Type: Prelims Only

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Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

Who was Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1:
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Desmond Tutu

Mains level: Anti-apartheid struggle in Africa

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa’s struggle against white minority rule has died on December 26 at the age of 90.

Try this question from CS Mains 2016:

 

Q. The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.

Desmond Tutu (1931- 2021)

  • Tutu was a South African Anglican cleric who in 1984 received the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
  • A decade later, he witnessed the ends of that regime and he chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed during those dark days.
  • He was considered the nation’s conscience by both, the black majority and the white minority, an enduring testament to his faith and spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation.

His notable works

  • During South Africa’s moves toward democracy in the early 1990s, Tutu propagated the idea of South Africa as “the Rainbow Nation”.
  • The term was intended to encapsulate the unity of multi-culturalism and the coming together of people of many different nations, in a country once identified with the strict division of white and black under the Apartheid regime.
  • In 1995 South African Pres. Nelson Mandela appointed Tutu head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated allegations of human rights abuses during the apartheid era.

 

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Tribes in News

In news: Tai Khamti Rebellion

Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Tai Khamti Rebellion

Mains level: Various tribal uprisings in India

The Arunachal Pradesh Deputy CM urged the Centre to recognize the Tai Khamti-British war as India’s first for independence.

Tai Khamti Rebellion

  • The Tai Khamti Rebellion is the first such war took place in 1839 between the Tai Khamti people and the British.
  • The theatre of this war was some 2,400 km east of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh where the mutiny began.
  • Tai Khamtis resisted colonization by the British. Some 80 British soldiers, including Col. Adam White, were killed in the resultant conflict.

Who are the Tai Khamti people?

  • The Tai Khamti people, who follow Theravada Buddhism, number a little more than 1,00,000 today and live in areas straddling Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Other revolts in Arunachal

  • Arunachal Deputy CM also batted for recognition of battles between other communities of Arunachal Pradesh and the British.
  • They include a series of Anglo-Abor wars from 1858 to 1911 and the Wancho-British war in Tirap district’s Ninu in 1875.
  • The Abors, now called Adis, inhabit central Arunachal Pradesh, while the Wanchos live in the southern part of the State.

 

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International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

How James Webb Telescope seeks to unlock Universe’s Secrets

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: JWST

Mains level: Not Much

Today, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built, will be launched from French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America on the European Ariane 5 rocket.

James Webb Space Telescope

  • JWST is a space telescope jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
  • It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission.
  • It will conduct a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including:
  1. Observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe such as the formation of the first galaxies
  2. Detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets

How is it different from other telescopes?

  • JWST is much more powerful and has the ability to look in the infrared spectrum, which will allow it to peer through much deeper into the universe, and see through obstructions such as gas clouds.
  • As electromagnetic waves travel for long distances, they lose energy, resulting in an increase in their wavelength.
  • An ultraviolet wave, for example, can slowly move into the visible light spectrum and the infrared spectrum, and further weaken to microwaves or radio waves, as it loses energy.
  • Hubble was designed to look mainly into the ultraviolet and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • JWST is primarily an infrared telescope, the first of its kind.

Special features of JWST

(1) Time machine in space

  • Powerful space telescopes, like JWST or the Hubble Telescope, are often called time machines because of their ability to view very faraway objects.
  • The light coming from those objects, stars or galaxies, which is captured by these telescopes, began its journey millions of years earlier.
  • Essentially, what these telescopes see are images of these stars or galaxies as they were millions of years ago.
  • The more distant the planet or star, the farther back in time are the telescopes able to see.

(2) Farthest from Earth

  • JWST will also be positioned much deeper into space, about a million miles from Earth, at a spot known as L2.
  • It is one of the five points, known as Lagrange’s points, in any revolving two-body system like Earth and Sun, where the gravitational forces of the two large bodies cancel each other out.
  • Objects placed at these positions are relatively stable and require minimal external energy to keep them there. L2 is a position directly behind Earth in the line joining the Sun and the Earth.
  • It would be shielded from the Sun by the Earth as it goes around the Sun, in sync with the Earth.

(3) Engineering marvel

  • JWST has one large mirror, with a diameter of 21 feet (the height of a typical two-storey building), that will capture the infra-red light coming in from the deep universe while facing away from the Sun.
  • It will be shielded by a five-layer, tennis court-sized, kite-shaped sunscreen that is designed to block the heat from Sun and ensure the extremely cool temperatures that the instruments are built to operate at.
  • Temperatures on the sun-facing side can get as high as 110°C, while the other side would be maintained at –200° to –230°C.
  • The extremely cold temperatures are needed to detect the extremely faint heat signals from distant galaxies.
  • The mirror as well as the sunscreen is so large they could not have fit into any rocket. They have been built as foldable items and would be unraveled in space.

 

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Swachh Bharat Mission

Meendum Manjappai Scheme

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Meendum Manjappai Scheme

Mains level: Not Much

Tamil Nadu CM has launched the ‘Meendum Manjappai’ Scheme to promote the use of cloth bags by the public and discourage the use of plastic bags.

Meendum Manjappai Scheme

  • This awareness campaign on using ‘yellow’ cloth bag or ‘manjapai’ as it is called in Tamil, is aimed at encouraging the people to return to the use of this eco-friendly bag and discard the plastic bags.
  • Manjal means turmeric in Tamil which has curative power. The manjapai was an integral part of daily life in the past.
  • Traditionally the manjapais were used for shopping, carrying books, ration and even cash.
  • The state government had enforced a ban on the production, use, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of 14 types of plastics with effect from January 1, 2019.

 

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Indian Army Updates

Indian Army inducts Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle (AERV)

Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Indigenization Of Technology
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV)

Mains level: Not Much

The first batch of next-generation indigenously designed Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV) was inducted by the Indian Army.

About AERV

  • AERV is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO and manufactured by the Pune unit of Bharat Electronics Limited.
  • It has more than 90% indigenous content.
  • It is a versatile BMP-IIK amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) fitted with instruments for water reconnaissance, land reconnaissance, navigation, and data backup.

Unique capabilities of AERV

  • AERV is capable of measuring soil bearing capacity on riverbanks.
  • It works to determine if they are motorable for military vehicles on Go-No Go basis (critical parameters for bridge laying), dry and wet gaps in day and night conditions, slopes and height of river banks or canals.”
  • AERVs can navigate terrain using Military Grid Coordinate System, measure and plot underwater beds and water currents of rivers or canals.
  • They can store data from various instruments on Control Console for further analysis and decision-making.

 

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Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

‘Chillai Kalan’ begins in Kashmir

Prelims Only | History and Art & Culture | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Chillai Kalan

Mains level: Not Much

Kashmir is in a deep freeze as the 40-day harshest spell of winter, locally called ‘chillai kalan’ has started with the minimum temperature already sub-zero in the entire Valley.

Chillai Kalan

  • Chillai Kalan is the coldest 40-day period of harsh winter of winter in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
  • It is traditionally defined as a seasonal period of harsh winter accompanied by a change in increase in both frequency and quantity of precipitation usually snow.
  • It begins from December 21 and ends on January 31 next year.
  • It is followed by a 20-day long Chillai-Khurd (small cold) that occurs between January 31 and February 19 and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).
  • According to Persian tradition, the night of 21st December is celebrated as Shab-e Yalda-“Night of Birth”, or Shab-e Chelleh “Night of Forty”.

Its’ celebration

  • In the Persian tradition, the night of December 21, the longest of the year, is celebrated as Shab-e-Yalda (night of birth) or Shab-e-Chelleh.
  • Dozens of netizens from Kashmir named it the ‘Pheran Day’, after the long woollen gown worn during the winters in Kashmir.
  • Use of a traditional firing pot called Kangri increases.
  • Tap water pipelines partially freeze during this period. The Dal Lake also freezes.
  • The famous tourist resort of Gulmarg receives heavy snow which attracts skier’s from every part of the world.

 

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Capital Markets: Challenges and Developments

SEBI suspends Futures Trading in key farm crops

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Derievatives, Commodity trading

Mains level: NA

Market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued an order suspending futures trading in paddy (non-basmati), wheat, Bengal gram (chana dal), mustard seeds and its derivatives, soyabean and its derivatives, crude palm oil and green gram (moong dal) for a year.

What are Derivatives?

  • A derivative is a contract between two parties which derives its value/price from an underlying asset.
  • The value of the underlying asset is bound to change as the value of the underlying assets keep changing continuously.
  • Generally, stocks, bonds, currency, commodities and interest rates form the underlying asset.

Types of Derivatives

The most common types of derivatives are futures, options, forwards and swaps:

(1) Futures

  • Futures are standardized contracts that allow the holder to buy/sell the asset at an agreed price at the specified date.
  • The parties to the futures contract are under an obligation to perform the contract. These contracts are traded on the stock exchange.
  • The value of future contracts is marked to market every day.
  • It means that the contract value is adjusted according to market movements till the expiration date.

 (2) Options

  • Options are derivative contracts that give the buyer a right to buy/sell the underlying asset at the specified price during a certain period of time.
  • The buyer is not under any obligation to exercise the option.
  • The option seller is known as the option writer. The specified price is known as the strike price.

(3) Forwards

  • Forwards are like futures contracts wherein the holder is under an obligation to perform the contract.
  • But forwards are unstandardized and not traded on stock exchanges.
  • These are available over-the-counter and are not marked-to-market.
  • These can be customized to suit the requirements of the parties to the contract.

(4) Swaps

  • Swaps are derivative contracts wherein two parties exchange their financial obligations.
  • The cash flows are based on a notional principal amount agreed between both parties without the exchange of principal.
  • The amount of cash flows is based on a rate of interest.
  • One cash flow is generally fixed and the other changes on the basis of a benchmark interest rate.
  • Swaps are not traded on stock exchanges and are over-the-counter contracts between businesses or financial institutions.

What are Agri-Futures?

Like equity, currency or interest rate futures, they allows to buy or sell an underlier at a preset price on a future date. All agri contracts end in compulsory delivery.

  • Agri products available for trade include wheat, sugar, chana, soyabean, castor, chilli , jeera futures, etc. Edible oil seeds and oils, spices and items like guar are among the more liquid contracts.
  • An objective of futures trading is gains reaching farmers, by establishing an efficient price-discovery platform.
  • This has been achieved to a large extent on NCDEX, in products such as castor, chana, soy complex, mustard, guar, cumin, etc.

National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) is an Indian online commodity and derivative exchange. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance.

What are the reasons for this ban?

(1) To cool off Food Inflation

  • India’s retail inflation rose to a three-month high of 4.91 % in November from 4.48 % in the previous month primarily because of a rise in food inflation to 1.87 % from 0.85 % over this period.

(2) Double Digits WPI

  • Wholesale Price Index-based inflation has remained in double digits for eight consecutive months beginning in April, mainly because of the surging prices of food items.
  • In November, the wholesale price-based inflation surged to a record high of 14.23 % amid the hardening of prices of mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum, and natural gas.

(3) To insulate future Price Shock

  • In view of Rabi Output that might be affected morbidly because of fertilizer shortage faced in many parts of the country.
  • By banning future’s trade, the government is trying to insulate any price shock the market might feel in the days to come in case the production is not up to par.

What will be the impact?

(1) The imports in such commodities, especially edible oils, would reduce in the short term as traders will not have a hedging platform.

  • Hedging, which is speculative in nature, has been made difficult.
  • This will lead to the release of blocked local produce supplies into the market, which should cool the prices.
  • Imports of commodities for speculative gains will be discouraged.

(2) It is believed that speculators have a role in jacking up prices and this needed to be discouraged to curb inflation and support growth as the economy is recovering from the COVID-19 impact.

(3) India is the world’s biggest importer of vegetable oil and this measure will make it difficult for edible oil importers and traders to transact business since they use Indian exchanges to hedge their risk.

(4) Agri-futures, driven mainly by NCDEX, have a checkered history with bans often pushing NCDEX back.

  • Such frequent bans are not a good development for the market as it affects confidence levels.
  • Often, a contract that is banned may not return to the table, which were very effective in price-discovery.
  • Even when the contracts are restored, traders hesitate because of the fear of bans.
  • As it involves losses for market participants with open positions as they must square off contracts before maturity.

What are the other steps taken?

  • Supply-side interventions by the Government had limited the fallout of continuing high international edible oil prices on domestic prices.
  • The Union Government substantially reduced taxes on imports of palm, soy and sunflower oil.
  • Union and State Governments had also recently reduced excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel, aimed at bringing down inflation.
  • It has both direct effects as well as indirect effects operating through fuel and transportation costs.

Way Forward

  • The ban is expected to be lifted by March when the next mustard crop starts hitting the market and prices cool down.
    • If the weather remains benign in the coming weeks, India is on course to harvest a bumper 11 million tonnes of mustard in 2021-22, up from 8.5 million tonnes in 2020-21.
  • The way out is not to ban any contract, but make sure to correct any serious aberration through a combination of higher margins so that if at all the price is getting distorted due to market manipulation, the correction takes place immediately.
  • Further, talking to potential wrongdoers is another way out, provided trading patterns noticed by the exchange reveal such tendencies.
    • Position limits can be changed to ensure undue influence is not exerted by any set of traders.

 

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Mother and Child Health – Immunization Program, BPBB, PMJSY, PMMSY, etc.

Risks of mandatory Iron Fortification

Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Iron fortification

Mains level: Isuses with fortified food

Many things have been said about the necessity for mandatory iron fortification of foods in India.

Iron fortification

  • Iron fortification of food is a methodology utilized worldwide to address iron deficiency.
  • A critical problem in some food fortification programs is the lack of bioavailability of iron compounds.

Why need iron fortification?

Ans. Prevalence of Anaemia

  • Iron deficiency anaemia is due to insufficient iron.
  • National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 provides insights into anaemia prevalence in the country, indicating that 57.2% of women ages 15 to 49 are anaemic, up from 49.7% in NFHS-4.
  • Without enough iron, the body can’t produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin).
  • Severe anemia during pregnancy increases your risk of premature birth, having a low birth weight baby and postpartum depression.
  • Some studies also show an increased risk of infant death immediately before or after birth.

Concerns over iron fortification

Ans. Fear of diabetes and heart ailments

  • Iron increases the risk for many non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and even high blood cholesterol.
  • A US based survey shows that high ferritin level had a four-fold higher risk of having diabetes.
  • The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey of Indian adolescents to resulted in such scary outcomes.
  • There was a clear and significant risk for each of these conditions as serum ferritin increased.

India’s vulnerability

Ans. India is world capital of diabetes and hypertension

  • No less than 50% of Indian children, aged 5-19 years, already had a biomarker of either high blood sugar or high blood lipids, even when thin or stunted.
  • Thus, the risk of chronic disease is already very high in our children.
  • Thus mandatory cereal fortification has severe hazards for India.

Why mandatory fortification is not a feasible option?

  • Occurrence of deficiencies: We do not even know if anaemia is as rampant to warrant such mandatory measures.
  • Manipulating food choices: When mandatory fortification is enforced in parts of the population that do not need this, it removes their choice of foods, or autonomy.
  • Morbidities due to excess: It could even be unethical if the risk of other morbidities is increased.
  • No successful example: Rice fortification has not been shown to work in a combined analysis.

Conclusion

  • Food fortification is not a magic bullet.
  • It should be viewed as a complementary strategy for the prevention and control of micronutrient deficiencies.
  • As dietary patterns and deficiency states change, monitoring and periodic evaluation will be essential in helping to make necessary changes.

 

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What is Nord Stream Pipeline?

Prelims Only | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Effect Of Policies & Politics Of World On India'S Interests
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nord Stream Pipeline

Mains level: Not Much

Germany has warned about severe consequences for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany if Moscow attacked Ukraine.

Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

  • It is a system of offshore natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.
  • It includes two active pipelines running from Vyborg to Lubmin near Greifswald forming the original Nord Stream, and two further pipelines under construction running from Ust-Luga to Lubmin termed Nord Stream 2.
  • In Lubmin the lines connect to the OPAL line to Olbernhau on the Czech border and to the NEL line to Rehden near Bremen.
  • The first line Nord Stream-1 was laid and inaugurated in 2011 and the second line in 2012.
  • At 1,222 km in length, Nord Stream is the longest sub-sea pipeline in the world, surpassing the Langeled pipeline.

Why is the pipeline controversial?

  • The US believed that the project would increase Europe’s dependence on Russia for natural gas.
  • Currently, EU countries already rely on Russia for 40 percent of their gas needs.
  • The project also has opponents in eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, whose ties with Russia have seriously deteriorated in the aftermath of the Crimean conflict in 2014.
  • There is an existing land pipeline between Russia and Europe that runs through Ukraine.
  • The country feels that once Nord Storm 2 is completed, Russia could bypass the Ukrainian pipeline, and deprive it of lucrative transit fees of around $3 billion per year.
  • Ukraine also fears another invasion by Russia once the new pipeline is operational.

 

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Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

[pib] Durga Puja gets UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tag

Prelims Only | History and Art & Culture | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Intangible Cultural Heritages in India

Mains level: Not Much

UNESCO has inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)?

  • ICH means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with them that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as a part of their cultural heritage.
  • Furthermore, its importance is not in the cultural manifestation itself, but in the wealth of knowledge, know-how and skills that are transmitted from one generation to the next.

About Durga Puja

  • Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival that reveres and pays homage to the goddess Durga.
  • It is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism.
  • It is celebrated because of Durga’s victory over Mahishasur.
  • It is particularly popular and traditionally celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha among other states.
  • It is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of the most significance.

Citation for the UNESCO tag

  • The UNESCO Committee commended its initiatives to involve marginalized groups, and individuals as well as women in their participation in safeguarding the element.
  • The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions.
  • Durga Puja not only is a celebration of the feminine divinity but is a consummate expression of dance, music, crafts, rituals, practices culinary and cultural aspects.
  • The festival transcends the boundaries of caste, creed and economic classes and joins the people together in its celebration.

Also read: National List for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)

Other ICH in India

  • With the inscription of Durga Puja in Kolkata, India now has 14 intangible cultural heritage elements on the prestigious UNESCO Representative List of ICH of Humanity.
  • In recent years, the ICH elements that saw inscriptions are Kumbh Mela (inscribed 2017), Yoga (inscribed 2016) among others.
  • Also, India is a SIGNATORY of the 2003 UNESCO Convention which aims for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage along with traditions and living expression.

 

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NPA Crisis

Co-Lending Model for Banks-NBFCs

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Inclusive Growth & Issues
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: NBFCs

Mains level: Co-Lending and associated issues

A November 2020 decision by the RBI to permit banks to “co-lend with all registered NBFCs based on a prior agreement” has led to unusual tie-ups between the banks and companies.

 The ‘Co-Lending Model’

  • In September 2018, the RBI had announced “co-origination of loans” by banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for lending to the priority sector.
  • The arrangement entailed joint contribution of credit at the facility level by both the lenders as also sharing of risks and rewards.
  • Subsequently, based on feedback from stakeholders, the RBI allowed the lenders greater operational flexibility, while requiring them to conform to regulatory guidelines.
  • The primary focus of the revised scheme, rechristened as ‘Co-Lending Model’ (CLM), was to “improve the flow of credit to the unserved and underserved sector of the economy.

Repercussions of Co-Lending

(1) Bank-NBFC tie-ups at indiscriminate scale

  • Several banks have entered into co-lending ‘master agreements’ with NBFCs, and more are in the pipeline.
  • SBI, the country’s largest lender, signed a deal with Adani Capital, a small NBFC of a big corporate house, for co-lending to farmers to help them buy tractors and farm implements.

(2) Greater risk in co-lending

  • NBFCs are required to retain at least a 20 per cent share of individual loans on their books.
  • This means 80 per cent of the risk will be with the banks — who will take the big hit in case of a default.

(3) Corporates in banking

  • While the RBI hasn’t officially allowed the entry of big corporate houses into the banking space, NBFCs — mostly floated by corporate houses — were already accepting public deposits.
  • They now have more opportunities on the lending side through direct co-lending arrangements.

Back2Basics: Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)

  • An NBFC is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013 or 1956.
  • According to section 45-I (c) of the RBI Act, a Non–Banking Company carrying on the business of a financial institution will be an NBFC.
  • It further states that the NBFC must be engaged in the business of Loans and Advances, Acquisition of stocks, equities, debt etc issued by the government or any local authority or other marketable securities.

NBFC business:

The NBFC business does not include business whose principal business is the following:

  1. Agricultural Activity
  2. Industrial Activity
  3. Purchase or sale of any goods excluding securities
  4. Sale/purchase/construction of any immovable property – Providing of any services

Difference between Banks and NBFCs:

  • NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences as given below:
  1. NBFC cannot accept demand deposits;
  2. NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself;
  3. Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in the case of banks.

 

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Telecom and Postal Sector – Spectrum Allocation, Call Drops, Predatory Pricing, etc

5G Network and Aviation Safety

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: 5G technology

Mains level: Issues with 5g rollout

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued directives to create a framework as well as gather more information about the potential effects of 5G on crucial aviation safety equipment.

What is 5G technology?

  • 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
  • It mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.

Three bands of 5G

  • The low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange, the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
  • This means that while telcos can use and install it for commercial cellphones users who may not have specific demands for very high-speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
  • The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
  • Telcos and companies, which have taken the lead on 5G, have indicated that this band may be used by industries and specialised factory units for building captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.
  • The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
  • Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G have been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (gigabits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

What is the issue?

  • There is a threat of potential radar altimeter interference from 5G cellular in the 3700 MHz-3800 MHz frequency or the C-band.
  • The 3700-4200 MHz band is close to the 4200 MHz-4400 MHz range used by aircraft radio altimeters.

Potential impacts

  • Operations by aircraft including large jets could be limited or prohibited from using certain landing and navigation systems in places where there is scope for potential interference from new 5G cellular networks.
  • The restrictions could be severe for smaller aircraft and helicopters.
  • Overall, these could result in flight cancellations, delays or diversions in 46 places where these towers are, according to an aviation report.

What is the aircraft equipment that can be affected?

  • The radio altimeter measures height (not altitude) of the aircraft above the surface immediately below the plane. It transmits a radio signal directly below.
  • There are various other systems that depend on inputs from the radio altimeter — for example, predictive wind shear, ground proximity warning system, traffic collision avoidance system, and auto land.
  • These effects are only when the aircraft is close to the ground, i.e. up to 2,500 ft above ground level (depending on the aircraft make).
  • Any disturbance to internal radio altimeter readings caused by 5G or other equipment transmitting in frequency bands close to it can result in disastrous effects on crucial systems during approach/landing.

Impact of mobile phones

  • 5G devices can interfere with aircraft altitude instruments and recommended that they should be turned off (or put to flight mode) during flight.
  • Experts believe that electrical interference from a mobile phone could have been a factor in the crash of a small aircraft.
  • The navigation system of the small aircraft could be disrupted by mobile phone signals.
  • But up until now, there has been no evidence of a mobile phone having caused a crash.

What about the implications for India?

  • Pilots in India are aware of the implications of 5G in the country.
  • However, in India, 5G could be rolled out in the 3.2 GHz-3.6 GHz band, which may not have the potential to interfere with aircraft operations.

 

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

What are Chaperone Proteins?

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Chaperone Protein

Mains level: NA

 

Chaperones are a functionally related group of proteins assisting protein folding in the cell under physiological and stress conditions.

What are Chaperones?

  • DNA is a linear chain of nucleotides, portions of which are faithfully transcribed into linear messenger RNA.
  • The message in this RNA is translated into strings of amino acids – proteins.
  • Proteins need to take a precise three-dimensional shape to become functional entities.
  • This protein folding does not happen all by itself, at least most of the time.
  • A special bunch of proteins called molecular chaperones assist in correctly folding the protein.

Functions of chaperone proteins

  • In biological systems, Chaperones play crucial roles.
  • Many molecular chaperones belong to the class of “heat shock” proteins (or stress-response proteins).
  • This is because whenever an organism is subjected to elevated temperatures – a heat shock – proteins in the system begin to lose their native shapes, and chaperones are produced in large quantities to restore order.

General need of chaperones

Chaperones are needed under physiological conditions too, for normal cellular function since misfolding of proteins can cause a number of diseases.

  • Alpha-synuclein protein, present in neurons, is wrongly folded in Parkinson’s disease.
  • Brains of Alzheimer’s patients have plaques formed from aggregates of amyloid beta-peptide.
  • This accumulation of amyloid fibrils is toxic, leading to widespread destruction of neurons – a ‘neurodegenerative’ disorder.
  • Aberrant folding of crystallins of the eye lens leads to cataracts.

Types of Chaperones

  • Major chaperones in humans include HSP70, HSC70 and HSP90: the numbers express the size of the proteins in kilodaltons.
  • In normal cells 1%–2% of all proteins present are heat shock proteins.
  • This number rises threefold during stressful conditions.

HSC70: The molecular thermometer

  • HSC70 appears to be more like a molecular thermometer, with an ability to sense cold temperatures.
  • It is induced by heat, whereas HSC70 is always present at high levels in normal cells.
  • This knowledge comes from the study of an intriguing set of disorders, exemplified by Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome (FCAS).

HSC70 and HSP90: Role in Cancer

  • Cancer cells divide at a break-neck pace, and heat shock proteins are very important in maintaining the stressful cancerous state.
  • An overabundance of heat shock proteins in cancer cells is an indicator of a poor prognosis. Cancerous cells accumulate mutations in proteins that would normally suppress tumours.
  • HSP70 and HSP90 play the roles of villains, as they continue to fold the mutated proteins, thus allowing tumor progression.

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Water Management – Institutional Reforms, Conservation Efforts, etc.

Radioactive Pollution in Water

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Raidioactivity

Mains level: Water Pollution

Radioactive pollution of water is newly emerging but is of grave concern for water pollution and human health.

Quick recap: Radioactivity

  • Radioactivity is the phenomenon of spontaneous emission of particles or waves from the unstable nuclei of some elements.
  • There are three types of radioactive emissions: Alpha, Beta and Gamma.
  • Alpha particles are positively charged He atoms, beta particles are negatively charged electrons and gamma rays are neutral electromagnetic radiations.
  • Radioactive elements are naturally found in the earth’s crust.

Radioactive contamination of Water

  • Natural: Percolation of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) from the soil sediments to the aquifer causes groundwater contamination.
  • Man-made: Anthropogenic sources of such pollution include- nuclear weapon investigation, nuclear calamities, nuclear powerhouses and dumping of radioactive waste.

Various contaminant elements

  • Uranium, thorium and actinium are three NORM series that contaminate water resources.
  • A number of radionuclides are found in surface and subsurface waters, among which 3H, 14C, 40K, 210Pb, 210Po, 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra, 232Th and 234,235,238U are common.
  • Strontium-90, Caesium-137, etc are also formed by nuclear reactors, along with numerous unnecessary radioisotopes wastes.
  • 40K and 7Be are the most commonly found radioactive elements in the sludge generated in sewage treatment plants.
  • Nuclear reactors produce radioisotopes (Cobalt-60, Iridium-192, etc) that hand out as sources of gamma radiation in radiotherapy and numerous industrial appliances.

Oceanic sources

  • Oceans and seas are the natural repositories of naturally occurring uranium. It is found in the form of uranyl carbonate ion.
  • A significant concentration of uranium is supposed to be found in the greater salinity of the marine water.
  • 40K (Radioactive Potassium) is also found in considerable concentration in the marine environment.

Measuring radioactive pollution

  • Radioactivity is measured in Becquerel (SI unit) or in Curie.
  • Energy absorbed per unit mass is measured by Gray, while the unit Sievert measures the quantity of radiation absorbed by human tissues.
  • A small amount of radiation is found in all types of water but the extended amount of radiation is harmful to human health.
  • Radioactivity in drinking water can be determined by a gross alpha test.

Hazards of such pollution

  • Radioactive elements have an effect on the environment and can cause a risk to human healthiness if inhaled, injected or exposed.
  • Human tissues absorb radiation through polluted water and foodstuff, which can cause serious health risks.
  • High doses of radiation can cause acute radiation syndrome or cutaneous radiation injury.
  • Exposure to radiation causes various disorders in human physiology, including cancer, leukaemia, genetic mutations, osteonecrosis, cataracts and chromosomal disruption.

 

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International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: IXPE

Mains level: Not Much

NASA has launched a new mission named Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer or IXPE.

About IXPE

  • IXPE observatory is a joint effort of NASA and the Italian Space Agency.
  • The mission will study “the most extreme and mysterious objects in the universe – supernova remnants, supermassive black holes, and dozens of other high-energy objects.”
  • The mission’s primary length is two years and the observatory will be at 600 kilometers altitude, orbiting around Earth’s equator.
  • IXPE is expected to study about 40 celestial objects in its first year in space.

What are the instruments onboard?

  • IXPE carries three state-of-the-art space telescopes.
  • Each of the three identical telescopes hosts one light-weight X-ray mirror and one detector unit.
  • These will help observe polarized X-rays from neutron stars and supermassive black holes.
  • By measuring the polarization of these X-rays, we can study where the light came from and understand the geometry and inner workings of the light source.
  • This new mission will complement other X-ray telescopes such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton.

Why is it important?

The mission will help scientists answer questions such as:

  • How do black holes spin?
  • Was the black hole at the center of the Milky Way actively feeding on surrounding material in the past?
  • How do pulsars shine so brightly in X-rays?
  • What powers the jets of energetic particles that are ejected from the region around the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies?

 

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River Interlinking

[pib] Saryu Nahar National Project

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Sarayu River

Mains level: River interlinking and associated issues

 

PM will inaugurate the Saryu Nahar National Project.

Saryu Nahar National Project

  • The Project involves the interlinking of five rivers – Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.
  • It will benefit nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh namely – Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj.
  • The sub canals with a length of 6,600km have been linked to the 318km main canal.
  • The work on the project started in 1978 but due to lack of continuity, it got delayed and was not completed even after nearly four decades.

Benefits offered

  • The project will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers of over 6200 villages.
  • The farmers of the region, who were the worst sufferers of the inordinate delay in the project, will now immensely benefit from the upgraded irrigation potential.
  • They will now be able to grow crops on a larger scale and maximize the agri-potential of the region.

Back2Basics: Sarayu River

  • The Sarayu is a river that originates at a ridge south of Nanda Kot mountain in Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand.
  • It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar, and Seraghat towns before discharging into the Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the India—Nepal border.
  • Lower Ghaghara is also popularly known as Sarayu in India.
  • Especially while it flows through the city of Ayodhya, the birthplace of legendary Rama.

 

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Capital Markets: Challenges and Developments

What are Non-convertible Debentures?

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Investment Models
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Non-convertible Debentures

Mains level: Not Much

Several companies have announced public issues to raise funds through non-convertible debentures.

What are Debentures?

  • Debentures are long-term financial instruments issued by a company for specified tenure with a promise to pay fixed interest to the investor.
  • They can be held by individuals, banking companies, primary dealers other corporate bodies registered or incorporated in India and unincorporated bodies.
  • Their types include:
  1. Convertible debentures (CDs): They are a type of debentures that can be converted into equity shares of the company.
  2. Non-convertible debentures (NCDs): They are defined as the type of debentures that cannot be converted into equity shares of the company.

What are NCDs?

  • Some debentures have a feature of convertibility into shares after a certain point of time at the discretion of the owner.
  • The debentures which can’t be converted into shares or equities are called non-convertible debentures (or NCDs).
  • They are debt financial instruments that companies use to raise medium- to long-term capital.

Benefits offered by NCDs

  • At a time when fixed deposit rates are in low single digits, these NCD offerings look lucrative.
  • NCDs offer interest rates between 8.25–9.7%.

Risks posed

  • Although NCDs are generally considered safe fixed-income instruments, some recent defaults have made investors cautious.
  • NCDs can be either secured by the issuer company’s assets, or unsecured.
  • Certain issuers, with credit rating below investment grade, had in the past issued both a secured NCD and another unsecured one through the same offer document, with different credit ratings.
  • The risk is high in the case of unsecured NCDs, even though they offer high-interest rates.
  • Credit rating of the issuer is a key factor to consider before investing in any NCD.

 

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Wildlife Conservation Efforts

Ambergris: The Floating Gold

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Ambergris

Mains level: Not Much

The Crime Branch in Pune and seized 550 grams of ambergris, also known as ‘floating gold’.

What is Ambergris?

  • Ambergris, which means gray amber in French, is a waxy substance that originates from the digestive system of the protected sperm whales.
  • It is incorrectly referred to as ‘whale vomit’.
  • It is produced in the gastrointestinal tract of some of the sperm whales for the passage of hard, sharp objects that are ingested when the whale eats large quantities of marine animals.

Why is it so expensive?

  • Investigating agencies from across India who have seized ambergris in the recent past estimate its value to be somewhere between Rs 1 to 2 crores per kilogram, depending on the purity and quality.
  • Being extremely rare contributes to its high demand and high price in the international market.

Its uses

  • Traditionally, ambergris is used to produce perfumes that have notes of musk.
  • While there are records of it being used to flavor food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco in some cultures in the past, it is rarely used for these purposes presently.

Legalities and recent cases of seizure in India

  • While there is a ban on possession and trade of ambergris in countries like the USA, Australia and India, in several other countries it is a tradable commodity.
  • In the Indian context, the sperm whales are a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and possession or trade of any of its by-products, including Ambergris is illegal.
  • It has been observed that the gangs smuggling the ambergris procure it from coastal areas and ship it to destination countries via some other countries with whom India has comparatively less stringent sea trade.

 

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Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

Significance of Raigad Fort in Maratha History

Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Raigad Fort

Mains level: Not Much

 

President Ram Nath Kovind is commencing his visit to Maharashtra by visiting the Raigad Fort where he will pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Where is Raigad fort located?

  • Raigad is a hill fort situated about 25 km from Mahad in the Raigad district and stands 2,851 feet above sea level.
  • The British Gazette states the fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East.
  • Its decisive feature is a mile and a half flat top which has adequate room for buildings.
  • In its prime, the fort had 300 stone houses and a garrison of 2,000 men.

When was it built?

  • The fort, which was earlier called Rairi, was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century.
  • The fort changed hands a number of times from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizamshahis and then the Adilshahis.
  • In 1656, Chhatrapati Shivaji captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate.
  • The fort not only helped Shivaji challenge the supremacy of the Adilshahi dynasty but also opened up the routes towards Konkan for the extension of his power.

Significance of the fort in Shivaji’s life

  • In 1662, Shivaji formally changed the fort’s name to Raigad and added a number of structures to it.
  • By 1664, the fort had emerged as the seat of Shivaji’s government.
  • As the Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji gained strength in their struggle against the Mughals, the announcement of a sovereign, independent state was made.
  • On June 6, 1674, Shivaji was coronated at Raigad by Gagabhatt where he took on the title of Chhatrapati.
  • Six years later, Shivaji passed away in Raigad in 1680 and has been cremated at the fort.

Importance of Raigad Fort in Maharashtra’s polity

  • Chhatrapati Shivaji is the tallest and the most revered icon in Maharashtra and there is a constant attempt by political parties of all hues to appropriate his legacy.
  • Due to the significance of Raigad in his life, many political leaders make it a point to visit the fort.
  • Maharashtra has already announced a mid-sea memorial in the Arabian Sea for the Maratha warrior king.

 

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International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: LCRD

Mains level: NA

NASA has launched its new Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) — the agency’s first-ever laser communications system.

What is LCRD?

  • LCRD involves laser communications – also called optical communications which uses infrared light to send information.
  • LCRD is launched in a geosynchronous orbit, over 35,000km above Earth.
  • LCRD has two optical terminals – one to receive data from a user spacecraft, and the other to transmit data to ground stations.
  • The modems will translate the digital data into laser signals. This will then be transmitted via encoded beams of light.

Benefits offered by LCRD

  • Currently, most NASA spacecraft use radio frequency communications to send data.
  • Optical communications will help increase the bandwidth 10 to 100 times more than radio frequency systems.
  • The LCRD will help the agency test optical communication in space.

Laser vs Radio

  • Laser communications and radio waves use different wavelengths of light. It uses infrared light and has a shorter wavelength than radio waves.
  • This will help the transmission of more data in a short time.
  • Using infrared lasers, LCRD will send data to Earth at 1.2 gigabits-per-second (Gbps).
  • It would take roughly nine weeks to transmit a completed map of Mars back to Earth with current radio frequency systems. With lasers, we can accelerate that to about nine days, says NASA.

Other advantages

Optical communications systems are smaller in size, weight, and require less power compared with radio instruments.

  • A smaller size means more room for science instruments.
  • Less weight means a less expensive launch.
  • Less power means less drain on the spacecraft’s batteries.

 

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