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

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Hermann Bacher

Mains level: Watershed development in India

Hermann Bacher, popularly known as the ‘father of community-led watershed development in India’, passed away at the ripe old age of 97 years in Switzerland September 14, 2021.

Hermann Bacher

Born in 1924, Bacher, came to India in 1948 at the young age of 24 years.
He was to spend the next 60 years of his life here, most of it in Maharashtra.
Struck by the poverty he saw in rural Maharashtra, he dedicated his life to the upliftment of the poor, the landless and rural women.
Bacher was given Germany’s highest civilian award, the Federal Cross of the Order of Merit in 1994, in recognition of his outstanding efforts.
In 2017, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifiucation (UNCCD) awarded WOTR the prestigious ‘Land for Life Award 2017’.
He is widely regarded and respected as a true ‘man of God’ for whom selfless service of the poor was worship at its most sublime. He is fondly remembered as ‘Bacher Baba’.

Notable works

The 1972 droughts in Maharashtra led him to re-calibrate his developmental approach.
This meant that in rain-dependent rural Maharashtra, a shift had to be made from ‘resource exploitation’ to sustainable resource use, or ‘resource mobilisation’, as he described it.
He helped thousands of landless labourers’ secure title to land under the Land Reforms Act, 1957, beginning in 1965.
He also organised lakhs of farmers to develop their farms and increase their agricultural productivity by helping them access irrigation, improved and hybrid seeds etc.

Pioneering water harvest

Since rain fell in the watersheds and landscapes villagers lived in, the only way to harvest and conserve rainwater wherever it fell was to undertake watershed development measures.
The idea was that “running water must be made to walk; walking water made to stop and sink underground”.
This meant, planting trees and grasses, conserving forests, undertaking soil and water conservation works such as digging contour trenches, raising farm bunds, etc.
It also meant building water harvesting structures on the streams (check dams, earthen bunds, etc) in a systematic manner across the entire landscape of the village, beginning from the top.

Establishing the IGWDP

Through his work, was born the idea which later became the large-scale Indo-German Watershed Development Program (IGWDP) that he conceived and launched in Maharashtra in 1989.
This was in collaboration with and the support of the Governments of India, Maharashtra and Germany, NABARD and the non-profit sector.
Its unique and ground-breaking feature was that it put the villagers in the driver’s seat — the community would plan the programme, implement it and maintain the watershed assets.
Funds, substantial amounts, would be given directly to them and they would have to manage and account

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

Linear No-Threshold (LNT) Model for Radiation 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: LNT Model

Mains level: Not Much

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) decisively upheld the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model to prescribe radiation safety standards, ending the protracted controversy on the topic.

What is the LNT Model?

The LNT is a dose-response model used in radiation protection to estimate stochastic health effects such as radiation-induced cancer, genetic mutations etc. on the human body due to exposure to ionizing radiation.
The LNT model states that biological effects such as cancer and hereditary effects due to exposure to ionising radiation increase as a linear function of dose, without threshold.
It provides a sound regulatory basis for minimizing the risk of unnecessary radiation exposure to both members of the public and radiation workers.

Why in news?

LNT model continues to provide a sound basis for a conservative radiation protection regulatory framework that protects both the public and occupational workers.
The model helps the agencies to regulate radiation exposures to diverse categories of licensees, from commercial nuclear power plants to individual industrial radiographers and nuclear medical practices.
There are also studies and findings that support the continued use of the LNT model, including those by national and international authoritative scientific advisory bodies.

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RBI suspends G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP)

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Open Market Operations (OMO)

Mains level: NA

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to halt its bond-buying under the G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP).

Why such move?

The GSAP had succeeded in ensuring adequate liquidity and stabilising financial markets.
Coupled with other liquidity measures, it facilitated congenial and orderly financing conditions and a conducive environment for the recovery.

What is GSAP?

The G-Sec Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) is basically an unconditional and a structured Open Market Operation (OMO), of a much larger scale and size.
G-SAP is an OMO with a ‘distinct character’.
The word ‘unconditional’ here connotes that RBI has committed upfront that it will buy G-Secs irrespective of the market sentiment.

What are Government Securities?

These are debt instruments issued by the government to borrow money.
The two key categories are:

Treasury bills (T-Bills) – short-term instruments which mature in 91 days, 182 days, or 364 days, and
Dated securities – long-term instruments, which mature anywhere between 5 years and 40 years

Note: T-Bills are issued only by the central government, and the interest on them is determined by market forces.

Why G-Secs?

Like bank fixed deposits, g-secs are not tax-free.
They are generally considered the safest form of investment because they are backed by the government. So, the risk of default is almost nil.
However, they are not completely risk-free, since they are subject to fluctuations in interest rates.
Bank fixed deposits, on the other hand, are guaranteed only to the extent of Rs 5 lakh by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).

Other decisions

The RBI, however, remained ready to undertake G-SAP as and when warranted by liquidity conditions.
It would also continue to flexibly conduct other liquidity management operations including Operation Twist (OT) and regular open market operations (OMOs).

Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

Q.Consider the following statements:

The Reserve Bank of India manages and services the Government of India Securities but not any State Government Securities.

Treasury bills are issued by the Government of India and there are no treasury bills issued by the State Governments.

Treasury bills offer are issued at a discount from the par value.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 Only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Post your answers here:

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Back2Basics: Open Market Operations (OMO)

OMOs is one of the quantitative monetary policy tools which is employed by the central bank of a country to control the money supply in the economy.
It is a part of the Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS) by the RBI.
OMOs are conducted by the RBI by way of sale or purchase of government securities (g-secs) to adjust money supply conditions.
The central bank sells g-secs to remove liquidity from the system and buys back g-secs to infuse liquidity into the system.

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Nobel Prize 2021

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: Nobel Price, BioCatalysts

Mains level: NA

(1) Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, 2021

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded in one half to Canadian-born David Card and the other half jointly to Israeli-American Joshua D Angrist and Dutch-American Guido W Imbens.

David Card has been awarded for his empirical contributions to labor economics. Joshua D Angrist and Guido W Imbens won the award “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.”
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats”.

Contributions

David Card: He has analyzed how minimum wages, immigration and education impact the labor market.
- One of the significant findings of this research was that“increasing the minimum wage does not necessarily lead to fewer jobs”.
- It also led to the understanding that“people who were born in a country can benefit from new immigration, while people who immigrated at an earlier time risk being negatively affected”.
- It also illuminated the role of resources available in school in shaping the future of students in the labor market.
Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens: They were rewarded for their “methodological contributions” to the research tool.
- Their work demonstrated “how precise conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn from natural experiments”.

(2) Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2021

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David MacMillan for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.

Last year, the honour went to Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer Doudna, for developing the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 – DNA snipping “scissors”.

About the Development

They have developed a new and ingenious tool for molecule building: organocatalysis.
- Many research areas and industries are dependent on chemists’ ability to construct molecules that can form elastic and durable materials, store energy in batteries or inhibit the progression of diseases. This work requires catalysts.
- According to researchers, there were just two types of catalysts available: metals and enzymes. Catalysts are any substance that increases the rate of a reaction without itself being consumed.
In 2000, they, independent of each other, developed a third type of catalysis. It is called asymmetric organocatalysis and builds upon small organic molecules.
Significance:
- Its uses include research into new pharmaceuticals and it has also helped make chemistry greener.
- Both these sets of catalysts (metals and enzymes) had limitations.
- Heavier metals are expensive, difficult to mine, and toxic to humans and the environment.
  - Despite the best processes, traces remained in the end product; this posed problems in situations where compounds of very high purity were required, like in the manufacture of medicines.
  - Also, metals required an environment free of water and oxygen, which was difficult to ensure on an industrial scale.
- Enzymes on the other hand, work best when water is used as a medium for the chemical reaction. But that is not an environment suitable for all kinds of chemical reactions.

Organocatalysis

- Organic compounds are mostly naturally-occurring substances, built around a framework of carbon atoms and usually containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, or phosphorus.
- Life-supporting chemicals like proteins, which are long chains of amino acids (carbon compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen) are organic.
- Enzymes are also proteins, and therefore, organic compounds. These are responsible for many essential biochemical reactions.
- Organocatalysts allow several steps in a production process to be performed in an unbroken sequence, considerably reducing waste in chemical manufacturing.
- Organocatalysis has developed at an astounding speed since 2000. Benjamin List and David MacMillan remain leaders in the field, and have shown that organic catalysts can be used to drive multitudes of chemical reactions.
  - Using these reactions, researchers can now more efficiently construct anything from new pharmaceuticals to molecules that can capture light in solar cells.

Asymmetric Organocatalysis

- The process called asymmetric organocatalysis has made it much easier to produce asymmetric molecules – chemicals that exist in two versions, where one is a mirror image of the other.
- Chemists often just want one of these mirror images – particularly when producing medicines – but it has been difficult to find efficient methods for doing this.
- Some molecules with mirror versions have different properties. An example is the chemical called carvone, which has one form that smells like spearmint and a counterpart that smells like the herb, dill.
- Different versions of the same molecule might have different effects when ingested. Then it becomes important to be able to make only the mirror image of a drug that has the desired physiological effect.

(3) Nobel Prize in Physics, 2021

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded with one half jointly to Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and the other half to Giorgio Parisi “for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems.”

This is the first time climate scientists (Manabe and Hasselmann) have been awarded the Physics Nobel. Last year, the award was given for the research into black holes.

Manabe and Hasselmann

Awarded for work in physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming.
Demonstrated how increases in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase global temperatures, laying the foundations for current climate models.

Parisi

Awarded for “the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.”
He “built a deep physical and mathematical model” that made it possible to understand complex systems in fields such as mathematics, biology, neuroscience and machine learning.

(4) Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine, 2021

Recently, two United States-based scientists, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.

They have focused their work on the field of somatosensation, that is the ability of specialized organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel.

About the Discoveries

David Julius:

He discovered TRPV1, a heat-sensing receptor.
His findings on the skin’s sense of temperature was based on how certain cells react to capsaicin, the molecule that makes chili peppers spicy, by simulating a false sensation of heat.

Ardem Patapoutian

He discovered two mechanosensitive ion channels known as the Piezo channels.
- The Piezo1 is named after the Greek word for pressure, ‘píesi’.
He is credited for finding the cellular mechanism and the underlying gene that translates a mechanical force on our skin into an electric nerve signal.

Significance of Discoveries

- The findings have allowed us to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate the nerve impulses that allow us to perceive and adapt to the world around us.
- This knowledge is being used to develop treatments for a wide range of disease conditions, including chronic pain.

Back To Basics: About Nobel Prizes

The will of the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel established the five Nobel prizes in 1895.
The Nobel Prizes are a set of recognition given to fields of Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine by The Nobel Foundation.
- The Nobel Foundation is a private institution established in 1900, has ultimate responsibility for fulfilling the intentions in Alfred Nobel’s will.
The prizes in Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine were first awarded in 1901.
In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

Mosquirix: First malaria vaccine to get WHO nod

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: Malaria and it vaccines

Mains level: Malaria menace in India

In a historic move, the World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed the first anti-malarial vaccine, as mankind enters a key turning point in a battle waged relentlessly over decades between man and mosquito, the vector.

Mosquirix

RTS,S/ASO1 (RTS.S), trade name Mosquirix acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent in Africa.
The vaccine was able to prevent approximately 4 in 10 cases of malaria over a 4-year period in Africa.
This is the first malaria vaccine that has completed the clinical development process.
It is also the first malaria vaccine to be introduced by three national ministries of health through their childhood immunization programs — more than 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
have been vaccinated, and are benefiting from the added protection provided by the vaccine as part of a pilot program.

How the vaccine can help?

WHO’s recommendation is based on the advice of its two global advisory bodies, one for immunization and the other for malaria.
WHO has recommended that in the context of comprehensive malaria control, the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission as defined by it.
The malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of malaria disease and burden.

Back2Basics: Malaria

Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito if the mosquito itself is infected with a malarial parasite.
There are five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi.
Therefore, to say that someone has contracted the Plasmodium ovale type of malaria means that the person has been infected by that particular parasite.
Malaria is treated with prescription drugs to kill the parasite. Chloroquine is the preferred treatment for any parasite that is sensitive to the drug.

Countries that have eliminated malaria

Globally, the elimination net is widening, with more countries moving towards the goal of zero malaria.
In 2019, 27 countries reported fewer than 100 indigenous cases of the disease, up from 6 countries in 2000.
Countries that have achieved at least 3 consecutive years of zero indigenous cases of malaria are eligible to apply for the WHO certification of malaria elimination.
11 countries have been certified as malaria-free: United Arab Emirates (2007), Morocco (2010), Turkmenistan (2010), Armenia (2011), Sri Lanka (2016), Kyrgyzstan (2016), Paraguay (2018), Uzbekistan (2018), Algeria (2019), Argentina (2019), and El Salvador (2021).

Burden of Malaria in India

In 2018, the National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) estimated that approximately 5 lakh people suffered from malaria.
63% of the cases were of Plasmodium falciparum.
The recent World Malaria Report 2020 said cases in India dropped from about 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.

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Tribes in News

Tribes in news: Mundapota Kela

Prelims Only | Indian Society | Mains Paper 1: Diversity Of India

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Mundapota Kela, Denotified Tribes

Mains level: Tribal development

Members of the Mundapota Kela community in Odisha perform an unthinkable act of their head buried in soil, which requires exceptional breath control, for a living.

Mundapota Kela

The community — Mundapota Kela (a denotified tribe) — is left with few members who earn a livelihood with this bizarre act.
It is believed to have migrated to Odisha from Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh decades ago.
Being street performers, they travel from one village to another and bury their heads in soil for several minutes.
They collect rice, vegetables and money from villagers for putting up the show.

Try answering this PYQ:

Q.Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:

PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.

A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.

There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.

Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3 and 4

(c) 1, 2 and 4

(d) 1, 3 and 4

Post your answers here:

Back2Basics: De-Notified Tribes

Denotified Tribes (DNTs), also known as Vimukta Jati are the tribes that were listed originally under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 as Criminal Tribes.
Once a tribe became “notified” as criminal, all its members were required to register with the local magistrate, failing which they would be charged with a “crime” under the Indian Penal Code.
The Criminal Tribes Act was repealed in 1949 and thus ‘de-notified’ the tribal communities.
The denotified tribes were reclassified as “habitual offenders” in 1959.
The UN’s anti-discrimination body Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) asked India to repeal the Habitual Offenders Act (1952) and effectively rehabilitate the denotified and nomadic tribes on 9 March 2007.
A National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNSNT) was setup in 2003 to study various developmental aspects under the chairmanship of Shri. Balkrishna Renke.

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Nobel and other Prizes

First Nobel for Climate Science

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nobel Price

Mains level: Climate Change Assessment

Three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics for work that is essential to understanding how the Earth’s climate is changing, pinpointing the effect of human behaviour on those changes and ultimately predicting the impact of global warming.

Who are the laureates?

The winners were Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann of Germany, and Giorgio Parisi from Italy.
In 2015, at a UK-based climate-focused online publication sought to identify the three most influential climate change research papers ever published.
The paper that received the most votes was one by Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald way back in 1967.
These reports for the first time, had described the impact of carbon dioxide and water vapour on global warming.

Citation for their Climate Model

Manabe is a senior meteorologist and climatologist at Princeton University.
In the 1960s, he led ground-breaking research into how increased levels of carbon dioxide lead to higher temperatures on the surface of the Earth.
This laid the foundation for the development of current climate models.
Hasselmann is a German physicist and oceanographer who greatly advanced public understanding of climate change through the creation of a model that links climate and chaotic weather systems.
Parisi has focused on quantum field theory and complex systems.

Why it is significant feat?

This is the first-time climate scientists have been awarded the Physics Nobel.
The IPCC had won the Peace Nobel in 2007, an acknowledgement of its efforts in creating awareness for the fight against climate change.
A Chemistry Nobel was also awarded to Paul Crutzen in 1995, for his work on the ozone layer, is considered the only other time someone from atmospheric sciences has won this honour.
The recognition of Manabe and Hasselmann, therefore, is being seen as an acknowledgement of the importance that climate science holds in today’s world.

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Cyber Security – CERTs, Policy, etc

What is Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) ?

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: Border Gateway Protocol

Mains level: Internet blackout

The outages at Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram occurred because of a problem in the company’s domain name system. At the heart of it was a BGP or Border Gateway Protocol issue.

What is BGP?

Simply put, it is the protocol that runs the internet or makes it work.
Since the internet is a network of networks, BGP is the mechanism that bounds it together.
When the BGP doesn’t work, internet routers can’t really figure out what to do and that leads to the internet not working.
The routers — big ones — keep up on updating other possible routes that are used to deliver network packets to the last possible source.
In this case, Facebook platforms were the last point of destination and BGP problem meant Facebook was unable to tell other networks know that it was on the internet.

How does it work?

The BGP is like an entity that is responsible for creating and more importantly updating maps that lead you to sites like Google, Facebook or YouTube.
So if someone is responsible for making and updating the map, and they make a mistake, then the traffic — or users — will not end up reaching that place.

How did a BGP issue affect Facebook?

A BGP update message informs a router of any changes you’ve made to a prefix advertisement or entirely withdraws the prefix.
There were a lot of routing changes from Facebook last night and then routes were withdrawn, Facebook’s Domain Name Server went offline.

Role of DNS

DNS is the phonebook of the Internet.
People access information online through domain names — timesofindia.com or facebook.com.
Internet browsers use IP or Internet Protocol addresses and what DNS does is that it translates domain names to IP addresses to browsers can load Internet resources.
If DNS is the internet’s phone book, BGP is its postal service.
When a user enters data in the internet, BGP determines the best available paths that data could travel.

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Nobel and other Prizes

Physiology Nobel for work on temperature and touch

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: Nobel Price, Genes controling senses

Mains level: Read the attached story

U.S. scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have won the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch.

Who are the Laureates?

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, working independently in the United States, made a series of discoveries in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They figured out the touch detectors in our body and the mechanism through which they communicate with the nervous system to identify and respond to a particular touch.

What did they discover?

They discovered the molecular sensors in the human body that are sensitive to heat, and to mechanical pressure, and make us “feel” hot or cold, or the touch of a sharp object on our skin.
n 1997, Dr. Julius and his team published a paper in Nature detailing how capsaicin, or the chemical compound in chili peppers, causes the burning sensation.
They created a library of DNA fragments to understand the corresponding genes and finally discovered a new capsaicin receptor and named it TRPV1.
This discovery paved the way for the identification of many other temperature-sensing receptors.
They identified another new receptor called TRPM8, a receptor that is activated by cold. It is specifically expressed in a subset of pain-and-temperature-sensing neurons.
They identified a single gene PIEZO2, which when silenced made the cells insensitive to the poking. They named this new mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1.

How do they work?

The human ability to sense heat or cold and pressure is not very different from the working of the many detectors that we are familiar with.
When something hot, or cold, touches the body, the heat receptors enable the passage of some specific chemicals, like calcium ions, through the membrane of nerve cells.
It’s like a gate that opens up on a very specific request. The entry of the chemical inside the cell causes a small change in electrical voltage, which is picked up by the nervous system.
There is a whole spectrum of receptors that are sensitive to different ranges of temperature.
When there is more heat, more channels open up to allow the flow of ions, and the brain is able to perceive higher temperatures.

Therapeutic implications

Breakthroughs in physiology have often resulted in an improvement in the ability to fight diseases and disorders. This one is no different.
There are receptors that make us feel pain. If these receptors can suppress, or made less effective, the person had felt less pain.
Chronic pain is present is a number of illnesses and disorders. Earlier, the experience of pain was a mystery.
But as we understand these receptors more and more, it is possible that we gain the ability to regulate them in such a way that the pain is minimized.

[Note: We will compile all Nobel Prizes into a single post once all are awarded.]

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ISRO Missions and Discoveries

IAO Hanle: A promising astronomical observatory

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: IAO Hanle

Mains level: NA

A new study shows that the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) located in Hanle is one of the emerging sites for infrared and optical astronomy studies.

About IAO Hanle

The IAO, located in Hanle at Mount Saraswati near Leh in Ladakh, has one of the world’s highest located sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes.
It was established in 2001 and is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.
It is currently the ninth highest optical telescope in the world, situated at an elevation of 4,500 meters.

Note: University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) located in the Atacama desert of Chile is the highest at an elevation of 5,640 m.

Major telescopes at Hanle include:

Himalayan Chandra Telescope (An optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar)
GROWTH-India Telescope (A robotic optical telescope)
High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope

Distinct factors of IAO Hanle

IAO Hanle offers a clear view of space among all observatories globally.
This is due to its advantages of more clear nights, minimal light pollution, background aerosol concentration, extremely dry atmospheric condition and uninterrupted monsoon.
Hanle site is as dry as Atacama Desert in Chile and much drier than Devasthal and has around 270 clear nights in a year and is also one of the emerging sites for infrared and submillimetre optical astronomy.
This is because water vapor absorbs electromagnetic signals and reduces their strength.

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Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

Langa-Manganiyar Folk Music

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

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Langa-Manganiyar

Mains level: NA

Considered the repository of the Thar region’s rich history and traditional knowledge, the ballads, folklore and songs of the Langa-Manganiyar artistes are being preserved through an initiative for documentation and digitisation.

Who are the Langa-Manganiyar?

The Langas and Manganiyars are hereditary communities of Muslim musicians residing mostly in western Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer districts and in Pakistan’s Tharparkar and Sanghar districts in Sindh.
The music of the two marginalised communities, who were supported by wealthy landlords and merchants before Independence, forms a vital part of Thar desert’s cultural landscape.
The performances are in multiple languages and dialects including Marwari, Sindhi, Saraiki, Dhatti and Thareli.
The romantic tales revolving around legendary lovers such as Umar-Marvi, Heer-Ranjha, Sohni-Mahiwal, Moomal-Rana and Sorath-Rao Khangar have traditionally captivated audiences.

Instruments used

The Langa’s main traditional instrument is the sindhi sarangi; Manganiyar’s is the kamaicha.
Both are bowed stringed instruments with skin membrane sounding boards and many sympathetic strings.
Both Langas and Manganiyars sing and play the dholak (double-headed barrel drum), the kartal(wooded clappers), the morchan (jaws harp), and the ubiquitous harmonium.

Try answering this PYQ:

Q. Consider the following pairs:

Tradition: State

Chapchar Kut: festival Mizoram

Khongjom Parba ballad: Manipur

Thang Ta dance: Sikkim

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2

(c) 3 only

(d) 2 and 3

Post your answers here.

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Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

Chola inscriptions on qualifications for civic officials

Prelims Only | Indian Society | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Kudavolai System

Mains level: Chola Administration

In the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, some Chola-era inscriptions on Kanthaleeswarar Temple bear testimony to the qualifications required for members of the village administrative council.

Inscription details: Kudavolai System

The Kudavolai system was very vital and unique feature of administration of villages of Cholas.
In the system one representative is elected from each ward and every village had 30 wards.
The village administrative committee was called as variyam.
The election was unique as names of contestants were written on palm leaf and put in a pot.

Taxation details

The rulers were considerate while taxing agricultural produce.
For areca nuts, only 50% tax would be collected for the first 10 years after cultivation. Farmers would pay full tax only after the trees started yielding fruits.
Similarly, 50% tax was imposed on banana crops until the yield.

Though a tough one, but try answering this PYQ:

Q.In the context of the history of India, consider the following pairs:

Term: Description

Eripatti: Land revenue from which was set apart for the maintenance of the village tank

Taniyurs: Villages donated to a single Brahmin or a group of Brahmins

Ghatikas: Colleges generally attached to the temples

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 3

Post your answers here.

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Goods and Services Tax (GST)

GST collections hit 5-month high

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Revenue receipts

Mains level: GST

India’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues crossed ₹1.17 lakh crore in September, hitting a five-month high.

Take a look towards the share of GST in government earnings for the previous fiscal:

UPSC can ask about the majority component of the Revenue Receipts of the govt. See how Corporate tax is nearing the GST revenues.

Do you think it will surpass GST revenue when the economy is fully recovered?

What is the news?

September’s revenues were 23% higher than a year ago and 27.3% more than collections in the pre-pandemic month of September 2019.
Revenues from import of goods were 30% higher while indirect tax collected on domestic transactions, including the import of services, were 20% higher in September, compared to the same month in 2020.
Among the major States, GST revenues grew 29% in Karnataka, 28% in Gujarat, followed by 22% in Maharashtra and 21% each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana recorded a 25% surge in revenues, while Odisha saw a sharper 40% rise.

Significance

This clearly indicates that the economy is recovering at a fast pace.
Coupled with economic growth, anti-evasion activities, especially action against fake billers have also been contributing to the enhanced GST collections.
It is expected that the positive trend in the revenues will continue and the second half of the year will post higher revenues.

Issues underlying

Though GST revenues are picking up pace after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, revenue buoyancy under GST is being seen as a concern.
This is especially after the legally mandated compensation to states for revenue shortfall from the GST implementation comes to an end in June 2022.

Back2Basics: Goods and Services Tax

The GST is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption.
It was launched into operation on the midnight of 1st July 2017.
It subsumed almost all domestic indirect taxes (petroleum, alcoholic beverages, and stamp duty are the major exceptions) under one head.
The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses selling the goods and services.
GST is levied at four rates viz. 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. The schedule or list of items that would fall under these multiple slabs is worked out by the GST council.

Types

The GST to be levied by the Centre is called Central GST (CGST) and that to be levied by the States is called State GST (SGST).
Import of goods or services would be treated as inter-state supplies and would be subject to Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) in addition to the applicable customs duties.

The GST Council

It is a constitutional body (Article 279A) for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to GST.
The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
It is considered as a federal body where both the centre and the states get due representation.

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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

What is Computer Tomography?

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

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Computer Tomography (CT) and its working

Mains level: NA

The first computed tomography image – a CT scan – of the human brain was made 50 years ago, on Oct. 1, 1971.

A few months back, almost all of us have heard about the High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan being conducted on our relatives for diagnosing the damage of lungs caused due to the Wuhan Virus.

About Computer Tomography (CT)

A CT scan is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to get detailed images of the body noninvasively for diagnostic purposes.
The multiple X-ray measurements taken from different angles are then processed on a computer using reconstruction algorithms to produce tomographic (cross-sectional) images (virtual “slices”) of a body.

How does it work?

They use a narrow X-ray beam that circles around one part of your body. This provides a series of images from many different angles.
A computer uses this information to create a cross-sectional picture. Like one piece in a loaf of bread, this two-dimensional (2D) scan shows a “slice” of the inside of your body.
This process is repeated to produce a number of slices.
The computer stacks these scans one on top of the other to create a detailed image of your organs, bones, or blood vessels.
For example, a surgeon may use this type of scan to look at all sides of a tumor to prepare for an operation.

Its development

Since its development in the 1970s, CT has proven to be a versatile imaging technique.
While CT is most prominently used in diagnostic medicine, it also may be used to form images of non-living objects.
The 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to South African-American physicist Allan M. Cormack and British electrical engineer Godfrey N. Hounsfield “for the development of computer-assisted tomography”.

Threats

CT scans use X-rays, which produce ionizing radiation.
Such radiation may damage your DNA and lead to cancer.
The risk increases with every CT scan we get.
Ionizing radiation may be more harmful in children.

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Air Pollution

Probe shows use of toxic material in firecrackers: Supreme Court

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

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Air pollutants in crackers, Green Crackers

Mains level: Air pollution due to firecrackers

The Supreme Court has said a preliminary enquiry by the CBI into the firecracker industry, including in Tamil Nadu, revealed rampant violation of its ban on use of toxic ingredients like Barium and its salts.

Air Pollution created by firecrackers

Firing crackers increase the concentration of dust and pollutants in the air.
After firing, the fine dust particles get settled on the surrounding surfaces which are packed with chemicals like copper, zinc, sodium, lead, magnesium, cadmium and pollutants like oxides of sulphur and nitrogen.
These invisible yet harmful particles affect the environment and in turn, put our health at stake.

Harmful elements used

Copper: Irritates the respiratory tract.
Cadmium: Leads to anemia by reducing the capacity of blood to carry oxygen.
Zinc: Can cause metal fume fever and induces vomiting.
Lead: Harms the nervous system.
Magnesium: Metal fume fever is caused by Magnesium fumes.
Sodium: It is a highly reactive element and caused burns when it is combined with moisture.

Why is the issue in news now?

Ans. Barium content

A chemical analysis of the samples of finished and semi-finished firecrackers and raw materials taken from the manufacturers showed Barium content.
The court stated that loose quantities of Barium were purchased from the market.
Also, firecracker covers did not show the manufacture or expiry dates.

Issues with Barium

Barium nitrate, which emits green flames when a cracker is lit, is a metal oxide that increases both air and noise pollution.
There is is no clarity on whether barium nitrate can actually be used or not.

Alternatives: Green Crackers

The new CSIR-NEERI formulation for green crackers has NO barium nitrate — one of the key ingredients of traditional firecrackers.
These crackers have been named “safe water releaser (SWAS)”, “safe minimal aluminium (SAFAL)” and “safe thermite cracker (STAR)”.
The three crackers release water vapour or air as a dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions.
These products can only be manufactured by those who have signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with CSIR-NEERI.
The green crackers are sold with a unique logo on the box, and will also have a QR code with production and emission details.

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US policy wise : Visa, Free Trade and WTO

What is H-1B Visa?

Prelims Only | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Indian Diaspora

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Various visas mentioned

Mains level: NA

The need for H-1B visas will continue to exist till the ‘talent challenge’ is tackled globally, even though the information technology industry has successfully adopted the work-from-home model amid pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Various US Visa Programs

1) H-1B visa

What is it: The H-1B visa category covers individuals who “work in a speciality occupation, engage in cooperative research and development projects administered by the US Department of Defense or are fashion models that have national or international acclaim and recognition.”

Who’s covered: The H-1B is most well known as a visa for skilled tech workers, but other industries, like health care and the media, also use these visas.

2) H-2B visa

What it is: According to USCIS, the H-2B program allows US employers or agents “to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs.”

Who’s covered: They generally apply to seasonal workers in industries like landscaping, forestry, hospitality and construction.

3) J-1 visa

What it is: The J-1 visa is an exchange visitor visa for individuals approved to participate in work-and-study-based exchange visitor programs in the United States.

Who’s covered: The impacted people include interns, trainees, teachers, camp counsellors, au pairs and participants in summer work travel programs.

4) L-1 visa

What it is: The L1 Visa is reserved for managerial or executive professionals transferring to the US from within the same company, or a subsidiary of it. The L1 Visa can also be used for a foreign company opening up US operations.

Who’s covered: Within the L1 Visa, there are two subsidiary types of visas

L1A visa for managers and executives.
L1B visa for those with specialized knowledge.

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Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

Antimalarial drug resistance in India

Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Malaria and it vaccines

Mains level: Non-communicable diseases burden on India

In recent years there is increasing evidence for the failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy for falciparum malaria either alone or with partner drugs.

What is Malaria?

Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito if the mosquito itself is infected with a malarial parasite.
There are five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi.
Therefore, to say that someone has contracted the Plasmodium ovale type of malaria means that the person has been infected by that particular parasite.

Burden of Malaria in India

In 2018, the National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) estimated that approximately 5 lakh people suffered from malaria.
63% of the cases were of Plasmodium falciparum.
The recent World Malaria Report 2020 said cases in India dropped from about 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.

Treatment of Malaria

Malaria is treated with prescription drugs to kill the parasite. Chloroquine is the preferred treatment for any parasite that is sensitive to the drug.
In most malaria-endemic countries including India, Artemisinin-based antimalarial drugs are the first-line choice for malaria treatment.
This is especially against Plasmodium falciparum parasite which is responsible for almost all malaria-related deaths in the world.

Why in news now?

There are reports of artemisinin resistance in East Africa and is a matter of great concern as this is the only drug that has saved several lives across the globe.
In India, after the failure of chloroquine to treat P. falciparum malaria successfully, artemisinin-based combination therapy was initially introduced in 2008.
Currently, several combinations of artemisinin derivatives are registered in India.

Artemisinin-based combination therapy failure in India

In 2019, a report from Eastern India indicated the presence of two mutations in P. falciparum cases treated with artemisinin that linked to its presence of resistance.
Again in 2021, artemisinin-based combination therapy failure was reported from Central India where the partner drug SP showed triple mutations with artemisinin wild type.
This means the failure of artemisinin-based combination therapy may not be solely linked to artemisinin. Here it is needed to change the partner drug as has been done in NE states in 2013.

History of drug resistance

In the 1950s chloroquine resistance came to light.
Both chloroquine and pyrimethamine resistance originated from Southeast Asia following their migration to India and then on to Africa with disastrous consequences.
Similarly, artemisinin resistance developed from the six Southeast Asian countries and migrated to other continents, as is reported in India and Africa.
It would not be out of context that artemisinin is following the same path as has been seen with chloroquine.
Now, the time has come to carry out Molecular Malaria Surveillance to find out the drug-resistant variants so that corrective measures can be undertaken in time to avert any consequences.
Some experts even advocate using triple artemisinin-based combination therapies where the partner drug is less effective.

Try this PYQ:

Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria.

Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine?

(a) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium

(b) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection

(c) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria

(d) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host

Post your answers here.

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Capital Markets: Challenges and Developments

What are Electronic Gold Receipts?

Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Effects Of Liberalization On The Economy, Changes In Industrial Policy and their effects on Industrial Growth

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Electronic Gold Receipts

Mains level: NA

The board of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the framework for a gold exchange as well as for vault managers. This approval paves the way for gold exchanges to be set up for trading in ‘Electronic Gold Receipt’ (EGR).

What is EGR?

SEBI’s concept paper proposes issuing an electronic gold receipt in exchange pf physical gold (similar to equity shares), deposited with a vault manager (like a depositary participant) and this receipt can then be traded.
The government wants India’s outsized influence in the physical market for gold to be visible in the financial market for gold as well.

Why need EGRs?

EGI is a way of getting people to not hoard gold, by creating an exchange that provides transparent pricing and liquidity (to cash or back to gold).
India is a net importer of gold. We are price takers and not price setters. The whole idea is to move from being price takers to be price setters.
Price discovery at the exchanges will thus lead to transparency in gold pricing.
The gold exchanges would provide transparent price discovery, investment liquidity and assurance in the quality of gold.

What is the SEBI regulation?

SEBI has also proposed a regulatory framework for setting up a gold exchange.
Existing stock exchanges will be allowed to provide the platform for trading of EGRs.
The denomination for trading of EGR and conversion of EGR into gold will be decided by the stock exchange with the approval of SEBI.
The clearing corporation will settle the trades executed on the stock exchanges by way of transferring EGRs and funds to the buyer and seller, respectively.

How will EGR work?

EGR holders, at their discretion, can withdraw the underlying gold from the vaults after surrendering the EGRs.
SEBI-accredited vault managers will be responsible for the storage and safekeeping of gold deposits, creation of EGRs, withdrawal of gold, grievance redressal and periodic reconciliation of physical gold with the records of depository.
The vault manager will have a networth of at least ₹50 crore.

Back2Basics: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

The SEBI is the regulatory body for securities and commodity market in India under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance Government of India.
It was established on 12 April 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.

Jurisdiction of SEBI

SEBI has to be responsive to the needs of three groups, which constitute the market:

Issuers of securities
Investors
Market intermediaries

SEBI has three powers rolled into one body: quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and quasi-executive.

It drafts regulations in its legislative capacity, it conducts investigation and enforcement action in its executive function and it passes rulings and orders in its judicial capacity.
Though this makes it very powerful, there is an appeal process to create accountability.
There is a Securities Appellate Tribunal which is a three-member tribunal and is currently headed by Justice Tarun Agarwala, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
A second appeal lies directly to the Supreme Court.

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Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

What is Meningitis?

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: Meningitis

Mains level: NA

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the first-ever global strategy to defeat meningitis, a debilitating disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year.

What is Meningitis?

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
People of any age can get meningitis.

What Causes Meningitis?

Most cases are caused by bacteria or viruses, but some can be due to certain medicines or illnesses.
Meningitis is usually caused by a viral infection but can also be bacterial or fungal.
Both kinds of meningitis spread like most other common infections do — someone who’s infected touches, kisses, or coughs or sneezes on someone who isn’t infected.
Bacterial meningitis is rare, but is usually serious and can be life-threatening if not treated right away.
Viral meningitis (also called aseptic meningitis) is more common than bacterial meningitis and usually less serious.
Many of the viruses that cause meningitis are common, such as those that cause colds, diarrhea, cold sores, and the flu.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Meningitis?

Meningitis symptoms vary, depending on the person’s age and the cause of the infection.
The first symptoms can come on quickly or start several days after someone has had a cold, diarrhea, vomiting, or other signs of an infection.

Common symptoms include:

fever
lack of energy
irritability
headache
sensitivity to light
stiff neck
skin rash

Treatment

Several vaccines protect against meningitis, including meningococcal, Haemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal vaccines.
If dealt with quickly, meningitis can be treated successfully.

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Monsoon Updates

Cyclone Gulab

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Geographical Features & Their Location

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Tropical cyclones

Mains level: Frequent cyclonic activities in India

As a very rare occasion during monsoons, Cyclone Gulab has been developed in the Bay of Bengal and later made landfall close in Andhra Pradesh.

Tauktae, Amphan, Fani, Titli, Bulbul, Gaja… And now Gulab. As and when cyclones with intriguing names approach the Indian coasts, a common question comes to our minds: Who names these storms?

This time it is Pakistan, not India, who proposed this name Gulaab!

About Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure centre, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rains.
Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by different names, including hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, or simply cyclone.
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean, and a typhoon occurs in the north-western Pacific Ocean.
In the south Pacific or the Indian Ocean, comparable storms are referred to simply as “tropical cyclones” or “severe cyclonic storms”.

Cyclone Gulab

Three factors —in-sync phase of Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), warm sea surface temperatures over the Bay of Bengal, and the formation of a low-pressure system.
The system’s intensification phases between low pressure – well-marked low pressure – depression – deep depression and to finally becoming Cyclone Gulab was rather rapid, even as the system moved closer to the south Odisha – north Andhra Pradesh coast, where it also made landfall.

What makes Gulab special?

India has a bi-annual cyclone season that occurs between March to May and October to December. But on rare occasions, cyclones do occur in June and September months.
Cyclones are less common during the June to September monsoon season, as there are limited or almost no favourable conditions for cyclogenesis due to strong monsoon currents.
This is also the period when the wind shear — that is, the difference between wind speeds at lower and upper atmospheric levels — is very high.
As a result, clouds do not grow vertically and monsoon depressions often fail to intensify into cyclones.
So it can be stated that this year, the cyclone season commenced earlier than usual. The last time a cyclone developed in the Bay of Bengal in September was Cyclone Day in 2018.

Also read

[Burning Issue] Tropical Cyclones and India

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