Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Quad needs naval heft
The article suggests projection of naval power to ensure the stability in the Indian Ocean.
Quad conducts Malabar exercise
- In November, the Quad converged to continue the Malabar series, with a total of just eight ships.
- The idea of Quad is to form a grouping of democratic nations in the Indian Ocean, and use naval power to convey a message to Beijing.
- The message a grouping of eight ships would convey to a nation thinking in terms of five aircraft carriers remains would not be taken seriously.
Importance of naval power in ensuring oceanic stability
- There is no substitute for naval power to ensure oceanic stability, but one alternative lies in the area of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).
- Perhaps, some thought may already have been given to MDA in the twin agreement to BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement), and Maritime Information Sharing Technical Agreement (MISTA) signed between India and the US.
- There is little information available in the public domain about MISTA.
- But MISTA should cover an omnibus agreement for Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) operating and information sharing for the entire Indo-Pacific.
- The Pacific has a high density of MPA assets, while they are sparse in the Indian Ocean, particularly the western Indian Ocean.
- The Australians can cover the Malacca Straits, but for the west Indian Ocean, the US will probably have to base a squadron of P-8 aircraft at Masirah or Diego Garcia.
- Today, the primary weapon system of most warships is the surface-to-surface missile, with ranges of up to 200 km.
- The ships’ sensor range is only up to 100 km.
- So, accurate target information has to be supplied beyond 100 km by aircraft or helicopters in what is called Over the Horizon Targeting (OTHT).
- With the Indo-Pacific fully covered by the MPAs of the Quad, a PLAN ship in the Indian Ocean is in imminent danger of being sunk at will
Conclusion
A public announcement of a division of the Indo-Pacific into areas of responsibility for MDA, between members of the Quad will send an unmistakable signal to Beijing. With a desultory Quad naval exercise, once a year of a few ships, Beijing will only be amused that a “threat” exists to its ambition to become a global power.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Food Security Act 2013
Mains level: Paper 3- Food Security
The article takes stock of the food insecurity and malnutrition in India with the aid of two recently published reports.
Reports about food security in India
- Two recent reports — “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020” by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the 2020 Hunger report, “Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow” by the Bread for the World Institute – document staggering facts about Indian food insecurity and malnutrition.
- The reports use two globally recognised indicators, Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) and the Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (PMSFI).
- Using these indicators, the reports indicate India to be one of the most food-insecure countries, with the highest rates of stunting and wasting among other South Asian countries.
Comparing rate of reduction in malnutrition with neighbouring countries
- Malnutrition in India has not declined as much as the decline has occurred in terms of poverty.
- On the contrary, the reduction is found to be much lower than in neighbouring China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
- The decline in China is way higher than that of India, even though it had started with lower levels of PoU in 2000.
Food security during pandemic and National Food Security Act 2013
- Two crucial elements still got left out in the National Food Security Act – 2013.
- These two elements are the non-inclusion of nutritious food items such as pulses and exclusion of potential beneficiaries.
- Because of this, the current COVID-19 pandemic would make the situation worse in general, more so for vulnerable groups.
- Though States have temporarily expanded their coverage in the wake of the crisis, the problem of malnutrition is likely to deepen in the coming years.
- Hence, a major shift in policy has to encompass the immediate universalisation of the Public Distribution System which should definitely not be temporary in nature.
Conclusion
The need of the hour remains the right utilisation and expansion of existing programmes to ensure that we arrest at least some part of this burgeoning malnutrition in the country.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM-Kisan
Mains level: Paper 2- Geo-targeted aid during disasters
The article suggests the provision for a safety net with geographic targeting in case of disasters as most disasters are location specific.
Safety net in the U.S.
- The US Congress enacted in March a Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to sends $1,200 to each individual below the income threshold of $75,000.
- Nonetheless, as The Washington Post reported, even in October, millions of households were yet to receive their stimulus payments.
- The tax authorities who were charged with disbursing the funds had no way of knowing how to send the cheques.
- But the poor had to cross several hurdles to get this money and the computer system did not make it easy for them to register their claim.
Safety net in India and issues with it
- In contrast to U.S., 23 per cent of Indians living in Delhi-NCR received a payment of Rs 500 in their Jan Dhan accounts within three weeks of the lockdown being declared.
- Farmers registered for PM-KISAN also received Rs 2,000 in their accounts immediately.
- However, there were some issues for example, recipients of PM-KISAN were not amongst the poorest households, nor were these the households that were most affected by the COVID-related lockdown.
- The PM-Kisan Yojana applies to landowners, thereby excluding agricultural labourers as well as the urban informal sector workers who were most affected by the lockdown.
- Similarly, for the PMJDY payment, BPL and non-BPL households record similar receipt transfers.
Twin challenges in designing social safety nets
- Unless a registry containing data about individuals and their bank accounts exists, money cannot be transferred expeditiously.
- 1) Registries based on specific criteria (for example, identified BPL households) may not identify individuals most vulnerable to crises.
- 2) Factors that contribute towards alleviating poverty may differ from the ones that push people into it — indicating the challenge of targeting welfare beneficiaries in response to shocks.
- About 40 per cent of the poor in 2012 were pushed into poverty by special circumstances and would not have been classified as being poor based on their 2005 conditions.
- Such exclusion errors can get magnified in the event of large-scale disasters when using pre-existing databases, since many people are likely to fall into poverty from an economy-wide negative shock, leading to coverage errors.
Way forward
- Recent estimates from the World Bank suggest that 88 to 115 million people could slide into poverty in 2020.
- These observations suggest that in a disaster response situation, we cannot rely on registries based on individual characteristics to identify beneficiaries.
- Most disasters are geographically clustered.
- If there is a way for us to set up social registries that identify individuals, their place of residence, and their bank accounts, these linkages can be used to transfer funds to everyone living in the affected area quickly.
- Aadhaar linkages of individuals and bank accounts already exist.
- If residential information in the Aadhaar database can be efficiently structured, this would allow for geographic targeting.
- Issue of violation of individual privacy can be addressed by providing that such social registries store only basic information such as location, instead of more sensitive identifiers.
Consider the question “Disasters underscores the importance of social safety nets. However, designing a social safety net that identifies and reach the vulnerable suffers from several challenges. What are these challenes. Suggest ways to address these challenges.”
Conclusion
As we try to disaster-proof future welfare programmes, these are some of the considerations that deserve attention.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GATI
Mains level: Women in sciences
One of the focuses of the new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, currently being drafted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is to increase the participation of women in science.
Connect the dots:
Women in STEM presents a dismal picture of gender equality in India.
GATI
- The DST is incorporating a system of grading institutes depending on the enrolment of women and the advancement of the careers of women faculty and scientists.
- It will be called GATI (Gender Advancement through Transforming Institutions).
- The concept borrows from a programme started by the UK in 2005 called the Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network), which is now being adopted by many countries.
- The DST will soon launch a pilot, which the British Council has helped it develop.
Why need such initiative?
- India is ranked 108 out of 149 countries in the 2018 Global Gender Gap report.
- According to DST figures, in 2015-16, the share of women involved in scientific research and development was 14.71% — after it had actually increased from 13% in 2000-2001 to 29% in 2014-15.
- The DST has also found that women are either not promoted, or very often drop out mid-career to attend to their families.
What is Athena SWAN?
- The Athena SWAN Charter is an evaluation and accreditation programme in the UK enhancing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
- Participating research organisations and academic institutions are required to analyse data on gender equity and develop action plans for improvement.
- Signatories commit to addressing various issues such as –
- Unequal gender representation;
- Tackling the gender pay gap;
- Removing the obstacles faced by women in career development and progression;
- Discriminatory treatment often experienced by trans people;
- Gender balance of committees and zero tolerance for bullying and sexual harassment.
Way ahead
- To get as many institutions as possible to sign up, the DST will need to manoeuvre around government red tape as most universities, barring the IITs and NITs, are run and funded by the government as well.
- This means that these institutions don’t have direct control over institutional policies, recruitment and promotions.
- The DST has tied up with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), under the UGC, aiming to push gender equity through them.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: BEOSP
Mains level: Use of technolgy in crime investigations
A brain electrical oscillation signature profiling (BEOSP) test will be conducted on the convicts of the alleged rape and murder in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
Note: According to Article 20(3) of the Indian constitution, no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. The privilege against self-incrimination is a fundamental canon of common criminal law jurisprudence.
What is the BEOSP test?
- BEOSP also known as brain fingerprinting is a neuro-psychological method of interrogation in which the accuser’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response.
- The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as an electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
- Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
- The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate brainwaves.
- The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in a crime.
What differentiates a BEOSP test from a polygraph or a lie detector?
- The BEOSP procedure does not involve a question-answer session with the accused and is rather a neuro psychological study of their brain.
- In a polygraph test, the accused person’s physiological indicators are taken into account which includes blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration and skin conductivity.
- While a person might be able to control their pulse rate and BP even in times of distress, a BEOSP test
Can these tests be admitted as evidence?
- Not as a standalone, a/c to the 2010 Supreme Court judgment in the Selvi v. State of Karnataka case.
- The bench observed that narco analysis, polygraph and brain mapping tests cannot be forced upon any individual without their consent and the test results cannot be admitted solely as evidence.
- However, any information or material discovered during the tests can be made part of the evidence, observed the bench.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Brahmos Missiles
Mains level: India's missile arsenal
India’s Armed forces are conducting back-to-back tests of various versions of BrahMos missile.
Take a quick look at India’s missile arsenal:
[Prelims Spotlight] Missiles
The BrahMos Missiles
- A combination of the names of Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, BrahMos missiles are designed, developed and produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture company set up by DRDO and Mashinostroyenia of Russia.
- It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster as the first stage and liquid ramjet as the second stage.
- The cruise missiles like BrahMos are a type of systems known as the ‘standoff range weapons’ which are fired from a range sufficient to allow the attacker to evade defensive fire from the adversary.
- These weapons are in the arsenal of most major militaries in the world.
- The versions of the BrahMos that are being tested have an extended range of around 400 km, as compared to its initial range of 290 km, with more versions of higher ranges currently under development.
Various versions
- Various versions of the BrahMos, including those which can be fired from land, warships, submarines and Sukhoi-30 fighter jets have already been developed and successfully tested in the past.
- The earliest versions of the ship launched BrahMos and land-based system are in service of the Indian Navy and the Indian Army since 2005 and 2007 respectively.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bioluminescence, Noctiluca Scintillans
Mains level: Not Much
The blooms of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle” are being witnessed along the coasts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time find their way into the prelims. Note this down.
Noctiluca Scintillans
- Scintillans is a bioluminescent specie that brightens the seawater during the night.
- It grazes on other micro-organisms such as larvae, fish eggs, and diatoms. But the unicellular phytoplankton that lives inside it can photosynthesize, turning sunlight into energy.
- They help their host cell survive even when food was scarce.
- Thus, N. Scintillans acts as both a plant and an animal
Threats posed
- According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.
- While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishes.
- The toxic blooms of N. Scintillans were linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills.
- Though the species does not produce a toxin, it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into the surrounding waters, possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
- They have displaced microscopic algae called diatoms, which form the basis of the marine food chain. This has deprived food for the planktivorous fish.
Back2Basics: Bioluminescence
- It is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
- Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence. A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light.
- It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
- Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IoT , AI
Mains level: AI and its applications
An improvement in a Machine Learning (ML) model, called ‘federated learning’, is said to enable companies to develop new ways of collecting anonymous data without compromising their privacy.
Data privacy is the right of a citizen to have control over how personal information is collected and used. Data protection is a subset Right of Privacy under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
What is ‘federated learning’?
- Federated learning is an ML method used to train an algorithm across multiple decentralised devices or servers holding data samples.
- It doesn’t exchange data with the devices, meaning there is no central dataset or server that stores the information.
- Standard ML models require all data to be centralised in a single server. Implementation of federated learning eliminates the need for maintaining a storage hub.
- The term was first introduced in a 2016 Google study titled ‘Communication-efficient learning of deep networks from decentralized data.’
- Google emphasised mobile phones and tablets, stating that modern devices contain special features like speech recognition and image models that can store large amounts of data.
- Since then, Google has used the technique is various products, including Gboard, which provides text and phrase suggestions to the keyboard.
How this works
- Federated learning aims to train an algorithm, like deep neural networks, on multiple local datasets contained in local nodes, without explicitly exchanging data.
- The general principle involves simply exchanging parameters between these nodes. Parameters include a number of federated learning rounds, the total number of nodes, and learning rate.
- The distinct advantage of the model is its ability to reduce privacy and security risks by limiting the attack surface to only the device, rather than the device and the cloud, Google stated in the study.
Why need such technology?
- Smart home devices like speakers and smartwatches collect and share data with other devices and systems over the network.
- These Internet of Things (IoT) devices are equipped with sensors and software that store a user’s private information like body measurements and location.
- This large chunk of stored data is used by the device makers to improve their products and services.
Applications
- Federated learning is said to have application in healthcare, where hospitals and pharmaceutical companies can exchange data for treating diseases without sharing private clinical information.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GMRT
Mains level: Not Much
The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) has been selected as a ‘Milestone’ facility by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Note: GMRT is not an ISRO mission.
About GMRT
- The GMRT located near Pune is an array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45-metre diameter, observing at metre wavelengths.
- It is operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
- It was conceived and built under the direction of Late Prof. Govind Swarup from 1984 to 1996.
- At the time it was built, it was the world’s largest interferometric array offering a baseline of up to 25 kilometres (16 mi).
- Astronomers from all over the world regularly use this telescope to observe many different astronomical objects such as HII regions (interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized), galaxies, pulsars, supernovae, and Sun and solar winds.
A significant feat
- IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology in all areas related to electrical and electronics engineering.
- The IEEE Milestones programme honours significant technical achievements which have a global or regional impact. This is only the third such IEEE ‘Milestone’ recognition for an Indian contribution.
- The previous two Indian IEEE Milestones were for the pioneering work done by Sir J.C. Bose to demonstrate the generation and reception of radio waves in 1895 (recognised in 2012), and for the Nobel Prize-winning (in 1930) ‘scattering of light’ phenomenon observed by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Peatlands
Mains level: Ecological significance of Peatland conservation
Sustainably managing peatlands — peat-swamp forests found around the tropics — can protect humans from future pandemics, according to a new study.
What are Peatlands?
- Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing.
- Consequently, the production of organic matter exceeds its decomposition, which results in a net accumulation of peat.
- Over millennia this material builds up and becomes several metres thick.
- They occur in almost every country on Earth, currently covering 3% of the global land surface.
- Peatland landscapes are varied – from blanket bog landscapes with open, treeless vegetation in the Flow Country of Scotland – a tentative World Heritage site – to swamp forests in Southeast Asia.
Their importance
- Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store. This area sequesters 0.37 gigatonnes of CO2 a year.
- In their natural, wet state peatlands provide vital ecosystem services.
- By regulating water flows, they help minimise the risk of flooding and drought and prevent seawater intrusion.
- In many parts of the world, peatlands supply food, fibre and other local products that sustain local economies.
- They also preserve important ecological and archaeological information such as pollen records and human artefacts.
Try this PYQ now:
In the context of mitigating the impending global warming due to anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide, which of the following can be the potential sites for carbon sequestration?
- Abandoned and Uneconomic coal seams
- Depleted oil and gas reservoirs
- Subterranean deep saline formations
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Why conserve peatlands?
- The protection and restoration of peatlands are vital in the transition towards a low-carbon and circular economy.
- Damaged peatlands contribute about 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from the land-use sector.
- CO2 emissions from drained peatlands are estimated at 1.3 gigatonnes of CO2 annually.
- This is equivalent to 5.6% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
- Draining peatlands reduces the quality of drinking water due to pollution from dissolved compounds.
What is the new study?
- Peatlands were rich in biodiversity, including many potential vertebrate and invertebrate vectors, or carriers of disease, the study said.
- These included numerous vertebrates known to represent a risk of spreading zoonotic diseases, such as bats, rodents, pangolins and primates.
- These areas also faced high levels of habitat disruption such as wild or human-made fires and wildlife harvesting that was perfect conditions for potential emerging zoonotic diseases.
- The first reported case of Ebola in 1976 was from a peatland area.
- The cradle of the HIV/AIDS pandemic was believed to be around Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, another area with extensive peatlands.
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