Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: APY, NPS, PFRDA
Mains level: Old age security concerns addressed by APY
The flagship social security scheme ‘Atal Pension Yojana’ (APY) has completed five years of successful implementation.
Five years of successfull implemention of APY is a significant feat. A statement based prelims question on terms of enrolment of the APY can be asked.
Atal Pension Yojana
- APY is a government-backed pension scheme, primarily targeted at the unorganised sector.
- It is a social security scheme launched by the government on 9th May 2015 to provide a defined pension between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
- It aims of delivering old age income security particularly to the workers in the unorganised sector with a guarantee of minimum pension after 60 years of age.
Terms of enrolment
- APY can be subscribed by any Indian citizen in the age group of 18-40 years having a bank account and its uniqueness is attributable to three distinctive benefits.
- First, it provides a minimum guaranteed pension ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 on attaining 60 years of age,
- Secondly, the amount of pension is guaranteed for a lifetime to spouse on death of the subscriber.
- And lastly, in the event of the death of both the subscriber and the spouse, entire pension corpus is paid to the nominee.
Success of the scheme
- The scheme has now 2.23 crores enrolment.
- Apart from remarkable enrolments, the scheme has been implemented comprehensively across the country covering all states and UTs with male to a female subscription ratio of 57:43.
About PFRDA
- Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is the statutory authority established by an enactment of the Parliament.
- It aims to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the National Pension System (NPS) and pension schemes to which this Act applies.
- NPS was initially notified for central government employees recruits w.e.f. 1st Jan 2004 and subsequently adopted by almost all State Governments for its employees.
- NPS was extended to all Indian citizens (resident/non-resident/overseas) on a voluntary basis and to corporates for its employees.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SwasthVayu
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) Bangalore, a constituent of the lab of CSIR has developed a Non-Invasive BiPAP Ventilator ‘SwasthVayu ’in a record time of 36 days to treat COVID-19 patients.
The name ‘SwasthVayu’ can be tricky to guess, specially after some days. In prelims, UPSC may throw some options related to air pollution.
SwasthVayu
- A ventilator is a machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently.
- BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) Non-Invasive ventilator is a microcontroller-based precise closed-loop adaptive control system.
- It is a built-in biocompatible “3D printed manifold & coupler” with HEPA filter (Highly Efficient Particulate Air Filter).
Benefits of SwasthVayu
- The major advantage of this machine is that it is simple to use without any specialized nursing, cost-effective, compact and configured with the majority of indigenous components.
- This is ideal for treating COVID -19 patients in Wards, Makeshift Hospitals, dispensaries and home in current Indian COVID 19 scenario.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various passes in news, BRO
Mains level: India's border connectivity and the role of BRO
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed the construction of road from Dharchula to Lipulekh along the China Border, famously known as Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Route.
We can expect a prelims question asking to arrange few passes from West to East or vice versa. Click here to get through all such Himalayan Passes.
Darchula – Lipulekh road
- The road is an extension of Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Ghatiabagarh road. In this 80 Km road, the altitude rises from 6000 feet to 17,060 feet.
- It originates from Ghatiabagarh in Uttarakhand and terminates at Lipulekh Pass, the gateway to Kailash Mansarovar.
- With the completion of this project, the arduous trek through treacherous high-altitude terrain can now be avoided by the Pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the period of journey will be reduced by many days.
(Note: The Lipulekh Pass links Uttarakhand with China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region.)
Significance
- At present, the travel to Kailash Mansarovar takes around two to three weeks through Sikkim or Nepal routes.
- Lipulekh route had a trek of 90 Km through high altitude terrain and the elderly yartris faced lot of difficulties.
- Now, this yatra will get completed by vehicles.
Also read:
The Northern and Northeastern Mountains | Part 2
Back2Basics: Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
- The BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries and functions under the Ministry of Defence.
- It is entrusted for construction of Roads, Bridges, Tunnels, Causeways, Helipads and Airfields along the borders.
- Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the Border Roads Organisation.
- It is also staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment.
- The BRO operates and maintains over 32,885 kilometers of roads and about 12,200 meters of permanent bridges in the country.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Glaciers mentioned in the newscard
Mains level: Glacial surges and their impacts
Indian researchers have found a seasonal advancement in 220 surge-type glaciers in the Karakoram Range of Ladakh.
Points to note:
1) Open you map and revise the glaciers of Himalayan region.
2) Glacial landforms as Geographic phenomenon.
What are Glacial Surges?
Click here to see the animated view
- Glacial surges are short-lived events where a glacier can advance substantially, moving at velocities up to 100 times faster than normal.
- Until recently, most glaciologists believed that a glacier’s physical characteristics, such as its thickness and shape, and the properties of the terrain it sits on determining whether it can surge.
- Now, it is proved to believe an external factor also plays a major role: water from precipitation and melting.
- Pooling on the surface, it can infiltrate the glacier through crevasses and reach its base, warming, lubricating, and, ultimately, releasing the ice.
Why surging in the Karakoram is a concern?
- The behaviour of these glaciers, which represent 40% of the total glaciated area of the Karakoram, goes against the normal trend.
- Surging of glaciers is potentially catastrophic as it can lead to the destruction of villages, roads and bridges.
- It can also advance across a river valley and form the ice-dammed lake.
- These lakes can form catastrophic outburst floods.
- Therefore, monitoring of glacier surges, ice-dammed lake formation, and drainage is of paramount importance.
Which are these glaciers?
- The scientists focused on the Shispare and Muchuhar glaciers, former tributaries of the once larger Hasanabad Glacier situated in Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan.
Significance of the study
- The Surge-type glaciers oscillate between brief (months to years) rapid flow and lengthy (tens to hundreds of years) slow flow or stagnation, which are called the ‘active’ (or ‘surge’) and ‘quiescent’ phases, respectively.
- This unsteady glacier flow makes it difficult to accurately assess individual glacier mass balances using in-situ observations.
- The study will help to understand the diversity of glacial behaviour and help make accurate assessments of individual glacier mass balances for disaster planning and management.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various schemes mentioned in the newscard
Mains level: Energy saving and its significance in carbon emissions reduction
The Union Ministry of Power has released a Report on “Impact of energy efficiency measures for the year 2018-19”.
Things to note:
1) UJALA Scheme
2) PAT Scheme
3) Standards & Labeling Programme
Possible mains question:
Q. Discuss the role of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in “institutionalizing” energy efficiency services in India.
About the report
- This report was prepared by an Expert agency PWC Ltd, who was engaged by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
- The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance and impact of all the key energy efficiency programmes in India, in terms of total energy saved and the related reduction in CO2 emissions.
Data on energy savings
- With our energy efficiency initiatives, we have already reduced the energy intensity of our economy by 20% compared to 2005 levels. This includes both the Supply Side and Demand Side sectors of the economy.
- The implementation of various energy efficiency schemes has led to total electricity savings to the tune of 113.16 Billion Units in 2018-19, which is 9.39% of the net electricity consumption.
- Energy savings (electrical + thermal), achieved in the energy-consuming sectors is to the tune of 16.54 Mtoe, which is 2.84% of the net total energy consumption in 2018-19.
- Overall this has translated into savings worth INR 89,122 crores against last year’s savings of INR 53,627 crore.
- These efforts have also contributed to reducing 151.74 Million Tonnes of CO2 emissions, whereas last year this number was 108 MTCO2.
(Note: Mtoe= million Tonne of Oil Equivalent)
What led to this significant savings?
- The study has identified the following major programmes, viz. Perform, Achieve and Trade Scheme, Standards &Labelling Programme, UJALA Programme, Municipal Demand Side Management Programme, etc.
- There is huge capacity still for bringing efficiencies especially in MSME sector and a Housing sector that has now been taken up.
About the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
- The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is an agency under the Ministry of Power created in March 2002 under the provisions of the nation’s 2001 Energy Conservation Act.
- Its function is to develop programs which will increase the conservation and efficient use of energy in India.
- The mission of BEE is to “institutionalize” energy efficiency services, enable delivery mechanisms in the country and provide leadership to energy efficiency in all sectors of the country.
Back2Basics
1) PAT Scheme
- Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is a flagship programme of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE).
- NMEEE is one of the eight national missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) launched in the year 2008.
- The scheme aims to reduce specific energy consumption in energy-intensive industries through certification of excess energy saving which can be traded.
- It refers to the calculation of Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) in the baseline year and projected SEC in the target year covering different forms of net energy going into the boundary of the designated consumers’ plant and the products leaving it over a particular cycle.
- Those eight Energy Intensive Sectors included are Chlor-alkali, Pulp & Paper, Textile, Aluminum, and Thermal Power plants, Fertilizer, Iron & Steel and Cement.
2) Standards & Labeling Programme
- It is one of the major thrust areas of BEE.
- A key objective of this scheme is to provide the consumer with an informed choice about the energy-saving and thereby the cost-saving potential of the relevant marketed product.
- The scheme targets display of energy performance labels on high energy end-use equipment & appliances and lay down minimum energy performance standards.
3) UJALA Scheme
- Launched in 2015, the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA), in a short span of time, has emerged as the world’s largest domestic lighting programme.
- The main objective is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment which reduces electricity bills and helps preserve the environment.
- The Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) a public sector body of the Ministry of Power is implementing the programme.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Photodetectors and their applications
Mains level: NA
Indian scientists have fabricated an economical and energy-efficient wafer-scale photodetector using gold – silicon interface, for security applications.
A basic question on the working principle of Photodetectors can be asked in the Prelims.
What are Photodetectors?
- Photodetectors, also called photosensors, are sensors of light or other electromagnetic radiation.
- A photodetector has a p–n (positive-negative) junction that converts light photons into the current.
- The absorbed photons make electron-hole pairs in the depletion region.
- Photodiodes and phototransistors are a few examples of photodetectors. Solar cells convert some of the light energy absorbed into electrical energy.
- The material cost and the intricate fabrication processes involved in realizing high-performance detectors make them unaffordable for day to day applications.
Applications
- Photodetectors are the heart of any optoelectronic circuit that can detect light.
- They are employed for a wide variety of applications ranging from controlling automatic lighting in supermarkets to detecting radiation from the outer galaxy as well as security-related applications.
- They range from simple devices that automatically open supermarket doors, to receivers on the TV remote controls.
What did Indian researchers achieve?
- The scientists have fabricated gold (Au) – silicon (Si) interface, which showed high sensitivity towards light demonstrating the photodetection action.
- The Au–Si interface was brought about by galvanic deposition, a technique for electroplating of metals, wherein water-based solutions (electrolytes) are used, which contain the metals to be deposited as ions.
- In addition, a nanostructured Au film also was deposited on top of p-type silicide (having an excess of positive charges), which acts as a charge collector.
Benefits
- Being a solution-based technique, the method is highly economical and enabled large-area fabrication without compromising the detector response.
- The process is quick, taking only minutes to fabricate a detector of any arbitrary area and exhibited a rapid response of 40 microseconds.
- This photodetector displayed long-term environmental stability.
- The Indian invention provides a simple and cost-effective solution-based fabrication method for high-performance photodetector.
- It could help detect weak scattered light as an indication of unwanted activity.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Abutilon ranadei
Mains level: NA
Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune have come up with plant data of the Northern Western Ghats which indicates that plateaus, in addition to the forests, should be prioritized for the conservation of the Northern Western Ghats.
Last year one species from our newscard : Species in news: Hump-backed Mahseer made it into the CSP 2019. The ‘Abutilon ranadei’ flower in the newscard creates such a vibe yet again.
A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time often find their way into the prelims. Make a special note here.
Why conserve Plateaus?
- The Western Ghats of India is one of the global biodiversity hotspots owing to the endemism that is sheltered by a chain of mountains.
- The northern part of this along with the Konkan region is considerably different from its southern and central counterparts on account of lesser precipitation and extended dry season.
- It is the plateaus and the cliffs that harbour most of the endemic species.
What did the study find?
- The study found that the Northern Western Ghats has 181 local endemic plant species, including four monospecific genera.
- They have found that a majority of the endemic species are therophytes, which complete their life cycle in a short period during monsoon.
- A notable geographical feature of the Northern Western Ghats is the presence of plateaus and cliffs that display maximum endemic species, unlike forests.
- It is the region of rapid diversification of specific herbaceous endemic genera like Ceropegia, Glyphochloa, Dipcadi, and Eriocaulon.
One such specie is-
Abutilon ranadei
- Abutilon ranadei is a shrub, measuring 2.5-3.5 m high and bears star-shaped hairs.
- It is a Critically Endangered endemic species from the northern Western Ghats.
Bonus:
Consider the following pairs:
| Wildlife |
Naturally found in |
| 1. Blue-finned Mahseer |
Cauvery River |
| 2. Irrawaddy Dolphin |
Chambal River |
| 3. Rusty-spotted Cat |
Eastern Ghats |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Saras Collection, GeM
Mains level: Not Much
The Union Ministry for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has launched “The Saras Collection” on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
Possible prelim question:
‘The Saras Collection’ recently seen in news is a:
a) Subsidy on beekeeping and apiculture projects
b) Indigenous light transport aircraft
c) Database on wetland birds
d) Collection of products made by SHGs
The Saras Collection
- It is a unique initiative by the GeM, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) and Ministry of Rural Development.
- The collection showcases daily utility products made by rural Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and aims to provide SHGs in rural areas with market access to Central and State Government buyers.
- The on-boarding of the SHGs has been initially piloted in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
- SHGs from all the states and Union Territories (UTs) will be covered rapidly in the upcoming phases.
It’s functioning
- For Functionaries: They will be provided dashboards at the national, state, district and block level for real-time information about the number of products uploaded, their value and volume of orders received and fulfilled.
- Government buyers: They will be sensitized through system-generated messages/ alerts in the Marketplace about the availability of SHG products on the portal.
Benefits offered
- The Saras Collection will provide SHGs with direct access to Government buyers which will do away with intermediaries in the supply chain.
- Thus it would ensure better prices for SHGs and spurring employment opportunities at the local level.
Back2Basics: Government e-Marketplace
- The GeM is a one-stop National Public Procurement Portal to facilitate online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
- It was launched in 2016 to bring transparency and efficiency in the government buying process.
- GEM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
- It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-marketplace that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface.
- It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users to achieve the best value for their money.
- The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by the Ministry of Finance by adding a new Rule No. 149 in the General Financial Rules, 2017.
- It has been developed by Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with technical support of National e-governance Division (MEITy).
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: UV germicidal irradiation
Mains level: Can always be used as an example
The DRDO has developed an Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection Tower for rapid and chemical-free disinfection of high infection-prone areas.
GYAN:
We have a UV filter in our home based water filter. Ever wondered, how do UV rays kill viruses/bacteria?
UV Blaster
- The UV blaster is a UV based area sanitizer designed and developed by Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC), the Delhi based premier laboratory of DRDO.
- It is useful for high tech surfaces like electronic equipment, computers and other gadgets in laboratories and offices that are not suitable for disinfection with chemical methods.
- The product is also effective for areas with a large flow of people such as airports, shopping malls, metros, hotels, factories, offices, etc.
How does it work?
- The UV based area sanitizer may be used by remote operation through laptop/mobile phone using wifi link.
- The equipment has six lamps each with 43 watts of UV-C power at 254 nm wavelength for 360-degree illumination.
- For a room of about 12 x 12 feet dimension, the disinfection time is about 10 minutes and 30 minutes for 400 square feet area by positioning the equipment at different places within the room.
- This sanitizer switches off on the accidental opening of a room or human intervention.
Back2Basics: UV germicidal irradiation
- UV irradiation is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet rays to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions.
- UVGI is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water purification.
- UVGI devices can produce strong enough UVC light in circulating air or water systems to make them inhospitable environments to microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, moulds, and other pathogens.
- UVGI can be coupled with a filtration system to sanitize air and water.
- It has been used primarily in medical sanitation and sterile work facilities.
- Increasingly, it has been employed to sterilize drinking and wastewater since the holding facilities are enclosed and can be circulated to ensure a higher exposure to the UV.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sariska Tiger Reserve
Mains level: Not Much
The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh webinar featured a presentation and virtual tour of ‘Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve’.
Tourism and tourist sites carry high stakes for possible prelims questions. Take time to quickly revise the Swadesh Darshan , PRASHAD Schemes. Click here for the repository of all such initiatives.
Sariska Tiger Reserve
- It is located in the Aravalli Hills, 35 km from Alwar, 250 km SW of Delhi and 110 km NE of Jaipur.
- The former hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Alwar, the Sariska valley is home to a variety of flora and fauna.
- The park has populations of tigers, leopards, Nilgai, Sambar, chital etc.
- The place is a paradise for bird lovers as it shelters a large population of Indian peafowl, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, golden-backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, tree pies, vultures and many others.
- It is the first reserve in the world with successfully relocated tigers. It is an important biodiversity area in the Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor.
Features of this episode
- Alwar is a city dotted with heritage buildings, Forts, tombs and palaces. Some of the important sights not to be missed are Bala Qila, Vijai Mandir Lake Palaces, Fateh Jung ki Gumbad, Moti Doongri etc.
- The sanctuary is strewn with ruins of ancient temples dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries.
- Some of the highlights are the ruins of the Kankwari Fort and the 10th-century Neelkanth temples, which have Khajuraho-like carvings as key features.
- Neelkanth Mahadeva houses the ruins of over 300 Hindu and Jain temples constructed between the 8th and 12th Centuries.
- Chand Baoli (stepwell) at Abhaneri is enormous with 3500 steep steps built by the Nikhumbha dynasty is one of the largest step-wells in the world.
About DekhoApnaDesh
- Under this, a series of webinars will showcase the diverse and remarkable history and culture of India through a documentary series on various cities.
- It will be including various monuments, cuisine, arts, dance forms, natural landscapes, festivals and many other aspects of the rich Indian civilization.
- The objective of the webinar series is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India – including the lesser-known destinations and lesser-known facets of popular destinations.
- The webinar will be available in the public domain through the Ministry’s social media handles- “Incredible India” on Instagram and Facebook.
Back2Basics: Project Tiger
- Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by during PM Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
- It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
- The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the distribution of tigers in the country.
- The project’s task force visualized these tiger reserves as breeding nuclei, from which surplus animals would migrate to adjacent forests.
- The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kashmir Saffron
Mains level: GI tags and their significance
Kashmir saffron has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
Must read:
GI Tags in news for 2020 Prelims
All time GI tags in news
Kashmir saffron
- It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
- It is a very precious and costly product. Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor.
- It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
- It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.
- Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.
3 Types
The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types —
- ‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing;
- ‘Mongra Saffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and
- ‘Guchhi Saffron’, which is the same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas are packed loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined together in a bundle tied with a cloth thread
Whats’ so special about Kashmir Saffron?
- The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
- It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level), which adds to its uniqueness and differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Himalayan rivers, Zanskar Padam
Mains level: Read the attached story
Indian researchers have studied rivers in Ladakh Himalaya, bringing out 35 thousand-year histories of river erosion and identified hotspots of erosion and wide valleys that act buffer zones.
Click here to read more about the Himalayan river systems and its orogeny
Erosion hotspot: Ladakh region
- The Ladakh Himalaya forms a high altitude desert between Greater Himalayan ranges and Karakoram Ranges.
- The Indus and its tributaries are major rivers flowing through the terrain.
- The Zanskar River is one of the largest tributaries of the upper Indus catchment, draining orthogonally through highly deformed Zanskar ranges.
Zanskar: A major river in Ladakh
- Two prominent tributaries of Zanskar River are the Doda and Tsrap Lingti Chu, which confluence at Padam village in the upper valley to form the Zanskar River.
- Zanskar catchment was explored to understand the landform evolution in the transitional climatic zone, using morpho-stratigraphy and study of landforms like valley fill terraces, alluvial fans (triangle-shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment, such as silt).
Zanskar Padam
- Zanskar river makes a deep gorge in its lower reaches with the headwaters in upper Zanskar makes wide basin called as Padam.
- The basin stores large amount of sediments in form of fans and river terrace deposits
- The research suggested that the wide valley of Padam, with an area of 48 square km, in the upper Zanskar, has stored a vast amount of sediments in these landforms.
- Thus Padam valley is a hotspot of sediment buffering in the Zanskar.
Sediment study reveals the erosion
- The study suggested that most sediments were derived from Higher Himalayan crystalline that lies in the headwater region of Zanskar.
- It was found out that dominant factors responsible for sediment erosion were deglaciation and Indian Summer Monsoon derived precipitation in the headwaters despite the presence of a geomorphic barrier (the deep, narrow gorge).
Significance of the study
- The scientists have traced where the rivers draining Himalaya and its foreland erode the most and identify the zones that receive these eroded sediments and fill up.
- The study will help understand river-borne erosion and sedimentation, which are the main drivers that make large riverine plains, terraces, and deltas that eventually become the cradle to evolving civilizations.
- It will also help study the dynamics of devastating floods created by these Himalayan rivers in recent times.
- Thus, the understanding of water and sediment routing becomes crucial while developing infrastructure and for other development works in the river catchment area.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: YASH Program
Mains level: NA
National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) has launched a programme on health and risk communication ‘Year of Awareness on Science & Health (YASH)’ with focus on COVID-19.
There are various initiatives named with Hindi acronyms. YASH is newer among them. It is very unlikely to frame a prelim question on it. Still, we should know it for the sake of general awareness.
YASH Program
- YASH is a comprehensive and effective science and health communication effort for promoting grass-root level appreciation and response to health.
- The current pandemic scenario has posed concerns and challenges all around, where scientific awareness and health preparedness play a significant role to help combat the situation.
- This requires translation and usage of authentic scientific information to convey the risks involved and facilitates communities to overcome the situation.
- The programme will encompass the development of science, health, and risk communication software, publications, audio-visual, digital platforms, folk performances, trained communicators, especially in regional languages to cater to various cross-sections of the society in the country.
- It would help to save and shaping the lives of people at large, as well as build confidence, inculcate a scientific temper and promote health consciousness among them.
Activities under YASH
- The programme is aimed at minimizing risks at all levels with the help of public communication and outreach activities.
- It would promote public understanding of common minimum science for community care and health safety measures like personal sanitation and hygiene, physical distancing, maintaining desired collective behaviour and so on.
- It also includes information dissemination mechanisms to reduce the fear of risks and build confidence with necessary understanding for adopting sustainable healthy lifestyles and nurturing scientific culture among masses and societies.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kisan Sabha App and its purpose
Mains level: Technology intervention for supply-chain dynamics of farm produces in India
Kisan Sabha App developed by CSIR to connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation management system was recently launched.
Initiatives as such are less likely to be asked in the prelims as the name and purpose create no different analogy. But for the sake of information and mains perspective, it is vital to remember such technology interventions while emphasizing on Agricultural marketing reforms.
Kisan Sabha App
- Kisan Sabha aims to provide the most economical and timely logistics support to the farmers and increase their profit margins by minimizing the interference of middlemen and directly connecting with the institutional buyers.
- It will also help in providing the best market rates of crops by comparing nearest mandis, booking of freight vehicle at the cheapest cost thereby giving maximum benefit to the farmers.
- The portal connects the farmers, transporters, Service providers (like pesticides/ fertilizer/ dealers, cold store and warehouse owner), mandi dealers, customers and other related entities for a timely and effective solution.
- The app has 6 major modules taking care of Farmers/Mandi Dealers/Transporters/Mandi Board Members/ Service Providers/Consumers.
Facilities provided by the app
- The portal acts as a single stop for every entity related to agriculture, be they a farmer who needs better price for the crops or mandi dealer who wants to connect to more farmers or truckers who invariably go empty from the mandis.
- It provides a platform for people who want to buy directly from the farmers.
- It would also prove to be useful for those associated with cold store(s) or godown(s).
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Earths magnetosphere
Mains level: Earths magnetosphere and its significance for space missions
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) have developed a generalized one-dimensional fluid simulation code capable of studying a wide spectrum of coherent electric field structures of earth’s magnetosphere which can be useful in the planning of future space missions.
The newscard talks of not so new phenomenon but a basic terminology of space sciences. Kindly make a note of what the Magnotesphere is, how it is formed, role of solar winds, Geodynamo etc.
Earth’s Magnetosphere
- The magnetosphere is the region of space surrounding Earth where the dominant magnetic field is the magnetic field of Earth, rather than the magnetic field of interplanetary space.
- It is generated by the interaction of the solar wind with Earth’s magnetic field.
Features of the Earth’s magnetosphere
1) Bow shock,
2) Magnetosheath,
3) Magnetopause,
4) Northern tail lobe,
5) Southern tail lobe,
6) Plasmasphere,
7) Solar wind.
How is it formed?
- Sun is the major source of plasma deposition in space around the Earth. Sun forces some of its plasma towards the earth in the form of the solar wind.
- The speed of this wind varies between 300 to 1500 km/s, which carries with it solar magnetic field, called as Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF).
- The magnetic field is generated by electric currents due to the motion of convection currents of a mixture of molten iron and nickel in the Earth’s outer core.
- These convection currents are caused by heat escaping from the core, a natural process called a geodynamo.
Why study the magnetosphere?
- The Earth’s magnetosphere is a vast region which has a finite number of satellites hurtling through this realm.
- The morphology of the plasma processes around the satellite can be understood quite well.
- However, when they leave the observational domain of one satellite to enter into another, a vast blind arena is created.
- How the morphology of these processes changes over space and time can be ideally deciphered only through computer simulations.
Outcome of the study
- Almost 99% of matter in the universe is in the form of plasma, Earth’s magnetosphere, too, contains this material and the plasma.
- They have the ability to hamper the working of a number of satellites that have been placed in orbit in the magnetospheric region.
Significance
- Apart from the well being of these expensive satellites, the academic understanding of this region is quite essential to comprehend the cosmos in its entirety.
- The study will help advance the knowledge of plasma waves, instabilities, and coherent effects associated with wave-particle interactions that are useful in planning of future space missions.
- It can also lead to precisely controlled fusion laboratory experiments for ever-expanding energy needs of humanity.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: HCARD
Mains level: Technology assistance for COVID-19 containment
HCARD, a robot, to assist frontline COVID-19 healthcare warriors has been developed by a CSIR lab.
It is very unlikely to create a prelim question on HCARD. However, developments as such help in exemplifying the scientific developments which helped contain such highly contagious outbreaks.
What is HCARD?
- The robotic device HCARD, an acronym for Hospital Care Assistive Robotic Device, can help frontline healthcare workers in maintaining physical distance from those infected by the coronavirus.
- The device is equipped with various state-of-the-art technologies and works both in automatic as well as manual modes of navigation.
- This robot can be controlled and monitored by a nursing booth with a control station having such features as navigation, drawer activation for providing medicines and food to patients, sample collection and audio-visual communication.
- The cost of this device is less than Rs 5 lakh and the weight is less than 80 kilograms.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Supernovae
Mains level: Not Much
Indian researchers have found that SN 2010kd, a super-luminous supernova stands out with the amount of mass as well as Nickel ejected during explosion.
Space science-related terms these days are often focused on Gravitational waves, Black holes etc. But basic terminologies are very important and need to be taken care of. For example, a layman may hardly find any difference between Novae-Supernovae, Neutron star, Nebula etc. UPSC often tries to bust you with such basic differences.
What are Supernovae?
- Supernovae are kind of energetic explosions were the core of massive stars (a few times to that of the mass of our Sun) goes to a catastrophic phase of explosion liberating huge amounts of energy and mass.
- These events are visible through very far away distances much beyond our own solar system.
- Super-luminous supernovae are a special type of stellar explosions having energy output 10 or more times higher than that of standard supernovae.
What is so distinct about SN 2010kd?
- The mass ejection from SN 2010kd is metallic and is much more than seen in case of normal core-collapse supernovae.
- The scientists found that SN 2010kd exploded with a larger velocity but decayed slower than other similar supernovae.
- The observations show that parameters like rotation and metallicity play a crucial role in stellar explosions.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NBS schemes
Mains level: NBS scheme and its benefits
Union Cabinet has approved fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers for the year 2020-21.
Fertilizer subsidy accounts for large fiscal subsidies (about 0.73 lakh crore or 0.5 per cent of GDP), the second-highest after food. We can expect a question like – “Discuss the role of NBS in ensuring land fertility and farm productivity in India.”
About Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme
- The NBS Scheme for fertilizer was initiated in the year 2010 and is being implemented by the Department of Fertilizers.
- Government is making available fertilizers, Urea and 21 grades of P&K fertilizers to farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer manufacturers/importers.
What NBS provides?
- The scheme allows the manufacturers, marketers, and importers to fix the MRP of the Phosphatic and Potash fertilizers at reasonable levels.
- The MRP will be decided considering the domestic and international prices of P&K fertilizers, inventory level in the country and the exchange rates.
- The NBS ensures that adequate quantity of P&K is made available to the farmers at a statutory controlled price.
Fertilizers covered
- Under this, a fixed amount of subsidy decided on an annual basis is provided on each grade of subsidized Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, except for Urea based on the nutrient content present in them.
- It is largely for secondary nutrients like N, P, S and K and micronutrients which are very important for crop growth and development.
- In India, urea is the only controlled fertilizer and is sold at a statutory notified uniform sale price.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: VidyaDaan initiative
Mains level: Various e-learning initiaitves
The Union HRD Ministry has e-launched VidyaDaan 2.0 program for inviting e-learning content contributions.
There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names such as YUKTI, DISHA, SWAYAM etc. Their core purpose is similar with slight differences. Pen them down on a separate sheet under the title various digital HRD initiatives.
Add one more to this list.
VidyaDaan
- ‘Vidya Daan’ is a digital program to enable contributions to improve teaching & learning.
- It encourages the sharing of high quality, curated, relevant & curriculum-linked digital content.
- This program attempts to synergize countrywide developments in the field of education by providing schools all over India, from the Metro cities to the smallest villages with good quality e-content.
How does it work?
- VidyaDaan has a content contribution tool that provides a structured interface for the contributors to register and contribute different types of content (such as, explanation videos, presentations, competency-based items, quizzes etc.), for any grade (from grade 1 to 12), for any subject as specified by the states/UTs.
About phase 2.0
- The programme has been re-launched due to the increasing requirement for e-learning content for students especially in the backdrop of the situation arising out of COVID- 19.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: COVID India Seva
Mains level: Coronovirus outbreak and its mitigation
The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched the COVID India Seva platform to establish a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic.
We can take this initiative as an example while answering mains questions like – “India’s fight against Coronavirus pandemic is a public movement at large. Discuss.”
COVID India Seva
- This initiative is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answering citizen queries swiftly, at scale, especially in crisis situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Through this, people can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva and get them responded to in almost real time.
- @CovidIndiaSeva works off a dashboard at the backend that helps process large volumes of tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution.
- The dedicated account will be accessible to people be it local or national in their scope.
- The Ministry will respond to broader queries and public health information. This does not require the public to share personal contact details or health record details.
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