Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CoE-SURVEI
Mains level: Not Much
The Centre of Excellence on Satellite and Unmanned Remote Vehicle Initiative (CoE-SURVEI) has developed an Artificial Intelligence-based software which can automatically detect change on the ground, including unauthorised constructions and encroachments in a time series using satellite imagery.
CoE-SURVEI
- The CoE-SURVEI, established by Directorate General Defence Estates at National Institute of Defence Estates Management, leverages the latest technologies in survey viz. satellite imagery, drone imagery and geo-spatial tools for effective land management and urban planning.
- This change detection software has been developed by CoE-SURVEI in collaboration with knowledge partner Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Visakhapatnam.
- Presently, the tool uses National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) Cartosat-3 imagery with trained software.
- The changes are detected by analysing satellite imagery of different time periods.
Where is it used?
- The application has been used by CoE in 62 Cantonments and a comparison has been done with the ground position in a recent period.
- The software facilitates better control of unauthorised activities, ensures accountability of field staff and helps in reducing corrupt practices.
- The CoE-SURVEI has also developed tools for vacant land analysis and 3D image analysis of hill cantonments
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SYL Canal
Mains level: Interstate water disputes
The Supreme Court drew an assurance from the State of Punjab that it will meet the Haryana counterpart within this month to discuss the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal which has been languishing for two decades.
Why in news?
- The observations came after the Centre complained that Punjab had “refrained” from coming to the negotiating table to engage in talks with Haryana over the issue.
- The construction of Punjab’s portion of the canal had led to militant attacks in the 1980s.
- The issue had also been a political thorn for successive governments in Punjab, so much so that it led to the State’s unilateral enactment of the controversial Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act of 2004.
- This law was, however, struck down by a Constitution Bench in 2016, dashing the hopes of Punjab’s farmers to reclaim lands acquired for the SYL canal project.
About Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal
- Satluj Yamuna Link Canal or SYL as it is popularly known, is an under-construction 214-kilometer long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers.
What is the SYL canal issue?
- At the time of reorganization of Punjab in 1966, the issue of sharing of river waters between both the states emerged.
- Punjab refused to share waters of Ravi and Beas with Haryana stating it was against the riparian principle.
- Before the reorganization, in 1955, out of 15.85 MAF of Ravi and Beas, the Centre had allocated 8 MAF to Rajasthan, 7.20 MAF to undivided Punjab, 0.65MAF to Jammu and Kashmir.
- Out of 7.20 MAF allocated, Punjab did not want to share any water with Haryana.
- In March 1976, when the Punjab Reorganization Act was implemented, the Centre notified fresh allocations, providing 3.5 MAF To Haryana.
Inception of the canal project
- Later, in 1981, the water flowing down Beas and Ravi was revised and pegged at 17.17 MAF, out of which 4.22 MAF was allocated to Punjab, 3.5 MAF to Haryana, and 8.6 MAF to Rajasthan.
- Finally, to provide this allocated share of water to southern parts of Haryana, a canal linking the Sutlej with the Yamuna, cutting across the state, was planned.
- Finally, the construction of 214-km SYL was started in April 1982, 122 km of which was to run through Punjab and the rest through Haryana.
- Haryana has completed its side of the canal, but work in Punjab has been hanging fire for over three decades.
Why has the SYL canal come up again now?
- The issue is back on centre stage after the Supreme Court directed the CMs of Punjab and Haryana to negotiate and settle the SYL canal issue.
- The apex court asked for a meeting at the highest political level to be mediated by the Centre so that the states reach a consensus over the completion of the SYL canal.
- The meeting remained inconclusive with the Centre expressing the view that the construction of the SYL canal should be completed. But Punjab CM refused categorically.
Punjab’s resentment with the project
- The dispute is based on the bloody history around the SYL canal. The trouble-torn days of terrorism in Punjab started in the early 1980s when work on the SYL started.
- Punjab feels it utilized its precious groundwater resources to grow the crop for the entire country and should not be forced to share its waters as it faces desertification.
- It is feared that once the construction of the canal restarts, the youth may start feeling that the state has been discriminated against.
- The Punjab CM fears Pakistan and secessionist organisations could exploit this and foment trouble in the state.
Water crisis in Punjab
- Punjab is facing severe water crisis due to over-exploitation of its underground aquifers for the wheat/paddy monocycle.
- According to the Central Underground Water Authority’s report, its underground water is over-exploited to meet the agriculture requirements in about 79 per cent area of the state.
- Out of 138 blocks, 109 are “over-exploited”, two are “critical” five are “semi-critical” and only 22 blocks are in “safe” category.
Punjab expects a new tribunal
- The state wants a tribunal seeking a fresh time-bound assessment of the water availability.
- The state has been saying that till date there has been no adjudication or scientific assessment of Punjab river waters.
Try this PYQ:
Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? (CSP 2017)
Dam/Lake River
(a) Govind Sagar: Satluj
(b) Kolleru Lake: Krishna
(c) Ukai Reservoir: Tapi
(d) Wular Lake: Jhelum
Post your answers here.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM Shri Schools
Mains level: Read the attached story
Prime Minister has announced that under the PM SHRI Scheme, as many as 14,500 schools will be “upgraded” across India to showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020.
What is the PM SHRI scheme?
- According to the Ministry of Education, the centrally sponsored scheme will be called PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India).
- Under it, as many as 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
- The plan was first discussed with the education ministers of states and UTs during a conference organised by the Ministry of Education in June at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
- While there are exemplary schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the PM SHRI will act as “NEP labs”.
What are the key features of NEP in school education?
- The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
- The foundational years (pre-school and grades I, II) will involve play-based learning.
- At the preparatory level (III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching. Subject teachers are to be introduced at the middle level (VI-VIII).
- The secondary stage (IX-XII) will be multidisciplinary in nature with no hard separation between arts and sciences or other disciplines.
What is a centrally sponsored scheme?
- A centrally sponsored scheme is one where the cost of implementation is likely to split in the 60:40 ratio among the Union government and the states/Union Territories.
- For instance, the mid-day meal scheme (PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana are examples of centrally sponsored schemes.
- In the case of the Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre’s contribution can go up to 90 per cent.
How will PM SHRI schools be different from Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas?
- Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas come entirely under the Centre’s Ministry of Education. They are fully funded by the Union government under Central Sector Schemes.
- While KVs largely cater to children of Union government employees posted in states and UTs, JNVs were set up to nurture talented students in rural parts of the country.
- In contrast, PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.
- This essentially means that PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.
Where will the PM SHRI schools come up?
- The Centre has not yet released the list of schools that have been chosen for this purpose.
- It has however announced that the PM SHRI schools will also “offer mentorship” to other schools in their vicinity.
- These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art room etc.
- It shall also be developed as green schools with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient infrastructure and integration of organic lifestyle in curriculum.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Purchasing Managers’ Index
Mains level: Not Much
The services sector rebounded in August from a four-month low in July and created the most jobs in 14 years as input cost pressures eased to the slowest pace in 11 months, as per S&P Global India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which expanded to 57.2 last month, from July’s 55.5.
Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)
- PMI is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
- It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
- It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
- The PMI is compiled by IHS Markit based on responses to questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers.
How is the PMI derived?
- The PMI is derived from a series of qualitative questions.
- Executives from a reasonably big sample, running into hundreds of firms, are asked whether key indicators such as output, new orders, business expectations and employment were stronger than the month before and are asked to rate them.
How does one read the PMI?
- A figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity. Anything below 50 denotes contraction.
- Higher the difference from this mid-point greater the expansion or contraction. The rate of expansion can also be judged by comparing the PMI with that of the previous month data.
- If the figure is higher than the previous month’s then the economy is expanding at a faster rate.
- If it is lower than the previous month then it is growing at a lower rate.
What are its implications for the economy?
- The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available.
- It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.
- Economists consider the manufacturing growth measured by the PMI as a good indicator of industrial output, for which official statistics are released later.
- Central banks of many countries also use the index to help make decisions on interest rates.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mohenjo Daro
Mains level: Not Much
Heavy floods in Pakistan has pushed the archeological site of Mohenjo Daro – near the bank of the Indus river – to the “brink of extinction”.
What is the news?
- Pakistan’s Department of Archaeology has said that Mohenjo Daro might be removed from the world heritage list, if urgent attention towards its conservation and restoration is not given.
About Mohenjo Daro
- Mohenjo Daro, a group of mounds and ruins, is a 5000-year-old archaeological site located about 80-km off the city of Sukkur.
- It comprises the remnants of one of two main centres of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, the other one being Harappa, located 640 km to the northwest, in Punjab province.
- Mohenjo Daro, which means ‘mound of the dead’, was one of the oldest cities of the world.
- Known to be a model planned city of the ancient civilisation, the houses here had bathrooms, toilets and drainage system.
- The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggests a high level of social organization.
- Though in ruins, the walls and brick pavements in the streets are still in a preserved condition.
How did it came to prominance
- The ruins of the city remained undocumented for around 3,700 years, until 1920, when archaeologist RD Banerji visited the site.
- Its excavation started in 1921 and continued in phases till 1964-65.
- The site went to Pakistan during Partition.
Other Indus Valley sites
- The Indus Valley Civilisation spanned much of what is now Pakistan and the northern states of India (Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan), even extending towards the Iranian border.
- Its major urban centres included Harappa and Mohenjo Daro in Pakistan, and Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi in India.
- Mohenjo Daro is considered the most advanced city of its time, with sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning.
- When the Indus Valley Civilisation went into sudden decline around 19th century BC, Mohenjo Daro was abandoned.
What next for the site
- According to media reports, many streets and sewerage drains of the historical ruins have been badly damaged due to the floods.
- However, the work of removing the sediments deposited due the flooding is still underway.
- But if this kind of flooding happens again, the heritage site may once again get buried under the ground, archaeologists say.
- It is expected that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will visit the site during his visit to Pakistan on September 11.
- The visit might provide some clarity on if the site has lost some of its attributes that are necessary for it to retain its prestigious world heritage tag.
Losing world heritage tag
- There are around 1,100 UNESCO listed sites across its 167 member countries.
- Last year, the World Heritage Committee decided to delete the property ‘Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City’ (UK) from the World Heritage List.
- This was due to the irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property.
- Liverpool was added to the World Heritage List in 2004 in recognition of its role as one of the world’s major trading centres in the 18th and 19th centuries – and its pioneering dock technology, transport systems and port management.
- Before that, the first venue to be delisted by the UNESCO panel was the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, in 2007, after concerns over poaching and habitat degradation.
- Another site to be removed from the World Heritage list in 2009 was Elbe Valley in Dresden, Germany, after the construction of the Waldschloesschen road bridge across the Elbe River.
Back2Basics: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area, selected by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance, which is legally protected by international treaties.
- The sites are judged to be important for the collective and preservative interests of humanity.
- To be selected, a WHS must be an already-classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area).
- It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
- The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence.
- The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly.
UNESCO World Heritage Committee
- The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- It monitors the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
- It is composed of 21 states parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term.
- India is NOT a member of this Committee.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD)
Mains level: Not Much
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested a technology that could aid the cost-effective recovery of spent rocket stages and safely land payloads on other planets.
What is IAD?
- IAD is a technique used for an atmospheric entry payload.
- An inflatable envelope and an inflatant (anything that inflates the envelope, like air or helium) make up the inflatable aerodynamic decelerator.
- While entering the atmosphere, it inflates like a balloon and decelerates the lander.
- The inflatant is designed to fill the inflatable envelope to a condition such that it surrounds the payload meant to enter the atmosphere of a planet or satellite and causes aerodynamic forces to slow it down.
- In simpler words, IAD is designed to increase drag upon entering the atmosphere of any planetary body, like Earth, Mars, or even Moon.
- Its shape is maintained by a closed, gas-pressured body and the inflatant gas is also generated internally. Some versions also use ram air or both.
How significant is this IAD?
- Some space agencies, including NASA, have already successfully tested advanced versions of the technology, including the supersonic and hypersonic variants.
- However, for near future missions of ISRO, the current version that it tested is perfect.
- Its use was first proposed by NASA more than 50 years ago for planetary entries.
Minuscule of ISRO’s IAD
- The IAD tested by ISRO was inflated at an altitude of around 84 km and the sounding rocket’s cargo dropped through the atmosphere on it.
- It is fitted with a booster motor. It also has a spin rocket that is ejectable.
- The inflatable structure is made out of Kevlar fabric, which is a very strong synthetic fibre and also heat resistant to withstand atmospheric pressure and temperature changes.
- On top of it, it’s coated with polychloroprene, an oil and wax resistant rubber, to withstand extreme temperatures.
- In the inflation system, it uses compressed nitrogen stored in a bottle.
- It has consistently decreased the payload’s velocity through aerodynamic drag while maintaining the expected trajectory during the test flight.
Where does ISRO intend to use it?
- The IAD will help ISRO in performing many space tasks effectively including recovery of spent stages of rockets, for landing payloads on missions to other planetary bodies.
- This is the first instance where an IAD has been specially created for spent stage recovery.
- So inter-planetary missions are certainly one aspect that ISRO wishes to explore.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dark Sky Reserve
Mains level: Not Much
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) has announced the setting up of India’s first dark sky reserve at Hanle in Ladakh in the next three months.
What is a Dark Sky Reserve?
- A dark-sky reserve is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory that is kept free of artificial light pollution.
- The purpose of a dark sky preserve is generally to promote astronomy.
- Because different national organizations have worked independently to create their programs, different terms have been used to describe the areas.
How is it designated?
- A dark sky reserve is a designation given to a place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.
- The International Dark Sky Association is a US-based non-profit that designates sites as international dark sky places, parks, sanctuaries and reserves, depending on the criteria they meet.
- Several such reserves exist around the world but none so far in India.
Dark Sky Reserve at Hanle
- Hanle, which is about 4,500 metres above sea level, hosts telescopes and is regarded as one of the world’s most optimal sites for astronomical observations.
- However, ensuring that the site remains well-suited for astronomy implies keeping the night sky pristine, or ensuring minimal interference to the telescopes from artificial light sources such as electric lights and vehicular lights from the ground.
- The site will have activities to help in boosting local tourism and economy through interventions of science and technology.
The Himalayan Chandra Telescope, High Energy Gamma Ray Telescope, Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment Telescope and GROWTH-India are the prominent telescopes located at the Hanle observatory.
Ideal conditions in India
- The Indian Astronomical Observatory, the high-altitude station of the IIA, is situated to the north of Western Himalayas, at an altitude of 4,500 metres above mean sea level.
- Located atop Mt. Saraswati in the Nilamkhul Plain in the Hanle Valley of Changthang, it is a dry, cold desert with sparse human population.
- The cloudless skies and low atmospheric water vapour make it one of the best sites in the world for optical, infrared, sub-millimetre, and millimetre wavelengths.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 130, Circuit Court
Mains level: Judicial accessibility
TN Chief Minister yet again reiterated the State’s request for establishing a Regional Bench of the Supreme Court in Chennai and allowing Tamil to be used in the Madras High Court as one of its official languages.
Why in news?
- Outgoing Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu suggested bifurcation of the Supreme Court into four regional benches for speedy disposal of cases.
- However, the Supreme Court has maintained on previous occasions that there is no need for such benches outside Delhi.
Why the Supreme Court is located in New Delhi?
- Article 130 of the Constitution of India reads- The Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or in such other place or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint.
- The law thus provides scope for setting up the Supreme Court in multiple places, subject to the concurrence of the CJI and the President.
Who can establish the SC benches outside New Delhi?
- The Supreme Court in Union of India v. S.P. Anand Verdict (2009), held that the Article vests exclusive discretionary powers on the matter with the Chief Justice of India.
- It is an enabling provision and if the Chief Justice (after taking relevant factors into account) feels that the Court should sit elsewhere, s/he can seek the President’s approval for it.
- No authority can compel the Chief Justice of India to act in a particular way under the Article.
Voices for circuit benches
- The Law Commission in its 229th Report had suggested setting up a Constitution Bench of the Court in New Delhi and four other benches in different regions i.e., Northern region in Delhi, Southern region in Chennai/Hyderabad, Easter region in Kolkata and Western region in Mumbai.
- However, this idea did not find favour with the Judges of the Supreme Court.
Reasons for having Regional/Circuit Benches
- Access to Justice: Many litigants are discouraged to travel to Delhi from far away locations like south or northeast India.
- Geographical Constraints: A disproportionately high number of cases filed in the Supreme Court originated in High Courts closer to Delhi. Hence coming up with regional benches will remove this constraint.
- Huge pendency of cases: Increased workload on the Supreme Court and at present more than 65,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, and disposal of appeals takes many years.
- Reducing Cost of Justice: It is observed that besides travelling to New Delhi, engaging expensive Supreme Court counsel to pursue a case is beyond the means of most litigants.
Advantages of having circuit courts
- Promotes Article 39A: It has been pointed out that Article 39A says that the state shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity.
- Remove Geographical Constraints: It is high time we had more benches because in a country as vast as India the litigants have to travel long distances and spend a huge amount of money and energy.
- Upholding the spirit of the constitution: Setting up Benches outside Delhi would neither impair unity and integrity nor undermine the importance of the Supreme Court.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Preamble to the Constitution
Mains level: Not Much
The Supreme Court will hear a petition filed by former MP Dr Subramanian Swamy, seeking the removal of the words “Socialist” and “Secular” from the preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Why in news?
- The petitioners in two similar cases have argued that these words were never intended to be in the Constitution and that such insertion is beyond the amending power of the Parliament under Article 368.
- Similar petitions have been filed earlier too and given rise to debates around the preamble and the role it plays in the Constitution.
How did these words come?
- The two terms were inserted into the preamble as part of the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution in 1976 during the Emergency imposed by then PM Indira Gandhi.
What is the purpose of the Preamble?
- A preamble serves as an introduction to a document and contains its basic principles and goals.
- When the Indian Constitution was being drafted, the ideals behind the preamble were first laid down in the Objectives Resolution, adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1947.
- These ideals emerged out of the numerous debates that took place during the drafting of the Constitution.
Initially, the Preamble said:
“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
And to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”
Nature of the preamble
- The Constitution was the product of democratic deliberations and decided upon by the people of India themselves in the wake of freedom from colonial rule.
- The ideals mentioned here were at the core of the newly democratic nation.
- During the Constituent Assembly debates, many suggestions were put forth — including that God should be invoked in the preamble as in the Irish constitution, that Mahatma Gandhi’s name should be included, etc.
Is it a part of the Constitution?
- The question of whether the preamble is a part of the Constitution or simply an introduction has been deliberated upon by the highest court.
- This is because the meaning and weight of the objectives mentioned in it, such as equality of status and opportunity, remained unclear from the perspective of law.
- However, in its judgment in the famous LIC case of 1995, the Supreme Court said and the Preamble of the Constitution which is an integral part and scheme of the Constitution, affirming its position as part of the Constitution.
- Additionally, the violation of any principle mentioned in the preamble cannot be a reason to go to court, meaning the preamble is “non-justiciable”.
- However, judgments of courts can cite it as an additional factor in their reasoning, given that it constitutes the spirit of the Constitution.
How else has the preamble been debated earlier?
- In 2020 a ruling MP has moved a resolution in Rajya Sabha seeking to remove the word socialism from the preamble.
- It said, that the earlier party which ruled the country for seven decades has changed its direction from being socialist to welfare to neo-liberalism.
- Its new liberal policies adopted in the 1990s have negated its own earlier positions.
- Earlier in 2015, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting used an image of the preamble of the Indian Constitution without the words “socialist” and “secular”, leading to some criticism.
What is the right-wing narrative?
- These words were added during the Emergency. Now what is the harm if there is a debate on it?
- In 2008, the Supreme Court rejected a plea demanding the removal of ‘socialist’.
- The apex court asked-Why do you take socialism in a narrow sense defined by Communists?
- In a broader sense, it means welfare measures for the citizens. It is a facet of democracy, said the Court.
- It hasn’t got any definite meaning. It gets different meanings in different times.
Under what circumstances was the preamble amended?
- Over her years in government, Indira Gandhi had attempted to cement her approval among the masses on the basis of a socialist and pro-poor image with slogans such as “garibi hatao” (Eradicate poverty).
- The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1976 when the Emergency was in place, replaced the words “sovereign democratic republic” with “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”.
- It also changed “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”.
Were ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ debated before Independence?
- During the debates in the Constituent Assembly, members such as K T Shah and Brajeshwar Prasad had raised the demand to add these words to the preamble.
- However, Dr B R Ambedkar argued: What should be the policy of the State, how the Society should be organised in its social and economic side are matters which must be decided by the people themselves according to time and circumstances.
- It cannot be laid down in the Constitution itself because that is destroying democracy altogether.
Is it inclusive of the Constitution?
- Indeed, many principles affirming secularism and socialism were contained in the Constitution originally, such as in the Directive Principles of State Policy that is meant to guide the government in its actions.
- Some examples are provisions related to the “equitable distribution of material resources of the community for the common good”, and protecting the rights of workers.
- Similarly, in the fundamental rights that allow the freedom to profess and propagate one’s religion, as well as in the government policies that recognize religious occasions across communities, an Indian version of secularism is followed.
- Unlike western secularism which strictly separates the state and religion, the Indian state has over the years acknowledged and involved itself in matters related to all religions.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Martand Sun Temple
Mains level: Not Much
In May this year, some pilgrims offered prayers inside the Martand Temple, an Archaeological Survey of India-protected (ASI) monument
About Martand Sun Temple
- The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.
- It dates back to the eighth century AD and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity.
- The temple was destroyed by Sikandar Shah Miri in a bid to undertake mass conversion and execution of Hindus in the valley.
- According to Kalhana, the Temple was commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida in the eighth century AD.
- The temple is built on top of a plateau from where one can view whole of the Kashmir Valley.
- From the ruins the visible architecture seems to be blended with the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of architecture.
Why in news now?
- According to ASI, prayers are allowed at its protected sites only if they were “functioning places of worship” at the time it took charge of them.
- No religious rituals can be conducted at non-living monuments where there has been no continuity of worship when it became an ASI-protected site.
What are the living/non-living monument?
- If some activity, like any kind of worship, has been going on for years in the structure, then it is taken over as a living monument.
- But where no activity has taken place, say an abandoned building, then it is declared a dead monument.
- The latter is difficult to restore because it is generally covered by a lot of overgrowth.
- The best-known example of a living ASI monument is the Taj Mahal in Agra, where namaz is held every Friday.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kurki
Mains level: Not Much
A farmer in Punjab has committed suicide outside the office of the Muktsar DC against kurki orders for his land based on a court case filed against him by the local moneylender for defaulting on loan payment.
What is Kurki?
- Kurki means attachment of a farmer’s land, already pledged to the money lending institution or individual, in case of a loan default.
- Apart from banks, private moneylenders, commission agents also get these decrees against farmers from time to time.
How is kurki executed?
- Kurki orders are executed under Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
- The land which is pledged by the farmer to the bank or money lender gets registered in their name. In some cases, the land is auctioned as well.
- The process begins after the money lender moves court to get kurki orders in case the farmer is unable to pay back his loan.
- In kurki, attachment of farmer’s land as well as his tractor can be done as per the Section 60.
Was kurki not banned in Punjab?
- Both Akali Dal and Congress governments of the past have claimed to have banned kurki.
- Congress fought the 2017 Assembly polls on the slogan ‘karza kurki khatam, fasal di poori rakam’.
- Soon after winning polls in 2017, the then government abolished Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act that enabled cooperatives to recover unpaid loans through auctioning of land mortgaged by farmers.
- However, Section 63-B, 63-C of the Act were not dropped to prevent attachment of land.
- Former Punjab CM has also claimed that kurki was abolished by his government. Activists accuses governments of issuing vague orders on the matter.
Why has a total ban on the century-old kurki law not been achieved?
- A plea filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018 sought complete ban on kurki.
- However, the Punjab government in its affidavit stated that there was no need to ban kurki as relief was being given to farmers in terms of loan waiver, compensation etc.
- Moreover, it stated that Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908 – under which kurki takes place — was over 110 years old and needed complete revision.
What is the ground reality?
- Farmers point out that they are made to give post-dated cheques for loan, which are then used to get arrest orders issued in cheque bounce cases.
- They have also accused money lenders of using pronotes signed by them to get kurki orders.
- “Pro-notes” (promissory notes) are written documents taken from farmers, and signed by them at the time of giving the loan.
- In April 2022, over 2,000 arrest warrants were issued against farmers for non-payment of loans to cooperative societies and Punjab agriculture development banks.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Vostok 2022
Mains level: India-Russia Relations
Russia is holding Vostok exercises. However, India has only sent its army contingent of the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles, and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.
Vostok-2022
- It is an annual, multilateral, strategic and command exercise hosted by Russia.
- This year it will see the participation of more than 50,000 troops from 13 countries such as India, China, Algeria, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and many more.
- While the exercises in Vostok-2022 are routine, they are the first such multilateral exercises to be held since the Russian war in Ukraine began.
Why in news now?
- India has only sent its army contingent and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.
- This is because the maritime part of the exercises would be held in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
- These are near the disputed South Kuril Islands.
- India’s decision not to take part in the naval exercises is believed to be in deference to Tokyo’s sensitivities.
What does India’s participation mean?
By sending an army contingent to join Russian and Chinese troops in the exercises at this time, New Delhi is aiming to send a four-pronged message:
- Continuing relationship with Russia despite the Ukraine war: The Modi government has decided not to join the Western sanctions regime, or to curb oil imports and other economic engagement with Moscow.
- Signal balance and non-alignment in the current crisis: India has mostly abstained from votes at the United Nations seeking to criticise Russia.
- India also takes part in routine Indo-Pacific exercises: This is with its Western partners including the Quad, as well as in bilateral exercises, like the India-US Ex. Yudh Abhyas.
- Willingness to conditional engagement with China: The message the government continues to give is that it is willing to engage with China on a number of fronts, even as military talks at LAC (Line of Actual Control) remain stuck.
Conclusion
- There might be some discomfort for Indian soldiers in dealing with their counterparts at a time when they are facing each other off along the LAC.
- But that’s a small price to pay if it means keeping India-Russia ties on an even keel.
- India needs to start communicating its intent better.
- Strategic communication is an art. It’s time to master it.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Cloud iridescence
Mains level: NA
Last week, pictures of an unusually-shaped rainbow cloud that appeared over China were widely shared on social media.
What is the news?
- The cloud in question resembles a pileus cloud.
- Such phenomenon of bright colours appearing on a cloud is called cloud iridescence.
What is a Pileus Cloud?
- A pileus cloud is usually formed over a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
- It is formed when the base cloud pushes a moist current of air upwards and the water vapour from the current condenses to somewhat resemble wave-like crests, or umbrellas.
- In popular western culture, it is called as an “accessory cloud” that is “rather like a cloud haircut”.
- A pileus cloud is transient in nature and lasts barely for a few minutes, making it difficult, and at the same time, exciting, to spot.
What is cloud iridescence?
- Cloud iridescence or Irisation is an optical phenomenon that mostly occurs in wave-like clouds, including pileus and Altocumulus lenticularis.
- Iridescence in clouds means the appearance of colours on clouds, which can either be in the form of parallel bands like in a rainbow, or mingled in patches.
- In ancient Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of rainbow. “Irisation”, the phenomenon of rainbow-like colours in clouds, is derived from her name.
What is a photometeor?
- Iridescence of clouds is a photometeor.
- It is an optical phenomenon produced by the reflection, refraction, diffraction or interference of sunlight.
What causes cloud iridescence?
- In pileus clouds, small water droplets or ice crystals, usually of a similar size, diffract the sunlight falling on them.
- The thinness of the cloud ensures more exposure to sunlight for each water droplet or ice crystal.
- To ensure its wave crest-like appearance, water droplets or ice crystals in these clouds are always moving – droplets form at one side of the cloud and evaporate from the other end – and hence these clouds remain small and thin since the droplets have no way of combining and growing in size.
- In its International Cloud Atlas, the World Meteorological Organisation says that iridescence or Irisation is caused by diffraction within 10 degrees from the sun.
- Beyond ten degrees and up till about 40 degrees, interference of light is the main cause of iridescence.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: El-Nino, La-Nina
Mains level: ENSO impact on Indian Monsson
In what may be termed as an uncommon ocean phenomenon, the prevailing La Nina conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean have entered the third consecutive year.
What is the news?
- The current La Nina phase has been prevailing since September 2020.
- Since the 1950s, La Nina lasting for more than two years has been recorded only on six instances (see graph below), data by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated.
- It confirmed that India’s La Nina conditions are here to stay till the end of 2022.
What is El Nino and La Nina?
- While El Nino (Spanish for ‘little boy’), the more common expression, is the abnormal surface warming observed along the eastern and central regions of the Pacific Ocean (the region between Peru and Papua New Guinea).
- The La Nina (Spanish for ‘little girl’) is an abnormal cooling of these surface waters.
- Together, the El Nino (Warm Phase) and La Nina (Cool Phase) phenomena are termed as El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
- These are large-scale ocean phenomena that influence the global weather — winds, temperature and rainfall. They have the ability to trigger extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hot and cold conditions, globally.
- Each cycle can last anywhere between 9 to 12 months, at times extendable to 18 months — and re-occur after every three to five years.
- Meteorologists record the sea surface temperatures for four different regions, known as Nino regions, along this equatorial belt.
- Depending on the temperatures, they forecast either as an El Nino, an ENSO neutral phase, or a La Nina.
Why has La Nina conditions continued for 3 years?
- It is surprising that it has continued for the last three years. It may be good for India but not for some other countries.
- Under climate change conditions, one must expect more such instances. Climate change could be a factor driving such anomalous conditions.
Issues with La Nina
- La Nina years are infamous for frequent and intense hurricanes and cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
- Chances of more cyclones are likely due to multiple aiding factors, including high relative moisture and relative low wind shear over the Bay of Bengal.
Try this PYQ:
Q. La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino?
- La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
- El Nino has an adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Post your answers here.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Tibetan Democracy Day
Mains level: India's asylum to Tibetans
A little more than six decades ago, Tibetan Democracy Day was marked with the inauguration of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala on September 2.
Tibetan Democracy Day
- In February 1960, a little less than a year after he crossed over into India, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama outlined in Bodh Gaya, where The Buddha attained Enlightenment, a detailed program of democratic practice for exiled Tibetans.
- According to the website of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), he advised them to set up an elected body with three exiled representatives each from the three provinces, and one each from the four religious schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
- After elections were held, 13 elected representatives, called ‘Deputies’, were designated as the ‘Commission of Tibetan People’s Deputies’ (CTPD). They took oath on September 2, 1960.
- Subsequently from 1975 onward, this date began to be formally observed as Tibetan Democracy Day.
Parliament-in-Exile
- The TPiE is the highest legislative body of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
- It is described as one of the three pillars of Tibetan democratic governance — the others being the Judiciary and the Kashag, or Executive.
- The website of the TPiE underlines the Dalai Lama’s commitment to the democratic principle — it quotes the Dalai Lama from the Foreword to the Constitution for Tibet, drafted in 1963:
- The CTA is based in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
- Elections are held every five years to elect Members of the TPiE, and their Sikyong (Prime Minister). The 16th TPiE was elected in 2016.
- This was the second direct election after the Dalai Lama distanced himself from the political functioning of the TPiE in 2011.
The Government-in-Exile
- On March 10, 1963, the Dalai Lama promulgated the Constitution of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (TGiE).
- From 1991 onwards, TPiE became the legislative organ of the CTA, the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission became the judicial organ, and the Kashag the executive organ.
- The TGiE is not recognised officially by any country, including India.
- However, many countries, including the US, deal directly with the Sikyong and other Tibetan leaders through various forums.
- The TPiE says its democratically elected character helps it manage Tibetan affairs, and raise the Tibetan issue across the world.
- The current Sikyong (known as Kalön Tripa until 2012) of the CTA is Lobsang Sangay, who has been the head of the Kashag or Cabinet (first as Kalön Tripa and then as Sikyong) since 2011.
What is India’s official policy towards the CTA?
- India considers the Dalai Lama as a revered religious leader and an honored guest, but it does not encourage political activities by Tibetans.
- It does not recognize any separate government of Tibet functioning in India.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Cervavac, Cervical cancer
Mains level: Menstrual hygiene and related diseases
Union Minister of Science and Technology has announced the scientific completion of Cervavac, India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer.
What is Cervavac?
- Cervavac was developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India in coordination with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
- The project to develop the vaccine was implemented by the then secretary of the DBT, Dr. M K Bhan in 2011.
- Since then, 30 meetings of scientific advisory groups and site visits conducted by DBT have helped review the scientific merit of the entire journey to develop the vaccine.
- Cervavac received market authorisation approval from the Drug Controller General of India on July 12 this year.
What is so unique about Cervavac?
- HPV vaccines are given in two doses and data has shown that the antibodies that develop after both are administered can last up to six or seven years.
- Unlike Covid vaccines, booster shots may not be required for the cervical cancer vaccine.
- Until now, the HPV vaccines available in India were produced by foreign manufacturers at an approximate cost of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 per dose.
- Cervavac is likely to be significantly cheaper, slated to cost approximately Rs 200 to 400.
- It has also demonstrated a robust antibody response that is nearly 1,000 times higher than the baseline against all targeted HPV types and in all dose and age groups.
Significance of the vaccine
- Despite being largely preventable, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, according to the WHO.
- In 2018, an estimated 57000 women were diagnosed with the disease and it accounted for 311,000 deaths across the world.
How common is cervical cancer in India?
- India accounts for about a fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer, with 1.23 lakh cases and around 67,000 deaths per year.
- Almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is transmitted through sexual contact.
- The body’s immune system usually gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.
- However, in a small percentage of people, the virus can linger over time and turn some normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer.
How dangerous is cervical cancer?
- Cervical cancer is preventable if detected early and managed effectively.
- Screening and vaccination are two powerful tools that are available for preventing cervical cancer.
- Still, there is little awareness among women about the prevention of this cancer and less than 10% of Indian women get screened.
- All women aged 30-49 must get screened for cervical cancer even if they have no symptoms and get their adolescent daughters vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.
What are the challenges?
- The biggest task will be in allocating adequate resources and manpower for vaccinating the massive demographic of adolescent girls aged between 9 and 15, to ensure that they are protected from HPV early.
- There is a huge need for stepping up awareness about the disease and the vaccine in the community.
- Unlike Covid and the vaccination programme, there is very little awareness about cervical cancer.
- Overall awareness and screening are very low in the community and that is a concern.
- Since this is a preventable disease and hence a huge awareness programme is required
Way forward
- School-based vaccination programmes might work effectively.
- Currently, none exist and therefore planning will have to be done along those lines.
- Those accessing public health programmes will get the vaccine free of cost at government-aided schools.
- However concerted efforts will have to be made to ensure the involvement of private healthcare facilities and NGOs towards an effective rollout.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NDPS Act
Mains level: Issues with NDPS Act
While granting bail to a man arrested on June 1 for possessing 29 kg of bhang and 400 g of ganja, Karnataka High Court recently observed that nowhere in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is bhang referred to as a prohibited drink or prohibited drug.
What is Bhang?
- Bhang is the edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant, often incorporated into drinks such as thandai and lassi, along with various foods.
- Bhang has been consumed in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, and is frequently consumed during the festivals of Holi and Mahashivratri.
- Its widespread use caught the attention of Europeans, with Garcia da Orta, a Portuguese physician who arrived in Goa in the 16th century, noting that, “Bhang is so generally used and by such a number of people that there is no mystery about it”.
Bhang and the law
- Enacted in 1985, the NDPS Act is the main legislation that deals with drugs and their trafficking.
- Various provisions of the Act punish production, manufacture, sale, possession, consumption, purchase, transport, and use of banned drugs, except for medical and scientific purposes.
- The NDPS Act defines cannabis (hemp) as a narcotic drug based on the parts of the plant that come under its purview. The Act lists these parts as:
- Charas: “The separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish.”
- Ganja: “The flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops), by whatever name they be known or designated.”
- “Any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of any of the above forms of cannabis or any drink prepared therefrom.”
- The Act, in its definition, excludes seeds and leaves “when not accompanied by the tops”.
- Bhang, which is made with the leaves of the plant, is not mentioned in the NDPS Act.
Cannabis and criminal liability
- Section 20 of the NDPS Act lays out the punishment for the production, manufacture, sale, purchase, import and inter-state export of cannabis, as defined in the Act.
- The prescribed punishment is based on the amount of drugs seized.
- Contravention that involves a small quantity (100 g of charas/hashish or 1 kg of ganja), will result in rigorous imprisonment for a term that may extend to one year and/or a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000.
- For a commercial quantity (1 kg charas/ hashish or 20 kg ganja), rigorous imprisonment of not less than 10 years, which may extend to 20 years, including a fine that is not less than Rs 1,00,000 but may extend to Rs 2,00,000.
- Where the contravention involves quantity less than commercial, but greater than small quantity, rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years is prescribed, along with a fine which may extend to Rs 1,00,000.
Also read:
[Burning Issue] Substance Abuse in India
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Vizhinjam Port Project
Mains level: Port-led development in India
Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, is on the boil due to the under-construction Vizhinjam Port Project, from both sea and land.
Vizhinjam Port Project
- The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deep-water Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by Government of Kerala.
- It is designed primarily to cater container transhipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo.
- The port is being currently developed in landlord model with a Public Private Partnership component on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.
Why protests are erupted?
- The protestors have been opposing the construction work by the Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited.
- Adani group is developing the port on DBFOT basis.
What lies at the heart of the protest?
- According to fisherfolk, the port work has aggravated the coastal erosion along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram.
- A scientific study to assess the impact of the port work on the shoreline has to be conducted urgently by stopping the construction.
- Further, around 300 families along the coastline were shifted to relief camps after their houses were destroyed due to high-intensity coastal erosion.
- The protesters demand a comprehensive rehabilitation package, an assured minimum wage when the sea turns rough due to inclement weather and subsidised kerosene for boats.
Why the Vizhinjam project is considered important?
- The port is located on the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula, just 10 nautical miles from the major international sea route and east-west shipping axis.
- It has a natural water depth of more than 20 m within a nautical mile from the coast.
- The Vizhinjam port is likely to play a pivotal role in the maritime development of the country and Kerala.
- The commissioning of the port is expected to leverage the growth of 17 minor ports in the State along with creating thousands of employment opportunities.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dunaliella tertiolecta
Mains level: Not Much
A team of researchers at the IIT — Guwahati has developed an edible coating using marine alga that coated on vegetables and fruits, substantially extends their shelf-life.
Dunaliella tertiolecta: The Edible coating
- The team used a mix of an extract of a marine microalga called Dunaliella tertiolecta and polysaccharides to produce it.
- The microalga is known for its antioxidant properties and has various bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and proteins.
- It is also used to produce algal oil, a non-animal source of omega-3 fatty acid and is considered a good source of biofuel.
- After the oil is extracted, the residue is usually discarded.
- The researchers used extracts from this residue in formulating their film, in combination with chitosan, which is a carbohydrate.
- It also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties and can be made into an edible film.
Benefits of this Edible coating
- The films displayed superior antioxidant activity, thermal stability, mechanical strength, total phenolic content and water vapour barrier property.
- They also had excellent UV-Vis light-blocking properties.
- The researchers also tested the biosafety of these coatings.
Why is it viable?
- The new coatings can be mass-produced.
- They are very stable to light, heat, and temperature up to 40C, edible, and can be safely eaten as part of the product formulation and do not add unfavourable properties to it.
- They retain texture, colour, appearance, flavour and nutritional value.
- The material can be either directly coated on the vegetables and fruits or made into a vegetable storage pouch.
- In both cases, the shelf-life of the vegetables can be extended.
- It is a simple dip coating technique with no significant cost added to the post-harvest processing.
Economic significance of Edible coating
- According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, between 4.6 and 15.9 per cent of fruits and vegetables go waste post-harvest, partly due to poor storage conditions.
- In fact, post-harvest loss in certain produce items like potato, onion, and tomato could even be as high as 19%, which results in high prices for this highly consumed commodity.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PARAKH
Mains level: Harmonization of school education in India
The Centre is planning to draw up a benchmark framework ‘PARAKH’ to assess students at the secondary and higher secondary level to bring about “uniformity” across state and central boards.
What is PARAKH?
- PARAKH stands for Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development.
- The proposed regulator will act as a constituent unit of the NCERT.
- It will also be tasked with holding periodic learning outcome tests like the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Surveys.
- The benchmark assessment framework will seek to put an end to the emphasis on rote learning, as envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- PARAKH, the proposed implementing agency, is also part of the NEP proposal.
Response form States
- Most states endorsed the proposal to hold board exams twice a year, including one for helping students improve their scores.
- States are also on board regarding a proposal to offer two types of papers on mathematics — a standard exam, and another to test higher level competency.
- It will help reduce the fear of maths among students and encourage learning.
Significance of PARAKH
- PARAKH will help tackle the problem of students of some state boards being at a disadvantage during college admissions as compared to their peers in CBSE schools.
- It will develop and implement “technical standards for the design, conduct, analysis and reporting” of tests at all levels of school education.
- PARAKH will eventually become the national single-window source for all assessment related information and expertise, with a mandate to support learning assessment in all forms, both nationally and where applicable, internationally.
UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now