Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: International Energy Agency
Mains level: Paper 3- India's transition to renewable and challenges it faces
The article is based on the book by Daniel Yergin, titled ” The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations”. The book throws some questions to countries dependent on oil and suggests the framework for their transition to renewable.
Six broad themes underlying the energy transition
- The first is the US shale revolution, which transformed the US from a major importer of oil and gas to a significant exporter.
- The second is the leveraging by Russia of its gas exports to compel former members of the Soviet Union to stay within its sphere of influence and to embrace China into an energy partnership.
- The third is China’s assertion of its rights over the South China Seas — a critical maritime route for its energy imports and the Belt and Road initiative;
- The fourth is sectarian strife (Sunni/Shia) in the Middle East which, compounded by volatile and falling oil prices, has brought the region to the edge;
- The fifth is the Paris climate summit and its impact on public sentiment, investment decisions, corporate governance and regulatory norms.
- Sixth is the consequential impact of the manifold and impressive advancement of clean energy technologies.
Questions for India
- The ongoing transition in the energy world raises several questions for India.
- How might they impact its objective to provide reliable, affordable, clean and universal access to energy?
- Who will bear the costs of the transition — in particular, the costs of retrofitting industrial infrastructure and upgrading the power grids.
- How can it prevent the “perfect storm” of high unemployment due to laid-off coal workers and stranded assets thermal power plants, slowed economic growth and environmental degradation?
- How realistic is a green transition for an economy almost totally dependent on fossil fuels?
Three policy initiatives for the government
1) Securing favourable terms with oil suppliers
- The government leverage its buyer strength to secure “most favoured” terms of trade for crude supplies.
- In this regard, they bring out one development that plays to India’s advantage — the onset of “peak oil demand” (that is, demand will plateau before supply depletes).
- However, there is no consensus on the timing of peak demand.
2) Develop own systems for photovoltaics (PVs) and batteries
- India must develop its own world-scale, competitive, manufacturing systems for photovoltaics (PVs) and battery storage.
- Otherwise, India will not be able to provide affordable solar units unless it accepts the further deepening of dependence on Chinese imports.
- Currently, China manufactures 75 per cent of the world’s lithium batteries; 70 per cent of solar cells; 95 per cent of solar wafers and it controls 60 per cent of the production of poly silica.
- China is also looking to secure a chokehold over several strategic minerals (cobalt, nickel).
3) Prepare a clean energy technology strategy
- Technology is the answer to the energy transition.
- That is what will bring the system to the tipping point of radical change.
- China has placed clean energy R&D at the forefront of its “Plan 2025”.
- The India strategy should identify relevant “breakthrough technologies”, establish the funding mechanisms and create the ecosystem for partnerships (domestic and international).
Conclusion
As an economy which is energy import-dependent, fossil-fuel-based India must balance between the rising demand for energy and an unhealthily strong linkage between this demand and environmental pollution.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MSP
Mains level: Paper 3- Problems faced by the Punjab farmers and issue of MSP
The article analyses the state of agriculture in Punjab and the its dependace on the MSP regime and suggest the diversification as a solution to the MSP trap.
Punjab’s role in Green Revolution
- India was desperately short of grains in 1965, and heavily dependent on PL 480 imports from the US against rupee payments, as the country did not have enough foreign exchange to buy wheat at global markets.
- The entire foreign exchange reserves of the country at the time could not help it purchase more than 7 MMT of grains.
- It is against this backdrop that the minimum support price (MSP) system was devised in 1965.
India’s current grains management system: Issue of excess grains
- Today, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) stocks grains touched 97 MMT in June this year against a buffer stock norm of 41.2 MMT.
- The economic cost of that excess grain, beyond the buffer stock norm, was more than Rs 1,80,000 crore, a dead capital locked in without much purpose.
- That’s the situation of the current grain management system based on MSP and open ended procurement.
Decline in Punjab’s economic level
- In 1966 Punjab had the highest per capita income.
- Punjab’s position fell to 13th in 2018-19.
- There are several reasons behind this deterioration, ranging from lack of industrialisation to not catching up even with respect to the modern services sector like IT, financial services.
What explains Punjab’s prosperity
- Punjab’s agriculture is blessed with almost 99 per cent irrigation against an all-India average of little less than 50 per cent.
- The average landholding in Punjab is 3.62 hectare (ha) as against an all-India average of 1.08 ha.
- Punjab’s fertiliser consumption per ha is about 212 kg vis-à-vis an all-India level of 135 kg/ha.
- The productivity levels of wheat and rice in Punjab stand at 5 tonnes/ha and 4 tonnes/ha respectively, against an all-India average of 3.5t/ha and 2.6t/ha.
Assesing Punjab’s real contribution to income and agriculture
- In Punjab, the total farm families are just 1.09 million, a fraction of the all-India total of 146.45 million.
- The overall subsidy, from just power and fertilisers would amount to roughly Rs 13,275 crores.
- That means each farm household in Punjab got a subsidy of about Rs 1.22 lakh in 2019-20.
- This is the highest subsidy for a farm household in India.
- Let’s not forget that the average income of the Punjab farm household is the highest in India.[2.5 time’s the India’s average].
- But to assess the real contribution of farmers/states to agriculture and incomes, the metric is the agri-GDP per ha of gross cropped area of the state in question.
- This is an important catch-all indicator, as it captures the impact of productivity, diversification, prices of outputs and inputs and subsidies.
- On that indicator, unfortunately, Punjab has the 11th rank amongst major agri-states.
Way forward: Diversification of crops
- States in south India like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have a much more diversified crop pattern tending towards high-value crops/livestock — poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, spices, fisheries.
- If Punjab farmers want to increase their incomes significantly, double or even triple, they need to gradually move away from MSP-based wheat and rice to high-value crops and livestock, the demand for which is increasing at three to five times that of cereals.
- Punjab needs a package to diversify its agriculture — say a Rs 10,000 crore package spread over five years.
Conclusion
Once farmers diversify their farm output and double their incomes, they will not be stuck in the MSP trap.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sushrut Samhita
Mains level: Read the attached story
Last month, a government notification listed out specific surgical procedures that a postgraduate medical student of Ayurveda must be “practically trained to acquaint with, as well as to independently perform”.
Q.Allowing modern surgeries to Ayurveda professionals is a mixopathy and an encroachment into the jurisdiction and competencies of modern medicine. Critically analyse.
What is the notification?
- The notification mentions 58 surgical procedures that postgraduate students must train themselves in and acquires skills to perform independently.
- These include procedures in general surgery, urology, surgical gastroenterology, and ophthalmology.
The issue
- The notification has invited sharp criticism from the Indian Medical Association, which questioned the competence of Ayurveda practitioners to carry out these procedures.
- They have called the notification as an attempt at “mixopathy”.
- The IMA has planned nationwide protests against this notification and has threatened to withdraw all non-essential and non-Covid services.
Surgery as a part of Ayurveda
- It is not that Ayurveda practitioners are not trained in surgeries, or do not perform them.
- In fact, they take pride in the fact that their methods and practices trace their origins to Sushruta, an ancient Indian sage and physician.
- The comprehensive medical treatise Sushruta Samhita has, apart from descriptions of illnesses and cures, detailed accounts of surgical procedures and instruments.
- There are two branches of surgery in Ayurveda — Shalya Tantra, which refers to general surgery, and Shalakya Tantra which pertains to surgeries related to the eyes, ears, nose, throat and teeth.
- All postgraduate students of Ayurveda have to study these courses, and some go on to specialize in these and become Ayurveda surgeons.
Distinctions in surgical procedures
- For several surgeries Ayurvedic procedures almost exactly match those of modern medicine about how or where to make a cut or incision, and how to perform the operation.
- There are significant divergences in post-operative care, however.
- The only thing that Ayurveda does not do is super-speciality surgeries, like neurosurgery or open-heart surgeries.
- For most other needs, there are surgical procedures in Ayurveda. It is not very different from allopathic medicine.
Ayurvedic surgeries before the notification
- PG education in Ayurveda is guided by the Indian Medical Central Council (Post Graduate Education) Regulations framed from time to time.
- Currently, the regulations formulated in 2016 are in force. The latest notification of last month is an amendment to the 2016 regulations.
- The 2016 regulations allow postgraduate students to specialise in Shalya Tantra, Shalakya Tantra, and Prasuti evam Stree Roga (Obstetrics and Gynecology), the three disciplines involving major surgical interventions.
- Students of these three disciplines are granted MS (Master in Surgery in Ayurveda) degrees.
Arguments in favour
- Ayurveda practitioners point out that students enrolling in Ayurveda courses have to pass the same NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test).
- Ayurveda institutions prescribe textbooks from modern medicine, or that they carry out surgeries with the help of practitioners of modern medicine.
- Their course, internship and practice also run parallel to the MBBS courses.
- Postgraduate courses require another three years of study. They also have to undergo clinical postings in the outpatient and In-patient departments at hospitals apart from getting hands-on training.
- Medico-legal issues, surgical ethics and informed consent is also part of the course apart from teaching Sushruta’s surgical principles and practices.
So, what is new?
- Ayurveda practitioners say the latest notification just brings clarity to the skills that an Ayurveda practitioner possesses.
- The surgeries that have been mentioned in the notification are all that are already part of the Ayurveda course. But there is little awareness about these.
- A patient is usually not clear whether an Ayurvedic practitioner has the necessary skill to perform one of these operations.
- Now, they know exactly what an Ayurveda doctor is capable of. The skill sets have been defined. This will remove question marks on the ability of an Ayurveda practitioner.
What are the IMA’s objections?
- IMA doctors insist that they are not opposed to the practitioners of the ancient system of medicine.
- But they say the new notification somehow gives the impression that the skills or training of the Ayurveda doctor in performing modern surgeries are the same as those practising modern medicine.
- This, they say, is misleading, and an “encroachment into the jurisdiction and competencies of modern medicine”.
- The IMA has condemned the move calling it predatory poaching on modern medicine and its surgical disciplines.
- The IMA has demanded that the notification, as well as the NITI Aayog, move towards ‘One Nation One System’ (of AYUSH) be withdrawn.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Census of India
Mains level: Issues with Caste Census
The Tamil Nadu government has decided to appoint a commission to formulate a methodology to collect caste-wise particulars of its population and use that to come up with a report.
Q.India’s caste system is perhaps the world’s longest surviving social hierarchy. Critically analyse.
The issue
- The Centre conducted a ‘Socio-Economic Caste Census’ (SECC) in 2011 throughout the country, but it did not make public the caste component of the findings.
- In Karnataka, the outcome of a similar exercise has not been disclosed to the public.
Caste details as a part of the census
- Caste was among the details collected by enumerators during the decennial Census of India until 1931.
- It was given up in 1941, a year in which the census operation was partially affected by World War II.
- In his report on the 1941 exercise, then Census Commissioner of India, M.W.M. Yeatts, indicated that tabulation of caste details separately involved additional costs.
- However, at the time of sorting the details, some provinces or States that wanted a caste record for administrative reasons were given some data on payment.
Issues with caste in the census
- H. Hutton, the Census Commissioner in 1931, notes that on the occasion of each successive census since 1901, some criticism had been raised about taking any note of the fact of caste.
- It has been alleged that the mere act of labelling persons as belonging to a caste tends to perpetuate the system.
- Some argue that there is nothing wrong in recording a fact and ignoring its existence.
View after Independence
- The 1951 census did not concern itself with questions regarding castes, races and tribes, except insofar as the necessary statistical material related to ‘special groups’.
- It created certain other material relating to backward classes collected and made over to the Backward Classes Commission.
- ‘Special Groups’ has been explained as referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Anglo-Indians and certain castes treated provisionally as ‘backward’ for the purposes of the census.
- This implies that BC data were collected, but not compiled or published.
How have caste details been collected so far?
- While SC/ST details are collected as part of the census, details of other castes are not collected by the enumerators.
- The main method is by self-declaration to the enumerator.
- So far, backward classes commissions in various States have been conducting their own counts to ascertain the population of backward castes.
- The methodology may vary from State to State.
What about SECC 2011?
- The Socio-Economic Caste Census of 2011 was a major exercise to obtain data about the socio-economic status of various communities.
- It had two components: a survey of the rural and urban households and ranking of these households based on pre-set parameters, and a caste census.
- However, only the details of the economic conditions of the people in rural and urban households were released. The caste data have not been released till now.
- While a precise reason is yet to be disclosed, it is surmised that the data were considered too politically sensitive.
- Fear of antagonizing dominant and powerful castes that may find that their projected strength in the population is not as high as claimed may be an important reason.
Legal imperative for a caste count
- The Supreme Court has been raising questions about the basis for reservation levels being high in various States.
- In particular, it has laid down that there should be quantifiable data to justify the presence of a caste in the backward class list, as well as evidence of its under-representation in services.
- It has also called for periodical review of community-wise lists so that the benefits do not perpetually go in favour of a few castes.
Caste data for reservations
- Legislators argue that knowing the precise number of the population of each caste would help tailor the reservation policy to ensure equitable representation of all of them.
- While obtaining relevant and accurate data may be the major gain from a caste census, the possibility that it will lead to heartburn among some sections and spawn demands for larger or separate quotas.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Parliament house architecture
Mains level: Need for new parliament building
PM would on December 10 lay the foundation stone for the new Parliament building, which would be a symbol of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and a “temple of democracy” for Independent India.
Try this MCQ first:
Q.The architecture of the present Parliament House of India is inspired from:
a) Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple
b) Virupaksa Temple
c) Dilwara Temples
d) Brihaddeswara Temple
The new Parliament Building
- The building, to be constructed by Tata Projects Ltd. would have a built-up area of 64,500 square metres over four floors and would be built adjacent to the existing building over 22 months.
- Artisans and sculptors from across the country would contribute to the new building, showcasing the diversity and making it a symbol of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
- The building would have modern equipment, be earthquake-safe and accommodate up to 1,224 MPs during joint sessions in the Lok Sabha chamber.
- The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers themselves would accommodate 888 and 384 MPs respectively.
Issues with the old building
- The existing British-built Parliament building, built in the 1920s, was designed for the Imperial Legislative Council and not for a bicameral Parliament.
- The building has been modified over the years, including in 1956 when two floors were added.
- While the number of Lok Sabha seats has remained 545 based on delimitation carried out on the basis of the 1971 Census, it is likely to increase after 2026 as the number of seats has been frozen till then.
- The sources said the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha halls are packed and would not be able to accommodate additional seats when the number of seats goes up.
Back2Basics: Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan)
- The Sansad Bhavan is the seat of the Parliament of India. It houses the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha which represent lower and upper houses respectively in India’s bicameral parliament.
- The existing building draws inspiration from Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple (in M.P.) and was built under the British empire for its Imperial Legislative Council in 1927.
- The opening ceremony, which then housed the Imperial Legislative Council, was performed on 18 January 1927 by Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India.
- Following the end of British rule in India, it was taken over by Constituent Assembly of India which was succeeded by the parliament of India once Constitution of India came into force in 1950.
- In the 2010s, a proposal was introduced to revamp Central Vista and re-build or relocate a number of administrative buildings which initiated a program expecting completion in 2024.
Architectural details:
- Originally called the House of Parliament, it was designed by the British architects’ Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913.
- It was held as part of their wider mandate to construct a new administrative capital city for British India.
- The perimeter of the building is circular, with 144 columns on the outside.
- The building is surrounded by large gardens and the perimeter is fenced off by sandstone railings (jali).
- Construction of the House began in 1921 and it was completed in 1927.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not Much
Mains level: Hazards of rat-hole mining
Rat-hole coal mining had sucked the life out of a village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.
Q.Despite a ban, rat-hole mining continues to prevail as an important practice in Meghalaya. What are the issues associated with it? Discuss. (150W)
Rat Hole Mining
- It is a primitive and hazardous method of mining for coal, with tunnels that are only 3-4 feet in diameter (hence, rat-hole), leading to pits ranging from 5-100 sq. mt deep.
- It involves digging of very small tunnels in which workers, more often children, enter and extract coal.
- Although the coal is of bad quality, people see it as a treasure chest.
- In backward regions, where there is the loss of livelihood, lack of employment opportunities and under-education, people see rat-hole mines as an opportunity to earn daily bread.
- A major portion of these employees are children, who are preferred because of their thin body shape and ease to access depths.
Despite a ban
The National Green Tribunal banned rat-hole mining in Meghalaya in 2014 on a petition that said acidic discharge from the mines was polluting the Kopili River. But the practice continues unabated.
Threats of such mining
- Water from rivers and streams in the mining area has become unfit for drinking and irrigation and is toxic to plants and animals.
- Layers of rock above the coal removed during mining contain traces of iron, manganese and aluminium that get dissolved from mining sites through the acid run-off or are washed into streams as sediment.
- There are several mishaps where workers get trapped to death due to the sudden collapse of such mines.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GI tags in news
Mains level: Importance of GI tags
The Himachal Pradesh government is trying to obtain GIs for five products from the state – Karsog Kulth, Thangi of Pangi, Chamba Metal Crafts, Chamba Chukh, and Rajmah of Bharmour.
Read more about GIs at:
GI(Geographical Indicator) Tags
Which are the five HP products?
- Karsog Kulth: Kulthi or Kulth (horse gram) is a legume grown as a kharif crop in Himachal Pradesh. Kulth grown in the Karsog area of Mandi district is believed to be particularly rich in amino acids.
- Pangi ki Thangi: It is a type of hazelnut which grows in Pangi valley located in the northwestern edge of Himachal. It is known for its unique flavour and sweetness.
- Chamba metal crafts: These include items such as metal idols and brass utensils which, historically, were made by skilled artisans in the courts of kings of Chamba. There are efforts to revive the trade, and a plate made from a brass-like alloy and having carvings of gods and goddesses is still popular.
- Chamba Chukh: It’s a chutney made from green and red chillies grown in Chamba, and prepared in traditional and unique ways. The practice has largely declined in rural households of Chamba, but survives to some extent at the small-scale industrial level.
- Bharmouri Rajmah: It’s more specifically called the Kugtalu Rajmah, since it grows in the area around Kugti Pass in the Bharmour region of Chamba district. It is rich in proteins and has a unique flavor.
How many registered GIs does Himachal currently have?
- They are eight in number.
- It includes four handicrafts (Kullu Shawl, Chamba Rumal, Kinnauri Shawl and Kangra Paintings).
- There are three agricultural products (Kangra Tea, Basmati and Himachali Kala Zeera) and one manufactured product (Himachali Chulli Oil).
- Kullu Shawl and Kangra Tea were the first to be registered in 2005-06.
- Basmati has been registered jointly from seven states of North India, including Himachal Pradesh.
- Chulli (apricot) oil and kala jeera (cumin), mainly associated with Kinnaur and known for their medicinal properties, were the last to be registered in 2018-19.
How does a GI tag help?
- A GI tag provides a better market for these products and prevents misuse of the name.
- A GI registration is given to an area, not a trader, but once a product gets the registration, traders dealing in the product can apply for selling it with the GI logo.
- Authorised traders are each assigned a unique GI number. For example, Kullu shawl has 135 authorised traders. A shawl made in Ludhiana cannot be sold as a Kullu shawl.
- If any unauthorised trader, even from Kullu, tries to sell a shawl under the name of Kullu shawl, he or she can be prosecuted under The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
- GIs are also expected to boost or revive the items whose production has declined, as is being aimed in the case of Chamba Chukh and metal crafts.
Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)
- The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
- GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
- Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
- They are also covered under the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
- Presently, there are 370 registered GIs in India.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Vijayanagara architecture
Mains level: Vijayanagara architecture
Tourists can no longer get too close to the iconic stone chariot in front of the Vijaya Vittala Temple due to a protective ring by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Try this question from CSP 2019:
Q.Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of
(a) Chalukya
(b) Chandela
(c) Rashtrakuta
(d) Vijayanagara
The Vijayanagara Capital: Hampi
- Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in east-central Karnataka.
- Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century.
- The old city of Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples, farms and trading markets.
- By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world’s second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India’s richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal.
- The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.
Major attractions
- The Krishna temple complex, Narasimha, Ganesa, Hemakuta group of temples, Achyutaraya temple complex, Vitthala temple complex, Pattabhirama temple complex, Lotus Mahal complex, can be highlighted.
- Suburban townships (puras) surrounded the large temple complexes contains subsidiary shrines, bazaars, residential areas and tanks applying the unique hydraulic technologies.
- The Vitthla temple is the most exquisitely ornate structure on the site and represents the culmination of Vijayanagara temple architecture.
- It is a fully developed temple with associated buildings like Kalyana Mandapa and Utsava Mandapa within a cloistered enclosure pierced with three entrance Gopurams.
- In addition to the typical spaces present in contemporary temples, it boasts of a Garuda shrine fashioned as a granite ratha and a grand bazaar street.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Red Sea Turtles
Mains level: Impact of climate changes
Turtle populations in the Red Sea could be turning overwhelmingly female because of a rise in sea temperatures caused due to anthropogenic climate change, a new study has showed.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following fauna of India:
- Gharial
- Leatherback turtle
- Swamp deer
Which of the above is/are endangered?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None
Red Sea Turtles
- There are seven extant species worldwide, five of which can be found in the Red Sea: the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the loggerhead turtle, the olive ridley turtle and the leatherback turtle.
- In order to maintain a 50:50 ratio of male and female in the population, a temperature of 29.2 degrees Celsius is pivotal.
- Above this, hatchlings would be predominantly female.
- The sand temperatures at four of the sites exceeded 29.2 degrees; leading the team to the conclusion that ‘feminization’ of the population could be already happening.
Their significance
- Marine turtles—as all top predators—have a prominent role in maintaining balanced and healthy ecosystems, in particular seagrass beds and coral reefs.
- They also help in transporting nutrients towards naturally nutrient-poor ecosystems (the nesting beaches), and providing food and transportation for other marine species (e.g., barnacles and commensal crabs).
- Marine turtles also play an important role in the economy of the tourism industry.
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