Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: World Trade Organization (WTO)
Mains level: Read the attached story
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has ruled that India has violated global trading rules in a dispute with the European Union (EU), Japan, and Taiwan over import duties on IT products.
About World Trade Organization (WTO)
|
Details |
| Purpose |
Regulate and facilitate international trade between nations |
| Establishment |
1995 |
| Headquarters |
Geneva, Switzerland |
| Membership |
164 member countries as of 2023, representing over 98% of global trade |
| Goal |
Promote free and fair trade by negotiating and enforcing rules and agreements governing international trade |
| Agreements |
Administers a number of agreements, including GATT, SPS Agreement, and TRIPS Agreement |
| Dispute Resolution |
Operates a dispute settlement system to resolve conflicts between member countries |
| Technical Assistance |
Provides technical assistance and training to help developing countries participate more effectively in international trade |
| Decision-Making Body |
Ministerial Conference, which meets every two years |
| Director-General |
Chief executive responsible for overseeing the organization’s operations and activities |
| Criticisms |
Some criticize the WTO for being undemocratic, favoring developed countries, and not doing enough to promote labor and environmental standards in international trade |
What was the case?
- The case involved a dispute over India’s introduction of import duties ranging from 7.5% to 20% on a wide range of IT products, including mobile phones, components, and integrated circuits.
- The EU, Japan, and Taiwan challenged these import duties in 2019, arguing that they exceeded the maximum rate allowed under global trading rules.
- The recent ruling by the WTO panel found that India had violated these rules and recommended that India bring its measures into conformity with its obligations.
WTO Panel’s Ruling
- The WTO panel has ruled that India violated global trading rules by imposing these import duties.
- The panel recommended that India bring these measures into conformity with its obligations.
- While the panel broadly backed the complaints against India, it rejected one of Japan’s claims that India’s customs notification lacked “predictability”.
Implications of the ruling
- The EU is India’s third-largest trading partner, accounting for 10.8% of total Indian trade in 2021, according to the European Commission.
- The ruling could have implications for trade relations between India and the EU, as well as Japan and Taiwan.
- India may be required to lower or eliminate the challenged import duties.
- It remains to be seen whether India will appeal against the ruling.
- If it does, the case will sit in legal purgatory since the WTO’s top appeals bench is no longer functioning due to US opposition to judge appointments.
Conclusion
- The panel recommended that India bring such measures into conformity with its obligations, and it remains to be seen whether India will appeal against the ruling.
- The case highlights the importance of complying with global trading rules and the role of the WTO in resolving trade disputes between countries.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article reports on a recent study which found evidence that coastal life forms have colonized plastic items in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast area in the North Pacific Ocean where plastic waste has accumulated due to ocean currents.
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)?
|
Features |
| Location |
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), north of the equator in the Pacific Ocean |
| Currents |
Kuroshio, North Pacific, California, and North Equatorial currents, moving in a clockwise direction |
| Sources |
Any trash that enters one of these currents from any of the 51 Pacific Rim countries |
| Size |
Estimated to be 1.6 million sq. km |
| Age |
More than 50 years old |
| Plastic Content |
Estimated to contain 45,000-129,000 metric tonnes of plastic, predominantly in the form of microplastics |
| Visible Objects |
Heavier, more visible objects that haven’t yet broken down into smaller particles accounted for 92% in 2018 |
Findings of the new study
- Researchers from Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.S. have reported that coastal life forms have colonized plastic items in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
- From November 2018 to January 2019, they collected 105 pieces of plastic debris, the most heavily plastic-polluted ocean gyre on the globe.
- Based on studying them, they reported that 98% of the debris items had invertebrate organisms.
Plastic inflicting into a coastal organism
- Organisms found on coasts were getting by on small floating islands of garbage out in the Pacific Ocean, which the researchers named the neopelagic community.
- They found organisms belonging to 46 taxa, and 37 of them were coastal; the rest were pelagic. Among both coastal and pelagic organisms, crustaceans were the most common.
- Nearly all taxa were of Northwest Pacific origin, including Japan.
- Eight of the remainder were from East Asia and five specifically from Japan. Four items were from North America.
- They found that 68% of the coastal taxa and 33% of the pelagic taxa reproduced asexually and that there was evidence of sexual reproduction among the hydroids and the crustaceans, among others.
Implications of the findings
- Marine plastic pollution has given rise to a new kind of standing coastal community in the open ocean.
- The neopelagic community is not misplaced but lives on plastic items in the garbage patch, including reproducing there.
- The finding recalls other studies that show the chemical bonding of plastic with rocks, sedimentary rocks embedded with plastic earrings in Brazil, and the formation of plastiglomerates in Hawaii.
What is neopelagic community?
- The neopelagic community refers to the group of organisms that inhabit the open ocean or the pelagic zone beyond the continental shelf.
- It is characterized by deep waters with very few physical structures or substrate for organisms to attach to.
- This community includes a wide variety of organisms, including zooplankton, fish, squid, and marine mammals, among others.
- These organisms have adapted to survive in the open ocean environment, which can be quite challenging due to factors such as temperature fluctuations, limited food availability, and the absence of physical structures for shelter.
- The neopelagic community is an important part of the global marine ecosystem, playing a key role in nutrient cycling and energy transfer between different levels of the food chain.
|
GPGP and its impact on marine life
- The GPGP has significant impacts on marine life due to the ingestion of plastic by marine animals, which can cause harm and even death.
- Plastic can also entangle and suffocate marine animals, leading to the disruption of ecosystems.
- The new study sheds light on the neopelagic community, which has adapted to living on plastic in the garbage patch.
Plastic pollution and its environmental impact
- Plastic pollution is a major environmental issue that affects land and water ecosystems worldwide.
- Plastic waste can take hundreds of years to decompose, and even then, it breaks down into microplastics that can persist in the environment indefinitely.
- The presence of plastic in the environment has negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health.
Conclusion
- There are various solutions to plastic pollution, including reducing the use of single-use plastics, recycling, and promoting alternative materials.
- Governments and industries can also take steps to reduce plastic waste, such as implementing policies and regulations that reduce plastic use and increase recycling.
- Individual actions, such as reducing personal plastic consumption and properly disposing of plastic waste, can also make a difference.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Polar Crown Prominence (PCP)
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article talks about an astrophotographer named Andrew McCarthy capturing an image of a plasma waterfall on the sun. The phenomenon is called Polar Crown Prominence (PCP).
Polar Crown Prominence (PCP)
- PCP is a solar phenomenon that occurs on the sun’s Polar Regions.
- It is a type of solar prominence, which is a large, bright, gaseous feature that extends out from the sun’s surface.
- A solar prominence is a large, bright, gaseous feature that extends out from the sun’s surface.
- It is made up of ionized gas (plasma) that is held in place by magnetic fields.
- Prominences are visible during total solar eclipses and can also be observed using specialized telescopes.
- PCPs are often associated with sunspots, which are dark regions on the sun’s surface that are caused by magnetic activity.
How are PCPs Formed?
- PCPs are formed by the interaction of magnetic fields on the sun’s surface.
- Magnetic fields are created by the movement of charged particles (plasma) in the sun’s interior.
- When these magnetic fields interact, they can create regions of intense magnetic activity, such as sunspots.
- PCPs are often associated with these regions of magnetic activity.
Why are PCPs Important?
- PCPs are important because they provide clues about the sun’s magnetic activity and how it affects the Earth’s environment.
- Solar activity, including PCPs, can cause disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field, which can lead to auroras and disruptions in communication systems.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mangrove Pitta Bird
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article talks about the first-ever census of mangrove pitta birds conducted in two coastal districts of Odisha, India.
About Mangrove Pitta
- The mangrove pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) belongs to the family of pittas, the Pittidae.
- The mangrove pitta species is distributed in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
- These pitta species have fragmented distribution and considered ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN. These pittas are monotypic species.
Focus of the Census
- In this census, a total of 179 individual mangrove pitta birds were counted.
- The census mainly focused on the mangrove patches along the coasts of Kendrapara and Jagatsingpur districts.
- Information was collected on the distribution, habitat, and breeding of mangrove pittas along the coastal mangroves.
- The census was carried out by point count method, either by walking in the forest or using country boats in the creeks.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Constitution Bench
Mains level: Same sex marriages
The Supreme Court has announced the formation of a new Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to hear a series of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriages.
What is a Constitution Bench?
- The constitution bench is the name given to the benches of the Supreme Court of India.
- The Chief Justice of India has the power to constitute a Constitution Bench and refer cases to it.
Constitution benches are set up when the following circumstances exist:
- Interpretation of the Constitution: Article 145(3) provides for the constitution of at least five judges of the court which sit to decide any case “involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation” of the Constitution of India.
- President of India seeking SC’s opinion: When the President has sought the Supreme Court’s opinion on a question of fact or law under Article 143 of the Constitution. Article 143 of the Constitution provides for Advisory jurisdiction to the SC. As per the provision, the President has the power to address questions to the apex Court, which he deems important for public welfare.
- Conflicting Judgments: When two or more three-judge benches of the Supreme Court have delivered conflicting judgments on the same point of law, necessitating a definite understanding and interpretation of the law by a larger bench.
- The Constitution benches are set up on ad hoc basis as and when the above-mentioned conditions exist.
- Constitution benches have decided many of India’s best-known and most important Supreme Court cases, such as:
- K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (Preventive detention)
- Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (Basic structure doctrine) and
- Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India (OBC reservations) etc.
Why in news now?
- The Centre had expressed its concern about the “psychological impact” that same-sex unions could have on children, but refused to link its worries to stigma about same-sex relationships.
- The government’s recent affidavit sought to explain how same-sex marriage was antithetical to the view held by many in India that marriage was a “holy union, a sacrament and a sanskar” between a biological man and a woman.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Aspirational Toilets
Mains level: Swachh Bharat Mission and its success
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued a directive to all state governments to ensure that 25% of public toilet seats added in any city or urban unit are “aspirational toilets.”
What are Aspirational Toilets?
- The aspirational toilets scheme was launched in September 2022 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, with an aim to help make cities open defecation free.
- A quarter of all new public restrooms in Indian cities will soon have high-end features such as luxurious bath cubicles, touchless flushing, breast-feeding rooms, and automatic sanitary napkin incinerators.
- These will be indicated as “aspirational toilets” on Google Maps.
Focus areas for constructing aspirational toilets
- The focus areas for constructing these luxury toilets will be tourist and religious destinations, as well as iconic cities.
- High-footfall locations such as markets, railway stations, inter-state bus depots, and national highways will be given priority.
- Guidelines have been issued to the states for constructing these toilets. It also includes low-height toilets and basins for children.
- Hand-dryers, paper napkins, and vending machines for sanitary napkins are proposed to be made available.
Maintenance and funding patterns
- One of the business models being explored for the maintenance of these toilets is attaching them with other public services such as restaurants, shopping malls, libraries, cinema halls, or even medicine shops, to make them self-sustaining.
- Experts have cautioned that a proper study must be done on the location and the way these toilets will be maintained before beginning any such project.
Back2Basics: Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0
|
Description
|
| Objective |
Make all cities in India “garbage-free” |
| Period |
5 years (1st Oct 2021 – 1st Oct 2026) |
| Focus |
Sustainable solid waste management, sustainable sanitation and treatment of used water, and promoting behavior change through citizen outreach |
| Segregation of waste |
All households and premises required to segregate their waste into “wet waste” and “dry waste” |
| Collection of waste |
Aims to achieve 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each household/premise |
| Waste management |
Aims to achieve 100% scientific management of all fractions of waste, including safe disposal in scientific landfills, remediation of all legacy dumpsites, and the conversion of these sites into green zones |
| Sanitation |
Aims to promote holistic sanitation, with end-to-end solutions, treatment of used water before discharge into water bodies, and maximum reuse of treated used water |
| Citizen outreach |
Aims to create awareness and institutionalize “Swachh” behavior through large-scale citizen outreach |
| Institutional capacity |
Aims to create institutional capacity to effectively implement programmatic interventions to achieve mission objectives |
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SpaceX Starship
Mains level: Read the attached story
SpaceX is preparing for the first test flight of Starship, which is the most powerful rocket ever built.
About SpaceX Starship
- Starship is a fully reusable spacecraft designed and built by SpaceX with the primary goal of sending humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Key objectives
- SpaceX aims to use Starship to establish a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars.
- The ultimate goal is to enable humans to become a multi-planetary species.
- It also aims to make Starship reusable, reducing the cost of spaceflight and bringing down the price to a few million dollars per flight.
- In the long run, the company aims to achieve full and rapid reusability of the spacecraft.
Features
|
Details
|
| Design and configuration |
- Made up of two parts: a 50-meter tall spacecraft and a 70-meter tall Super Heavy rocket booster.
- Spacecraft has six Raptor engines; Super Heavy Booster has 28 Raptor engines.
- Payload capacity of up to 100 metric tons and features a large heat shield.
- Interior can be configured for up to 100 passengers or cargo.
|
| Manoeuvrability |
- Designed to be fully reusable, with vertical take-off and landing on Earth, Moon, and Mars.
- Can be refuelled in orbit for deeper space travel and for establishing a human settlement on Mars.
|
| Construction and materials |
- Built using durable and cost-effective stainless steel material.
- Stainless steel also provides heat protection during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
|
| Power and thrust |
- Powered by methane and liquid oxygen fueled Raptor engines.
- Generates 17 million pounds of thrust more than twice that of the Saturn V rockets used for the Apollo missions.
|
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: T Cell Immunity
Mains level: Covid resurgence
Central idea: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to evade CD8 T cells, which are important in reducing the viral load and clearing the infection by detecting and killing infected cells.
What is the news?
- A recent study has revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to modulate MHC I expression in host cells.
- MHC I is crucial in alerting the immune system to virally infected cells.
- The virus has evolved multiple strategies to inhibit MHC I expression, which is not seen in the case of the influenza virus.
What is T Cell Immunity?
- Like B cells, which produce antibodies, T cells are central players in the immune response to viral infection.
- For your immune system to fight off any kind of invader, such as a virus, you need a kind of white blood cell called a B cell, which makes antibodies, and a similar-looking white blood cell called a T cell.
- T cells can play different roles altogether.
- They can act as “killer cells”, attacking cells which have been infected with a virus or another kind of pathogen, or they can act as “helper cells” by supporting B cells to produce antibodies.
How do they function?
- Alongside antibodies, the immune system produces a battalion of T cells that can target viruses.
- Some of these, known as killer T cells (or CD8+T cells), seek out and destroy cells that are infected with the virus.
- Others, called helper T cells (or CD4+T cells) are important for various immune functions, including stimulating the production of antibodies and killer T cells.
- T cells do not prevent infection, because they kick into action only after a virus has infiltrated the body. But they are important for clearing an infection that has already started.
- In the case of COVID-19, killer T cells could mean the difference between a mild infection and a severe one that requires hospital treatment.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pralay Missile
Mains level: Strategic weapons
India is going to buy 250 more Pralay ballistic missiles for the services to strengthen them on the northern borders, further boosting the firepower of the defence forces.
Pralay Ballistic Missile
- Pralay is a tactical missile developed from India’s K-series of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
- It has a range of 150-500 km and can carry warheads weighing between 350 to 700 kg.
- The missile is a canisters road-mobile system, which enhances its mobility and allows for quick preparation and launch of the missile.
- Pralay has the ability to perform manoeuvres in flight and follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory to maintain high speed, making it difficult for enemy missile defence systems to intercept.
Classification
- The Indian Defence Ministry has classified Pralay as a “conventional Surface-to-Surface missile”.
- This distinguishes it from the Agni series of missiles, which have the capability to carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.
Testing and launch
- The missile was launched on a quasi-ballistic trajectory in one of the two tests, which enhances its effectiveness against enemy missile defence systems.
- Satellite imagery of the test shows that Pralay is a canisterised road-mobile system, which adds to its mobility and flexibility in responding to evolving threats.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NISAR, Seismic Zones
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea
- The ISRO and the NASA have jointly developed a forthcoming satellite called NISAR.
- It will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalaya.
What is NISAR?
- NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
- The mission aims to provide global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.
- The satellite is equipped with two types of synthetic aperture radars (SAR): L-band and S-band, which will allow for high-resolution, all-weather imaging of the Earth’s surface.
- The NISAR satellite is expected to be launched in January 2024.
How it will be used for earthquake monitoring?
- It will generate data that can potentially give advance warning of land subsidence and identify places that are at greatest risk from earthquakes.
- The geoscience community can use this to determine how strain is building up in various parts of the Himalayas.
- Strain refers to the deformation that occurs in rocks when it is under pressure from other rocks.
- Movements of continental plates that are sliding, colliding, or subducting against each other cause strain.
- With a frequency of 12 days and the ability to provide images even under cloudy conditions, NISAR would be a valuable tool to study deformation patterns, such as in Joshimath.
Strain Map already in place
- In 2021, scientists from the Geological Survey of India published a “strain map” of the Himalayas based on data from 1,252 GPS stations along the Himalayas.
- It identified regions that had the greatest odds of generating earthquakes of magnitude above 8 and their extent.
- However, these many stations are still too few, and there’s only one satellite (Sentinel) that we rely on.
- With NISAR, the costliest space mission ever, we can have a game-changer in earth-science observation.
Seismic Zones of India
India is divided by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) into 4 seismic zones based on the level of seismicity and the frequency of earthquakes that occur in that particular region.
These zones are as follows:
1. Zone 2: This is a low seismic zone comprising of areas with the lowest risk of earthquakes. It includes regions like the northeastern states of India, parts of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
2. Zone 3: This is a moderate seismic zone comprising of areas that are at moderate risk of earthquakes. It includes regions like Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, parts of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, and parts of Jharkhand.
3. Zone 4: This is a high seismic zone comprising of areas that are at high risk of earthquakes. It includes regions like the A&N Islands, parts of Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand, and the entire northeastern region.
4. Zone 5: This is a very high seismic zone comprising of areas that are at the highest risk of earthquakes. It includes regions like the entire state of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, the entire northeastern region, parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and the A&N Islands. |
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Magnetoresistance
Mains level: NA
Researchers in the UK, led by Nobel laureate Andre Geim, have discovered magnetoresistance in graphene – a single-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a honeycomb pattern – that further distinguishes this ‘wonder’ material.
Graphene’s anomalous Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR)
- Graphene displayed an anomalous giant magnetoresistance (GMR) at room temperature.
- GMR is the result of the electrical resistance of a conductor being affected by magnetic fields in adjacent materials.
- It is used in hard disk drives and magnetoresistive RAM in computers, biosensors, automotive sensors, micro-electromechanical systems, and medical imagers.
What is GMR?
- GMR is a phenomenon where the electrical resistance of a conductor is affected by magnetic fields in adjacent materials.
- Say a conductor is sandwiched between two ferromagnetic materials (commonly, metals attracted to magnets, like iron).
- When the materials are magnetised in the same direction, the electrical resistance in the conductor is low.
- When the directions are opposite each other, the resistance increases.
Significance of the finding
- The magnetoresistance observed in the graphene-based device was almost 100 times higher than that observed in other known semimetals in this magnetic field range.
- In the study, the magnetoresistance in monolayer graphene at 27º C held between two layers of boron nitride increased by 110% under a field of 0.1 tesla.
- To compare, the magnetoresistance in these conditions increases by less than 1% in normal metals.
- The team attributed this to the presence of a ‘neutral’ plasma and the electrons’ mobility.
Try this MCQ
Which of the following best describes magnetoresistance?
(a) The magnetic resistance of a conductor to electrical current flow
(b) The phenomenon where the electrical resistance of a conductor is affected by magnetic fields in adjacent materials
(c) The ability of a conductor to produce a magnetic field when an electrical current is passed through it
(d) The resistance of a magnet to demagnetization by an external magnetic field
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bioluminiscence
Mains level: NA
The blooms of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle or bioluminescence” are being witnessed along the coasts of Visakhapatnam, AP.
Noctiluca Scintillans
- Scintillans is a bioluminescent specie that brightens the seawater during the night.
- It grazes on other micro-organisms such as larvae, fish eggs, and diatoms. But the unicellular phytoplankton that lives inside it can photosynthesize, turning sunlight into energy.
- They help their host cell survive even when food was scarce.
- Thus, N. Scintillans acts as both a plant and an animal
Threats posed
- According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.
- While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishes.
- The toxic blooms of N. Scintillans were linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills.
- Though the species does not produce a toxin, it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into the surrounding waters, possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
- They have displaced microscopic algae called diatoms, which form the basis of the marine food chain. This has deprived food for the planktivorous fish.
Back2Basics: Bioluminescence
- It is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
- Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence. A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light.
- It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
- Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gond Painting
Mains level: Contribution of GI tags in tribal economy
The Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh has received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Other recent GI tags awarded in UP
10 products from UP got GI Tag on March 31:
- Aligarh Tala
- Bakharia Brassware
- Banda Shazar Patthar Craft
- Pratapgarh Aonla (Amla)
- Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal)
- Muzaffarnagar Gur (jaggery)
- Banarasi Pan
- Nagina Wood Craft
- Hathras Hing
- Banaras Langda Aam
|
Gond Art
- Gond painting is a traditional art of Madhya Pradesh and belongs to the Gond tribe.
- Patangarh village of Dindori district is famous for Gond paintings, where there is an artist in every house.
- Their work is famous in the state and abroad for its unique style, theme, and motifs.
- Gond art has been passed down through generations, traditionally adorning the walls of each artist’s home in Patangarh.
Features of Gond Painting
- Gond paintings showcase the beauty of nature, including trees, plants, animals, the moon, sun, river, drains, God, and Goddesses.
- The paintings also portray daily life activities such as food, plough making, and even how the king used to fight.
Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)
- A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
- Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
- GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
- The tag stands valid for 10 years.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Dabba Trading
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea
- The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has issued a series of notices warning retail investors about entities involved in ‘dabba trading’.
- The NSE cautioned investors not to subscribe or invest using these products offering indicative, assured or guaranteed returns in the stock market as they are prohibited by law.
- The entities involved in dabba trading are not recognized as authorized members by the exchange.
What is Dabba Trading?
- Dabba (Box) trading refers to informal trading that takes place outside the purview of the stock exchanges.
- It involves betting on stock price movements without incurring a real transaction to take physical ownership of a particular stock as is done in an exchange.
- In simple words, it is gambling centred around stock price movements.
How does it work?
- In dabba trading, investors place bets on stock price movements at a certain price point.
- If the price point rises, they make a gain, and if it falls, they have to pay the difference to the dabba broker.
- The broker’s profit from the investor’s loss, and vice versa.
- Transactions are facilitated using cash and unrecognised software terminals or informal records, which helps traders stay outside the regulatory mechanism.
What are the problems with dabba trading?
- Since dabba traders do not maintain proper records of income or gain, they are able to escape taxation, which results in a loss to the government exchequer.
- The use of cash also means that they are outside the purview of the formal banking system.
- Investors in dabba trading do not have formal provisions for investor protection or grievance redressal mechanisms available within an exchange, which exposes them to the risk of broker defaults or insolvency.
- Dabba trading also perpetuates a parallel economy, potentially encouraging the growth of black money and criminal activities.
What is the current scenario?
- Industry observers have reported that dabba brokers harass clients for default payments and refuse payments upon profit.
- Potential investors are lured by aggressive marketing, ease of trading using apps with quality interfaces, and lack of identity verification.
- Brokers keep their fees and margins open to negotiation depending on an individual’s trading profile.
- The mechanism could potentially induce volatility and cause losses for the regulated bourse when dabba brokers look to hedge their exposures.
What are the legal implications?
- Dabba trading is recognised as an offence under Section 23(1) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA), 1956.
- Upon conviction, it can invite imprisonment for a term extending up to 10 years or a fine up to ₹25 crore, or both.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MUDRA Scheme
Mains level: Read the attached story
PM hit out at people ridiculing the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) and said those who gave loans to big businessmen “over phone” never understood the power of microfinance.
MUDRA Scheme
- MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Scheme is a financial initiative launched by the Government of India in April 2015 to provide financial support to micro-enterprises in India.
- The scheme is designed to cater to the financial needs of the non-corporate, non-farm sector enterprises in the country.
- The objective of the scheme is to promote entrepreneurship, employment generation, and to provide access to finance to small and micro-businesses in India.
Range of loans
- The MUDRA scheme provides loans ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 10 lakhs to small and micro-businesses.
- These loans are provided through various financial institutions such as banks, microfinance institutions, and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
- The scheme also offers refinance support to these institutions.
| Category |
Loan Amount |
| Shishu |
Up to Rs. 50,000 |
| Kishore |
Rs. 50,001 to Rs. 5 lakhs |
| Tarun |
Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 10 lakhs |
Key features of the MUDRA scheme
- Refinance support: The scheme offers refinance support to various financial institutions, such as banks, microfinance institutions, and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), to provide loans to small and micro-businesses.
- Employment generation: The scheme aims to promote entrepreneurship and employment generation in the country.
- Digitalization of financial transactions: The scheme has helped in promoting the digitalization of financial transactions.
- Focus on underprivileged and marginalized sections: The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to underprivileged and marginalized sections of the society, especially those belonging to the non-corporate, non-farm sector enterprises in the country.
- Simplified loan processing: The loan processing under the scheme is simplified and requires minimal documentation.
- No collateral requirement: The loans provided under the scheme do not require any collateral or security.
- Competitive Interest rate: The interest rate for the loans provided under the scheme is competitive and affordable.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Uthiramerur inscriptions
Mains level: Democracy since Indian Civilizations
PM Modi referred to an over 1,100-year-old inscription found in Uthirameur, Tamil Nadu, which talks about rules for a local body, including provisions for disqualifying a member.
What are Uthiramerur inscriptions?
- Uthiramerur inscriptions are a set of ancient Tamil inscriptions found in Uthiramerur, a town in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu.
- These inscriptions date back to the 10th century CE and were created during the reign of the Chola dynasty, which ruled over a large part of South India.
- It was crafted under the rule of Parantaka Chola I (907 – 956 AD.)
What does the inscription say?
The temple inscriptions of Uthiramerur provide historical descriptions of rural self-governance.
(1) Sabha and Ur
- Uthiramerur had two village assemblies: Gram Sabha and Ur.
- Sabha was exclusively a Brahmin assembly, while the Ur was made up of people belonging to all classes.
- Sabha managed land sales, endowment fund for dredging a tank, and assigned duties to the Ur for managing deserted land.
- Sabha assembled in the hall of the local temple and was summoned through beating of the drums.
- The inscriptions contained references to variyars, the executive officers subordinate to the Sabha.
(2) Administrative System
- The executive powers were given to committees called Variyams during the Chola king Parantaka I’s reign (907–955).
- Each variyam constituted 6 to 12 members, depending on the importance of its functions.
- The first inscription (dated 919 CE) described the rules for electing committee members.
- The second inscription (dated 921 CE) described some amendments to these rules to make them more practical.
(3) Committees and Qualifications
- The village had 30 kudumbus or wards, from which the members of various committees were selected annually.
- The inscription lays down the qualifications for a nominee, including ownership of tax-paying land, residence on self-owned land, age between 35 and 70 years, knowledge of mantras and the Brahmanas, and not being associated with certain offenses or activities.
- The candidates were selected via Kudavoloi (pot of palm leaf tickets) system.
- The tenure of a committee member was 360 days.
- Anyone found guilty of an offense was immediately removed from the office.
(4) Punishments
- The Uthiramerur inscriptions indicate that parading on a donkey was a punishment for offenses such as incest, adultery, theft, and forgery.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Parliamentary Committees
Mains level: Legislative consultation
Central idea: This article discusses the importance and functions of parliamentary committees in India.
Why in news?
- As little as 25% of the Bills introduced were referred to committees in the 16th Lok Sabha, as compared to 71% and 60% in the 15th and 14th Lok Sabha respectively.
- This represents a declining trend of national legislation being subjected to expert scrutiny.
What is a Parliamentary Committee?
- A committee appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker that works under the direction of the Speaker and presents its report to the House or the Speaker.
- Two kinds of committees: Standing Committees and Ad hoc Committees.
(1) Standing Committees
- Permanent and regular committees constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
- The work of these Committees is of continuous nature.
- Examples include the Financial Committees and DRSCs.
(2) Ad hoc Committees
- Appointed for a specific purpose and cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report.
- The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills.
- Examples include the Railway Convention Committee and Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex.
Why need Parliamentary Committee?
- Parliament scrutinizes legislative proposals (Bills) in two ways: discussion on the floor of the two Houses and referring the Bill to a parliamentary committee.
- Since Parliament meets for 70 to 80 days in a year, there is not enough time to discuss every Bill in detail on the floor of the House.
Role of the committee in the passage of a Bill
- The debate in the house is mostly political and does not go into the technical details of a legislative proposal.
- Referring a Bill to a parliamentary committee takes care of the legislative infirmity of debate on the floor of the House.
- However, referring Bills to parliamentary committees is not mandatory.
What is a Select Committee?
- India’s Parliament has multiple types of committees.
- Departmentally related Standing Committees focus on the working of different ministries.
- Each committee has 31 MPs, 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
- The main purpose is to ensure the accountability of Government to Parliament through a more detailed consideration of measures in these committees.
When does a committee examine a Bill?
- Bills can reach a committee through a recommendation by the minister piloting the Bill or the presiding officer of the House.
What happens when a Bill goes to a Committee?
- The committee undertakes a detailed examination of the Bill, inviting comments and suggestions from experts, stakeholders and citizens.
- The government also appears before the committee to present its viewpoint.
- The committee’s report makes suggestions for strengthening the Bill.
- While the committee is deliberating on a Bill, there is a pause in its legislative journey.
- The Bill can only progress in Parliament after the committee has submitted its report.
What happens after the report?
- The report of the committee is of a recommendatory nature.
- The government can choose to accept or reject its recommendations.
- Select Committees and JPCs have an added advantage of including their version of the Bill in the report.
- The minister in charge of that particular Bill can move for the committee’s version of the Bill to be discussed and passed in the House.
Importance of these Committees
- Parliamentary committees analyze the impact that a specific piece of legislation may have on governance indicators.
- It recommends the government to take an ‘Action Taken’ report for the House to judge the progress made on the suggestions of the committee.
- Though committee reports aren’t binding on the government, it helps the legislature ensure oversight of the executive.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article provides an overview of the LHC, its construction, how it works, and what it has discovered. It also discusses the future of the LHC, including plans to upgrade it and build a bigger version.
Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
- The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest science experiment built by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
- It is a collider that smashes two beams of particles in opposite directions and these particles are hadrons.
- The LHC is on the energy frontier of physics research, conducting experiments with highly energized particles.
- Currently, the LHC is being warmed up for its third season of operations following upgrades that have made it more sensitive and accurate.
How does the LHC work?
- Hadrons are subatomic particles made up of smaller particles, and the LHC typically uses protons.
- Protons are energized by accelerating them through a narrow circular pipe that is 27 km long.
- The pipe encircles two D-shaped magnetic fields created by almost 9,600 magnets.
- Protons are accelerated through the beam pipe by rapidly switching the direction of the magnetic field.
- Eventually, protons move at 99.999999% of the speed of light, according to the special theory of relativity.
What happens when particles are smashed?
- When two antiparallel beams of energized protons collide head-on, the energy at the point of collision is equal to the sum of the energy carried by the two beams.
- The highest centre-of-mass collision energy the LHC has achieved so far is 13.6 TeV.
- At the moment of collision, there is chaos, and energy coalesces into different subatomic particles under the guidance of the fundamental forces of nature.
- Different particles take shape depending on the amount and flavour of energy available.
What has the LHC found so far?
- The LHC consists of nine detectors, and they study particle interactions in different ways.
- The ATLAS and CMS detectors discovered the Higgs boson in 2012 and confirmed their findings in 2013.
- Using the data from collisions, scientists have tested the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics, observed exotic particles, and pieced together information about extreme natural conditions.
What is the LHC’s future?
- The LHC has not been able to find ‘new physics’ that can explain the nature of dark matter or why gravity is such a weak force.
- One way forward is to improve the LHC’s luminosity by 10x by 2027 through upgrades.
- Another idea is to build a bigger and more powerful version of the LHC, based on the hypothesis that it can find ‘new physics’ at even higher energies.
- Physicists are divided on whether to invest in building a bigger machine or less expensive experiments with guaranteed results.
B2BASICS
What is Hadron?
- Hadron is any member of a class of subatomic particles that are built from quarks and thus react through the agency of the strong force. The hadrons embrace mesons, baryons (e.g., protons, neutrons, and sigma particles), and their many resonances.
CERN
- European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory.
- CERN is based in Geneva on the French-Swiss border. It has 23 member states.
- India in 2016 became an associate member of the CERN. Indian scientists have played a significant role in the ALICE experiment, which is a dedicated experiment for search and study of Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP).
Try this MCQ
Which of the following is a subatomic particle made up of smaller particles and is commonly used in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)?
(a) Protons
(b) Electrons
(c) Neutrons
(d) Photons
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Teja Singh Sutantar
Mains level: NA
Punjab Chief Minister unveiled a statue of Teja Singh Sutantar, a former MP and revolutionary leader.
Teja Singh Sutantar
- Teja Singh was born as Samund Singh in 1901 in Aluna village of Gurdaspur district.
- After completing his schooling, he joined Khalsa College in Amritsar.
- Following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, he joined the Akali Dal to participate in the movement to liberate gurdwaras from degenerate mahants.
- However, in September 1921, he formed his own squad called the Sutantar Jatha, which successfully liberated a gurdwara in a village called Teja in Gurdaspur district from the mahants.
- He later freed another gurdwara in Othian village from mahants.
Early life and revolutionary activities
- In early 1923, Teja Singh went to Kabul as a Sikh missionary and there he came into contact with a few leaders of the Ghadar Party, who were preparing for their second attempt to overthrow the British government.
- They persuaded Teja Singh to undergo military training, so he joined the Turkish military academy in 1925 under the pseudonym Azad Beg.
- He later moved to Berlin and then to Canada and the United States, where he addressed congregations of Indians, mainly Punjabi Sikh immigrants.
Political Career
- After visiting several countries, Teja Singh returned to India and became a prominent leader of the communist party (CPI).
- He contributed revolutionary articles to the party journal, the Kirti, frequently writing about issues that plagued peasants.
- In May 1937, he was elected unopposed to the Punjab Legislative Assembly as a nominee of the Indian National Congress while he was still in prison.
- He continued to remain a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly till 1945.
- He was also the secretary of the Communist Party (Punjab) from 1944 to 1947.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Exercise Cope India 23
Mains level: NA
The Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters, including Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Rafale, SU-30MKI, and Jaguars, are set to participate in bilateral air Exercise Cope India 23 with US Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighters and B-1B long-range bombers.
Exercise Cope India
- Cope India began in 2004 as a fighter training exercise held at Air Station Gwalior.
- The exercise has evolved to incorporate subject matter expert exchanges, air mobility training, airdrop training and large-force exercises, in addition to fighter-training exercises.
- The exercise was last held in 2009.
- The exercise showcases US and India’s efforts and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Highlights of the 2023 version
- The exercise will be conducted in two phases, with the first phase practicing the air-mobility component involving transport aircraft of both countries.
- The IAF element will include the Su-30MKI, Rafale, Tejas, and Jaguar fighter aircraft, while Japan is taking part in the exercise as an observer.
- The second phase of the exercise will witness the participation of B-1B bombers of USAF, and F-15 fighter aircraft of the USAF will join the exercise subsequently, according to an IAF statement.
- The exercise will be supported by aerial refuellers, Airborne Warning and Control System, and Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft of the IAF.
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