13C are stable, the heaviest isotope 14C (radiocarbon) is radioactive. This means its nucleus is so large that it is unstable.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about coal-based power plants in world:

1. Coal-plant capacity under development declined continuously in last five years.
2. In 2021, India had largest expansion of coal power followed by China.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 26TH APR 2022

1. Answer: D

Explanation:

• Cost disease also known as Baumol’s cost disease, refers to the increase in the wages of certain labourers even though their productivity or skill level has not risen commensurately.
• This happens because there is competition between various industries for the limited supply of labour. So, even if the productivity of their employees has not risen significantly, employers in many cases have no choice but to pay higher wages in order to prevent the movement of labourers to other higher-paying industries.
• Let’s take the case of an agricultural economy where wages are at a certain level. Now suppose that a manufacturing industry suddenly crops up and bids labour away from the agricultural sector. This will raise the wages of labourers and employers in the agricultural sector will have no choice but to pay higher wages to prevent all their labour from moving into the manufacturing industry.

2. ANSWER: A

EXPLANATION:

Please Refer the Map

THE GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. OLD PENSION SCHEME VS NEW PENSION SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh announced the restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees for the year 2022-2023.

THE EXPLANATION:

NPS vs OPS: The old pension scheme was done away with in December 2003 by the BJP-led central government when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister. Its substitute, the National Pension Scheme (NPS), took effect from April 1, 2004.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority:

• It is the statutory Authority established by an enactment of the Parliament, to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System (NPS).
• It works under the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance.
• It performs the function of appointing various intermediate agencies like Pension Fund Managers, Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) etc.
• It develops, promotes and regulates the pension industry under the NPS and also administers the Atal Pension Yojana.

2. ‘LABOUR PARTICIPATION DIPS TO 40% FROM 46% IN SIX YEARS’

THE CONTEXT: According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Only 40% of Indians of legal working age were employed or were looking for jobs in 2021-22. In comparison, the labour force participation rate was above 46% in 2016-17.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In absolute terms, India’s labour force has shrunk from about 445 million to 435 million in the six years. Currently, about 1,085 million Indians are aged 15 or above and can be legally employed.
• Labour force participation among women, which was already in low double digits, has declined further. In 2016-17, about 15% women were employed or looking for jobs. This metric dipped to 9.2% in 2021-22.
• Among men, the participation rate declined to 67%, from more than 74%. The dip in the participation rate was higher in the urban areas.
• The rate slid to 37.5% from 44.7% in urban areas — a more than seven percentage-point drop. The rate in rural areas fell to 41.4% from 46.9%. Of the 24 States with data, 23 saw participation rates decline in March 2022 compared with March 2016.
• The rate dropped in all the States, except in Rajasthan. The slide was more pronounced in two southern States, which had a high participation rate to start with.
• Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had participation rates of 54% and 56%, respectively, in March 2016, and witnessed the sharpest declines. Between 2016 and 2022, participation rates fell 20 percentage points and 17 percentage points for Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. THE QUARREL OVER KURIL ISLANDS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook for 2022 described the Kuril Islands (which Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia as the South Kurils) as being under Russia’s “illegal occupation”.

THE EXPLANATION:

This is the first time in about two decades that Japan has used this phrase to describe the dispute over the Kuril Islands. Japan had been using softer language since 2003, saying that the dispute over the islands was the greatest concern in Russia-Japan bilateral ties.

What are the Kuril Islands/ Northern Territories?

• These are a set of four islands situated between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean near the north of Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido. Both Moscow and Tokyo claim sovereignty over them though the islands have been under Russian control since the end of World War II.
• The Soviet Union had seized the islands at the end of World War II and by 1949 had expelled its Japanese residents. Tokyo claims that the disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.

What lies behind the dispute?

• According to Tokyo, Japan’s sovereignty over the islands is confirmed by several treaties like the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, the 1875 Treaty for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands (Treaty of St. Petersburg), and the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 signed after the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05 which Japan had won.
• Russia, on the other hand, claims the Yalta Agreement (1945) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945) as proof of its sovereignty and argues that the San Francisco Treaty of 1951 is legal evidence that Japan had acknowledged Russian sovereignty over the islands. Under Article 2 of the treaty, Japan had “renounced all right, title and claim to the Kuril Islands.”
• However, Japan argues that the San Francisco Treaty cannot be used here as the Soviet Union never signed the peace treaty. Japan also refuses to concede that the four disputed islands were in fact part of the Kuril chain.

Have there been attempts at resolution?

• Since 1991, there have been many attempts to resolve the dispute and sign a peace treaty. The most recent attempt was under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when joint economic development of the disputed islands was explored. In fact, both countries had agreed to have bilateral negotiations based on the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration.
• Russia was even willing to give back two islands, the Shikotan Island and the Habomai islets, to Japan after the conclusion of a peace treaty as per the 1956 declaration.
• Japan’s attempt to improve ties with Russia was driven by its need to diversify energy sources and Russia by its need to diversify its basket of buyers and bring in foreign investments. But nationalist sentiments on both sides prevented resolution of the dispute.

What next?

• Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Japan made its unhappiness with Russia clear with its Foreign Minister Hideki Uyama, saying that Russia had “occupied” the southern part of the Kuril Islands, thereby violating international law.
• Japan has been among the most steadfast of Western allies in denouncing Russian aggression and punishing it with sanctions.
• The recent statement in its Diplomatic Bluebook will further damage relations between the two countries. Japan has probably been spurred by its fears of a Russia-China alliance as Japan itself has territorial disputes and an uneasy history with China.
• Secondly, Japan might have felt that this is a good opportunity to further isolate Russia and paint it as a “habitual offender” of international law.
• Finally, Tokyo might have been prompted to take this position as it feels that the invasion of Ukraine proves that getting back the Kuril Islands is a lost cause. Japan’s policy shift on the Kuril Islands will only embitter bilateral relations with Russia while advancing the possibility of its two neighbours, China and Russia, coming together against it.

 THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. FOREST FIRES CAN BE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN REDUCING SOLAR POWER PRODUCTION IN INDIA

THE CONTEXT: A new study has found that forest fires which plague different parts of India, especially during the summer season play a major role in reducing solar power production in India.

THE EXPLANATION:

Analysis of the energy and financial losses due to the direct and indirect effects of forest fires on the production of solar plants can help grid operators to plan and schedule power generation, as also the distribution, supply, security, and overall stability of power production.

• Recently, solar energy generation has been widely used in developing countries such as India which has sufficient solar resources. However, several factors like clouds, aerosols, and pollution generated from various sources limit the solar irradiance causing performance issues in the photovoltaic and concentrated solar power plant installations. Large-scale development of a solar energy system requires proper planning, and there is a need to estimate the solar potential.
• Keeping this in mind, a group of researchers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital an autonomous research institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Govt. of India, and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), Greece tried to trace the factors that reduce solar energy production. They found that apart from clouds and aerosols, forest fires play a very crucial role in reducing solar energy production.
• The study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing shows that the aerosol optical depth values were up to 1.8 during the study period (January to April 2021), during which massive forest fire events led to attenuation of total solar radiation incident on a horizontal surface (global horizontal irradiance- GHI ) and solar radiation received from the sun without having been scattered (beam horizontal irradiance –BHI) by 0 to 45%. During this period the air masses were renewed quickly mitigating the smoke contribution to the total aerosol loads and were dominated by continental pollution.
• The scientists used remote sensing data for the research and studied the impact of aerosols and clouds on the solar energy potential over the Indian region with extensive analysis and model simulations. They also provided an analytical financial analysis in terms of revenue and losses due to clouds and aerosols.
• The findings of the present study will drastically increase the awareness among decision-makers about the effect of forest fires on energy management and planning at a country level. In addition, this research can support the mitigation processes and policies for climate change and its direct and indirect impacts on sustainable development.

Financial analysis of the aerosol, dust, and cloud impacts on the produced solar energy during January to April 2021. The impact was quantified in terms of daily mean and total energy losses, financial losses, and solar energy potential.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

5. ENABLING RURAL WOMEN

10 crores of women connected by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) who set the target of “Mission ₹1 lakh”, aimed at raising the annual income of women under self-help groups and boosting economic activity in rural areas across India. According to the Ministry for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj called upon the panchayats to ensure public welfare through empowerment, public participation, transparency and use of technology. Mission ₹1 lakh is an initiative aimed at enabling rural SHG women.

6. INCREASE IN INDIA’S MILITARY EXPENDITURE

• There is an 0.9 percentage, the increase in India’s military expenditure to $76.6 billion in 2021 when compared to 2020, according to a report released by defence think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

• China, the world’s second-largest spender, allocated an estimated $293 billion to its military in 2021, an increase of 4.7%from 2020 and 72% from 2012, the report added. The militaries of India and China have been in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the last 23 months.

7. NATURAL FARMING

According to Agricultural Ministry, 4 lakh hectares, the land brought under natural farming so far as part of a sub-scheme of the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, and it was the need of the hour to do farming that works in harmony with nature, reduces the cost of production, and ensures good-quality produce and profits to farmers. Noted that Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Haryana and Gujarat were gradually adapting to natural farming.

8. TIGER DEATHS

The 17 tigers to have died in Madhya Pradesh in the last 107 days, including three due to poaching, according to an official. A tigress cub was found dead in the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh Reserve in what may have been the handiwork of an adult tiger. Between January and December 2021, the State had lost 42 tigers, the biggest chunk of the 127 deaths nationwide reported by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Q1. In the field of economy, which of the following best explains meaning of term ‘cost disease’?

a) Increase in the cost of goods and services even if there is no increase in demand.

b) Selling of goods at low cost due to weak demand.

c) Increase in the cost of goods due to hoarding by traders.

d) Increase in the wages of certain laborer’s even though their productivity or skill level has not risen commensurately.

Q2. Kuril Islands, recently seen in news, are situated between

a) The Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean

b)The Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean

c) The Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan

d) The Sea of Japan and the East China Sea

ANSWER FOR 25TH APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation carries out an all-India survey on household consumption expenditure.

THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. STUDY FLAGS POOR CONTROL OF BLOOD SUGAR IN INDIANS

THE CONTEXT: According to a recent paper published in the Lancet- Diabetes and Endocrinology, only over 7% of over 5,297 individuals in India with diabetes were able to achieve their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol targets.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The latest results of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-India Diabetes (INDIAB) study, conducted in 27 states (unified Andhra Pradesh), two Union Territories and the National Captial Territory over several rounds for the last decade, have stressed the need to have better control over various health parameters that impact mortality and quality of life.
• The report “Achievement of guideline recommended diabetes treatment targets and health habits in people with self-reported diabetes in India (ICMR-INDIAB-13): a national cross-sectional study” reasons that achievement of treatment targets remains sub optimal in India, in a pan-Indian study, and goes on to provide hints for shaping the health care response to the crises. The total sample size was 1, 13,043.
• Also, the study used Census data for population distribution, socio-economic factors. For the outcome assessment, good glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c of less than 7·0% (A), blood pressure control was defined as less than 140/90 mm Hg (B), and the LDL cholesterol target was defined as less than 100 mg/dL (C). ABC control was defined as the proportion of individuals meeting glycaemic, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol targets together.
• Only just over 36 %, 95% CI 34·7–37·9) of 4834 people with diabetes achieved good glycaemic (blood sugar) control, over 48% achieved blood pressure control, and 41·5%, achieved good LDL cholesterol control.

Education matters

• Higher education, male sex, rural residence, and shorter duration of diabetes (under 10 years) were associated with better achievement of combined achievement of targets.
• The results of the study, of significance to each State, had been handed over to the respective State governments. There is also a plan to go back and study as a follow up, the participants who had been enrolled in the trial.
• Among the key interventions that the researchers indicated as possible at this stage, at a governmental level, is improving education about diabetes, and its attendant conditions, making health care easily available and accessible to all, and ensuring monitoring of the condition.

THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS AND POLICIES

2. NITI AAYOG RELEASES DRAFT BATTERY SWAPPING POLICY

THE CONTEXT: Government think-tank, Niti Aayog has prepared a draft battery swapping policy, under which it has proposed offering incentives to electric vehicles (EVs) with swappable batteries, subsidies to companies manufacturing swappable batteries, a new battery-as-a-service business model, and standards for interoperable batteries, among other measures.

THE EXPLANATION:

The policy is targeted at supporting the adoption of battery-swapping, primarily for battery swapping systems used in electric scooters and three-wheeler electric rickshaws.

What are some of the key proposals?

• The draft policy has suggested that the GST Council consider reducing the differential across the tax rates on Lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicle supply equipment. Currently, the tax rate on the former is 18 per cent, and 5 per cent on the latter.
• The policy also proposes to offer the same incentives available to electric vehicles that come pre-equipped with a fixed battery to electric vehicles with swappable batteries. “The size of the incentive could be determined based on the kWh (kilowatt hour) rating of the battery and compatible EV,” the draft policy states.
• The government will also specify a minimum contract duration for a contract to be signed between EV users and battery providers to ensure they continue to provide battery swapping services after receiving the subsidy.
• The policy also requires state governments to ensure public battery charging stations are eligible for EV power connections with concessional tariffs. It also proposes to bring such stations under existing or future time-of-day (ToD) tariff regimes, so that the swappable batteries can be charged during off-peak periods when electricity tariffs are low.
• Transport Departments and State Transport Authorities will be responsible for easing registration processes for vehicles sold without batteries or for vehicles with battery swapping functionality. Municipal corporations will be responsible for planning, zoning permissions and land allocation for battery swapping stations.
• The policy also proposes to assign a unique identification number (UIN) to swappable batteries at the manufacturing stage to help track and monitor them. Similarly, a UIN number will be assigned to each battery swapping station. It also proposes to install battery swapping stations at several locations like retail fuel outlets, public parking areas, malls, kirana shops and general stores etc.

Does the draft policy talk about EV safety?

• To ensure a high level of protection at the electrical interface, a rigorous testing protocol will be adopted, the draft said, to avoid any unwanted temperature rise at the electrical interface. The battery management system, which is a software that controls battery functions, will have to be self-certified and open for testing to check its compatibility with various systems, and capability to meet safety requirements, it added.
• “Batteries shall be tested and certified as per AIS 156 (2020) and AIS 038 Rev 2 (2020) standards for safety of traction battery packs, as well as additional tests that may be prescribed for swappable batteries which are subject to multiple coupling/decoupling processes at the connectors,” the draft said.
• Additionally, for better protection of assets, swappable batteries will have to be equipped with advanced features like IoT-based battery monitoring systems, remote monitoring and immobilisation capabilities.
• The Aayog has proposed that all metropolitan cities with a population of more than 40 lakh will be prioritised for the development of battery swapping networks under the first phase, which is within 1-2 years of the draft policy getting finalised. Other major cities such as state capitals with a population greater than 5 lakh will be covered under the second phase.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. DEFENCE MINISTER ROLLS OUT SCHEMES FOR DEFENCE START-UPS

THE CONTEXT: In a bid to support Indian startups, Defence Minister has launched the sixth edition of the Defence Indian Startup Challenge (DISC) under the iDEX programme.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In this challenge, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be backing startups that can offer software solutions such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced imaging, sensor systems, big data analytics, autonomous unmanned systems and secured communication systems to the Indian military.
• Under this challenge, MoD aims to support Indian startups by offering financial assistance in the range of INR 1.5 Cr to INR 10 Cr.
• Seven newly-formed defence companies, the Indian Coast Guard, organisations working under the Ministry of Home Affairs, three services and some defence public sector undertakings are heading the challenge.
• In the fifth edition of the DISC challenge, startups and innovators were asked to resolve 35 problem statements (PS) from armed forces and OFB/DPSUs. These challenges were real-life problems faced by the Indian Army, Indian Airforce, Indian Navy, HAL, BEL, HSL, MDL, MIDHANI, and GRSE.

VALUE ADDITION:

• Defence India Startup Challenge, was launched under the iDEX initiative, by MoD and Atal Innovation Mission. It aims to support Indian startups, MSMEs and innovators that create prototypes, commercial products and solutions in the defence and aerospace sector.
• Founded in 2018, iDEX engages MSMEs, startups, individual innovators, R&D initiatives and academia and provides them financial assistance to create tech solutions that can be adopted by defence and aerospace sect.

4. INDIANS NOW MAKE PAYMENTS USING UPI IN UAE

THE CONTEXT: Tourists or migrants to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with Indian bank accounts will be able to make UPI payments at shops, retail establishments and other merchants in the gulf nation. This is possible because of the partnership between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Mashreq Bank’s NEOPAY.

THE EXPLANATION:

How does the service work?

• It will be mandatory for users to have a bank account in India with UPI enabled on it. The users will also need an application, like BHIM, to make UPI payments.
• “With the acceptance of BHIM UPI in the UAE, Indian tourists can now make seamless payments through BHIM UPI across NEOPAY enabled shops and merchant stores. This partnership will play a key role in transforming the P2M payment experience for Indian travellers in the UAE.
• The implementation of BHIM UPI in the UAE is a stepping stone toward providing a major boost to digital payments in the country”.
• Payments using UPI will only be accepted at those merchants and shops which have NEOPAY terminals.

Does NPCI have other such international arrangements?

• NPCI’s international arm NIPL have several such arrangements with international financial services providers for its products, including UPI and RuPay cards. Globally, UPI is accepted in Bhutan and Nepal, and is likely to go live in Singapore later this year (2022).
• In Singapore, a project to link UPI with the city-state’s instant payment system Pay Now is being undertaken by the RBI and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The linkage is targeted for operationalisation by July 2022.
• Even though the UAE arrangement only allows for Indians to make payments, in Singapore’s case, the UPI-Pay Now linkage will enable users of each of the two fast payment systems to make instant, low-cost fund transfers on a reciprocal basis without a need to get on-boarded onto the other payment system.

THE DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY

5. RUSSIA’S NEW NUCLEAR MISSILE SARMAT, CAPABLE OF STRIKING ‘ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD’

THE CONTEXT: Amidst stiff resistance from Ukraine in the ongoing war and harsh sanctions imposed by the West, Russia went ahead and tested its new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sarmat.

THE EXPLANATION:

• This was the first test launch of the ICMB Sarmat after having been delayed earlier in 2021. It was launched from Plesetsk in North West Russia with the intended target in the Kamchatka peninsula almost 6,000 km away.
• As per Russian news reports, the missile will have at least five more launches in 2022 before being inducted into the Russian military. Prior to the actual launch, a dummy missile test also took place. Computer simulated missile launches were also done multiple times and some of them were also shared publicly.

Was Russia known to be developing this missile?

• It was widely known that Russia was developing a new ICBM to replace its older ones and an announcement in this regard had been made by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 while making his State of the Nation address to the Federal Assembly.
• Even before Putin’s announcement, there had been reports that Moscow was developing a new ICBM and photos of the possible design came into the fore in 2016. The actual development schedule is believed to have been further back in 2009 to 2011. The deteriorating relations between Russia and the Western Powers is said to have given an impetus to its development.

How is it more advanced than the other Russian ICBMs?

• The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys and has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. It is expected to pose a significant challenge to the ground-and-satellite-based radar tracking systems of the western powers, particularly the USA.
• The ten warheads are Multiple Independently-Targetable Re-entry Vehicles and each has a blast yield of .75 MT. The Sarmat will also be the first Russian missile which can carry smaller hypersonic boost-glide vehicles.
• These are manoeuvrable and hard to intercept. The upgraded electronic counter measures, guidance systems and alternative warhead carrying capacity makes the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM more lethal than the R-36M Voyevoda ICBMs (NATO name Satan) currently in service in Russia.
• The Sarmat is a liquid fuelled missile as compared to US ICBMs which have moved on to solid fuel systems. Regardless of the different propulsion system, the Sarmat is supposed to pose a significant threat to the US Missile Defence Systems.

NEWS IN NUMBERS

6. OIL MEAL EXPORTS PLUNGE

According to a statement by the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, 37 percentage, the decline in India’s oil meals exports to rs 5,600 crore in the financial year 2021-22, The exports declined in the last fiscal due to lesser overseas shipment of soybean meal, which plunged to 3,72,740 tonnes in 2021-22 from 15,64,833 tonnes a year ago. At present, Indian soybean meal is over-priced for exports as the rate is at $840 per tonne in comparison to $574 and $586 for each tonne of shipments originating from Brazil and Argentina.

7. POWER SHORTAGE IN STATES

The 12 States to face energy crisis amid low coal stock to fire thermal power plants, according to the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF). The AIPEF has drawn the attention of Central and State governments towards the depleting coal inventory of domestic thermal power plants. While there was 1.1% power shortage in October 2021, this shortfall shot up to 1.4% in April 2022. States like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Jharkhand and Haryana are facing power cuts.

8. EXTENSION GRANTED FOR BORDER CROSSING

According to Pakistan Foreign officer, 2 Months, the extension given by Pakistan to India for the transportation of 50,000 metric tonnes (MTs) of wheat and life-saving medicines to war-torn Afghanistan via the Attari-Wagah border crossing. The officer informed that the time period granted had expired on March 21,2022 but accepting the request made by the Government of India the time has been extended. Pakistan, in November 2021, had approved the transportation of humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan via the Wagah border.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q Which of the following are the guiding principles of NITI Aayog?

1. Governance
2. Federalism
3. Sustainability
4. People’s Participation
5. Democracy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1, 2 and 3 only

b) 1, 3 and 4 only

c) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only

d) All of them

ANSWER FOR 22ND APRIL 2022

Answer: A

Explanation:

Gotipua is a traditional dance form in the state of Odisha, India, and the precursor of Odissi classical dance. It has been performed in Orissa for centuries by young boys, who dress as women to praise Jagannath and Krishna. In the Odia language, Gotipua means ‘single boy’.

THE INDIAN ART AND CULTURE

1. DHAULI-KALINGA MAHOTSAV-ODISHA

• Every year, in January and February, a popular festival in Odisha, the Kalinga festival or the Kalinga Mahotsava is organized.
• It brings together the folk, classical and martial art forms on one stage. It is said that people of Odisha are distinguished as kings in Malaysia, as they once colonized parts of Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. One can find the largest variety of tribal communities in Odisha. Since the Kalinga war, Odisha is known world over.
• The Dhauli festival represents the popular Konark dance and music festival. It was initiated by the famous Guru Gangadhar Pradhan about 13 years ago.
• The Kalinga Mahotsava was initiated by a famous Bhubaneswar-based Italian Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi. Kalinga Mahotsava represents the various forms of martial art forms and this popular festival is organized over the Dhauli hills near the famous Japanese Buddhist temple. As the story goes, after the bloodiest war of Kalinga, King Ashoka desperately looked for peace and hence this cultural festival in Odisha is held each year to depict the significance of peace over war.
• Thang-Ta from Manipur and Kalaripayattu from Kerala are also performed.

INDIAN POLITY

2. JUDGES MUST GIVE REASONS FOR BAIL DECISIONS, SAYS SC

THE CONTEXT: Judges are duty-bound to give reasons for granting or denying bail, especially in cases involving serious offences and hardened criminals, the Supreme Court has held.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Also, SC stressed that the cryptic bail orders without giving any reasons have no place in the judicial system.
• According to a bench led by the Chief Justice of India observed in a judgment “There is a recent trend of passing such orders granting or refusing to grant bail, where the courts make a general observation that ‘the facts and the circumstances have been considered. No specific reasons are indicated which precipitated the passing of the order by the court,”.

Grant of bail by HC

• CJI observed that “judges are duty-­bound to explain the basis on which they have arrived at a conclusion… The reasoning is the lifeblood of the judicial system. That every order must be reasoned is one of the fundamental tenets of our system. An unreasoned order suffers the vice of arbitrariness”.
• “There is a need to indicate reasons for prima face concluding why bail was being granted particularly where the accused is charged of having committed a serious offence. Any order devoid of such reasons would suffer from non-­application of mind’, CJI noted.

VALUE ADDITION:

WHAT IS A BAIL?

• The term Bail is not defined in the Criminal Procedure Code, however, this term, in the most common sense, indicates that the accused is set free from jail against a kind of security which is given by the accused to the court that he will attend the proceedings in court against the accusations made upon him and include personal bond and bail bond.
• Bail is a mechanism used to ensure that the accused is present before the court and is available for Trial. The sections 436 to 439 of the Criminal Procedure Code deal with the concept of Bail.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. THE U.K. RWANDA ASYLUM PLAN

THE CONTEXT: The United Kingdom has signed a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to the East African nation — a move that PM Boris Johnson said will “save countless lives” from human trafficking.

THE EXPLANATION:

IMMIGRANT CRISIS IN THE UK

• Since 2018, there has been a marked rise in the number of refugees and asylum seekers that undertake dangerous crossings between Calais in France and Dover in England.
• Most such migrants and asylum seekers hail from war-torn countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen, or from developing countries like Iran and Iraq.
• The Britain that has adopted a hard line stance on illegal immigration, these crossings constitute an immigration crisis.
• The Nationality and Borders Bill, 2021, which is still under consideration in the UK, allows the British government to strip anyone’s citizenship without notice under “exceptional circumstances”.
• The Rwanda deal is the operationalization of one objective in the Bill which is to deter illegal entry into the United Kingdom.

WHAT IS THE RWANDA DEAL?

• The UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership or the Rwanda Deal is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two governments.
• Under this deal, Rwanda will commit to taking in asylum seekers who arrive in the UK on or after January 1, 2022, using illegally facilitated and unlawful cross border migration.
• Rwanda will function as the holding centre where asylum applicants will wait while the Rwandan government makes decisions about their asylum and resettlement petitions in Rwanda.
• Rwanda will, on its part, accommodate anyone who is not a minor and does not have a criminal record.

RATIONALE OF THE DEAL

• The deal aims to combat “people smugglers”, who often charge exorbitant prices from vulnerable migrants to put them on unseaworthy boats from France to England that often lead to mass drownings.
• The UK contends that this solution to the migrant issue is humane and meant to target the gangs that run these illegal crossings.

DO ANY OTHER COUNTRIES SEND ASYLUM SEEKERS OVERSEAS?

• Several other countries — including Australia, Israel and Denmark — have been sending asylum seekers overseas.
• Australia has been making full use of offshore detention centres since 2001.
• Israel, too, chose to deal with a growing influx of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from places like Sudan and Eritrea by striking deals with third countries.
• Those rejected for asylum were given the choice of returning to their home country or accepting $3,500 and a plane ticket to one of the third countries.
• They faced the threat of arrest if they chose to remain in Israel.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. WORLD EARTH DAY 2022

THE CONTEXT: Every year on April 22, we celebrate our mother earth with ‘World Earth Day, which marks the anniversary of the Modern Environmental Movement, which started in 1970.

THE EXPLANATION:

• World Earth Day is a reminder for mankind to protect and safeguard the mother earth and its species, to make Earth a better place for the coming generations. April 22, 2022, will mark 52 years of Earth Day.
• Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and provoke policy changes.

WORLD EARTH DAY 2022: THEME

The Earth Day 2022 theme is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. According to the UN, “Despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide at rates unprecedented in human history. It is estimated that around one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction”.

HISTORY OF EARTH DAY:

The first Earth Day in 1970 launched a wave of action, including the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States. The Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts were created in response to the first Earth Day in 1970, as well as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many countries soon adopted similar laws. Earth Day continues to hold major international significance: In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day when the historic Paris Agreement on climate change was signed into force.

5. ‘SEA MAY INUNDATE MANY CITIES BY 2050’: SAYS GLOBAL RISK MANAGEMENT FIRM

THE CONTEXT: An analysis by RMSI, a global risk management firm has found that Haji Ali dargah, Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust, Western Express Highway, Bandra-Worli Sea-link, and Queen’s Necklace on Marine drive — all in Mumbai — are at risk of submergence.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The sea-level rise in coastal Indian cities could lead to some properties and road networks being submerged in Mumbai, Kochi, Mangalore, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvananthapuram by 2050.
• RMSI took findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sixth assessment report, ‘Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis’ released in August 2021; publications based on the report, latest climate change data and its own models to assess the impact on the Indian coastline
• They considered Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Vizag, Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram for the analysis, with experts creating a high-resolution Digital Terrain Model for the coastline of these cities and then used a coastal flood model to map inundation based on sea level predictions.
• In Chennai, a road length of 5 km and 55 buildings are at the risk; in Kochi, around 464 buildings are likely to be impacted by 2050 with the number rising to around 1,502 buildings during high tide. In Thiruvananthapuram, due to sea-level rise by 2050 and sea-level rise with high tide, 349 and 387 buildings, respectively, are likely to be impacted. In Visakhapatnam, around 206 buildings and 9 km of the road network are likely to be inundated due to potential coastline changes by 2050.
• With the IPCC report projecting that sea levels around India will rise by 2050, another report by the Ministry of Earth Sciences also said that from 1993 to 2017, sea levels have been rising at an accelerated rate of 3.3 mm per year as opposed to 1.06-1.75 mm per year from 1874-2004 in the North Indian Ocean.
• “The moderate emissions (RCP 4.5) scenario of IPCC projects that steric sea level (variation in the ocean volume due to density changes) of the north Indian Ocean will rise by approximately 300 mm (a foot) relative to the average values from 1986 to 2005”.

The amount of greenhouse gases like CO2 emitted by the world needs to peak by 2025 followed by a 43% reduction in the 10 years after to limit global warming to 1.5 degree C by the year 2100, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

NEWS IN NUMBERS

6. RUSSIA SEIZES LUHANSK

80 percentage of Luhansk now under the control of Russia, according to Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai. Luhansk is one of two regions that make up the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Before the invasion, the Kyiv government controlled 60% of the region. Haidai urged residents to evacuate immediately as the Russian forces are now threatening the cities of Rubizhne and Popasna, after seizing Kreminna. One of Russia’s stated goals is to expand the territory in the Donbas which is under the control of Moscow-backed separatists.

7. PENSION SCHEMES

4 crores, the total number of enrollments under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) by the end of 2021-22, according to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. APY is a government-backed pension scheme, targeted at the unorganised sector. More than 99 lakh APY accounts were opened during FY2021-22. The pension enrollments for APY had participation from all categories of banks. Around 71% of the enrollments were done by public sector banks, regional rural banks (19%), private sector banks (6%), and small finance banks (3%).

8. PARTY DONATIONS

258₹crore, the amount of donation received by seven electoral trusts from corporates and individuals, with the NDA bagging more than 82% (₹212.05 crore) of it, according to poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). An electoral trust is a non-profit organisation formed in India for the orderly receiving of contributions from corporate entities and individuals to political parties. It aims at improving transparency in the usage of funds for election-related expenses.

9. JEWELLERY EXPORTS RISE

56 percentage, the increase in gems and jewellery exports in 2021-22 to $39.15 billion which shows a significant jump in exports compared to the previous financial year, according to the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). The gems and jewellery exports stood at $25.40 billion in 2020-21. “Out of the total gem and jewellery exports, the cut and polished diamonds segment alone accounted for 62% or $24,236.57 million, reflecting robust demand from the U.S., the UAE, Belgium, and Israel”.

10. AIDING SRI LANKA

40,000 metric tonnes, the amount of diesel to be sent to Sri Lanka by India. India said it had delivered one more consignment of diesel to Sri Lanka under the Indian credit line to help ease the acute power crisis in the island nation. India and Sri Lanka signed a $500 million Line of Credit Agreement for the purchase of petroleum products on February 2, 2022, which has proven to be a lifeline to Sri Lanka amidst one of its worst economic crises.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. With reference to culture in India, Gotipua is

1. 1. Traditional dance form in Odisha
   2. Puppetry form in Andhra Pradesh
   3. Performing art from Kerala
   4. The martial art form in West Bengal

 ANSWER FOR 21ST APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

[WpProQuiz 208]

WORLD GEOGRAPHY: MINERAL RESOURCES

1. WHY RISE IN NICKEL PRICE DUE TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR CASTS A SHADOW ON THE SHIFT FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO EVS

THE CONTEXT: Between Western sanctions, a big bunch of export bans from Russia, and wildly fluctuating prices as a result of all the uncertainty, the Ukraine-Russia conflict has wreaked havoc on the global market for nickel — a key metal for industrial, military, construction, and transport goods.

THE EXPLANATION:

Nickel also happens to be essential raw material for rechargeable batteries, which are used in electric vehicles (EVs), sparking worries about the hoped-for move away from fossil fuels. Surging input prices, it is feared, could hinder ambitious EV-manufacturing plans.

• Russia accounts for about 11 per cent of the global supply of nickel ore, and 20 percent of the world’s top-grade or Class 1 nickel.
• Indonesia has about a third of the world’s nickel ores and is the biggest producer of the metal. In 2020, it produced 0.76 million tonnes of nickel, which is about a third of the global production followed by the Philippines (0.32 million tonnes) and Russia (0.28 million tonnes).
• But, a vast majority of Indonesia’s output comprises lower quality Class 2 nickel (NPI), which it exports to China for manufacturing stainless steel.
• In terms of Class 1 nickel, the McKinsey’s report cited earlier noted, Indonesia produced only 6.8 per cent compared to Russia’s 21.1 percent (in 2019).
• Part of the reason why EV manufacturers have been so dependent on Russia was that after 2012, when China started using NPI for stainless steel, the steel prices came down drastically. This incentivised producers like Indonesia to produce more and more of Class 2 nickel.

• According to projections by the intergovernmental organisation International Energy Agency (IEA), the “global EV stock across all transport modes (excluding two/three-wheelers) expands from over 11 million in 2020 to almost 145 million vehicles by 2030” — this represents an annual average growth rate of nearly 30 percent, with EVs estimated to account for about 7 percent of road vehicles by the start of the next decade.
• In this scenario, Indonesia has sensed the opportunity to channel some of its big nickel ores to the EV industry.
• While Indonesia is richer in a laterite called limonite — a good source for Class 2 nickel production — and does not have such abundant reserves of sulphur ores that are ideal for producing Class 1 nickel, it is devising workarounds to this issue.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. INDIA’S FIRST PURE GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT COMMISSIONED IN ASSAM

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Oil India Limited (OIL) has commissioned India’s first Green Hydrogen Plant in Assam.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It is the first significant step towards Green Hydrogen Economy in India with the commissioning of India’s First 99.999% pure Green Hydrogen pilot plant, with an installed capacity of 10 kg per day at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam.
• The plant is expected to increase its production of green hydrogen from 10kg from 30 kg per day in future.
• The plant also the first in India to use Anion Exchange Membrane Technology (AEM).
• In AEM technology the water is split into hydrogen and oxygen with an application of electric current, using a porous anion exchange membrane.

OTHER TYPES OF HYDROGEN

• Black hydrogen is produced by use of fossil fuel.
• Pink hydrogen is produced through electrolysis but using energy from nuclear power sources.
• Brown hydrogen is produced using coal where the emissions are released to the air.
• Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas where the associated emissions are released to the air.
• Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas, where the emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

3. ISRO, IISC RESEARCHERS DEVELOP A WAY TO MAKE BRICKS FROM MARTIAN SOIL

THE CONTEXT: Researchers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a way to make bricks from Martian soil with the help of bacteria and urea.

THE EXPLANATION:

• These ‘space bricks’ can be used to construct building-like structures on Mars that could facilitate human settlement on the red planet.
• The team first made the slurry by mixing Martian soil with guar gum, a bacterium called Sporosarcina pasteurii, urea and nickel chloride (NiCl 2). “This slurry can be poured into moulds of any desired shape, and over a few days the bacteria convert the urea into crystals of calcium carbonate. These crystals, along with biopolymers secreted by the microbes, act as cement holding the soil particles together”.
• This method ensures that the bricks are less porous, which was a problem with other methods used to make Martian bricks. “The bacteria seep deep into the pore spaces, using their own proteins to bind the particles together, decreasing porosity and leading to stronger bricks”.
• Another challenge was the composition of Martian soil, which has a lot of iron that causes toxicity to organisms.

According to the sources, the team has also developed a lab-on-a-chip device that aims to measure bacterial activity in micro-gravity conditions. “The device is being developed keeping in mind our intention to perform experiments in micro-gravity conditions in the near future”.

With ISRO’s help, the team plans to send such devices into space, so that they can study the effect of low gravity on the bacterial growth.

4. LAUNCH OF SIXTH SCORPENE SUBMARINE ‘VAGSHEER’

THE CONTEXT: The sixth and last submarine of the Indian Navy’s Kalvari class submarines of Project 75 has been launched at the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The first of the Project – 75 submarines was commissioned into the Navy in December 2017 and presently four submarines of this Project are in commission in the Indian Navy.
• The fifth submarine is progressing with the Sea Trials and is likely to be delivered this year. The sixth submarine will now commence setting to work of various equipment and their harbour trials. The crew will thereafter sail the submarine for the rigorous Sea Acceptance Trials after which the submarine would be delivered to the Indian Navy by late 2023.

VALUE ADDITION:

• VAGSHEER: Named after the sandfish, a deadly deep water sea predator of the Indian Ocean, the first submarine ‘Vagsheer’ was commissioned in December 1974. It was decommissioned in April 1997.
• The Scorpene-class submarines are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines, featuring diesel propulsion and air-dependent propulsion.
• The submarine has four sub-types – CM-2000 conventional diesel-electric version, the AM-2000 air-independent propulsion derivative, the downsized CA-2000 coastal submarine and the enlarged S-BR for the Brazilian navy.
• The submarine can undertake several types of missions – anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.
• It has superior stealth features, including advanced acoustic absorption techniques, low radiated noise levels, a hydro-dynamically optimised shape, and the ability to launch crippling attacks using guided weapons. The features also give the submarine invulnerability, unmatched by most submarines.

PROJECT 75

• Project-75 (P-75) was conceptualised by former Prime Minister I K Gujral and faced many hurdles. The main objective of Project – 75 was to acquire 24 submarines. The project was approved by the Ministry of Defence in 1997.

History of Project – 75

• In 1998, India started negotiating with DCN. DCN is Direction des Constructions, a French defence contractor. India negotiated four Scorpene class submarines with DCN. Of these two were to be built in Mazagon Dock Limited.

Project – 75 upgraded after Kargil War

• After Kargil war in 1999, the Indian Government approved a 30-year submarine plan. The Project – 75 was brought under this new plan. Under the new plan, two parallel production lines of the submarines were called for. One was under the already running Project – 75 and the other was under Project – 75I (Project – 75 India).

Construction of Six Submarines

• In 2005, under Project – 75, India signed a transfer of technology contract with the French. Under this contract six submarines were to be constructed at the Mazagon Dock Limited. These submarines were to be delivered by 2012. The Scorpene class submarine was selected because of its capability to fire anti-ship missiles and air-independent propulsion.

Delivery of the submarines:

• INS Kalvari was the first submarine delivered under Project – 75. It was delivered in 2015.
• INS Khanderi was the second submarine. It was commissioned in 2019.
• INS Karanj was the third submarine. It was commissioned in March 2021.
• INS Vela was the fourth submarine. It was commissioned in November 2021.
• INS Vagir is the fifth submarine.
• INS Vasgheer is the sixth submarine.

5. INDIA & FINLAND DISCUSS POSSIBLE AREAS OF COOPERATION IN QUANTUM COMPUTING FOR THE VIRTUAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE (COE)

THE CONTEXT: Delegates from India and Finland discussed possible areas of co-operation in quantum computing and a road map for the collaborative virtual Centre of Excellence (CoE) that has been planned to be set up.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the DST, “the two countries are trying to get academic and industrial partners which can help develop quantum science and technology for the betterment of humankind in particular and the planet in general. India and Finland committed towards global excellence in this field to achieve the best possible technologies in the shortest possible time.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is Quantum Computing?

Quantum Computing is the area of study focused on creating computer technology based on the principles of quantum theory which describes the nature and behaviour of matter and energy on the quantum (atomic and subatomic) level.

Why Quantum Computing?

Development of a quantum computer would mark a major leap forward in computing capability far greater than that of a modern-day supercomputer as the quantum computer has the enormous processing power and it can perform tasks using all possible permutations simultaneously = the performance gains are enormous.

For instance, to sort a billion numbers, a quantum computer would only need 3.5 million fewer steps than a conventional machine.

The following are the major advantages of Quantum Computers.

• Faster: It can perform any task faster as compared to a classical computer. Because atoms move faster in a quantum computer than a classical computer.
• Accurate: It’s highest level accuracy makes it suitable for national security and big data handling.
• Energy-efficient: It wastes less energy while working = it is cost-effective after implementation.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INITIATIVES IN NEWS

6. INDIA POST PAYMENTS BANK LAUNCHES ‘FINCLUVATION’

THE CONTEXT: On the occasion of the 75^th anniversary of Indian Independence & ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotasav, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a 100% government owned entity under Department of Posts (DoP) announced the launch of Fincluvation– a joint initiative to collaborate with Fintech Startup community to co-create and innovate solutions for financial inclusion.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “Fincluvation will be a permanent platform of IPPB to co-create inclusive financial solutions with participating start-ups. It invites startups to Participate, Ideate, Develop and Market intuitive and tailored products and services that can be taken to the customers. Startups are encouraged to develop solutions aligned with any of the following tracks-
• Creditization – Develop Innovative & Inclusive credit products aligned with the use cases of target customers and take them to their doorsteps through Postal network.
• Digitization – Bring convenience through convergence of traditional services with Digital Payment Technologies such as making the traditional Money Order service as Interoperable Banking service.
• Any Market-led solutions that can help solve any other problem relevant to IPPB and/or DoP in serving the target customers.
• Intersection of technology with financial services coupled with traditional distribution networks is opening up new set of business opportunities. Conventional model of technology procurement led product creation by banks often lacks value in user experience leaving huge gap between customer expectations and service delivery. Traditional technology firms fail to meet these expectations with a deficit of ownership in product creation.
• Fincluvation mentors will work closely with the startups to tweak products to the customer needs and align the go-to-market strategies with operating models of IPPB and DoP.

About India Post Payments Bank

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been established under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by Government of India.
• The bank has been set up with the vision to build the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man in India. The fundamental mandate of IPPB is to remove barriers for the unbanked and under-banked and reach the last mile leveraging a network comprising 160,000 post offices (145,000 in rural areas) and 400,000 postal employees. IPPB’s reach and its operating model is built on the key pillars of India Stack – enabling Paperless, Cashless and Presence-less banking in a simple and secure manner at the customers’ doorstep, through a CBS-integrated smartphone and biometric device.
• Leveraging frugal innovation and with a high focus on ease of banking for the masses, IPPB delivers simple and affordable banking solutions through intuitive interfaces available in 13 languages. IPPB is committed to provide a fillip to a less cash economy and contribute to the vision of Digital India.

THE DATA SHEET

DEFENCE MANUFACTURING

• The 65.5 percentage of the capital acquisition budget of the financial year 2021-22, utilised for making procurements from domestic sources, according to the Defence Ministry. The Ministry added that they had earmarked 64% of the capital acquisition budget for domestic industry and were able to ‘overachieve’ this target.
• In May 2020, the government announced increasing the foreign direct investments limit from 49% to 74% under the automatic route in the defence sector.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY: A GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. 1. Kanpur – Nana Saheb
   2. Lucknow – Khan Bahadur Khan
   3. Bareilly – Begum Hazrat Mahal
   4. Bihar – Kunwar Singh

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 20TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is the leading UN entity on human rights.
• It represent the world’s commitment to the promotion and protection of the full range of human rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• UN General Assembly established Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in December 1993.
• This was just a few months after the World Conference on Human Rights adopted the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action.
• The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United Nations.
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is accountable to the Secretary-General and is responsible for all the activities of OHCHR, as well as for its administration.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations and approved by the General Assembly, with due regard to geographical rotation for a fixed term of four years with a possibility of on renewal for another fixed term of four years.

CIVIL SERVICES DAY

THE CONTEXT: National Civil Services Day is observed on April 21 every year. On National Civil Services day, the officers of central and state governments are awarded by the Prime Minister of India for their extraordinary services in the field of public administration.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICES DAY

• On April 21, 1947, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the Home Member of Parliament, inaugurated the All-India Services. Then, the previous Indian Civil Services under British India were changed to All India Services subject to complete Indian control.
• He gave a powerful speech at the All-India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, Delhi. In his speech he referred to civil servants as the ‘steel frame of India’.

WHO IS THE FATHER OF CIVIL SERVICES IN INDIA?

• The present civil services of India are mainly based on the pattern of the former Indian Civil Service of British India. Warren Hastings laid the foundation of civil service and Charles Cornwallis reformed, modernised, and rationalised it. Hence, Charles Cornwallis is known as ‘the father of civil service in India’.

WHICH IS THE HIGHEST POST IN CIVIL SERVICES?

• The highest-ranking civil servant is the Cabinet Secretary.

FIRST CELEBRATION OF CIVIL SERVICES DAY IN INDIA

• The first celebration of Civil Services Day was held on April 21, 2006, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. On this day, the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence has been conferred to Public Administration to various officers to celebrate their work.

NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICES DAY AWARD

• On National Civil Services day, the ‘Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration’ is awarded. Many districts across the country participate in this award program.
• The award function is organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public grievances and the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

IMPORTANCE OF CIVIL SERVICES

• The civil service system is the backbone of the administrative machinery of the country. It is the permanent executive branch of the Republic of India.
• The policies and schemes are made by the government. The civil servants are the administrators.
• The civil servants are responsible for implementing all the government policies and schemes successfully up to the root level.
• It consists of (IAS) Indian Administrative Services, (IPS) Indian Police Services, (IFS) Indian Foreign Services, along with central Group A and Group B Services.

THE GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

1. UNDERSTANDING THE ADDITIONAL AIRBAGS MANDATE FOR VEHICLES

THE CONTEXT: The government of India has proposed the installation of six airbags in all passenger vehicles to enhance safety for vehicle occupants.

THE EXPLANATION:

What does the proposal say? 

• The general statutory rules (GSR) notification states that all vehicles in the M1 category manufactured after October 1, 2022 must come fitted with two side torso air bags in the front row at the outboard seating positions.
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways explained that it would be deployed to the seats or on the sides at the stipulated position inside the vehicle. It added that the deployment of the inflatable airbag in the mentioned position would help mitigate injuries in the torso region or ejection of the occupant from the vehicle.
• Further, the notification asks for deploying curtain or tube air bags to cushion the entire outboard sides of the vehicle. In the event of a rollover or a crash, this would help mitigate head injury. The notification informs the requirement for such airbags would be verified in compliance to AIS-099 standards that deals with protection of occupants in a vehicle in the event of a lateral collision.

What are the previous legislation on air bags?

• The Ministry had previously mandated deployment of airbags for the passenger on the front seat of the vehicle, next to the driver, for vehicles manufactured after April 1 2021. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the timeline for its implementation was extended to December 31, 2021.
• “This has been mandated as an important safety feature, and is also based on suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety”.

Will the move ensure safety in case of a collision?

• According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), frontal air bags saved 50,457 lives between 1987 and 2017 — enough to fill a major league baseball stadium. It added airbags to prevent the passenger’s upper body or head from hitting the vehicle’s interior during a crash. The transport regulatory body says passengers must also ensure fastening their seat belts on roads.
• According to the Road and Transport Minister stated in the recently-concluded parliamentary session that 8,598 lives in 2020 could have been saved in head-on collision with the use of airbags. “Similarly, side collisions cost 14,271 lives and 31% of those or 4,424 lives could have been saved with the use of side airbags”.

2. TIE-UP BETWEEN INDIAN, FOREIGN VARSITIES SIMPLIFIED

THE CONTEXT: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has simplified the procedure for an Indian higher educational institution to offer programmes in collaboration with foreign universities by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with each other directly if they meet certain eligibility criteria

THE EXPLANATION:

• In its 557th meeting recently, the UGC decided that an Indian higher education institution that has a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of 3.01 or above, or is among the top 1,000 QS World University or Times Higher Education rankings, or is among the top 100 universities under National Institution Ranking Framework, will be able to tie-up with a foreign education institution which too features among the top 1,000 QS or Times Higher Education rankings.
• The previous regulations, known as the University Grants Commission (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2016, which will now stand repealed, required two institutions to tie-up with each other after obtaining the UGC’s approval.

What was the earlier regulations?

• “The earlier regulations were too strict and there were too many bottlenecks. This simplified regulations will increase the scale at which students could benefit from such collaborations between Indian and foreign higher education institutions.
• Under the 2016 regulations, a foreign and Indian college or university could partner with each other to offer only “twinning” and “joint degree” programmes where Indian students received a degree only from an Indian institute along with a certificate from the foreign institute. But now, they can offer a third type of programme, that is, a “dual degree” programme, where both the institutes will issue a degree. Under a twinning programme, a student can get up to 30% credit utilisation of the total course from a foreign university, whereas under a joint and dual degree programme, he or she can get more than 30% of the total credits.
• These collaborations will be permitted only for the conventional mode of learning and not for distance or online learning.

3. WHO GLOBAL CENTER FOR TRADITIONAL MEDICINE AT JAMNAGAR, GUJARAT

THE CONTEXT: The World Health Organization launched its Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at a site in India aimed at unlocking its potential by blending ancient practices with modern science.

THE EXPLANATION:

• WHO global centre of traditional medicine is a major milestone for entire South East Asian Countries. This was acknowledged by Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan through recorded video message telecasted at the ceremony.
• On this occasion, WHO President said, “Traditional medicines products are abound globally and the centre will go a long way in bringing the promise of the traditional medicine to fruition. The New Centre will focus on data, innovation and sustainability and will optimize the use of traditional medicine. He also noted that the WHO global centre for traditional medicine is a truly global project. Through this centre India will be able to take its knowledge of traditional medicine to the world and similarly world will come to India.

• Traditional medicine is a key pillar of health care delivery systems and plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and well-being not only in India but across the world. In recent year, traditional medicine therapies have also seen a major transformation as usage of artificial intelligence, technological innovations have made it more accessible to masses. GCTM will aim to integrate the benefits of traditional medicine with the achievements of modern science and create a comprehensive health strategy.

4. ‘STAR RATING’ FOR PACKAGED FOOD UNLIKELY TO HELP, SAY EXPERTS

THE CONTEXT: The “health star rating” system that the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to adopt in order to help consumers reduce their intake of unhealthy foods has been opposed by close to a dozen consumer and health advocacy groups.

 THE EXPLANATION:

What is the Health Star Rating System?

• In February,2022 the FSSAI decided to adopt the “health-star rating system”, which gives a product 1/2 a star to 5 stars, in its draft regulations for front of package labelling (FOPL).
• The HSR format ranks a packaged food item based on salt, sugar, and fat content and the rating will be printed on the front of the package.
• The underlying premise of the HSR is that positive ingredients such as fruits and nuts can offset negative nutrients such as calories, saturated fat, total sugar, sodium to calculate the number of stars ascribed to a product.
• The decision was based on the recommendations of a study by the IIM-Ahmedabad the regulator had commissioned in September 2021.
• In the same meeting, the regulator decided that FOPL implementation could be made voluntary for a period of four years.

What is FoPL?

• In India, packaged food has had back-of-package (BOP) nutrient information in detail but no FoPL.
• Counter to this, FoPL can nudge people towards healthy consumption of packaged food.
• It can also influence purchasing habits.
• The study endorsed the HSR format, which speaks about the proportions of salt, sugar, and fat in food that is most suited for consumers.
• Countries such as the UK, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Hungary, and Australia have implemented FoPL systems.

What warranted the HSR rating in India?

• Visual bluff: A lot of Indian consumers do not read the information available at the back of the packaged food item.
• Burden of NCDs: Also, India has a huge burden of non-communicable diseases that contributes to around 5.87 million (60%) of all deaths in a year.
• Healthy dietary choices: HSR will encourage people to make healthy choices and could bring a transformational change in the society.
• Supreme Court order: A PIL seeking direction to the government to frame guidelines on HSR and impact assessment for food items and beverages was filed in the Supreme Court in June 2021.

Which category of food item will have HSR?

• All packaged food items or processed food will have the HSR label.
• These will include chips, biscuits, namkeen, sweets and chocolates, meat nuggets, and cookies.
• However, milk and its products such as chhnna and ghee are EXEMPTED as per the FSSAI draft notified in 2019.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

5. SCIENTISTS DISCOVER NEW EEL SPECIES FROM KERALA, BENGAL

THE CONTEXT: A group of Indian scientists have discovered a new species of eel from among specimens collected from the Kalamukku and Digha Mohana fishing harbours in Kerala and West Bengal respectively.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The newly discovered eel belongs to the Congrid eels group and has been named Ariosoma indicum. The term Indicum means that it was found in India.
• The scientists had collected 12 specimens from Kalamukku and seven specimens from Digha Mohana in 2020 for studies.
• Scientists from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBFGR), confirmed Ariosoma indicumas a new species after two years of through research, taxonomic studies and molecular analysis.
• NBFGR is working on India’s fish genetic resources for intellectual property protection and sustainable utilisation.
• The total length of the new species is 362 millimetres. The eel has the following features according to the paper:
• A greenish-brown body, with faint dark bands on the dorsal portion of the head
• Minute dark pigmentation patches on the extremities of the lower jaw
• Bicoloured pectoral fin
• A short wedge-shaped pointed vomerine teeth patch, with three or four rows in the anterior portion
• Ariosoma indicumis possibly distributed along the Indian coast, including the coastal waters of Kerala and West Bengal. The Ariosoma genus has seven species, including the newly identified eel that have been documented in Indian waters. Globally, there are 223 species in the genus.
• Most of these eels have landed as by-catch in trawl landings, he added. Most eel groups possess less economic value and sampling of these groups has been rare in Indian waters, Mohapatra noted.
• “The new eel species is not listed as ‘Threatened’ or ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora”.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS: INFRASTRUCTURE

6. INDIA TO GET WORLD’S HIGHEST TUNNEL AT SHINKU LA PASS CONNECTING HIMACHAL PRADESH TO LADAKH

THE CONTEXT: According to the Border Roads Organisation will start the construction of the tunnel connecting Himachal Pradesh to Zanskar Valley in Ladakh by July 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

• TheBorder Road Organisation will construct the world’s highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass at 16,580 feet to connect Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh.
• It also noted, while opening Himachal to Zanskar Road at Shinku La Pass, where over half a dozen vehicles crosses the Shinku La Pass from Zanskar side towards Manali.
• At present, one has to travel 101 km from Manali to Darcha on Leh road and thereafter, take a turn from Darcha towards Shinku La Pass and enter Zanskar valley.

Value Addition:

Zanskar Valley:

• The Chadar Trek, also known as the Frozen River Trek, is only accessible during the winter months in Zanskar.
• Zanskar is recognised for its hazardous terrain for adventure seekers, with treks like the Padum-Darcha Trek, Lugnak Trail Trek, and Zanskar-Sham Valley Trek among the options.

Shinku La:

• Shinku-La Tunnel, also known as Shinkula Tunnel or Shingo-La Tunnel, is a planned motorable tunnel linking Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul Valley and Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley in Northern India.

VALUE ADDTION:

ABOUT BORDER ROAD ORGANISATION

• The Border Road Organization is an infrastructure building organization working under the Ministry of Defence.
• It develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
• It was conceptualized by Pt Nehru, the First Prime Minister of India. Formed in 1960, the BRO is engaged in developing means of communication in border areas.
• The organization primarily meets the defense requirement towards infrastructure development of remote Border areas of North &North East states.
• The infrastructure development includes Roads, Bridges, Highways, Airports, Tunnels, Buildings and other structures.
• Apart from the strategic / defense requirement, the roads also cater for the socio-economic development of the nation. Border Roads Organization has contributed a lot to the socio-economic development of the North East region.

THE COVID CORNER

7. PLASMA-BASED GREEN DISINFECTANTS CAN LIMIT SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES LIKE COVID 19

THE CONTEXT: Researchers have developed a plasma-based disinfectant generated with the help of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) which could act as a green decontaminant for COVID 19.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The COVID 19 pandemic had brought forth the urgent need for decontaminants that can limit the spread of infectious diseases through contact. However, most decontaminants consisted of chemicals which are hazardous for the environment. This encouraged researchers to work towards greener alternatives.
• A team of scientists from the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences divisions from the Institute of the Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, Guwahati, Assam has demonstrated that the plasma generated by cold atmospheric pressure (CAP) has the potential to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which binds to human ACE2 receptor for inducing viral infection and subsequent Covid-19.
• Plasma, the fourth state of matter which makes up most of the universe when produced in controlled conditions in the lab and are termed as Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAP). The scientists passed plasma forming gases such as Helium, Argon, and Air through a high voltage electric field which led to the formation of a stable plasma with a mixture of ions, and electrons emitting a pink glow of CAP inside the reaction chamber.
• This research recently published in the international journal of the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Advances shows that short-lived highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) generated in the plasma led to complete deactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein occurs within 2 min of CAP treatment. The RT-PCR analysis has also established that CAP can deactivate the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• The researchers showed that the CAP, a plasma-based disinfection method is a better alternative to environmentally hazardous chemical-based decontamination methods. “The cold atmospheric plasma is environmentally safe since, during the entire decontamination process by plasma treatment, no chemical waste is produced.
• They also, noted that the disinfection method could further be extended for various bacterial or fungal infections.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

8. GURU TEGH BAHADUR’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY FETE AT RED FORT

THE CONTEXT: According to Union Culture Ministry, Prime Minister will address the nation from Red Fort on April 21, 2022 to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Ministry officials said the Red Fort was chosen as the venue for two reasons.
• “First, it was the place from where Mughal ruler Aurangzeb gave orders for the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1675.
• Second, the ramparts of Red Fort is from where the PM addresses the nation on Independence Day, so it’s an ideal place to reach out to the people with a message of interfaith peace”.

Value Addition:

• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 – 1675) was the ninth of ten Sikh Gurus and the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675.

• He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru.

• His 115 hymns are included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the main text of Sikhism.
• He was originally named Tyag Mal but was later renamed Tegh Bahadur after his gallantry and bravery in the wars against the Mughal forces.
• He built the city of Anandpur Sahib.
• Sikh holy premises Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi mark the places of execution and cremation of Guru Tegh Bahadur respectively.
• He started community water wells and langars (community kitchen for the poor and hungry).
• In 1668 in Assam, he was able to preach a treaty between the King of Ahom and Raja Ram Singh of Amber who was sent there by Aurangzeb.
• In 1672, he visited Kashmir where he saw the persecution of non-Muslims.
• The Guru attracted huge numbers of devotees and followers. This is said to have distressed the Mughal Emperor. It is also said that the Guru’s promise of protection to the persecuted Kashmiri Pandits also led to his being summoned to Delhi by the Emperor. While the Sikh faith was gathering strength, Aurangzeb was following a policy of religious discrimination and persecution in many places. Tegh Bahadur was brought before the Emperor when he reached Delhi.
• On 24 November 1675, the Guru was publicly beheaded on the orders of Aurangzeb for refusing to accept the authority of Mughal Emperor, at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib was built in 1783 at the place where he was beheaded.
• His young son Gobind, who was only nine when his father was killed, became the tenth and the last Sikh Guru. The effect of his father’s cruel murder must have been profound on him. Guru Gobind Singh went on to become the founder of the Khalsa and challenged the authority of the Mughals.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements about the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights:

1. 1. The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United Nations.
   2. The High Commissioner for Human Rights is appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
   3. High Commissioner for Human Rights is accountable to the UN General Assembly.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 19TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Char Chinar, also sometimes called Char Chinari, is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is located on the Lakut Dal (Small Dal) known as Ropa Lank (Silver Island).
• The second Chinar Island, known as Sone Lank (Gold Island), is located on the Bod Dal (Big Dal).
• It is a large, deciduous tree known for its longevity and spreading crown.

THE SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. ADIVASIS, DALITS, MUSLIMS HAVE LOWER LIFE EXPECTANCY THAN HIGHER-CASTE HINDUS, STUDY REVEALS

THE CONTEXT: The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), in March 2022, is authored by experts affiliated with the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics, a non-profit organisation focused on health and well-being in India.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT:

• The report highlighted the impact of discrimination and social exclusion on health disparities. Adivasis have a life-expectancy over four years lower, Dalits more than three years lower and Muslims almost a year lower than that of upper-caste Hindus, according to the study.
• The relatively smaller gap between life expectancy of Muslims and higher-caste Hindus is largely due to lower exposure to open defecation among Muslim children, lower rates of cervical cancers among Muslim women, lower consumption of alcohol and fewer suicide.
• The difference in life expectancy of Dalits and Adivasis in comparison to higher-caste Hindus is “comparable to the Black-White gap in the US in absolute magnitude”.
• The study assessed data from India’s Annual Health Survey, 2010-2011, focusing on nine states — Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand — representing 48.5 per cent of India’s population.
• The impact of social exclusion as a result of one’s religion, caste or indigenous group on health and access to healthcare is an under explored topic in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).
• Also, the report noted, “Patterns of disparities may be distinct in LMICs because population health is poorer, social safety nets are less robust, health care is less accessible and mortality risk-factors differ”. Thus, bridging the gap is essential.
• Life expectancy of upper-caste Hindus in the nine states was higher than the all-India life expectancy in 2010. Moreover, the same indicator for Adivasis and Dalits “are lower than those observed for all of India in 1996-2000, more than ten years before the survey.”
• The study also found a marginal difference in life expectancy based on sex. Life expectancy of Adivasi men was five years lower and of Adivasi women four years lower than higher-caste Hindus, the data showed. There was no difference in life expectancy between Dalit women and men.
• Among the nine states, Assam recorded the highest life expectancy for the Adivasi population, while Madhya Pradesh recorded the lowest, said the report. “The Dalit population recorded the highest life expectancy in Jharkhand and the lowest in Uttar Pradesh. For the Muslim population,  life expectancy was the highest in Rajasthan and lowest in Uttar Pradesh.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. NEW SHRIMP SPECIES DISCOVERED OFF LAKSHADWEEP

THE CONTEXT: Scientists from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), focused on documentation of aquatic genetic resources with special attention on fish and shell fish resources, have discovered a new species of shrimp, which has been named Actinimeneskoyas.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The species was collected at a depth of 1.0–2.0 m from the coral atoll of Agatti Island.
• This new species has been named ‘Koyas’ to honour the local community on the Lakshadweep islands as Koyas form an important ethnic community on the islands, who have made a significant contribution to the development and preservation of the heritage of the society.
• The newly discovered species is closely related to some other shrimp species in morphological traits. The new species is easily distinguished from the other species by the structural variation in the fourth sternal plate with a median notch.
• NBFGR has been conducting many exploratory surveys off the Lakshadweep islands with special focus on fish and shrimp species. The studies have revealed great diversity of symbiotic communities, which mostly comprise colourful and undescribed shrimp species.

Recent Findings:

• Recently, NBFGR scientists had discovered new shrimp species – Periclimenellaagattii (2019) named after the Agatti island and Arabianensis (2020) named after the Arabian Sea.
• NBFGR sources said reef-associated living fauna in these regions were important components of the marine biodiversity, which is home to a great variety of underwater habitats.

Value Addition:

• Lakshadweep is a tropical archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, 280 km to 480 km off the coast of Kerala. 11 are inhabited.
• But currently, there are 35 islands, as the Parali 1 island submerged in water due to sea erosion.
• Lakshadweep means “one lakh islands” in Malayalam, the official as well as the widely spoken native language in the territory. Fishing is the most important industry.
• The islands form the smallest union territory of India and their total surface area is just 32 km square.
• Kavaratti serves as the capital of the Union Territory and the region comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court. It is a uni-district Union Territory.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3.WHOLESALE PRICE INFLATION ACCELERATED TO 14.55% IN MARCH 2022

THE CONTEXT: According to the government data, the India’s annual wholesale price-based inflation accelerated to a record 14.55% in March from the previous month’s 13.11% in the wake of higher fuel prices.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to data released by the Commerce Ministry, the country’s inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) accelerated to 13.11% in February as compared to the 12.96% increase in January 2022. WPI was 4.83% in February 2021. High WPI inflation is seen as a precursor to higher consumer prices as producers pass on rising costs to their customers.
• According to the Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, the high inflation this March was attributed ‘primarily to rise in prices of crude petroleum and natural gas, mineral oils, basic metals, etc. owing to disruption in global supply chain caused by Russia-Ukraine conflict’.
• Manufactured products inflation moved up from 9.84% to 10.71%. However, the month-on-month change in the index for manufactured goods was sharper at 2.31%.

About Wholesale Price Index (WPI):

• Measures inflation at the first stage of the transaction, i.e. wholesale prices.
• Compiled by the Office of Economic Advisor, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• The Wholesale Price Index measures inflation on a year-on-year basis.
• It consists of 3 major groups as below:

4. RBI ‘STATE OF THE ECONOMY’ REPORT

THE CONTEXT: According to the RBI’s monthly ‘State of the Economy’ report, war in Ukraine continues to vex the global supply chain and inflate prices of goods and commodities, the Indian economy is not expected to remain immune from the negative global conditions

THE EXPLANATION:

• India is facing high inflation, widening trade deficit and foreign portfolio investment outflow, the central bank added. These conditions are expected to hamper growth and lead to ‘rocketing inflation’.
• “Emerging market economies are bracing up to contend with swift shifts in risk sentiments and tightening of global financial conditions that could produce real economy consequences which may thwart incipient recoveries or even precipitate rocketing inflation and economic downturns.
• Prices of crude oil prices rocketed to a 14-year high of $133 per barrel in the first week of March 2022, prices of base metals such as nickel, palladium and aluminium, for which Russia is a key exporter, have surged and prices of food items such as edible oil and cereals have also been pinched hard in last two months, following the war. The impact has been felt across the board impacting countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, India and Russia.
• The RBI said global growth outlook has also been cut due to ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe. Even if the war ends, the imposed sanctions on Russia and the supply chain disruptions will last through this year (2022). This has resulted in organizations like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to cut global GDP by 1 per cent.
• It also noted that “India faces these challenges with improving fundamentals and strong buffers. Going forward, spurring private investment remains a key thrust area for sustaining growth on a durable basis.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

5. MEGHALAYA TRIBAL COUNCIL OPPOSES BORDER DEAL WITH ASSAM

THE CONTEXT: A tribal council in Meghalaya has joined the list of individuals and organisations in opposing the State government’s deal with Assam to resolve a 50-year-old boundary dispute.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Assam and Meghalaya governments had on March 29, 2022, finalized the pact to divide 36.79 sq. km of disputed areas. The two governments had taken up six of 12 disputed sectors in the first phase of discussions.
• The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) claimed that the dispute areas belong to private parties and the Meghalaya government has neither the authority nor the right to hand them over to Assam.
• The KHADC is one of three tribal councils in Meghalaya created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Each of them functions as a government within a specified territory.
• Apart from the KHADC, some traditional institutions such as Hima (a Khasi state) and villagers not keen on being tagged with Assam have threatened to go to court if the Meghalaya government cannot review the boundary deal.
• The Meghalaya government has said agreement, based on a list of disputed sectors submitted to Assam in 2011, cannot be revisited. The deal remains to be ratified by Parliament and the Assemblies of the two States concerned before the boundary is redrawn.
• The residents of two border villages –Malchapara and Salbari– have said they will not give up without a fight. They fear they will lose the tribal rights if they are separated from Meghalaya.

Value Addition:

Border Disputes among states

Assam-Mizoram:

• Mizoram borders Assam’s Barak Valley, and both border Bangladesh. The boundary between the two states, which runs 165 km today, has a history dating back to the time when Mizoram was a district of Assam and known as Lushai Hills. Boundary demarcations in 1875 and 1933, particularly the second one, are at the heart of the dispute.
• The 1875 demarcation, notified on August 20 that year, derived from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873. It differentiated Lushai Hills from the plains of Cacharin Assam’s Barak Valley. This was done in consultation with Mizo chiefs, and it became the basis for the Inner Line Reserve Forest demarcation in the Gazette.

Assam-Arunachal Pradesh

• The boundary issue between Assam and Arunachal is as ancient as the reign of the Ahom Kings who ruled Assam till the British annexed Assam in 1826. Encroachments by residents across the 804-km border that Assam shares with Arunachal Pradesh have led to rising tensions occasionally. A suit has been pending in Supreme Court since 1989 on the issue. Border Roads Organisation has marked Kim in Arunachal Pradesh as part of Assam by mistake.

Assam-Nagaland

• Assam and Nagaland share a 434-km border and the disputes relate to 66000 Sq Km of land mostly along the Sivasagar district of Assam. The two states have been disputing their shared border ever since Nagaland was carved out of Assam’s Naga Hills district. While Assam wants the status quo and sticks to the border decision taken on December 1, 1963, Nagaland demands all Naga territories be transferred to the state. Claiming that all Naga territories belong to them, Nagaland wants restoration of land-based on a 16-point agreement of 1960, which led to the creation of the state.

Assam-Meghalaya

• Meghalaya shares its internal border only with Assam and there are disputes along the 733 km border at 12 places. The border row between both States started with the formation of states under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. As per the Act, Blocks I and II of the Mikir Hills—presently, the Karbi Anglong district—were granted to Assam. Meghalaya claims that both these blocks were part of the erstwhile United Khasi and Jaintia Hills when it was created in 1835.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. THE NUBIAN CIVILIZATION

THE CONTEXT: Recently, archaeologist excavated a circular mounds of rocks dot the desert landscape at the archaeological site of Tombos in northern Sudan. They reveal tumuli – the underground burial tombs used at least as far back as 2500 B.C. by ancient inhabitants who called this region Kush or Nubia.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The remains of the ancient inhabitants of Tombos reveal information about their physical activity, as well as infection and nutrition. Conditions such as heart disease, cancer and the effects of hard labor all leave marks on the human body that provide insights into the epidemiology of disease in the past.

Value Addition:

• Nubia is a region along the Nile River located in the northern Sudan and southern Egypt. It was one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Northeastern Africa, with a history that can be traced from at least 2000 BCE and was home to one of the African empires.
• Before the 4th century, and throughout classical antiquity, Nubia was known as Kush, or, in Classical Greek usage, included under the name Ethiopia (Aithiopia). With the disintegration of the New Kingdom around 1070 BCE, Kush became an independent kingdom centered at Napata in modern central Sudan.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. The Char Chinari Island is sometimes recently seen in the news?

1. The iconic island Char Chinari in the middle of the Wular Lake.
2. It is a large, deciduous tree known for its longevity and spreading crown.
3. It is a coral island found in Lakshadweep.
4. It is a disputed island between India and Bangladesh.

ANSWER FOR 18TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

1. Palamau Tiger reserve – Jharkhand
2. Valmiki Tiger Reserve – Bihar
3. Satkoshi Tiger Reserve – Odisha

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. HOW WILL SRI LANKA OVERCOME ITS DEBT CRISIS?

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Sri Lanka announced its decision to default on its foreign debt of $51 billion, tarnishing its track record of promptly servicing past loans. Citing the International Monetary Fund’s assessment that the country’s debt stock was “unsustainable”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the countries Finance Ministry said its policy of repaying foreign debt on time was “no longer tenable”. It described the default move as its “last resort” to prevent “a further deterioration” of the country’s financial position, and to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all creditors.
• Sri Lanka will hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, on a comprehensive debt restructuring programme.

What led to the crisis?

• Sri Lanka is experiencing one of its worst economic crises. For months now, households and businesses have had to cope with severe food and fuel shortages, while the government scrambles for dollars to pay for essential imports. Emergency financial support coming in, including from India, is barely enough to sustain the country for a month.
• With authorities sharing no road map or plan, fears of hunger and starvation are growing, and thousands of people have been voicing their anger against the government. Amid mounting protests, the government took two major decisions recently — to default on the country’s debt and to seek IMF support to restructure outstanding loans and rescue its teetering economy.

Does a debt default help?

• No middle-income country other than Sri Lanka has resorted to a debt default in recent years. Usually, creditors and investors see a defaulting country as less favorable for business. This makes it harder for the country to borrow from external sources. If domestic production is low, as is in Sri Lanka’s case, it is even harder to cope.
• Sri Lanka’s pre-emptive default takes away the pressure of having to repay some $7 billion in debt this year, giving the country some time to stabilize. Further, the default move came just ahead of Colombo’s scheduled talks with the IMF, on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the Fund and World Bank, beginning in Washington DC on April 18.
• The IMF is expected to come up with a package that will allow Sri Lanka to restructure its external debt over time. Such a programme, including immediate relief of a couple of billion dollars, will also make Sri Lanka more creditworthy in the international money market.

How is Sri Lanka coping meanwhile?

• Citizens are finding it very difficult to source essentials, including cooking gas and kerosene. Fuel is in short supply and is now being rationed to customers after long periods of waiting in queues.
• Costs of all basic commodities have risen sharply making them unaffordable for most. Colombo is sourcing fuel and food supplies for the month using external help, including credit lines from India.

How could an IMF programme bail out the country?

• The way forward is neither easy nor straightforward for Sri Lanka, even with IMF assistance. Senior Sri Lankan economists have observed that the situation would likely get worse before getting better, and that there could be no gain without pain. Much would depend on the conditions imposed by the IMF and how Sri Lanka responds to them, given the government’s political compulsion to regain lost ground.
• It is widely predicted that the Fund’s recommended reforms would include greater taxation, and a reduction in state spending. What this could mean to the average citizen reeling under the shock of this economic calamity remains to be seen.
• It would be especially challenging for the Rajapaksa regime, which has lost significant political capital in the wake of this crisis, to make and implement tough policy decisions that would be inevitable at this time.

 THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. THE GREEN AGRICULTURE PROJECT

THE CONTEXT: The Project is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Global Environment Facility, will act as a lifeline for the Desert National Park (DNP) in western Rajasthan with the conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The environmentalists in the State have called for developing grasslands on vast tracts in the DNP area for grazing of animals, saying their neglect and conversion into irrigated and cultivated land would further endanger the rare species. The DNP is situated near Jaisalmer and Barmer, covering an area of 3,162 sq. km, while sand dunes comprise about 20% of the park.
• The village-wise action plans will support the rural population’s traditional methods of water management and agriculture.

BACKGROUND:

Green-Ag Project

• The Green-Ag project is designed to achieve multiple global environmental benefits in at least 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in five landscapes, with mixed land-use systems.
• It aims to bring at least 104,070 ha of farms under sustainable land and water management.
• The project will also ensure 49 million Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) sequestered or reduced through sustainable land use and agricultural practices.

Implementing agencies

• The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, while the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC & FW) is the national executing agency.
• Other key players involved in its implementation are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environment Ministry (MoEF & CC).

Regions of implementation

The project has been launched in high-conservation-value landscapes of five States namely

1. Madhya Pradesh: Chambal Landscape
2. Mizoram: Dampa Landscape
3. Odisha: Similipal Landscape
4. Rajasthan: Desert National Park Landscape
5. Uttarakhand: Corbett-Rajaji Landscape

3. THE CENTER EXTENDS THE TENURE OF GREEN PERMITS

THE CONTEXT: The Union Environment Ministry has extended the tenure of environmental clearances (EC) granted for existing or new projects.

THE EXPLANATION:

Need of Extending Environmental clearances (EC):

• An EC is a lengthy process that is required for projects larger than a certain size. It frequently entails an environmental impact assessment of a potential project, as well as public hearings with local residents who may be impacted by the project.
• The Central Government believes it is necessary to extend the validity of such ECs due to the time it takes to address local concerns, including environmental issues related to the implementation of such projects.
• One of the conditions of an EC is that the project must start construction during the period for which the EC was granted, and if it cannot, a new process must be started. As a result, projects become financially unsustainable.
• Due to “geological surprises, delays in forest clearance, land acquisition, local issues, and other factors,” nuclear power and hydro power projects had a “long gestation” period. These factors necessitate the extension of the validity of Environmental Clearance (EC) for such projects by the Central Government.

Recent Changes in Duration of Environmental Clearances:

 VALUE ADDITION:

What is Environment Impact Assessment?

• It is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
• EIA is a tool used to assess the positive and negative environmental, economic, and social impacts of a project. This is used to predict the environmental impacts of a project in the pre-planning stage itself so that decisions can be taken to reduce the adverse impacts.

EIA PROCESS:

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

5. FUELLING INFLATION IN RURAL INDIA

THE CONTEXT: The retail inflation rate surged to 6.95% this March 2022 — its highest level in nearly one and a half years, capping off six successive months of accelerating prices for consumers. With incremental fuel price hikes only kicking in during the latter half of March, the full impact of higher global oil prices being passed on to consumers will only begin reflecting in April.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Economists expect inflation to go past 7% and hover around that level till as far as September. However, across large parts of the country, the experienced price rise has already crossed 7.5% and even 8%. Official data pegs rural inflation in March at 7.66%, with several States reporting even higher inflation, including West Bengal (8.85%), Uttar Pradesh and Assam (8.19%) as well as Madhya Pradesh (7.89%).

What are the key drivers of higher inflation in the hinterland?

While food inflation was the key driver for the headline inflation rate jump in March, with the overall consumer food price index racing to 7.68% from 5.85% in February, the spike was far more pronounced in rural India where food inflation hit 8.04%. Food inflation in urban India was a full percentage point lower.

Which sections are affected the most, and what next?

• According to a noted economists, while high inflation affects the poor the most in general, the fact that price rise in food, the largest component of their consumption basket, is driving the current surge is particularly burdensome.
• Using data from official surveys, it has been estimated that the bottom 20% of the population in urban as well as rural India is facing the worst effects. The rural bottom 20% faced the highest inflation at 7% in March, while the upper 20% of the income segment in the hinterland experienced 7.6% inflation.
• “With upward pressure rising, inflation is becoming broad-based. Last year,(2021) low food inflation had contained the headline number, while fuel and core inflation (excluding food and energy prices) had risen. Now, food inflation is expected to rise along with both fuel and core inflation”.

VALUE ADDITION:

About Consumer Price Index (CPI):

• CPI measures changes in the price level of a basket of consumer goods and services bought by households.
• The base Year for CPI is 2012.

Types of CPI:

1. CPI for Industrial Workers (IW): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
2. CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
3. CPI for Rural Labourer (RL): Compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
4. CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined): Compiled by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Note: Changes in prices at the producer level are tracked by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI).

THE INTERNAL SECURITY

5. THE STATUS OF INDIA’S NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY STRATEGY

THE CONTEXT: The Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has prepared a report focusing on 21 areas to ensure a safe and vibrant cyberspace for India. Some of the focus areas are large-scale digitization of public services, State-level cyber security etc.

THE EXPLANATION:

Why does India need a cyber security strategy?

• As per American cyber security firm Palo Alto Networks’ 2021 report, Maharashtra was the most targeted State in India — facing 42% of all ransomware attacks. The report stated that India is among the more economically profitable regions for hacker groups and hence these hackers ask Indian firms to pay a ransom, usually using cryptocurrencies, in order to regain access to the data. One in four Indian organisations suffered a ransomware attack in 2021. Indian organizations witnessed a 218% increase in ransomware — higher than the global average of 21%.
• Software and services (26%), capital goods (14%) and the public sector (9%) were among the most targeted sectors. An increase in such attacks has brought to light the urgent need for strengthening India’s cyber security.

What is the National Cyber Security Strategy?

Conceptualized by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the 22-page report focuses on 21 areas to ensure a safe, secure, trusted, resilient, and vibrant cyberspace for India.

The main sectors of focus of the report are:-

• Large scale digitization of public services: There needs to be a focus on security in the early stages of design in all digitization initiatives and for developing institutional capability for assessment, evaluation, certification, and rating of core devices.
• Supply chain security: There should be robust monitoring and mapping of the supply chain of the Integrated circuits (ICT) and electronics products. Product testing and certification needs to be scaled up, and the country’s semiconductor design capabilities must be leveraged globally.
• Critical information infrastructure protection: The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) security should be integrated with enterprise security. A repository of vulnerabilities should also be maintained.
• Digital payments: There should be mapping and modelling of devices and platform deployed, transacting entities, payment flows, interfaces and data exchange as well as threat research and sharing of threat intelligence.
• State-level cyber security: State-level cyber security policies and guidelines for security architecture, operations, and governance need to be developed.

What steps does the report suggest?

To implement cyber security in the above-listed focus areas, the report lists the following recommendations:

• Budgetary provisions: A minimum allocation of 0.25% of the annual budget, which can be raised up to 1% has been recommended to be set aside for cyber security. In terms of separate ministries and agencies, 15-20% of the IT/technology expenditure should be earmarked for cyber security.
• The report also suggests setting up a Fund of Funds for cyber security and providing Central funding to States to build capabilities in the same field.
• Research, innovation, skill-building and technology development: The report suggests investing in modernization and digitization of ICTs, setting up a short and long term agenda for cyber security via outcome-based programs and providing investments in deep-tech cyber security innovation.
• Furthermore, a national framework should be devised in collaboration with institutions like the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and ISEA (Information Security Education and Awareness) to provide global professional certifications in security. The DSCI further recommends creating a ‘cyber security services’ with cadre chosen from the Indian Engineering Services.
• Crisis management: For adequate preparation to handle crisis, the DSCI recommends holding cyber security drills which include real-life scenarios with their ramifications. In critical sectors, simulation exercises for cross-border scenarios must be held on an inter-country basis.
• Cyber insurance: Cyber insurance being a yet to be researched field, must have an actuarial science to address cyber security risks in business and technology scenarios as well as calculate threat exposures. The DSCI recommends developing cyber insurance products for critical information infrastructure and to quantify the risks involving them.
• Cyber diplomacy: Cyber diplomacy plays a huge role in shaping India’s global relations. To further better diplomacy, the government should promote brand India as a responsible player in cyber security and also create ‘cyber envoys’ for the key countries/regions.
• Cybercrime investigation: With the increase in cyber crime across the world, the report recommends unburdening the judicial system by creating laws to resolve spamming and fake news. It also suggests charting a five-year road map factoring possible technology transformation, setting up exclusive courts to deal with cyber crimes and remove backlog of cyber crimes by increasing centres providing opinion related to digital evidence under section 79A of the IT act.
• Moreover, the DSCI suggests advanced forensic training for agencies to keep up in the age of AI/ML, block chain, IoT, cloud, automation. Law enforcement and other agencies should partner with their counterparts abroad to seek information of service providers overseas.

 What is the progress in its implementation?

• In the recent Budget session of Parliament (2022), several MPs questioned the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEiTy) on when the Centre plans to introduce the policy.
• In response, the Centre clarified that it has “formulated a draft National Cyber Security Strategy 2021 which holistically looks at addressing the issues of security of national cyberspace.” Without mentioning a deadline for its implementation, the Centre added that it had no plans as of yet “to coordinate with other countries to develop a global legal framework on cyber terrorism.”

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q Which of the pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. Palamau Tiger reserve – Jharkhand
2. Valmiki Tiger Reserve – Bihar
3. Satkoshi Tiger Reserve – Chhattisgarh

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

      a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 16TH APRIL 2022

Answer: A

The Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: India is the second-largest wheat producer in the world.
• Statement 2 incorrect: Key export destinations are Bangladesh, Nepal, UAE, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Afghanistan, Qatar, Indonesia, Oman and Malaysia.

THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURE: HERITAGE SITES

1. BIHAR GOVT SEEKS FOR UNESCO’S HERITAGE TAG FOR 2,500-YR-OLD ‘CYCLOPEAN WALL’

THE CONTEXT: Bihar government has sent a fresh proposal to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to get Cyclopean wall, a more than 2,500 years old structure at Rajgir, listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Cyclopean Wall of Rajgir is a 40 km long wall of stone which encircled the ancient city of Rajgir to protect it from external enemies and invaders, built before 3rd century BC.
• The 40-km long Cyclopean Wall of Rajgir is believed to have been built in the pre-Mauryan era, using massive undressed stones. It was erected by the rulers of the Brihadratha (rawani) Dynasty using massive undressed stones. The walls are also mentioned in Buddhist works.
• It is believed that the Cyclopean Wall at Rajgir is similar to “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” that runs through Germany, UK and Northern Ireland, which was included on UNESCO’s world heritage list in 1987.
• Bihar is the home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and quite a few sites on the tentative list. Nalanda University is one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bihar and was listed in 2002. It is listed as the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Another ancient monument in the state that has been included in UNESCO World Heritage Site list, is Mahabodhi temple of Bodhygaya.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. MAJOR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE LATEST INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT?

THE CONTEXT: In its latest assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has laid out several scenarios on the steps that ought to be taken to keep temperatures below 2°C. It warned that even temporarily exceeding the warming level of 1.5°C over the next two decades would mean additional severe impact, some irreversible.

THE EXPLANATION:

The latest report is the third instalment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed this year (2022).

What are the key messages?

• Total net anthropogenic GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions have continued to rise from 2010–2019, as have cumulative net CO2 emissions since 1850. Average annual GHG emissions during 2010-2019 were higher than in any previous decade, but the rate of growth between 2010 and 2019 was lower than that between 2000 and 2009. By 2019, the largest growth in absolute emissions occurred in carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry followed by
• The per-unit costs of several low-emission technologies have fallen continuously since 2010, however innovation has lagged in developing countries due to weak enabling conditions. Even if countries adhered to their promises towards reducing emissions, called Nationally Determined Contributions, warming will still exceed 1.5°C during the 21st century. Keeping warming below 2°C would then rely on a rapid acceleration of mitigation efforts after 2030.
• Tracked financial flows were still falling short of the levels needed to achieve mitigation goals across all sectors and regions. The challenge of closing gaps was largest in developing countries as a whole. Increasing financial flows can be supported by clear policy choices and signals from governments and the international community, it said. According to the scientists, limiting warming to around 1.5°C requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by 43% by 2030; at the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third.
• Even if this happened, it is almost inevitable that this ceiling would be temporarily breached but, with appropriate action, it could again dip by the end of the century.
• The global temperature will stabilise when carbon dioxide emissions reach net zero. For 1.5°C, this meant achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions globally in the early 2050s; for 2°C, it is in the early 2070s. Even limiting warming to around 2°C would still require global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest and be reduced by a quarter by 2030, the report stressed.

What are the implications of this report for India?

• The report’s warning against opening new coal plants is of relevance to India. The panel finds that all coal-fired power plants, without the technology to capture and store carbon (CCS), would need to be shuttered by 2050 if the world aspired to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
• According to the Central Electricity Authority, India had about 211 GW of operational coal-fired power plants — roughly 10% of global capacity. As per Global Energy Monitor data, another 31 GW was being constructed and about 24 GW in various pre-construction phases.
• None of the existing under construction coal-fired power plants in India have CCS facilities. India has committed to a net-zero year, or when it would cease to be a CO2 emitter, of 2070 and has defined a pathway to transition to renewable energy sources but also insisted on its right to coal use given its developmental needs as well underlining that the historical responsibility of climate change from fossil fuel rested with the developed countries, who needed to shoulder much of the mitigating burden.
• The Centre has “welcomed” the report and said it recognises India’s position that developed countries must do more to mitigate climate change.

 THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. EGYPT TO IMPORT WHEAT FROM INDIA

THE CONTEXT: According to the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry said that Egypt has approved to import wheat from India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Egypt, one of the world’s biggest importers of wheat which has been importing the grain from Russia and Ukraine, has agreed to source wheat from India.
• In the wake of trade disruptions caused due to the Ukraine conflict, Egypt is exploring other sources to import wheat to meet its demand.

Wheat exports to Egypt

• Officials from agriculture quarantine and pest risk analysis of Egypt examined the processing units, port facilities and farms in various states in India and agreed to import wheat from India.
• India is undertaking measures to ensure that the best quality of wheat will be exported to Egypt. India is looking to export about 1 million tonnes of wheat to Egypt.
• India aims to export about 10-11 million tonnes of wheat in FY23 due to the increase in global demand post the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Also, India is having trade talks with various other countries that look to import wheat from the country.

BACKGROUND:

India – Egypt Trade Relations

• Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in Africa.
• The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since 1978.
• The bilateral trade was valued at $ 4.15 billion in 2020-21.
• Egypt’s exports to India were valued at $ 1.89 billion
• Imports from India at $ 2.26 billion
• India has a favourable trade balance of about US$ 372 million.
• Top imports from Egypt – Mineral Oil, Fertilizers, Inorganic Chemicals and Cotton
• Top exports to Egypt – Buffalo Meat, Light Vehicles and Heavy Machinery.

4. EXPLAINED: WHAT ARE OIL BONDS, AND TO WHAT EXTENT DO THEY TIE THE GOVT’S HANDS?

THE CONTEXT: The Centre has argued that it cannot reduce taxes on petrol and diesel as it has to bear the burden of payments in lieu of oil bonds issued by the previous UPA government to subsidize fuel prices.

THE EXPLANATION:

What are Oil Bonds?

• Oil bonds are special securities issued by the government to oil marketing companies (OMC) in lieu of cash subsidy.
• These bonds are typical of a long-term tenure like 15-20 years and oil companies are paid interest.
• Before the complete deregulation of petrol and diesel prices, oil marketing companies were faced with a huge financial burden as the selling price of petrol and diesel in India was lower than the international market price.
• This ‘under-recovery is typically compensated through fuel subsidies allocated in the Union budget.
• However, between 2005 and 2010, the UPA government issued oil bonds to the companies amounting to Rs 1.4 lakh crore to compensate them for these losses.

Why do governments issue such bonds?

• Compensation to companies through the issuance of such bonds is typically used when the government is trying to delay the fiscal burden of such a payout to future years.
• Governments resort to such instruments when they are in danger of breaching the fiscal deficit target due to unforeseen circumstances that lead to a collapse in revenues or a surge in expenditure.
• These types of bonds are considered to be ‘below the line’ expenditure in the Union budget and do not have a bearing on that year’s fiscal deficit, but they do increase the government’s overall debt.
• However, interest payments and repayment of these bonds become a part of the fiscal deficit calculations in future years.

Backgrounder: Deregulation of fuel prices

• Fuel price decontrol has been a step-by-step exercise, with the government freeing up prices of aviation turbine fuel in 2002, petrol in 2010, and diesel in 2014.
• Prior to that, the government would intervene in fixing the price at which retailers were to sell diesel or petrol.
• This led to under-recoveries for oil marketing companies, which the government had to compensate for.
• The prices were deregulated to make them market-linked, unburden the government from subsidizing prices, and allow consumers to benefit from lower rates when global crude oil prices tumble.
• Price decontrol essentially offers fuel retailers such as Indian Oil, HPCL, or BPCL the freedom to fix prices based on calculations of their own cost and profits.
• However, the key beneficiary in this policy reform of price decontrol is the government.

Impact: Loss of consumers

• While oil price deregulation was meant to be linked to global crude prices, Indian consumers have not benefited from a fall in global prices.
• The central, as well as state governments, impose fresh taxes and levies to raise extra revenues.
• This forces the consumer to either pay what she’s already paying or even more.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/ INITIATIVES IN THE NEWS

5. e-DAR PORTAL TO HURRY UP ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has developed the portal named ‘e-DAR’ (e-Detailed Accident Report). Digitalized Detailed Accident Reports (DAR) will be uploaded on the portal for easy access.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It is a web portal that will help provide instant information on road accidents and accelerate accident compensation claims, bringing relief to victims’ families.
• Digitalized Detailed Accident Reports (DAR) will be uploaded on the e-DAR portal for easy access and the web portal will be linked to the Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD).
• The portal will also be linked to other portals like “Vaahan” and will have access to information on driving license details and registration of vehicles.
• The e-DAR portal will be conducting multiple checks against fake claims by conducting a sweeping search of vehicles involved in the accident, the date of the accident, and the First Information Report number.
• The portal will help in geo-tagging the accident location along with the site map.
• Various information such as photos, videos of the accident spot, damaged vehicles, injured victims, eye-witnesses, etc., will be uploaded immediately on the portal.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements:

1. India is the second-largest wheat producer in the world.
2. Key export destinations are US, Japan, and Australia.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 15TH APR 2022

Answer: A

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is correct: According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), a monsoon is considered “normal” when rainfall falls between 96% and 104% of the LPA.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: IMD has recently revised long period average (LPA) from earlier 88 cm to 87 cm.

THE GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT

1. EXPLAINED: WHAT DOWNGRADE IN AVERAGE MONSOON RAINFALL MEANS?

THE CONTEXT: In its first-stage long-range forecast for the 2022 southwest monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast normal rainfall during the season. It has, however, downgraded the Long Period Average (LPA) for all-India monsoon rainfall — from 88.06 cm cm to 87 cm, effective from June this year.

THE EXPLANATION:

How much rainfall does India receive on average in a year?

Based on trends for 1961-2010, India’s normal annual rainfall is about 1176.9 mm. Of this, nearly 74.8%, or 880.6 mm (88.06 cm), occurs during the Southwest monsoon from June to September. This is the LPA rainfall for the monsoon, the figure that has been revised.

Before the revision, the distribution of the rest of the rainfall was 3.4% during winter (January-February); 11.2% in the pre-monsoon season (March-May), and 10.5% during the post-monsoon season (October-December).

How much rainfall does India receive on average in a year?

• Based on trends for 1961-2010, India’s normal annual rainfall is about 1176.9 mm. Of this, nearly 74.8%, or 880.6 mm (88.06 cm), occurs during the Southwest monsoon from June to September.
• This is the LPA rainfall for the monsoon, the figure that has been revised. Before the revision, the distribution of the rest of the rainfall was 3.4% during winter (January-February); 11.2% in the pre-monsoon season (March-May), and 10.5% during the post-monsoon season (October-December).

When is the LPA revised?

• It is an international convention to verify the quantum of annual and seasonal monsoon rainfall once in a decade. The monsoon season’s LPA rainfall acts as a baseline figure calculated over a 50-year period. The LPA is revised, if required, depending on any variations observed from the rainfall data obtained from the network of rain gauges.
• In 2002, the IMD operated 1,963 rain gauges located across 523 districts. As of 2020, rainfall data was being collected from 4,132 rain gauges spread uniformly across 703 districts.
• Between 2005 and 2010, India’s LPA was taken at 89.04 cm. Between 2011 and 2015, the IMD revised it to 88.75 cm. It was 88.06 cm between 2018 and 2021. From the upcoming monsoon the revised LPA will be 87 cm.

 Why has it been downgraded?

• “According to the IMD forecast, the monsoon season rainfall shows an epochal behaviour, wherein the monsoon can shift between dry and wet epochs (30-to-50-year periods) in certain decades. The reduction in the rainfall is thus due to the natural multi-decadal rainfall variability”.
• The decadal variability between 1901 and 2020 shows the southwest monsoon rainfall underwent a dry epoch between 1901 and 1921. This was followed by a wet epoch that prevailed till 1970. From 1971, the monsoon has been passing through a dry epoch that persists till date.
• “Also, it highlighted, the dry epoch started in 1971 and has continued for five decades; thus the decadal mean rainfall values have remained negative. The decadal all-India southwest monsoon rainfall has been thus reducing by 1 cm. For 2011-2020, this value is minus 3.8, below normal”.
• But the peak of this dry epoch has been surpassed with the monsoon set to revive, report noted. “The future trend suggests that the decadal mean value will reach near normal during 2021-2030. It will then turn positive, meaning that the decade 2031-2040 will be the beginning of a wet epoch”.
• The decadal mean value for the ongoing decade is predicted to be around minus 1.4 to 1.5. Normally, the realised monsoon rainfall remains below normal for most years in a decade during a dry epoch. On the other hand, rainfall is normal or above normal during most of the years in a decade when it is a wet epoch.

So, has the all-India quantitative rainfall reduced?

• There is indeed a decrease in normal monsoon rainfall between 1961-2010 (880.6 mm) and 1971-2020 (868.6 mm). The all-India annual rainfall, too, has decreased from 1176.9 mm (based on 1961-2010) to 1160.1mm (based on 1971-2020).

 According to the IMD officials, the shifting of rainfall, the otherwise dry and arid west-central India regions covering Kutch-Saurashtra, Rajasthan and parts of west Madhya Pradesh are reporting a higher number of wet days than normal. These areas had more rainfall during 1971-2020 than during 1961-2010.

“There is a positive change in western India regions with research showing an increase in days with light to moderate intensity rainfall increasing over Rajasthan,” However, on an all-India basis, rainfall reduction in some areas and increase in other areas do not contribute in a large difference in the total quantum.

2. NEPTUNE’S SUMMER TEMPERATURE DROPS DRAMATICALLY

THE CONTEXT: According to the analysis published in the Planetary Science Journal the atmospheric temperature of the eighth planet of the solar system fell to -117°C from -109°C between 2003 and 2018.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to a new study the average atmospheric temperature of Neptune fell by 8 degrees Celsius (°C) during 2003-2020.
• The period covers the first half of the summer on the planet that started in 2005. Each season on the Neptune lasts 40 years.
• Researchers from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom and NASA observed the planet’s temperature from 2003-2020 to understand how its seasons evolve with time.
• The researchers relied on a fleet of ground-based telescopes – Chile’s Very Large Telescope and Gemini South telescope, Hawaii’s Subaru Telescope, Keck Telescope, and the Gemini North telescope as well as a space telescope named Spitzer Space Telescope to study Neptune.
• The telescopes were equipped with thermal cameras with infrared eyes. The cameras calculate temperature by measuring the infrared light emitted from objects in the stratosphere  — a layer of the planet’s atmosphere.
• The analysis threw up some more surprising results: Between 2018 and 2020, temperatures in the planet’s southern pole rose by 11°C. As a result, the stratospheric temperature showed a slight uptick. The rapid changes observed in the two years are surprisingly swift for a seasonal response, the researchers noted.
• The scientists noted, unexpected reversal of the trend in the polar region suggests some interesting atmospheric dynamics are at play.
• The researchers provided a few theories for the factors driving Neptune’s fluctuating temperatures. Seasonal changes in Neptune’s atmospheric chemistry could have a role to play, they surmised.
• Alternatively, the solar cycle – variation in the Sun’s activity every 11 years – might also be involved, the researchers wrote. Previous studies also suggested that the solar cycle might affect Neptune’s visible brightness, according to the report. Research in the future should focus on observing temperature and cloud patterns, the study stressed. The researchers have their hopes pinned on the James Webb Space Telescope launched in December 2021 to provide answers to this mystery.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE:

About James Webb Space Telescope:

• JWST is a joint venture between the US (NASA), European (ESA) and Canadian space agencies (CSA).
• It is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity.
• Webb was formerly known as the “Next Generation Space Telescope” (NGST) and it was renamed in 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
• It will be a large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5 meter primary mirror.

Objectives and functions of the telescope:

1. It will look deeper into the cosmos – and thus further back in time – than is possible with Hubble.
2. It will do this with a much bigger mirror (6.5m in diameter versus 2.4m) and instruments that are tuned to the infrared.
3. Scientists hope this set-up can detect the light from the very first population of stars in the Universe to switch on more than 13.5 billion years ago.

 THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

3. WHO REPORT HIGHLIGHTS COLLABORATIVE ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

THE CONTEXT: The strategic framework published in a report to advance a One Health response to AMR at the global, regional and country levels is a joint effort by the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

THE EXPLANATION:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major global threat to humans, animals, plants, food and the environment. This indicates the requirement of a One Health approach to effectively address the issue.
• The goal of the strategic framework is to preserve antimicrobial efficacy and ensure sustainable and equitable access to antimicrobials for responsible and prudent use in human, animal and plant health, contributing to achieving the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To achieve this goal, the objectives, mentioned in the framework are:

• Optimize the production and use of antimicrobials along the whole life cycle — from research and development to disposal — and decrease the incidence of infection in humans, animals and plants to reduce the development and spread of AMR.
• The overall impact to which the four organisations aim to contribute through their collaboration is for countries to have the capacity to design and sustainably implement evidence-informed One Health responses to AMR.

The report defined three outcomes countries should have in place:

• Policy and law support effective country-owned One Health AMR responses: Recognise AMR as a priority in the broader development agenda, acknowledging the need for capacity building to strengthen AMR-specific legislation, policy coherence and sector-specific research.
• Systems and structures, including institutional capacities, are in place to support effective implementation of country-owned One Health AMR responses: National Action Plans on AMR and guidelines to be regularly updated including monitoring and surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU). Access to good quality antimicrobials strengthened for all sectors.
• Increased, sustained resourcing is in place for country-owned One Health AMR responses: Priority actions from national action plans on AMR mainstreamed into national plans and budgets.
• The report also focuses on two intermediate outcomes that it considers interim steps, necessary for the achievement of the longer-term outcomes described above.
• The first intermediate outcome relates to the support provided at country level, while the second is focused on the tripartite (WHO, OIE and FAO) and UNEP action at global and regional levels in support of countries’ efforts.

 According to the report, these organizations work to achieve intermediate outcomes through the following mentioned outputs:

• The capacity and knowledge of countries are strengthened to prioritise and implement context-specific collaborative One Health approaches to control AMR in policies, legislation and practice
• Global and regional initiatives and programmes influence and support One Health responses to AMR and global governance structures established, resourced and function effectively.
• The strategic framework in this report broadly supports the implementation of the five pillars of the Global Action Plan on AMR, as well as strengthening global AMR governance.
• The collaboration of the four organisations on AMR is new, although they have worked together in other technical areas.

 THE SECURITY

4. THE UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT (UAPA)

THE CONTEXT: After designating relatives of Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Centre has now designated Kashmiri militant Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar as a terrorist under the Act.

THE EXPLANATION:

What changes as a result of Zargar’s designation as a terrorist under UAPA?

• The designation of individuals as terrorists is in keeping with international norms and laws. The United Nations designates individuals as terrorists, and the United States Department of State has a list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
• The government has earlier said this would help clamp down on the financial resources and assets of terrorist individuals even if they are not associated with an organisation, or if they dissolve a banned organisation and float another with a different name and form.

 MISCELLANEOUS

5. PM INAUGURATES PRADHANMANTRI SANGRAHALAYA

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister inaugurated the ‘Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya’ (prime ministers’ museum), which is a tribute to every prime minister in the country since Independence. The museum was inaugurated on the occasion of the 131st birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The museum on 14 former prime ministers of India, built at a cost of Rs 271 crore at the Teen Murti complex in New Delhi, has been developed to create awareness about these leaders. It recognises the contributions of all the prime ministers irrespective of their ideology or tenure in office.
• Starting from the country’s freedom struggle and the making of the Constitution, the museum tells the story of how India’s prime ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured its all-round progress. The guiding principle has been to recognise the contributions of all the prime ministers in a non-partisan manner.

Design

• The design of the museum building is inspired by the story of a rising India, shaped and moulded at the hands of its leaders, according to officials.
• The design incorporates sustainable and energy conservation practices. No tree has been felled or transplanted. The total area of the building is 10,491 square metres. The logo of the building represents the hands of the people of India holding the “chakra”, symbolising the nation and democracy.
• The logo of the museum represents the hands of the people of India holding the Dharma Chakra symbolising the nation and democracy.
• There are a total of 43 galleries in the Sangrahalaya that goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-around progress of the country.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements:

1. According to IMD, monsoon is considered “normal” when rainfall falls between 96% and 104% of the long period average (LPA).
2. IMD has recently revised the long period average (LPA) to 88 cm.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 14TH APRIL 2022

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Bihu festival is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam- Rongali or Bohag Bihu observed in April, Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January.
• Rongali Bihu, also known as Bohag Bihu, is celebrated by the people of Assam to mark the Assamese New Year. It is usually observed in the second week of April with the onset of spring.
• Bohag Bihu is a sowing festival, Kati Bihu is associated with crop protection and worship of plants and crops and is an animistic form of the festival, while Bhogali Bihu is a harvest festival. 

THE HEALTH AND EDUCATION

1. NEW RESEARCH: HEART INFLAMMATION RISK AFTER COVID-19 JABS IS VERY LOW, FINDS STUDY

THE CONTEXT: According to the latest study at National University Hospital, Singapore found no statistically significant difference between the incidence of myopericarditis following the Covid-19 vaccination and other vaccinations (56 per million).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The overall risk of heart inflammation (myopericarditis) following Covid-19 vaccination is very low, affecting 18 people per million vaccine doses, a study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine has found.
• The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the incidence of myopericarditis following the Covid-19 vaccination and other vaccinations (56 per million).
• THE CONDITION: Myopericarditis is a condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle and, in some cases, severe permanent heart damage. It is most often caused by viruses, but in rare instances can also occur after vaccination.
• DATABASE: The researchers looked at more than 400 million doses from global databses, and analysed more than 20 studies with reported incidences of myopericarditis following any type of vaccination between January 1947 and December 2021.
• Of these, 11 studies looked specifically at Covid-19 vaccinations, covering over 395 million doses – nearly 300 million of which were mRNA vaccines. The rest of the studies covered other vaccinations such as smallpox (2.9 million doses), influenza (1.5 million doses), and others (5.5 million doses).
• FINDINGS: Among COVID-19 vaccinations, the risk of myopericarditis (18 cases per million dases) was higher for those who received mRNA vaccines (22.6 per million) compared to non-mRNA vaccines (7.9 per million). Reported cases were also higher in people below 30 (40.9 per million), males (23 per million), and following the second dose (31.1 per million).
• According to the specialist,“The occurrence of myopericarditis following non-Covid-19 vaccination could suggest that myopericarditis is a side effect of the inflammatory processes induced by any vaccination and is not unique to the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in Covid-19 vaccines or infection.

2. UGC ALLOWS ENROLLING FOR TWO DEGREES

THE CONTEXT: According to the new UGC guidelines, from the academic session 2022-23, students will have the option to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously at the higher education level.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It will essentially allow students to simultaneously opt for two programmes at the undergraduate, diploma and postgraduate levels. Both degrees can be in physical mode, or one offline and another online, or both offline. But it will be optional for the universities to adopt these guidelines.

What are the subject combinations that a student will be allowed to take up?

• According to the UGC, the permitted combination of subjects will vary from one institution to another as different institutes set different criteria for admissions. However, it will be possible for a student to pursue a degree in humanities and sciences at once, or two degrees falling in the same stream.
• For instance, if a student is already enrolled in a BSc mathematics degree and also wants to pursue a bachelor’s degree in History, He/She will be allowed to do so. If a university offers an offline BCom programme during the evening shift and a full-time BA programme during the morning shift, a student may enroll in both programmes.

What are the possible combinations in terms of modes of study?

• The move allows a student to pursue two academic programmes, one in full-time physical mode, and another in open and distance learning mode. They can also join a programme in a physical mode in a university, along with another programme in an online mode. The third choice for students is that they can pursue two online degrees simultaneously.
• On the question of attendance, particularly in case of a student choosing the purely offline mode, UGC noted that in such cases, students and colleges will ensure that class timings for one programme do not overlap with that of the other.
• Also, the guidelines will not apply to MPhil and Ph.D. programmes. Students can only pursue a degree or diploma course in distance mode/online mode at institutions that have been approved by the UGC, and concerned bodies of the Government of India.

Will admission eligibility criteria and attendance requirements be revised?

• The eligibility criteria for each of the programmes will remain unchanged and admissions will be conducted based on the existing UGC and university norms. If a student aspires to pursue a specialised degree in any domain but the minimum criteria require her to have basic knowledge of the subject, then she may not be able to enroll in that particular course.
• Since all academic programmes have minimum attendance requirements for students to be able to take the exams, universities may have to devise or revise the attendance criteria for these courses. “UGC does not mandate any attendance requirements and these are the policies of the universities.

 THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

3. INDIA WILL MISS ITS 2022 SOLAR POWER TARGET: REPORT

THE CONTEXT: A report, jointly prepared by two energy-research firms — JMK Research and Analytics and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis — says India will likely miss its 2022 target of installing 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity. This is because rooftop solar lagging behind.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is India’s solar policy?

• Since 2011, India’s solar sector has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 59% from 0.5GW in 2011 to 55GW in 2021. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), also known as the National Solar Mission (NSM), which commenced in January 2010, marked the first time the government focussed on promoting and developing solar power in India.
• Under the scheme, the total installed capacity target was set as 20GW by 2022. In 2015, the target was revised to 100GW and in August 2021, the government set a solar target of 300GW by 2030.
• India currently ranks fifth after China, U.S., Japan and Germany in terms of installed solar power capacity. As of December 2021, the cumulative solar installed capacity of India is 55GW, which is roughly half the renewable energy (RE) capacity (excluding large hydropower) and 14% of the overall power generation capacity of India. Within the 55GW, grid-connected utility-scale projects contribute 77% and the rest comes from the grid-connected rooftop and off-grid projects.

What does the report say?

• As of April, 2022 only about 50% of the 100GW target, consisting of 60GW of utility-scale and 40GW of rooftop solar capacity, has been met. Nearly 19 GW of solar capacity is expected to be added in 2022 — 15.8GW from utility-scale and 3.5GW from rooftop solar. Even accounting for this capacity would mean about 27% of India’s 100GW solar target would remain unmet, according to JMK Research.
• A 25GW shortfall in the 40GW rooftop solar target, is expected compared to 1.8GW in the utility-scale solar target by December 2022. Thus, it is in rooftop solar that the challenges of India’s solar-adoption policy stick out.

What are the reasons for rooftop solar adoption not meeting targets?

• In December 2015, the government launched the first phase of the grid-connected rooftop solar programme to incentivise its use in residential, institutional and social areas. The second phase, approved in February 2019, had a target of 40GW of cumulative rooftop solar capacity by 2022, with incentives in the form of central financial assistance (CFA).
• As of November 2021, of the phase 2 target of 4GW set for the residential sector, only 1.1GW had been installed. The disruption in supply chains due to the pandemic was a key impediment to rooftop solar adoption.
• In its early years, India’s rooftop solar market struggled to grow, held back by lack of consumer awareness, inconsistent policy frameworks of the Centre/State governments and financing. Recently, however, there has been a sharp rise in rooftop solar installations thanks to falling technology costs, increasing grid tariffs, rising consumer awareness and the growing need for cutting energy costs.
• These factors are expected to persist giving a much-needed boost to this segment, the report notes. Going ahead, rooftop solar adoption is expected to proportionally increase as land and grid-connectivity for utility solar projects are expected to be hard to come by.

Challenges:

• Factors impeding rooftop-solar installation include pandemic-induced supply chain disruption to policy restrictions, regulatory roadblocks; limits to net-metering (or paying users who give back surplus electricity to the grid); taxes on imported cells and modules, unsigned power supply agreements (PSAs) and banking restrictions; financing issues plus delays in or rejection of open access approval grants; and the unpredictability of future open access charges, the report notes.

How critical is solar power to India’s commitment to mitigate climate change?

• Solar power is a major prong of India’s commitment to address global warming according to the terms of the Paris Agreement, as well as achieving net-zero, or no net carbon emissions, by 2070.
• Prime Minister at the United Nations Conference of Parties meeting in Glasgow, in November 2021, said India would be reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030 and meet half its energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030.
• To boost the renewable energy installation drive in the long term, the Centre in 2020 set a target of 450GW of RE-based installed capacity to be achieved by 2030, within which the target for solar was 300GW.
• Given the challenge of integrating variable renewable energy into the grid, most of the RE capacity installed in the latter half of this decade is likely to be based on wind-solar hybrid (WSH), RE-plus-storage and round-the-clock RE projects rather than traditional solar/wind projects, according to the report. On the current trajectory, the report finds, India’s solar target of 300GW by 2030 will be off the mark by about 86GW, or nearly a third.

The study speculates that the government, in the short term, will aggressively push for expediting solar capacity addition to achieve the 100GW target by 2022 by re-allocating some of the unmet rooftop targets to utility-scale projects.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. INDIA TO GROW AT 8%: WORLD BANK

THE CONTEXT: According to World Bank, India is projected to grow at 8% over the current fiscal year (April 1- March 31), and 7.1% over the next (FY 2023-24) fiscal year.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The country is estimated to have grown at 8.3% in the fiscal year that just passed, following a contraction of 6.6% in the year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• For the South Asia region, growth is expected to be slower than projected, by 1 percentage point, at 6.6% in 2022 and 6.3% next calendar year.
• This is due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has impacted the region, when it was already experiencing “uneven and fragile” growth, rising commodity prices, bottlenecks to supply and financial sector vulnerabilities.

External shocks

• “Given these challenges, governments need to carefully plan monetary and fiscal policies to counter external shocks and protect the vulnerable, while laying the foundation for green, resilient and inclusive growth”.
• It highlighted, that there is limited space for fiscal stimulus and supply bottlenecks are of greater significance than insufficient effective demand.
• The impact of sanctions on Russia would be on the South Asian region, the report noted the impact was indirect, rather than direct, given the relatively low proportion of imports and exports that go to and from Russia and Ukraine. The indirect impact was via the global impact of sanctions on commodity and financial markets.
• All countries in the region will face challenges ahead, despite “solid” GDP growth during recovery, as per the report. In the case of India, household consumption will be constrained due to the incomplete recovery of the labour market and inflationary pressures.

Greener fuels

• The report suggests that countries in the region move towards greener fuels and commodities as a response to rising fuel prices and the introduction of green taxes. This would also be a new source of government revenue. Also, It noted that the green tax recommendation applied to both firms that were polluting as well as energy prices.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES/INITIATIVES IN THE NEWS

5. NOD TO EXTEND GRAM SWARAJ SCHEME

THE CONTEXT: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a proposal to continue the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a scheme for improving the governance capabilities of Panchayati raj institutions, till 2025-2026.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The CCEA, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister, approved the extension of the scheme that ended on March 31, 2022 at a total financial outlay of ₹5,911 crores, of which ₹3,700 crore would be the Centre’s share and ₹2,211 crore the States’ share.
• “The approved scheme of RGSA will help more than 2.78 lakh rural local bodies to develop governance capabilities to deliver on SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] through inclusive local governance with focus on optimum utilisation of available resources”.
• The scheme would work towards “poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages; healthy village, child friendly village; water sufficient village; clean and green village; self-sufficient infrastructure in village; socially secured village; village with good governance; engendered development in village”.

Strengthening the panchayats

• The government said panchayats would be strengthened and a spirit of healthy competition inculcated. No permanent posts would be created under the scheme but “need-based contractual human resources may be provisioned for overseeing the implementation of the scheme and providing technical support to States/UTs”.

VALUE ADDITION:

About Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

• In continuation of “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan”, which started on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, Govt. of India has extended it in 117 Aspirational Districts identified by the NITI Aayog.
• This campaign which, undertaken under “SabkaSath, Sabka Gaon, Sabka Vikas”, is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about pro-poor initiatives of the government, and reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programmes.
• During this Abhiyan, a saturation of eligible households/persons would be made under seven flagship pro-poor programmes namely, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya, Ujala scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indradhanush. In addition, 5 priority are related activities under Education, Health, Nutrition, Skills and Agriculture also been identified as per district plan.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?

1. Bohag Bihu – Sowing festival
2. Kati Bihu – Crop protection
3. Bhogali Bihu – Harvest festival

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 13TH APRIL 2022

Answer: C

Explanation:

• The electoral college for the election of President of India is made up of all the elected members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs) and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (MLAs).

THE PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS: BUDGET SESSION 2022

1. THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND THEIR DELIVERY SYSTEMS (PROHIBITION OF UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES) AMENDMENT BILL, 2022

THE CONTEXT: During the 2022 Budget session of the Parliament, the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Bill amends the WMD and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 which prohibits the unlawful manufacture, transport, or transfer of WMD (chemical, biological and nuclear weapons) and their means of delivery. It is popularly referred to as the WMD Act. The recent amendment extends the scope of banned activities to include financing of already prohibited activities.

What was the purpose of the original WMD Act?

The WMD and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act came into being in July 2005. Its primary objective was to provide an integrated and overarching legislation on prohibiting unlawful activities in relation to all three types of WMD, their delivery systems and related materials, equipment and technologies. It instituted penalties for contravention of these provisions such as imprisonment for a term not less than five years (extendable for life) as well as fines. The Act was passed to meet an international obligation enforced by the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 of 2004.

What is the UNSCR 1540?

• In April 2004 the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1540 to address the growing threat of non-state actors gaining access to WMD material, equipment or technology to undertake acts of terrorism. In order to address this challenge to international peace and security, UNSCR 1540 established binding obligations on all UN member states under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Nations were mandated to take and enforce effective measures against proliferation of WMD, their means of delivery and related materials to non-state actors.
• UNSCR 1540 enforced three primary obligations upon nation states — to not provide any form of support to non-state actors seeking to acquire WMD, related materials, or their means of delivery; to adopt and enforce laws criminalising the possession and acquisition of such items by non-state actors; to adopt and enforce domestic controls over relevant materials, in order to prevent their proliferation.
• It was to meet these obligations that enactment and enforcement of legislations to punish the unlawful and unauthorised manufacture, acquisition, possession, development and transport of WMD became necessary.

 What has the Amendment added to the existing Act?

• The Amendment expands the scope to include prohibition of financing of any activity related to WMD and their delivery systems. To prevent such financing, the Central government shall have the power to freeze, seize or attach funds, financial assets, or economic resources of suspected individuals (whether owned, held, or controlled directly or indirectly). It also prohibits persons from making finances or related services available for other persons indulging in such activity.

Why was this Amendment necessary?

• UNSCR 1540 undergoes periodic reviews to determine the success of its implementation and to identify gaps in enforcement. In one such review undertaken in 2016, it was concluded that the risk of proliferation to non-state actors is increasing due to rapid advances in science, technology, and international commerce.
• The statement of objects and reasons of the Bill presented in India echoes these developments for having made the Amendment necessary. Two specific gaps are being addressed — first, as the relevant organisations at the international level, such as the Financial Action Task Force have expanded the scope of targeted financial sanctions and demand tighter controls on the financing of WMD activities, India’s own legislation has been harmonised to align with international benchmarks.
• Secondly, with advancements in technologies, new kinds of threats have emerged that were not sufficiently catered for in the existing legislation. These notably include developments in the field of drones or unauthorised work in biomedical labs that could maliciously be used for terrorist activity. Therefore, the Amendment keeps pace with evolving threats. In fact, domestic legislations and international measures that address issues of WMD security cannot afford to become fossilised. They must be agile and amenable to modifications in keeping with the changing tactics of non-state actors.

What more should India do?

• India’s responsible behaviour and actions on non-proliferation are well recognised. It has a strong statutory national export control system and is committed to preventing proliferation of WMD. This includes transit and trans-shipment controls, retransfer control, technology transfer controls, brokering controls and end-use based controls. Every time India takes additional steps to fulfil new obligations, it must showcase its legislative, regulatory and enforcement frameworks to the international community.
• At the domestic level, this Amendment will have to be enforced through proper outreach measures to industry and other stakeholders to make them realise their obligations under the new provisions. India’s outreach efforts with respect to the WMD Act have straddled both region-specific and sector-specific issues. Similar efforts will be necessary to explain the new aspects of the law.
• It is also necessary that India keeps WMD security in international focus. There is no room for complacency. Even countries which do not have WMD technology have to be sensitised to their role in the control framework to prevent weak links in the global control system. India can offer help to other countries on developing national legislation, institutions and regulatory framework through the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) or on bilateral basis.

What is the international significance of these legislation? What is in it for India?

• Preventing acts of terrorism that involve WMD or their delivery systems requires building a network of national and international measures in which all nation states are equally invested. Such actions are necessary to strengthen global enforcement of standards relating to the export of sensitive items and to prohibit even the financing of such activities to ensure that non-state actors, including terrorist and black-market networks, do not gain access to such materials. Sharing of best practices on legislations and their implementation can enable harmonisation of global WMD controls.
• India initially had reservations on enacting laws mandated by the UNSCR. This is not seen by India as an appropriate body for making such a demand. However, given the danger of WMD terrorism that India faces in view of the difficult neighbourhood that it inhabits, the country supported the Resolution and has fulfilled its requirements.
• It is in India’s interest to facilitate highest controls at the international level and adopt them at the domestic level. Having now updated its own legislation, India can demand the same of others, especially from those in its neighbourhood that have a history of proliferation and of supporting terrorist organisations.

THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

2. PAKISTANI LAWMAKERS ELECT SHEHBAZ SHARIF AS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER

THE CONTEXT: The Pakistan parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif as the 23rd Prime Minister of the country.

THE EXPLANATION:

• While interacting with journalists then, Shehbaz had said that “war is not an option”, and had pitched for the resumption of “peaceful dialogue” on all issues including “Sir Creek, Siachen, water and Kashmir”.
• The Indian Prime Minister congratulated him on his election and said India desired peace and stability in a region free of terrorism.
• Emerging from the shadow of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz is known to be close to the Pakistan Army — he was chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Expecting a good ties,

• The Sharif family has always been an advocate of better ties with India. Shehbaz’s last India visit was in December 2013 when he met then Prime Minister and Commerce Minister, visited Metro stations and solid waste management plants in Delhi, and a power plant in Haryana. He also visited Punjab and held meetings with then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, where he worked on a roadmap for cooperation between the two Punjabs.
• Officials pointed out that the core concerns of the two countries remain the same over the last decade, and Shehbaz is well placed to take forward the bilateral conversation.
• Better trade ties with India could provide a much-needed boost to Pakistan’s economy. Known to be focussed on infrastructure projects — he is credited for many roads, bridges, flyovers and transport projects in Pakistan’s Punjab province — Shehbaz is keen to deliver before the next elections in 2023.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

3. MICROPLASTICS DETECTED IN FISH SAMPLES FROM CAUVERY

THE CONTEXT: A new study by researchers at the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has found microplastics in fish, causing growth defects, including skeletal deformities, in River Cauvery in south India.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The study was conducted at the Krishnaraja Sagar dam, located below the confluence of river Cauvery with its tributaries Hemavati and Lakshmana Tirtha, in the Mandya district of Karnataka.
• The researchers collected water samples from three different locations with varying water flow speeds – fast-flowing, slow-flowing and stagnant – since water speed is known to affect the concentration of pollutants.
• In the first part of the study, the team analysed the physical and chemical parameters of the water samples. All but one of them fell within the prescribed limits. The exception was dissolved oxygen, which was deficient in samples collected from the slow-flowing and static sites. Water from these sites also had microbes such as Cyclops, Daphnia, Spirogyra, Spirochaeta, and E coli, well-known bio-indicators of water contamination.

The researchers conducted further studies. Using a technique called Raman spectroscopy, they detected microplastics — minute pieces of plastic often invisible to the naked eye — and some toxic chemicals.

• In the second part of the study, the team investigated the effect of the pollutants in water on fish. They treated zebrafish embryos, a well-known model organism, with water samples collected from the three sites, and found that those exposed to water from the slow-flowing and stagnant sites experienced skeletal deformities, DNA damage, early cell death, heart damage, and increased mortality. These defects were seen even after the microbes were filtered out, suggesting that microplastics and toxic chemicals were also causing problems on their own.
• The findings assume importance in the context of a recent study from the Netherlands, which has shown that microplastics can enter the bloodstream of humans. The researchers noted that the concentrations of the pollutants they have reported in the fish may not be alarming yet for humans. Still, long-term effects can’t be ruled out.

VALUE ADDITION:

What are microplastics?

• Microplastics are tiny bits of various types of plastic found in the environment. The name is used to differentiate them from “macroplastics” such as bottles and bags made of plastic.
• There is no universal agreement on the size that fits this bill — the U.S. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the European Chemical Agency define microplastic as less than 5mm in length. However, for the purposes of this study, since the authors were interested in measuring the quantities of plastic that can cross the membranes and diffuse into the body via the blood stream, the authors have an upper limit on the size of the particles as 0.0007 millimetre.

THE SECURITY AFFAIRS

4. ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE ‘HELINA’ SUCCESSFULLY FLIGHT TESTED

THE CONTEXT: Indigenously developed helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested on April 11, 2022 at high-altitude ranges as part of user validation trials.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The flight-test was jointly conducted by the teams of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF).
• The flight trials were conducted from an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the missile was fired successfully engaging simulated tank target. The missile is guided by an Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker operating in the Lock on Before Launch mode. It is one of the most advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.
• In continuation to validation trials conducted at Pokhran in Rajasthan, proof of efficacy at high altitudes paves the way for its integration on the ALH. The trials were witnessed by senior Army commanders and senior scientists of the DRDO.

VALUE ADDITION:

• HELINA (Helicopter based NAG) is a third generation fire and forget class anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system mounted on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The system has all weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.
• The HELINA missile can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode. HELINA Weapon Systems is being inducted into the Indian Army (IA). A variant of HELINA Weapon System called DHRUVASTRA is being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. INDIA HAS 217 SPACE OBJECTS ORBITING EARTH: REPORT

THE CONTEXT: India has 103 active or defunct spacecraft and 114 objects categorised as ‘space debris’ in orbit and it has embarked on research to reduce such fragments from outer space.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to the Department of Science and Technology, “Presently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken up research activities to study the feasibility and technologies required to undertake active debris removal (ADR).
• According to Orbital Debris Quarterly News issued in March 2022 by NASA, India had 103 spacecraft, including active and defunct satellites, and 114 space debris objects, including spent rocket bodies orbiting the earth. So, the country has a total of 217 space objects orbiting the earth.
• Also, the department noted, Active Debris Removal (ADR) was one of the active methods suggested by the Space Debris Research Community to contain the growth of space debris objects. “ADR is a very complex technology and involves policy and legal issues. Technology demonstration studies have been taken up by many countries, including India. Developmental studies for finalising necessary technologies are initiated to demonstrate ADR.
• According to the Orbital Debris Quarterly News, the U.S. has 4,144 spacecraft (active and defunct), and 5,126 objects that can be categorised as space debris in the earth’s orbit.
• China has 517 spacecraft, active and defunct, and 3,854 objects, including spent rocket bodies, orbiting the earth.

Directorate Space Situational Awareness and Management Centre

• DoS highlighted that ISRO has also set up the Directorate Space Situational Awareness and Management at its headquarters to deal with issues related to space debris.
• A dedicated Space Situational Awareness Control Centre is set up in Bengaluru to coordinate all space debris related activities within ISRO and to safeguard Indian operational space assets from collision threats, he said.
• The minister added that ISRO was also planning to have its own observational facilities to track and catalogue the space objects.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken up research activities to study the feasibility and technologies required to undertake active debris removal.
• Active Debris Removal (ADR) is a very complex technology and involves policy and legal issues. Technology demonstration studies have been taken up by many countries, including India.
• A dedicated Space Situational Awareness Control Centre is set up in Bengaluru to coordinate all space debris related activities within ISRO and to safeguard Indian operational space assets from collision threats.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. State Energy and Climate Index is released by –

a) Ministry of Power

b) Ministry of New & Renewable Energy

c) Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change

d) NITI Aayog

ANSWER FOR 11TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to get into the global network of silk cities.
• The network now has nine countries and 13 cities.
• The network helps artisans and craftsmen to exchange knowledge, build trade relations and under- stand various craftsmanship techniques.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

1. ‘WORLD FOOD PRICES ROSE TO A NEW RECORD IN MARCH 2022’: FAO

THE CONTEXT: World food prices jumped to a new record high in March 2022 as the war in Ukraine caused turmoil in markets for staple grains and edible oils, the U.N. food agency.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally-traded food commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month versus an upwardly revised 141.4 for February 2022.
• FAO said Russia was the world’s largest exporter of wheat and Ukraine was the fifth largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world’s barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports.
• They both are major exporters of sunflower oil via the Black Sea, and Moscow’s six-week-old invasion of its neighbour has stalled Ukrainian exports.
• FAO warned last month (March 2022)that food and feed prices could rise by up to 20% as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, triggering a jump in global mal nourishment.
• FAO also cut its estimate of world wheat production in 2022 to 784 million tonnes from a forecast of 790 million last month (March 2022) as it factored in the possibility that at least 20% of Ukraine’s winter crop area would not be harvested. It also lowered its projection of global cereals trade in the 2021/22 marketing year.
• Also, the UN agency highlighted the fact, Russia is also a world leader in fertilizer exports.”The likely disruptions to agricultural activities of these two major exporters of staple commodities could seriously escalate food insecurity globally.

 2. CENTRE SETS UP TASK FORCE TO PROMOTE ANIMATION, GAMING

THE CONTEXT: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has constituted an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) promotion task force. Headed by the I&B Secretary, the task force will submit its first action plan within 90 days.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It has representation from the industry, academia and State governments.Earlier, Union Finance in her Budget speech, had announced the creation of AVGC promotion task force.
• The body will frame a national AVGC policy; recommend national curriculum framework for graduation, post-graduation and doctoral courses in AVGC-related sectors; and facilitate skilling initiatives in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centres and industry.
• It will boost employment opportunities and help in the promotion and market development activities to extend global reach. of the Indian industry; enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract foreign direct investment in the sector.
• The I&B Ministry said the AVGC sector in the country had the potential to become the torch bearer of “Create in India” and “Brand India”. “India has the potential to capture 5% of the global market share by 2025, with an annual growth of around 25-30% and creating over 1,60,000 new jobs annually”.
• The task force comprises Secretaries of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

 3. SC UPHOLDS NEW RESTRICTIONS ON RECEIVING FOREIGN FUNDS

THE CONTEXT: The Supreme Court upheld amendments introducing restrictions in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) while holding that no one has a fundamental or absolute right to receive foreign contributions.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In a judgment that may hit non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working at the grass-root level with no direct link to foreign donors, the court reasoned that unbridled inflow of foreign funds may destabilise the sovereignty of the nation.
• The restrictions involve a bar on using operational FCRA accounts to get foreign contributions and mandatory production of the Aadhaar card for registration under the FCRA. They require NGOs and recipients to open a new FCRA account at a specified branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi as a “one-point entry” for foreign donations.
• The petitioners, including individuals and NGOs engaged in cultural, educational, religious activities, argued that the amendments suffered from the “vice of ambiguity, over-breadth or over-governance” and violated their fundamental rights. They said the new regime amounts to a blanket ban on the capacity of intermediary organisations in India to distribute foreign donations to smaller and less visible NGOs. But the court countered that the amendments only provide a strict regulatory framework to moderate the inflow of foreign funds.

‘No absolute right’

• According to the three bench judge, “No one can be heard to claim a vested right to accept foreign donations, much less an absolute right”.
• Free and uncontrolled inflow of foreign funds has the potential to impact the socio-economic structure and polity of the country. “Philosophically, foreign contribution (donation) is akin to gratifying intoxicant replete with medicinal properties and may work like a nectar,” the ruling said.

Value Addition:

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act:

• It is an act of Parliament enacted in 1976 and amended in 2010. It was to regulate foreign donations and to ensure that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security.
• Coverage: It is applicable to all associations, groups, and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations.
• Registration: It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under the FCRA. The registration is initially valid for five years. Further, it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms.
• Registered NGOs can receive foreign contributions for five purposes — social, educational, religious, economic, and cultural. There are 22,591 FCRA registered NGOs.

Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Rules 2020:

• New rules require any organization that wants to register itself under the FCRA to have existed for at least three years. Further, it should have spent a minimum of Rs. 15 lakh on its core activities during the last three financial years for the benefit of society.
• Office bearers of the NGOs seeking registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act must submit a specific commitment letter from the donor. It should indicate the amount of foreign contribution and the purpose for which it is proposed to be given.
• Any NGO or person making an application for obtaining prior permission to receive foreign funds shall have an FCRA Account.

 4. RBI TO ‘FOCUS’ ON INFLATION

THE CONTEXT: The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee raised its estimate for inflation in FY23 to 5.7%, from the 4.5% forecast in February 2022 before Russia invaded Ukraine, and stressed that it would now turn its focus to the “withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within the target going forward”.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According to RBI Governor, “For the last three years growth was ahead of inflation in sequence. This time we have reversed it because we thought the time is appropriate.

 ‘War-induced factors’

• Also the Governor noted, MPC had decided to revise the inflation projections for FY23 upwards with the estimate for Q1 at 6.3%; Q2 at 5.8%; Q3 at 5.4%; and Q4 at 5.1% due to “war-induced factors”.
• He pointed to the sharp increase in crude oil, edible oil and wheat prices, and the cost of feed — which has pushed prices of poultry, egg and dairy products — as reason for the higher estimates.
• Earlier, the MPC voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 4%.
• He also noted, the escalating geopolitical tensions had cast a shadow on India’s economic outlook. As a result, real GDP growth for FY23 has been projected at 7.2%, compared with 7.8% estimated earlier.

VALUE ADDITION:

What is Monetary Policy Committee?

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a committee constituted by the Central Government and led by the Governor of RBI. Monetary Policy Committee was formed with the mission of fixing the benchmark policy interest rate (repo rate) to restrain inflation within the particular target level. The RBI governor controls the monetary policy decisions with the support and advice of the internal team and the technical advisory committee.

Initially, the main decisions related to interest rates were taken by the Governor of RBI alone before the establishment of the committee. MPC was constituted under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 as an initiative to bring more transparency and accountability in fixing the Monetary Policy of India. MPC conducts meetings at least 4 times a year and the monetary policy is published after every meeting with each member explaining his opinions.

Instruments of Monetary Policy

There are both direct and indirect instruments used for implementing monetary policy. Few include:

• Repo rate
• Reverse Repo rate
• Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)
• Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)
• Corridor
• Bank Rate
• Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
• Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
• Open Market Operations (OMOs)
• Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS)

 THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. INDIA SUCCESSFULLY FLIGHT TESTS MISSILE SYSTEM SFDR BOOSTER

THE CONTEXT: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved yet another feat by successfully testing the solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) booster from a defence facility off the Odisha coast. The new technology will help develop long-range air-to-air missiles.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The test has successfully demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system and met all the mission objectives.
• According to DRDO, “After the ground booster phase the missile was guided to high altitude to simulate aircraft release conditions. Subsequently, the nozzle-less booster was ignited and it accelerated the system to the required Mach number for ramjet operation.”
• The performance of the system has been confirmed from the data captured by a number of range instruments like telemetry, radar and electro optical tracking systems (EOTS) deployed by ITR.
• Developed by Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories, the SFDR based propulsion enables the missile to intercept aerial threats at supersonic speeds at very long range.
• All the subsystems including the booster and nozzle-less motor performed as expected. So far, the technology was available only with a handful of countries in the world. The successful validation of the technology will enable DRDO to develop
  long range air-to-air missiles.
• The air breathing ramjet technology will propel long range air-to-air missiles to engage with targets at supersonic speed and high accuracy. The missiles will provide a multi-layered aerial protection to important establishments from hostile.

Value Addition:

Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)

• The Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) developed under a joint Indo-Russian R&D project achieved a speed of Mach 3 on its first flight.
• The ramjet propulsion system used in the SFDR acts as an oxidizer and the solid propellant reacts as air flows through a solid propellant duct.
• Unlike conventional rockets that carry propellant and oxidizer, Ramjet uses the air as an oxidizer just like a jet engine.
• Possible usage of SFDR: These are to be used in the future variants of missiles, including an advanced version of the ASTRA, Beyond Visual Range AAM (BVRAAM) expected to extend the range to 150 km in the Mk-3 version.
• According to the DRDO, the SFDR has a range of 120 km with a speed range of 2.3-2.5 Mach.
• Unbound by the diameter of aerial weapons, a ground-launched SFDR would accelerate a missile over 250 km. A potential application of the Indo-Russian SFDR is extended range SAM – such as the futuristic Indian SAM-X.

 THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements about Standing Deposit Facility (SDF):

1. It is a tool available with RBI to inject liquidity in the economy.
2. It replaces the earlier Marginal Standing Facility (MSF).

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 8TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

• The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
• The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006.
• It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
• The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. Each elected member serves for a term of three years. (Statement 1 is correct and 2 is incorrect).
• Countries are disallowed from occupying a seat for more than two consecutive terms.(Statement 3 is correct).
• Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.The UNHRC passes non-binding resolutions on human rights issues through a periodic review of all 193 UN member states called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. INDIA-NETHERLANDS BILATERAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The three-day visit of President to the Netherlands is also significant as the two nations celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations. President during his visit to the Netherlands also visited Keukenh of- the world’s largest flower garden.

THE EXPLANATION:

Celebration of 75 years of India’s Independence in Netherlands

The President also met the members of the Indian community living in the Netherlands. As part of the 75 years of India’s Independence celebrations, President hosted a cultural performance which will be graced by Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The performance will be by Kalakshetra Foundation and a 25 member troop will enact a piece from Ramayan.

India-Netherlands relations: Background

In 2022, the diplomatic relations between India and Netherlands will complete 75 years which were established back in 1947. As India developed into a rapidly expanding economy, the bilateral trade between India and Netherlands continued to gather momentum. This was despite the slow economic growth of the Netherlands. The Netherlands is also among the top 10 partners of India in terms of trade volume.

Trade and Commercial Relations: The Netherlands was the fifth largest investor in India for FY 2020-21 with FDI inflows of USD 2.8 billion. For the same period, the Netherlands was the third largest destination for overseas direct investment from India (approx. USD 1.22 billion). The Netherlands was India’s 3rd largest trading partner in the Europe in FY 2020-2021. During FY 2020-2021, total two-way trade stood at US$13 billion with export from India amounting to US$ 8.85 billion and imports from the Netherlands at US$ 4.1 billion.

Indian Community and Diaspora: The Netherlands hosts the largest Indian Diaspora on mainland Europe, including 2,00,000 strong Surinami-Hindustani community of Indian origin. Descendants up to sixth generation of the original Indian immigrants who had arrived in Suriname and later migrated to the Netherlands can avail OCI facility. The approximate 48,000 NRIs/PIOs are mainly businessmen, knowledge workers, professionals and students. Indian students are amongst the top 3 in terms of numbers amongst non-EU foreign students in the Netherlands.

Renewable Energy: The Netherlands signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in May 2018. India is one of the convening countries of the Global Commission on Adaptation. The Netherlands joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in 2021. India invited the Netherlands to support CDRI’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for Small Island Developing States. Cooperation in the area of renewable energy continues under an MoU singed in 2014. In the virtual Dutch Trade Mission held in February 2021 solar energy, hydrogen, biofuels, energy transition and e-mobility were a core theme.

THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL ISSUES

2. INDIA’S FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS VARIANT XE REPORTED FROM MUMBAI

THE CONTEXT: India’s first case of Coronavirus variant XE was reported in Mumbai, also one case of the Kappa variant has also been detected.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that a 50-year-old woman with a travel history to South Africa may have been infected with the newly discovered ‘XE’ variant of the coronavirus.

What is the XE variant of coronavirus?

• The Omicron variant, which is responsible for over 90 percent of the infections detected this year, has two prominent sub-variants, called BA.1 and BA.2. There is a BA.3 sub-variant as well, but that is less common.
• During the initial phase, the BA.1 sub-variant was the most widespread. In India, however, it was the BA.2 that was the most dominant during the third wave.
• 2 was found to be slightly more transmissible than BA.1, even though it was not more dangerous. In the last couple of months, the BA.2 variety has become the most widespread across the globe, accounting for almost 94 percent of all Omicron infections in the last month, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The incidence of the BA.1 variety is declining sharply.

Also known as Recombinant:

• The XE variant is what is called a ‘recombinant’. This means it contains the mutations found in BA.1 as well as BA.2 varieties of Omicron. This was first discovered in the United Kingdom in January, and so far more than 600 samples of XE have been found in different countries.
• Recombinant variants are not uncommon. Variants that contain mutations characteristics of two or more known variants occur all the time. In fact, variants that contain the characteristic mutations of Delta and Omicron have also been identified.
• The random process of genetic mutations in viruses and other organisms keeps happening continuously. But only a small fraction of these mutations significantly alter the abilities of the virus to infect, or to cause severe diseases.

Will the XE variant of Covid-19 come to India?

• It would not be surprising if the XE variant is indeed found in India — in the Mumbai woman, or in some other patient at a later stage. Travel restrictions have been mostly done away with, and international air travel is back to almost where it was in the pre-pandemic period.
• Also, the possibility of XE, or any other recombinant variety of Omicron, developing within the Indian population cannot be ruled out. It is also possible that the XE variant is already circulating in the Indian population, but is yet to be detected.

3. THE MANACLES OF CASTE IN SANITATION WORK

THE CONTEXT: According to the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, a total of 971 people lost their lives while cleaning sewers or septic tanks since 1993, the year law prohibiting the employment of manual scavengers was enacted.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Even in 2020, the Indian government and our civil society continue to grapple with the inhuman nature of manual scavenging. While civil society started a movement in the 1990s to abolish dry latrines, the focus now is on manhole deaths and the provision of safety equipment to sanitation workers.
• The movement has been demanding the abolition of the dehumanizing practice of the manual removal of human excreta and calls for the introduction of mechanization for handling waste. Various State governments and the previous Central governments have responded to these civil society demands by introducing different laws to stop manual scavenging and provide incentives to build toilets.
• If, on the one hand, the civil society has tended to approach this issue as a collective problem that needs to be addressed by the State, on the other, the current ruling dispensation seems to be framing the issue as a spectacle in the form of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is addressing the problem in terms of an obstacle in the way of tourism promotion.

Background:

Manual Scavenging

• It is defined as the removal of human excrement from public streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters and sewers.
• In the past, this referred to the practice of removing excreta from dry latrines.
• However, new modern sanitation technologies brought new forms of manual scavenging work, which include manual and unsafe cleaning of drains, sewer lines, septic tanks and latrine pits.

Concerns 

• Scavenging is mostly carried out by a subgroup of the Dalits, an outcast community also known as “untouchables” within India’s ancient system of caste hierarchies.
  • “Untouchables” are often impoverished, shunned by society and forbidden from touching Indians of other castes, or even their food.
• Scavenging continues in parts of India largely due to governmental indifference and social prejudice.
• There is a complete absence of planning for the maintenance of sewerage, septic tanks, and waste disposal systems in the urban policies made for the city by the state and private companies.
• The number of people killed while cleaning sewers and septic tanks has increased over the last few years.
• 2019 saw the highest number of manual scavenging deaths in the past five years.

Measures to tackle the Manual Scavenging:

Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act in 1993

• The  Act prohibited the construction of unsanitary dry latrines and employing manual scavengers.
• The Act had defined ‘manual scavenger’ as a person engaged in or employed for manually carrying human excreta.
• However, the government’s description of the dry latrine was a problem, as it defined dry latrine as “latrine other than a water-seal latrine”.
• Manual scavenging was not just a practice related to dry latrines, but also to insanitary latrines and open defecation.

Safai Karamchari Andolan

• The Safai Karamchari Andolan, a social movement that campaigned against manual scavenging, along with other organizations, filed public interest litigation(PIL) in the Supreme Court.
• The demand was to direct State governments and Union Territories to strictly enforce the law to stop the practice of manual removal of human excreta.

Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act,2013

• Though the construction of dry latrines has drastically reduced, thenumber of deaths in manholes, sewers and septic tanks continues to remain high.
• The Indian government had plans to amend the 2013 Act to completely mechanize the cleaning of sewers and manholes and build new sewers.
• However,neither the past nor the present amendment addresses the issue of labor safety.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• The same is the case with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which skirts the issue of labor rights and the stigma attached to sanitation.
• Also, not only toilets but even cleaning work is seen as a lowly job in India.
• Most sanitation contracts are given to private contractors or self-help groups, and such staff hardly have ID cards, leave alone the protection of medical insurance policies.

What lies ahead?

• The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan should make expansion of the sewer network a top priority and come up with a scheme for scientific maintenance that will end the manual cleaning of septic tanks.
• The laws should be enforced vigorously to eliminate manual scavenging in its entirety.
• There should be trials and testing of protective gears and provisions for better healthcare facilities, insurance cover, pension plans and regulations on preventive and social medicine education for the manual scavengers.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

4. EXPLAINED: WHAT IS SDF, THE RBI’S NEW TOOL TO ABSORB EXCESS LIQUIDITY TO CONTROL INFLATION?

THE CONTEXT: While retaining the reverse repo rate at 3.35 per cent, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF), an additional tool for absorbing liquidity, at an interest rate of 3.75 per cent.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is a Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)?

A Standing Deposit Facility or SDF allows the RBI to absorb liquidity (deposit) from commercial banks without giving government securities in return to the banks.

Role of SDF

• The main purpose of SDF is to reduce the excess liquidity of Rs 8.5 lakh crore in the system, and control inflation.
• In 2018, the amended Section 17 of the RBI Act empowered the Reserve Bank to introduce the SDF – an additional tool for absorbing liquidity without any collateral. By removing the binding collateral constraint on the RBI, the SDF strengthens the operating framework of monetary policy. The SDF is also a financial stability tool in addition to its role in liquidity management.

The SDF will replace the fixed rate reverse repo (FRRR) as the floor of the liquidity adjustment facility corridor. Both the standing facilities — the MSF (marginal standing facility) and the SDF will be available on all days of the week, throughout the year.

How it will operate

The SDF rate will be 25 bps below the policy rate (Repo rate), and it will be applicable to overnight deposits at this stage. It would, however, retain the flexibility to absorb liquidity of longer tenors as and when the need arises, with appropriate pricing. The RBI’s plan is to restore the size of the liquidity surplus in the system to a level consistent with the prevailing stance of monetary policy.

Reverse repo rate

The fixed rate reverse repo (FRRR) rate which is retained at 3.35 per cent will remain part of the RBI’s toolkit, and its operation will be at the discretion of the RBI for purposes specified from time to time. The FRRR along with the SDF will impart flexibility to the RBI’s liquidity management framework, the RBI said.

Question of liquidity

• The “extraordinary” liquidity measures undertaken in the wake of the pandemic, combined with the liquidity injected through various other operations of the RBI, have left a liquidity overhang of the order of Rs 8.5 lakh crore in the system.
• This has pushed up the retail inflation level in the system. “The RBI will engage in a gradual and calibrated withdrawal of this liquidity over a multi-year time frame in a non-disruptive manner beginning this year.

5. EXPLAINED: INDONESIA’S PALM OIL CRISIS, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA

THE CONTEXT: The world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil is facing domestic shortages, leading to price controls and export curbs.

THE EXPLANATION:

• It’s rare for any country that is the largest producer and exporter of a product to experience domestic shortages of the same product — so much so as to force its government to introduce price controls and curbs on shipments.
• But that is precisely the story of Indonesia vis-à-vis palm oil. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated the archipelago’s palm oil production for 2021-22 (October-September) at 45.5 million tonnes (mt). That’s almost 60% of the total global output and way ahead of the next bigger producer: Malaysia (18.7 mt). It is also the world’s No. 1 exporter of the commodity, at 29 mt, followed by Malaysia (16.22 mt).

Plausible factors

How does one explain this conundrum — consumers unable to access or paying through the nose for a commodity in which their country is the preeminent producer and exporter?

There are two possible reasons.

The first has to do supply disruptions — man made and natural — in other cooking oils, especially sunflower and soyabean.

• Ukraine and Russia together account for nearly 80% of the global trade in sunflower oil, quite comparable to the 90% share of Indonesia and Malaysia in palm. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which is ongoing, has resulted in port closures and exporters avoiding Black Sea shipping routes.
• Sanctions against Russia have further curtailed trade in sunflower oil, the world’s third most exported vegetable oil (12.17 mt, according to USDA estimates for 2021-22) after palm (49.63 mt) and soyabean (12.39 mt).
• Soyabean oil, too, is facing supply issues due to dry weather in South America. The USDA has projected the combined soyabean output of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay for 2021-22 to fall by 9.4%, translating into the continent’s lowest harvest in six years. Supply tightness in sunflower and soyabean — from war and drought, respectively — has, in turn, transmitted to palm oil.

The second factor is linked to petroleum, more specifically the use of palm oil as a bio-fuel.

• The Indonesian government has, since 2020, made 30% blending of diesel with palm oil mandatory as part of a plan to slash fossil fuel imports. The country’s domestic consumption of palm oil is forecast at 17.1 mt, of which 7.5 mt is for bio-diesel and the balance 9.6 mt towards household and other use.

Impact on India

• India is the world’s biggest vegetable oils importer. Out of its annual imports of 14-15 mt, the lion’s share is of palm oil (8-9 mt), followed by soyabean (3-3.5 mt) and sunflower (2.5). Indonesia has been India’s top supplier of palm oil, though it was overtaken by Malaysia in 2021-22 (see table).
• On March 2022, the Indonesian government lifted its retail price caps on palm oil along with the 30% domestic market sale obligation on exporters. At the same time, it levied a progressive tax on exports, linked to a reference price for CPO. These rates range from $175 per tonne (when the reference export price is $1,000-1,050) to $375 (when prices are above $1,500).

The restrictions on exports, even in the form of levy, take into cognizance Indonesia’s higher population (27.5 crore, against Malaysia’s 3.25 crore) as well as its ambitious bio-fuel programme (Malaysia is still to fully implement even 20% palm oil admixture in diesel). To that extent, the world – more so, the bigger importer India – will have to get used to lower supplies from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, import prices of edible oils have eased from March 2022  peaks, although higher than one year back. That should provide some relief, both for households and industrial consumers (including soap and cosmetic makers) in India.

Landed prices of CPO (cost plus freight, Mumbai) are currently ruling around $1,750 per tonne, as against $2,000 and $1,175 in March 2021, respectively. The corresponding import prices (current versus month-ago and year-ago) stood at $1,690 ($1,960 and $1,115) for RBD palmolein and $1,800 ($1,925 and $1,290) for crude de-gummed soyabean oil.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q. Consider the following statements about UNHRC:

1. 1. It is made up of 47 United Nations Member States elected by the UN General Assembly.
   2. Each elected member serves for a term of two years.
   3. Countries are disallowed from occupying a seat for more than two consecutive terms.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 3

c) 2 and 3

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 7TH APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013) amended the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (1946) and made the following changes to the composition of CBI:

The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a three-member committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him.

THE PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS: BUDGET SESSION 2022

1. PARLIAMENT PASSES CONSTITUTION (SCHEDULED TRIBES) ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022

THE CONTEXT: Both the houses of the Parliament has passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, which specifies the tribes and tribal communities deemed to be Scheduled Tribes (STs) in various states and union territories.

• Inclusion of certain community in the list of STs in Tripura: The Bill seeks to amend Part XV of the Schedule to the 1950 Order, which specifies the STs in Tripura.  It includes the Darlong community as a sub-tribe of the Kuki tribe in the list of STs in Tripura.

Value Addition:

• Darlongs is a small community of around 11,000 people in Tripura.
• Despite its small population, the community has a high prevalence of education, cultural activities and members of the community are serving in different high positions in the local administration.
• Tribal musicologist and Rosem (tribal instrument) maestro Thanga Darlong was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award a few years back for his contribution to culture.
• Darlongs, despite being Scheduled Tribes, were never given ST certificates.
• Since they were considered a generic tribe under the Kuki community, they were handed their tribal certificates as members of ‘Kuki’ community.
• The subsequent identity crisis among them, especially Darlong youths, who were equipped with modern education, culminated in the demand for a separate statutory identity of their own in 1995.

Tribes of Tripura-

• Tripura, the tiny Northeast state of 37 lakh people houses 19 tribal communities. 
• These include Tripuri or Debbarma, Reangs or Brus, Jamatia, Noatia, Uchoi, Chakma, Mog, Lushai, Kuki, Munda, Kour, Oram, Santhal, Bhil, Bhutia, Chaimar or Sermai, Garo, Khasi, Lepcha and Halam.
• Many of these communities are further divided into sub-tribes. For example, Kuki’s have nearly 17-18 sub-tribes within the community.
• It is an umbrella tribal community including many smaller clans like Khasi, Lushai, Hmars and other generic clans.
• In course of time, Lushai, Hmar, Garo etc. came out of Kuki as separate communities.
• Halam community also has several sub-tribes such as Rangkhawl, Ranglong, Dab, Chaimar or Sermai, Bong, Korbong, Harbong, Bongcher etc.
• Out of 37 lakh people of Tripura, nearly 30 per cent are tribals, who mostly live in areas under jurisdiction of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), spread in patches across all eight districts and covering 70 per cent of the state’s geographical area.
• The state, which was ruled by tribal kings for over 500 years till 1949, when it merged into the Indian Union, saw tribals become minority in their own state due to arrival of East Pakistani refugees who fled their country.

2. RESERVATION TO OBCS

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,

(i) The following States have provided 27% to OBCs: –

Assam, NCT of Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana (27% in Class III & IV posts, 10% in Class I & II posts), Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu.

(ii) The following States have given more than 27% reservation to OBCs:-

Andhara Pradesh (29%), Bihar (33%), Karnataka (32%), Kerala (40%),Tamil Nadu (50%),Andaman & Nicobar (38%), Puducherry (34%).

(iii) The following States have given less than 27% reservation to OBCs:-

Chhattisgarh (14%), Himachal Pradesh (12% in Category-I posts & 18% in Category-II posts), Jharkhand (14%), Madhya Pradesh (14%), Manipur (17%), Punjab (12%), Rajasthan (21%), Sikkim (21%), Uttarakhand (14%), West Bengal (17%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (5%).

(iv) The following States have not given any reservation to OBCs:-

Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Lakshadweep.

The reservation policy in State/UT Government services etc. is decided and implemented by the concerned Governments, while keeping in view the interests of the citizens of the State/UT. The Central Government has no role in deciding the reservation policy of State Government.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. INVESTMENT AND EXPORT IN STEEL SECTOR

THE CONTEXT: According to the Union Ministry of Steel, the investment and export in steel sector as follows:

THE EXPLANATION:

1. Notification of the following policies having impact on investment and export in the steel sector:-

a. National Steel Policy 2017 which envisages inter-alia domestically meeting the entire demand of steel and high-grade automotive steel, electrical steel, special steel and alloys for strategic applications.

b. Domestically Manufactured Iron & Steel Products (DMI&SP) Policy for promoting procurement of Made in India steel.

c. Steel Scrap Recycling Policy to enhance the availability of domestically generated scrap for making steel at competitive prices.

d. Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS)in order to enhance production through disseminating advance information regarding grades of the imports for enhancing investment and import substitution.

e. Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel with an outlay of Rs 6,322 Crore to promote the manufacturing of specialty steel within the country for domestic use and export by attracting Capital investments.

2. Establishment of Project Development Cell in the Ministry to attract and facilitate investment in the steel sector.

3. ‘Make in India’ initiative and the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with further engagement with potential users, including from Railways, Defence, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Housing, Civil Aviation, Road Transport and Highways, Agriculture and Rural Development sectors to enhance the steel usage, overall demand for steel and investment in steel sector in the country.

4. Adjustments in basic custom duty on steel products and trade remedial measures like Anti-dumping duty (ADD), Countervailing duty (CVD) on certain raw materials and steel products to enhance competitiveness of India’s steel sector.

5. Other measures to improve Ease of Doing Business and Reducing Compliance burden, Market Access Initiatives (MAI), Startup India initiative etc. to help domestic industry in capacity creation, providing level playing field and creating a conducive business environment to attract investments and promote exports.

4. ADB PROJECTS INDIA’S ECONOMY TO GROW BY 7.5% IN FY23

THE CONTEXT: Asian Development Bank projected a 7 per cent collective growth for South Asian economies in 2022 with the subregion’s largest economy India growing by 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal year before picking up to eight per cent the next year.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Manila-based multilateral funding agency, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected the GDP growth rate of the Indian economy, in its flagship Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022, as follows:

• 2022-23 (FY23): 7.5 per cent
• 2023-24 (FY24): 8.0 per cent

ADB said developing Asia’s economies are forecast to grow 5.2% this year and 5.3% in 2023, thanks to a robust recovery in domestic demand and continued expansion in exports.

VALUE ADDITION:

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• ADB is a regional development bank established in 1966, Headquartered at Manila, Philippines
• It has 68 members. India is a founding member. Forty-nine are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.
• It aims to promote social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.

Voting rights:

• It is modelled closely on the World Bank and has a similar weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion with members’ capital subscriptions.
• As of 31 December 2020, ADB’s five largest shareholders are Japan and the United States (each with 15.6% of total shares), the People’s Republic of China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).

Roles and functions:

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

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. GROSS EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (GERD)

THE CONTEXT: According the Department of Science and Technology, that the Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD), in absolute terms, has been consistently increasing over the years and has increased 3 times during the last 10 years.

THE EXPLANATION:

• According the department, some of the key efforts made by Government include the successive increase in plan allocations for Scientific Departments, incentivizing investment by private sector to increase their share in GERD, improving the ease of doing  business in the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) activities; introducing flexible tools for public procurement; creating avenues for collaborative STI funding through portfolio-based funding mechanisms such as Public-Private-Partnerships and other innovative hybrid funding mechanisms.
• It also noted that, the Government has allowed corporate sector to make R&D investments under the provision of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Corporates can invest in technology business incubators or contribute in research efforts carried out by institutions and national research laboratories as a part of their CSR.
• Also the Department noted that as part of the new draft Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy, several provisions have been included with the focus to increase GERD. Some of the key provisions include; greater participation of central, state, local governments and public sector enterprises; fiscal incentives to attract private sector; fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to attract Foreign Direct Investment; Micro-financing through crowdfunding and philanthropic sources; linking public procurement with domestic industries; Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and industry led mission oriented joint initiatives; etc.

Value Addition:

• According to UNESCO’s stats, the global expenditure on research and development (R&D) has crossed $1.7 trillion. The most used indicator to measure country-wise investments in R&D is the gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) as the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
• A comparison of the R&D spending of some of the countries representing different regions of the world and India in terms of GERD as a percentage of GDP shows India to be a low spender (only 0.66 per cent of the GDP) in comparison to the developed countries and emerging economic powers of East Asia.
• Worst still, the percentage expenditure for the last couple of years is showing a downward trend. A quick analysis of the allocations to various R&D organisations in the recently presented 2022-23 budget shows continued stagnation.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

6. EXPLAINED: WHY CENTRE HAS OPPOSED ODISHA’S PLANS FOR LANDMARK LINGARAJ TEMPLE

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Home Affairs has said several sections of the proposed ordinance are in conflict with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

THE EXPLANATION:

The Central government has told the Odisha government that its ordinance to bring the 11th-century Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar and its associated temples under a special law is outside the legislative competence of the state legislature. It also said the ordinance is in conflict with the rules laid down under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act).

What is the Lingaraj Temple Ordinance, 2020?

• Lingaraj temple, the largest in Bhubaneswar, was constructed by King Jajati Keshari in the 10th Century and completed by King Lalatendu Keshari in the 11th Century.
• In December 2019, the Odisha Government had announced a development plan for the temple and its peripheral area in Bhubaneshwar. The 66-acre “Ekamra Kshetra” development plan was launched to preserve the heritage and development of the nine sites and their nearby areas at a cost of around Rs 700 crore.

Why has the Centre opposed the ordinance?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has said several sections of the proposed ordinance conflicted with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act. The AMASR Act provides for preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.

Value Addition:

Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958

• The AMASR Act provides for the preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance. It also provides for the regulation of archaeological excavations and for the protection of sculptures, carvings and other like objects.

• The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the provisions of this act. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.

• The Act prohibits construction in a ‘prohibited area’, an area of 100 meters around a protected monument was amended in 2010 to declare the 100-metre radius of protected monuments as prohibited areas and the next 300-metre radius as regulated areas.
• It does not permit construction in such prohibited areas even if it is for public purposes, except under certain conditions. The iconic monuments in India, Taj Mahal, Ajanta Caves, The Great Stupa at Sanchi and the Sun Temple of Konark, among others are designated as “ancient monuments of national importance” and protected under the AMASR Act.
• The Archaeological Survey of India is the custodian of these monuments.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Director of CBI is appointed by Central Government on the recommendation of a committee consisting of which of the following?

1. The Prime Minister as Chairperson
2. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha
3. The Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him
4. The union home minister

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) 1 and 3 only

b) 1, 2 and 3 only

c) 1, 3 and 4 only

d) All of them

ANSWER FOR 6TH APRIL 2022

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Antarctic Treaty signed in 1959 — India joined the Treaty System in 1983.
• The Antarctic Treaty came into force on June 23, 1961, after ratification by the 12 countries that were then active in Antarctic science. (Statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is incorrect).
• The Treaty covers the area south of 60°S latitude. (Statement 3 is correct).
• Its key objectives are to demilitarize Antarctica, to establish it as a zone free of nuclear tests and the disposal of radioactive waste, and to ensure that it is used for peaceful purposes only; to promote international scientific cooperation in Antarctica and to set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. (Statement 4 is correct).
• Of the 54 signatory countries, 29 have ‘consultative’ status that give them voting rights. The Treaty parties meet each year at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

THE PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS: BUDGET SESSION 2022

1. THE DELHI MUNICIPAL CORPORATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022

THE CONTEXT: The Parliament passed Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022 which seeks to merge three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single entity. 

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Bill seeks to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 passed by Parliament.  The Act was amended in 2011 by Delhi Legislative Assembly to trifurcate the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi into: (i) North Delhi Municipal Corporation, (ii) South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and (iii) East Delhi Municipal Corporation.  The Bill seeks to unify the three corporations.

• Unification of Municipal Corporations in Delhi:  The Bill replaces the three municipal corporations under the Act with one Corporation named the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

• Powers of the Delhi government: The Act as amended in 2011 empowers the Delhi government to decide various matters under the Act. These include: (i) total number of seats of councillors and number of seats reserved for members of the Scheduled Castes, (ii) division of the area of corporations into zones and wards, (iii) delimitation of wards, (iv) matters such as salary and allowances, and leave of absence of the Commissioner, (v) sanctioning of consolidation of loans by a corporation, and (vi) sanctioning suits for compensation against the Commissioner for loss or waste or misapplication of Municipal Fund or property.  Similarly, the Act mandates that the Commissioner will exercise his powers regarding building regulations under the general superintendence and directions of the Delhi government.  The Bill instead empowers the central government to decide these matters.

• Number of Councillors: The Act provides that the number of seats in the three corporations taken together should not be more than 272.  The 14^th Schedule to the Act specifies 272 wards across the three Corporations.  The Bill states that the total number of seats in the new Corporation should not be more than 250.

• Removal of Director of Local Bodies: The Act provides for a Director of Local Bodies to assist the Delhi government and discharge certain functions which include: (i) coordinating between Corporations, (ii) framing recruitment Rules for various posts, and (iii) coordinating the collecting and sharing of toll tax collected by the respective Corporations.  The Bill omits the provision for a Director of Local Bodies.

• Special officer to be appointed by the central government: The Bill provides that the central government may appoint a Special Officer to exercise powers of the Corporation until the first meeting of the Corporation is held after the commencement of the Bill.

• E-governance system for citizens: The Bill adds that obligatory functions of the new Corporation will include establishing an e-governance system for citizen services on anytime-anywhere basis for better, accountable, and transparent administration.

• Conditions of service for sweepers: The Act provides that a sweeper employed for doing house scavenging of a building would be required to give a reasonable cause or a 14 day notice before discontinuing his service.   The Bill seeks to omit this provision.

2. THE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS, THE COST AND WORKS ACCOUNTANTS AND THE COMPANY SECRETARIES (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2021

THE CONTEXT: The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by both the houses of the Parliament.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Bill seeks to amend
  • The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949,
  • The Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959, and
  • The Company Secretaries Act, 1980.
• The three Acts provide for the regulation of the professions of chartered accountants, cost accountants and company secretaries, respectively.  The Bill seeks to strengthen the disciplinary mechanism under these Acts, and provide for time bound disposal of cases against members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Key features of the Bill include:

• Registration of firms: The Bill adds that firms must register with the Institutes by making an application to the respective Councils of the Institutes.  The Councils must maintain a register of firms containing details such as pendency of any actionable complaint or imposition of penalty against the firms.
• Disciplinary Directorate: Under the Acts, the respective Councils of the three Institutes must each constitute a Disciplinary Directorate, headed by Director (Discipline) who is an officer of the Institute.  The Bill adds that each Directorate must also include at least two Joint Directors.
• Under the Acts, on receiving a complaint, the Director arrives at a prima facie opinion on the alleged misconduct.  Depending on the misconduct, the Director places the matter before the Board of Discipline or the Disciplinary Committee.  The Bill amends this to empower the Directorate to independently initiate investigations against members or firms.  The Director must decide whether a complaint is actionable within 30 days of receiving such complaint.  If the complaint is actionable, the Director must submit a preliminary examination report to the Board or the Committee (as the case may be), within 30 days.  Under the Acts, a complaint may be withdrawn if permitted by the Board or Committee.  The Bill provides that a complaint filed with the Directorate will not be withdrawn under any circumstances.
• Board of Discipline: Under the three Acts, each Council constitutes a Board of Discipline.  Members of the Board include: (i) presiding officer (having experience in law and knowledge of disciplinary matters), (ii) two members and (iii) Director (Discipline) as secretary.  Under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, one of the two members is nominated by the central government while the other is a member of the Council.  As per the other two Acts, both the members are from the Councils or the Institutes.
• The Bill empowers the three Councils to constitute multiple Boards.  The presiding officer and one of the two members must not be a member of the institutes and will be nominated by the central government from a panel of persons provided by the Councils.  An officer of the Institute, of the rank of Deputy Secretary, will function as the Secretary of the Board.  After receiving the preliminary examination report, the Board must conclude its inquiry within 90 days.
• Disciplinary Committee: Under the three Acts, the Councils constitute Disciplinary Committees consisting of: (i) Presiding Officer (President or Vice-President of the Council), (ii) two members elected from the Council, and (ii) two members nominated by the central government.  The Bill amends the Acts to provide that the Presiding Officer must not be a member of the institutes and shall be nominated by the central government.  The Committee must conclude its inquiry in 180 days from the receipt of preliminary examination report.
• Penalties:  Under the Acts, in cases of professional or other misconduct the Committees may: (i) reprimand or remove the member from the register of the Institute, or (ii) impose a fine of up to five lakh rupees.  The Bill increases the maximum amount of fine to ten lakh rupees.  The Bill also adds that if a partner or owner of a firm is repeatedly found guilty of misconduct during last five years, the Committee may take certain actions against the firm.  The actions include: (i) prohibiting the firm from undertaking activities related to the profession of chartered account, cost accountant, or company secretary, as the case may be, for up to two years, or (ii) impose a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.

Key Issues and Analysis

• The Bill proposes to change the composition of the two disciplinary entities to allow for more external representation.  However, these external members will be selected from a panel of persons prepared by the three Councils.  This may be against the objective of resolving conflict of interest between the disciplinary and administrative functions of the three professional Councils.
• The mandate of the proposed Coordination Committee may overlap with certain functions of the three Institutes.  Further, being chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, it may impinge on the independence of the three Institutes.
• The Bill provides for disclosure of pending complaints or actionable information against members and firms.  Disclosing details of pending complaints before finding guilt may tarnish their professional reputation.

• Though the President will have a non-executive role, he will be held responsible for implementation of decisions of the Councils.

 THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

3. MULLAPERIYAR SUPERVISORY PANEL CONTINUES FOR A YEAR WHILE AUTHORITY: CENTRE TO SUPREME COURT

THE CONTEXT: The Central Government suggested to the Supreme Court to let the Mullaperiyar dam supervisory committee continue for a year, by which time the National Dam Safety Authority under the new Dam Safety Act will become fully functional.

THE EXPLANATION:

• “According to the Government statement, during the period of one year, when the National Dam Safety Authority becomes fully functional, the Supervisory Committee on Mullaperiyar Dam may continue its functioning as per the existing mandate in regulating the operations of the Mullaperiyar dam”.
• The Centre suggested that the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala be made accountable in order to ensure that the decisions of the supervisory committee on the maintenance and safety of the dam are duly complied with by the two States.
• “To address the technical concerns of both the States, the Chief Secretaries of the States may be requested to nominate technical experts as members to participate in the meetings conducted by the supervisory committee. This would ensure accountability of the decisions/ action taken,” the Centre further recommended.

VALUE ADDITION:

ABOUT MULLAIPERIYAR DAM

• It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala.
• It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 and also reached an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area.
• The dam created the Periyar Thekkady reservoir, from which water was diverted eastwards via a tunnel to augment the small flow of the Vaigai River.
• It originates from the Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar National Park.
• The main tributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, and Perinjankutti.
• According to a 999-year lease agreement made during British rule, the operational rights were handed over to Tamil Nadu.

Mullaiperiyar dam: The current dispute

The Supreme Court order came after a court-appointed supervisory committee had suggested 139.50 ft as the permissible level. The court has directed both states to go by the committee’s recommendation. Tamil Nadu had wanted the level increased to 142 ft as fixed by the Supreme Court in 2014, while Kerala wanted it within 139 ft as per a rule curve fixed until the end of the month.

Kerala’s stance: 

• The state governments of Kerala have pointed out the unfairness of the 1886 lease agreement and its validity itself. Its core issue is the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam. Kerala wants to decommission the 100+-year-old dam and construct a new one in its place, as not doing so will endanger many lives in the process.
• The Kerala Government stated that it did not object to giving water to Tamil Nadu but pointed out that raising its level would add more pressure than the dam could take. The dams, as pointed out by Kerala, were leaking and had many structural faults.
• In addition, the Kerala government has accused Tamil Nadu of adopting an “obsolete” gate operation schedule dating back to 1939.

Tamil Nadu’s Stance:

• For Tamil Nadu, the Mullaperiyar dam and the diverted Periyar waters act as a lifeline for Theni, Madurai, Sivaganga, Dindigul and Ramnad districts, providing water for irrigation and drinking, and also for the generation of power in Lower Periyar Power Station.
• Tamil Nadu argues that building a new dam is for gaining unfair tax revenues from developing states.
• Tamil Nadu is not able to access data that is in Kerala’s terrain. There is no road built, the power supply has not been restored, although Tamil Nadu has paid for it.

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES IN THE NEWS

4. BUDGET FOR PRADHAN MANTRI ANNADATA AAY SANRAKSHAN ABHIYAN(PM-AASHA)

THE CONTEXT: Under PSS, Government has provided Government Guarantee amounting to Rs. 40,500/- cr. for extending cash credit facilities to Central Nodal Agencies i.e. NAFED & FCI for procurement of pulses, oilseeds & copra at Minimum Support Price (MSP). Central Nodal Agencies withdraw the required funds against the Government Guarantee for making payment of MSP value to farmers and other incidental costs involved in the PSS operations.

THE EXPLANATION:

Components of PM-AASHA

The new Umbrella Scheme includes the mechanism of ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers and is comprised of,

Price Support Scheme (PSS):

• In Price Support Scheme (PSS), physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and Copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies with proactive role of State governments. It is also decided that in addition to NAFED, Food Cooperation of India (FCI) will take up PSS operations in states /districts.
• The procurement expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by Central Government as per norms.

Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS):

• Under Price Deficiency Payment Scheme this scheme (PDPS), it is proposed to cover all oilseeds for which MSP is notified. In this direct payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling/modal price will be made to pre-registered farmers selling his produce in the notified market yard through a transparent auction process. All payments will be done directly into the registered bank account of the farmer.
• This scheme does not involve any physical procurement of crops as farmers are paid the difference between the MSP price and Sale/modal price on disposal in the notified market. The support of central government for PDPS will be given as per norms.

The pilot of the Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS):

• Under this scheme, participation of the private sector in procurement operations will be piloted.
• States have the option to roll out the scheme on a pilot basis in selected districts/APMCs involving private stockists.

Need for PM-AASHA:

• A major issue with the MSP is its poor coverage. Further, there are certain problems with the implementation of MSP such as the procurement centres being far away resulting into heavy transportation cost, non-opening of Procurement centres timely, lack of covered storage/godowns facility for the temporary storage of produces, delays in payments, etc. Thus to address the gaps in the MSP system and give better returns to farmers, PM-AASHA is an important step.
• Increasing MSP is not adequate and it is more important that farmers should get full benefit of the announced MSP. Further, it is essential that if price of the agriculture produce market is less than MSP, then in that case State Government and Central Government should purchase either at MSP or work in a manner to provide MSP for the farmers through some other mechanism.
• A holistic approach of solving any issue is important rather than in fragments. Thus, to address issue of farmer’s income and enhancing livelihood, a compressive policy has been the need of the hour

Significance of PM-AASHA:

1. Income Security to farmers: The policy is an important step to achieve government’s commitment to double farmers’ income by 2022. If properly implemented, the scheme is expected to help revive the rural economy by assuring better income to farmers and thus address farmers’ distress
2. Stabilizing commodity markets: It will help in stabilising commodity markets and will also benefit the farmers by providing options to the state governments to compensate farmers when the market prices fall below MSP.
3. Better coverage of MSP: MSP procurement system has been very poor both in terms of geography and the crops covered. The new scheme would ensure better coverage of MSP and provision of crop-wise procurement is expected to benefit both farmers and states.
4. Reduce the need for physical procurement: The PDPS scheme under PM-AASHA will reduce the need for the government to physically procure food crops as the difference between the support and market prices can instead simply be paid in cash to the farmer.
5. Reduce storage and wastage: As the need for physical procurement will reduce, it will also reduce the consequent needs for transport and store them and then dispose of them under PDS. This would also reduce wastage of grains/crops.
6. Reduce food subsidy bill: In recent years, the government has been seeing the accumulation of large food grain stocks in its godowns over and above the buffer requirement. This entails storage and wastage costs that add on to the food subsidy bill. Thus the new policy would help in bringing down India’s food subsidy bill.

THE DATASHEET

5. THE CORPORATE DONATIONS TO POLITICAL PARTIES

VALUE ADDITION:

WHAT IS AN ELECTORAL BOND?

An electoral bond is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated in India from select branches of State Bank of India. The citizen or corporate can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice. The bonds are similar to bank notes that are payable to the bearer on demand and are free of interest. An individual or party will be allowed to purchase these bonds digitally or through cheque.

How to use electoral bonds?

Using electoral bonds is quite simple. The bonds will be issued in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 1 crore (the range of a bond is between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore). These will be available at some branches of SBI. A donor with a KYC-compliant account can purchase the bonds and can then donate them to the party or individual of their choice. Now, the receiver can encash the bonds through the party’s verified account. The electoral bond will be valid only for fifteen days.

The 29 specified SBI branches are in cities such as New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati.

When are the bonds available for purchase?

The electoral bonds are available for purchase for 10 days in the beginning of every quarter. The first 10 days of January, April, July and October has been specified by the government for purchase of electoral bonds. An additional period of 30 days shall be specified by the government in the year of Lok Sabha elections.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about Antarctic Treaty:

1. It was signed in 1959 and came into force in 1961.
2. India is the foundation member of this treaty.
3. The Treaty covers the area south of 60°S latitude.
4. Its one of the objective is to create a nuclear tests free zone.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

     a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2, 3 and 4 only

c) 1, 3 and 4 only

d) All of them

ANSWER FOR 5TH APRIL 2022

Answer: b)

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: It is built by the kings of the Ganga dynasty.
• Statement 2 is correct: It is an example of Kalinga Architecture.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. UNIFORM CIVIL CODE OF UTTARAKHAND

THE CONTEXT: Uttarakhand’s CM recently announced, that his government will implement the Uniform Civil Code in the state soon. The state cabinet unanimously approved that a committee of experts will be constituted at the earliest and it will be implemented in the state.

THE EXPLANATION:

The CM has claimed that it will boost equal rights for everyone in the state and enhance social harmony, boost gender justice and strengthen women empowerment.

What is UCC?

• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) calls for the formulation of one law for India, which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.
• The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution, which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
• It is intended to replace the system of fragmented personal laws, which currently govern interpersonal relationships and related matters within different religious communities.

What Do We Have Now?

• Different religious communities in India are currently governed by a system of personal laws, which have been codified over the years through various pieces of legislation.
• These laws largely focus on the following areas: Marriage and divorce Custody and Guardianship Adoption and Maintenance Succession and
  • For example, Hindu personal law is codified in four bills: the Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, and Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act. The term ‘Hindu’ also includes Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists for the purpose of these laws
• Muslim personal law is not codified per se, and is based on their religious texts, though certain aspects of these are expressly recognised in India in acts such as the Shariat Application Act and Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act.
• Christian marriages and divorces are governed by the Indian Christian Marriages Act and the Indian Divorce Act, while Zoroastrians are subject to the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act.
• Then, there are more ‘secular’ laws, which disregard religion altogether, such as the Special Marriage Act, under which Inter-religion marriages take place, and the Guardians and Wards Act, which establishes the rights and duties of guardians.
• Furthermore, to protect distinct regional identities, the Constitution makes certain exceptions for the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh and Goa with respect to family law.
• Goa is, at present, the only state in India with a uniform civil code.
• The Portuguese Civil Code of 1867, which continues to be implemented after India annexed the territory in 1961, applies to all Goans, irrespective of their religious or ethnic community.

2. 13 NEW DISTRICTS INAUGURATED IN ANDHRA PRADESH

THE CONTEXT: Andhra Pradesh officially created 13 new districts taking the total number to 26.

THE EXPLANATION:

How are new districts carved?

The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments. This can either be done through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly. Many States prefer the executive route by simply issuing a notification in the official gazette.

How does it help?

States argue that smaller districts lead to better administration and governance. For example, in 2016, the Assam government issued a notification to upgrade the Majuli sub-division to Majuli district for “administrative expediency”.

Does the Central government have a role to play here?

• The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or the creation of new ones. States are free to decide.
• The Home Ministry comes into the picture when a State wants to change the name of a district or a railway station. The State government’s request is sent to other departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Geographical Survey of India Sciences and the Railway Ministry seeking clearance. A no-objection certificate may be issued after examining their replies.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. BUDAPEST MEMORANDUM ON SECURITY ASSURANCES

THE CONTEXT: Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances refers to three identical political agreements signed at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference in Budapest, Hungary in 1994.

THE EXPLANATION:

About the memorandum

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurance, signed on December 5, 1994, sealed Ukraine’s membership in the NPT and its status as a non-nuclear country in return for security assurances. The signatories were the presidents of Ukraine, the US , Russia, and the British Prime Minister.

• The signatories of the memorandum agreed to provide security assurances to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine in return for their accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
• It came after the Lisbon Protocol of 1992, which made Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan parties to the first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I). It was a treaty signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1991 to reduce the number of nuclear weapons.
• As a result of the agreements and the memorandum, between 1993 and 1996, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons and became non-nuclear states.
• At that time, Ukraine had the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal.

Signatories

• The memorandum was originally signed by three nuclear powers: Russia, the USA, and the UK.
• Later, China, and France, who became NPT members in 1992, also became signatories. However, they gave weaker individual assurances in separate documents.

Provisions

Russia, the US, and the UK agreed to the following:

• Respect Belarusian, Kazakh & Ukrainian independence & sovereignty in existing borders.
• Refrain from the threat or the use of force against Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
• Refrain from using economic pressure on Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine to influence their politics.
• Refrain from the use of nuclear arms against Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
• Seek immediate UN Security Council action to assist Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine if they “should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used”.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. 99% OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION IS BREATHING POLLUTED AIR: WHO

THE CONTEXT: According to the data from the UN health agency showed that every corner of the globe is dealing with air pollution, although the problem is much worse in poorer countries. “Almost 100% of the global population is still breathing air that exceeds the standards recommended by the World Health Organization,”

THE EXPLANATION:

• In its previous report four years ago, WHO had already found that over 90% of the global population was affected, but it has since tightened its limits.
• “The evidence base for the harm caused by air pollution has been growing rapidly and points to significant harm caused by even low levels of many air pollutants”.
• WHO’s study provides air quality data from more than 6,000 cities and other settlements across 117 countries — representing around 80 percent of urban settings.
• In addition, WHO used satellite data and mathematical models to determine that air quality is falling short basically everywhere.
• The poorest air quality was found in the eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, and Africa.The findings were alarming, it said, and highlighted the need for rapidly curbing fossil fuel use.

WHO’S AIR QUALITY GUIDELINES:

Governments Measures taken:

• Notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and sector-specific emission and effluent standards for industries;
• Setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality;
• Introduction of cleaner gaseous fuels like CNG, LPG etc and ethanol blending;
• Launching of National Air Quality Index (AQI);
• Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI standards for vehicles by 1st April 2020;
• Regulating the bursting of pollution-emitting crackers;
• Notification of graded response action plan for Delhi identifying source-wise actions for various levels of air pollution, etc.
• National Clean Air Programme.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

5. BIOLOGICAL E. TO RECEIVE MRNA VACCINE TECHNOLOGY FROM WHO

THE CONTEXT: Vaccine maker Biological E has been selected to receive mRNA technology from the World Health Organization technology transfer hub.

THE EXPLANATION:

• After examining a number of proposals from India, the WHO’s Advisory Committee on Vaccine Product Development has selected Biological E as a recipient.
• The WHO’s technology transfer hub has the potential to expand manufacturing capacity for other products as well, including treatments, and target other priorities such as malaria, HIV and cancer. The WHO and partners will work with the Indian government and Biological E to put in place training and support for the company to start producing mRNA vaccines.

BACKGROUND:

The COVID-19 pandemic awakened the world to the power of RNA therapies — two of the first vaccines that emerged in late 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, used this technology. At Present, an Indian company is developing an mRNA vaccine from scratch, signalling possibilities of the use of the molecule in a variety of diseases beyond COVID-19.

What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work?

• Most vaccines contain weakened or dead bacteria or viruses. However, scientists have developed a new type of vaccine that uses a molecule called messenger RNA (or mRNA for short) rather than part of an actual bacteria or virus. Messenger RNA is a type of RNA that is necessary for protein production.
• In cells, mRNA uses the information in genes to create a blueprint for making proteins. Once cells finish making a protein, they quickly break down the mRNA. mRNA from vaccines does not enter the nucleus and does not alter DNA.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about the Jagannath Puri temple:

1. It is built by kings of the Pala dynasty
2. It is an example of Kalinga Architecture

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWER FOR 4TH APRIL 2022

Answer: d)

Explanation:

UNEP hosts the secretariats of several multilateral environmental agreements and research bodies, including CBD, The Minamata Convention on Mercury, CMS and CITES.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. INDIAN ANTARCTIC BILL, 2022

THE CONTEXT: The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022, introduced in Lok Sabha is pursuant to India’s accession to Antarctic Treaty, 1959 as well as the Protocol on Environment Protection (Madrid Protocol) to the Antarctic Treaty.

THE EXPLANATION:

Indian Antarctic Bill will also be useful in building credibility and enhancing the status of the country globally.

Objective:

1. The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 introduced in Lok Sabha aims at providing national measures to protect the Antarctic environment, and the dependent and associated ecosystems.
2. The Indian Antarctic Bill also aims to give effect to the Antarctic treaty, 1959, the protocol on the Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, 1998, and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, 1982
3. The latest bill also aims at promoting Antarctica as a natural reserve that is devoted to science and peace and to ensure that the Antarctic does not become the scene of international discord.

About India’s expedition to Antarctic

1. The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary programme. It is under the control of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
2. The Indian Antarctic Programme was initiated in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica.
3. It further gained global acceptance with India’s signing of the Antarctic Treaty as well as the construction of the Dakshin Gangotri Antarctic research base in 1983 which was superseded by the Maitri base from 1989.
4. In 2012, the newest Bharati base was commissioned which was constructed out of 134 shipping containers.
5. Under India’s Antarctic Programme, biological, earth, atmospheric, medical sciences, and chemical are studied in India. The country has carried out 30 scientific expeditions to the Antarctic as of October 14, 2010.

Value addition:

The Antarctic Treaty

• The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve nations (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and USSR).
• The Treaty now has 52 signatories. India became a member of this treaty in 1983.
• Headquarters: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• The Treaty, applies to the area south of 60° South latitude.

Provisions:

• Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only(Art. I).
• Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward that end shall continue(Art. II).
• Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available(Art. III).
• Article IV effectively seeks to neutralise territorial sovereignty in Antarctica.
• The treaty also put a freeze on any disputes between claimants over their territories on the continent.

 THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. EXPLAINED: WHY INDIA’S PACT WITH SRI LANKA ON A MARITIME RESCUE CENTRE IS SIGNIFICANT

THE CONTEXT: The agreement appears to be part of India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region) initiative in the Indian Ocean, which has also seen India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives give a new push to their 2011 Colombo Security Conclave that now includes Mauritius.

THE EXPLANATION:

• India and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Indian public sector Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to set up a state-of-the-art Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Colombo.
• The agreement is significant as it enhances co-operation on maritime security between the two countries in a part of the Indian Ocean region where the India-China rivalry has taken centre stage over the last decade. Earlier this month, India also provided a naval floating dock to the Sri Lankan Navy, and two Dornier aircraft to the Sri Lankan Air Force.
• According to senior officials, the engagement between the forces of the two countries will augment interoperability and seamless maritime actions like carrying out anti-smuggling operations in the Indian Ocean Region.

Enhancing Sri Lanka capacity

• MRCCs are part of an international network under the UN’s International Maritime Organisation to monitor the sea lanes with the objective of swift response to emergencies, such as vessels in distress, rescue and evacuation of people, and prevention of and containing environmental disasters such as oil spills.
• Each country is responsible for its own Search and Rescue Region. The work of MRCCs is co-ordinated by the Navy or Coast Guard in each country. In India, the Coast Guard is the co-ordinating agency. In Sri Lanka, it is the Navy.
• The Bengaluru-based BEL has proposed enhancing Sri Lanka’s small MRCC by setting up advanced software systems that will increase Sri Lanka’s capacities for communication and co-ordination in its SRR (Search and Rescue Region) in the Indian Ocean, where it is the first responder. The MRCC will be established with a grant of $6 million from India.
• The enhanced MRCC will work out of the Sri Lankan Navy headquarters at Colombo, with a sub-center at Hambantota, where a Chinese state-owned company runs a deep water port that it helped to the bill, and which was controversially leased to it by Sri Lanka in 2016.
• Seven other sub-units along Sri Lanka’s coastline will make up the proposed new network. In situations in which regional assistance has to be mobilised, as happened with the two recent ship fires in Sri Lankan waters, this MRCC will be able to share information with its Indian counterparts.

SAGAR push

• Sri Lanka’s SRR is a wide swathe of 1,778,062. 24 sq km of the Indian Ocean and nearly 200 ships pass through these waters every day.
• The agreement appears to be part of India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region) initiative in the Indian Ocean, which has also seen India, Sri Lanka and Maldives give a new push to their 2011 Colombo Security Conclave that now includes Mauritius.
• The recent meeting of the CSC National Security Advisers identified “five pillars” of co-operation: maritime safety and security; countering terrorism and radicalisation; combating trafficking and transnational organised crime; cyber security, protection of critical infrastructure and technology; and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE

3. RECORD NESTING OF OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES

THE CONTEXT: As a record number of 4.92 lakh Olive Ridley turtles have crawled to the Rushikulya coast in Odisha, scientists have tagged more than 6,000 turtles to gather more information about their breeding behaviour and migration.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for Oliver Ridleys in the world. As temperatures start rising and getting warmer, the mass nesting season for Olive Ridley turtles on the Odisha coast starts. Lakhs of Olive Ridley sea turtles have flocked this year to Rushikulya river mouth for their annual mass nesting.
• These species flock to the place every year from the third week of February to the first week of March for nesting. After a long journey, all the way from the Indian Ocean, the turtles take a rest for some days after burying the eggs.
• According to the officials,This increased to 4.92 lakhs at Rushikulya and 5.20 lakhs at Gahirmatha.
• Arribada is a Spanish word meaning “arrival by sea” and refers to the mass nesting behaviour exhibited by Kemp’s Ridley and Olive Ridley sea turtles.

Value Addition:

Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are migratory species visiting Indian coasts for nesting.

• These turtles travel all the way from the South Pacific Ocean to breed on the coast of Gahirmatha. Their mass nesting phenomenon is called arribadas.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable; CITES: APPENDIX 1
• They have the highest degree of protection as they are included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The turtle eggs normally take 45 days to hatch. After this, tiny hatchlings come out and make their way to the sea.
• Threats: Heavy predation of eggs by dogs and wild animals, indiscriminate fishing with trawlers and gill nets, and beach soil erosion.
• Every year, the Indian Coast Guard’s “Operation Olivia”, initiated in the early 1980s, helps protect Olive Ridley turtles as they congregate along the Odisha coast for breeding and nesting from November to December.
• KURMA App: It is aimed at turtle conservation by providing users with a database to identify a species but also provides the location of the nearest rescue centre for turtles across the country.

Developed by: The application has been developed by the Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network(ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. ISRO TO STEP UP TRACKING OF SPACE DEBRIS

THE CONTEXT: ISRO is building up its orbital debris tracking capability by deploying new radars and optical telescopes under the Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project.

THE EXPLANATION:

Tracking of space debris:

• A space debris tracking radar with a range of 1,500 km and an optical telescope will be inducted as part of establishing an effective surveillance and tracking network under NETRA.
• The government has given the go-ahead for the deployment of the radar, which will be capable of detecting and tracking objects 10 cm and above in size, he said.
• It will be indigenously designed and built.
• Radars and optical telescopes are vital ground-based facilities for keeping an eye on space objects, including orbital junk.
• Space junk or debris consists of spent rocket stages, dead satellites, fragments of space objects and debris resulting from ASAT.
• Hurtling at an average speed of 27,000 kmph in LEO, these objects pose a very real threat as collisions involving even centimetre-sized fragments can be lethal to satellites.
• For protecting its space assets, ISRO was forced to perform 19 collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAM) in 2021, of which 14 were in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and five in the geostationary orbit. The number of CAMs jumped from just three in 2015 to 12 in 2020 and 19 in 2021.

About Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project:

• Project NETRA is an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.
• ISRO SSA Control Centre, “NETRA”, is now set up within the ISTRAC campus at Peenya, Bangalore.
• NETRA’s eventual goal is to capture the GEO, or geostationary orbit, the scene at 36,000 km where communication satellites operate.
• Under NETRA, or Network for space object Tracking and Analysis, the ISRO plans to put up many observational facilities:

• • connected radars, telescopes
  • data processing units
  • a control centre

• They can, among others, spot, track and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. PANCHESHWAR MULTIPURPOSE PROJECT

THE CONTEXT: During his upcoming visit, Nepal’s Prime Minister is expected to focus on his personal experience of handling India-Nepal relations over Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In India and Nepal, the proposed catchment area for the water is expected to submerge a total of 11600 hectares of land (7600 hectares in India and 4000 hectares in Nepal).
• This mega dam (Pancheshwar) will be built upon the Mahakali river (known in India as Sharada) which originates in Nepal and flows through Uttarakhand where various tributaries like Dhauli, Gori, Sarayu and Ramganga feed the Mahakali. Upon completion, this dam, the biggest in South Asia, is expected to generate 6480 MW of power, and will service both India and Nepal, besides controlling floods and decreasing the fear of drought.

IMPORTANCE:

• Nepal shares a border with 5 Indian states- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar. Hence an important point of cultural and economic exchange.
• Importance for India can be studied from two different angles: a) their strategic importance for India’s national security; and b) their place in India’s role perception in international politics.
• Nepal is right in the middle of India’s ‘Himalayan frontiers’, and along with Bhutan, it acts as northern ‘borderland’ flanks and acts as buffer states against any possible aggression from China.
• The two countries not only share an open border and unhindered movement of people, but they also have close bonds through marriages and familial ties, popularly known as Roti-Beti ka Rishta.
• India is Nepal’s largest trade partner and the largest source of foreign investments, besides providing transit for almost the entire third-country trade of Nepal.
• Indian firms engaged in manufacturing, services (banking, insurance, dry port), power sector and tourism industries etc.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about Olive Ridley Turtles:

1. They are migratory species visiting Indian coasts for nesting.
2. Their mass nesting phenomenon is called arribadas.
3. Their IUCN conservation status is endangered.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER FOR 1^ST APRIL 2022

Answer: B

Explanation:

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Koodiyattam is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India.
• Statement 2 is correct: It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of Koothu, an ancient performing art from the Sangam era.
• Statement 3 is correct: It is officially recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. CHINA, SOLOMONS ISLANDS INK DRAFT OF CONTROVERSIAL SECURITY PACT

THE CONTEXT: China and the Solomon Islands have signed a draft version of a security pact that could see Chinese police and other forces take up duties in the Pacific Island nation.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A leaked document has revealed that China and the Solomon Islands are close to signing a security agreement that could open the door to Chinese troops and naval warships flowing into a Pacific Island nation that played a pivotal role in World War II.
• Although it is marked as a draft and cites a need for “social order” as a justification for sending Chinese forces, it has set off alarms throughout the Pacific, where concerns about China’s intentions have been growing for years.
• The Solomon Islands, home to about 700,000 people, switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 a contributing factor to riots in November 2021 between residents of different islands within the country.

What is the Pact?

• The leaked document states that “Solomon Islands may, according to its own needs, request China to send police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces to Solomon Islands to assist in maintaining social order, protecting people’s lives and property.”
• It allows China to provide “assistance on other tasks” and requires secrecy, noting, “Neither party shall disclose the cooperation information to a third party.”

2. THE 20TH EDITION OF THE ‘VARUNA’ BILATERAL NAVAL EXERCISE

THE CONTEXT: In an effort to further strengthen Defence ties, India and France began a five-day mega naval wargame in the Arabian Sea in reflection of growing congruence in their maritime security cooperation.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The bilateral exercises between the two Navies were initiated in 1993. The exercise was christened as ‘Varuna’ in 2001 and has become a vital part of India – France strategic bilateral relationship.
• Various units including ships, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, fighter aircraft and helicopters of the two navies are participating in the exercise. These units will endeavour to enhance and hone their operational skills in maritime theatre, augment inter-operability to undertake maritime security operations and demonstrate their commitment to promote peace, security and stability in the region as an integrated force.
• Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, Varuna series of exercises continue to provide both the navies opportunities to learn from each other’s best practices.
• The exercise has been a principal driver for operational level interactions between the two navies and has underscored the shared commitment of both nations to security, safety and freedom of the global maritime commons.
• The maritime cooperation between India and France has witnessed a major expansion in the last few years.  The Indian and French navies in April last year too carried out a mega wargame in the Arabian Sea.
• The French Navy deployed its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, and its entire carrier strike group in that exercise, reflecting growing congruence in naval ties.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. INDIA’S EXTERNAL DEBT ROSE TO $614.9 BILLION AT END OF DEC. 2021

THE CONTEXT: According to Finance Ministry India’s external debt rose by $11.5 billion to $614.9 billion in the three months ended December 2021.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The external debt to GDP ratio fell marginally to 20% at the end of December last year from 20.3% at the end of September 2021.
• According to India’s Quarterly External Debt Report for quarter ended December 2021, the country’s external debt was placed at $614.9 billion, recording an increase of $11.5 billion over its level at the end of September 2021.
• Valuation gains due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar vis-a-vis major currencies such as Euro, Yen and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) was placed at $1.7 billion.
• Commercial borrowings remained the largest component of external debt, with a share of 36.8%, followed by non-resident deposits (23.1%) and short-term trade credit.
• The share of short-term debt, with original maturity of up to one year, in total external debt increased to 18.6% at the end of December 2021 from 17.4% at end-September 2021.
• S. dollar denominated debt remained the largest component of India’s external debt, with a share of 52% at end-December 2021, followed by the Indian rupee (32%), SDR (6.7%), Yen (5.3%), and the Euro (3.1%).
• Also, the report added, “the borrower-wise classification shows that the outstanding external debt of government marginally declined while that of non-government sector increased as at end-December 2021 over the previous quarter”.

Value Addition:

What is External Debt?

• External debt can be regarded as one of the forms of a tied loan, where the borrower needs to apply any spending of the funds to the country which has provided the loan.
• In case of an inability of the borrower country to produce and sell goods so as to make a profitable return to repay the loan, there arises a debt crisis.
• As of June 2021, India’s external debt was placed at US$ 571.3 billion, recording an increase of US$ 1.6 billion over its level at the end-March 2021.
• India’s external debt to GDP ratio declined to 20.2 per cent at the end-June 2021 from 21.1 per cent at end-March 2021.
• External debt sustainability can be measured based on the following parameters:

1. Government’s debt and current fiscal revenue ratio.
2. The overall share of short and long-term debt in the total debt burden.
3. Share of concessional debt.
4. Foreign debt to exports ratio
5. Debt to GDP ratio
6. The share of external debt to the total debt of the country.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. DOLPHIN COUNT SURGES IN GAHIRMATHA, DIPS IN CHILIKA

THE CONTEXT: According to the Annual Dolphin Census, the population of the dolphin along Odisha’s coast and in its water bodies has increased but the number of Irrawaddy dolphins in Chilika lake has fallen.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The report stated that Gahirmatha is home to the State’s largest population of dolphins, even more than Chilika.
• As per the 2022 dolphin census, Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and nearby areas in Bhitarkanika saw dolphin count skyrocket to 540 from 342 last year. These included 45  Irrawaddy , 135 ottlenose, 332  humpback, 13 striped and 15 spinner dolphins.
• In the 2021 census, forest officials sighted only  342 dolphins including 39  Irrawaddy, 22 bottlenose and 281 humpback dolphins. Dolphins are commonly sighted in water bodies in Khola, Nalitapata, Dhamara and in the sea near Satabhaya, Pentha, Agaranashi, Eakakula, Hukitola and other areas within the sanctuary.
• However, the count of dolphins in Chilika Wildlife Division saw a dip from 188 in 2021 to 167 in 2022.

Value Addition:

• Dolphins have been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and categorised as ‘Endangered’ on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.

THE INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS

5. CENTRE REDUCES DISTURBED AREAS UNDER AFSPA IN 3 NORTH EAST STATES

THE CONTEXT: According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), AFSPA is being removed from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland; 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur; and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.

THE EXPLANATION:

• After Assam and Meghalaya resolved a part of their 50-year boundary dispute in the Centre’s push for a “dispute-free Northeast”, Union Home Minister announced that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be removed from several districts across Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur.
• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), AFSPA is being removed from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland; 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur; and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.
• The decision comes in the backdrop of vociferous demands for AFSPA to be lifted after six civilians were gunned down in Nagaland’s Mon district last December in a botched operation by security personnel. Seven more civilians and security personnel died in the retaliatory violence that followed, prompting the Nagaland Assembly to pass a resolution for the repeal of AFSPA.
• However, Mon district remains a “disturbed area since this is a border district and has a strong presence of NSCN-K (YA),” said sources in the Nagaland government.
• The notification of “disturbed areas” under AFSPA has been in force in Assam since 1990, in Nagaland since 1995, and in Manipur, except the Imphal Municipality area, since 2004. Starting in 2015, the Government removed AFSPA entirely from Tripura and Meghalaya, and partially from Arunachal Pradesh, which currently has three districts and two police station areas in a fourth district under the Act.
• In Assam, AFSPA will remain in the districts of Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Jorhat and the Lakhipur subdivision of Cachar.

Demands to repeal AFSPA

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

What is Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)?

 How is a region declared ‘disturbed’?

Section (3) of the AFSPA empowers the governor of the state or Union territory to issue an official notification in The Gazette of India, following which the Centre has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid.

• Once declared ‘disturbed’, the region has to maintain the status quo for a minimum of three months, according to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976.

Criticism of AFSPA:

Sec 4(a) in which army can shoot to kill, as it violates article 21 which gives the right to life.

• Section 4(b) search without warrants violates the right to liberty and article 22.
• Dispersion of civil assembly by armed forces under section 121 violates the right to assembly
• No judicial magistrate permission required while arresting –violate article 22
• Overrides CrPC.
• Violation of human rights
• It alienates the people from the army and then from the rest of India. A feeling of otherworldliness is generated in their mind.

What should be done?

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

SCHEMES & INITIATIVES IN NEWS

6. CJI INTRODUCES ‘FASTER’ SYSTEM

The Context: The Chief Justice of India has introduced the “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FASTER) system.

About ‘FASTER’ System:

• The ‘Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records’ (FASTER) software transmits court orders swiftly and securely through electronic mode, ensuring quicker communication of judicial orders.

• It also proposed that the e-authenticated copies of the record of proceedings/orders, digitally signed by the authorized officer may be transmitted through FASTER system to the duty-holders of the justice system.

Need:

• There have been cases where the jail inmates are not released despite bail orders passed by the court due to delays in communication of such orders. So, it was needed to utilize information and communication technology tools for efficient transmission of court orders.

Significance:

• Ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders took time to reach the prison.
• Undertrials are the people who are yet to be found guilty of the crimes they have been accused of.
• Prevent unnecessary arrests and custody of people even after the court had already granted them its protection.
• Communicate a stay on an execution ordered by the final court on time.

Challenges:

• The availability of internet connection in jails across the nation as without this facility transmission of such orders to prisons will not be possible.
• Awareness and training to jail officials about the use of digital technology.

 THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Q1. Consider the following statements about Koodiyattam:

1. It is a traditional performing art form in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
2. It has elements of Koothu, an ancient performing art from the Sangam era.
3. It is officially recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

 ANSWER FOR 31^ST MARCH 2022

Answer: C

Explanation:

• Project NETRA is an initiative by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is an early warning system in space to detect debris and hazards to Indian satellites.
• Under this project, the Indian space organization plans to put up many observational facilities like telescopes, connected radars, data processing units, and a control center.