THE ART AND CULTURE

1. MARTAND SUN TEMPLE

THE CONTEXT: The Sun Temple Martand in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag saw a flurry of activity on May 7 as over a hundred devotees thronged the premises to observe Shankara Jayanti (the birth anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya). This was celebrated for the first time since the temple was declared a “site of national importance” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The temple is said to have been built in the 8th century, but attempts were made to destroy it several times between 1389 and 1413.
• It is believed that Hindu ruler Lalitaditya had built the Martand Surya Temple in honor of the Sun God or Bhaskar in the 8th century AD.
• Lalitaditya was a Surya (Sun) Dynasty Kshatriya. The temple’s style of construction and the expertise displayed in it was unprecedented in world history.
• The Vastu science of architecture has been employed, and the building is designed so that the Sun’s rays fall on the Surya idol throughout the day.
• Though the cities, towns, and ruins of Lalitaditya’s era are not easily located, the remnants of the large Martand temple, which the emperor had built at the pilgrimage site of the same name, are an example of the expertise of the Kashmiri Hindu builders of ancient times.

VALUE ADDITION Other Important Sun Temples in India 1.      Modhera Surya temple, Gujarat 2.      Martand Sun temple, Kashmir 3.      Katarmal Sun Temple, Uttarakhand 4.      Dakshinarkaa temple Gaya, Bihar 5.      Bhramanya temple, Unao, Madhya Pradesh 6.      Surya Prahaar temple, Assam 7.      SuryanarKovil Temple at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu 8.      Suryanarayana temple at Arasavalli, Andhra Pradesh

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

2. PMJJBY, PMSBY & APY COMPLETE SEVEN YEARS OF PROVIDING SOCIAL SECURITY NET

THE CONTEXT: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMSBY), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) on Monday complete seven years of providing social security net.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The schemes were launched by Prime Minister on 9th May 2015 in Kolkata, West Bengal. These schemes have been successful in providing affordable insurance and security to people.
• These three social security schemes are dedicated to the welfare of the citizens, recognizing the need for securing human life from unforeseen risks or losses and financial uncertainties.
• In order to ensure that the people from the unorganized section of the country are financially secure, the Government launched two insurance schemes – Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and introduced Atal Pension Yojana to cover the exigencies in the old age.
• While the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana provide access to low-cost life or accidental insurance cover to the people, the Atal Pension Yojana provides an opportunity for saving in the present to get a regular pension in old age.
• As of 27th of last month, the cumulative enrolments under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana have been more than 12.76 crore and an amount of 11 thousand 522 crore has been paid for over 5 lakh 76 thousand claims.
• The cumulative enrolments under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana have been more than 28.37 crore and an amount of one thousand 930 crore rupees has been paid for over 97 thousand claims. More than 4 crore individuals have subscribed to Atal Pension Yojana.

3. UNION GOVT REVISES ITS OWN STAND ON MINORITY STATUS FOR HINDUS

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Minority Affairs has superseded its earlier affidavit and claimed that the Union government has the power to notify minorities, not states, but that wide consultations are needed.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Union government has superseded its own affidavit to the Supreme Court in which it said that states had the ability to take a call on conferring minority status to any religious or linguistic community, including Hindus.
• In a fresh affidavit filed through the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs on Monday, May 9, it has claimed that the Union government has the power to notify minorities.
• However, it adds that a decision in this regard can only be taken by the Union government after “wide consultations with state governments and other stakeholders” to avoid “unintended complications in the future.”
• The government had filed the earlier affidavit after the Supreme Court sought its response in a plea that sought directions for framing of guidelines identifying minorities at the state level. The plea contended that Hindus are in a ‘minority’ in six states and three Union Territories of India but were allegedly not able to avail themselves of the benefits of schemes meant for minorities.
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs had said: “It is submitted that the State governments can also declare a religious or linguistic community as a minority community within the said state.”
• For instance, the Maharashtra government has notified ‘Jews’ as a minority community within the state. Moreover, the Karnataka government has notified Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Tulu, Lamani, Hindi, Konkani and Gujarati languages as minority languages within the state of Karnataka,”.
• Minority status is sought for Hinduism, Bahaism and Judaism in states like Mizoram, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Union Territories of Ladakh and Lakshadweep.
• The apex court had earlier allowed a plea seeking transfer of cases from several high courts to it against the Union government’s notification to declare five communities – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis – as minorities and tagged the matter with the main petition.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. CYCLONE ASANI HITS PARTS OF BENGAL

THE CONTEXT: According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)Cyclone Asani has intensified into a ‘severe cyclone’.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Severe cyclonic storm Asani is over west-central region and adjoining southwest region of the Bay of Bengal. The department earlier said it was about 590km southwest of Puri and about 510km south-southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.
• Though it is unlikely to make landfall, the weather agency said it would pass through coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh-Odisha in the next two days.
• The name Cyclone Asani has been given by Sri Lanka. It means ‘wrath’ in Sinhalese.
• Cyclones that Hit India in 2020-21: Tauktae, Yaas, Nisarga, Amphan.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. UK INDIA INDUSTRY TASK FORCE

THE CONTEXT: A new UK India Industry Task force, a joint commission to increase cross-industry collaboration and push the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) over the line, was launched on 9^th May.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have created the new task force as part of a memorandum of understanding to provide a “critical forum” for discussion to ensure the FTA works to the benefit of businesses in both countries.
• The joint commission is designed to provide oversight and meet ahead of key milestones to reflect views on trade-offs, breakdown barriers to market access and help feed in on-the-ground business intelligence at a ministerial level in India and the UK.
• “A free trade agreement with the world’s fastest growing economy is now within touching distance, and to clinch that deal a focus on lowering barriers to trade is now essential.
• For example, on renewables, we have an opportunity to export UK’s expertise in clean tech. A deal has the potential to drastically lower tariffs on wind turbines parts that are currently as high as 15 per cent.
• The negotiating teams have since completed the third round of talks in New Delhi, with a focus on reducing the barriers to trade, cutting tariffs, and supporting firms to export.
• According to the CBI, reducing tariffs on green exports such as solar, onshore, and offshore wind, could open up new opportunities for companies in India, with an FTA with India expected to nearly double UK exports to India.
• A trade deal is also expected to boost Britain’s total trade by as much as 28 billion pounds (USD 34 billion) a year by 2035 and increase wages across the UK regions by 3 billion pounds (USD 3.6 billion), according to industry estimates.
• This partnership is an opportunity to address shared concerns, identify common interests and foster greater understanding and to develop capacity to address the issues of economic and global concerns.
• The collaboration between CII and CBI will cover joint efforts in specific areas such as advancing technology and digitalisation, climate change and sustainability, multilateral collaboration, alignment on FTA and education.
• Between them, the two industry organisations say they represent over 300,000 businesses of all sizes across both countries.

6. PROCUREMENT OF WHEAT IS SET TO HIT A 15-YEAR LOW THIS SEASON

THE CONTEXT: From an all-time high last year, procurement of wheat is set to hit a 15-year low this season, falling below existing stocks for the first time.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 18.5 million tonnes (mt) likely procurement this time — farmers mostly sell from April to mid-May, although government wheat purchases technically extends until June and the marketing season until the following March — will be the lowest since the 11.1 mt bought in 2007-08.
• Moreover, this would be the first time that wheat procured from the new crop (18.5 mt) is less than the public stocks at the start of the marketing season (19 mt). As the table shows, fresh procurement has always exceeded the opening balance stocks. It was so even during the previous two low procurement years of 2006-07 and 2007-08.
• This year would be an exception and in sharp contrast to 2021-22, which had unprecedented levels of both opening stocks (27.3 mt) and procurement (43.3 mt).

WHY HAS IT FALLEN?

There are two main reasons for procurement plunging to a 15-year-low this time.

• The first is export demand.
• In 2021-22, India exported a record 7.8 mt of wheat. Supply disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war – the two countries account for over 28% of global wheat exports – have led to skyrocketing prices and a further increase in demand for Indian grain.
• Indian wheat getting exported at about $350 or Rs 27,000 per tonne free-on-board (i.e. at the point of shipping), farmers are realising well above the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 20,150/tonne at which government is procuring.
• This is even after deducting various costs – from bagging and loading at the purchase point, to transport and handling at the port. These would add up to Rs 4,500-6,000 per tonne, depending on the distance from the wholesale mandi to the port.

• The second reason is lower production.In mid-February, the Union Agriculture Ministry estimated the size of India’s 2021-22 crop (marketed during 2022-23) at 111.32 mt, surpassing even the previous year’s high of 109.59 mt. But the sudden spike in temperatures from the second half of March — when the crop was in grain-filling stage, with the kernels still accumulating starch, protein and other dry matter — has taken a toll on yields.
• In most wheat-growing areas — barring Madhya Pradesh, where the crop is harvest-ready by mid-March — farmers have reported a 15-20% decline in per-acre yields.
• A smaller crop, in combination with export demand, has resulted in open market prices of wheat crossing the MSP in many parts of India.
• The shorter the distance to the ports, the higher the premium that exporter/traders have paid over the MSP.
• Even in Punjab and Haryana — where the state governments charge up to 6% market levies, compared to 0.5-1.6% in MP, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan — flour millers have paid farmers Rs 50-100 above the MSP of Rs 20,150 per tonne.
• Traders and millers aren’t the only ones stocking up in anticipation of prices going up further. Many farmers, especially the more entrepreneurial/better-off sections among them, are also holding back their crop.
• Such “hoarding” by farmers was seen in the recent past in soyabean and cotton, too, again driven by soaring international prices.

IMPLICATIONS:

• With opening stocks of 19 mt and expected procurement of 18.5 mt, government agencies would have 37.5 mt of wheat available for 2022-23. Not all this, however, can be sold, as a minimum operational stock-cum-strategic reserve has to be maintained.
• The normative buffer or closing stock requirement for March 31 is 7.5 mt. Providing for that will leave 30 mt available for sale from government godowns this fiscal.
• That quantity should suffice for the public distribution system, midday meals and other regular welfare schemes, whose annual wheat requirement is around 26 mt. But the last two years have also witnessed substantial off take under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme (10.3 mt in 2020-21 and 19.9 mt in 2021-22) and open market sales to flour mills (2.5 mt and 7.1 mt, respectively).
• There’s clearly not enough wheat for these, which explains the Centre’s recent decision to slash allocation under the PMGKAY from 10.9 mt to 5.4 mt for April-September 2022. Meeting even this requirement may not be easy, leave alone supplying to millers and other bulk consumers to moderate open market prices during the lean months after October.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

7. WHY SOUTH AFRICA’S FIFTH COVID WAVE IS DIFFERENT

THE CONTEXT: South Africa has entered the fifth wave but it’s very different to omicron BA.1

THE EXPLANATION:

• Those who are unvaccinated and whose only protection is from a previous infection of the original omicron variant are susceptible to the BA.4 and BA.5.
• 4 and BA.5 can easily break the immunity that was conferred by the earlier omicron variants such as BA.1 and BA.2.
• There is an evolutionary progression in variants as we go from BA.1 to BA.2 through to BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 all the way to BA.4 and BA.5. Some people have observed that these sub-variants have become more infectious whilst the disease remains relatively mild.
• Many of the people who get infected by BA.4 and BA.5 remain asymptomatic but when there are symptoms, they are very mild.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 10th MAY 2022

Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Cyclone ‘Asani’ originated in May 2022 in Bay of Bengal.
2. Name of the cyclone was given by Sri Lanka.
3. It made landfall along the coast of Odisha state.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

 ANSWER FOR THE 8 & 9TH MAY

Answer: B

Explanation:

1. Rakhigarhi– Haryana
2. Dholavira – Gujarat
3. Alamgir– Uttar Pradesh