Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Inflation and concepts
Mains level: latest spike in inflation, contributing factors and RBI's measures
Central Idea
- India’s post-pandemic economic recovery has hit a roadblock with the resurgence of inflation, hindering progress despite three consecutive months of softening. Recent significant spike in inflation, leading the Reserve Bank of India to adopt an inflation-targeting stance by raising interest rates. However, the battle to curb inflation is still ongoing, and the latest data raises doubts about whether the RBI’s efforts are sufficient.
- Inflation is an increase in the level of prices of the goods and services that households buy. It is measured as the rate of change of those prices.
- Typically, prices rise over time, but prices can also fall (a situation called deflation).
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- CPI is used to monitor changes in the cost of living over time.
- When the CPI rises, the average Indian family has to spend more on goods and services to maintain the same standard of living.
- The economic term used to define such a rising prices of goods and services is Inflation.
Inflation outlook
- RBI’s Inflation target: The inflation targeting framework mandates the RBI to achieve a CPI consumer price index inflation target of 4 per cent.
- Inflation during the pandemic was still within the target band: During the pandemic period of March 2020 to September 2021, CPI inflation averaged 5.9 per cent. This was higher than the point target of 4 per cent but still within the inflation targeting band of 2-6 per cent.
- Inflation outlook has been worsening: In 2022, CPI inflation was above the upper threshold of the RBI’s targeting band for 10 consecutive months, which meant the target was not achieved for three quarters in a row.
- Optimism that the Inflation began softening: By December 2022, CPI inflation was down to 5.7 per cent. This led many to believe that the inflation peak had passed, and that inflation was on its way to the official target.
- This optimism was misplaced: Underlying inflationary pressures still persist. The softening of inflation in November and December 2022 was largely driven by a steep fall in vegetable prices. Excluding vegetables, CPI inflation was in fact more than 7 per cent.
- The misplaced optimism has now become evident: The January 2023 CPI inflation came out to be 6.5 per cent, once again crossing the upper threshold of the RBI’s inflation targeting band.
Back to basics: Core Inflation
- The core inflation rate measures rising prices in everything except food and energy.
- That’s because gas prices tend to escalate now and then. Higher gas costs increase the price of food and anything else that has large transportation costs.
What contributed to the latest spike in inflation?
- Rise in food prices: With food accounting for 46 per cent of the overall CPI basket, a rise in food inflation from roughly 4 per cent in December 2022 to almost 6 per cent in January 2023 has played an important role in overall inflation going up.
- Cereal inflation is soaring high: Within food, one component that has proved rather stubborn is cereal inflation. Between May and December 2022, year-on-year cereal inflation nearly doubled from 5 per cent to 14 per cent. In January 2023, this increased to 16 per cent. Within cereals, inflation in wheat has been steadily going up. Between May and December 2022, wheat inflation increased from 9 per cent to 22 per cent. It increased even further to 25 per cent in January 2023.
- The steep rise in wheat prices reflects shortages: Data from the Food Corporation of India shows that stocks in government warehouses declined. The government has recently approved a release of three million tonnes in the open market. However, this is insufficient to restore market supplies.
- Persistently high core inflation: Second, core (non-food, non-fuel) inflation in January came out to be 6.2 percent. This is consistent with the unyielding core inflation of 6 per cent for nearly three years now. A persistently high core inflation implies that price pressures have become entrenched in the system.
- External factors also play a role: Inflation in developed countries continues to be high (6.4 per cent in the US; 8.5 per cent in the EU; 10.5 per cent in the UK). India is importing some of this elevated inflation through international trade in goods and services. Moreover, with China gradually opening up its economy after nearly three years of zero-Covid restrictions, commodity prices are likely to go up, which could exert renewed pressures on India’s inflation.
What have the policymakers been doing to address the inflationary concerns?
- The government has done its bit by announcing a conservative Union budget for 2023-24: It has accorded primacy to much needed fiscal consolidation, and has refrained from announcing populist measures that could have arguably fuelled demand, and hence inflation.
- The RBI has been doing its job as well: It increased the policy repo rate from a pandemic low of 4 per cent to 6.5 per cent in a span of 10 months. Unlike last year, when despite rising inflation, the monetary policy statements did not contain any forward guidance, the RBI, in its February 2023 statement, emphasised the importance to remain alert on inflation, thereby hinting that the monetary tightening cycle is not over yet.
Conclusion
- Inflation has been a challenge for India’s economy post-pandemic, despite the RBI’s attempt to control it by raising interest rates. A credible glide path to bring inflation down is essential today.
Mains question
Q. Despite of RBI’s efforts there is significant spike in inflation In India. Discuss the factors that contributed to the latest spike in inflation in India and what are the policymakers doing to address inflationary concerns?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Startup20 Engagement Group
Mains level: Startup20 Engagement Group , Startup Ecosystem In India
“A small group of determined and like-minded people can change the course of history.”-M.K. Gandhi
Central Idea
- By agreeing to India’s proposal to create the Startup20 Engagement Group, the only new group by which G20 has turned itself into an ambidextrous institution, one where both large corporations and startups have an equal voice in taking the economies forward. In the new architecture, while the existing B20 Engagement Group continues its focus on corporations, the Startup20 takes on the policy issues concerning the global startup ecosystem, with the necessary linkages between the two groups.
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What is meant by ambidexterity?
- Ambidexterity is the ability to use both hands with equal skill and ease.
- In the context of organizations, it is the ability to simultaneously pursue both exploratory and exploitative strategies. This means being able to balance the need for innovation and new opportunities with the need for efficiency and optimization of current operations.
- For example, Indian IT services companies like TCS and Infosys are investing in areas like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the IoT, even as they continue to deliver traditional IT services to their clients.
What is B20 Engagement Group?
- Official G20 dialogue forum representing the global business community: The B20 (Business 20) Engagement Group is a forum for international business leaders from the G20 countries.
- Established in 2010: It is among the most prominent Engagement Groups in G20, with companies and business organizations as participants.
- A single voice for the entire G20 business community: The B20 leads the process of galvanizing global business leaders for their views on issues of global economic and trade governance and speaks in a single voice for the entire G20 business community.
- Aim is to provide recommendations: The group’s aim is to provide recommendations to the G20 on issues such as economic growth, trade, investment, digitalization, sustainability, and job creation.
- Platform for different stakeholders: The B20 is one of several engagement groups, which also include groups representing civil society, labor, think tanks, and youth, that provide a platform for different stakeholders to share their views and insights with the G20.
- B20 Secretariat: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been designated as the Business 20 (B20) Secretariat for the India’s G20 Presidency.
What is Startup20?
- Initiated under India’s G20 Presidency: The Startup20 Engagement Group has been initiated under India’s G20 Presidency in 2023.
- Aims to support Startups: The group aims to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between startups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies and other key ecosystem stakeholders.
- Three taskforces: The engagement group comprises of three taskforces, namely Foundation & Alliance, Finance, and Inclusion & Sustainability, where delegates will come together to discuss efficient policy frameworks to promote scaling up of startups in the G20 nations.
- Foundation and Alliances Taskforce:
- Promotes consensus-based ecosystem: The Foundation and Alliances Taskforce will work to harmonize the global Startup ecosystem through consensus-based definitions and promote a global community of knowledge sharing among the Startup ecosystems to explore opportunities.
- Help to bridge the knowledge gaps: It will also bridge the knowledge gap between the Startup ecosystems of G20 member countries and emerging economies through partnerships to enable more industry players across G20 nations to work with Startups and concrete solutions.
- To create supportive policies and point of contact: It will aim to create supportive policies for industry players and government organizations to work with Startups and provide points of contact for the participating G20 countries sustained collaboration.
- The Finance Taskforce:
- To provide financing and investment platforms: The finance taskforce will aim to increase access to capital for Startups by providing financing and investment platforms specifically for early-stage Startups to broaden the array of financial instruments available to Startups.
- Networking opportunities: It will also create pitching and networking opportunities for Startups with the global investor community.
- Best practices for funding ecosystem: It will work to provide a framework built upon best practices for global investors to fund Startups across G20 member nations, helping build suggestive frameworks that could be implemented in emerging ecosystems for building investment capabilities.
- Taskforce for Inclusion and Sustainability
- Women led startups and community inclusive: For Inclusion and Sustainability, the roadmap involves increasing support for women led Startups and organizations; promotion of Startups working on making communities more inclusive and to promote Startups working on SDGs in areas of global interest.
- Encouraging investors to invest in startups built upon sustainable practices: This Task Force aims to enable more investors to invest responsibly in Startups built upon sustainable practices and to encourage mentorship support to the Startup ecosystems of the G20 member countries and emerging economies.
Conclusion
- Some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today require innovative solutions at scale. The need for solutions to global problems such as climate change, food security, and energy security is urgent. However, by leveraging global ambidexterity and taking advantage of the G20’s new architecture of B20 and Startup20, we can be optimistic about our ability to systematically solve these problems. With deliberate efforts and focused action, we can create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.
Mains question
Q. What is Startup20 engagement group initiated under India’s G20 presidency? How this framework will work to boost startup ecosystem globally?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mental Healthcare Act, 2017
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article discusses the challenges faced in implementing India’s Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and the need for better mental healthcare services in the country.
Mental Healthcare Act, 2017
The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 is a comprehensive legislation that provides for the protection and promotion of the rights of people with mental illness. Some of the key features of the Act are:
- Decriminalization of suicide: The Act decriminalizes suicide and prohibits the use of inhuman and degrading treatment towards those who attempt suicide.
- Advance directives: The Act allows individuals to make advance directives, specifying the type of treatment they would like to receive in the event of a mental health issue.
- Informed consent: The Act mandates that patients have the right to give or refuse consent to treatment, and to be informed about the benefits, side effects, and alternatives of the treatment.
- Mental health review boards: The Act establishes Mental Health Review Boards at the national and state levels to oversee the implementation of the Act and protect the rights of people with mental illness.
- Prohibition of inhuman treatment: The Act prohibits the use of inhuman treatment methods, including chaining, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) without anaesthesia, and solitary confinement.
- Right to access mental healthcare: The Act guarantees the right to access mental healthcare services, and mandates the establishment of mental health services in every district.
- Protection of rights and dignity: The Act aims to protect the rights and dignity of people with mental illness, and prohibits discrimination and stigmatization on the basis of mental illness.
- Establishment of a Central Mental Health Authority: The Act establishes a Central Mental Health Authority to regulate mental health services in the country.
NHRC flags alert
- Pity over healthcare institution: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a report flagged the “inhuman and deplorable” condition of all 46 government-run mental healthcare institutions across the country.
- Prolonged hospitalization: The report notes that the facilities are “illegally” keeping patients long after their recovery, in what is an “infringement of the human rights of mentally ill patients”.
- Need for Assessment: These observations were made after visits to all operational government facilities, to assess the implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (MHA).
Major issue: Lack of implementation
- Despite the act’s provisions, mental health institutions in India have been plagued by a lack of adequate infrastructure, staff, and training.
- Patients have reported human rights violations, including abuse, neglect, and violence.
Need for effective implementation
- The Mental Healthcare Act needs effective implementation and oversight to ensure that patients receive the care and treatment they need with dignity and respect.
- This requires increased investment in mental health infrastructure, including facilities, staff, and training.
Way forward
- Ensuring proper implementation of the Act: There is a need for proper implementation of this act across the country, with a focus on ensuring the rights and dignity of patients in mental healthcare institutions.
- Increasing awareness: Awareness needs to be raised about the Act, and the rights of mental healthcare patients among the general public, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement agencies.
- Providing training and capacity building: Healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and caregivers, need to be trained and equipped with the skills and knowledge to provide quality care and support to mental healthcare patients.
- Strengthening mental healthcare infrastructure: There is a need to strengthen the infrastructure and facilities in mental healthcare institutions, including better staffing, improved physical facilities, and access to quality medication.
- Encouraging community-based care: Community-based care for mental health patients can help reduce the burden on mental healthcare institutions and provide a more supportive environment for patients.
- Promoting human rights: There is a need for greater emphasis on the human rights of mental healthcare patients, including the right to dignity, privacy, and freedom from discrimination and abuse.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MSMEs categorization
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central Idea: The Consortium of Indian Associations (CIA) has suggested the formation of an independent ministry for the self-employed and microenterprises to address specific issues concerning the sector.
Why demand for new Ministry?
- Micro entrepreneurs continue to be governed by complicated and outdated laws and dispensable compliance burdens.
- Despite the government’s efforts, MSMEs in India face several challenges such as access to finance, lack of skilled labor, and inadequate infrastructure.
- New ministry might help in providing different types of support and benefits from the government, such as access to credit, subsidies, and tax exemptions.
What are Microenterprises?
- Microenterprises are small businesses that typically have a small number of employees, limited assets, and low levels of annual turnover or revenue.
- The term “microenterprise” is often used interchangeably with “microbusiness” or “micro firm.”
- Microenterprises can be found in a wide range of sectors, including retail, manufacturing, and services.
- Examples of microenterprises include small retail shops, food stalls, street vendors, small manufacturing units, and service providers such as plumbers, electricians, and small-scale service providers.
Features of Microenterprises
- In general, microenterprises are considered the smallest type of business.
- They are typically characterized by their low capital investment and simple production processes.
- These businesses are often started by entrepreneurs who are seeking self-employment and a means to earn a livelihood.
Why are they important?
- Employability: Microenterprises are an important part of many economies, especially in developing countries, where they can provide vital employment opportunities and contribute to economic growth.
- Scale of business: Such enterprises have huge potential of business penetration at household and domestic level by providing a range of services.
Microenterprises in India
- According to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), there are approximately 6.3 crore (63 million) MSMEs in India, which employ around 11 crore (110 million) people.
- In India, MSMEs are classified based on their investment in plant and machinery or equipment, as well as their annual turnover.
- The classification of MSMEs is as follows:
- Micro Enterprises: Micro enterprises are the smallest type of enterprises and have a lower investment limit than the other two categories. For manufacturing enterprises, the investment limit is up to Rs. 1 crore in plant and machinery, while for service enterprises, the investment limit is up to Rs. 50 lakh. The turnover limit for both types of enterprises is up to Rs. 5 crore.
- Small Enterprises: Small enterprises are those that have an investment in plant and machinery or equipment between Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 10 crore. For service enterprises, the investment limit is between Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 2 crore. The turnover limit for both types of enterprises is between Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 50 crore.
- Medium Enterprises: Medium enterprises have a higher investment limit than small enterprises. For manufacturing enterprises, the investment limit is between Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 50 crore, while for service enterprises, the investment limit is between Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 5 crore. The turnover limit for both types of enterprises is between Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 250 crore.
Various initiatives
The government of India has taken several initiatives to support the growth of MSMEs in the country, such as:
- Udyam Portal: The government has introduced a new registration process called Udyam Registration to make it easier for MSMEs to register and avail of various government schemes and benefits.
- Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme: The Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme provides collateral-free loans to MSMEs from banks and other financial institutions.
- Cluster Development Programme: The government has launched the Cluster Development Programme to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs by providing support for infrastructure, technology, and marketing.
- National SC-ST Hub: The National SC-ST Hub aims to promote entrepreneurship among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by providing support for capacity building, market linkages, and access to finance.
- Technology Upgradation: The government provides financial support to MSMEs for technology upgradation through various schemes such as the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme and the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme.
Way forward
If the govt. is to consider creating a separate ministry for microenterprises, there are several steps that could be taken to ensure its effectiveness:
- Defining clear objectives: This should be based on a thorough understanding of the challenges faced by microenterprises and the opportunities available to them.
- Coordination with other ministries: The new ministry should coordinate with other ministries to ensure that the policies and initiatives developed are aligned with the broader economic and social objectives of the government.
- Developing policies and initiatives: The ministry should develop policies and initiatives that address the specific needs of microenterprises in India such as access to finance, technology, and markets.
- Strengthening institutional capacity: The ministry should have a strong institutional capacity to implement policies and initiatives effectively. This could involve recruiting experts in the field of microenterprises and strengthening the capacity of existing institutions.
- Creating awareness: The ministry should create awareness among microenterprises about the support and services available to them. This could involve organizing workshops and training programs, as well as leveraging digital platforms to disseminate information.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ladakh, Sixth Schedule
Mains level: Read the attached story
A Ladakhi innovator and engineer completed his five-day “climate fast”, in an effort to draw the attention of leaders to the region’s fragile ecology and to secure its protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Fast for Ladakh’s Fragile Ecology
- The fast highlights that Ladakh’s ecology is highly sensitive to climate change, with melting glaciers posing significant risks to the region’s flora, fauna, and people.
- As a cold desert, Ladakh relies on glaciers to fulfil water needs.
- However, melting glaciers cause the loss of potable water, threaten agriculture practices, erode sustainable practices, and force locals to migrate.
About Ladakh
- Ladakh is a region in the northernmost part of India, bordering China and Pakistan.
- The region is home to several ethnic groups, including the Ladakhi people, who are predominantly Buddhist.
Demand for Sixth Schedule in Ladakh
- There has been a demand from the local tribal communities in Ladakh to extend the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the region.
- The demand has been primarily driven by concerns over the protection of tribal rights and the preservation of the unique cultural identity of the local communities.
Current administration in Ladakh
- Ladakh was granted Union Territory status in 2019, following the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate Union Territories.
- The administration of Ladakh is currently governed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh and an elected Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).
Benefits of Sixth Schedule in Ladakh
- Meeting tribal aspiration: The Parliamentary standing committee recommended including of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule because its tribal communities account for 79.61% of its total population.
- Autonomy and self-governance: The extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh could provide greater autonomy and self-governance to the local tribal communities.
- Cultural preservation: It could also help to protect the unique cultural identity of the local communities and preserve their traditional practices and customs.
Challenges to this demand
- No further fragmentation: The demand to extend the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh has faced some opposition from certain quarters, who argue that it could lead to further fragmentation of the region and create new administrative challenges.
- Losing political capital: There are also concerns over the potential impact of the demand on the political and administrative structure of the region.
Conclusion
- Overall, the demand to extend the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh is a complex issue that requires careful consideration of the needs and aspirations of the local tribal communities, as well as the broader political and administrative context of the region.
Back2Basics: Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution
- The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in the northeastern states of India.
- These provisions were added to the Constitution in order to protect the rights and interests of the tribal communities in these areas and to promote their social, cultural, and economic development.
Here’s a summary of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution:
Areas covered
- The Sixth Schedule covers the tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
- These areas are known as “tribal areas” and are home to a large number of indigenous tribal communities.
Autonomous district councils
- The Sixth Schedule provides for the establishment of autonomous district councils in the tribal areas.
- These councils have the power to make laws and regulations for the governance of their respective areas.
- They are also responsible for the administration of the local institutions of self-government, such as village councils and traditional councils.
Composition of district councils
- The members of the district councils are elected by the people of the respective districts.
- The councils are headed by a chairman, who is also elected by the members of the council.
- The district councils have the power to appoint their own staff and to manage their own finances.
Powers of district councils
- The district councils have the power to make laws on a range of subjects, including land, forests, water, and fisheries.
- They also have the power to regulate local markets and to levy taxes and fees on a range of activities.
- The district councils can also establish and manage schools, hospitals, and other institutions for the benefit of the local communities.
Protection of tribal rights
- The Sixth Schedule provides for the protection of the rights of the tribal communities in the areas covered by the schedule.
- It ensures that the traditional rights and customs of the tribal communities are respected and protected.
- It also provides for the reservation of seats in the district councils and other local bodies for members of the tribal communities.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Thwaites Glacier
Mains level: Sea Level rise
The new research suggests that even low amounts of melting can potentially push Thwaites glacier further along the path toward eventual disappearance.
Thwaites Glacier
- Called the Thwaites Glacier, it is 120 km wide at its broadest, fast-moving, and melting fast over the years.
- Because of its size (1.9 lakh square km), it contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a meter.
- Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.
- Thwaites’s melting already contributes 4% to global sea-level rise each year. It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years.
- Thwaites is important for Antarctica as it slows the ice behind it from freely flowing into the ocean. Because of the risk it faces — and poses — Thwaites is often called the Doomsday Glacier.
How is Thwaites glacier melting?
- Thwaites Glacier is melting due to a combination of warming ocean currents and a weakening of the ice shelf that acts as a barrier between the glacier and the ocean.
- The cause of the melting is thought to be the influx of relatively warm bottom water drawn in from the wider ocean.
- In the 1990s it was losing just over 10 billion tonnes of ice a year. Today, it’s more like 80 billion tonnes.
Why is this glacier so important?
- Huge size: Flowing off the west of the Antarctic continent, Thwaites is almost as big as Great Britain. It is one of the largest and most important glaciers in Antarctica, as it acts as a gateway to a vast area of the continent.
- Melting faster: It’s a majestic sight, with its buoyant front, or “ice shelf”, pushing far out to sea and kicking off huge icebergs. But satellite monitoring indicates this glacier is melting at an accelerating rate.
- Seal level rise: Thwaites’ ice loss contributes approximately 4% to the annual rise in global sea-levels, with the potential to add 65cm in total should the whole glacier collapse. Its melting could also destabilize the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet, leading to a further rise in sea levels.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Roche Limit, Quaoar, Dwarf Planets
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: A new study shows that a dwarf planet, named Quaoar, has a ring system that exists within its Roche limit.
What is the news?
- Astronomers have found a ring around a dwarf planet, located in the Kuiper Belt at the solar system’s edge, called Quaoar, according to a new study.
- The ring, however, is positioned much further away from the planet than is usual and defies theoretical explanations.
About Quaoar
- With an estimated radius of 555 km, Quaoar is roughly half the size of Pluto and orbits beyond Neptune.
- It also has a moon of its own, which is known as Weywot.
- As the dwarf planet is too small and too distant to be observed directly, the researchers detected the ring with the help of a phenomenon called stellar occultation.
How was the ring discovered?
- A stellar occultation occurs when, as seen from Earth, a bright star passes behind a planet.
- This allows astronomers or anybody on Earth to observe the sharp silhouette of the planet for a brief period of time.
- The phenomenon, which rarely occurs, is used by researchers to analyze a planet’s atmosphere and determine if it has a ring around it — in 1977, scientists discovered the Uranian ring system with the help of stellar occultation.
What is the Roche limit?
- The most intriguing part of the findings is the distance between Quaoar and its ring.
- Located 2,500 miles away from the dwarf planet, the ring is around 1,400 miles further away from the Roche limit, as per the calculations of the scientists.
- It suggests that at such a distance, the particles of the ring should have come together to form a moon.
- For a further understanding of the Roche limit, let’s look at the Earth and the moon. The Earth’s gravity pulls on the moon.
- However, one side of the moon is closer to the planet and hence, the pull is stronger on the side facing the Earth.
- The result is the so-called tidal force, which either stretches or compresses the moon from all sides.
What is the reason behind Quaoar’s far-out ring?
- As of now, nobody exactly knows how Quaoar’s ring has managed to remain stable at such a distance from the Roche limit.
- The researchers said that there can be a variety of possible explanations but they aren’t sure about any one of them.
- It might be possible that Quaoar’s moon, Weywot, or some other unseen moon contributes gravity that somehow holds the ring stable.
- Another potential explanation can be that the particles of the ring are colliding with each other in such a way that they are avoiding to coalesce into a moon.
Try this MCQ:
Q.What is the Roche limit?
A) The distance from a planet where its gravity is balanced by the gravitational force of another celestial body
B) The minimum distance from a planet that a moon can orbit without being pulled apart by tidal forces
C) The distance from the sun at which a planet can have a stable orbit
D) The distance from the earth where meteoroids burn up upon entering the atmosphere
Post your answers here.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Lavani
Mains level: NA
Central idea: The article is based on the controversy surrounding the Maharashtra folk dance form, Lavani, which has come under criticism for being ‘vulgar’ and ‘obscene’.
What is the Lavani folk art form?
- The word Lavani comes from ‘lavanya’ or beauty.
- Lavani is a traditional folk art form in which women dancers wearing nine-yard-long sarees in bright colours, make-up, and ghunghroos perform on dholak beats on a stage before a live audience.
- As an indigenous art form, Lavani has a history going back several centuries, and it attained particular popularity in the Peshwa era in the 18th century.
- Traditionally, performances were held in front of kings or lords, and for the entertainment of tired soldiers resting during breaks in fighting.
Genres of Lavani
- There are several types of Lavani, of which the most popular is the Shringarik (erotic) kind, in which the lyrics are often teasing, with sensuous dance steps and delicate gestures employed to convey erotic meaning.
- Over the years, Lavani has gained more acceptability among the people, even though certain taboos around it continue.
- The audience has historically been all-male, but in recent years, some women too have begun to attend performances.
Why is it under fire these days?
- Lost its original form: Some also argue that the commercialization of Lavani has led to a loss of authenticity and cultural significance.
- Objectifying women: The criticism of Lavani dance centres on the traditional dance form’s alleged objectification and commodification of women’s bodies.
- Public obscenity: It has been accused of promoting obscenity and vulgarity and reinforcing patriarchal attitudes towards women.
- Communalizing/Stereotyping: Critics have also argued that the dance form perpetuates negative stereotypes of women from marginalized communities, such as the notion that Dalit women are “loose” or sexually promiscuous.
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