1. POCSO ACT

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Kerala High Court recently quashed a case filed under the POCSO Act, India’s child protection law, against a woman accused of subjecting her children to an obscene act.

EXPLANATION:

• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 [“POCSO Act, 2012”] is legislation which aims at protecting children from all types of sexual abuse.
• Although the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1989, the offences against children were not redressed by way of any legislation in India till the year 2012.
• It provides stringent deterrents for the commission of offences against children ranging from a minimum of 20 years of imprisonment to the death penalty in case of aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
• Before the introduction of the POCSO Act, 2012, the sole legislation in India that aimed at protecting the rights of a child was the Goa’s Children’s Act, 2003 and Rules, 2004.
• Under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, child sexual abuse accounted for an offence under Sections 375, 354 and 377.
• In India, POCSO Act, 2012 is not the only legislation which deals with child sexual abuse cases. The POCSO Act cannot be called a complete code in itself and provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Indian Penal Code, 1860, Juvenile Justice Act, and Information Technology Act, 2000 overlap and encapsulate the procedure and specify the offences.
• The Act enunciates the punishment where the offences have been committed against a child. Section 2(1)(d) of the POCSO Act contains the definition of child. It states that, “ a child means any person below the age of eighteen year”. This implies that offences perpetrated against anyone of the age less than eighteen years are punishable under the POCSO Act.

Some of the salient features of the POCSO Act are discussed as follows:

• Confidentiality of the victim’s identity: Section 23 of the POCSO Act provides for the procedure of media and imposes the duty to maintain the child victim’s identity unless the Special Court has allowed the disclosure.
• Gender-neutral provisions: Another glaring feature of the POCSO Act is that it does not create any distinction between the victim or the perpetrators on the basis of their gender. The definition of child includes anyone below 18 years of age and in several cases, the courts have even convicted women for engaging in child sexual abuse incidents.
• Mandatory reporting of child abuse cases: Sexual abuse cases happen behind closed doors and the elders attempt to hide these incidents due to the stigma that is attached to these crimes. Consequently, for the proper implementation of the POCSO Act, reporting of these incidents by the third parties who have the knowledge or apprehension of such offences, has been made mandatory under Sections 19 to 22 of the POCSO Act.

Issue:

• Kerala High Court this week quashed a case filed under the POCSO Act, India’s child protection law, against a woman accused of subjecting her children to an obscene act.
• The mere sight of a woman’s naked upper body should not be deemed sexual by default — and it should be considered in the context in which it was published, the court observed on June 5.
• She was accused of subjecting her children to an obscene act. Police registered a case, and in a final report filed at the Additional Sessions Court, Ernakulam, charged her with offences under Sections 10 read with Section 9 (n), Section 14 read with Section 13 (b), and Section 15 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
• The police also charged the activist under Section 67B (a), (b), and (c) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015.
• Section 67B (a) (b) and (c) of the IT Act lays down the punishment for publishing or electronically transmitting obscene material, which depicts children in sexually explicit acts. Section 67B (a) is attracted when the material depicts children engaged in sexually explicit acts, and Section 67(B) (b) is attracted when children are depicted in an obscene, indecent, or sexually explicit manner.
• Section 67B (c) is about the cultivation, enticement, or induction of children into online relationships for sexually explicit acts.
• Section 75 of the JJ Act prescribes punishment for cruelty to children, which includes assaulting, abandoning, abusing, exposing, and wilfully neglecting them to cause unnecessary mental or physical suffering.

What the court said

• Dismissing the POCSO charges against her, the court said that Sections 9 (n) and 10 are attracted when a child’s relative commits “sexual assault”. However, “sexual assault” under Section 7 of the Act requires “sexual intent” while touching the child’s private parts or making the child touch one’s own or another person’s private parts.
• On the use of Section 15 (punishment for storing pornographic material involving children), the court said the children in the video were clothed, and participating in a harmless and creative activity. “Hence, the offence under Section 15 also would not lie,” the court said.
• In ‘K.S. Puttaswamy v Union of India’ (2017), a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, and declared bodily autonomy to be an integral part of it, the court said.
• Clearing the accused of charges under Sections 67B (a), (b), and (c) of the IT Act, the court said that Section 67B (b) is attracted only when the material “depicts children in an obscene or indecent, or sexually explicit manner”.

2. SAHKAR SE SAMRIDHI

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: In the direction of realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samridhi”, the Government of India has taken five more important decisions. These decisions were taken in a meeting of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation with Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers in New Delhi.

EXPLANATION:

• These important decisions will increase the income of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, as well as increase the employment opportunities in rural areas and farmers will be able to get fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and agricultural machinery at the local level.

The following 5 important decisions were taken in the meeting-

1. There are about 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies present across the country. On the basis of mapping, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) which are not functioning as fertilizer retailers will be identified and they will be encouraged to function as retailers on the basis of feasibility in a phased manner.
2. PACS which are not currently functioning as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PMKSK) will be brought under the ambit of PMKSK.
3. PACS will be connected with the marketing of organic fertilizers, especially Fermented Organic Manure (FoM) / Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM) / Phosphate Enriched Organic Manure (PROM).
4. Under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme of Department of Fertilizers, fertilizer companies will act as an aggregator for small bio-organic producers to market the end product, in this supply and marketing chain of bio-organic fertilizers PACS will also be included as wholesalers/retailers.
5. PACS can also be employed as Drone entrepreneurs for spraying fertilizers and pesticides. Drones can also be used for survey of property.

Sahkar Se Samriddhi:

• Government aims to achieve overall prosperity in the country through the mantra of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”.
• It is being proposed to strengthen cooperatives by bringing transparency, modernization, and creating competitiveness.
• In order to achieve this, Government is formulating a new National Cooperation Policy, for which it has started consultations with various stakeholders including various Ministries/Departments of Central Governments, State Governments, Cooperative Federations, NABARD and other major cooperative institutions of the country.
• Already, response has been received from about 35 stakeholders, including 10 Ministries and 6 State Governments.

Governance of the Cooperative Societies

• The history of cooperative society can be tied back to 1904, when first law for Cooperative Society was enacted for governance and administration of the formation of the cooperative societies in India. This was superseded by Cooperative Societies Act, 1912. Thereafter, various cooperative committees were formed for better governance considering the nature and objective of the cooperative societies being formed.
• The Multi-Unit Cooperative Societies Act, 1942 was enacted to govern the Cooperative Societies established in more than one state. It was superseded by The Muti-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984 which was again modified in 2002.
• The Act encouraged formation of various multi-state cooperative societies which has been aid for the low-income groups all over India for raising credits at lower interest rates, paving way to the larger market with minimal cost and other administrative support.
• In 2021, the Government has formed a vision “Sahakar se Samriddhi” (prosperity through cooperation) and taken several steps to strengthen India’s cooperative architecture. The Union Ministry of Cooperation was formed to realise the vision, streamline process for ease of doing business for a cooperative society, provide a separate administrative and legal framework to the cooperative businesses.
• In 2022, the Government has planned to formulate a new National Cooperation Policy for bringing transparency, modernization, and competitiveness in India’s cooperative businesses.
• In budget speech on 1st February 2023, the Hon’ble Finance Minister (“FM”) has stated the inclusive growth as one of the Saptarishi for this Amrit Kaal Budget. Co-operative societies are one of the important pillars for an inclusive growth of India

3. ATLANTIC DECLARATION

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: US President  and British Prime Minister agreed to deepen close economic ties between their countries, pledging to accelerate the clean energy transition and strengthen critical mineral supply chains.

EXPLANATION:

• It is first-of-its-kind economic partnership that mapped out future cooperation on issues such as artificial intelligence, and other economic and commercial relations.
• It is a framework for a 21^st Century U.S.-UK Economic Partnership to ensure that our unique alliance is adapted, reinforced, and reimagined for the challenges of this moment.
• Since Atlantic Charter in 1941, both countries have worked together to shape an open and rules-based international order based on our enduring support for shared values.
• An international economic architecture has been designed that has underpinned by the closest cooperation on defense and security, a thriving economic relationship, leadership in science and technology, and deep ties between our people and civil societies.
• Over the past year, we have taken steps to deepen our unrivalled defense, security, and intelligence relationship across every theater in the globe in which we cooperate, recognizing the indivisibility of security in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific and other regions.
• The United States and the United Kingdom resolve to partner to build resilient, diversified, and secure supply chains and reduce strategic dependencies.
• We remain committed to continuing to lead in the technologies of the future and advance the closest possible coordination on our economic security and technology protection toolkits to ensure that emerging technologies work for, not against, our democracies and security.
• And as democratic and open societies we resolve to work together to ensure the safety, prosperity, and security of our nations and peoples while driving growth in living standards across the world.
• The Atlantic Declaration and accompanying Action Plan form the basis of a new type of innovative partnership across the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations; a first of its kind, and which demands our joint leadership and imagination to realize in full.
• It will constitute a new economic security framework covering ever-closer cooperation on critical and emerging technologies and stronger protective toolkits.
• It will support the United States and the United Kingdom in our efforts to harness the energy transition and technological breakthroughs to drive broadly shared growth, create good jobs, and leave no community behind. It will explore ways to deepen our trade and investment relationship. And it will strengthen our alliance across defense, science, health security, and space allowing us to explore increased cooperation in other areas for mutual economic benefit.

Atlantic Declaration Action Plan (ADAPT)
Together the United States and the United Kingdom can lead in building a new form of economic partnership that advances economic growth and competitiveness, that builds capacity, resilience, and inclusiveness, and works for our workers and communities; works for our businesses; works for our climate; and works for our national security. As the first steps in this new partnership, we are today announcing and taking concrete and coordinated actions to deepen this partnership across five pillars, by:

1. ensuring U.S.-UK leadership in critical and emerging technologies,
2. advancing ever-closer cooperation on our economic security and technology protection toolkits and supply chains,
3. partnering on an inclusive and responsible digital transformation,
4. building the clean energy economy of the future
5. further strengthening our alliance across defense, health security, and space.

Atlantic Declaration Action Plan (ADAPT) to develop and drive forward concrete progress across the Atlantic Declaration Action Plan and ensure increasing ambition over the next months and years.

4. MISSION ON ADVANCED AND HIGH-IMPACT RESEARCH (MAHIR)

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The government has launched a ‘Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)’ with a view to leverage emerging technologies in the power sector and make the country a manufacturing hub.

EXPLANATION:

• The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy have jointly launched a National Mission to quickly identify emerging technologies in the power sector and develop them indigenously, at scale, for deployment within and outside India.
• The National Mission, titled “Mission on Advanced and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)” aims to facilitate indigenous research, development and demonstration of the latest and emerging technologies in the power sector.
• By identifying emerging technologies and taking them to the implementation stage, the Mission seeks to leverage them as the main fuel for future economic growth and thus make India a manufacturing hub of the world.
• The Mission will be funded by pooling financial resources of the Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Central Public Sector Enterprises under the two Ministries. Any additional funding needed will be mobilized from Government of India’s budgetary resources.
• Planned for an initial period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28, the Mission will follow the technology life cycle approach of Idea to Product.
• Mission will serve as a catalyst for national priorities such as achieving Net Zero emissions and promoting initiatives like Make in India and Start-up India. It will also contribute towards achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• MAHIR will work towards Industry-Academia -Government collaboration to create an ecosystem for innovation and translation of research in the power sector.

Mission Objectives

The key objectives of the Mission are as follows:

• To identify emerging technologies and areas of future relevance for the Global Power Sector and take up indigenous end-to-end development of relevant technologies
• To provide a common platform for Power Sector Stakeholders for collective brainstorming, synergetic technology development and devise pathways for smooth transfer of technology
• To support pilot projects of indigenous technologies (developed especially by Indian Start-ups) and facilitate their commercialization
• To leverage foreign alliances and partnerships to accelerate research & development of advanced technologies and to build competencies, capabilities and access to advanced technologies through bilateral or multilateral collaborations, thereby facilitating exchange of knowhow and Technology Transfer.
• To seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and to create vibrant & innovative ecosystem in the Power Sector of the country
• To make our Nation among the leading Countries in Power System related Technologies & Applications development

Areas Identified for Research

To begin with, the following eight areas are identified for research:

• Alternatives to Lithium-Ion storage batteries
• Modifying electric cookers / pans to suit Indian cooking methods
• Green hydrogen for mobility (High Efficiency Fuel Cell)
• Carbon capture
• Geo-thermal energy
• Solid state refrigeration.
• Nano technology for EV battery
• Indigenous CRGO technology

Structure of the Mission

• The Mission will have a two-tier structure – a Technical Scoping Committee and an Apex Committee.

Technical Scoping Committee

• The Technical Scoping Committee, chaired by the Chairperson of Central Electricity Authority, will identify ongoing and emerging research areas globally, recommend potential technologies for development under the Mission, justify the techno-economic advantages, provide research outlines, and conduct periodic monitoring of approved research projects.
• The Technical Scoping Committee (TSC) will survey and identify the on-going and emerging areas of research globally and will make recommendations to the Apex Committee.

Apex Committee

• The Apex Committee, chaired by the Union Minister for Power & New and Renewable Energy will deliberate on the technology and products to be developed and approve the research proposals. The Apex committee will look also into international collaborations.
• The Apex Committee will approve the research proposals and monitor the progress of research. The technology / product to be developed under the Mission will be deliberated by the Apex Committee.

Scope of the Mission

• Under the Mission, once research areas are identified and approved by the Apex Committee, the proposals for outcome-linked funding will be invited from companies / organizations across the globe.
• The selection of the proposal shall be done through Quality cum Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) basis. The organizations of the Ministries may also co-develop the technologies with the selected Research Agency. The IPR of the technology developed would be shared by the Government of India and the Research Agency.
• The Mission shall also fund pilot projects of technologies developed by Indian Start-ups and facilitate their commercialization through the Central Public Sector Enterprises under both the Ministries.
• The start-ups will have to share the IPR with the Government of India / Central Power Research Institute.
• The Mission will also facilitate international collaboration for smooth exchange of know-how and Technology Transfer. The Mission will also seek collaboration with the best laboratories of the world for joint development of technologies.

5. WILDFIRES IN CANADA

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are 426 active fires in the country till mid-2023.

EXPLANATION:

• New York City’s air quality is currently ranked among the worst in the world due to drifting smoke rising from wildfires in Canada.
• Areas from the mid-Atlantic through the Northeast and upper parts of the Great Lakes registered air quality in unhealthy or worse categories.

What is causing the wildfires in Canada?

• Quebec is Canada’s largest province by area, and also home to most currently active wildfires. Most of these have been caused by lightning.
• Human activities are also to be blamed for adding to the forest fires.
• According to a study published in Nature journal, lightning is the main precursor of natural wildfires. Laboratory experiments and field observations have indicated that continuing electrical currents in lightning flowing for more than some tens of milliseconds (so-called Long-Continuing-Currents, or LCC) are likely to produce fires.
• According to the study, simulations suggest an increase in total global lightning and global LCC by the 2090s.
• The simulated globally averaged surface temperature increases by about 4 Kelvin (since Kelvin and Celsius have a linear relationship, this equals to an increase by about 4 degrees Celsius), and thus we obtain an increase in total lightning activity of 11% per Kelvin.

How does lightning work?

• During a storm, water droplets from warmer air and ice crystals from cooler air come together to form thunderstorm clouds. Contact between these water droplets and ice crystals produces a static electrical charge in clouds.
• When opposing negative and positive charges in clouds build up, the insulating capacity of air between the charges as well as between the cloud and the ground breaks down, leading to a rapid discharge. This is what we call lightning.
• It can occur between opposite charges within the thunderstorm cloud, or between opposite charges in the cloud and on the ground.

Is lightning an indicator of climate change?

• The World Meteorological Organisation recognises lightning as an essential climate variable that critically contributes to the characterisation of the earth’s climate.
• As global warming increases the earth’s surface temperature, lightning activity is also predicted to increase.
• According to American Geophysical Union’s magazine Eos, lightning also produces nitrogen oxides. These react with other gases in the atmosphere and produce ozone, which is a strong greenhouse gas that traps earth’s outgoing heat and retains it in the atmosphere, altering climate and weather patterns.

What are the other reasons behind uncontrolled wildfires in Canada?

• According to Reuters, Atlantic Canada received low snowfall this winter, followed by an unusually dry spring. The weather of Nova Scotia province, where wildfires are not unusual but fewer than in other provinces, is influenced by the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Due to its proximity to the ocean, the region ordinarily has higher humidity and more moderate temperatures as compared to many other parts of the country.

1. GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX 2023

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Global Slavery Index 2023 have been recently released. According to it, on any given day in 2021, as many as 50 million people were living in “modern slavery”. Among these 50 million, 28 million suffer from forced labour and 22 million from forced marriages. Of these 50 million, 12 million are children. To be sure, the phrase “modern slavery” has a specific definition.

EXPLANATION:

What is modern slavery?

• According to the index, “modern slavery” refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuses of power.
• Modern slavery is an umbrella term and includes a whole variety of abuses such as forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices, forced or servile marriage, and the sale and exploitation of children.
• The schematic alongside provides a broad framework of what all modern slavery covers.
• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations also resolve to end modern slavery. Target 8.7 of the SDGs states: “Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”

What is the Global Slavery Index?

• The index presents a global picture of modern slavery. It is constructed by Walk Free, a human rights organisation and is based on data provided by the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, which, in turn, is produced by International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• This is the fifth edition of the Global Slavery Index and is based on the 2022 estimates.
• However, the initial estimates are regional and to arrive at country-wise estimates, the index uses several representative surveys.

What are the country-wise findings?

There are three sets of key findings.

• The first looks at the prevalence of modern slavery. The prevalence refers to the incidence of modern slavery per 1000 population. On this count, the following 10 countries are the worst offenders: North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Afghanistan, Kuwait.
• These countries share some political, social, and economic characteristics, including limited protections for civil liberties and human rights,” states the index.
• Following are the countries with the lowest prevalence: Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Finland.
• However, apart from prevalence, the index also calculates the countries hosting the maximum number of people living in modern slavery. Here the list is as follows: India, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey, Bangladesh, United States.
• Collectively, these countries account for nearly two in every three people living in modern slavery and over half the world’s population. Notably, six are G20 nations: India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Türkiye, and the US,” points out the index.

2. LEPTOSPIROSIS

TAG: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT: Leptospirosis is a disease that surges in the monsoon month. The disease is an occupational hazard for people working in agricultural settings. Its severity ranges from a mild flu-like illness to being life-threatening

EXPLANATION:

• Leptospirosis has emerged as an important infectious disease in the world today.
• It is a potentially fatal zoonotic bacterial disease that tends to have large outbreaks after heavy rainfall or flooding.
• The disease is more prevalent in warm, humid countries and in both urban and rural areas.
• However, the numbers at the global and regional levels aren’t exact because of misdiagnosis (its symptoms mimic those of dengue, malaria, and hepatitis), limited access to reliable diagnostics, lack of awareness among treating physicians, and lack of environmental surveillance.

What causes the disease?

• The disease is caused by a bacterium called Leptospira interrogans, or leptospira. It is a contagious disease in animals but is occasionally transmitted to humans in certain environmental conditions.
• The carriers of the disease can be either wild or domestic animals, including rodents, cattle, pigs, and dogs.
• The cycle of disease transmission begins with the shedding of leptospira, usually in the urine of infected animals.
• According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, infected animals can continue to excrete the bacteria into their surroundings for a few months, but sometimes up to several years.

Which people are at risk?

• Humans become part of the cycle when they come in direct contact with this urine or indirectly, through soil and water that contain leptospira bacteria. A person is more likely to contract leptospirosis if they have cuts or abrasions on their skin.
• The disease is also considered an occupational hazard for people working in agricultural settings, with animals, or in sanitary services that bring them into contact with contaminated water.
• Recreational activities in contaminated lakes and rivers are also reported to increase the risk of leptospirosis.

What are the symptoms of leptospirosis?

• The severity of a leptospirosis infection ranges from a mild flu-like illness to being life-threatening.
• The infection can affect many organs, reflecting the systemic nature of the disease. This is also why the signs and symptoms of leptospirosis are often mistaken for other diseases.
• In milder cases, patients could experience a sudden onset of fever, chills, and headache – or no symptoms at all. But in severe cases, the disease can be characterised by the dysfunction of multiple organs, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, and the brain.
• Animals exhibit a variety of clinical symptoms and indications. In cattle and pigs, the disease can potentially cause reproductive failure, stillbirths, and weak calves or piglets. Dogs experience a range of symptoms, including fever, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhoea, renal failure, and even death.

What are the misconceptions about leptospirosis?

• Preventing leptospirosis requires appropriate and adequate health education, community health empowerment, and preventive habits.
• The disease has been called “ili jwara” in Kannada and “eli pani” in Malayalam, both meaning “rat fever. This usage has fed the common belief that rats are the sole cause of the disease, which is not true.
• Leptospirosis has a spectrum of reservoir hosts, including pigs, cattle, water buffaloes, goats, dogs, horses, and sheep. Further, seasonal patterns such as the onset of the monsoon can also potentially facilitate the disease’s incidence and transmission.
• The incidence of the disease is also linked to extreme weather events like floods and hurricanes, when people are exposed to contaminated water.
• Similarly, poor waste management, a high density of stray animals, faulty drainage systems, and unhygienic sanitation facilities are major drivers of the disease in urban areas. In rural parts, these are contaminated paddy fields, dirty livestock shelters, and poor water-quality and sanitation.

How can we prevent leptospirosis?

• Leptospirosis control can benefit from a ‘One Health’ approach. ‘One Health’ is an interdisciplinary approach that recognises the interconnections between the health of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
• Preventing animals from getting infected is also important to reduce the risk of leptospirosis spreading and to limit farmers’ economic losses (when the disease causes reproductive failures in pigs and cattle). This in turn requires sanitary animal-keeping conditions, which is also desirable to improve the animals’ health and to prevent the spread of many diseases.
• Given the spike in leptospirosis during the monsoons, it is best to take precautions, including washing one’s arms and legs with an antiseptic liquid after handling animal waste and after working in water.

3. NUTRIENT-BASED SUBSIDY (NBS)

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: CACP recommends Centre to bring urea under NBS regime to check overuse. Disproportionate use of urea in agriculture over the years has been one of the primary reasons for worsening plant nutrient imbalance

EXPLANATION:

• The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has recommended the Centre to bring urea under the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime to address the problem of imbalanced use of nutrients.
• According to CACP report, fertiliser response and efficiency has continuously declined over decades mainly due to imbalanced use of nutrients, deficiency of micro and secondary nutrients and depletion of soil organic carbon, while fertiliser subsidy has been rising.

Issue:

• Urea does not come under NBS, which includes non-urea fertilisers like phosphorous and potassium.
• Keeping urea out of NBS essentially means that the government has retained direct control over MRP of urea and its subsidy.
• The MRPs of other fertilisers have been under indirect control by virtue of NBS policy.
• Manufacturers of these fertilisers have the freedom to fix MRP within “reasonable limits”, and a fixed per-tonne subsidy linked to their nutrient content is given.
• This has caused their MRPs to increase over the years, whereas urea’s price has remained unchanged. This has led to tilting of the usage of fertilisers in favour of urea because farmers have overused it, owing to its low pricing, thus resulting in deteriorating soil health.
• India is one of the largest producers and consumers of fertilisers in the world, and fertiliser consumption has increased significantly over the years.

Nutrient-Based Subsidy(NBS) Scheme:

• NBS scheme, which governs the subsidy on P&K fertilizers, has been instrumental in ensuring the availability of essential nutrients to farmers at subsidized prices since 1 April, 2010.
• It aims at ensuring Nation’s food security, improving agricultural productivity and ensuring the balanced application of fertilizers.
• NBS is applicable for Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP, 18-46-0), Muriate of Potash (MOP), Mono Ammonium Phosphate (MAP, 11-52-0), Triple Super Phosphate (TSP, 0-46-0), Single Super Phosphate (SSP, 0-16-0-11), Ammonium Sulphate (AS – (Caprolactum grade by GSFC and FACT)  and 16 grades of complex fertilizers which. Primary nutrients, namely Nitrogen ‘N’, Phosphate ‘P’ and Potash ‘K’ and nutrient Sulphur ‘S’ contained in the fertilizers.
• The government has now approved the revision in NBS rates to provide 25 grades of P&K fertilizers to farmers during the rabi and kharif seasons.
• This decision by the Cabinet brings two significant benefits. Firstly, it ensures the availability of diammonium phosphate DAP and other P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized, affordable, and reasonable prices during the Kharif season.
• This will enable farmers to access essential fertilizers necessary for their agricultural activities. Secondly, the decision rationalizes the subsidy on P&K fertilizers, ensuring effective and efficient utilization of government resources.

4. CHILD TRAFFICKING

TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY

THE CONTEXT: The United Nations World Day Against Child Labour 2023 emphasises how social injustices, such as poverty and lack of education, create precarious conditions for children.

EXPLANATION:

• Child labour a form of modern slavery includes any work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that harms their physical or mental development, per the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition.
• The practice includes, and is not limited to, trafficking, sexual exploitation, debt bondage, and exploitation in armed conflicts. 12% of those in forced labour are possibly children, ILO noted.
• Child trafficking manifests in the form of domestic labour, forced child labour across industries, and illegal activities such as begging, organ trade and commercial sex purposes.
• Eight children were trafficked every day in India in 2021 for labour, begging and sexual exploitation per data from the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• One such practice happens in the name of ‘khadama’, where girls go to Gulf countries to work as housemaids.
• This data only includes confirmed cases of trafficking, which does not account for “missing children.” One child goes missing every eight minutes in India with millions ending up in domestic slavery, sex work and forced labour.
• Global prevalence of child trafficking

1. Domestic work (21%)
2. Begging (10%)
3. Hospitality sector (7%)
4. Street and small-scale retail (6%)
5. Illicit activities (6%)
6. Agriculture (5%)
7. More than 40% of children trafficked were recruited by a family member or relative.

Status of India:

• The 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the U.S. Department of State categorises India as Tier 2 in terms of progress. It implies that India “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”
• Countries in tier 2 are those where a) the estimated number of victims is very significant or is significantly increasing and the country is not taking proportional concrete actions; b) the country has failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat rising cases.
• India doesn’t have a composite anti-trafficking law that addresses prevention, protection, rehabilitation and compensation of survivors. There are, however, separate regulations that address different crimes related to trafficking.

Laws governing anti-trafficking crimes

• The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (PITA) is targeted at stopping immoral trafficking and sex work. It went through two amendments, in 1978 and 1986. Experts have criticised PITA for falsely presuming that all trafficking is done for sex work only, and say that it criminalises sex workers without providing sufficient legal recourse or scope for rehabilitation.
• The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, prohibits and penalises the act of child marriage. In August 2021, the NGO Save the Children warned of a rise in child marriage and sexual abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, prevents children from partaking in certain employments and regulates the conditions of work for children in other fields. In 2016, an amendment completely banned the employment of children below 14 years; adolescents aged 14-18 years are allowed to work in family-related businesses but not in fields that have “hazardous” working conditions.
• The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, prohibits systems of labour where people, including children, work under conditions of servitude to pay off debt, and also provides a framework for rehabilitating released labourers.
• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, which governs laws relating to children alleged and found to be in conflict with law.
• The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, makes commercial dealing in human organs a punishable offence.
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which seeks to prevent commercial sexual exploitation of children.
• India set up Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in 2007. AHTUs are tasked with “addressing the existing gaps in the law enforcement response,” “ensuring a victim-centric approach which ensures the ‘best interest of the victim/ survivor’ and prevents ‘secondary victimization/ re-victimisation of the victim,” and developing databases on traffickers.
• The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, revised Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with buying and selling of any person as a slave, to include the concept of human trafficking. Two sections — 370 and 370A — form the framework “to provide a comprehensive definition of human trafficking and also provide for strict punishment,” the Ministry of Home Affairs noted.

What is the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill? 

• MWCD published the Draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill in June 2021, with 11 chapters detailing measures to prevent, protect and rehabilitate victims.
• There are specified penalties for offences divided into “trafficking” and “aggravated trafficking”.
• The Bill built upon its 2018 iteration: it widened the scope of “victims” to include transgender persons and others, introduced mechanisms for the prevention and rehabilitation of victims (such as providing shelter and food) and extended the framework to include cross-border trafficking cases.
• The Bill proposes district- and State-level “anti-trafficking units” with designated police officers and a National Anti-Trafficking Bureau which looks after investigations involving two or more States. Investigations are required to be completed within 90 days of the offender’s arrest, and there are appointed sessions courts for speedy trials measures which could potentially address low conviction rates. The Bill, expected to be tabled in the parliament’s 2022 monsoon session, was not brought up.

5. WORLD’S FIRST CARBON-NEUTRAL AIRLINE

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: World’s first carbon-neutral airline is facing law suit. In this regard, lets look into the issue and the mechanisms involved.

EXPLANATION:

Issue:

• Delta Air Lines in 2020 marketed itself as the “world’s first carbon-neutral airline”, investing $1 billion to work on reducing fuel usage and investing in carbon removal techniques. Recently it is facing lawsuit the first of its kind against a U.S. airline’s climate claims  arguing Delta Air Line’s assertions were bogus, misleading and false.
• The ‘green airline’ tag is a contested commodity, as flyers and companies alike are realising that flying is a significant contributor to carbon pollution (accounting for more than 2% of all greenhouse-gas emissions).
• Aviation emissions could grow by 300-700% by 2050, per estimates.

What does the lawsuit say?

• Delta relied on “carbon offsetting”, shorthand for a slew of ways companies can reduce or remove carbon emissions from the environment. Activities like planting trees, shifting to cleaner fuel, funding carbon capture techniques in theory balance out a company’s carbon emissions.
• A 2021 Guardian investigation found the carbon offset systems of most airlines are “flawed” and deceptive.
• In 2021, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is home to 300 airlines across 120 countries, pledged to achieve net zero by 2050, in a move that was criticised as “greenwashing”.

What are carbon credits?

• Carbon offsets work like a game of Monopoly, except instead of money, companies deal in carbon emissions. A company gets “carbon credits” for investment in offset projects, tokens which represent an amount of carbon dioxide which would have been funnelled out of the atmosphere due to these initiatives.
• Each credit is equal to a metric ton of CO2, which would have caused global warming. These credits allow companies to continue emitting carbon in one place (say, aeroplane travel), with the promise their offsets are reducing emissions elsewhere (in distant rainforests).
• The voluntary carbon-offset market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2020 to around $250 billion by 2050,
• The United Nations in 2008 formalised this idea by setting up the Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), believing that the incentives from offsetting will help nations achieve climate goals.
• There are also blind spots built into the offset system. The voluntary carbon offset market is self-regulated: there are middlemen in the form of organisations like REDD+ that connect credit buyers and sellers. There are “certification” standards set by companies like Verra which allow companies to create and register their carbon-offsetting projects (the Gold Standard is considered among the most rigorous credit programs).
• Offset programs work only when they remove or reduce carbon emissions that wouldn’t have been eliminated otherwise, what is called “additionality”. Proving additionality is a structural challenge, for it is hard to track the genuine progress of activities on the ground.

1. EL NINO

TAG: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY

THE CONTEXT: NOAA flags dramatic warming in Pacific Ocean after 7 years. It is important to note that El Niño has no one-on-one links India’s summer monsoon. However, it is true that practically all drought years in India since Independence have witnessed El Niño events of varying intensity.

EXPLANATION:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States federal administration, announced El Niño is back in the Pacific Ocean after seven years.

What is El Niño?

• El Niño, which in Spanish means “little boy”, is a climate pattern that develops along the equatorial Pacific Ocean after intervals of a few years ranging between 2 and 7 years.
• Essentially, water on the surface of the ocean sees an unusual warming in a band straddling the equator in the central and east-central pacific broadly extending from the International Date line and 120°W longitude, i.e., off the Pacific coast of South America, west of the Galapagos islands.

How and why does El Niño happen?

• When the so-called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is in its neutral phase, the trade winds blow west along the equator and take the warm water from South America towards Asia.
• However, during an event of El Niño, these trade winds weaken (or may even reverse) and instead of blowing from the east (South America) to the west (Indonesia), they could turn into westerlies.
• In this situation, as the winds blow from the west to east, they cause masses of warm water to move into the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, and reach the coast of western America.
• During such years, there prevails warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

And what is the impact of El Niño conditions?

• Globally, El Niño has been associated with severe heatwaves, floods, and droughts in the past.
• Depending on its strength, El Niño can cause a range of impacts such as increasing the risk of heavy rainfall and droughts in certain locations around the world.

How severe are this year’s El Niño conditions?

• The 2023 event is the fifth since 2000 — which means they develop every 4-5 years on average.
• Sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific Ocean, especially along the various Niño regions, have been showing signs of much more rapid warming than had been predicted by the weather models.
• The Niño 3.4 index value the vital indicator confirming an event of El Niño jumped from minus 0.2 degrees Celsius to 0.8 degrees Celsius between March and June this year. Whereas, the threshold value of this index is 0.5 degrees Celsius.

How worried should India be about this development?

• In the Indian context, over the last hundred years, there have been 18 drought years.
• Of these, 13 years were associated with El Niño. Thus, there seems to be a correlation between an El Niño event and a year of poor rainfall in India.
• Also, between 1900 and 1950, there were 7 El Niño years but during the 1951-2021 period, there were 15 El Niño years ( 2015, 2009, 2004, 2002, 1997, 1991, 1987, 1982, 1972, 1969, 1965, 1963, 1957, 1953 and 1951). This suggests that the frequency of El Niño events has been increasing over time.
• Of the 15 El Niño years in the 1951-2021 period, nine summer monsoon seasons over the country recorded deficient rain by more than 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).
• Climate change can exacerbate or mitigate certain impacts related to El Niño.
• It could lead to new records for temperatures, particularly in areas that already experience above-average temperatures.

2. KAZIRANGA MAHOUTS CAUGHT FOR CONSUMING RARE TURTLES 

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Three persons engaged as mahouts in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have been arrested for capturing and consuming a rare species of a freshwater turtle i.e spotted pond turtles inside the one-horned rhino habitat. Action against the trio was taken under relevant sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

EXPLANATION:

Spotted pond turtles

• Spotted pond turtles are named for the yellow or white spots on their black heads, legs and tails. They have large heads and short snouts, and their webbed feet help them swim.
• The pond turtle’s carapace, or upper shell, is generally black with bright patterns that fade with age. Males have concave carapaces and larger, thicker tails than females.
• Pond turtles bask in the sun to regulate their body temperature.
• Spotted pond turtles are found in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent in the Indus and Ganges river drainages. Their range includes parts of Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

• They are semi-aquatic and can typically be found in shallow, standing waters, such as oxbow lakes, ponds and marshes.
• They prefer water with thick vegetation that provides cover, as well as places to lie and bask.
• Communication : When they retreat into their shells, spotted pond turtles make a soft croak.
• Spotted pond turtles are primarily carnivorous and eat aquatic invertebrates. They use the bony surfaces of their strong jaws to crush the shells of snails, prawns, crabs and other crustaceans. They also eat mollusks, fish, amphibians and cereal grains, and will sometimes graze on grasses.
• Spotted pond turtles reach sexual maturity between 6 and 8 years old. Females dig a bowl-shaped nest for their eggs that is about 6-10 centimeters (2-4 inches) deep. The nest is dug into loamy soil (soil with sand, silt and clay) in a spot where it will be concealed by bushes and other vegetation.
• Spotted pond turtles are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at twilight (dusk and dawn).

Kaziranga national park

• Kaziranga National park’s 430 square kilometer area sprinkled with elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense forests is home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately 2/3rd of their total world population.
• The park is located in the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots Golaghat and Nagaon district.
• In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Along with the iconic Greater one-horned rhinoceros, the park is the breeding ground of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
• Over the time, the tiger population has also increased in Kaziranga, and that’s the reason why Kaziranga was declared as Tiger Reserve in 2006. Also, the park is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. Birds like lesser white-fronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck and lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, and Asian Openbill stork specially migrate from the Central Asia during the winter season..
• There are mainly four types of vegetation’ like alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests.

3. UNIFIED PAYMENTS INTERFACE (UPI)

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: As transactions facilitated by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) breach record highs, banks have opted for daily limits. These are over and above the already imposed ceilings mandated by the facilitator, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), in 2021. The idea is to sustain the smoother functioning of the payments interface as it continues to acquire popularity in our daily lives.

EXPLANATION:

• At present, users can make up to 20 transactions or ₹1 lakh in a single day either all at once or through the day.
• For certain specific categories of transactions such as the capital markets, collections (such as bills, among others), insurance and forward inward remittances, the limit is ₹2 lakh.
• In December 2021, the limit for the UPI-based ASBA (Application Supported by Blocked Amount) IPO and retail direct schemes was increased to ₹5 lakh for each transaction.
• As the payments interface looks to expand its footprint (recall the boarding of non-resident accounts having international numbers into the ecosystem) and its growing utility in daily lives, limits would help maintain an essential security infrastructure and its seamless functioning.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.
• It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience. Each Bank provides its own UPI App for Android, Windows and iOS mobile platform(s).
• The Unified Payment Interface is a way to make payments that work in real-time.
• The Reserve Bank of India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Indian Banks Association started UPI (IBA).

How the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) works?

• UPI uses technologies like the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and the Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) to ensure that payments between accounts go smoothly.
• It can handle push (pay) and pull (receive) transactions, over-the-counter or barcode payments and many recurring payments, like utility bills, school fees, and other subscriptions.
• Once a single identifier is set up, the method lets mobile payments be made without using credit or debit cards, online banking, or entering account information.
• This will make sensitive information safer, and people with bank accounts will be able to link their phones to their accounts to easily make transactions.

4. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ARCTIC SEA ICE?

TAGS: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY

THE CONTEXT: A recent study in the Nature journal says that the loss of Arctic sea ice is inevitable in the decades ahead, even if the world somehow gets its act together and sharply reduces carbon emissions.

EXPLANATION:

Why is the Arctic sea ice important?

• The massive sheets of ice that pad the Arctic region play a major role in influencing global climate and the rise and fall in Arctic sea temperatures.
• During winter, the sea ice envelops most of the Arctic Ocean and in summer, a portion of it melts due to being exposed to longer periods of sunlight and elevated temperatures.
• Sea ice normally melts and is at its thinnest and most sparse in mid-September, when the area covered by ice is roughly half the size of the winter maximum.
• The United States’ Environment Protection Agency (EPA) explains the importance of sea ice thus: “Sea ice is light-coloured and therefore reflects more sunlight back to space than liquid water, thus playing a vital role in keeping polar regions cool and maintaining the earth’s energy balance. Sea ice also keeps the air cool by forming a barrier between the cold air above and the relatively warmer water below.
• As the amount of sea ice decreases, the Arctic region’s cooling effect is reduced, and this may initiate a ‘feedback loop’ whereby ocean warming caused by more absorption of solar energy leads to an even greater loss of sea ice and further warming.
• Changes in sea ice can affect biodiversity and impact mammals such as polar bears and walruses, which rely on the presence of sea ice for hunting, breeding, and migrating. The reduction in ice cover also affects the traditional subsistence hunting lifestyle of indigenous Arctic populations such as the Yup’ik, Iñupiat, and Inuit.
• On the other hand, reduced ice can present “commercial and economic opportunities” with the opening up of shipping lanes and increased access to natural resources in the Arctic region. This has already provoked global competition with several countries, including India, vying for greater influence in groups such as the Arctic Council that governs access to Arctic resources

What does the new study say?

• Arctic sea ice is decreasing is well-known and acknowledged in several reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and it is widely expected that the world will see its first ‘sea-ice free summer’ before 2050.
• This, however is under the assumption that global emissions will drive temperatures to beyond 4.5°C making the Arctic ice-free by 2081-2100.
• There was uncertainty on whether this sea-ice-free scenario applied to situations where carbon emissions were curbed enough to ensure that temperature-rise was restricted to say 1.5°C or 2°C, as envisaged in the Paris Agreement.
• The recent Nature study confirms that there is no scenario under which the Arctic sea ice can be saved in summer.
• Moreover, if drastic reductions in emissions aren’t undertaken, we could very well be seeing the first such summer in the 2030s. Satellites monitoring the Arctic have shown the rate of loss to be 13% every year.

Effects:

• The diminished sea ice while warming the Arctic also leads to a weakening of the polar jet streams, which are currents of air that form when warm and cold air meet.
• This weakening has been linked to rising temperatures and heatwaves in Europe as well as unseasonal showers in northwest India.
• While the ice-free summer may be inevitable, reducing carbon emissions might mean being better able to adapt to climate ‘tipping points.’

5. POWER TRADING AND CERC

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The power ministry has asked Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERC) to initiate the process of coupling multiple power exchanges, a mechanism which seeks to ensure uniformity in price discovery of energy at trading platforms.

EXPLANATION:

• At present India has three power exchanges — Indian Electricity Exchange (IEX), Power Exchange of India (PXIL) and Hindustan Power Exchange (HPX). The IEX has the largest market share of 88% in total power trade at multiple exchanges in India
• In the present scenario, buyers and sellers at each exchange do trading of electricity and discover spot price separately at these exchanges. After coupling of exchanges, the price discovery would be uniform.
• This will give a fillip to the service levels in the power market, and ensure better transparency and uniform prices discovery across exchanges.
• The move is also expected to bring down the power tariff in the country significantly.

Central Electricity Regulatory Authority

• CERC is a statutory body functioning under sec – 76 of the Electricity Act 2003 (CERC was initially constituted under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998 on 24th July, 1998).
• The Commission intends to promote competition, efficiency and economy in bulk power markets, improve the quality of supply, promote investments and advise government on the removal of institutional barriers to bridge the demand supply gap and thus foster the interests of consumers.

In pursuit of these objectives the Commission aims to –

• Improve the operations and management of the regional transmission systems through Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC), Availability Based Tariff (ABT), etc.
• Formulate an efficient tariff setting mechanism, which ensures speedy and time bound disposal of tariff petitions, promotes competition, economy and efficiency in the pricing of bulk power and transmission services and ensures least cost investments.
• Facilitate open access in inter-state transmission
• Facilitate inter-state trading
• Promote development of power market
• Improve access to information for all stakeholders
• Facilitate technological and institutional changes required for the development of competitive markets in bulk power and transmission services.
• Advise on the removal of barriers to entry and exit for capital and management, within the limits of environmental, safety and security concerns and the existing legislative requirements, as the first step to the creation of competitive markets.

1. ONSET OF THE MONSOON

TAG: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY

THE CONTEXT: According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon has set in over the Kerala coast on 8 june, along with 2016 and 2019, is the most that the monsoon’s onset has been delayed in the last couple of decades the rains hit the Kerala coast on June 8 in those two earlier years as well. In 2022, the monsoon arrived over the Kerala coast on May 29, earlier than its expected date.

EXPLANATION:

What is meant by the “onset of the monsoon” over the Kerala coast?

• The onset of the monsoon over Kerala signals the beginning of the four-month (June-September) southwest monsoon season, during which India gets more than 70% of its annual rainfall.
• Onset does not mean the first rain of the season. That can start happening in certain places even before the onset is declared ‘onset’ is a technical expression with a specific definition and IMD announces the onset of the monsoon only after certain precisely defined and measurable parameters are met.

What are these conditions, which determine the onset of monsoon?

• According to the IMD, the onset of the monsoon happens when there is a significant transition in the large-scale atmospheric and ocean circulations in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The IMD essentially looks at the consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, the intensity of the rainfall, and the wind speed.
• RAINFALL: The onset is declared if at least 60% of 14 designated meteorological stations in Kerala and Lakshadweep record at least 2.5 mm of rain for two consecutive days at any time after May 10. The onset over Kerala is declared on the second day, as long as specific wind and temperature criteria are also fulfilled. The 14 enlisted stations are: (I) Minicoy, (ii) Amini, (iii) Thiruvananthapuram, (iv) Punalur, (v) Kollam, (vi) Alappuzha, (vii) Kottayam, (viii) Kochi, (ix) Thrissur, (x) Kozhikode, (xi) Thalassery, (xii) Kannur, (xiii) Kasaragod, and (xiv) Mangaluru.
• WIND FIELD: The IMD says that the depth of westerlies should be up to 600 hectopascal (1 hPa is equal to 1 millibar of pressure) in the area that is bound by the equator to 10ºN latitude, and from longitude 55ºE to 80ºE. The 10th parallel North passes through Kochi; and the area bound by the 55th and the 80th meridians East stretches from the middle of Iran to about Chennai. The zonal wind speed over the area bound by 5-10ºN latitude (Maldives to Kochi) and 70-80ºE longitude (Arabian Sea to Chennai) should be of the order of 15-20 knots (28-37 kph) at 925 hPa.
• HEAT: The INSAT-derived Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) value which is a measure of the energy emitted to space by the Earth’s surface, oceans, and atmosphere — should be below 200 watt per sq m (wm2) in the area between the 5ºN and 10ºN latitudes, and 70ºE and 75ºE longitudes.

Does a delayed onset mean cascading delays across the country and for the rest of the season?

• A delay in the onset over Kerala can potentially delay the arrival of the monsoon in other parts of the country, especially in the southern states, which normally start getting rain within days of the monsoon reaching the Kerala coast. The monsoon covers the entire country by July 15.
• A delayed onset over Kerala does not automatically or invariably mean delays in the arrival of the monsoon over other parts of the country.
• The northward progression of the monsoon after it has hit the Kerala coast is not uniform it depends on local factors, including the creation of low-pressure areas. The monsoon may stall over certain places in certain years; or it may progress faster than usual.
• A delay or an early arrival has no bearing on the quality or amount of rainfall, or its regional distribution across the country.

2. MANUAL SCAVENGING

TAG: GS 1: SOCIETY

THE CONTEXT: Despite stating over the last few years that manual scavenging had been eliminated in the country, and that the only remaining threat was hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has now said that only 508 districts out of the total 766 districts in the country have declared themselves manual-scavenging free.

EXPLANATION:

• Manual scavenging is the practice of removing human excreta by hand from sewers or septic tanks. India banned the practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR). The Act bans the use of any individual for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of or otherwise handling in any manner, human excreta till its disposal.

Developments:

• According to the scheme for rehabilitation of manual scavengers, the 58,000 identified sewer workers have been given a one-time cash pay-out of ₹40,000 each. In addition, around 22,000 of them (less than half) have been connected to skills training programmes.
• However, the scheme for rehabilitation of manual scavengers has now been merged with the NAMASTE scheme for 100% mechanisation of sewer work. The FY 2023-24 Union Budget showed no allocation for the rehabilitation scheme and ₹100 crore allocation for the NAMASTE scheme.
• The guidelines for this scheme are yet to be finalized. The scheme will require over 4,800 urban local bodies across the country to identify and profile all septic tank/sewer workers in their respective areas, provide them occupational training and safety equipment, and sign them up for health insurance under the Ayushmaan Bharat scheme.
• To incentivise mechanisation, the scheme also provides for capital subsidies for sewer workers willing to mechanise their work and become empanelled with the concerned local body.

Laws to Prevent Manual Scavenging:

• The Employment of Manual Scavenging and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993: It is an act to provide for the prohibition of employment of manual scavengers as well as construction or continuance of dry latrines and for the regulation of construction and maintenance of water-seal latrines and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• Provision in the constitution: Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual has been enshrined in the Preamble to the Apart from that, article 47 of the Constitution, inter alia, provides that the State shall regard raising the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties.
• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013): 2013 Act goes beyond prohibitions on dry latrines, and outlaws all manual cleaning of insanitary latrines, open drains, or pits. The 2013 Act further recognizes a constitutional obligation to correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by manual scavenging communities by providing extensive rehabilitation assistance to them and to their families.
• The Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavenging, 2007 (SRMS): The objective of SRMS is to provide assistance to the identified manual scavengers and their dependants for their rehabilitation in alternative occupations. The scheme is being implemented at the national level through the NSKFDC.
• National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC): It is a wholly owned Govt. of India Undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (M/o SJ&E) was set up as a Company “Not for Profit” under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.  NSKFDC is in operation since October, 1997, as an Apex Corporation for the all round socio-economic upliftment of the Safai Karamcharis, Scavengers and their dependants throughout India, through various loan and non-loan based schemes.
• National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE): Namaste is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) as a joint initiative of the MoSJE and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). NAMASTE would also aim at providing access to alternative livelihoods support  and entitlements to reduce the vulnerabilities of sanitation workers and enable them to access self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities and break the intergenerationality in sanitation work.

3. GROUND LEVEL OZONE

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: According to a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), parts of the Delhi-NCR region witnessed ground-level ozone readings exceeding the national standards on 87 out of 92 days in the summer period between March and May. The worst affected parts in the area are New Delhi and South Delhi neighbourhoods.

EXPLANATION:

• Based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data on ozone levels from 58 stations across Delhi-NCR, the CSE analysis noted that although the spatial spread number of stations exceeding the standard across the core NCR of ground-level ozone has been lower this year, its duration has increased.
• Moreover, the region is seeing a rare phenomenon where ozone levels remain elevated hours after sunset ground-level ozone should ideally become negligible during the night. Another issue is that the pollutant, which once used to be prominent only during the summers, has become a yearlong problem.

What is ground-level ozone?

• Also known as tropospheric ozone, ground-level ozone is “a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface (up to 2 miles above the ground) as per Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
• It is not directly emitted into the air but rather produced when two primary pollutants react in sunlight and stagnant air. These two primary pollutants are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Therefore, ground-level ozone is called a “secondary” pollutant.
• NOx and VOCs come from natural sources as well as human activities. About 95 per cent of NOx from human activity comes from the burning of coal, gasoline and oil in motor vehicles, homes, industries and power plants. VOCs from human activity come mainly from gasoline combustion and marketing, upstream oil and gas production, residential wood combustion, and from the evaporation of liquid fuels and solvents.
• Ground-level ozone is likely to breach safety standards on hot summer days in urban areas, but can also reach unhealthy levels during colder months.
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mentioned on its website that the pollutant can also travel long distances due to wind and affect rural areas also.

What are the harmful effects of ground-level ozone?

• The CSE analysis said as ground-level ozone is a highly reactive gas, it has serious health consequences.
• Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at serious risk.
• This can inflame and damage airways, make lungs susceptible to infection, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalization.
• The pollutant can also affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks and wildlife refuges. Significantly, it can harm sensitive vegetation during the growing season too.

What is the situation of ground-level ozone in India?

• In recent years, ground-level ozone has become a serious public health issue in India, as per the CSE analysis.
• It quoted the 2020 State of Global Air report, which stated that age-standardised rates of death attributable to ground-level ozone are among the highest in the country and the seasonal 8-hour daily maximum concentrations have recorded one of the highest increases in India between 2010 and 2017– about 17 per cent.

4. KAKHOVKA DAM

TAG: PRELIMS: PLACE IN NEWS

THE CONTEXT: Kakhovka Dam has been destroyed unleashing floodwaters across the war zone. Ukraine said Russia had destroyed it, while Russian officials gave conflicting accounts, some saying it was destroyed by Ukrainian shelling and others saying it collapsed due to earlier damage.

EXPLANATION:

• It was a huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine.
• The dam is 30 metres (98 feet) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long, was built in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
• The reservoir also supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia claims to have annexed in 2014, and to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control.
• It holds an 18 km3 reservoir, a volume about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the U.S. state of Utah.

Possible impacts:

• With water levels surging higher, many thousands of people are likely to be affected.
• Ukraine’s southern Kherson region are at risk of flooding.
• There is a risk that water levels in the North Crimea Canal, which carries fresh water to the Crimean peninsula from the Dnipro river, could fall after rupture of the dam.
• Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, gets its cooling water from the reservoir. It is located on the southern side, now under Russian control. However, The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency said there is no immediate nuclear safety risk.

5. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL RANKING FRAMEWORK (NIRF)

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) announced the India Rankings 2023 of higher education institutions. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras in Chennai remained the best educational institution in overall rankings for the fifth consecutive term. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru ranked as the best university in the country for eight years in a row.

EXPLANATION:

• This is the eighth consecutive edition of India Rankings of HEIs in India. “With the addition of new category (Innovation) subject domain  (Agriculture & Allied Sectors) and expansion of ‘Architecture’ to ‘Architecture and Planning’, the existing portfolio of India Rankings has increased to 13 categories and subject domains that have been ranked in India Rankings 2023.
• The top 100 in the overall category of higher education institutions consist of 44 centrally funded technical institutes, Central universities, 24 State universities, 13 deemed universities, 18 private universities, four agriculture and allied sector institutions, and three management institutions.

Findings:

• Miranda House, Delhi is ranked the best college.
• Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad is the top management institute.
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad is ranked number one for pharmaceutical studies.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi is ranked the best medical college.
• Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai is the top dental college.
• National Law School of India University, Bengaluru is ranked the best law college in the country.
• IIT-M has also been ranked the best engineering college for the eighth consecutive year (from 2016 to 2023).
• IISc Bengaluru stood first in ‘Research Institutions’ category, too, for the third consecutive year.
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi took the top slot in ‘Agriculture and Allied Sectors’. IIT-Kanpur topped the ‘Innovation’ category.

National Institutional Ranking Framework:

• It is under the Union Ministry of Education(MoE).
• This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MoE to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions
• The five broad categories of parameters identified in the NIRF are “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.
• Each of these five parameters have 2 to 5 sub-parameters. A total number of 16-18 sub-parameters are used for the ranking of HEIs in different categories and subject domains. Institutions are ranked based on total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.

Parameters and sub parameters:

1)Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR)

• Student Strength including Doctoral Students (SS)
• Faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty (FSR)
• Combined metric for Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) and Experience (FQE)
• Financial Resources and their Utilisation (FRU)

2)Research and Professional Practice (RP)

• Combined metric for Publications (PU)
• Combined metric for Quality of Publications (QP)
• IPR and Patents: Published and Granted (IPR)
• Footprint of Projects and Professional Practice (FPPP)

3)Graduation Outcomes (GO)

• Metric for University Examinations (GUE)
• Metric for Number of Ph.D. Students Graduated (GPHD)

4)Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)

• Percentage of Students from Other States/Countries (Region Diversity RD)
• Percentage of Women (Women Diversity WD)
• Economically and Socially Challenged Students (ESCS)
• Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS)

5)Perception (PR) Ranking

• Peer Perception
• Academic Peers and Employers (PR)

Discipline-wise methodology for India Rankings

1. Overall
2. Universities
3. Engineering
4. Management
5. Pharmacy
6. Colleges
7. Architecture and Planning
8. Law
9. Medical
10. Dental
11. Research Institutions
12. Innovation
13. Agriculture & Allied Sectors

1. CYCLONE AND ITS IMPACT ON MONSOON

TAG: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY

THE CONTEXT: A cyclonic storm, named Biparjoy, has developed in the Arabian Sea. The cyclone is predicted to gain its strength and develop into a very severe cyclonic storm by June 13. Biparjoy’ was suggested by Bangladesh and the word means ‘disaster’ or ‘calamity’ in Bengali. The naming of cyclones is done by countries on a rotational basis, following certain existing guidelines. The impact of global warming on the monsoon are manifest in the onset, withdrawal, its seasonal total rainfall, and its extremes. Global warming also affects the cyclones over the Indian Ocean and the typhoons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

EXPLANATION:

• According to an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone would affect along the coastline of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

How did Cyclone Biparjoy get its name and how are cyclones named?

• The naming of cyclones is done by countries on a rotational basis, following certain existing guidelines.
• There are six regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) mandated for issuing advisories and naming of tropical cyclones.
• IMD is one of the six RSMCs to provide tropical cyclone and storm surge advisories to 13 member countries under the WMO/Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP) Panel including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• RSMC, New Delhi is also mandated to name the Tropical Cyclones developing over the north Indian Ocean (NIO), including the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS).
• The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones in 2000 agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in these seas.
• After deliberations, the naming began in September 2004. This list contained names proposed by then eight member countries of WMO/ESCAP PTC, viz., Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It was expanded to include five more countries in 2018 — Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen
• The list of 169 cyclone names released by IMD in 2020 was provided by these countries — 13 suggestions from each of the 13 countries.

Some rules are to be followed while naming cyclones, such as:

*The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender

*Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe

*It should not be very rude and cruel in nature

*It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member

*The maximum length of the name will be eight letters

Is it not rare for cyclones to develop in the Arabian sea?

• There are fewer number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea than the Bay of Bengal, but it is not uncommon. In fact, June is one of the favourable months for the formation of cyclones in the Arabian Sea.
• A cyclone is a low-pressure system that forms over warm waters. Usually, a high temperature anywhere means the existence of low-pressure air, and a low temperature means high-pressure wind. In fact, that is one of the main reasons why we see greater number of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal compared to Arabian Sea.
• Bay of Bengal is slightly warmer. Because of climate change, the Arabian Sea side is also getting warmer, and as a result, the number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea is showing an increasing trend in the recent trend.

Cyclone formation:

• As air warms over hotter regions, it ascends, leading to low pressure at the surface it is covering. When air cools in colder areas it descends, leading to high pressure at the surface.
• In a depression or low-pressure situation, the air is rising and blows in an anticlockwise direction around the low in the northern hemisphere and in a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. This is because of the Coriolis effect, a result of the earth’s rotation on its axis.
• As warm air rises and cools, water vapour condenses to form clouds and this can lead to rains.
• Weather systems formed over the Bay of Bengal in the peak of summer in May are among the strongest in the North Indian Ocean region.
• Warm seas present ripe conditions for the development and strengthening of cyclones and fuel these systems over the water.

How does a cyclone affect the monsoon’s onset?

• The impact of global warming on the monsoons are manifest in the onset, withdrawal, its seasonal total rainfall, and its extremes. Global warming also affects the cyclones over the Indian Ocean and the typhoons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• There is cyclone formations in the pre-monsoon cyclone season, closer to the monsoon onset, arguably due to the influence of a warmer Arctic Ocean on winds over the Arabian Sea.
• The monsoon is also affected by the three tropical oceans – Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific; the ‘atmospheric bridge’ from the Arctic; and the oceanic tunnel as well as the atmospheric bridge from the Southern Ocean (a.k.a. the Antarctic Ocean)
• A ‘bridge’ refers to two faraway regions interacting in the atmosphere while a ‘tunnel’ refers to two remote oceanic regions connecting within the ocean.

Mawar, Biparjoy, and Guchol

• Cyclone Biparjoy is not interacting much with the monsoon trough at this time. However, its late birth as well as the late onset of the monsoon are both closely related to typhoons in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• On May 19, Typhoon Mawar was born and dissipated away by June 3. Mawar qualified as a ‘super typhoon’ and is thus far the strongest typhoon to have taken shape in May. It is also the strongest cyclone of 2023 so far.
• Tropical storm Guchol is now active just to the east of the Philippines and is likely to continue northwest before veering off to the northeast. These powerful typhoons are thirsty beasts and demand moisture from far and wide.

2. MOON MISSIONS

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Space is the newest frontier where the United States of America and China are competing. While China has set 2030 as its deadline to land on the moon, US’ Artemis mission is set to put its crew on the moon in 2025.

EXPLANATION:

• China sent its first civilian into space through the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft. The three-member crew will complete a five-month mission at the space station.
• With the successful landing of a second manned crew aboard its space station, the Chinese Manned Space Agency aims to land astronauts on the moon before 2030.
• On the other hand, the US plans to send a manned crew to the moon by 2025 under the Artemis programme.

Artemis programme?

• Succeeding the Apollo missions which sent seven manned crews to the moon and back between 1969 and 1972, the Artemis programme aims to land on the moon, set up a long-term base and then send the first astronauts to Mars.
• Led by the US, the programme is a joint venture of several countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, South Korea, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, Israel, Romania, Bahrain, Singapore, Colombia, France, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Czech Republic, and Spain. These countries are signatories of an open treaty called the ‘Artemis accords’ which aims to put humans back on the moon.

Artemis-I

• For Artemis I, NASA built a super heavy-lift launch vehicle called the ‘Space Launch System’ (SLS) to carry its spacecraft , astronauts, and cargo directly to the moon on a single mission.
• NASA also built a human spacecraft named ‘Orion’ for deep-space missions to travel to the moon and Mars. It can also carry a human crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain astronauts during their missions and provide safe re-entry from deep space. Orion spacecraft returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on after completing its 1.4-million-mile journey from Earth to the moon and back.

Artemis-II

• Under Artemis-II, NASA plans to launch a crew of four astronauts onboard the SLS, perform multiple manoeuvres on an expanding orbit around the Earth on the Orion, do a lunar flyby and return back to Earth. The ten-day mission is slated for 2024.

Artemis-III

• Artemis-III will mark the return of humans to the moon in 2025. Similar to Artemis-I and II, the crew onboard the Orion will be launched to the moon. After the ICPS pushes the Orion towards the lunar orbit, the Orion will perform two engine burns to set itself on a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) in the moon’s gravitational orbit. The NHRO will help to establish a landing site on the moon.
• NASA has selected SpaceX to provide the lunar lander which will transport the crew from Orion to the surface of the moon and back again.

Artemis IV and onwards

• In Artemis IV, NASA aims to land a second crew on the moon in 2028 and establish a Lunar Gateway station whose components will be launched prior to the Artemis IV mission to the NHRO. The aim is to set up a permanent base on the lunar surface and then proceed to send astronauts to Mars from the moon.

China’s Moon mission

Chang’ e 1 to 5

• Dubbed as the Chang’e mission, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has already launched two lunar orbiters (Chang’ e 1 & 2) and two lunar rovers (Chang’e 3 & 4) one on the unexplored south pole of the far side of the moon.
• The Chinese launched Chang’e 5 in, 2020, onboard its Long March 5 rocket. The spacecraft entered the lunar orbit, and its descender slowly soft-landed in the Mons Rumker region of Oceanus Procellarum on the south pole of the moon

Chang’ e 6,7 & 8

• China aims to continue its research of the moon’s south pole, sending two missions Chang’e 6 and Chang’e 7 — in 2024 and 2026 to bring back samples. Chang’ e 7 comprises an orbiter, a relay satellite, a lander, and a mini-flying probe and will explore the lunar south pole for resources. It will also aim to detect water ice in the permanently shadowed area.
• China further plans to build a permanent science base on the moon. Towards this end, Chang’ e 8 will carry a lander, a rover, and a flying detector along with a 3D-printing module to test the construction of a lunar base.

International Lunar Research Station

• Constructing a lunar base is a joint venture between China and Russia. The two nation’s space agencies China National Space Administration and Russia’s State Space Corporation (Roscosmos) issued a joint statement that they will collaborate in the construction of an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) for the peaceful exploration and use of the Moon.
• The station will be equipped with energy supplies, communications and navigation, space shuffling, lunar research and ground support services and a command centre. Apart from Russia, Pakistan, Argentina and international organizations including the Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization have agreed to participate in the project, while at least ten other countries are considering it. 

3. MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE (MSP)

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister on approved raising minimum support prices (MSP) of kharif crops for the 2023-24 marketing season. Centre has set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy sown in the kharif or monsoon season at ₹2,183 per quintal, a hike of ₹143 per quintal in comparison to last year. The 2023-24 MSPs for 17 kharif crops and variants were approved at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister.

EXPLANATION:

• Food Minister told after the CCEA meeting that farmers will benefit from the increase in the MSP at a time when the retail inflation is declining.
• In agriculture, MSP is being fixed from time to time based on the recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The increase in MSP of the kharif crops for this year is highest compared to the previous years.

Minimum Support Price (MSP) :

• Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
• The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
• MSP is price fixed by Government of India to protect the producer – farmers – against excessive fall in price during bumper production years. The minimum support prices are a guarantee price for their produce from the Government.
• In formulating the recommendations in respect of the level of minimum support prices and other non-price measures, the Commission takes into account, apart from a comprehensive view of the entire structure of the economy of a particular commodity or group of commodities, the following factors:-

1. Cost of production
2. Changes in input prices
3. Input-output price parity
4. Trends in market prices
5. Demand and supply
6. Inter-crop price parity
7. Effect on industrial cost structure
8. Effect on cost of living
9. Effect on general price level
10. International price situation
11. Parity between prices paid and prices received by the farmers.
12. Effect on issue prices and implications for subsidy

• Government announces minimum support prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane.
• The mandated crops are 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and two other commercial crops. In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively.
• The list of crops are as follows.

1. Cereals (7) – paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi
2. Pulses (5) – gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil
3. Oilseeds (8) – groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed and nigerseed
4. Raw cotton
5. Raw jute
6. Copra
7. De-husked coconut
8. Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price)
9. Virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco

4. VADNAGAR

TAG: GS-1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: In December2022, northern Gujarat’s Vadnagar city and the Sun Temple of Modhera, both part of the Mehsana district, made it to the Tentative list of the UNESCO World heritage sites. There are new plans for PM’s school in his hometown Vadnagar lets have a look on archeological significance of the city.

EXPLANATION:

• The Ministry of Culture has now announced the redevelopment of a primary school here attended by Prime Minister in Vadnagar. Children from across the country will spend a week at the Prerna school to learn “how to live a very evolved life”, as part of a joint initiative by the central and state governments.
• Vadnagar has been known by names like Anartapura, Anandapur, Chamatkarpur and so on, during different periods of its history, and has often been compared to Varanasi in terms of both claiming to be “living cities”.

Archaeological excavations at Vadnagar:

• Vadnagar was first excavated in 1953, mainly to understand its “ceramic sequence” which revealed a flourishing conch shell trade industry, with bangles and other wares also found here.
• Five periods of continuous settlement have been identified at the site from its formative period. An unbroken sequence of seven successive cultures going back to 750 BCE was found and divided into seven periods: pre-rampart phase (in 2nd century BCE), Rampart phase (2nd century BCE – 1st century CE), Kshatrapa phase (1st – 4th century CE), post-Kshatrapa phase (5th – 9th/10th century CE), Solanki phase (10th – 13th century CE), Sultanate-Mughal phase (14th – 17th century CE) and Gaekwad phase (17th/18th – 19th century CE.
• Most of the excavations found – like the fortification, a Buddhist monastery, votive stupas, house-complexes, lanes/streets and industrial hearth – are from pre-2nd century BCE to the Gaekwad period (18th – 19th century CE).

Vadnagar as a ‘living city’:

• These structures showcase the architectural influence of various cultural periods. Extensive water management system in and around the town also played a role in its continuity.
• The town represents a continuously evolving historic urban landscape/area which played a major role in the hinterland trade network of Western India. The continuity of the historic town proves its resilience and outstanding universal value unlike the sites like Harappa and Kalibangan, (Rajasthan) which were abandoned eventually states the description of Vadnagar in UNESCO’s Tentative List.
• Vadnagar was an important centre of Sammitya Buddhists, a sect which Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang also supported.
• It was located at the intersection of two major trade routes – Central India to Sindh and northwest, and Gujarat to Rajasthan and north India, Vadnagar was also known as one of the important land ports (Sthal Pattan) of Gujarat.
• A mound here rises gently and the highest point in the middle of the settlement is 25 metres high, called Darbargadh. Such types of a mound on which Vadnagar is built are not available in other parts of India.
• Human habitation existed here from mid-8th century BCE till date, as per ASI findings. “These findings uncovered a unique aspect of the town: an uninterrupted extensive human habitation and cross-cultural evolution that sustained itself and continues till date. Such a long period of human habitation is exceptional in the Indian scenario with very few sites claiming similar uninterrupted continuity.

Evidence of Buddhism

• Hieun Tsang or Xuanzang visited Vadnagar around 641 CE and called it o-nan-to-pu-lo (Anandpur) who recorded that ‘there are more than 1000 monks of the Sammitiya School or Little Vehicle in 10 monasteries’. He also records Vadnagar as a capital city which has no king.
• The first evidence of Vadnagar’s Buddhist association is in the form of a red sandstone image of a Bodhisattva or a deity-like revered figure in Buddhism. An inscription on the pedestal of the image records that it was brought for the Chaitya of Sammatiya. The image is an example of Mathura art and seems to have been brought from there.
• Abul Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari from the 16th century makes a note of Vadnagar or Barnagar, as a “large and ancient city containing 3,000 pagodas, near each of which is a tank” and “chiefly inhabited by Brahmans.”
• The ASI, in its submission to the UNESCO, claims a “Roman connection” in the finding of an intaglio in clay – a coin mould of Greco-Indian king Apollodotus II (80-65 BC) – and a sealing with impression of a Roman coin belonging to Valentinian-I (364-367 CE). Careful analysis and study of non-indigenous pottery such as torpedo jars and Glazed ware establish the site’s contacts with the Sassanid region and West Asia.

The current town

• Vadnagar is an L-shaped town spread across 85 hectares, with the Sharmishtha Lake located on its north eastern edge.
• It is surrounded by the remains of a fortification wall, punctured by a series of gates that mark the entry and exit points of the town. There are primary entry and exit points to the town in all cardinal directions, along with gateways that are elaborate single storey stone structures.
• While most gates are mediaeval, the Ghanskol and Pithori gates are of the 11th- 12th century CE. Other prominent gates are Nadiol Gate, Amtol Gate, Amarthol Gate and Arjun Bari Gate (protected by the ASI).
• The Ambaji Mata Temple dates back to 10th-11th century CE, while other important Hindu and Jain temples within the town are from the 17th century onwards.
• While the Hatkeshwar temple is located outside Nadiol gate, the two identical glory gates outside the fortification wall to the north of the town are the Kirti Torans, built in yellow sandstone without mortar or any other cementing material.

5. BONN MEETING: TAKING STOCK OF CLIMATE ACTION

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: The climate meeting in Bonn has seen old demands raised and old faultlines come up. In different ways, countries have been taking measures to respond to climate change since at least the mid-1990s, though it is only in the last decade or so that these actions have become significant enough for any meaningful impact. But the global response has never kept pace with the worsening of the climate crisis, whose seriousness has increased rapidly in the last few years.

EXPLANATION:

• Negotiators from around the world meeting in the German city of Bonn to discuss ways to strengthen their collective response to climate change. This meeting in Bonn, at the headquarters of the UN Climate Change, happens every year. The work done and decisions taken here feed into the year- ending annual climate change conferences.
• One of the most important tasks to be accomplished at this year’s Bonn meeting is what is known as Global Stocktake, or GST, a term that is expected to come up frequently in climate change conversations this year.

Global Stocktake or GST:

• Mandated by the 2015 Paris Agreement, GST is an exercise aimed at assessing the progress being made in the fight against climate change, and deciding ways and means to enhance the global effort to bridge the adequacy gap.
• This stocktake exercise is expected to result in a significant increase in the global response to climate change, not just in terms of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, but also in terms of adaptation, provision for finance and availability of technology.
• The current stocktake it has been going on for more than a year now and is supposed to conclude this year is the first such exercise and is mandated by the Paris Agreement to happen every five years hereafter.

Highlights of the meeting:

• There is a wealth of scientific evidence that shows that the current set of actions being taken by the world is woefully inadequate to limit the global temperature rise within 1.5 degree Celsius from pre-industrial times.
• The most notable of these is the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published over the last four years.
• The world needs to cut its emissions by almost half by 2030 from the 2019 levels if it has to retain any realistic chances of achieving the 1.5 degree target. At current levels of climate action, the world is headed to a nearly 3 degree Celsius warmer world by 2100.
• The United States said bridging the gap was not the sole responsibility of the developed countries, and it would not accept any attempt to include such suggestions in the GST decisions, either explicitly or through references to phrases such as “closing of pre-2020 gaps”.

• Climate actions in the pre-2020 period were directed by the Kyoto Protocol, the predecessor to the Paris Agreement. A set of about 40 developed countries, including the United States, had specifically allocated emissions reduction targets, besides other obligations, to be met by 2020.
• India reacted strongly to the US suggestion and said it would not accept any “prescriptive messages” from GST on what the content of a country’s climate action plan, called Nationally Determined Contributions. India said it retained its “sovereign right” to determine its climate targets in pursuit of its national goals. It also said that it did not accept the suggestions that NDCs must necessarily be economy-wide, covering all sectors or all greenhouse gases (like methane). It aligned itself with other developing countries in reiterating the demand for the closing of pre-2020 gaps.
• The most forceful argument on pre-2020 gaps came from China, which said it was disappointed to see that the repeated demands of 134 developing countries had not been captured adequately in GST discussions so far. It said the pre-2020 gaps were an integral part of the global efforts towards fulfilling the Paris Agreement targets, and pointed out that there was now irrefutable scientific evidence to show that a bulk of the carbon dioxide emissions from 1850 to 2018 had been generated before 1990.
• Several other points of discussion under GST as finance, adaptation, technology transfer are also heavily contested. Negotiators are expected to finish the technical discussions on GST in Bonn.
• Its findings would be presented at the annual year-ending climate conference, this time happening in Dubai. The Dubai meeting will, hopefully, take the final decisions on the GST.

1. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PETROLEUM EXPORTING PLUS COUNTRIES

TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+ which pumps around 40% of the world’s crude, agreed on a new oil output deal.

EXPLANATION:

• Saudi Arabia, the group’s biggest producer, will make a deep cut to its output in July on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply into 2024 as the group faces flagging oil prices.
• A surprise announcement by OPEC+ in April to deepen production cuts helped to raise prices by about $9 a barrel to above $87 per barrel in the days followed.
• The changes, however, included lowered targets for Russia, Nigeria and Angola simply to bring them into line with current production levels.

Reasons why OPEC+ cut output:

• Concerns about weak global demand as data from China has aroused fears that the economic recovery after coronavirus lockdowns by world’s second-largest oil consumer is losing steam.
• Fears of another banking crisis in recent months have led investors to sell out of riskier assets.
• A global recession could lead to lower oil prices.
• Punishing speculators as the planned cuts will also punish oil short sellers betting on oil price declines.

Reactions:

• The United States is considering passing legislation known as NOPEC, which would allow the seizure of OPEC’s assets on U.S. territory if market collusion is proven.
• OPEC+ has criticised the International Energy Agency, the West’s energy watchdog for which the United States is the biggest financial donor, for advocating oil stocks releases last year.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

• It refers to a group of 13 of the world’s major oil-exporting nations.
• OPEC was founded in 1960 to coordinate the petroleum policies of its members and to provide member states with technical and economic aid.
• Members Countries of OPEC include Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela (the five founders), plus Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Plus:

• Opec+ is a group of 23 oil-exporting countries which meets regularly to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.
• These nations came to an accord towards the end of 2016 “to institutionalize a framework for cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries on a regular and sustainable basis.” These nations aim to work together on adjusting crude oil production to bring stability to the oil market.
• The list of non-OPEC nations includes Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan and Oman.

2. PLASTIC POLLUTION AND WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Since the early 20th century, plastics have become a ubiquitous part of human life, despite their many adverse impacts on the environment. This year’s World Environment Day (June 5) has the theme of #BeatPlasticPollution, calling for global solutions to combat the pandemic of plastic pollution.

EXPLANATION:

50th anniversary of the World Environment Day:

• The World Environment Day, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has been held annually on June 5, since 1973.
• The date was chosen by the UN General Assembly during the historic 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment considered to be the first world conference to make the environment a major issue.

#BeatPlasticPollution

• Hosted by Côte d’Ivoire and supported by the Netherlands, this year’s World Environment Day campaign is aimed towards discussing and implementing solutions to the problem of plastic pollution.
• According to UN data, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. Consequently, an estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually.

What is Plastic?

• The word plastic is derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning “capable of being shaped or moulded.”
• It refers to a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient with their defining quality being their plasticity the ability of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation in response to applied forces. This makes them extremely adaptable, capable of being shaped as per requirement.
• Broadly speaking, single-use is a term which can refer to any plastic items which are either designed to be used for one time by the consumer before they are thrown away or recycled, or likely to be used in this way
• Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum. However, recently, variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives have also emerged.
• Around 70 per cent of global plastic production is concentrated in six major polymer types – referred collectively as commodity plastics. These include: Polyethylene terephthalate or PET, High-density polyethylene or HDPE, Polyvinyl chloride or PVC, Low-density polyethylene or LDPE, Polypropylene or PP, and Polystyrene or PS. Each of these have different properties and can be identified by their Resin Identification Code (RIC) denoted by symbols found on plastic products.
• Resin identification coding system

Microplastics:

• Plastic doesnot decompose but do crumble into smaller particles called as microplastics.
• It is officially defined as plastics less than five millimetres in diameter.
• There are two categories of microplastics. Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use, such as in cosmetics or textiles. On the other hand, secondary microplastics are particles that are a product of the breakdown of larger plastic items due to exposure to environmental factors such as sun’s radiation or ocean’s waves.
• The problem with microplastics, like all plastics, is that they do not break down easily into more harmless particles. Instead, they find their way across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.
• According to the most recent global estimates, an average human consumes at least 50,000 microplastic particles annually due to contamination of the food chain, potable water, and air.
• Notably, microplastics contain a number of toxic chemicals which pose severe risks to human health. The biggest health risk associated is with the chemical BPA or Bisphenol A , which is used to harden the plastic.
• BPA contaminates food and drinks, causing alterations in liver function, insulin resistance, foetal development in pregnant women, the reproductive system and brain function.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch:

• The largest collection of plastics and microplastics in the ocean is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Also known as the trash vortex, it is located between California and Japan, and formed due to converging ocean currents.
• As per estimates, the GPGP covers a surface area of 1.6 million sq km– roughly half the size of India There are other, smaller such garbage patches in other oceans.
• The GPGP comprises majorly of single-use plastics.

3. GENOME SEQUENCING AND BLACK DEATH

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The ‘Black Death’ causing bacteria’s prehistoric trail has been traced by scientists by advanced gene-sequencing techniques.

EXPLANATION:

What is the black death?

• The ‘black death’, or the Great Plague was one of the deadliest epidemics in human history that happened in 14th century.
• The ‘black death’ is believed to have killed more than 25 million people in Europe and possibly up to 40-50% of the population in some of the continent’s major cities
• It was caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which infects mammals. This bacteria’s discovery has been attributed separately to Alexandre Yersin, a Swiss-French physician, and Kitasato Shibasaburō, a Japanese physician and microbiologist during the plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1894.
• Humans typically get infected through fleas or through close handling/contact with an infected human or animal.
• One possible reason for the humongous proportions of the ‘black death’ outbreak is the human-to-human transmission of the bacteria.

Plague outbreak in India:

• India has experienced plague epidemics of varying intensities from as early as 1896 in Bombay to outbreaks in Karnataka (1966) and Surat (1994) and to a more recent isolated outbreak (2004) in a village in Uttarakhand.
• India also prominently figures in the history of the plague. The plague vaccine was developed by Waldemar Haffkine in 1897 during the outbreaks in Bombay.

History of plague:

• Historical archives suggest the Plague of Justinian in the sixth century A.D. was possibly the first to be documented.
• The evidence also suggests that plague outbreaks were possibly common in Asia and Europe as early as the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age (LBNA), as implied by genetic material isolated from a Swedish tomb dated to 3000 BC.
• The LBNA period is estimated to have lasted 5,000-2,500 years before present. This era was also characterised by human contact, exchange across Europe, and a consequent social, economic, and cultural transformation of human society.

Genome-sequencing technologies:

• The advent of genome-sequencing technologies has allowed scientists to trace the trail of infectious diseases that ailed people in prehistoric times.
• This is possible in particular due to deep-sequencing of genetic material isolated from well-preserved human remains, with the help of advanced computational analysis.
• Deep-sequencing involves sequencing the genomic material multiple times to retrieve even small amounts of DNA, since the material is likely to degrade over time.

What has deep-sequencing revealed?

• Scientists have also traced the prehistoric trail providing an unparalleled view of the evolution and adaptation of human pathogens.
• They found that the reconstructed genomes lacked the gene to create a molecule called yapC, short for ‘yersinia autotransporter C’, associated with the bacteria’s ability to bind to mammalian cells and form biofilms and thus important for causing infections.
• However, they also found the presence of a functional urease D gene, which could make them toxic to fleas.
• The genome sequences from the latter also lacked the yapC and ymt genes, reinforcing the previous findings that the plague in that period was possibly not transmitted through fleas.
• The ambit of such technologies is also expanding to include studies of animal and plant diseases, along with human diseases, contributing to the unified understanding of our well-being called ‘One Health.

4. GDP ESTIMATES

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, government released the so-called Provisional Estimates (PE) of India’s national income for the financial year 2022-23 (or FY23). According to the PEs, the size of India’s economy calculated by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or the market value of all final goods and services produced within the country grew by 7.2 per cent in FY23. This means, India’s GDP was 7.2% more than what it was in the previous financial year (2021-22).

EXPLANATION:

About GDP growth estimates:

• For any financial year, the GDP estimates go through several rounds of revisions.
• Each year in January, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases the First Advance Estimates (FAEs) for that financial year.
• In February end, after incorporating the data from Q3 (third quarter, which includes October, November and December), come the Second Advance Estimates (SAEs).
• By May-end come the Provisional Estimates (PEs) after incorporating the Q4 (Jan to March) data.
• Then with each passing year, the PEs are revised to give the First Revised Estimates, the Second Revised Estimates and the Third Revised Estimates before settling on the “Actuals”. Each revision benefits from more data, making the GDP estimates more accurate and robust.

Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE):

• However, there is a fly in the (GDP data) ointment. It is called the Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE).
• As is evident, the PFCE is the biggest engine of growth. Typically, if it is growing robustly then one would presume that the second biggest engine of GDP growth — expenditures towards investments — will follow suit. For a big economy such as India, together, these two components can create a virtuous cycle.

Typically, GDP is calculated by adding up all expenditures in the economy. These expenditures are broadly categorised in four groups:

1. All the money Indians spend in their personal capacity from buying an ice cream to watching a movie to buying a TV or car. This is called the PFCE. Such expenditures account for 55%-60% of India’s annual GDP.
2. All the money the governments spend on their daily uses paying salaries etc. This is called Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) and this accounts for 10% of India’s GDP.
3. All the money spent by private companies and governments towards building productive capacities in the economy. Say a firm buying desktops for its employees or the government spending money on building a road. This is called the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and this accounts for 30%-32% of the GDP.
4. Net exports or the net of all the money that Indians received by exporting goods and services and minus all the money they spent on importing goods and services. More often than not, India’s imports are more than its exports. As such the Net Exports component is negative and drags down overall GDP.

5. INTERLOCKING SYSTEM

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Minister for Railways said that a change in the “configuration” of the track had led to the Coromandel Express smashing into the stationary goods train from behind, triggering the three-way train accident in Odisha in which 275 people have died so far.

EXPLANATION:

• The electric “point machine” is a vital device for railway signalling for quick operation and “locking” of point switches. It plays the key role in the safe running of trains.
• Failure of these machines will severely affect train movement, and any deficiencies created or left unaddressed at the time of installation of the system can result in unsafe conditions.

How the system works:

• Interlocking in railway signalling systems is a crucial safety mechanism used in the operation of train movements on railway tracks.
• It ensures that train movements continue without any conflicts with each other, preventing accidents.
• There are three main components that comprise an interlocking system: the point, the track occupancy sensing devices, and the signal. The Interlocking system coordinates the functions of these three components to control train movements.

What is the function of each of these three main components?

• Points allow trains to change tracks: The points (also called ‘switch rails’) are movable rails that guide the wheels of a train towards either a straight or a diverging track. They are typically placed at the point of divergence of two tracks going to different directions. Once a direction of a train is determined, the point gets locked at a particular position. This means that once a direction is set, the point cannot budge until the train has passed.
• Track circuits are electrical circuits (also known as track-occupancy sensing devices) that detect the presence of trains.
• Signals (which are lights of green, red, and yellow colour) are installed along the tracks to indicate the status of the track ahead.

And how do the points work?

• The digital interface of this system is a computer screen (or multiple screens) that shows the full view of the station layout and the live (real-time) movement of trains on tracks, the signals, and the position of the points.
• This is the configuration that runs all trains everywhere. This computer interface is called a data logger.

How does the system sense whether a track is occupied?

• There are various kinds of track-occupancy sensing devices. Generally, sensors are installed on the tracks that detect the passage of wheels on the rails.
• These are also called axle counters. They count how many sets of wheels or axles have passed over them in order to determine whether the entire train has passed through.

Who operates and monitors the interlocking signalling system?

• The interlocking system is usually operated and monitored by trained personnel from the signalling and telecommunications department in Railways, often known as ‘signallers’ or signal operators. They are responsible for setting the signals, monitoring track circuits, and ensuring the safe movement of trains.

1. EVERGREENING OF LOANS

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

CONTEXT: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor raised red flags over banks adopting innovative methods for evergreening of loans covering up the real status of stressed loans of corporates to project an artificial clean image in cahoots with corporates. However, bankers differ, saying that sometimes it is practical to extend liquidity support to companies that are genuinely facing issues.

EXPLANATION:

What is evergreening of loans?

• The process of evergreening of loans, a form of zombie lending, is typically a temporary fix for a bank. If an account turns into a non-performing asset (NPA), banks are required to make higher provisions which will impact their profitability.
• So, to avoid classifying a loan as an NPA, banks adopt the evergreening of loans. In the past, many banks had indulged in dressing up bad loans and given additional funds to companies who didn’t have the capacity to repay.

How evergreening of loans are done?

• An accommodative monetary policy creates an enabling environment for weak banks to evergreen loans to zombies and keeps them alive. The RBI has been following an accommodative policy since March 2020 when the pandemic struck the country.
• It is done by bringing two lenders together to evergreen each other’s loans by sale and buyback of loans or debt instruments.
• Here, good borrowers being persuaded to enter into structured deals with a stressed borrower to conceal the stress.
• It is done by use of internal or office accounts to adjust borrower’s repayment obligations.
• It is done by renewal of loans or disbursement of new/additional loans to the stressed borrower or related entities closer to the repayment date of the earlier loans.

Consequences:

• Most of the evergreening has happened in public sector banks which subsequently led to a jump in Non Performing Assets(NPAs).
• Banks delay the recognition of losses due to loan defaults and engage in evergreening, which is essentially the rolling over of debts of unviable borrowers that would have otherwise defaulted. This is purely misgovernance, so that bad loans are made to look good many a time by additional lending to troubled borrowers.
• Some banks have even extended such loans to wilful defaulters to keep them out of the defaulters’ books.
• Such resource misallocation supports the crowding-out effects ascribed to zombies, according to an RBI paper on Zombies and the Process of Creative Destruction.
• It results in credit being diverted to weak entities – which is ultimately diverted for other purposes or it becomes a bad loan – depriving the genuine credit needs of good borrowers.

When do banks evergreen loans?

• Restructuring is often used by banks for ‘evergreening’ problem accounts to keep the reported NPA levels low.
• However, with the enactment of the bankruptcy code, evergreening has declined but recovery has remained abysmally low.
• It normally happens due to the unholy relationship between bankers and borrowers.

How can evergreening be stopped?

• As suggested by committee to Review Governance of Boards of Banks wherever significant evergreening in a bank is detected by the RBI, penalties should be levied through cancellations of unvested stock options and claw-back of monetary bonuses on officers concerned.
• The primary defence against evergreening must however come from the CEO, the audit committee and the board. The audit committee, in particular, needs to be particularly vigilant.

What is Non Performing Assets(NPA):

• A loan turns into a nonperforming asset, or NPA, if the interest or instalment remains unpaid even after the due date and remains unpaid for a period of more than 90 days.

Different types of non-performing assets depend on how long they remain in the NPA category.

a) Sub-Standard Assets: An asset is classified as a sub-standard asset if it remains as an NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months.

b) Doubtful Assets: An asset is classified as a doubtful asset if it remains as an NPA for more than 12 months.

c) Loss Assets: An asset is considered a loss asset when it is “uncollectible” or has such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not suggested. However, some recovery value may be left in it as the asset has not been written off wholly or in parts.

2. LEGAL PROVISIONS OF THE CONTRACT

TAGS: GS 2: GOVERNANCE

CONTEXT: The Supreme Court has held that the government, when entering into a contract under the President’s name, cannot claim immunity from the legal provisions of that contract under Article 299 of the Constitution.

EXPLANATION:

Issue:

• The case dealt with an application filed by Glock Asia-Pacific Limited, a pistol manufacturing company, against the Centre regarding the appointment of an arbitrator in a tender-related dispute
• Glock Asia Pacific entered into a contract with the Ministry of Home Affairs for the supply of 31,756 Glock pistols. Subsequently, there was a dispute between the two parties due to the Centre invoking a performance bank guarantee.
• Glock then issue a notice invoking arbitration, nominating a retired DelhiHigh Court judge as the sole arbitrator. When the government was called to accept this, it said that the arbitrator’s nomination violated one of the tender conditions that said an officer in the Law Ministry, appointed by the MHA Secretary, would be the arbitrator in case of a dispute.
• Thus, Glock challenged this clause in the agreement, which allowed a government officer to resolve the difference between the two parties as an arbitrator, as one party here was the MHA itself.
• A performance bank guarantee, similar to a letter of credit, is the bank’s promise that it will meet the debtor’s liabilities, provided that he fails to meet the contractual obligations.
• A letter of credit is essentially a financial contract between a bank, a bank’s customer and a beneficiary. Generally issued by an importer’s bank, the letter of credit guarantees the beneficiary will be paid once the conditions of the letter of credit have been met.
• Letters of credit are used to minimize risk in international trade transactions where the buyer and the seller may not know one another.

What did the court hold?

• One of the major grounds of the challenge given under Section 12(5) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, says that notwithstanding any prior agreement, any person whose relationship with the parties or counsel of the dispute falls under any of the categories in the Seventh Schedule will be ineligible to be appointed as an arbitrator.
• The Seventh Schedule includes relationships where the arbitrator is an employee, consultant, advisor, or has any other past or present business relationship with a party.
• Deciding the case in Glock’s favour, the court observed that the arbitration clause allowed a “serving employee of the Union of India, a party to the contract, to nominate a serving employee of the Union of India as the Sole Arbitrator.” Holding this to be in conflict with Section 12(5), the court allowed the present application.
• The court also appointed former SC judge Justice Indu Malhotra “as the Sole Arbitrator to adjudicate upon the disputes” in the case.
• Referring to the recommendation of the 246th Law Commission Report, which dealt with the issue of contracts with government entities, the court observed that when the party appointing an arbitrator is the State, “the duty to appoint an impartial and independent adjudicator is even more onerous.”
• Thus, the court rejected the Centre’s reliance on Article 299, saying, “Article 299 only lays down the formality that is necessary to bind the government with contractual liability” and not “the substantial law relating to the contractual liability of the Government”, which is to be found in the general laws of the land.

Article 299 of the Constitution:

• Article 298 grants the Centre and the state governments the power to carry on trade or business, acquire, hold, and dispose of property, and make contracts for any purpose,
• Article 299 delineates the manner in which these contracts will be concluded.
• Articles 298 and 299 came after the Constitution came into effect and the government entered into contracts even in the pre-independence era.
• According to the Crown Proceedings Act of 1947, the Crown could not be sued in court for a contract it entered into.
• Article 299 of the Constitution provides that “all contracts made in the exercise of the executive power of the Union or of a State shall be expressed to be made by the President or by the Governor of the State” and that all such contracts and “assurances of property made in the exercise of that power shall be executed” on behalf of the President or the Governor by persons in a manner as directed and authorised by them.
• Further, the phrase ‘expressed to be made and executed’ under Article 299 (1) means that there must be a deed or contract in writing and that it should be executed by a person duly authorised by the President of the Governor on their behalf.
• The objective behind Article 299(1), as per the 1954 top court ruling in ‘Chatturbhuj Vithaldas Jasani v. Moreshwar Parashram & Ors’, is that there must be a definite procedure according to which contracts must be made by agents acting on the government’s behalf; otherwise, public funds may be depleted by unauthorized or illegitimate contracts. It implies that contracts not adhering to the manner given in Article 299(1) cannot be enforced by any contracting party.
• However, Article 299 (2) says that essentially, neither the President nor the Governor can be personally held liable for such contracts.

What are the requirements for government or state contracts?

• In its judgement, the court referred to its 1966 ruling in ‘K.P. Chowdhry v. State of Madhya Pradesh. And Others’, which laid down essential requirements for government contracts under Article 299.
• In that ruling, the top court had reiterated three conditions to be met before a binding contract against the government could arise, namely:

(i)the contract must be expressed to be made by the Governor or the Governor-General

(ii) it must be executed in writing

(iii) the execution should be by such persons and in such manner as the Governor or the Governor-General might direct or authorise.

• Prior to this, the Apex Court, in its 1962 ruling in ‘State of Bihar v. Messrs. Karam Chand Thapar’, had laid down these three conditions too.

3. A COMMEMORATIVE COIN OF RS 75 DENOMINATION ON INAUGURATION OF NEW PARLIAMENT

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT: To mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building, Prime Minster released a commemorative coin of Rs 75 denomination. In a notification released ,the Ministry of Finance first announced the launch of the coin. “The coin of Seventy-Five Rupees denomination shall be coined at the Mint for issue under the authority of the Central Government.

EXPLANATION:

• India has been issuing commemorative coins since the 1960s for several reasons such as paying homage to notable personalities, spreading awareness about government schemes, or remembering key historic events.
• The country released its first commemorative coin in 1964 in honour of Jawaharlal Nehru, who had passed away that year.

Features of commemorative coin:

• As per the Ministry of Finance notification, the latest Rs 75 coin is circular in shape with a diameter of 44mm. The composition of the coin is of a quaternary alloy 50 per cent silver, 40 per cent copper, 5 per cent nickel and 5 per cent zinc.
• “The face of the coin shall bear the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the centre, with the legend “सत्यमेि जयते” (Satyameva Jayate) inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with the word “भारत” (Bharat) in Devnagri script and on the right periphery the word “INDIA” in English.
• It added that the other side of the coin displays an image of the new parliament building. The inscription “Sansad Sankul” is written in Devanagari script on the upper periphery while the words “Parliament Complex” in English on the lower periphery of the coin.
• If someone wants to acquire commemorative coins, they can do so by visiting the website of the Securities of Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL).
• The Coinage Act, 2011 gives the central government the power to design and mint coins in various denominations. In the case of coins, the role of the RBI is limited to the distribution of coins that are supplied by the central government.
• All coins are minted in the four mints owned by the Government of India in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Noida

Securities of Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL)

• It a wholly owned Schedule ‘A’ Miniratna Category-I company of Government of India, incorporated on 13th January, 2006.
• SPMCIL, technically a new entity, has centuries-old experience in Security Printing and Minting.
• The management, control, maintenance and operations of the erstwhile 9 production units under Currency and Coinage division, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, was transferred to SPMCIL on February 10, 2006.
• The Ministry of Finance exercises its administrative control over SPMCIL through Board of Directors.
• SPMCIL is engaged in the manufacture/ production of Currency and Bank Notes, Security Paper, Non-Judicial Stamp Papers, Postal Stamps & Stationery, Travel Documents viz. Passport and Visa, Security certificates, Cheques, Bonds, Warrant, Special Certificates with security features, Security Inks, Circulation & Commemorative Coins, Medallions, Refining of Gold & Silver, and Assay of Precious Metals.

Coinage Act, 2011

• The Coinage Act was enacted on 1^st September 2011 and it extends to the whole of India.
• The Coinage Act, 2011 was enacted to consolidate the laws in relation to coinage and the mints and its protection.
• The Act puts a strict bar on activities like melting, destruction, making or possession of the coins thereof for issue and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto
• RBI functions as an agent of the Government in the distribution of Coins. It is responsible for making decisions on the pattern, production and the all-inclusive management of the nation’s currency, with the aim of ensuring an adequate supply of clean and genuine notes.

Under the Act, the Government has the authority to —

• Establish a Mint at any place which may be managed by it or by any other person, upon whom the purpose is devolved
• Abolish any Mint.

4. GURU RAVIDAS

TAGS: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

CONTEXT: In California, members of an under-the-radar, minority religious community are stepping into the public eye to advocate for making the state the first in the nation to outlaw caste bias. They are the Ravidassia followers of Ravidass, a 14th century Indian guru who preached caste and class equality. There are about 20,000 members of the community in California, most of them in the Central Valley.

EXPLANATION:

Guru Ravidass:

• Ravidass was born in the 14th century in a village near Varnasi, India, to a family of cobblers and tanners who belonged to the then-untouchable or leather-working caste known as “chamars.”
• Guru Ravidassbelonged to the lowest-rung of the caste system formerly considered untouchable and also known as Dalit, which means “broken” in Hindi.
• Ravidass was an Indian guru, mystic and poet who was one of the most renowned figures in the North Indian bhakti movement, which placed love and devotion to god above all and preached against the caste system.
• The Guru Granth Sahib, which is the sacred text of Sikhism, bears 40 verses or shabads of Ravidass.

Ravidassia temples:

• A Ravidassia place of worship is called a sabha, dera, gurdwara or gurughar, which could all be translated as temple.
• The temples serve a post-worship meal as Sikh gurdwaras also do, which is known as langar.
• Ravidassia temples often display idols and/or pictures of Guru Ravidass in the prayer halls.

The Ravidassia identity:

• Many male Ravidassia members wear long hair in a turban and carry Sikh articles of faith such as the kada or bracelet, kangha or wooden comb and kirpan, the sheathed, single-edged knife.
• Many men and women in the community also have Sikh last names Singh and Kaur.
• Idols and images of Ravidass, however, can only be seen in a Ravidass temple.
• In addition, the community celebrates the birthday of their guru, which typically falls in February. Many Ravidass temples also observe the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, the Indian Dalit rights icon whose given name was Bhimrao.
• The faith also has followers who are Hindu and those who are from different parts of India.
• Ravidassia community members in California are largely of Punjabi descent.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CONSUMPTION

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT: The ever-increasing demand for agricultural products is leading to significant social and environmental consequences worldwide. The expansion of international trade has created global supply chains, directly linking consumers to geographically-distant impacts, including carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, freshwater depletion, soil degradation and labour-rights issues – all of which have local, regional, and global relevance.
EXPLANATION:

• Due to its vast size and consumer market, India is a global anchor of the trade in agricultural products. It has also undergone remarkable social and economic development over the last several decades. This has led to an increasing demand as well as supply of these products.
• Large land areas in India are used to service the international demand for grains, fruits, and vegetables, among other products, which puts pressure on national soil and water resources. At the same time, India’s vast consumer market means that large amounts of land, even outside its borders, are used to satisfy domestic demand.

What is food-based impact accounting?

• The expansion of such imports has contributed to increasing the environmental pressure in the exporting countries.
• Tackling these demand-supply dynamics is now a key aspect of international environmental governance.
• The current paradigm in measuring impacts and allocating responsibility is based on a production-based accounting method: it measures impacts in the place where the products are produced.
• There are concerns about its limitations in managing ‘leaks’, fixing accountability, and ensuring equity and justice among producers and consumers.

What is consumption-based accounting?

• Consumption-based accounting accounts for impacts at the point of consumption, attributing all the social and environmental impacts that occurred during production and trade to the final products and to the eventual consumers.
• That is, the approach urges the consumer (whether social groups or countries) to accept responsibility for the embodied or ‘virtual’ impacts of the product that is being consumed.
• This approach has become prominent thanks to growing concerns around the divide between countries that are producers and those that are consumers, leading to a high degree of international co-dependence.

What is the demand perspective?

• From a demand perspective, the basis for this approach is straightforward: since the pressure on natural and human resources is largely the direct result of consumption practices in developed economies, the responsibility for any consequences due to the production process should fall on those consumers as well.
• A consumption-based approach thus highlights the responsibility of industrialised states to mitigate impact and the rights of developing economies to not carry an excexcessive burden. This is an extension of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities that make up global climate governance.

What is the supply perspective?

• From a supply perspective, the proponents of consumption-based accounting claim that it can encourage cleaner production since producer countries are implicitly encouraged to implement strategies that lower the environmental footprint of their exports.
• The approach can also go a long way to fix ‘leaks’ in production systems, where production is often taken to jurisdictions that are relatively lenient about production standards (including India).

What are the benefits for environmental action?

• The application of this approach to estimate carbon emissions, in the form of embodied emissions, and water use, in the form of virtual water, has also been around in the scientific literature for some time, but has only recently made inroads into policy making.
• Even from a consumption-based accounting perspective, India finds itself in a unique position. Currently, major developed economies have an environmental footprint in India because of their consumption of Indian agricultural produce. Conversely, India’s own deforestation footprint outside its borders has increased over the last two decades and is rapidly growing, even if it remains below that of several G-20 countries on a per-capita basis.

1. OVERTURNING CIRCULATION

TAG: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY

CONTEXT: Antarctica sets the stage for the world’s greatest waterfall. The action takes place beneath the surface of the ocean. Here, trillions of tonnes of cold, dense, oxygen-rich water cascade off the continental shelf and sink to great depths. This Antarctic “bottom water” then spreads north along the sea floor in deep ocean currents, before slowly rising, thousands of kilometres away. Antarctica drives a global network of ocean currents called the “overturning circulation” that redistributes heat, carbon and nutrients around the globe.

EXPLANATION:

What is Overturning circulation?

• The ocean’s water is constantly circulated by currents.
• Tidal currents occur close to shore and are influenced by the sun and moon. Surface currents are influenced by the wind. However, other, much slower currents that occur from the surface to the seafloor are driven by changes in the saltiness and ocean temperature.
• The overturning is crucial to keep the earth’s climate stable.
• It is also the main way oxygen reaches the deep ocean.

Effects of overturning circulation:

• Melting of Antarctic ice is disrupting the formation of Antarctic bottom water. As the flow of bottom water slows, the supply of oxygen to the deep ocean declines. The shrinking oxygen-rich bottom water layer is then replaced by warmer waters that are lower in oxygen, further reducing oxygen levels.
• Ocean animals, large and small, respond to even small changes in oxygen. Deep-ocean animals are adapted to low oxygen conditions but still have to breathe. Losses of oxygen may cause them to seek refuge in other regions or adapt their behaviour.
• Slowdown of the overturning may also intensify global warming. The overturning circulation carries carbon dioxide and heat to the deep ocean, where it is stored and hidden from the atmosphere. As the ocean storage capacity is reduced, more carbon dioxide and heat are left in the atmosphere. This feedback accelerates global warming.
• Reductions in the amount of Antarctic bottom water reaching the ocean floor also increases sea levels because the warmer water that replaces it takes up more space (thermal expansion).

How is this happening?

• Overturning circulation has slowed by almost a third (30%) and deep ocean oxygen levels are declining.
• This slowdown has the potential to disrupt the connection between the Antarctic coasts and the deep ocean.
• Melting of Antarctic ice is disrupting the formation of Antarctic bottom water. The meltwater makes Antarctic surface waters fresher, less dense, and therefore less likely to sink. This puts the brakes on the overturning circulation.

How was it measured?

• The full-depth measurements collected by ships provide snapshots of ocean density but are usually repeated about once a decade.
• Moored instruments, on the other hand, provide continuous measurements of density and speed, but only for a limited time at a particular location.
• A new approach that combines ship data, mooring records, and a high resolution numerical simulation to calculate the strength of Antarctic bottom water flow and how much oxygen it transports to the deep ocean.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC):

• The AMOC circulates water from north to south and back in a long cycle within the Atlantic Ocean. This circulation brings warmth to various parts of the globe and also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life.
• The circulation process begins as warm water near the surface moves toward the poles (such as the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic), where it cools and forms sea ice. As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water.
• Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks down, and is carried southwards in the depths below. Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up in a process called upwelling, completing the cycle.
• The entire circulation cycle of the AMOC, and the global conveyor belt, is quite slow. It takes an estimated 1,000 years for a parcel (any given cubic meter) of water to complete its journey along the belt.
• Even though the whole process is slow on its own, there is some evidence that the AMOC is slowing down further. NOAA funds research to better understand this potential slowing, as well as to investigate the AMOC’s role in coastal sea level changes and its relationship to extreme events.

2. CHEETAH

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

CONTEXT: Almost 70 years after the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) went extinct in India, eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were introduced into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in September 2022 and February 2023, respectively. The intent was to establish a free-ranging population of cheetahs belonging to the subspecies, Acinonyx jubatus. Recent Study states that Cheetahs introduced without considering spatial ecology. Ideally, just one cheetah is present in 100 sq. km. of an unfenced area, whereas the density of Cheetahs in the Kuno national park stands at three per 100 sq. km.

EXPLANATION:

• Cheetahs fulfil a unique ecological role within the carnivore hierarchy and their restoration is expected to enhance ecosystem health in India.
• As a charismatic species, the cheetah can also benefit India’s broader conservation goals by improving general protection and ecotourism in areas that have been previously neglected.

Project Cheetah:

• The Union environment ministry’s National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) implements Project Cheetah.
• The project hopes to benefit global cheetah conservation efforts by providing up to 100 000 km2 of habitat in legally protected areas and an additional 600 000 km2 of habitable landscape for the species.

Body characteristics:

• The cheetah is a sexually dimorphic species though it is difficult to identify cheetahs’ sex by appearance alone. Male cheetahs are slightly bigger than females and they have larger heads, but they do not display the same degree of physical difference between the sexes of other big cat species like lions.
• Cheetahs have a thin frame with a narrow waist and deep chest. They have large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake. Cheetahs have a large lungs and hearts connected to a circulatory system with strong arteries and adrenals that work in tandem to circulate oxygen through their blood very efficiently.
• With its long legs and very slender body, the cheetah is quite different from all other cats and is the only member of its genus, Acinonyx. The cheetah’s unique morphology and physiology allow it to attain the extreme speeds for which it’s famous.
• The gestation (pregnancy) period for the cheetah is 93 days, and litters range in size from one or two up to six cubs (the occasional litter of eight cubs has been recorded, but it is rare).
• Cheetahs prey includes: gazelles (especially Thomson’s gazelles), impalas and other small to medium-sized antelopes, hares, birds, and rodents. Cheetahs will also prey on the calves of larger herd animals.

Species of Cheetah:

• Widely regarded as the fastest animal on land, cheetahs are divided into four subspecies; the Southeast African cheetah, the Northeast African cheetah, the Northwest African cheetah, and the rare Asiatic cheetah.

Asiatic and African cheetah:

• The Asiatic cheetah is slightly smaller and slender than the African cheetah. The neck is much smaller and longer.
• The Asiatic cheetah has a buff to light fawn color bordering on pale yellow skin, and it has more fur on the body, especially under the belly and the back of the neck. The African cheetah has a light brown to golden brown fur color that is thicker than the Asiatic ones. The spots are more pronounced on the face and are more densely distributed on the body compared to Asiatic cheetahs.

         African cheetah                               Asiatic cheetah

• Asiatic Cheetahs are only found in a small region between Iran and Pakistan. Asiatic cheetahs once roamed the whole expanse of the central Asian continent from India to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but with their numbers reduced, it is hard for them to be sighted outside Iran. On the other hand, The African cheetah is spread out across Africa from Northwest Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. With a bigger territory, the African cheetahs have the highest populations compared to their Asiatic counterparts.
• Asiatic cheetah has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red while African cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Most of the reasons for the cheetah’s endangerment can be grouped into three overarching categories:

• human-wildlife conflict,
• loss of habitat and loss of prey,
• poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking, with cubs being taken from the Horn of Africa and smuggled into the exotic pet trade, primarily in the Gulf States.

3. GRAVITATIONAL WAVES

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTEXT: Since time immemorial, humans have looked up at the universe and pondered its secrets. In the past few centuries, many of these secrets have started to unravel. One such mystery we began to pry apart very recently is the gravitational wave. Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time produced by some of the most intense phenomena in our universe.

EXPLANATION:

• A century ago, Albert Einstein hypothesized the existence of gravitational waves, small ripples in space-time that dash across the universe at the speed of light.
• But scientists have been able to find only indirect evidence of their existence.
• Recently, a news conference called by the U.S. National Science Foundation, researchers announced at long last direct observations of the elusive waves.
• The discovery would represent a scientific landmark, opening the door to an entirely new way to observe the cosmos and unlock secrets about the early universe and mysterious objects like black holes and neutron stars.

What are gravitational waves?

• Gravitational waves are small ripples in space-time that are believed to travel across the universe at the speed of light.
• These waves contain information about the events that emitted them, so studying them can give scientists a glimpse of distant cosmic affairs.

What does Einstein say about gravity?

• In 1915, Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity predicted the existence of gravitational waves.
• According to this theory, celestial objects such as black holes and neutron stars could send gravitational energy thrumming through the fabric of space-time in every direction, moving off at the speed of light.
• While Sir Isaac Newton visualised gravitational force as a pulling force between objects, Albert Einstein opined it to be a pushing force due to the curvature of four dimensional spacetime fabric.

How are these waves detected?

• Scientists have been trying to detect them using two large laser instruments in the United States, known together as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), as well as another in Italy.
• The twin LIGO installations are located roughly 3,000 km apart in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. Having two detectors is a way to sift out terrestrial rumblings, such as traffic and earthquakes, from the faint ripples of space itself.
• The LIGO work is funded by the National Science Foundation, an independent agency of the U.S. government.

What is Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories (LIGO)?

• The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory is a large-scale physics experiment aiming to directly detect gravitational waves.
• They directly observed gravitational waves for the first time in 2015, proving Einstein’s theory.
• LIGO operates two gravitational wave observatories in unison: the LIGO Livingston Observatory in Livingston, Louisiana, and the LIGO Hanford Observatory, on the DOE Hanford Site, located near Richland, Washington.
• These sites are separated by 3,002 kilometers. Since gravitational waves are expected to travel at the speed of light, this distance corresponds to a difference in gravitational wave arrival times of up to ten milliseconds. A third LIGO will be built in India this decade.

Why is the study important?

• Discovery of gravitational waves would represent a scientific landmark, opening the door to an entirely new way to observe the cosmos and unlock secrets about the early universe and mysterious objects like black holes and neutron stars.

4. GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

TAG: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT; GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTEXT: Genetically modified crops remains controversial, especially in Europe, but for some experts it is the best science-based method for a sustainable global food system amidst biodiversity loss and a rising population. According to the online scientific publication Our World in Data, agriculture is responsible for a quarter of the carbon emissions in the atmosphere and the vast majority of world’s biodiversity losses.

EXPLANATION:

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.
• The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.
• It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between nonrelated species.
• GMOs were first introduced in the US in 1994, with modified tomato plants that ripened more slowly to prolong their shelf life. Since then, a wide range of crops, such as soybeans, wheat and rice have been approved for agricultural use, along with GM bacteria grown to produce large amounts of protein.
• Scientists in India have also developed strains of Sub-1 rice, which are much more resistant to flooding. Flooding is a major issue in rice-growing regions of northern India and Bangladesh, set to become worse as the climate crises develops, and now 6 million farmers in the region are using Sub-1 rice to safeguard their crops against inundation.
• Golden rice, on the other hand, is a GM strain modified to contain vitamin A, designed to combat the shortage of dietary vitamin A in parts of Asia and Africa.

GM Crops:

• Crops produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM crops.
• Genetically modified crops can improve yield, build resistances to pests, frost or drought, or add nutrients.
• Crops can also be modified to reduce carbon emissions and boost the sustainability of food production.
• While widespread, GM crop productionuses only about 10% of the land non-GM crop production uses.

Benefits:

• GM crops are developed and marketed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer of these foods. This is meant to translate into a product with a lower price, greater benefit (in terms of durability or nutritional value) or both.
• One of the objectives for developing plants based on GM organisms is to improve crop protection. The GM crops currently on the market are mainly aimed at an increased level of crop protection through the introduction of resistance against plant diseases caused by insects or viruses or through increased tolerance towards herbicides.
• Resistance against insects is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This toxin is currently used as a conventional insecticide in agriculture and is safe for human consumption.
• Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying resistance to some herbicides. In situations where weed pressure is high, the use of such crops has resulted in a reduction in the quantity of the herbicides used.

What are the main issues of concern for human health?

• Allergenicity: As a matter of principle, the transfer of genes from commonly allergenic organisms to non-allergic organisms is discouraged unless it can be demonstrated that the protein product of the transferred gene is not allergenic.
• Gene transfer: Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract would cause concern if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health.
• Outcrossing: The migration of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from conventional seeds with GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food security.

5. IRON FORTIFICATION: HEALTH RISKS OF EXCESSIVE IRON INTAKE

TAG: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT: Iron is an essential mineral required for many bodily functions, including the formation of hemoglobin, but can be harmful when taken in excess. The net effect of iron provision through fortification on haemoglobin formation is likely to be lower than thought.

EXPLANATION:

• It is used for the treatment of iron deficiency or anemia.
• Typically, a chosen food staple like wheat or rice or even salt is fortified to provide up to two thirds (10 mg/day) of the iron requirement of adult women, and almost the entire daily requirement of men.

How excess consumption occurs:

• Excess consumption of iron can occur if one habitually consumes a balanced quality diet to begin with or exceeds limits for consumption of the fortified food as can occur with staples like rice or wheat or if two fortified foods are simultaneously consumed.
• When combined with additional iron supplemental interventions like weekly iron folic acid supplements (such as in the National Iron Plus Initiative programme), this can lead to an excess of iron intake for women. There is a defined level of iron intake beyond which the risk of adverse events begins to increase. This is called the ‘tolerable upper limit’ of intake, and is set at 40 mg/day.
• Once iron is absorbed, it is thought that its excretion is steady and very small, except when bleeding takes place, as with menstrual bleeding. Thus, women can ‘excrete’ iron from the body, but men cannot, unless they have some form of pathological or abnormal bleeding. This makes men particularly vulnerable to excess iron intake.

Negative consequences of excess iron:

• Unabsorbed iron can lead to inflammation in the gastrointestinal lining and disrupt the colonic microbiota with long term consequences.
• This irritation of the lining may present itself clinically as abdominal cramps, constipation, or diarrhoea.
• The irritation of mucosa can also lead to gastrointestinal blood loss.
• An excess of iron in the gastrointestinal tract can impair absorption of other minerals such as zinc and copper, which are also essential for the body and lead to other deficiencies.
• Excess iron has been closely linked to many chronic comorbidities like diabetes.

It can be especially deleterious for populations who have iron overload states like patients with thalassemia and other hemolytic anemias, hemochromatosis, and chronic liver disease, which have impaired iron excretion mechanisms. 

1. ‘SENGOL’ TO BE INSTALLED IN THE NEW PARLIAMENT

TAGS: GS 1: ART AND CULTURE

THE CONTEXT: Prime Minister will install the ‘Sengol’, a historical sceptre from Tamil Nadu, in the new Parliament building which is scheduled to be inaugurated in May, 2023. The ‘Sengol’ was received by Independent India’s first Prime Minister from Lord Mountbatten to symbolically represent the transfer of power from the British and was later kept in a museum in Allahabad.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• Rajagopalachari suggested that Ceremony that should be followed to symbolise the transfer of power from British to Indian hands should follow Chola model where the transfer of power from one king to another was sanctified and blessed by a high ruler.
• The symbol used was the handover of ‘sengol’ or sceptre from one king to his successor.
• It was the head of ancient Shaivite math Thiruvavaduthurai Aadeenam math that presented the Sengol to Indian Prime Minister in 1947.
• A golden sceptre was crafted by Vummidi Bangaru Chetty, a famous jeweller in the Madras Presidency.

Highlights of inauguration of new Parliament building:

• A group of musicians playing Tamil Nadu’s traditional instrument, the Nadaswaram, would lead the procession.
• Additionally, “Adheenams,” or priests from Shaivite mutts in Tamil Nadu, will be present in the Lok Sabha’s Well.
• The “Oduvars,” or Tamil temple singers, will lyrically recite the “Kolaru Padhigam” in the background as the Nadaswaram musicians enchant with their soulful music.
• The Sengol will be presented to the prime minister after this revered ceremony and placed in a glass case next to the Speaker’s seat in the House.

Sengol and its significance:

• It is derived from the Tamil word “Semmai”, meaning “Righteousness”.
• The sceptre measures five feet in length and has a ‘Nandi’ bull on top, symbolising justice.
• “Tamil kings had this sengol (a Tamil word for sceptre), which is a symbol of justice and good governance.
• The two great epics Silapathikaram and Manimekalai records the significance of a sengo

Oduvars or Tamil temple singers:

• The tradition of Oduvars is over 1,000 years old and the King Raja Raja Chola I set up grants for their services at temples.
• Rituals in Saivaite temples are considered incomplete without their singing Thirumuraigal: Thevaram and Thiruvachagam.

Nadaswaram

• Nadaswaram, sometimes known as nagaswaram, nadhaswaram, or nathaswaram is a prominent South Indian classical musical instrument resembling the western oboe.
• The Nadaswaram’s body is traditionally constructed of aacha tree, although bamboo, sandalwood, copper, bronze, ebony, and ivory are also used nowadays.
• It is played at practically all Hindu weddings and temples in the South Indian tradition and is regarded as particularly auspiciou

2. FORUM FOR INDIA-PACIFIC ISLANDS COOPERATION (FIPIC)

TAGS: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

THE CONTEXT: Indian PM landed in the capital city of Port Moresby for his first visit to the country, and also is the first by any Indian prime minister, for the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) summit, 2023.

EXPLANATION:

Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC):

• FIPIC was launched by Indian Minsitry in Fiji in November 2014.
• FIPIC includes 14 island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu – that are located in the Pacific Ocean, to the northeast of Australia.

Idea behind FIPIC:

• Despite their relatively small size and considerable distance from India, many of these islands have large exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
• India’s larger focus is on the Indian Ocean where it has sought to play a major role and protect its strategic and commercial interests.
• FIPIC initiative then marks a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region as well.

Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) is the distance up to which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over the ocean, including both living and non-living resources. It generally goes to 200 nautical miles or 230 miles (around 370 km) beyond a nation’s territorial sea.

1^st FIPIC Summit:

• FIPIC-I took place in 2014 at Suva, Fiji’s capital city.
• India announced various development assistance initiatives and other cooperation projects in areas of climate change, trade, economy, telemedicine and teleeducation, IT, grants for community development projects, etc.

2^nd FIPIC Summit:

• FIPIC-II took place in 2015 at Jaipur City, India.
• India approached the event from a large diplomatic perspective, calling for a “dedicated seat for Small Island Developing States in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council in both categories”.
• Seek for concrete and effective outcome on climate change conference at COP 21 in Paris t

India-Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Leaders’ Meeting:

• It was held in 2019 comprising delegations of 12 out of the 14 Pacific Islands countries in New York on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly.
• The Indian government then announced an allocation of $12 million grant ($1 million to each PSIDS) towards implementation of high-impact developmental projects in the area of their choice.

Initiatives by India at 3^rd FIPIC summit 2023:

• Establishment of a super-specialty cardiology hospital in Fiji.
• Sea ambulances will be provided to all the 14 Pacific island countries.
• Similar to Jaipur Foot Camp, 2022 which was conducted in Fiji where prosthetic limbs were provided free of cost to people , similar camp will be set up in Papua New guinea this year and starting from 2024, two such camps will be organised every year in the Pacific island countries.

Small Island Developing States:

• Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a distinct group of 37 UN Member States and 20 Non-UN Members/Associate Members of United Nations regional commissions that face unique social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities.
• The three geographical regions in which SIDS are located are: the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS).
• SIDS were recognized as a special case both for their environment and development at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• The aggregate population of all the SIDS is 65 million, slightly less than 1% of the world’s population, yet this group faces unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.

3. NEW TAX RULES FOR ONLINE GAMING

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with guidelines for Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) for online gaming platforms, defining a threshold of Rs 100 for deducting tax for winnings from online gaming. Bonus, referral bonus, and incentives will also be counted towards the taxable winnings on an online gaming platform.

EXPLANATION:

New guidelines for TDS for online gaming:

• Online gaming platforms will not be required to deduct tax at the source for a player if the net winning does not exceed Rs 100.
• CBDT circular also said that bonus, referral bonus, incentives etc are given by the online gaming company to the intermediate user and they are to be considered as taxable deposit under Rule 133 of the Income-tax Act.
• CBDTsaid that in order to remove the difficulty in deducting tax at source under section 194BA of the Act for “insignificant withdrawal”, it is clarified that tax may not be deducted on withdrawal on the satisfaction of all of the following conditions:

1. net winnings comprised in the amount withdrawn does not exceed Rs 100 in a month
2. tax not deducted on account of this concession is deducted at a time when the net winnings comprised in withdrawal exceeds Rs 100 in the same month or subsequent month or if there is no such withdrawal, at the end of the financial year
3. the deductor undertakes the responsibility of paying the difference if the balance in the user account at the time of tax deduction under section 194BA of the Act is not sufficient to discharge the tax deduction liability calculated in accordance with Rule 133

Online gaming regulations:

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) notified as nodal ministry for all matters pertaining to online gaming industry and e-sports
• MEITY notified amendment to the Existing IT Rules 2021 i.e. the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 (“Amended Rules”) with aim to regulate online gaming.
• Key Highlights of the Amended Rules are as follows:

1. self-regulatory structure for the online gaming industry
2. introduction of new definitions like ‘online games’, ‘online real money games’, ‘permissible online games’, and ‘permissible online real money games’
3. Introduced the concept of “Intermediaries”e. entities that store or transmit data on behalf of other persons and include telecom and internet service providers, online marketplaces, search engines and social media sites
4. With an aim to track such transactions, the government had inserted a new section 194BA in the Income-tax Act, 1961 through Finance Act 2023, which mandated online gaming platforms to deduct income-tax on the net winnings in the person’s user account.
5. Tax is required to be deducted at the time of withdrawal as well as at the end of the financial year. As per section 194BA, TDS will be applicable at the rate of 30 per cent on the net winnings from any online gaming.

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023:

• Social media intermediaries, with registered users in India above a notified threshold, have been classified as significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs).  SSMIs are required to observe certain additional due diligence such as appointing certain personnel for compliance, enabling identification of the first originator of the information on its platform under certain conditions, and deploying technology-based measures on a best-effort basis to identify certain types of content.
• The Rules prescribe a framework for the regulation of content by online publishers of news and current affairs content, and curated audio-visual content.
• All intermediaries are required to provide a grievance redressal mechanism for resolving complaints from users or victims.  A three-tier grievance redressal mechanism with varying levels of self-regulation has been prescribed for publishers.

Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
• It comes under Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
• The officials of the Board in their ex-officio capacity also function as a Division of the Ministry dealing with matters relating to levy and collection of direct taxes.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes consists of a Chairman and following six Members:

1.  Chairman
2.  Member (Income Tax & Revenue)
3.  Member (Legislation & Systems)
4.  Member (Administration & Faceless Scheme)
5.  Member (Investigation)
6.  Member (Tax Payer Services)
7.  Member (Audit & Judicial)

4. CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM (CBAM)

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Co-legislators at the European Commission signed the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

EXPLANATION:

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM):

• EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is landmark tool to put a fair price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive goods that are entering the EU, and to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries.
• The gradual introduction of the CBAM is aligned with the phase-out of the allocation of free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to support the decarbonisation of EU industry.
• CBAM will ensure the carbon price of imports is equivalent to the carbon price of domestic production by confirming that a price has been paid for the embedded carbon emissions generated in the production of certain goods imported into the EU.
• The CBAM is designed to be compatible with WTO-rules.

Key Features:

• Its primary objective is to avert ‘carbon leakage’ by subjecting the import of certain groups of products from 3rd (non-EU and non-EFTA) countries to a carbon levy linked to the carbon price payable under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) when the same goods are produced within the EU alongside encouraging producers in non-EU countries to green their manufacturing processes.
• It refers to a phenomenon where a EU manufacturer moves carbon-intensive production to countries outside the region with less stringent climate policies.
• It replace EU-manufactured products with more carbon-intensive imports.
• The CBAM will initially apply to imports of certain goods and selected precursors whose production is carbon intensive and at most significant risk of carbon leakage: cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen.
• Further scope extensions to include additional products (such as chemicals and polymers) are to be determined by 2026, and the full inclusion of all EU ETS products is planned by 2030.
• CBAM will enter into force in its transitional phase as of 1 October 2023 during which EU importers must submit quarterly CBAM-reports, stating their imports of the CBAM products, as well as the emissions ‘embedded’ in their imported products. Such emissions are proposed to include direct and indirect emissions occurring during the production process of the imported goods.
• Once the permanent system enters into force on 1 January 2026, importers will need to declare each year the quantity of goods imported into the EU in the preceding year and their embedded GHG.
• They will then surrender the corresponding number of CBAM certificates. The price of the certificates will be calculated depending on the weekly average auction price of EU ETS allowances expressed in €/tonne of CO2 emitted. The phasing-out of free allocation under the EU ETS will take place in parallel with the phasing-in of CBAM in the period 2026-2034.
• Moreover, it will ensure a level playing field between imports and EU products.
• This would also form part of the continent’s broader European Green Deal which endeavours to achieve 55% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and become a climate neutral continent by 205

EU Emissions Trading System (ETS):

• It also aimed at supporting the decarbonisation of the region’s industries.
• The ETS had set a cap on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be released from industrial installations in certain sectors.
• Allowances were to be bought on the open decentralised ETS trading market, however, certain allowances were given out for free to prevent carbon leakage.
• Though effective in addressing the issue of leakage, EU concluded it dampened the incentive to invest in greener production at home and abroad because of the tendency to rely on free allowances to meet operational requirements and obligations.

5. SUPER COMPUTER

TAGS: GS-3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) stated that India is set to dramatically scale up its super-computing prowess and install an 18-petaflop system over the course of the year 2023.

EXPLANATION:

What is Supercomputer?

• Supercomputer is any of a class of extremely powerful computers. The term is commonly applied to the fastest high-performance systems available at any given time.
• Such computers have been used primarily for scientific and engineering work requiring exceedingly high-speed computations.
• Common applications for supercomputers include testing mathematical models for complex physical phenomena or designs, such as climate and weather, evolution of the cosmos, nuclear weapons and reactors, new chemical compounds (especially for pharmaceutical purposes), and cryptology.

Supercomputers in India:

• Currently India’s hosts most powerful, civilian supercomputers Pratyush and Mihir with a combined capacity of 6.8 petaflops are housed at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida, respectively.
• They were made operational in 2018 at an investment of ₹438 crore. Both these organisations are affiliated to the Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES).
• Pratyush is the fourth fastest supercomputer in the world dedicated for weather and climate research, and follows machines in Japan, USA and the United Kingdom.

Features of Upcoming Supercomputers:

• The new supercomputers, yet to be named, are imported from French corporation, ATOS an information technology service and consulting company.
• The new supercomputers too will be housed at the IITM and NCMRWF.
• It aims to accelerate processing power to such a degree that greatly eases complex mathematical calculations required, for among other things, and forecasting weather over the next few days.
• The goal is eventually to be able to represent an area by 1 km-square grids and that can be used to warn of cloudburst and such rapidly evolving weather systems.

Supercomputer around world:

• The fastest high-performance computing system in the world is currently the Frontier-Cray system at Oakridge National Laboratory, United States. This has a peak speed of 1 exa-flop (or about 1,000 petaflops). The top 10 other systems, based on speed, range from about 400 petaflops to 60 petaflops.

FLOPS  (Floating-Point Operations Per Second)

• Floating-point according to IBM is a method of encoding real numbers within the limits of finite precision available on computers.
• Using floating-point encoding, extremely long numbers can be handled relatively easily.
• Flops (floating point operations per second) are an indicator of computers processing speed and a petaflop refers to a 1,000 trillion flops.

1. GLOBAL WARMING WILL LIKELY SOON CROSS 1.5º C

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has predicted that there is a greater than 66% probability that at least one of the years from 2023 to 2027 will witness a global mean surface temperature rise of 1.5 o C above the average in the years 1850-1900.

EXPLANATION:

• Models are less skilled at forecasting precipitation than at forecasting temperatures. The forecasted rainfall for 2022 has wider error margins than those for the temperatures, including over India.

What are atmospheric models?

• Specialists forecast the weather the fast changes in the order of hours to days using atmospheric models that work with the sea surface temperature fixed.
• Atmospheric modeling is an important method to generate physical and numerical measurements of climate parameters, quantify the spatiotemporal changes of atmospheric phenomena over space and time, and predict their occurrences.
• With simulated data sets from atmospheric models, scientists are able to examine the driving forces of atmospheric phenomena and perform advanced analysis.
• Weather forecasts also need the atmosphere to be ‘initialised’ to be able to make predictions.To ‘initialise’ means to have the best estimates of temperature, humidity, winds, and so on at each point of the computer model, using data from weather balloons, satellites, radiosondes, and such.

What are ocean-atmosphere models?

• The weather model becomes chaotic after a few days since fast-moving air, with its low heat capacity, tends to shed the memory of the initial conditions.
• Climate, on the other hand, is largely driven by the slow changes in the ocean temperature and its heat content.
• As a result, the climate forecasts, such as for the El Niño and the monsoons, are made with ocean-atmosphere models.
• This model is at the core of numerical climate models. There is an extraordinarily broad class of coupled atmosphere-ocean models ranging from sets of equations that can be solved analytically to highly detailed representations of Nature requiring the most advanced computers for execution.
• The models are applied to subjects including the conceptual understanding of Earth’s climate, predictions that support human activities in a variable climate, and projections aimed to prepare society for climate change.
• The ocean is initialised using data from satellites, ships, moorings in the ocean, and so on.
• Some climate modes, such as those for the El Niño, can be predicted six to nine months in advance.
• A land model is also always included at all timescales, going from weather to climate to climate change.
• Weather and climate prediction models do not worry about changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases since they integrate their inputs just for a few days to a few seasons.
• IPCC projections for the forthcoming decades are ocean-atmosphere models, initialised typically starting from the concentrations of greenhouse gases from the pre-industrial era and integrated forward, into the 21st century and beyond.
• These models need to account for changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases as well as sunspot changes and volcanic eruptions, along with land use changes. These integrations capture the global mean temperatures very well, since they are mostly driven by greenhouse gases.

Short term prediction models:

• Only in 2017, the WMO recognised the need for shorter term predictions to fill a gap between seasonal forecasts and climate projections.
• A number of modelling centres around the world were entrained to issue decadal forecasts, which are initialised similar to the seasonal climate forecast models.
• They also accommodate the evolution of greenhouse gases and solar radiative forcing (i.e., changes in solar radiation that affect our climate).

Global Warming:

• Global warming is the gradual increase in the average temperature of the planet over a long period of time.
• As our population has grown, so has our reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These fuels emit greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which trap heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere. This creates what is known as the greenhouse effect.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO):

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations, with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the roots of which were planted at the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
• It is dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources.

WMO facilitates and promotes:

• the establishment of an integrated Earth System observation networkto provide weather, climate and water-related data
• the establishment and maintenance of data management centres and telecommunication systemsfor the provision and rapid exchange of weather, climate and water-related data
• the creation of standards for observation and monitoringin order to ensure adequate uniformity in the practices and procedures employed worldwide and, thereby, ascertain the homogeneity of data and statistics
• the provision of weather, climate and water-related services- through the application of science and technology in operational meteorology and hydrology – to reduce disaster risks and contribute to climate change adaptation, as well as for sectors such as transport (aviation, maritime and land-based), water resource management, agriculture, health, energy and other areas
• activities in operational hydrology as well as closer cooperation between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in states and territories where they are separate
• the coordination of researchand training in meteorology and related fields.

2. REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Inching closer to a fully reusable launch vehicle, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the landing experiment of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) programme.

EXPLANATION:

• ISRO executed the landing experiment at the Aeronautical Test Range in Challakere, C The RLV was dropped by an Indian Air Force (IAF) Chinook helicopter from an altitude of 4.5 km.
• The vehicle performed approach and landing manoeuvres on the runway autonomously, under the conditions in which a re-entry vehicle from space might return at high speed and without human inputs to achieve a stable landing.
• ISRO’s mission to develop a fully reusable launch vehicle is a part of its vision to enable low-cost access to space.
• Currently, ISRO has three active launch vehicles: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3). The PSLV has four stages while the GSLVs have three stages each. Each stage has a different fuel, and is jettisoned when the fuel is expended as the rocket ascends.

Reusable Launch Vehicle:

• Primarily, launch vehicles comprise three or four stages apart from the payload, which needs to be launched into a polar or a geosynchronous orbit, depending on a mission’s requirements.
• In ISRO’s three-stage rockets,
• first or lowermost stage has a motor fuelled by solid fuel (in the GSLV, this can also be augmented by up to four liquid strap-on boosters)
• second stage has the Vikas engine powered by liquid fuel
• third and uppermost stage has a cryogenic engine which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.
• In the four-stage PSLV
• first stage has a motor using solid fuel (augmentable with up to six solid-fuel strap-on boosters)
• second stage has a Vikas engine
• third stage again has a solid-fuel motor
• fourth stage has two liquid engines.
• The RLV that ISRO is building has only two stages to propel the vehicle into orbit. Once the fuel in the first stage has been expended, the vehicle will shed it, and carry on with the second stage.
• Once it has been shed, the first stage will re-enter the atmosphere and land in an autonomous fashion at a pre-determined location. After some maintenance, it will be available for reuse.

Have RLVs been used in the past?

• Since the 1960s, experts have conceived reusable rockets as a way to lower the cost of space missions. In the most idealised version, they imagined a single-stage-to-orbit rocket that could take off and land vertically.
• The American aerospace manufacturing company McDonnell Douglas realised this dream in 1993, building the Delta Clipper (DC-X) to demonstrate lift-off, maintain altitude, and a landing on its tail. The project was later transferred to NASA’s Reusable Launch Vehicle program after the cost of each test flight proved to be too expensive. In its twelfth flight in 1996, the DC-X crashed and burned on landing, extensively damaging its exterior chassis.
• NASA later shelved the project due to budgetary constraints, bringing this chapter of the single-stage to-orbit launch vehicle to an end.

What reusable technologies are currently in play in spaceflight?

• It is currently being used by Blue Origin and SpaceX who are developing rockets with reusable parts, especially the first stage, rather than the whole vehicle being reusable.
• It was also used in Falcon 9 in 2010, a 54-metre-tall two-stage rocket with nine engines, capable of transporting cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Instead of using parachutes to recover the first stage, the Falcon 9 was equipped with retrograde thrusters, using which the first stage could come back down to a designated spot using its engines themselves.
• In addition to these companies, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the United Launch Alliance (ULA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and ISRO have also been undertaking R&D on other aspects of reusable launch systems.

What is ISRO working on?

• In 2010, ISRO began developing a winged reusable rocket, taking the first step towards realising a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) launch vehicle that could be fully reusable. In 2016, the winged vehicle successfully flew at hypersonic speed. It also withstood fiery re-entry temperatures as it re-entered, qualifying its thermal protection systems, before it touched down at a pre-determined site 425 km east of Sriharikota, in the Bay of Bengal.
• While several other related technologies have been tested through the years, ISRO’s RLV’s autonomous landing was only tested successfully on April 2, 2023.
• Currently, ISRO is working on the ‘Orbital Re-entry Experiment’ (ORE), which will be taken to orbit by a modified launch vehicle comprising existing GSLV and PSLV stages. The vehicle will stay in orbit for a stipulated period, re-enter, and finally land autonomously on a runway, with landing gear.

3. HUMAN PANGENOME MAP

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: A new study published in issue of the Nature journal describes a pangenome reference map, built using genomes from 47 anonymous individuals (19 men and 28 women), mainly from Africa but also from the Caribbean, Americas, East Asia, and Europe.

EXPLANATION:

What is a genome?

• The genome is the blueprint of life, a collection of all the genes and the regions between the genes contained in our 23 pairs of chromosomes.
• Each chromosome is a contiguous stretch of DNA string. Our genome consists of 23 different strings, each composed of millions of individual building blocks called nucleotides or bases.
• The four types of building blocks (A, T, G and C) are arranged and repeated millions of times in different combinations to make all of our 23 chromosomes.
• Genome sequencing is the method used to determine the precise order of the four letters and how they are arranged in chromosomes.
• Sequencing individual genomes helps us understand human diversity at the genetic level and how prone we are to certain diseases.

What is a reference genome?

• When genomes are newly sequenced, they are compared to a reference map called a reference genome.
• This helps us to understand the regions of differences between the newly sequenced genome and the reference genome.
• First reference genome was made in 2001 and it helped scientists discover thousands of genes linked to various diseases; better understand diseases like cancer at the genetic level; and design novel diagnostic tests.
• Although a remarkable feat, the reference genome of 2001 was 92% complete and contained many gaps and errors. Additionally, it was not representative of all human beings as it was built using mostly the genome of a single individual of mixed African and European ancestry.
• Since then, the reference genome map has been refined and improved to have complete end-to-end sequences of all the 23 human chromosomes.

What is a pangenome map?

• Unlike the earlier reference genome, which is a linear sequence, the pangenome is a graph.
• The graph of each chromosome is like a bamboo stem with nodes where a stretch of sequences of all 47 individuals converge, and with internodes of varying lengths representing genetic variations among those individuals from different ancestries.
• To create complete and contiguous chromosome maps in the pangenome project, the researchers used long-read DNA sequencing technologies, which produce strings of contiguous DNA strands of tens of thousands of nucleotides long.
• Using longer reads helps assemble the sequences with minimum errors and read through the repetitive regions of the chromosomes which are hard to sequence with short-read technologies used earlier.

Why is a pangenome map important?

• Although any two humans are more than 99% similar in their DNA, there is still about a 0.4% difference between any two individuals.
• This may be a small percentage, but considering that the human genome consists of 3.2 billion individual nucleotides, the difference between any two individuals is a whopping 12.8 million nucleotides.
• A complete and error-free human pangenome map will help us understand those differences and explain human diversity better.
• It will also help us understand genetic variants in some populations, which result in underlying health conditions.
• The pangenome reference map has added nearly 119 million new letters to the existing genome map and has already aided the discovery of 150 new genes linked to autism.
• Although the project is a leap forward, genomes from many populations are still not a part of it. For example, genomes from more people from Africa, the Indian sub-continent, indigenous groups in Asia and Oceania, and West Asian regions are not represented in the current version of the pangenome map.

4. INDIAN-SPACE-POLICY 2023

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the Indian Space Policy 2023 which has been received positively by industry. However, it needs to be followed up with suitable legislation, accompanied by clear rules and regulations.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• Until the early 1990s, India’s space industry and space economy were defined by ISRO.
• Private sector involvement was limited to building to ISRO designs and specifications.
• The Second Space Age began with the licensing of private TV channels, the explosive growth of the Internet, mobile telephony, and the emergence of the smartphone.
• Broadband, OTT and 5G promise a double-digit annual growth in satellite-based services. It is estimated that with an enabling environment, the Indian space industry could grow to $60 billion by 2030, directly creating more than two lakh jobs.
• To streamline matters, a draft Space Activities Bill was brought out in 2017, which went through a long consultative process. It lapsed in 2019 with the outgoing Lok Sabha. The government was expected to introduce a new Bill by 2021, but it appears to have contented itself with the new policy statement.

Reasons for the policy:

• The first satellite communication policy was introduced in 1997, with guidelines for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the satellite industry that were further liberalised but never generated much enthusiasm.
• A remote sensing data policy was introduced in 2001, which was amended in 2011; in 2016, it was replaced by a National Geospatial Policy that has been further liberalised in 2022. Yet, Indian users including the security and defence agencies spend nearly a billion dollars annually to procure earth observation data and imagery from foreign sources.

 Indian Space Policy 2023:

• It is qualitatively different from previous efforts. It is a short 11-page document, which includes three pages devoted to definitions and abbreviations.
• The ‘Vision’ is to “enable, encourage and develop a flourishing commercial presence in space” that suggests an acceptance that the private sector is a critical stakeholder in the entire value chain of the space economy.
• It makes five key points which defines its role in India’s “socio-economic development and security, protection of environment and lives, pursuing peaceful exploration of outer space, stimulation of public awareness and scientific quest”.
• First, The focus for security purposes is on civilian and peaceful applications. Considering that space-based intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, communication, positioning and navigation capabilities are increasingly seen as mission critical by the defence services.
• Second, the policy lays out a strategy and roles of the Department of Space, ISRO, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under the Department of Space as the commercial arm of ISRO to replace the now defunct Antrix.
• Thirdly, ISRO will transition out of the existing practice of being present in the manufacturing of operational space systems. ISRO shall focus on R&D in advanced technology, proving newer systems and realisation of space objects for meeting national prerogatives. ISRO aims to “share technologies, products, processes and best practices with NGEs (non-government entities) and/or Government companies”.
• Fourth, the NGEs are allowed to undertake end-to-end activities in the space sector through establishment and operation of space objects, ground-based assets and related services, such as communication, remote sensing, navigation, etc.
• Finally, IN-SPACe is expected to create a stable and predictable regulatory framework that will ensure a level playing field for the NGEs. It will act as a promoter by setting up industry clusters and as the regulator, issue guidelines on liability issues.

Gaps in the policy:

• The policy sets out an ambitious role for IN-SPACe but provides no time frame for the necessary steps ahead.
• There is no indicative timeline for ISRO’s transitioning out of its current practices nor is there a schedule for IN-SPACe to create the regulatory framework.
• The policy framework envisaged will need clear rules and regulations pertaining to FDI and licensing, government procurement to sustain the new space start-ups, liability in case of violations and an appellate framework for dispute settlement.
• A regulatory body needs legislative authority. The Reserve Bank of India was set up by the 1934 RBI Act, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by the 1992 SEBI Act, and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) by the 1997 TRAI Act. IN-SPACe is expected to authorise space activities for all, both government and non-government entities. Currently, its position is ambiguous as it functions under the purview of the Department of Space. The Secretary (Space) is also Chairman of ISRO, the government entity to be regulated by IN-SPACe.

5. NATIONAL MEDICAL DEVICES POLICY, 2023

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT:  Union Cabinet approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023. The policy endeavours to facilitate an orderly growth of the sector and in turn, achieve the public health objectives of access, affordability, quality and innovation.

EXPLANATION:

• It is expected to help the domestic medical devices sector market grow from $11 billion to $50 billion by 2030 alongside achieving a 10-12% global market share over the next 25 years.
• The aim is to provide the required support and direction, and help the sector become “competitive, self-reliant, resilient and innovative” to cater not only to domestic but global needs.

Features:

• The policy will help boost manufacturing, help traders and importers to start investing in factories and end the import dependency forced upon.
• The policy endeavours to facilitate an orderly growth of the sector and in turn, achieve public health objectives of access, affordability, quality and innovation.
• The most significant of the introduced measures entail regulatory streamlining.
• The policy enhances the role of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) along with designing a coherent pricing regulation.
• Pricing regulation is particularly important for addressing a broader challenge in the domestic device manufacturing sector as some private hospitals give higher priced products instead of available low-cost options.
• It aims to monitor MRP of imports and compared with imports’ landed prices and steps taken to control when found irrationally excessive.
• Streamlining endeavour will also create a single window clearance system for licensing of medical devices, combining relevant departments like the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), MeitY and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD).
• This would complement the Department’s proposed National Policy on Research and Development alongside innovation in the pharma-MedTech sector in India.
• The policy also seeks to establish and strengthen large medical device parks and clusters with quality infrastructure facilities close to economic zones with requisite logistics connectivity.
• This is expected to be a collaborative venture with the State governments and industry, resulting in better convergence and backward integration with the industry.
• Ensuring an ecosystem to encourage private investments, series of funding from venture capitalists and potential public-private partnerships (PPP) is a key component of this endeavour.
• This will also be supplemented intervention programs such as Make in India, Ayushman Bharat, Heal-in-India and Start-up mission.

Export Promotion Council: 

• As per the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a huge gap still exists in the current demand and supply of medical devices from U.S., China and Germany; India has an overall 70-80% import dependency on medical devices.
• The policy envisages the creation of a dedicated Export Promotion Council for the sector under the Department of Health.
• This would be a forum to deal with varied market access issues, while also combining and sharing stakeholders’s knowledge and expertise.

Current status of domestic market:

• The domestic industry comprises a combination of large multinationals, small and mid-sized companies.
• As per the IBEF, India is the fourth largest Asian medical market after Japan, China and South Korea and is among the top 20 globally.
• It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15% two-and-half times the global growth rate.
• Exports of medical devices stood at $2.90 billion in FY 2022 and this is estimated to scale to $10 billion by FY 2025. Key export countries include U.S., France, Singapore, China, Turkey, Brazil, the Netherlands, Iran and Belgium.
• India’s major medical clusters are Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Their manufacturing expertise varies from pharmaceuticals, medical electronics, stents and implants to low-end medical consumables.

1. GREEN OPEN ACCESS RULES 2022

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: Union New and Renewable Energy Minister has directed the industry to set targets under the Green Open Access Rules 2022, in a bid to accelerate the country’s renewable energy programmes.

EXPLANATION:

• Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022 has been notified by Ministry of Power.
• The Ministry of Power notified Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) as Central Nodal Agency to set up and operate a single window green energy open access system for renewable energy under these Rules.
• It was launched in order to further accelerate our ambitious renewable energy programmes, with the objective of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and green energy for all.
• As per the Electricity Act 2003, the tariff is determined by the Appropriate Commission. Accordingly, the tariff for the green energy shall be determined by Appropriate Commission and shall comprise of the average pooled power purchase cost of the renewable energy, cross-subsidy charges, if any, and service charges covering the prudent cost of the distribution licensee for providing green energy to the consumers.
• It is a major step towards achieving India’s aims to cut emissions in India to net zero by 2070 and aims to achieve 500 GW renewable power capacity, reduce emissions by one billion tonnes and an emissions intensity of the GDP by 45 percent by 2030.

Key Features:

• There will be a uniform Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), on all obligated entities in area of a distribution licensees. Green hydrogen/green ammonia has also been included for fulfillment of its RPO. The consumers will be given green certificate beyond their RPO obligation.
• It will provide certainty on open access charges to be levied on Green Energy Open Access consumers which includes transmission charges, wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge and standby charges.
• It also enables a simplified procedure for the open access to green power. Open access permits a consumer to purchase power from a source of his/her choice.
• The transaction limit would be minimum 100 KW for non-captive consumers. No limit has been kept for captive consumers.
• These rules are notified for promoting generation, purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from Waste-to-Energy plants.
• Consumers are entitled to demand supply of Green Power from Discoms. Discoms would be obligated to procure and supply green power to eligible consumers.
• Commercial and Industrial consumers are allowed to purchase green power on voluntarily basis.

Green Open Access Registry:

• It is a transparent platform through which long term, medium term and short-term open access transactions will be managed and performed to interstate transmission system and intra state transmission system.
• The Power Ministry has notified the Grid Controller of India Limited as the central nodal agency to operate the Green Open Access Registry (GOAR) portal which is the single window portal to register and apply for the green energy open access.
• This platform will be accessible to all the stakeholders present in the Indian Power Market.
• This platform will provide automated transaction workflows to ease the turnaround time of transaction for all open access consumers.

Green energy open access portal:

• It will allow consumers with a 100 KW-sanctioned load to get a supply of renewables. The government rules mandate approval for green energy open access to be granted to consumers in a time-bound manner within 15 days.

Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO)

• It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL). It was formed in March 2010 to handle the power management functions of PGCIL.
• It is responsible to ensure the integrated operation of the Grid in a reliable, efficient and secure manner.
• It consists of 5 Regional Load Despatch Centres and a National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC).

2. 25 YEARS OF KUDUMBASHREE

TAGS:  GS 1: SOCIETY

THE CONTEXT: In her maiden visit to Kerala, President of India inaugurated the silver jubilee celebrations of Kudumbashree, the largest self-help group network in the country. The president had also released a handbook titled chuvadu (footsteps) that codified ideas for the movement’s future and the achievements it has gained so far.

EXPLANATION:

• Kudumbashree means “prosperity of the family” in the local Malayalam language is the Kerala government’s ongoing participatory “poverty eradication and women empowerment” mission.
• It began in 1998 as a cluster of microcredit neighbourhood groups with thrift and credit activities, creating many crisis managers and entrepreneurs of humble origins over the years.
• The collective transformed ordinary women from poverty-ridden families into agents of change and recovery in critical times like the flood and the pandemic.
• Now, Kudumbashree is Kerala’s biggest social capital. Its members have risen to become elected members of the three-tier local bodies after enforcing the 33 per cent women reservation (in Kerala local bodies, the percentage of reservations is 50).

Background:

The two immediate contexts for Kudumbashree are the following:

• First, in 1997, a three-member task force constituted by the Kerala Government recommended setting up a State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM). However, it became fully operational only in April 1999 with the name Kudumbashree Mission.
• The second immediate context was the 73^rdand 74^th Constitution Amendment Acts. The Kerala government used the amendment as an opportunity to deliver poverty alleviation programmes through local participation and self-government institutions.
• From the beginning, it has been functioning under the local self-government department by accepting financial support from the union government and NABARD.

Membership:

• The Mission conceives women empowerment and community development as central to poverty eradication.
• Thus, the membership of the Mission’s community network is limited to women.
• During the initial phase, the membership consisted of women from below-poverty-line households but currently all adult women are eligible for membership to the Neighbourhood Groups the basic units of Kudumbashree’s community network.
• The membership follows a “one family, one member” rule. However, any women irrespective of this rule can participate in the discussion and activities of the Kudumbashree.

Organization:

• A three-tiered community network or self-help groups of women implements this mission.
• At the primary level, Kudumbasree is the collective of Neighbourhood Groups (NHG). Area Development Societies (ADS) at the ward level and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level.
• The first and the lowest tier of Kudumbashree’s community network is Neighbourhood Groups (or Ayalkootamin Malayalam) consisting of ten to twenty women. The second level consisting of two or more Neighbourhood Groups is Area Development Societies. All Area Development Societies in an area are affiliated to the local self-government level Community Development Society.

Aims:

• The mission aims to eradicate poverty through women empowerment.
• economic empowerment such as through collective farming, livestock farming, market development
• social empowerment such as destitute identification and rehabilitation, and rehabilitation of mentally challenged persons
• women empowerment consisting of educational programmes and programmes for the elimination of violence against women.
• It also plans income-generating activities involving agriculture or micro-enterprises to be run jointly by members of the network.
• It also helps the local self-government institutions (Panchayats in rural areas and Municipalities in urban areas) in the preparation and implementation of the local bodies’ anti-poverty plan, women component plan, and other local development schemes.
• It also assists the local self-government institutions in the identification of beneficiaries of central (federal) and state (provincial) government’s welfare programmes.
• Community Development Society of the network acts as a liasing body with banks for loans for the network’s activities.
• It also facilitates capacity building activities by training and providing information to women in particular to assume leadership roles.
• It also helps in creating awareness around gender related government initiatives such as prevention of violence against women and legal literacy.

3. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT: The World Health Organisation recommended against using artificial sweeteners to achieve weight loss and prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. The report emphasized that while there was a need to cut intake of sugar, it should not be replaced by artificial sweeteners.

EXPLANATION:

Artificial sweeteners or non-sugar sweeteners (NSS):

• Non-sugar sweeteners or artificial sweeteners are intensely sweet chemicals up to several hundred times sweeter than sugar that are used for sweeten food while only adding very little or no calories.
• It provides the sweet taste with very little to no calories. Many diabetics use the sweeteners in their tea and coffee, but there is a growing market for packaged foods and beverages using these sweeteners to offer low-calorie options.
• Common NSS include acesulfame K(Ace-K), aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives. Erythritol, a popular artificial sweetener that is widely available in India and abroad under various brand name was associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

WHO recommendations:

• The WHO guideline on NSS is part of a suite of existing and forthcoming guidelines on healthy diets that aim to establish lifelong healthy eating habits, improve dietary quality and decrease the risk of NCDs worldwide.
• While there could be some weight-lossand reduction in Body Mass Index in the short term as the artificial sweeteners bring down the calories consumed, but in the long run they have been linked to weight gain.
• The sweeteners have also linked to an increased risk of Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in the long run. It is also linked to bladder cancer and preterm birth when consumed by pregnant women.
• Long-term adverse effects in the form of increased risk of death and disease offset any potential short-term health benefit resulting from the relatively small reduction in body weight and BMI observed in randomized controlled trials.
• The recommendation applies to all people except individuals with pre-existing diabetes and includes all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified non-nutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in manufactured foods and beverages or sold on their own to be added to foods and beverages by consumers.
• The recommendation does not apply to personal care and hygiene products containing NSS, such as toothpaste, skin cream, and medications, or to low-calorie sugars and sugar alcohols (polyols), which are sugars or sugar derivatives containing calories and are therefore not considered NSS.

4. SUSTAINABILITY AND RELATED INITIATIVES

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: There are a number of traditional conservationists who dismiss the works covered under the broader sustainability/nature-based solutions framing it as deceptive. On the other hand, there are hardcore business folks who almost always feel a false sense of piety towards the sustainability agenda.

EXPLANATION:

• Sustainability is the ability to maintain or support a process over time. There is need of the strengthening of a better understanding and a space for deeper engagement and collaboration.
• While conservation is more action-focused on specific areas (landscape, theme, species), sustainability remains a bit more overarching. It is a strategic process of convening multiple stakeholders around a policy objective and programme strategies that would augment the work being done through conservation approaches.

Environment, Social and Governance:

• It is a framework that helps stakeholders understand how an organization is managing risks and opportunities related to environmental, social, and governance criteria (sometimes called ESG factors).
• It typically includes managing and avoiding the depletion of natural resources to maintain global ecological balance.
• It takes the holistic view that sustainability extends beyond just environmental issues.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):

• It is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business  operations and interactions with their stakeholders.
• CSR is generally understood as being the way through which a company achieves a balance of economic, environmental and social imperatives (“Triple-Bottom-Line-  Approach”), while at the same time addressing the expectations of  shareholders and stakeholders.

ESG vs CSR:

CSR may be used as an internal framework, while ESG provides a measure of assessment for investors. Corporate social responsibility is a business model by which companies make a concerted effort to operate in ways that enhance rather than degrade society and the environment whereas ESG provides a more quantitative measure of sustainability.

European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR):

• It is an initiative to limit deforestation caused by forestry and agricultural activities all over the world.
• EU deforestation-free regulation is part of the EU Green Deal and a broader EU strategy to protect the world’s forests.
• While these regulations focus on deforestation caused by illegal timber logging, the new EU deforestation-free regulation covers a broader set of commodities.
• The regulation affects seven specific commodities (cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, wood, rubber, and cattle) and their derivatives, as well as products made using these commodities (e.g. leather, cosmetics, chocolate etc.).
• The new Regulation will require any companyimporting or exporting these commodities from the EU to prove the products are deforestation-free. This applies to any company, regardless of whether they are EU-based or not, and for legal and illegal sources of deforestation in Europe and overseas.
• The Regulation defines a product as deforestation-free when the product itself, its ingredients or its derivatives were not produced on land subject to deforestation or forest degradation after the cut-off date of 31 December 2020. This cut-off date has been suggested to minimize disruption to international supply chains.

Greenwashing:

• It is typically corporate action to be perceived as environmentally conscious for marketing purposes without any notable sustainability efforts.
• It happens when a company makes an environmental claim about something the organization is doing that is intended to promote a sense of environmental impact that doesn’t exist. The green claim is typically about some form of positive effect on the environment.
• Greenwashing is when an organization spends more time and money on marketing itself as environmentally friendly than on actually minimizing its environmental impact.
• It’s a deceitful marketing gimmick intended to mislead consumers who prefer to buy goods and services from environmentally conscious brands Whilst some greenwashing is unintentional and results from a lack of knowledge about what sustainability truly is, it is often intentionally carried out through a wide range of marketing and PR efforts. But the common denominator among all greenwashing is that it is not only misleading, but it’s also really not helping to further sustainable design or circular economy.

As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s common but differentiated responsibilities says:

The aim is minimum disruption and destruction — not to destroy the planet, the environment and the existing human life and ensure that this life remains available to future generations in its totality. With this understanding, countries and companies are building sustainability reporting into everyday action and attempting to turn theoretical issues into concrete actions.

5. MISSION DefSpace AND 100^TH SPRINT (NAVY) CONTRACT

TAGS: GS 3: SECURITY

THE CONTEXT: Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the flagship initiative of Ministry of Defence, has reached a milestone with the signing of its 250^th contract – first under Mission DefSpace and 100^th SPRINT (Navy) contract.

EXPLANATION:

Mission DefSpace:

• Recognising the strategic significance of the space domain, Mission DefSpace was launched with 75 Defence Space Challenges to be addressed by the private sector in 2022.
• It aims to nurture the Indian Private Space industry through challenges addressing every stage of a space mission from mission planning to satellite data analytics.

Mission DefSpace contract

• The first iDEX contract of Mission DefSpace was exchanged where one of the winners of the challenge ‘Micropropulsion system for cubesats’. This challenge is being led by the Defence Space Agency.
• Cubesats are a class of smallsats, which are modular; low-cost; easy to manufacture, integrate, and launch; and form a critical component for launch-on-demand capabilities. For imagery/Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance/communication purposes, cubesats need to be precisely aligned, hence there is a requirement of a compact micropropulsion system for precise manoeuvring and orbit correction.
• InspeCity is developing a gas-based system for this purpose. This technology, once developed, can be integrated with other satellites, including the cubesat swarm being developed under Mission DefSpace.

100^th SPRINT (Navy) contract

‘SPRINT’ initiative:

• The initiative aims at inducting at least 75 technologies/products into the Indian Navy by August 2023 as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
• The 100^thSPRINT (Navy) contract was exchanged where the winner of the Challenge was development of a prototype that is a lightweight ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) based communication system using software defined antenna for Low Earth Orbit, Medium Earth Orbit and Geostationary satellite communication.

About iDEX

• iDEX is being implemented by Defence Innovation Organisation(DIO), established under the Department of Defence Production, MoD.
• It will help India become the biggest defence innovation ecosystem in the world in the times to come.
• Its objective is to provide the platform of co-creation & co-development in the defence sector. It aims to engage start-ups to contribute to the defence sector and develop defence and aerospace setup in the country.
• iDEX has also been able to generate thousands of jobs and attract India’s talent back to the country.
• iDEX is working at a path-breaking pace to ensure that its agreements with the start-ups and innovators reach logical conclusions timely, eventually opening a myriad of options for the budding, soon to be unicorns and at the same time addressing the requirement of Services.

1. EXPECTED CREDIT LOSS (ECL)-BASED LOAN LOSS PROVISIONING FRAMEWORK

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: Banks have sought a one-year extension from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for implementation of the Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework.

EXPLANATION:

• In January 2023 the RBI came out with a draft guidelines proposing adoption of expected credit loss approach for credit impairment and gave banks one year period after the final guidelines are released for implementation of expected credit loss approach for loss provisioning.

Present framework of incurred loss method:

• At present, banks set aside money after an asset turns bad, and once the new system is put in place, it is widely expected to have an one time impact on bank profit.
• Credit risk losses are bifurcated into two types: expected loss and unexpected loss. Expected loss refers to the amount of loss anticipated on a loan or portfolio of loans and is mitigated using policies, risk pricing and provisions. Unexpected loss is addressed through regulatory capital.
• Currently, banks in India follow the incurred loss approach IRAC norms as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in accounting for losses on loans and other financial assets. This approach, however, is not aligned with IFRS 9 and Ind AS 109.
• Incurred loss approach is based on the principle that losses are uncertain and difficult to predict, and that they should be recognised when they are certain to have occurred. Accordingly, even if a loan has a high risk of default and expected to result in a loss, the loss will not be recognised until the borrower actually defaults and the loss is incurred.

What is EXPECTED CREDIT LOSS (ECL)-BASED LOAN LOSS PROVISIONING FRAMEWORK

• ECL is a method of accounting for credit risk that is based on the loss that is likely to occur on a loan or portfolio of loans. It is used to estimate potential future losses on financial assets and to recognise those losses in financial statements. It represents the probability weighted estimate of the present value of all cash shortfalls from an instrument.
• In simple terms, ECL is calculated by estimating the forward-looking probability of default for each loan, and then multiplying that probability by the likely loss given default, which is the percentage loss that is expected to occur if the borrower defaults. The resulting value multiplied by the likely exposure at default is the expected loss for each loan, and the sum of these values is the expected loss for the entire portfolio.
• It recognises losses on loans as soon as they are expected to occur, regardless of whether the borrower has actually defaulted.
• The other key differentiator in the computation of provision for credit loss is that ECL factors in the historical credit quality of the lender, while incurred loss approach does not consider the same.
• The ECL models adopted by banks will be subject to rigorous validation as well as process-based checks, and to prudential regulatory floors.

Draft Guidelines:

• The RBI has proposed that banks will be allowed to design own credit loss models and spread the higher provisions over a five-year period under a newer system of setting aside money for lending.
• The banks will also have to make provisions for delays made by borrowers in their repayments under the proposed framework, in addition to existing provisioning requirement.
• This may lead to increased provisioning as the lenders will have to calculate estimated loss of interest income and provide for them.
• Under the ECL norms, banks will be required to classify financial assets (primarily loans, including irrevocable loan commitments, and investments classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale) into one of the three categories – Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3, depending upon the assessed credit losses on them, at the time of initial recognition as well as on each subsequent reporting date and make necessary provisions.
• The RBI also proposed to introduce a transitional arrangement for introduction of ECL norms in order to avoid a capital shock.

Applicability of norms

• The measures will be applicable to banks’ loans and advances, including sanctioned limits under revolving credit facilities, lease receivables, financial guarantee contracts and investments in the debt and equity markets and investments classified as held-to-maturity or available-for-sale.

2. APPOINTMENT OF UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC) CHAIRMAN

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Manoj Soni, a former Vice-Chancellor of two universities in Gujarat, was on May 16, 2023 sworn in as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He was already serving as the Chairman in charge since April 2022. He had joined the UPSC as a member in June 2017.

EXPLANATION:

ABOUT UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC)

• Article-315 to Article 323 provides for elaborate provisions of constitutional body of Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission for each State.
• The Union Public Service Commission is headed by a chairman, and it can have a maximum of 10 members.
• It shall be the duty of the Union and the State Public Service Commissions to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the services of the State respectively.
• It shall also be the duty of the Union Public Service Commission, if requested by any two or more States so to do, to assist those States in framing and operating schemes of joint recruitment for any services for which candidates possessing special qualifications are required.
• The expenses of the Union or a State Public Service Commission, including any salaries, allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of the members or staff of the Commission, shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or, as the case may be, the Consolidated Fund of the State

Appointment and term of office of members:

• Article-316 provides for appointment and term of office of members.
• The Chairman and other members shall be appointed by President and in the case of a State Commission by the Governor of the State.
• It is provided that as nearly as may be one-half of the members of every Public Service Commission shall be persons who have held office for at least ten years either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
• The terms and conditions of service of chairman and members of the Commission are governed by the Union Public Service Commission (Members) Regulations, 1969.
• Every member holds office for a term of six years or until he attains the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.

Removal of Members

• A member of a Public Service Commission may be removed from his office in the manner provided in clause (1) or clause (3) of article 317.
• The chairman and any other member of the Commission can submit his resignation at any time to the President of India.
• He may be removed from his office by the President of India on the ground of misbehaviour (only if an inquiry of such misbehavior is made and upheld by Supreme Court) or if he is adjudged insolvent, or engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office, or in the opinion of the President unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body.

Further reappointment:

• Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission shall be ineligible for further employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
• Chairman of a State Public Service Commission shall be eligible for appointment as the Chairman or any other member of the Union Public Service Commission or as the Chairman of any other State Public Service Commission, but not for any other employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
• A person who holds office as a member of a Public Service Commission shall, on the expiration of his term of office, be ineligible for reappointment to that office.
• Member other than the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission shall be eligible for appointment as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission or as the Chairman of a State Public Service Commission, but not for any other employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
• Member other than the Chairman of a State Public Service Commission shall be eligible for appointment as the Chairman or any other member of the Union Public Service Commission or as the Chairman of that or any other State Public Service Commission, but not for any other employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.

Functions of UPSC

• It shall be consulted on all matters relating to methods of recruitment to civil services and for civil posts.
• It shall be consulted on the principles to be followed in making appointments to civil services and posts and in making promotions and transfers from one service to another and on the suitability of candidates for such appointments, promotions or transfers.
• It shall be consulted on all disciplinary matters affecting a person serving under the Government of India or the Government of a State in a civil capacity, including memorials or petitions relating to such matters.
• It shall be consulted on any claim by or in respect of a person who is serving or has served under the Government of India or the Government of a State or under the Crown in India or under the Government of an Indian State, in a civil capacity, that any costs incurred by him in defending legal proceedings instituted against him in respect of acts done or purporting to be done in the execution of his duty should be paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India, or, as the case may be, out of the Consolidated Fund of the State.
• It shall be consulted on any claim for the award of a pension in respect of injuries sustained by a person while serving under the Government of India or the Government of a State or under the Crown in India or under the Government of an Indian State, in a civil capacity, and any question as to the amount of any such award.

3. LAUNCH OF NVS-01 SATELLITE

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will fly NVS-01 to augment the seven-satellite navigation constellation NavIC on May 29, 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• Five years after launching the last navigation satellite in 2018, ISRO is gearing up to launch a new one from Sriharikota to replace an old satellite.
• The aim is to maintain a constellation of functional seven satellites needed to keep its navigation system operational and running.

NVS-01 satellite:

• ISRO is likely to launch NVS-01, a navigation satellite on-board from the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle or GSLV Mk-II.
• This will be a return flight mission for the GSLV launch vehicle, which will carry the next generation NavIC satellite.
• The NVS-01 satellite will replace the navigational capabilities of another satellite IRNSS-1G in the constellation that was launched in 2016 and has a mission life of 12 years.
• IRNSS-1G was the seventh navigation satellite of the seven satellites constituting the IRNSS space segment. Its predecessors—IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F—were launched by PSLV-C22, PSLV-C24, PSLV-C26, PSLV-C27, PSLV-C31 and PSLV-C32
• It will retain its communication and messaging capabilities.

Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC):

• At present, there are four major global navigation system the US global positioning system, the Russian GLONASS, the European Galileo, and the Chinese Beidou. There are two regional navigational systems in the world Japan’s Quasi-Zenith system and India’s Navic.
• It is a regional navigation satellite system and was established by ISRO which was earlier known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
• It aims to meet the “positioning, navigation and timing” requirement of the nation.
• NavIC is designed with a constellation of seven satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24×7. Three satellites of the constellation are placed in geostationary orbit and four satellites are placed in inclined geosynchronous orbit.
• The ground network consists of a control centre, precise timing facility, range and integrity monitoring stations, two-way ranging stations, etc.
• NavIC offers two services–standard position service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users. These two services are provided in both L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S band (2498.028 MHz).
• NavIC coverage area includes India and a region up to 1,500km beyond Indian boundary.
• NavIC signals are designed to provide user position accuracy better than 20m and timing accuracy better than 50ns(nano second).
• NavIC SPS signals are interoperable with the other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals of GPS (US), Glonass (Russia), Galileo (Europe) and BeiDou.
• Two frequencies, the L5 and S bands, are used by the seven satellites in the NavIC constellation so far to provide positioning information. These satellites’ replacements, the new NVS-01 satellites and later, will also have L1 frequency. Even less sophisticated, consumer-grade gadgets like smartwatches can pick up the L1 signal, which is the oldest and most reliable GPS signal. The use of NavIC in devices for civilian use can therefore increase with this band.
• NavIC is better than GPS in some aspects. While GPS can get you within 20 metres of your target, NaVIC is more accurate and can get you even closer within 5 metres. However, unlike GPS, which can be used anywhere in the world, NaVIC is regional and can only be used within India and up to 1,500 km from its borders.

4. NEW GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST) COMPLIANCE MEASURES

TAGS: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: In two significant measures to curb tax evasion and increase compliance under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the government has decided to lower the threshold for businesses to generate e-invoice for business-to-business (B2B) transactions, from Rs 10 crore to Rs 5 crore, and has rolled out the automated return scrutiny module for GST returns in a backend application for central tax officers.

EXPLANATION:

• Amid rising instances of GST frauds and cases of fake invoices, these changes are expected to broaden the compliance mandate for more businesses, especially small and medium enterprises and help boost the GST revenue collections.

Recent changes:

->Automated return scrutiny module:

• Finance Minister in a review of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), had given directions to roll out an automated return scrutiny module for GST returns at the earliest.
• This will enable the officers to scrutinize GST returns of centre-administered taxpayers selected on the basis of data analytics and risks identified by the system.
• This will display discrepancies on account of risks associated with a return to the tax officers. They will interact with the taxpayers through the GSTN common portal for communication of discrepancies noticed in returns and subsequent action in form of either issuance of an order of acceptance of reply or issuance of show cause notice or initiation of audit/ investigation.

->Changes for e-invoicing:

• The government has also lowered the threshold for businesses to generate e-invoice for business-to-business (B2B) transactions to Rs 5 crore from Rs 10 crore under GST. The changes will come into effect from August 1. 2023.
• At present, businesses with turnover of Rs 10 crore and above are required to generate e-invoice for all B2B transactions.

->What is e-invoicing?

• The GST Council in its 37th meeting in September 2019 had approved the standard of e-invoice with the primary objective to enable interoperability across the entire GST ecosystem.
• Under this, a phased implementation was proposed to ensure a common standard for all invoices, that is, an e-invoice generated by one software should be capable of being read by any other software and through machine readability, an invoice can then be uniformly interpreted.
• With a uniform invoicing system, the tax authorities are able to pre-populate the return and reduce the reconciliation issues.
• With a high number of cases involving fake invoices and fraud availment of input tax credit, GST authorities have pushed for implementation of this e-invoicing system to help to curb the actions of tax evaders and reduce the number of frauds as the tax authorities will have access to data in real-time.
• E-invoicing was initially implemented for large companies with turnover of over Rs 500 crore, and within three years the threshold has now been lowered to Rs 5 crore.
• E-invoicing for B2B transactions was made mandatory for businesses with turnover of over Rs 500 crore from October 1, 2020. Then it was extended to businesses with turnover of over Rs 100 crore from January 1, 2021, after which it was extended to businesses with turnover of over Rs 50 crore from April 1, 2021, and then the threshold was lowered to Rs 20 crore from April 1, 2022. It was further reduced to Rs 10 crore from October 1, 2022.
• Reduction in the e-invoicing threshold is seen as an important factor for boosting GST revenue collections and checking frauds, it will also increase compliance requirements for smaller businesses.

GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST) COUNCIL:

• It has been provided in the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016 that the GST Council, in discharge of various functions, shall be guided by the need for a harmonized structure of GST and for the development of a harmonized national market for goods and services.
• As per Article 279A, the Council will make recommendations to the Union and the States on important issues related to GST, like the goods and services that may be subjected or exempted from GST, model GST Laws, principles that govern Place of Supply, threshold limits, GST rates including the floor rates with bands, special rates for raising additional resources during natural calamities/disasters, special provisions for certain States, etc

GST Council which will be a joint forum of the Centre and the States, shall consist of the following members: –

1. a) Union Finance Minister – Chairperson
2. b) The Union Minister of State, in-charge of Revenue of finance – Member
3. c) The Minister In-charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State Government – Members

Working of council:-

The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016 provides that every decision of the GST Council shall be taken at its meeting by a majority of not less than 3/4th of the weighted votes of the Members present and voting. The vote of the Central Government shall have a weightage of 1/3rd of the votes cast and the votes of all the State Governments taken together shall have a weightage of 2/3rd of the total votes cast in that meeting. One half of the total number of members of the GST Council shall constitute the quorum at its meeting.

The Council is empowered to make recommendations to the Union and the States on the following:-
(a) the taxes, cesses and surcharges levied by the Union, the States and the local bodies which may be subsumed in the goods and services tax
(b) the goods and services that may be subjected to, or exempted from the goods and services tax
(c) model Goods and Services Tax Laws, principles of levy, apportionment of Integrated Goods and Services Tax and the principles that govern the place of supply
(d) the threshold limit of turnover below which goods and services may be exempted from goods and services tax
(e) the rates including floor rates with bands of goods and services tax
(f) any special rate or rates for a specified period, to raise additional resources during any natural calamity or disaster
(g) special provision with respect to the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

(h) the date on which GST shall be levied on petroleum crude, high speed diesel, motor spirit (petrol), natural gas and aviation turbine fuel
(i) any other matter relating to the goods and services tax, as the Council may decide.

5. THAWING PERMAFROST

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT: With rising global temperatures, thawing permafrost is likely to destabilise thousands of industrial sites and linked contaminated areas in the Arctic, which could result in the spread of toxic substances across the region, according to a new study. The study, ‘Thawing permafrost poses environmental threat to thousands of sites with legacy industrial contamination’, was published in the journal Nature Communications.

EXPLANATION:

What is Permafrost?

• Permafrost is essentially any ground that stays frozen 0 degree Celsius or lower for at least two years straight.
• Permafrost can be found both on land and beneath the ocean’s surface. It can be found in locations where the temperature rarely rises above freezing. This indicates that permafrost is common in Arctic locations such as Greenland, Alaska, Russia, China, and Eastern Europe.
• According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), permafrost is composed of “a combination of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice. The soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen all year long.” However, although the ground remains perennially frozen, permafrost regions aren’t always covered with snow.
• As Earth’s climate warms, the permafrost is thawing. That means the ice inside the permafrost melts, leaving behind water and soil. Thawing permafrost can have dramatic impacts on our planet and the things living on it.

Findings of the study:

• Because of the characteristics of permafrost, countries and corporations began building infrastructure on the Arctic’s permafrost. The region witnessed a further expansion of industrial and economic development during the Cold War, it became a centre for resource extraction and military activities. This led to the accumulation of industrial and toxic waste on or in permafrost which was never removed.
• The known industrial waste types in the region include drilling and mining wastes, toxic substances like drilling muds and fluids, mine waste heaps, heavy metals, spilled fuels, and radioactive waste.
• But as the Arctic is getting warmer nearly four times as fast as the rest of the planet due to climate change, permafrost is thawing rapidly, which could destabilise not only the industrial sites but also the contaminated areas.
• And once the destabilisation takes place, toxic substances would be unleashed across the region, threatening numerous species living there and the health of people who depend on them.
• According to the report, current models predict that “a pulse of carbon released” from permafrost to the atmosphere will occur within the next hundred years, if not sooner. It is unknown how much carbon will be released from permafrost in the coming years.

Other consequences of thawing permafrost:

• One of its most dangerous consequences is the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A 2022 report by NASA said, “Arctic permafrost alone holds an estimated 1,700 billion metric tons of carbon, including methane and carbon dioxide. That’s roughly 51 times the amount of carbon the world released as fossil fuel emissions in 2019.”
• A 2022 study by Columbia University observed that thawing permafrost would unleash thousands of dormant viruses and bacteria. Some of these “could be new viruses or ancient ones for which humans lack immunity and cures, or diseases that society has eliminated, such as smallpox or Bubonic plague.
• Furthermore, Plant matter frozen in permafrost does not decay, however, when permafrost thaws, microbes within the dead plant material begin to break down the matter, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

1. SUDAN CRISIS

TAGS: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CONTEXT:  The ongoing fighting is Sudan is forcing thousands to flee. The humanitarian emergency is spreading creating a dangerous security situation in the Sahel region. Despite talks between warring parties, which met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, air strikes were reported in Khartoum amid ongoing fighting.

EXPLANATION:

Background of the conflict:

• When Sudan won independence on New Year’s Day in 1956, two features stood out in the new nation: it was the largest country in Africa, and it was already embroiled in civil war that had erupted several months earlier.
• Sudan has suffered three domestic wars spanning well over 40 years of the country’s 67 years of independence.

Recent issues:

• Violence erupted in mid-April in Sudan between its military, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. The fighting has dashed the country’s hopes for a peaceful transition to a civilian government.
• Rapid Support Force (RSF) forces invaded Merowe town, located 210 kilometres north of the capital resulted in violence. The RSF stated that it retaliated in response to a military attack at one of its bases in South Khartoum. Sudanese foreign ministry declared the RSF a rebel entity and ordered its dissolution. And the agreement between civilians, the military, and paramilitaries intended to reinitiate the democratic transition in Sudan appears to be frozen once more.

What makes this conflict in Sudan so intractable?

• This conflict needs to be considered in terms of three overlapping layers: Local, regional and global. These three layers, which feed through and affect one another, represent various stages of conflict escalation, engagement, and potential resolution.
• And this conflict in Sudan is a prime example of a local conflict that is becoming increasingly intertwined with regional and international power dynamics, making it impossible to find a standalone solution.

Reason of the conflict:

• Sudan has a wide range of ethnic, linguistic and tribal differences. Residents in remote parts of the country feel the elites in Khartoum monopolize the country’s limited resources.
• There is a link between Sudan’s vast landscape, the many different groups that make up the country, and the repeated internal conflicts that have plagued the nation for decades.
• If the Sudanese problem can be divided into three layers, the local level corresponds to the conflict’s primary driver. In essence, this layer is concerned with the issue of who will control Sudan and under what type of political structure. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese National Army, also known as the SAF (Sudanese Armed Force), and General Muhammad Hamdan’ Hemedti, Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary group RSF are allegedly involved in a power struggle that is at the heart of this conflict.
• The second layer at the regional level is about who can have the most significant influence in Sudan and the larger Red Sea region. As Sudan is situated where the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and the Red Sea converge, it is considered valuable by many countries. The strategic location and agricultural resources of Sudan have attracted regional power struggles. Sudan shares its border with seven countries: Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Libya, and Egypt. As all these countries have their own vested interests, the conflict risks getting more interwoven with regional rivalries and power struggles.
• The third layer involves the international power rivalry playing out in the Sudanese crisis. In this layer, Sudan serves as a microcosm for a struggle for regional and international power. Energy-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have long sought to influence Sudan’s politics. Both have made significant investments in sectors including agriculture, where Sudan has tremendous potential, aviation, and ports near the Red Sea coast. Initially, both the Saudis and the UAE have seen Sudan’s transition from al-Bashir’s rule as an opportunity to push back against Islamist influence in the region. However, the interest of both countries diverged, with Saudi Arabia prioritising its national interest vis-a-vis Saudi Vision 2030 over its alliance with the UAE.

Hakki Pikki

More than 181 members of the Hakki Pikki tribal community from Karnataka are stuck in violence-hit Sudan, even as the government is making efforts to bring them back. Who are the Hakki Pikki, and why did so many travel to far-away Sudan?

The Hakki Pikki is a tribe that lives in several states in west and south India, especially near forest areas. Hakki Pikkis (Hakki in Kannada means ‘bird’ and Pikki means ‘catchers’) are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters.

Operation Kaveri

‘Operation Kaveri’, launched to rescue its nationals stranded in crisis-hit Sudan, with the transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force making its final flight to bring 47 passengers home.

India launched Operation Kaveri on April 24 to evacuate its nationals from Sudan, which has witnessed deadly fighting between the country’s army and a paramilitary group.

2. 27^TH MEETING OF FINANCIAL STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

TAGS: GS 2: POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

CONTEXT:  Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister chaired the 27^th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) for the first time after the announcement of the Budget 2023-24.

EXPLANATION:

Meeting concluded with following discussions:

• Regulators should maintain a constant vigil as ensuring ‘financial sector stability is a shared responsibility’ of the regulators. Regulators must take appropriate and timely action to mitigate any vulnerability and strengthen financial stability.
• Regulators should adopt a focused approach to reduce the compliance burden further and ensure a streamlined and efficient regulatory environment.
• The regulators need to be proactive and ensure cyber-security preparedness of the information technology systems to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks, protect sensitive financial data, and maintain overall system integrity, thus safeguarding the stability and resilience of the Indian financial ecosystem.
• Regulators should conduct a special drive to facilitate the settlement of unclaimed deposits and claims in the financial sector across all segments, such as banking deposits, shares and dividends, mutual funds, insurance, etc.
• Action Taken Report on Budget announcements made since 2019 was discussed. A focused approach should be adopted by the regulators to implement the announcements made in the Budget 2023-24, for which timelines were also decided.

About Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) 

• With a view to strengthening and institutionalizing the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development, the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was set up by the Government as the apex level forum in December 2010.
• The Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and its members are Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs; Secretary, Department of Financial Services; Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance; Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India; Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and Chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
• Council monitors macro prudential supervision of the economy, including functioning of large financial conglomerates, and addresses inter-regulatory coordination and financial sector development issues. It also focuses on financial literacy and financial inclusion.

FSDC Sub-Committee:

• The FSDC Sub-committee has also been set up under the chairmanship of Governor, RBI. It meets more often than the full Council.
• All the members of the FSDC are also the members of the Sub-committee. Additionally, all four Deputy Governors of the RBI and Additional Secretary, DEA, in charge of FSDC, are also members of the Sub Committee.

3. PRADHAN MANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA (PMJJBY), PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA (PMSBY) AND ATAL PENSION YOJANA (APY) COMPLETES 8 YEARS OF PROVIDING SECURITY COVER

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPETIVES: SCHEMES

CONTEXT: Three social security (Jan Suraksha) schemes Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) completed 8^th anniversary. PMJJBY achieved more than 16 crore Cumulative Enrolments and PMSBY achieved more than 34 crore Cumulative Enrolments and APY achieved over 5 Crore subscribers.

EXPLANATION:

• The three schemes are dedicated to the welfare of the citizens, recognising the need for securing human life from unforeseen eventualisation and financial uncertainties. In order to ensure that the people from the unorganised section of the country are financially secure, the Government launched two insurance schemes PMJJBY and PMSBY; and also introduced APY to cover the exigencies in the old age.
• In the year 2014, the National Mission for Financial Inclusion was launched with the primary objective of ensuring that every citizen in India has access to banking facilities, financial literacy, and social security coverage.
• Building on this initiative, the Prime Minister introduced three Jan Suraksha schemes in 2015 with the aim of further promoting and advancing financial inclusion in the country.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY):

• Scheme: PMJJBY is a one-year life insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death due to any reason.
• Eligibility: Persons in the age group of 18-50 years having an individual bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme. People who join the scheme before completing 50 years of age can continue to have the risk of life covered up to age of 55 years upon payment of regular premium.
• Benefits: Life cover of Rs. 2 Lakh in case of death due to any reason against a premium of Rs. 436/- per annum.
• Enrolment: Enrolments under the scheme can be done by visiting the branch/ BC point or website of the bank of the account holder or at the post office in case of post office savings bank account. The premium under the scheme is auto debited every year from the subscriber’s bank account based on a one-time mandate from the account holder.
• Achievements: As on 26.04.2023, the cumulative enrolments under the scheme have been more than 16.19 crore and an amount of Rs. 13,290.40 crore has been paid for 6,64,520 claims.

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY):

• Scheme: PMSBY is a one-year accidental insurance scheme renewable from year to year offering coverage for death or disability due to accident.
• Eligibility: Persons in the age group of 18-70 years having an individual bank or a post office account are entitled to enroll under the scheme.
• Benefits: Accidental death cum disability cover of Rs.2 lakh (Rs.1 lakh in case of partial disability) for death or disability due to an accident against a premium of Rs.20/- per annum.
• Enrolment: Enrolment under the scheme can be done by visiting the branch/ BC point or website of the bank of the account holder or at the post office in case of post office savings bank account. The premium under the scheme is auto debited every year from the subscriber’s bank account based on a one-time mandate from the account holder.
• Achievements: As on 26.04.2023, the cumulative enrolments under the scheme have been more than 34.18 crore and an amount of Rs. 2,302.26 crore has been paid for 1,15,951 claims.

Atal Pension Yojana (APY):

• Background: The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was launched to create a universal social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector. It is an initiative of the Government to provide financial security and cover future exigencies for the people in the unorganised sector. APY is administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the overall administrative and institutional architecture of the National Pension System (NPS).
• Eligibility: APY is open to all bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 40 years who are not income tax payers and the contributions differ, based on pension amount chosen.
• Benefits: Subscribers would receive the guaranteed minimum monthly pension of Rs. 1000 or Rs. 2000 or Rs. 3000 or Rs. 4000 or Rs. 5000 after the age of 60 years, based on the contributions made by the subscriber after joining the scheme.
• Disbursement of the Scheme Benefits: The monthly pension is available to the subscriber, and after him to his spouse and after their death, the pension corpus, as accumulated at age 60 of the subscriber, would be returned to the nominee of the subscriber.
• In case of premature death of subscriber (death before 60 years of age), spouse of the subscriber can continue contribution to APY account of the subscriber, for the remaining vesting period, till the original subscriber would have attained the age of 60 years.
• Contribution by Central Government: The minimum pension would be guaranteed by the Government, i.e., if the accumulated corpus based on contributions earns a lower than estimated return on investment and is inadequate to provide the minimum guaranteed pension, the Central Government would fund such inadequacy. Alternatively, if the returns on investment are higher, the subscribers would get enhanced pensionary benefits.
• Payment frequency: Subscribers can make contributions to APY on monthly/ quarterly / half-yearly basis.
• Withdrawal from the Scheme: Subscribers can voluntarily exit from APY subject to certain conditions, on deduction of Government co-contribution and return/interest thereon.
• Achievements: As on 27.04.2023 more than 5 crore individuals have subscribed to the scheme.

4. INDIA’S FIRST UNDERSEA TWIN TUNNELS

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT:  India’s first undersea twin tunnels in south Mumbai are close to completion and is set to open in November 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• Tunnels start near Girgaon (ahead of Marine Drive), extend north under the Arabian Sea, Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and end at Breach Candy’s Priyadarshini Park.
• The 2.07-km tunnels are a part of the Rs 12,721-crore Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) being built by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
• Tunnel will be built between the underground station at Bandra-Kurla Complex and Shilphata in Thane district of Maharashtra thus connecting the two cities.
• National High Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) invited this week bids for the construction of a 21-km-long tunnel, seven kilometres of which will be under the sea, for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor.
• The tunnels, which have a diameter of 12.19 metres, run 17-20 m below sea level. A nearly 1-km stretch lies under the sea. The tunnels hit peak depth at Malabar Hill at 72 m.
• Resembling the shape of the Queen’s Necklace the famous C-shaped Marine Drive promenade the tunnel entry and exit points will have fiberglass facades.
• It is stated that the tunnel will be built using a tunnel boring machine and the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

5. GREEN PORT GUIDELINES “HARIT SAGAR”

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT:  The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways on Wednesday launched the “Harit Sagar” Green Port Guidelines, aimed at achieving zero carbon emissions by promoting eco-friendly practices in port development, operation, and maintenance.

EXPLANATION:

• The ‘Harit Sagar’ Guidelines -2023 provide a comprehensive framework for our Major Ports, empowering them to create a comprehensive action plan aimed at achieving quantifiable reductions in carbon emissions over defined timelines.”
• It emphasizes the use of clean and green energy, such as green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol/ethanol.
• The objective of the guidelines is to minimize waste through reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle to attain zero waste discharge from port operations while promoting monitoring based on Environmental Performance Indicators.
• The guidelines are aimed at minimising waste through Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle to attain zero waste discharge from port operations.
• It also promotes monitoring based on environmental performance indicators.
• It lay emphasis on the use of clean and green energy in port operations, developing port capabilities for storage, handling, and bunkering greener fuels like green hydrogen and green ammonia, among others.
• The guidelines were launched to meet the larger vision of achieving Zero Carbon Emission Goal set by the Ministry.
• Harit Sagar Guidelines – 2023 envisages ecosystem dynamics in port development, operation, and maintenance while aligning with the ’Working with Nature’ concept and minimizing impact on biotic components of harbor ecosystem.

1. SURROGACY LAWS IN INDIA

TAGS: GS 2: SOCIETY

CONTEXT: The government in the Supreme Court has said that same sex couples and live-in partners are not included in surrogacy and assisted reproduction laws to avoid ‘misuse’ and provide children a ‘complete family’. The Union’s Department of Health Research and the Indian Council of Medical Research, in a 131-page affidavit, said the welfare of the child “trumps any notions of equality amongst prospective/intending parents/couples”.

EXPLANATION:

Types of Surrogacy:

• Surrogacy is considered altruistic when the surrogate offers to carry the child of the commissioning couple in her womb purely out of love for them and empathy for their need to have a child.
• Surrogacy is considered commercial when money is paid to the surrogate for her services. Surrogacy law bans commercial surrogacy and makes it a non-bailable and non-compoundable offence to undertake commercial surrogacy. The commission of such an offence invites imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees.

Background:

• Indian Council of Medical Research in 2005 come up with a set of guidelines for the conduct of surrogacy. Later in 2010, the government put more curbs on the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill.

The Surrogacy (Regulation)Act, 2021:

Some of the key features of the Act include the following-

• All the clinics providing the surrogacy treatment and facilities need to be registered under this Act and people practicing in those clinics need to qualify as per the criteria given in this bill.
• Every facility that performs surrogacy treatments must apply for registration within sixty days after the competent authority’s appointment. Every three years, registration must be renewed.
• Commercial surrogacy is prohibited in any form by any surrogacy clinic, gynaecologist, embryologist, or other medical practitioner. Only altruistic surrogacy is permissible under the 2021 Act.
• Eligibility: The Act is restricted to only two categories of people i.e., the intending couple who are legally married and according to the laws of India, and that have a certificate of infertility can use this facility. The intending couple i.e., the couple wanting to have the baby must be legally married in line with the laws of India. The age of the female should be between 25-50 years and that of the male should be 26-55 years. Also, another important condition is that they shouldn’t be having any other adopted or conceived child through surrogacy or naturally.
• As required by the law, the surrogate has to be eligible too. She has to be between 25 and 35 years of age; be married with a child of her own. She should also be a first-time surrogate. Furthermore, a psychiatrist has to certify her as being mentally fit. Any woman cannot be a surrogate mother more than once in her entire lifetime.
• Furthermore, the couple should have an insurance policy for the surrogate mother to cover her medical needs for 36 months from the date of embryo transfer. Once the board validates the couple’s submission, an essentiality certificate is issued to them
• The National/State Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board must provide a ‘Certificate of Essentiality/Infertility’ to an intended couple who has a medical need for surrogacy.

LGBTQIA+ community exclusion:

• In line with the gender bias that still exists in our society, this Act only allows a legally married man and woman in India to get a baby through this method, and thus the non-binary and the same-sex couple are not able to enjoy the parenthood even if they wish to.
• Though in the case ofNavtej Singh v. Union of India, 2018, the Supreme court decriminalized homosexuality, same-sex marriage is still not legal in India hence homosexual couples do not come under the purview of this Act.

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021:

• The Act aims at the regulation and supervision of ART clinics and assisted reproductive technology banks, prevention of misuse, and safe and ethical practice of ART service.
• Every ART clinic and bank is required by the Act to be listed in the National Registry of Banks and Clinics of India. This Registry, which consists of scientific and technical personnel, will serve as a central database for all facilities in India that offer ART treatments.

2. PETERSBERG CLIMATE DIALOGUE (PCD)

TAGS: GS3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT: The Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) is an annual high-level political and international forum that took place from 2 -3 May 2023 ahead of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conferences (Conference of the Parties or COP). The PCD series was co-hosted in Berlin by the German Federal Foreign Office and the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Delegates from 40 countries attended this year’s high-level dialogue series, the 14^th such event.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• The first Petersberg Climate Dialogue, aimed at improving communication between leaders and environmental ministers following the nearly unsuccessful negotiations at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15), was initiated by German politician and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• The meeting took place on April 2–4, 2010 at Hotel Petersberg, located on the hill named “Petersberg” near the German city of Bonn, where the UNFCCC is headquartered.
• In subsequent years, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue conference was held in Berlin.
• PCD aims at strengthening strategic dialogue on just energy transition, global transformation and responses to climate impacts.

Highlights from the summit are as follows:

• The 14th Petersberg Climate Dialogue will bring together high-level representatives from around 40 countries to discuss concrete steps towards overcoming the climate crisis and strengthen confidence both in multilateral climate negotiations and between countries.
• The Dialogue will focus on cross-cutting themes related to the availability and affordability of and access to finance. In particular, participants will discuss implementation of the UNFCCC COP 27 decision on financial support for overcoming loss and damage caused by climate change.
• The focus this year included topics such as climate adaptation, climate finance and dealing with loss and damage, but in particular the first-ever global stocktake.
• Global renewables target: In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the world needs to make sharp cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions. Discussions inititated around a potential global target for renewables at the next climate conference.
• Fossil fuels: Phaseout production or reduce emissions?: COP28 President called on meeting participants to ramp up renewable energy capacity building and phasing out fossil fuel emissions, while phasing up viable, affordable zero-carbon alternatives. He called for a tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 followed by a doubling in 2040.
• On track for $100 billion climate finance: It is found that developed countries are “on good track” to deliver the $100 billion per year they had promised to mobilise by 2020 during the COP15 in 2009.
• Global Stocktake: 2023 is the year for the Global Stocktake, which is essentially a periodic review of global climate action which aims to assess whether current efforts will enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement. This is the first Global Stocktake year since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 and the report has been underway for the past two years. It is set to be released in September of 2023.

India’s stand:

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment said that there was a broader consensus over the need for stronger mitigation and adaptation efforts and for expansion of renewables.
• At the event it was reiterated that recognising the need for support towards Just, Affordable & Inclusive Energy Transition is crucial in the spirit of leaving no one behind.
• While following the clean energy pathway, to protect livelihood of local population and local economy, which depend on the existing energy system, focus on diversifying the economy and creation of new livelihood opportunities are required.

3. CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM (CBAM)

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT: European Union (EU) proposes to introduce a framework for levying a carbon tax on imports of products that rely on non-green or sub-optimally sustainable processes and where carbon emissions are deemed to have not been adequately priced.

EXPLANATION:

• It is also known as Carbon Border Tax which imposes importers and non-EU manufacturers to pay for the carbon emission linked to the goods they sell within EU limits.
• Importers will be required to purchase carbon import certificates/ permits for each metric ton of CO2 brought into the EU through specified goods. The price of certificates could depend on carbon intensity of goods being impo . and carbon price per metric ton which will be the same as domestic carbon price being paid by EU producers.
• The CBAM plans to impose a tariff on a set of carbon-intensive imports, which will have to be paid by EU importers and companies who export such goods to EU countries.
• This Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will begin with an import monitoring mechanism and culminate in the levy of duties as determined from January 2026.
• The EU argues that the CBAM will ensure its climate objectives are not undermined by carbon-intensive imports and spur cleaner production in the rest of the world.

How will the CBAM work?

• The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) plans to impose a tariff on a set of carbon-intensive imports from countries having weaker climate policies.
• The CBAM initially plans to impose a carbon border tax on the most carbon-intensive imports—iron and steel, cement, fertilisers, aluminium and electricity.

• The CBAM will start phasing in from October 2023, if all approvals go through, first requiring importers in the EU to collect data about the number of metric tons of carbon dioxide released during the manufacture of the goods they import.
• The CBAM will be implemented in a phased manner with importers in the EU submitting data about the embedded emissions of their imports in 2023 and start buying certificates for such imports by 2026.
• After that, importers will need to buy a new type of pollution certificate to reflect that discharge at prices aligned with the bloc’s Emissions Trading System. The fee could be partially waived if a carbon tax has already been paid in the country where the goods were the goods were originally manufactured.

Why are developing countries including India opposing it?

• While the EU believes the mechanism is a global solution to the global problem of climate change, trading partners such the United States, China, Russia and developing countries including India, have opposed the measure, describing it as unilateral, “protectionist” and even a trade weapon.
• India has invoked climate justice on the global fora and contends that it places a carbon charge on companies from countries that did not primarily or historically cause climate change.
• According to the Global Trade Research Initiative, the tax will translate into a 20-35% tariff on India’s exports of steel, aluminium and cement, which now attract an MFN duty of less than 3%. As much as 27% of India’s exports of steel, iron and aluminium products, or $8.2 billion, head to the EU.
• It is critical that the Centre reacts with greater alacrity to what may be considered by some as a sophisticated trade barrier doused in ‘greenwashing’ optics, proposed by the EU. Last year, about a third of India’s iron, steel and aluminium exports, for instance, were shipped to EU members. Engineering products, the largest export growth driver in recent years, would be impacted too.

4. ECUADOR SEALED DEBT FOR NATURE SWAPS FOR CONSERVATION OF GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT; GS 1: GEOGRAPHY; PRELIMS: PLACES IN NEWS

CONTEXT: Ecuador sealed the world’s largest “debt-for-nature” swap on record on Tuesday, selling a new “blue bond” that will funnel at least $12 million a year into conservation of the Galapagos Islands, one of the world’s most precious ecosystems.

EXPLANATION:

Background:

• With Ecuador in severe financial peril, the bonds were trading well below face value as investors considered non-repayment to be likely.
• Effectively, Ecuador has now bought its own debt back at a knock-down price via a fresh loan from Credit Suisse.
• And in return, Ecuador’s government had pledged to spend about $18 million annually for two decades on conservation in the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos islands:

• The Galapagos archipelago is located about 1,000 km from continental Ecuador and is composed of 127 islands, islets and rocks, of which 19 are large and 4are inhabited. 97% of the total emerged surface (7,665,100 ha) was declared National Park in 1959. Human settlements are restricted to the remaining 3% in specifically zoned rural and urban areas on four islands (a fifth island only has an airport, tourism dock, fuel containment, and military facilities).
• The islands are surrounded by the Galapagos Marine Reserve which was created in 1986 (70,000 km²) and extended to its current area (133,000 km²) in 1998, making it one of the largest marine reserves in the world.
• These islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’ that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835.
• It is located at the confluence of three ocean currents as a ‘melting pot’ of marine species. Ongoing seismic and volcanic activity reflects the processes that formed the islands. These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many types of finch.
• The remote islands home to some of the most unspoiled nature in the world are a UNESCO world nature heritage site.
• The main threats to the Galapagos are the introduction of invasive species, increased tourism, demographic growth, illegal fishing and governance issues.

Debt for nature swaps:

• It is an initiative of World Wide Fund for Nature implemented through trust funds or foundations specifically set up to channel funding to local biodiversity.
• They are typically a voluntary transaction in which an amount of debt owed by a developing country government is cancelled or reduced by a creditor, in exchange for the debtor making financial commitments to conservation.
• Swaps typically involve countries that are financially distressed and experiencing difficulties in repaying foreign debts. The earnings generated through swaps are often administered by local conservation or environmental trust funds.
• Debt-for-nature swaps have proved successful in Belize, Barbados and the Seychelles in recent years, but Ecuador’s deal is by far the largest to date, cutting the country’s debt by over $1 billion once the $450 million of total conservation spending is taken into account.

5. NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR PREVENTION & CONTROL OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NP-NCD)

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUES

CONTEXT: The existing National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) programme has been renamed National Programme for Prevention & Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) amid widening coverage and expansion.

EXPLANATION:

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has decided to rename the portal which enables population enumeration, risk assessment, and screening for five common NCDs, including hypertension, diabetes, and oral, breast and cervical cancers of the population aged above 30 years.
• Now Schemes subsume all types of NCDs with an addition of diseases to the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease etc.

Status of Non communicable disease:

• India is experiencing a rapid health transition with a rising burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) surpassing the burden of Communicable diseases like water-borne or vector borne diseases, TB, HIV, etc.
• The four major NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes which share four behavioural risk factors – unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and use of tobacco and alcohol.
• Meanwhile, a study ‘India: Health of the Nation’s States – The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative in 2017’ by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) estimated that the proportion of deaths due to NCDs in India have increased from 37.9% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016.
• Non-Communicable Diseases like Cardiovascular diseases, Cancer, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Diabetes, etc. are estimated to account for around 60% of all deaths. NCDs cause considerable loss in potentially productive years of life. Losses due to premature deaths related to heart diseases, stroke and Diabetes are also projected to increase over the years.

Objectives of NP-NCD

• Health promotion through behaviour change with involvement of community, civil society, community based organizations, media etc.
• Opportunistic screening at all levels in the health care delivery system from subcentre and above for early detection of diabetes, hypertension and common cancers.
• Outreach camps are also envisaged.
• To prevent and control chronic non-Communicable diseases, especially Cancer, Diabetes, CVDs and Stroke.
• To build capacity at various levels of health care for prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, IEC/BCC, operational research and rehabilitation.
• To support for diagnosis and cost-effective treatment at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of health care.
• To support for development of database of NCDs through Surveillance System and to monitor NCD morbidity and mortality and risk factors.

The strategies for prevention, control and treatment of NCDs would have following components: 

• Health promotion awareness generation and promotion of healthy lifestyle
• Screening and early detection
• Timely affordable and accurate diagnosis
• Access to affordable treatment
• Rehabilitation

Mechanism of the scheme:

• NP-NCD is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) across the country.
• Under NP-NCD, NCD Cells are being established at National, State and District levels for programme management, and NCD Clinics are being set up at District and CHC levels, to provide services for early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for common NCDs.
• Provision has been made under the programme to provide free diagnostic facilities and drugs for patients attending the NCD clinics. Cardiac Care Units (CCU) are also being set up in identified districts for providing facilities for emergency Cardiac Care. Day Care Centres at the identified districts are setup to provide facilities for Cancer care.

1. LITHIUM RESERVE IN RAJASTHAN

TAGS: GS-3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTEXT:  Months after India found its first ever lithium reserve in Jammu and Kashmir, another reserve of the crucial mineral has been found in Rajasthan’s Degana (Nagaur) by India’s Geological Survey. The new lithium reserve is much bigger than the one found in Jammu and Kashmir.

EXPLANATION:

• Findings: GSI and mining officials have claimed that the amount of Lithium present in these reserves can satisfy 80 percent of India’s total demand. The discovery of these reserves may help in reducing the dependency of India on imports.
• A World Bank study suggests that the demand for critical metals such as lithium (Li) and cobalt is expected to rise by nearly 500% by 2050. While “the global electric vehicle market is projected to reach $823.75 billion by 2030, registering a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.2% from 2021 to 2030,”
• India’s market is projected to register a CAGR of 23.76% by 2028. India is seeking to secure its critical mineral supplies and build self-sufficiency in this sector.
• Lithium is a non-ferrous metal, which is also the softest and lightest metal in the world. Soft enough to be cut with a vegetable knife and light enough to float when put in water. It stores chemical energy and converts it into electrical energy.
• Use of Lithium: Lithium is present in every chargeable electronic and battery-powered gadget in the house today. For this reason, there is a tremendous demand for Lithium around the world. Due to the global demand, it is also called White Gold. Lithium-ion batteries are used in wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles, all of which are crucial in a green economy.
• Lithium Reserve in World: Lithium reserves are concentrated in the lithium triangle in South America i.e Argentina, Bolivia & Chile, with 50% of the deposits concentrated in these regions. Bolivia has highest lithium reserves. China, meanwhile, has the lead over other countries and China controls 75% of Lithium refining.
• India currently imports all of its Li from Australia and Argentina and 70% of its Li-ion cell requirement from China and Hong Kong, the lithium reserves in J&K could boost the domestic battery-manufacturing industry.
• Environmental impacts of Lithium mining: Open-pit-mining, refining, and waste disposal from these processes substantially degrades the environment, including depletes and contaminates waterways and groundwater, diminishes biodiversity, and releases considerable air pollution.

2. ARAB LEAGUE REINSTATED THE MEMBERSHIP OF SYRIA

TAGS: GS-2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT: The Arab League voted to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago, underlining the thawing relations between Damascus and other Arab countries. The decision was taken at a closed-door meeting, attended by foreign ministers from 13 out of 22 member states of the organisation, held in Cairo, Egypt.

EXPLANATION:

• Background: Syria was ousted from the Arab League in 2011 following President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war in the country. The conflict has since killed around half of a million people and displaced about 23 million.
• Reasons for reinstatement: Experts believe these countries have realised they need to end Damascus’ isolation for the stability of West Asia. Moreover, they want some sort of repatriation of refugees back into Syria and a curb on the trade of captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine produced in the country. Another catalyst in Syria’s rehabilitation is the China-brokered re-establishment of diplomatic relations between regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its archenemy, Iran.

About Arab League:

• The Arab League, formally known as the League of Arab States, was established in 1945 with initially just six nations: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Currently, it has 22 member states in Northern Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, which belongs geographically to Asia, who have pledged to cooperate on economic and military affairs, among other issues.
• 22 member states are: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• All member countries together cover an area of 13.15 million km² (8.7% of the world’s inhabitable area). Significant parts are desert regions such as the Sahara and the Rub al-Chali sand desert. With about 456.52 million inhabitants, the area is home to about 5.8 percent of the world population.
• All member states are also members of the OIC, the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation.
• Foundation: The origins of the Arab League go back to the Second World War. Large parts of the founding members belonged to the Ottoman Empire. At the end of the war, the region was to be stabilized and its independence secured. On October 7, 1944, a “Protocol of Alexandria” was signed as a loose union. After elaborating on the ideas, the Arab League was founded the following year on 11 May 1945. The first member states were the kingdoms of Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as well as Lebanon, Syria and the then Emirate of Transjordan.
• Aim: The aims of the Arab League were very similar to those of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The aims of the league in 1945 were to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of its members and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties.
• Administration: The chairmanship is elected every five years, but the seat of the Arab League has been in Cairo (Egypt) since the beginning. Other sub-organizations are:
• the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)
• Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
• Arab Economic Development Bank (BADEA)
• Arab Air Carriers Organization

3. FIVE MORE CHEETAH TO BE INTRODUCED IN KUNO NATIONAL PARK

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT; PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

CONTEXT: Five more cheetahs, three females and two males will be released from acclimatisation camps into free-ranging conditions at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) before the onset of the monsoon in June 2023.

EXPLANATION:

• Background: Eight cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa were transported to India between September 2022 and February 2023 as part of an initiative to reintroduce the species to India, where it had gone extinct in the early 1950s. eight African cheetahs were brought to India today from Namibia as a part of Project Cheetah, the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project

About Cheetah:

• Being a top carnivore, the cheetahis a major evolutionary force that shapes ecosystem functions and enhances species diversity. Their prey base includes ungulates like chital, Sambar deer, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkara, blackbuck and wild boar.
• Cheetah is found only in arid region of eastern Iran in Asia and in Africa. It is found in isolated population in grassland and open forest areas.
• African Cheetah and Asiatic Cheetah:

African Cheetah

African Cheetahs are much larger in population and listed as Vulnerable in the (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species

The African cheetah is spread out across Africa from Northwest Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa. With a bigger territory, the African cheetahs have the highest populations compared to their Asiatic counterparts

African cheetahs, on the other hand, have a slightly bigger build with sturdier legs and necks. Their heads are also bigger compared side by side with the Asiatic cheetahs. An adult African cheetah can reach 84 inches in length and can weigh up to 159 pounds

Asiatic Cheetah

Asiatic Cheetahs have a very small population base and are listed as critically endangered species in the (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

On the other hand, Asiatic Cheetahs are only found in a small region between Iran and Pakistan. Asiatic cheetahs once roamed the whole expanse of the central Asian continent from India to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but with their numbers reduced, it is hard for them to be sighted outside Iran

The Asiatic cheetah is slightly smaller and slender than the African cheetah. The neck is much smaller and longer. Their legs are also slender, which has led many to believe that they could be much faster than their African cousins. However, no data is available to confirm. An Asiatic cheetah adult grows to about 53 inches in length with a 33-inch tail and can weigh up to 119 pounds

Why Cheetahs Got Extinct in India?

• The species was declared extinct in India in 1952 primarily due to hunting and habitat loss. In 1947, the last three recorded cheetahs in India were killed by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Korea in Madhya Pradesh.
• Cheetahs were frequently used by the hunters to course blackbuck. They were relatively easy to tame and trained for sport-hunting.
• Under British rule, to develop settlements and agricultural fields, forests were cleared and it resulted in losing the habitats for the species. Moreover, there is evidence to prove that Britishers considered the animals ‘vermins’ (harmful to crops, farm animals, or game, or which carry disease) and they started distributing monetary rewards for killing them from 1871 onwards.

Project Cheetah:

• India then committed to returning cheetahs in several locations including Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park where the staff have been trained, several dogs have been made specialised, facilities have been upgraded and large predators have been moved away.
• In July 2020, India and Namibia signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) stating Namibia’s agreement to donate eight individuals to India as an initial part to launch the programme.

Kuno-Palpur National Park:

• Kuno Palpur National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh, Sheopur and Morena Districts, first established in 1981 as a wildlife sanctuary, and later in 2018 as a national park, is a part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• Kuno’s geography consists of vast grasslands, open forest patches and hills, perfect for the big cat.
• Some of the main fauna of the park are the Indian leopard, sloth bear, jungle cat, Indian wolf, striped hyena, Bengal fox and many more. Some of the birds found here are Honey badger, ruddy mongoose, Indian grey mongoose, Indian hare etc.
• In 2009, it became a possible site to reintroduce cheetah in Madhya Pradesh. Kuno National Park is selected for the new home for the eight cheetahs as geographically it is located very close to the Sal forests of Koriya, where the native cheetahs were last spotted about seven decades ago.

4. RIVER CITIES ALLIANCE

TAGS: GS 3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) organized the ‘River-Cities Alliance (RCA) Global Seminar: Partnership for Building International River-Sensitive Cities’. The purpose of the RCA Global Seminar was to provide a platform for officials of member cities and international stakeholders to discuss and learn good practices for managing urban rivers.

EXPLANATION:

• Background: The Government of India is working extensively to rejuvenate the twenty river basins in the country. In 2014-15, the Namami Gange Mission was launched as a Flagship Initiative for the protection, conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga River Basin. Guided by a holistic river basin centric approach, the focus is on the riverine ecosystem, including components such as pollution abatement, solid and liquid waste management, biodiversity, afforestation, wetland conservation, groundwater management, etc.
• Namami Gange Mission recognizes that integrated river basin management needs to be interwoven with economic growth and urban transformations. Efforts are being made to engage city governments in this collective responsibility of river rejuvenation and economical gains with the stretch of river flowing through or near their boundaries. This is in alignment with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India’s clarion call for “need for new thinking for river cities. Cities should be responsible for rejuvenating their rivers. It has to be done not just with the regulatory mind set but also with developmental and faciliatory outlook.”

The River Cities Alliance (RCA):

• It is a joint initiative of the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) & the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), with a vision to connect river cities and focus on sustainable river centric development.
• Beginning with 30 member cities in November 2021, the Alliance has expanded to 109 river cities across India and one international member city from Denmark.
• River Cities Alliance (RCA) was launched as a dedicated platform for river cities in India to ideate, discuss and exchange information for sustainable management of urban rivers.
• NMCG, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and key partners provide dedicated technical and handholding support to the 107 member cities of the RCA, as they implement interventions for river-sensitive development.
• Mechanism of RCA: The Governance Mechanism of the RCA has been envisaged as a city-led movement for promulgating river-sensitive planning and development. Hence, the agenda and operations for RCA are determined by the member cities. The activities being undertaken are in three broad areas:
  Networking: Organizing annual river summit; facilitating exchange of official visits for member cities; and publishing a bi-monthly newsletter
  B. Capacity Building: Conducting certification training programmes for officials of member cities; annual calendar of events; and organizing webinars and expert talk.
  C. Technical Support: River-sensitive urban planning and interventions; Innovations in urban river management; river linked economy and rejuvenation of urban water bodies.

RCA- DHARA 2023(Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers)

• DHARA 2023 featured key sessions on international best practices and examples for urban river management.
• DHARA 2023 was aimed to inspire members of the RCA to engage in progressive actions for urban river management in their cities.
• It will help helped in developing a compendium of technological solutions that cities may adopt for enhancing the management of their local rivers.

5. ISSUE OF DRUG RECALL

TAGS: GS 2: HEALTH ISSUE

CONTEXT: In a rare occurrence, Abbot, a multinational pharmaceutical company, published a public notice in newspapers alerting people about a mislabelled batch of medicine that it had inadvertently shipped to the market. While such recalls take place regularly in the U.S., including by Indian companies, it has never been witnessed that domestic or foreign pharmaceutical companies recall substandard or mislabelled drugs in India.

EXPLANATION:

• A drug recall occurs when a prescription or over-the-counter medicine is removed from the market because it is found to be either defective or potentially harmful.

Background:

• In 2012, after a scathing report by the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare raised the issue of recalls, among other issues, the CDSCO proposed a set of draft recall guidelines except the national regulator lacks the power to convert guidelines into a binding law.
• Only the Ministry of Health or, more importantly, the Drug Regulation Section of the Ministry, can initiate the process to make binding rules or legislation. The then Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had announced that the guidelines would become binding law in a few months, but that never happened. In any event, the guidelines were not very thorough.
• The issue of recalls resurfaced in 2016 at meetings of the DCC and at another committee, called the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB). Nothing changed on the ground. The same issue came up again in 2018 and 2019 at the meetings of the DCC, but India still lacks a recall law, 46 years on.

Reasons for lack of effective recall mechanism:

• Drug Regulation Section of the Union health ministry is simply not up to the task of tackling complex drug regulatory issues due to a combination of different factors including apathy, lack of expertise in the area, and a greater interest in enabling the growth of the pharmaceutical industry than protecting public health.
• The second possible factor is India’s highly fragmented regulatory structure, with each state having its own drug regulator. But despite the fragmentation, drugs manufactured in one state can seamlessly cross borders to be sold in all states around the country.
• The third possible factor is that India’s drug regulators are aware of the fact that a mandatory drug recall system, which necessarily has to be centred on a system of wide publicity, will bring to public attention to the rotten state of affairs in India’s pharmaceutical industry.

Drug Regulation in India:

• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India.
• Its headquarter is located at New Delhi and also has six zonal offices,four sub zonal offices, thirteen Port offices and seven laboratories spread across the country.
• The Drugs & Cosmetics Act,1940 and rules 1945 have entrusted various responsibilities to central & state regulators for regulation of drugs & cosmetics. It envisages uniform implementation of the provisions of the Act & Rules made there under for ensuring the safety, rights and well being of the patients by regulating the drugs and cosmetics.
• CDSCO is constantly thriving upon to bring out transparency, accountability and uniformity in its services in order to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of the medical product manufactured, imported and distributed in the country.
• Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• The government has notified the DPCO 2013 under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, which gives power to the NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA )to regulate prices of 348 essential drugs along with their specified strengths and dosages under National List of Essential Medicines . As per the DPCO 2013, “Scheduled formulation” means any formulation, included in the First Schedule whether referred to by generic versions or brand name. “Nonscheduled formulation” has been defined as a formulation, the dosage and strengths of which are not specified in the First Schedule.

 1. INDIA’S FIRST NATIONAL WATER BODY CENSUS

TAGS: GS-3: ENVIRONMENT

CONTEXT: Ministry of Jal Shakti has released the report of India’s first water bodies census, a comprehensive data base of ponds, tanks, lakes, and reservoirs in the country.

EXPLANATION:

• Definition of Water Bodies: First Census Report considers “all natural or man-made units bounded on all sides with some or no masonry work used for storing water for irrigation or other purposes (e.g. industrial, pisciculture, domestic/ drinking, recreation, religious, ground water recharge etc.)” as water bodies.
• Objective: The census’s objective was to develop a national database with information on the size, purpose, ownership, status, and conditions of water bodies. It covered all natural and human-made units bounded on all sides for storing water, irrespective of condition or use.
• Findings: As per the report, West Bengal’s South 24 Pargana has been ranked as the district having the highest (3.55 lakh) number of water bodies across the country. The district is followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Ananthapur (50,537) and West Bengal’s Howrah (37,301).
• Exclusion of Seven specific types of water bodies from the count. They were: 1) oceans and lagoons; 2) rivers, streams, springs, waterfalls, canals, etc. which are free flowing, without any bounded storage of water; 3) swimming pools; 4) covered water tanks created for a specific purpose by a family or household for their own consumption; 5) a water tank constructed by a factory owner for consumption of water as raw material or consumable; 6) temporary water bodies created by digging for mining, brick kilns, and construction activities, which may get filled during the rainy season; and 7) pucca open water tanks created only for cattle to drink water.
• Methodology to collect census data: According to the report, “traditional methodology, i.e., paper-based schedules, were canvassed both for rural and urban areas. A “village schedule”, “urban schedule” and “water body schedule” were canvassed, and a smart phone was used to “capture latitude, longitude and photo of water bodies”.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/water-census-ministry-jal-shakti-findings-analysis/article66822865.ece

2. CYCLONE MOCHA BUILDING OVER BAY OF BENGAL

TAGS: GS1: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
CONTEXT: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that a cyclonic or low-pressure area is developing in the Bay of Bengal and can lead to high rainfall in the next few days in the region, from May 8 to May 12. It also said that the weather system was likely to form a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal around May 9, and then intensify into a cyclonic storm.

EXPLANATION:

• A cyclone is a low-pressure system that forms over warm waters. Usually, a high temperature anywhere means the existence of low-pressure air, and a low temperature means high-pressure wind.
• Formation of cyclones: When warm and humid air rises and cools, the water in the air turns into clouds. As ocean heat and water evaporate from the surface of the ocean, the entire system of clouds and winds rotates and rises. As the air system spins at increasing speed, an eye forms in the middle. The center of the storm is very calm and clear. The difference in temperature between the warm and rising atmosphere causes the air to rise up and become more energetic.
• Naming of cyclones: Cyclones that form in every ocean basin across the world are named by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). There are six RSMCs in the world, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and five Cyclone Mocha’s name is suggested by Yemen and the name originates from the city of Mocha in Yemen, which is located on the Red Sea coast.
• Local names of cyclones:
• Typhoons – South China Sea and Western Pacific Ocean
• Tropical Cyclones – Indian Ocean
• Hurricanes -Caribbean Sea
• Wily Willies – Western Australia
• Baguio- Philippines
• Taifu- Japan
• Cyclone warning system in India: The Meteorological Department of India is the nodal agency in India responsible for weather monitoring, weather forecasting, and seismology. The Cyclone Warning Center (ACWC) predicts a storm area in the Bay of Bengal and the Cyclone Warning Center (CWC) in the Arabian Sea. The ACWC and CWC sent their reports to the coordinating center, National Cyclone Warning Center (NCWC).

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-climate/imd-cyclone-mocha-formation-details-explained-859653

3. ISRO’S SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARENESS TRAINING (START)

TAGS: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced a new introductory-level online training programme called Space Science and Technology Awareness Training (START).

EXPLANATION:

• The START programme is part of the ISRO’s efforts to enable Indian students to become professionals in Space Science and Technology, as the organisation’s Space Science exploration programme continues to expand into new domains.
• The programme is intended to provide students with an introductory-level training in Space Science and Technology, giving them an overview of different facets of the field, research opportunities, and career options.
• Aim: START is aimed at postgraduate and final-year undergraduate students of Physical Sciences and Technology. The programme will cover various domains of Space Science, including Astronomy and Astrophysics, Heliophysics and Sun-Earth interaction, Instrumentation, and Aeronomy. It will be delivered by scientists from Indian academia and ISRO centres.
• The training will also emphasise the cross-disciplinary nature of Space Science, giving students insights into how the individual aptitudes can be applied to the field.
• The START programme is part of ISRO’s efforts to enable Indian students to become professionals in space science and technology, as the organization’s space science exploration program continues to expand into new domains. The programme is expected to help build a human capacity that will lead space science and research in the future.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/isro-to-start-online-training-programme-for-pg-and-and-final-year-ug-students/article66823617.ece

4. MANIPUR VIOLENCE

TAGS: GS 2: EMERGENCY PROVISIONS, ST STATUS, SPECIAL STATUS OF MANIPUR
CONTEXT: Violent protests have erupted in Manipur over the Indian state’s decision to grant a Scheduled Tribe (ST) tag to the Meitei community. Stoking historic tensions, the move has been met with suspicion by Nagas and Kukis, who dominate the state’s population and live in rural areas surrounding the fertile Imphal Valley, home to around 53% of the population. The controversial eviction of local farmers from reserved forests triggered initial opposition, while residents’ frustration mounted at a growing sense of dislocation from the state’s political decisions.

EXPLANATION:

• Issue of the violence: The escalation in violence in Manipur has its roots in an over 10-year-old demand by the Meitei community for a Scheduled Tribe tag. The immediate reason for this violence, however, is a Manipur High Court order directing the state government to recommend to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry by May 29, an ST tag for the community. The petitioners have argued that this community had once enjoyed the ST tag prior to the merger of Manipur with the Indian Union and have sought the restoration of this status.
• On May 4, as the violence escalated, the Centre invoked Article 355 of the Constitution, which is a part of emergency provisions. It empowers the Centre to take necessary steps to protect a State against external aggression or internal disturbances.

Scheduled Tribe status:

• According to the modalities for inclusion first framed in 1999, the proposal for inclusion must originate from the respective State or Union Territory government.
• Following this, the proposal is sent to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry, which sends it to the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI). If the ORGI approves the inclusion, the proposal is forwarded to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
• Only after the concurrence of these institutions, will the proposal go forward to the Cabinet to bring in the appropriate amendment to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

Article 371:

• It was added in the constitution by 27^th Amendment Act of 1971.
• Under this, the President is authorised to provide for the creation of a committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly consisting of members elected from the Hill Areas of the State.  The expression ‘Hill Areas’ means such areas as the President may, by order, declare to be Hill Areas.
• Governor shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Hill Areas in the State of Manipur and the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to the State as to the administration of the said areas.

Emergency provisions:

• It is a part of emergency provisions contained in Part XVIII of the Constitution of India, from Article 352 to 360.
• Article 355 is found in part XVIII of the Indian constitution which contains emergency provisions that are meant to be used in extremely rare circumstances.
• Article 355 States that it shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
• This section of the constitution empowers the Union government to declare a state of emergency (through Article 352) or, in other cases, President’s Rule in a particular state of the Union (through Article 356).

https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/why-manipur-violence-is-different-northeast-history-8595766/

5. WOMEN IN THE DEFENCE FORCES OF INDIA

Tags: GS 1: SOCIETY
Context: Continuing the policies of recent years that have been aimed at improving the availability of opportunities for women in the defence forces of India, the Union Ministry of Defence is planning to further increase the participation of women in next year’s Republic Day parade.

EXPLANATION:

• An office memorandum issued stated the Republic Day Parade 2024 will have “only women participants” in contingents marching and band tableaux and other performances during the parade at Kartavya Path.
• In 2015, For the first time in the country’s history, an all-women contingent from the three forces Army, Air Force and Navy marched down the path between India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Women in the Indian Army:

• The Indian Army began inducting women in 1992. They were commissioned for a period of five years in certain chosen streams such as Army Education Corps, Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps and Corps of Engineers.
• Combat role in the Indian Army has for long been an exclusive domain for men. Supreme Court judgment has finally accepted gender parity in the Armed by allowing women officers in command positions.
• The Army is yet to open core combat arms like infantry, mechanised infantry, and armoured corps for women, even as it has recently inducted five women officers in the Regiment of Artillery, which is a combat support arm.
• Consequent to grant of Permanent Commission to Women Officers (WOs), a gender neutral Career Progression policy covering employment and promotional aspects was promulgated on 23.11.2021, providing equal opportunities to women officers in the Arms/Services where they are commissioned.

Women in the Indian Air Force:

• Women officers are inducted in all branches and streams of Indian Air Force. Gender neutral approach is facilitating the employment of women officers of Indian Air Force in all combat roles without any restrictions. They are flying fighter aircraft and operating from the length and breadth of the country in all branches of the IAF with pride.
• At present, women are serving in Officer’s cadre only in the Indian Air Force (IAF).  The strength of women officers, as on March 01, 2023, in the IAF (excluding Medical and Dental branches) is 1,636.
• Women officers are empowered to tenate key appointments including Commanding Officers in Combat Units of various field units. The rules in this regard are gender neutral and provide them equal opportunities. Their medical fitness and medical conditions are also factored prior to their effective utilization.

Women in the Indian Navy:

• As on date, women are employed in the Indian Navy in the officer’s rank. The strength of women officers in the Indian Navy, as on March 09, 2023, is 748 including Medical and Dental officers.
• Permanent Commission to Women Officers: SSC women officers in the Indian Navy are eligible for consideration towards grant of Permanent Commission. As on date, 59 women officers (excluding Medical and Dental officers) have been granted PC.
• Entry of Women into NDA: Entry of women candidates into NDA has been permitted from 2022 wherein women officers are being inducted as PC officers. Three vacancies per batch have been allocated at NDA for women candidates of Navy and the first batch has joined in July 2022.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/women-india-republic-day-parade-explained-8596861/