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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 14th October 2020

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) South Asia Economic Focus Report released by World Bank Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations; Education In news Biennial South Asia Economic Focus report was recently released.  Released by: World Bank  Title of the edition: “Beaten or Broken? Informality and Covid-19”. Key takeaways The report includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It predicts that the extended closure of schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic could reduce India’s future earnings by between 420 billion USD and 600 billion USD. This is so because depleted learning levels of students will translate into poorer productivity. Impact on Education Around 5.5 million students could drop out of schools across South Asia. 391 million students have been kept out of school in primary and secondary education due to lockdown. Dropouts and learning losses would cost South Asia as much as 622 billion USD in future earnings and GDP. Also, due to the closure of schools, the children may have forgotten their previous learnings. The average child in South Asia may lose 4,400 USD in lifetime earnings once having entered the labour market, equivalent to 5% of total earnings. Impacts on Economy Impact on Informal Sector: The report has flagged damage to businesses, consumption patterns and imposed social hardship on poor and vulnerable households, especially urban migrants and informal workers in the South Asia region.  GDP: The regional GDP of the South Asia region is estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020. India’s GDP can contract by 9.6% in 2020-21. Labour productivity will also take a greater hit from Covid-19 than most previous natural disasters.  Lepidoptera Species move up the Himalayas due to Climate Change Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Climate change In news According to a recent study, rising average temperatures in the Himalayan region have driven several dozen species of butterfly and moth to habitats higher up the mountains. Carried out by: Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)  Funded by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Key takeaways At least 49 species of moth and 17 species of butterfly have shown considerable new upward altitude movement. The extension of the range of Lepidoptera due to climate change has been observed all over the world as well. The ZSI predicts a decline of as much as 91% in the suitable area for the Notodontidae family of moths in J&K, Himachal, and Uttarakhand by 2050. The study also revealed an increase in the richness of Lepidoptera biodiversity from the Western to the Eastern Himalayas. Important value additions Lepidoptera It is the order of insects that includes butterflies, moths and skippers. The name Lepidoptera is derived from the Greek, meaning “scaly winged”. It also refers to the characteristic covering of microscopic dust like scales on the wings. Importance: (1) They transform large amounts of plant matter into the animal matter and in turn serve as food for many other groups of animals; (2) They aid in pollination. The Himalayas are home to more than 35% of Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths) found in India. French territory of New Caledonia voted against independence from France  Part of: GS Prelims (Map – based) and GS-II – International relations In news The French territory of New Caledonia voted against independence from France in a referendum held recently. The referendum was a part of a decolonisation plan agreed in 1998, known as the Noumea Accord. The Noumea Accord, which was concluded in 1998, provided for a practically sovereign status. Under this agreement, New Caledonia is allowed up to three referendums on independence, the latest one being the last of them. Important value additions New Caledonia  It is an archipelago. It is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It was discovered in 1774 by the British navigator James Cook. It was annexed by France in 1853. In 1946, it became an overseas territory. By 1953, French citizenship had been granted to all New Caledonians, regardless of ethnicity. It accounts for around 10% of the world's nickel reserve. Mechanism by which bacterium Xoo interacts with rice plants uncovered Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Biotechnology In news Recently, scientists from the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB) have uncovered the mechanism by which bacterium called Xoo causes disease in rice plants. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes a serious bacterial leaf blight disease in rice.  It is also known as Bacterial blight. Key takeaways The most-common method of defending against rice bacterial blight is the cultivation of rice varieties with genes that confer resistance to Xoo infection. However, this method involves breeding or gene manipulation techniques that are laborious and time-consuming. New Approach Scientists are working to identify and develop few molecules which are derived either from the Xoo bacterium or from the infected rice cell walls. Treatment of rice with cellulase, a cell wall degrading enzyme secreted by Xoo induces rice immune responses and protects rice from subsequent infections by Xoo. Important value additions Xoo  It is a gram-negative bacterium. Xoo infection causes huge yield losses to rice cultivation throughout the world. Since rice paddies are flooded throughout most of the growing season, Xoo may easily spread among crops.  Bacteria travel through the water from infected plants to the roots and leaves of neighbouring rice plants. Wind may also help spread the Xoo bacteria to other crops and rice paddies. Miscellaneous 2020 Nobel Prize In Economics Two American economists Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson jointly won this year's Nobel Prize in Economics.  They were awarded for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats. The new auction formats are an example of how basic research can subsequently generate inventions that benefit society.  (MAINS FOCUS) EDUCATION/ GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 2,3: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Implementation plan to help make the NEP 2020 work Context: The National Education Policy 2020 has a vision to transform the Indian education landscape. It relies on a significant commitment for policy implementation from all stakeholders There are four contributors to policy failure  Overly optimistic expectations Implementation in dispersed governance Inadequate collaborative policymaking  Vagaries of the political cycle Thus, there is a need to develop a robust policy support programme and institutional mechanism, if we are to be serious about implementing any policy.  Below is the five-point implementation plan that can be considered to help implement NEP. PM’s Task Force on Higher Education Reforms The successful implementation of NEP requires different types of interventions.  It includes coordination and cooperation between the Centre and states; legislative interventions and augmentation of financial resources with involvement of inter-ministerial discussions; and regulatory reforms. The PM’s Task Force on Higher Education Reforms can be an advisory body comprising experts from public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to help the PM understand and appreciate the bottlenecks, and ensure time-bound implementation with fixed accountability. National NEP Implementation Standing Committee This committee will consist of select vice-chancellors/directors of universities/institutes.  The Committee, located within the Ministry of Education, will be chaired by the education minister and the member-secretary will be the education secretary. It should have ex-officio members of all major regulatory bodies to remove the hurdles faced by HEIs in the implementation of NEP. This Committee will be tasked with creating and monitoring the NEP Implementation Plan in a time-bound manner.  It will have specific powers and functions, including thematic sub-committees and regional committees.  National Education Ministers’ Council  It will consist of Education Ministers of all states and UTs, chaired by the Union Minister for Education The Council will serve as a forum to discuss and address implementation issues, and navigate through the diverse perspectives of state governments. Integrating Institutions of Eminence (IoE) with NEP In the budget 2016, the then Finance Minister promised to provide “an enabling regulatory architecture” so that “10 public and 10 private institutions” would emerge “as world-class teaching and research institutions. This led to the establishment of IoEs Today, the vision of IoE needs to be integrated with the NEP implementation plan, and IoEs need to be empowered with more freedom, flexibility, autonomy and resources.  National Higher Education Philanthropy Council  This council can be chaired by the Education Minister with private sector participation. Nearly 70 per cent of Indian HEIs are private, and more than 70 per cent of Indian students study in private HEIs. We must build on this reality to raise financial resources that are critical for the establishment of more private HEIs. The Philanthropy Council could help promote a fundamental re-imagination of the tax structure to incentivise potential donors for donating to specified funds that promote establishment of Universities/Colleges Conclusion For successful implementation of the NEP, we will need to  Create stakeholder incentives Formulate instruments in the form of legal, policy, regulatory and institutional mechanisms Build reliable information repositories Develop adaptability across HEIs, regulatory bodies and government agencies Develop credibility through transparent actions and participation of all stakeholders Develop sound principles of management Connecting the dots: Right to Education Act Operation Digital Board ECONOMY / GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.  India’s export opportunities in Post-COVID world Context: The recent embracement of atmanirbharta by India’s intellectual and policy community. This inward turn — actually return — amounts to abandoning two core principles of the post-1991 consensus:  Export-orientation on the macro-economic side Slow but steady liberalisation on the trade side The inward turn is based on three misconceptions of diagnosis First, the perception is that India’s growth success since 1991 has not really been based on exports and certainly not on manufacturing exports. This is wrong. India has been a model of spectacular export success and an exemplar of export-led growth. Between 1995 and 2018, India’s overall export growth (in dollars) averaged 13.4% annually, the third best performance in the world amongst the top 50 exporters Most strikingly, India’s manufacturing exports (in dollars) grew on average by a 12.1%, the third-best performance in the world, and nearly twice the world average. Only China and Vietnam surpassed India. In each of the three decades since the 1990s, exports contributed about one-third of overall growth. As a result, India’s export-GDP ratio is currently 20 per cent, more than twice as high as in the early 1990s. Thus, an export slowdown today is likely to have a more consequential impact on the overall economy.  Every 5 per cent of the export growth foregone will shave off 1 per cent in overall GDP growth. Second, is a pessimistic outlook about India’s future export Export pessimism is based on expectations of deglobalisation abroad and weak performance at home.  But India can gain market share even in a deglobalising world In the 2010s, world exports were stagnant and yet India’s exports grew by about 3 per cent. This was true in both manufacturing and services In present times, China’s secular ceding of low-skill export space provides further opportunity for Indian exports to expand in world market. Also, one of the virtues of past under-performance is that the future can be more accommodating to India and less intimidating for the world. In the Post-COVID world, activities that can be done at a distance — and tradable services are exactly that — could benefit enormously and India can tap into its comparative advantage in service exports. Third, there is a strong belief that India’s market is big enough to sustain growth going forward and make up for the loss of opportunities overseas. At $2.9 trillion, and as the fifth largest in the world, India’s GDP seems alluringly big.  But if the domestic market is to sustain growth, we need to look at the size of the market (say the “middle class”) with some amount of purchasing power over manufacturing goods and services. The middle class market size is between 15 and 40 per cent of GDP, which is smaller than commonly believed  Also, there are a lot of poor people with limited purchasing power and a few people with a lot of purchasing power who, however, save a lot. Both of these factors can reduce the market for consumption. The delusion of size is making policy-makers set their sights on the domestic market when it should be on the world market. Conclusion India’s growth model has been an export-led one and should not be abandoned. Moreover, India’s export opportunities in general and in specific sectors could be significant even in a post-COVID world. Connecting the dots: US-China Trade War Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers.  Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1 South Asia Economic Focus Report was recently released by which of the following? World Bank Asian Development bank World Economic Freedom Asian Infrastructure Investment bank Q.2 Lepidoptera species includes which of the following? Butterflies Moths Frogs Both (a) and (b) Q.3 Noumea Accord is an Accord between which of the following? France and New Caledonia India and Bangaldesh Israel and UAE USA and Pakistan ANSWERS FOR 13th October 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 D 2 B 3 A 4 C Must Read About the Arab world and the elusive two States Solution: The Hindu About concerted attack on RTI: The Hindu About crisis in Caucasus: The Hindu

PIB

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB) IAS UPSC – 4th October to 11th October – 2020

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB) IAS UPSC – 4th October to 11th October – 2020 ARCHIVES GS-2 Three Farm Reform Laws Will Change the Fortune of Agriculture In the Country (Topic: Government schemes and policies to ensure food security) Context: Three Bills on agriculture reforms were introduced in the Parliament to replace the ordinances issued during the lockdown  The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020  The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 What do the ordinances entail?  The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance has following provisions  Opens up agricultural sale and marketing outside the notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis for farmers Removes barriers to inter-State trade  Provides a framework for electronic trading of agricultural produce.  Prohibits State governments from collecting market fee, cess or levy for trade outside the APMC markets. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance relates to contract farming. It has following provisions Provides framework on trade agreements for the sale and purchase of farm produce.  The mutually agreed remunerative price framework envisaged in the legislation is touted as one that would protect and empower farmers. The written farming agreement, entered into prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce, lists the terms and conditions for supply, quality, grade, standards and price of farm produce and services. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance  Removes cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. The amendment will deregulate the production, storage, movement and distribution of these food commodities.  The central government is allowed regulation of supply during war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity, while providing exemptions for exporters and processors at such times as well. Imposition of any stock limit on agricultural produce must be based on price rise. A stock limit may be imposed only if there is a 100% increase in retail price of horticultural produce; and a 50% increase in the retail price of non-perishable agricultural food items Why are these bills being opposed? Against the Spirit of Cooperative federalism Since agriculture and markets are State subjects – entry 14 and 28 respectively in List II – the ordinances are being seen as a direct encroachment upon the functions of the States  The provisions are viewed as against the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in the Constitution. Justification by Centre: The Centre, however, argues that trade and commerce in food items is part of the concurrent list, thus giving it constitutional propriety. End of MSP Critics view the dismantling of the monopoly of the APMCs as a sign of ending the assured procurement of food grains at minimum support prices (MSP). To the Centre’s ‘one nation, one market’ call, critics have sought ‘one nation, one MSP’. Critics argue that ensuring a larger number of farmers get the MSP for their produce and addressing weakness in the APMCs, instead of making these State mechanisms redundant is the need of the hour. Justification:  This law nowhere states that the current system of minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement of foodgrains (essentially wheat and paddy) by government agencies would end. Such purchases in state-regulated APMC (agricultural produce market committee) mandis will continue as before. The APMCs wouldn’t stop functioning either; nothing prevents farmers from selling their produce or traders and processors from buying in these mandis. All the law does is provide farmers an alternative platform to sell. This could be a factory premise/processing plant, produce collection centre, cold storage, warehouse, silo or even the farmgate. Transactions in such “trade areas” will not be charged APMC market fee or cess. These levies shall apply only in trades that take place within the boundaries of the regulated market yards or mandis set up under the respective state APMC acts. No mechanism for price fixation The Price Assurance Bill, while offering protection to farmers against price exploitation, does not prescribe the mechanism for price fixation.  There is apprehension that the free hand given to private corporate houses could lead to farmer exploitation. Critics are apprehensive about formal contractual obligations owing to the unorganised nature of the farm sector and lack of resources for a legal battle with private corporate entities. Food security undermined Easing of regulation of food items would lead to exporters, processors and traders hoarding farm produce during the harvest season, when prices are generally lower, and releasing it later when prices increase.  This could undermine food security since the States would have no information about the availability of stocks within the State. Critics anticipate irrational volatility in the prices of essentials and increased black marketing. No consultation = Mistrust Several reforms at the level of the central government as well as at the State level have been introduced and welcomed by farmers. However, in this particular case, the issue is not about the Bills; it is also about the process of their introduction.  The government has failed to have or hold any discussion with the various stakeholders including farmers and middlemen.  This is also true when it comes to consultation with State governments even though the subject of trade and agriculture are part of subjects on the State list. The attempt to pass the Bills without proper consultation adds to the mistrust among various stakeholders including State governments. Entry of two of the biggest corporate groups (Adani and Reliance) in food and agricultural retail What are the farmers’ concerns? Farmers are apprehensive about getting Minimum Support Price for their produce. Other concerns include the upper hand of agri-businesses and big retailers in negotiations, thus putting farmers at a disadvantage. The benefits for small farmers from companies are likely to reduce the engagement of sponsors with them. The farmers also fear that the companies may dictate prices of the commodities.  What farmers need and are asking for is legally guaranteed remunerative prices, that the government should commit within the same legislation to maximum procurement of various commodities tied with local food schemes, market intervention from the state, agri-credit reforms to benefit small and marginal holders and particular neglected regions, as well as reforms in crop insurance and disaster compensation. It is also important to empower FPOs as enabled players in the market and keep them out of the purview of overzealous regulation. Cabinet Approves A. Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Cybersecurity between India and Japan Enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, which in­clude inter-alia, capacity building in the area of cyberspace; protection of critical infrastructure; cooperation in emerging technologies; sharing information on cyber security threats/incidents and malicious cyber activities, as well as best prac­tices to counter them; Developing joint mechanisms for practical cooperation to mitigate cyber threats to the security of Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure etc. India and Japan commit to an open, interoperable, free, fair, secure and reli­able cyberspace environment and to promote the Internet as an engine of innova­tion, economic growth, and trade and commerce that would be consistent with their respective domestic laws and international obligations, and with their wide-ranging strategic partnership. Both sides, through the MoC, affirm cooperation in the international arena including in the United Nations; Discussing and sharing strategies and best prac­tices to promote the integrity of the supply chain of ICT products; Strengthening the security of ICT infrastructure through Government-to-Government and Business-to-Business cooperation; Continuing dialogue and engagement in Internet governance fora, and to support active participation by all the stakeholders of the two countries in these fora. B. Ratification of seven Persistent Organic Pollutants listed under Stockholm Convention and delegate its powers for future ratifications for streamlining the procedure The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and environment from POPs, which are identified chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate in living organisms, adversely affect human health/ environment and have the property of long-range environmental transport (LRET). Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and child development.  India had ratified the Stockholm Convention on January 13, 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification/ acceptance/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary. Considering its commitment towards providing safe environment and addressing human health risks, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, on March 5, 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The regulation inter alia prohibited the manufacture, trade, use, import and export seven chemicals namely (i) Chlordecone, (ii) Hexabromobiphenyl, (iii) Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenylether (Commercial octa-BDE), (iv) Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE), (v) Pentachlorobenzene, (vi) Hexabromocyclododecane, and (vii) Hexachlorobutadiene, which were already listed as POPs under Stockholm Convention. The Cabinet's approval for ratification of POPs demonstrates India's commitment to meet its international obligations with regard to protection of environment and human health. It also indicates the resolve of the Government to take action on POPs by implementing control measures, develop and implement action plans for unintentionally produced chemicals, develop inventories of the chemicals' stockpiles and review as well as update its National Implementation Plan (NIP). The ratification process would enable India to access Global Environment Facility (GEF) financial resources in updating the NIP. C. Memorandum of Understanding between Zoological Survey of India and International Barcode of Life, a Canadian not-for-profit corporation ZSI and iBOL have come together for further efforts in DNA barcoding, a methodology for rapidly and accurately identifying species by sequencing a short segment of standardized gene regions and comparing individual sequences to a reference database.    iBOL is a research alliance involving nations that have committed both human and financial resources to enable expansion of the global reference database, the development of informatics platforms, and/or the analytical protocols needed to use the reference library to inventory, assess, and describe biodiversity.   The MoU will enable ZSI to participate at the Global level programmes like Bioscan and Planetary Biodiversity Mission. D. Natural Gas Marketing Reforms Objective: to prescribe standard procedure to discover market price of gas to be sold in the market by gas producers, through a transparent and competitive process, permit Affiliates to participate in bidding process for sale of gas and allow marketing freedom to certain Field Development Plans (FDPs) where Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom. Aim: The policy aims to provide standard procedure for sale of natural gas in a transparent and competitive manner to discover market price by issuing guidelines for sale by contractor through e-bidding. This will bring uniformity in the bidding process across the various contractual regimes and policies to avoid ambiguity and contribute towards ease of doing business. The policy has also permitted Affiliate companies to participate in the bidding process in view of the open, transparent and electronic bidding. This will facilitate and promote more competition in marketing of gas. However, rebidding will have to be done in case only affiliates participate, and there are no other bidders. The policy will also grant marketing freedom to the Field Development Plans (FDPs) of those Blocks in which Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom. These reforms in gas sector will further deepen and spur the economic activities in the following areas: The whole eco-system of policies relating to production, infrastructure and marketing of natural gas has been made more transparent with a focus on ease of doing business. These reforms will prove very significant for Atmanirbhar Bharat by encouraging investments in the domestic production of natural gas and reducing import dependence. These reforms will prove to be another milestone in moving towards a gas based economy by encouraging investments. The increased gas production consumption will help in improvement of environment. These reforms will also help in creating employment opportunities in the gas consuming sectors including MSMEs. The domestic production will further help in increasing investment in the downstream industries such as City Gas Distribution and related industries. GS-3 New Labour Codes (Topic: Economy) Context: The government has introduced new versions of three labour codes in Lok Sabha which are Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020 Code on Social Security Bill, 2020  Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill, 2020 Do You Know? These three bills have been re-introduced after incorporating 174 out of 233 recommendations given by Standing Committees These three bills are part of four labour code envisaged incorporating 29 labour laws. First code on wages has already been enacted. What are the key proposals? In the Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020, the government has proposed to  New conditions for legal strike – no person employed in an industrial establishment shall go on strike without a 60-day notice and during the pendency of proceedings before a Tribunal and sixty days after the conclusion of such proceedings. Earlier such restrictions applied only to public utility services. Raised the threshold for requirement of a standing order — rules of conduct for workmen employed in industrial establishments — from the existing 100 to 300 workers Reskilling Fund – To set up a re-skilling fund for training of retrenched workers with contribution of the employer of an amount equal to 15 days last drawn by the worker. The Social Security Code has following provisions  National Social Security Board which shall recommend to the central government for formulating suitable schemes for different sections of unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers No more ambiguities: The bill has defined various terms like “career centre”, “aggregator”, “gig worker”, “platform worker”, “wage ceiling” , etc. Social security for gig workers: Also, aggregators employing gig workers will have to contribute 1-2 per cent of their annual turnover for social security of workers The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code has the following objectives To employ women in all establishments for all types of work. They can also work at night, that is, beyond 7 PM and before 6 AM subject to the conditions relating to safety, holiday, working hours and their consent To Promote Formalisation: Issuing of appointment letter mandatorily by the employer of an establishment to promote formalisation in employment Inclusion of inter-state migrant workers in the definition of worker: Inter-state migrant workers are defined as the worker who has come on his own from one state and obtained employment in another state, earning up to Rs 18,000 a month.  The proposed definition makes a distinction from the present definition of only contractual employment. Portability Benefits: An Inter-State Migrant Worker has been provided with the portability to avail benefits in the destination State in respect of ration and availing benefits of building and other construction worker cess However, the Code has dropped the earlier provision for temporary accommodation for workers near worksites.  It has though proposed a journey allowance — a lump sum amount of fare to be paid by the employer for to and fro journey of the worker to his/her native place from the place of his/her employment What are the concerns raised over the new labour codes? Dilutes rights of Workers: Workers in small establishments (with up to 300 workers) will have their rights watered down with no protection of trade unions, labour laws.  Workers safety safeguards diluted: The new rules will enable companies to introduce arbitrary service conditions for workers. Corporate Friendly: The new rules provides more flexibility to employers for hiring and firing workers without government permission Restricts Freedom of Speech: Restrictions on strikes and demonstrations is akin to assault on the freedom of industrial actions.  Ambiguity about reskilling Fund: The Code lacks clarity on the substantive and procedural aspects of reskilling Fund which will fizzle out like the National Renewal Fund in the 1990s Women’s Safety: Allowing women to work during night time inspite of various safeguards imposed may increase their vulnerability to sexual abuse. India and its Solar Capacity (Topic: Infrastructure, Energy) India has become the third-largest solar capacity country in the world and set an ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, comprising 300 GW of solar capacity. The major factor behind the rise of solar deployment is – Giga-scale solar manufacturing Continuous adoption of innovations to reduce prices Hence, solar PV manufacturing is one of the strategic sectors announced by the Indian government as part of the post-Covid Aatmanirbhar Bharat recovery initiative.  Efforts are underway to make India a global hub for solar PV manufacturing, and significant giga-factory announcements are being made by local and global firms.  The Indian government is also coming up with innovative initiatives to promote cutting-edge solar manufacturing in India. Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd (RUMSL) solar plant The plant consists of three solar power generating units that are located on a 500-hectare plot of land inside a 1,500-hectare solar park  The solar plant was set up by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, a joint venture between Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited and the Centre’s Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).   This project will reduce carbon emission equivalent to approx. 15 lakh ton of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting 26 million trees. World’s largest solar tree developed  Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) has developed the World’s Largest Solar Tree. It is installed at CSIR-CMERI Residential Colony, Durgapur, West Bengal. Key takeaways The installed capacity of the Solar Tree is above 11.5 kilowatts peak (kWp).  It has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power. There are a total of 35 Solar PV Panels in each tree with a capacity of 330 wp each. The inclination of the arms holding the Solar PV Panels are flexible and can be adjusted as per requirement. This feature is not available in Roof-Mounted Solar facilities. Each Solar Tree will cost Rs 7.5 lakhs. The interested MSMEs can align their Business Model with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers, for developing a Renewable Energy based Energy Grid. PM-KUSUM Scheme Ministry- Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE). The scheme aims to add solar and other renewable capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022. It provides for installation of solar pumps, grid connected renewable power plants and solarization of existing grid-connected agricultural pumps. The Scheme is being implemented through State Government Agencies. The PM KUSUM scheme has three components. Component-A- 10,000 megawatts (MW) of decentralised ground mounted grid-connected renewable power plants. Component-B- installation of 17.50 lakh standalone solar powered agriculture pumps and Component-C- solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected solar powered agriculture pumps. India’s Solar Energy Push Energy Security: India energy demands is largely fulfilled by non-renewable source of energy  Environmental Sustainability: India’s large part of energy demand is fulfilled by thermal energy largely dependent on fossil fuels which causes pollution. Solar energy is clean form of energy resource, which can be a substitute.  India being Tropical Country, there is abundance of free solar energy in almost all parts of country.  Changed Developmental Strategy: Solar energy is being viewed as a path for self-reliant industrialisation  Green energy in rural area -  This is crucial for agri – business in farms for running irrigation, greenhouses, and crop and hay dryers, making agriculture risk – free.  Challenges w.r.t developing Solar Energy  Low domestic cell manufacturing capacity at 3.1 GW last year  Heavy reliance on China for importing of photovoltaic cells, modules and associated equipment  Projected addition of capacity in a COVID-19 affected future could fall short of stated goals (100 GW by 2022)  India’s domestic content requirement clause is facing legal challenge at WTO.  Land availability in India for solar plant is less due to high population density.  India’s solar waste is estimated to be around 1.8 million by 2050 also needs to be tackled.  Challenges with respect to importing critical raw materials such as polysilicon  Major Initiatives A. ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ (OSOWOG) initiative proposed by India OSOWOG initiative was recently proposed by India to set up a framework for facilitating global cooperation which aims at building a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy resources that can be easily shared.  Key takeaways  Parent Body: The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)  Objective: To build global consensus about sharing solar resources among more than 140 countries of West Asia and South-East Asia. This grid shall be interconnected with the African power pools also at the later stage.  Proposals are invited from consulting firms for making a long-term OSOWOG road map, and identify two or three cross-border projects that can be initiated within one or two years.  Phase I: The first phase deals with the Middle East—South Asia—-South East Asia (MESASEA) interconnection for sharing green energy sources such as solar for meeting electricity needs including peak demand. Fostering cross-border energy trade is an important part of Modi’s South Asia-focused neighbourhood-first policy.  India has been supplying power to Bangladesh and Nepal and has been championing a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) electricity grid minus Pakistan to meet electricity demand in the region. The initial plans also involve setting up an under-sea link to connect with Oman in the West. Phase II: MESASEA grid getting interconnected with the African power pools Phase III: Global interconnection Benefits Creation of regional and international interconnected green grids can enable sharing of renewable energy across international borders and also balancing. Such grids should work in tandem with the existing grids and will not require parallel grid infrastructure, thus requiring only incremental investment. An interconnected grid would help all the participating entities in attracting investments in renewable energy sources as well as utilizing skills, technology and finances.  Resulting economic benefits would positively impact poverty alleviation and support in mitigating water, sanitation, food and other socioeconomic challenges. The proposed integration would lead to reduced project costs, higher efficiencies and increased asset utilization for all the participating entities B. International Solar Alliance (ISA)  It is a treaty-based inter-governmental Organisation.  It aims to deploy over 1,000 GW of solar generation capacity globally. It aims to mobilise investment of over $1 trillion by 2030.  Headquartered: Gurgaon.  It was established following the Paris Declaration as an alliance dedicated to the promotion of solar energy among its member countries. Attempt the Essay: The Sun Never Sets What does the Sun, the primary source of energy that sustains life on earth, hold for our future? (Topic: Space, Science and Technology) Scientists may soon be able to study the future magnetic activity of the sun with the understanding of its behaviour in the past. A magnetic field map corresponding to the first half of the last century has been developed recently that can immensely improve that understanding. Just like in case of climate studies, astronomers need information of the behaviour of the Sun in the past to predict how it will behave in the future. A critical parameter of the behaviour is the magnetic field which keeps varying and governs the long-time changes in the Sun. Technology today has enabled direct observations of magnetic field, but there are no direct observations of magnetic field recorded before 1960s. Recently, Indian researchers have digitised the films and photographs of the sun taken at multiple wavelengths and corresponding to the past century Scientists from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) used this digitised data which they called the proxy data to develop the first magnetic field map of the Sun for the period 1915-1965. The map of this period corresponding to the solar cycles 15 -19 will help us understand the magnetic variability and predict changes in the Sun in the future. Why is it important? The digital data from KoSO is unique because this is the only observatory in the globe which provides the long-term uniform observations of the Sun in terms of the location and strength of its magnetic field as well as polarity through Ca II K and H alpha lines for more than a century.  More than 15,000 digitised images of the Sun has helped develop the magnetic field map of the period. The map will also help study with precision polar reversal, a unique feature of the Sun, which occurs every 11 years and shows distinct pattern that repeats over time. Prelims oriented News International Day of the Girl: 11th October, 2020; Theme: My voice, our equal future 2nd World Cotton Day: 7th October, 2020 Now India’s premium Cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton Trade. The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness. Cotton is one of the principal commercial crops of India and it provides livelihood to about 6.00 million cotton farmers. India is the 2nd largest cotton producer and the largest consumer of cotton in the world. India produces about 6.00 Million tons of cotton every year which is about 23% of the world cotton.  India produces about 51% of the total organic cotton production of the world, which demonstrates India’s effort towards sustainability. To ensure sustainability, integrity and end-to-end traceability of the organic products, a certification system based on comparable international standards verified through internationally acceptable institutional system is required to be put in place. Accordingly, Ministry of Textiles through APEDA under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has prescribed a certification system for organic Cotton which will be introduced in phases in the entire textile value chain. Similarly, prescribing a certification system for non-organic Cotton has also been taken up with APEDA so that usages of cotton can be suitably augmented. SVAMITVA Scheme: Launch of physical distribution of Property Cards; the beneficiaries will have a right, a legal document of owning their houses. The scheme is going to bring historical changes to the villages in the country. It is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India. It is currently being implemented in six states –  Haryana Karnataka Madhya Pradesh  Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh  Uttarakhand. It aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India for setting the boundaries of the rural lands.  Latest drone survey technology shall be used for mapping of rural housing land.  This scheme will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas.  This will also help in resolving property related disputes.  The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).  Nana ji Deshmukh - “when the people of the village remain trapped in disputes, neither they will be able to develop themselves nor the society”. Prime Minister of Israel: H.E. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu PM Modi and PM Benjamin assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in the fields of research, field trials of diagnostic tools and vaccine development.  They agreed on the importance of close cooperation in these important areas not only for the benefit of the people of the two countries but also for the greater good of humanity. They also reviewed ongoing cooperation in the areas of water and agriculture, health, trade, and start-up and innovation, and discussed further deepening of these ties. Must Read: Relations Between UAE and Israel India Wildlife Week Wildlife Week is annually celebrated across India between 2nd to 8th October with an aim to protect and preserve the flora and fauna of India. The first Wildlife Week was observed in 1957. Theme of 2020: RoaR (Roar and Revive) – Exploring Human-Animal Relationships Successful Flight Test of SMART Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) has been successfully flight tested. A missile assisted release of lightweight Anti-Submarine Torpedo System for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations far beyond Torpedo range.This launch and demonstration is significant in establishing Anti-Submarine warfare capabilities. The tracking stations (Radars, Electro Optical Systems) along the coast and the telemetry stations including down range ships monitored all the events. All the mission objectives including missile flight upto the range and altitude, separation of the nose cone, release of Torpedo and deployment of Velocity Reduction Mechanism (VRM) have been met perfectly. Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme API integration between PM SVANidhi and SBI portal launched – to ease process of receiving and processing loan applications More than 20.50 Lakh Loan Applications received so far under PM SVANidhi Scheme -  Over 7.85 Lakh Loans Sanctioned About: Launched for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh Street Vendors who had been vending on or before 24 March, 2020, in urban areas including those from surrounding peri-urban/rural areas.  Under the Scheme, the vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.  On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on quarterly basis.  There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan.  The scheme promotes digital transactions through cash-back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 100 per month. The vendors can achieve their ambition of going up the economic ladder by availing the facility of enhancement of the credit limit on timely/ early repayment of loan. International Blue Flag Certification 8 beaches of India, spread across five states and two union territories, have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members viz UNEP, UNWTO, FEE, IUCN. The beaches that have been awarded the ‘BLUE FLAG” are Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Rushikonda (AP), Golden (Puri-Odisha) and Radhanagar (A&N Islands). India has also been awarded a 3rd Prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions. Launch of Report by CZA-TERI: Economic valuation of ecosystem services The report highlights the importance of habitats such as zoos to human wellbeing and the need of replication across India. The study first of its kind in India and perhaps the entire World, pegs the total annual economic value of the ecosystem services (biodiversity conservation, employment generation, carbon sequestration, education and research, recreational and cultural) at around 423 crore (2019-20) whereas, the total value of the one-time cost of services such as carbon storage and land value provided by the zoo is estimated to be around 55,000 crore. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) In August, 2019, Government of India launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). JJM aims at providing potable water at service level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd) to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024. The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories. Jal Jeevan Mission adopts a bottom to top approach, where the users and Paani Samitis (Water Committees) in the villages envision the whole project from its implementation to maintenance and operation. The mission has also ensured that at least 50% of the members of the water committee would be women. ‘Margadarshika for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis under Jal Jeevan Mission’ (Guidelines for the Village Panchayats and Water Committees)  Referring to the Margadarshika, it was highlighted that they are equally important for the Gram Panchayats, people living in rural areas and for the Government machinery. The Mardarshika Guidelines will guide the members of the Water Committee and Gram Panchayats in taking the right decisions. A special 100-day campaign is being launched on 2nd Oct this year under Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure drinking water connection to every school and Anganwadi in the country. Do you know? A.BIS Draft Standard for Drinking Water: ‘Drinking water supply quality management system — requirements for piped drinking water supply service’. It outlines the process of water supply, from raw water sources to household taps. The draft standard is expected to make the process of piped water supply more uniform.  It has been developed keeping in view the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission. The Bureau of Indian Standards  It is the national Standards Body of India.  Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Act: Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 B.Every village will prepare a Village Action Plan (VAP) which will have three components: Water source and its maintenance Water supply and Grey-water (domestic wastewater) management RAISE 2020  A global meeting of minds to exchange ideas and chart a course for using AI for social transformation, inclusion and empowerment in areas like Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility, among other sectors. AI will dominate the core of the next exponential enterprises, rewriting the fundamentals of the establishment and this is the opportunity to capture. We are seeing that AI-first businesses are becoming monopolies Financial services have been rule-based till date. However, financial institutions are using AI based technologies as 'Decision Making Support', which is helping us to really fast-pace the whole process. UIDAI is developing a face authentication system which will be available to all the Aadhaar holders. The goal is to make it extremely secure and make it available for all smartphone users in the country.  The system can then be used by other financial service providers to strengthen their own AI ecosystem. From a data standpoint, the key aspects for developing a robust AI framework are: Legality, efficiency and transparency of data sourcing, ensuring integrity, privacy and confidentiality of the data collected, responsible and accountable data access, and putting in place an organized data monetization framework. AI research is dominated almost entirely by men. Globally, only 22% of AI professionals are women. Now, after COVID 19 has led to rapid digitization, the need to focus on digital inclusion has never been clearer Disabilities can be permanent, temporary or situational.  By innovating for people with disabilities, we are innovating for us all. By ensuring that technology fulfils its promise to address the broadest societal needs, we can empower everyone – not just individuals with disabilities – to achieve more. We need to focus our efforts on developing AI that makes this world more inclusive, accessible and affordable for the especially-abled The combination of AI and Data can deliver 10% of our USD 10 trillion economy aspiration, or USD 500 billion in value over the next 4-5 years. India is perhaps the only country in the world where the opportunity for AI in agriculture is as large as it is in banking According to independent studies, AI has the potential to raise India’s annual growth rate by 1.3% and add USD 957 billion to the country’s economy by 2035.At a global level, AI is expected to unlock USD 15.7 trillion in productivity by 2030. National Artificial Intelligence Portal It has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). It will work as a one stop digital platform for sharing of resources such as articles, startups, investment funds in AI etc.  Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Youth: By the Ministry of Electronics and IT It is designed to reach out to students from Government schools pan India and provide them with an opportunity to become part of the skilled workforce in an inclusive manner. It aims to help reduce the skill gap, while enabling youth to create meaningful social impact solutions. It also intends to provide a platform for relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make youth digitally ready for the future. It is open to students of class 8th to class 12th from Central and State government-run schools (including KVS, NVS, JNV) from across the country. It will be implemented in a phase-wise manner.  In its first phase, each State will nominate 10 teachers as per the eligibility criteria. India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) India joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI or Gee-Pay) as a founding member to support the responsible and human-centric development and use of Artificial  It is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development and use of AI taking into account human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth. This is also a first initiative of its type which involves better understanding of the challenges and opportunities around AI using the experience and diversity of participating countries. It will be supported by a Secretariat.  It will be hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as by two Centers of Expertise- one each in Montreal and Paris. Must Read: Regulating Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence: The Way Ahead SOLVE: How can artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques help in improving e-governance? Illustrate with the help of suitable examples. What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? What are its applications? Is it a potential threat to humanity? Examine. Person in News Jayaprakash Narayan Part of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), whose 117th birth anniversary falls on October 11, was among the twelve apostles of the Mahatma and had been a front-soldier during the Indian freedom struggle. In this fight, JP imbibed a combination of ahimsa and aggression. His call for ‘sampoorna kranti’ or total revolution to fight against rampant corruption, unemployment and systematic weakening of democratic institutions back in 1974, and the subsequent events, led to the imposition of the infamous Emergency. It eventually paved the way for a realignment of political forces in the country and gave a new direction to the politics of the country, with far-reaching ramifications. He firmly believed that youngsters should be in the forefront of changing the system. Those entrenched in power, the status quoists, would naturally resist any change, but only the energy and force of youth can bring about revolutionary transformation – this was his firm belief. And that’s precisely what happened in the seventies. After blessing the Nav Nirman Andolan in Gujarat, where people had risen against the corrupt state government, JP mobilised students in Bihar to fight against authoritarianism and corruption. He had such a mesmerising influence on the political scene that under his mentorship a host of splinter parties of the Congress, like Congress (O), Jana Sangh and Swatantra Party, and other socialists came together to form the Janata Party. He could have easily occupied the top post during the Janata regime. Although people clamoured for his leadership, he said that power was not his aim.  He participated in the freedom struggle and led the Quit India movement in 1942 in the absence of senior leaders. He remained detached from electoral politics after Independence, but as such was not indifferent to politics. He also took active part in Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement. The legacy of JP is akin to that of the Mahatma and echoes him on issues that have cropped up in the post-Gandhi era. All of them are topical and in JP’s own words: Freedom “Freedom became one of the beacon lights of my life and it has remained so ever since… Above all it meant freedom of the human personality, freedom of the mind, freedom of the spirit. This freedom has become a passion of my life and I shall not see it compromised for food, for security, for prosperity, for the glory of the state or for anything else.” Democracy “India’s democracy is to rise storey by storey from the foundation, consisting of self-governing, self-sufficient, agro-industrial, urbo-rural local communities — gram sabha, panchayat samiti and zilla parishad—that would form the base of Vidhan Sabhas and the Lok Sabha. These politico-economic institutions will regulate the use of natural resources for the good of the community and the nation. Development “Idea of development envisages independent India as sui generis, a society unlike any other, in a class of its own that would not follow the western pattern of mega industrialisation, urbanisation and individuation. India’s would be agro-based people’s economy that would chart out a distinct course in economic growth, which would be need-based, human-scale and balanced while conserving nature and livelihoods. Such a ‘development’ process would be democratic and decentralised.  The best development model for India is diversified, democratic decentralised and value-added agriculture as the root, manufacturing small/medium industries as trunk and branches and widespread service sector as a canopy. The almost universal tendency for a centralised political, economic model, and social system that is associated with both of them should be abandoned.” Communalism “Although almost every religious community had its own brand of communalism, Hindu communalism was more pernicious than the others because Hindu communalism can easily masquerade as Indian nationalism and denounce all opposition to it as being anti-national.” Hindutva “Those who attempt to equate India with Hindus and Indian history with Hindu history are only detracting from the greatness of India and the glory of Indian history and civilisation. Such person, paradoxical though this may seem, are in reality the enemies of Hinduism itself and the Hindus. Not only do they degrade the noble religion and destroy its catholicity and spirit of tolerance and harmony, but they also weaken and sunder the fabric of the nation, of which Hindus form such a vast majority.” Hindu Rashtra “In ‘the long struggle for national freedom there emerged a clear enough concept of a single, composite, non-sectarian Indian nationhood’. All those who spoke about divisive and sectarian nationalism were therefore outside the pale of this nationalism, evolved during the freedom struggle. The hostile and alienating nationalism we hear about today is antithetical to the ethos of freedom struggle and against the belief of all those who helped it evolve.” Questions “JP was an embodiment of freedom, quest for human dignity and the expression of true democracy.” Explain the role of JP in the nation building. What are the events/causes that led to the JP Movement? Highlight the role played by JP during the movement. “Despite being a huge mass movement that virtually shook the roots of the constitutional principles, JP movement is considered as a flawed movement.” Critically examine the JP movement and its flaws. “Emergency imposed during the 1975 is seen as a dark period in the history of post-independent India.” Give a critical account on the outcomes of emergency and what are the lessons that we have learnt from the 40 years of emergency.

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz 14th Oct 2020

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. This is a part of our recently launched, NEW INITIATIVE IASbaba’s INTEGRATED REVISION PLAN (IRP) 2020 – Road Map for the next 100 Days! FREE INITIATIVE! We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

TLP Mains 2020

SYNOPSIS [13th OCTOBER,2020] Day 2: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

  SYNOPSIS [13th OCTOBER,2020] Day 2: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. In India’s rich musical heritage,  ‘Khayal’ and  ‘Thumri’ hold a prominent role. Discuss. Approach:  One needs to explain the features and unique characteristics of Khayal and Thumri, how they are different from other form of music. Introduction: Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian Music encompass numerous genres, multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk music, modern music i,e pop,jazz, etc. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed over several geo-locations spanning the sub-continent. Body: There are many types of music, which belong to different categories, some are closer to classical bent and some are experimenting with global music. Khyal and Thumri, considered to be sub classical hindustani music form, played a pivotal role in India's rich music heritage, due to its various unique features – (Aspirants should provide at least 4-5 unique features of Thumri and Khayal, and due focus should be on how these music forms are different from earlier music forms and the impact it had on Indian Music in future) Unique features of  Khayal:  Khayal has been treated as brand ambassador of Hindustani Music. The word ‘Khayal’ is derived from Persian and means “idea or imagination “. Freedom to improvise: This form is popular amongst the artists as this Provides greater scope for improvisation. Everyone has the freedom to make changes. Germination of Gharanas: When the Mughal empire fell, musicians found refuge in several smaller states which gave them shelter, security, and  honour. The individual creative genius of great masters created specific singing styles that gave birth to different gharanas of Khayal singing. Most of these gharanas are known by the name of the cities they were localised, such as Gwalior, Agra, Jaipur, Patiala, Rampur, Saheswan, Kairana, etc. Major purpose of the Khayal is entertainment: Khyal has been developed mainly for entrainment purpose in the court of different kings. Later on it has been spread all over. In khayal, simple words are used and which helps masses to understand the meaning and relate into their daily life easily. Khayal can be sing in different Ragas, which attracts the masses according to the situation. Unique Features of the Thumri music: Thumri is not only music, it is expression of the feelings, and forms of communication, form of dramatic expression. The Compositions are either romantic or devotional in nature. It is based on mixed ragas and is commonly considered to be semi-classical Indian music.The language of the composition is usually Hindi in Braj Bhasha dialect. The compositions are usually sung in a female voice. This is different than the other forms as Thumri is characterised by its inherent sensuality. This was inspired by the Bhakti movement so much that the text usually revolves around a girl’s love for Krishna.  It also allows the singer to improvise during the performance and so they have greater flexibility with the use of raga.  Thumri is also used as a generic name for some other, even lighter, forms such as Dadra, Hori, Kajari, Saavan, Jhoola and Chaiti. The main Gharanas of thumri are based in Varanasi and Lucknow . Conclusion: Khayal is right considered as father of Gharanas, as it had profound influence. Like  Khayal and Thumri other allied forms were also the result of socio-political changes. Hindustani music and other music forms also have prominent role like any other classical performing art tradition, has evolved in the perspective of the cultural and political history of the country and bears the impression of every age it has witnessed. 2. Sufi and Bhakti poets have contributed immensely to India’s literary and spiritual heritage. Elucidate.   Approach: It expects students to write about the contribution of Sufi and Bhakti poets to literary and spiritual heritage with appropriate examples and chronological developments. Introduction: In the early centuries of Islam a group of religious minded people called Sufis turned to asceticism and mysticism in protest against the growing materialism of the Caliphate. At the same time in India, process of disseminating Brahmanical ideas exemplified by the works accessible to women and shudras, who were generally excluded from Vedic learning and Brahmanas accepting and reworking the beliefs and practices  popularly known as Bhakti movement. Body: Contribution of Sufi poets to India’s literary heritage:  By the eleventh century Sufism evolved into a well developed movement with a body of literature on Quranic studies and sufi practices. Baba Farid composed verses in the local language Hindavi, which were incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib. Some others composed long poems or masnavis to express ideas of divine love using human love as an allegory. For example, the prem-akhyan (love story) Padmavat composed by Malik Muhammad Jayasi revolved around the romance of Padmini and Ratansen, the king of Chittor. Their trials were symbolic of the soul’s journey to the divine.  Short poems in Dakhani; a variant of Urdu attributed to Chishti sufis who lived in Deccan during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These poems were probably sung by women while performing household chores like grinding grain and spinning. Other compositions were in the form of lurinama or lullabies and shadinama or wedding songs.  Malfuzat; conversations of sufi saints. An early text on malfuzat is the Fawa’id-al-Fu’ad, a collection of conversations of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, compiled by Amir Hasan Sijzi Dehlavi, a noted Persian poet. Maktubat; letters written by sufi masters, addressed to their disciples and associates. Tazkiras; biographical accounts of saints.The fourteenth-century Siyar-ul-Auliya of Mir Khwurd Kirmani was the first sufi tazkira written in India. Contribution of Sufi poets to India’s spiritual heritage: They were critical of the dogmatic definitions and scholastic methods of interpreting the Qur’an and sunna (traditions of the Prophet) adopted by theologians.  Instead, they laid emphasis on seeking salvation through intense devotion and love for God by following His commands, and by following the example of the Prophet Muhammad whom they regarded as a perfect human being. The sufis thus sought an interpretation of the Qur’an on the basis of their personal experience. This encouraged the practice of pilgrimage or ziyarat to his grave, particularly on sheikh’s death anniversary or urs (or marriage, signifying the union of his soul with God). This was because people believed that in death saints were united with God, and were thus closer to Him than when living. People sought their blessings to attain material and spiritual benefits. Thus evolved the cult of the sheikh revered as wali. Some mystics ignored rituals and observed extreme forms of asceticism. They were known by different names – Qalandars, Madaris, Malangs, Haidaris, etc. Because of their deliberate defiance of the shari‘a they were often referred to as be-shari‘a, in contrast to the ba-shari‘a sufis who complied with it. Contribution of Bhakti poets to India’s literary heritage: The Bhagavad Gita, a post-Vedic scripture composed in 5th to 2nd century BCE, introduces bhakti marga as one of three ways to spiritual freedom and release, the other two being karma marga and jnana marga. One of the major anthologies of compositions by the Alvars, the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, was frequently described as the Tamil Veda, thus claiming that the text was as significant as the four Vedas in Sanskrit that were cherished by the Brahmanas. The Tirumurai, a compilation of hymns on Shiva by sixty-three Nayanar poet-saints, developed into an influential scripture in Shaivism. Two 12th-century influential treatises on bhakti were Sandilya Bhakti Sutra – a treatise resonating with Nirguna-bhakti, and Narada Bhakti Sutra – a treatise that leans towards Saguna-bhakti. Kabir Bijak, Kabir Parachai of Kabir, Ramcharitmanas of Tulasidas, Abhangas of Namdev remains pioneering literary heritage of Bhakti poets.  Contribution of Bhakti poet to India’s spiritual heritage:  Bhakti traditions into two broad categories of saguna and nirguna. The former included traditions that focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars and forms of the goddess or Devi, all often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms. Nirguna bhakti on the other hand was worship of an abstract form of god. Some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. Sixth century) were led by the Alvars; who are immersed in devotion to Vishnu and Nayanars; who were devotees of Shiva.  Alvars and Nayanars initiated a movement of protest against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas or at least attempted to reform the system. Perhaps one of the most striking features of these traditions was the presence of women. For instance, the compositions of Andal, a woman Alvar, were widely sung (and continue to be sung to date). Andal saw herself as the beloved of Vishnu; her verses express her love for the deity. Another woman, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extreme asceticism in order to attain her goal. The Lingayats challenged the idea of caste and the pollution attributed to certain groups by Brahmanas. They also questioned the theory of rebirth.  Virashaiva tradition derived from vachanas composed in Kannada by women and men who joined the movement. Several 11th and 12th century writers developed different philosophies within the Vedanta school of Hinduism, which were influential to the Bhakti tradition in medieval India. These include Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha and Nimbarka. These writers championed a spectrum of philosophical positions ranging from theistic dualism, qualified nondualism and absolute monism. Kabir, Nanak, Ramananda (founder of Ramanandi Sampradaya), Ravidas, Jayadeva Goswami, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, Mirabai, Ramprasad Sen, Sankardev, Narsinh Mehta and the teachings of saints like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continued legacy Bhakti movement in later and late medieval period across the length and breadth of India.    Conclusion: Total surrender to God; break from rigid rituals, use of simple language to connect with supreme power, equal role for women and shudras, love as medium of devotion remain common features of Sufi and Bhakti literary and spiritual heritage. They also influenced each other over period of Indian cultural history. 3. The fairs and festivals in India resonate with the weather and the harvest cycles. Illustrate with the help of suitable examples. Approach: It expects students to write about the fairs and festivals celebrated at the time of weather and harvest cycles in India across different geographical region with suitable examples. Introduction: India being one of the oldest agricultural societies, fairs and festivals have roots in crop season. Geographical expanse, agro-climatic diversity and diversity of religious ideas play important role in fairs and festivals celebrated to pray for bountiful crops or to express gratitude for good rain and harvest season. Body: Festivals of harvest season: Makar Sankranti – Celebrated for showing gratitude to Sun(Surya) god which is observed in second week of January. People thank the nature for good produce during winter harvest. This festival also denotes entry of the Sun in to zodiac sign of Makara (capricon). In some part of the country this day is considered as auspicious day for buying cattle and hence cattle/bullock fairs are conducted in many part of the country. Lohri – Lohri is celebrated on the last day of Paush month (12-13 January) In Punjab. Generally after Lohri farmers starts cutting their winter crops. Baisakhi – Punjab and Haryana celebrate this thanking god for good crop they produced. People were best colourful dresses and sing happiest songs on the melodious beats of Dhol.  Pongal – Pongal is celebrated with the distribution of new crop “Shankarai Pongal” which is basically rice cooked in milk and jiggery distributed as a Prasadam.  Bihu – The farmers of Assam celebrate and cherish the efforts of cultivation. It marks the beginning of Assamese New Year. Assamese celebrate Bihu thrice a year, which signify the distinct cycles of farming - Bhogali/Magh Bihu (January), Bohag/Rongali Bihu (April), and Kongali Bihu (October). Wangala – During this festival farmer worships Sun god with immense devotion. Wangala is the merriment of 100 drums played by Garo tribes of northeast India.   Chapchar Kut: It is mizo festival celebrated across Mizoram. It is a festival held during the period when the bamboos and trees that have been cut down are being awaited to dry to be burnt for jhumming.  Thrissur Poorama: It is one of the biggest temple festivals of Kerala. This is a post-harvest festival. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month Of Medom (April- May) in Thrissur. Along with harvest festival, based on weather pattern, in the month of Kartik of Hindu calendar many cattle and camel fairs are organised.  Sonepur Cattle Fair is held on Kartik Poornima (full moon) over the months of November and December in Sonepur, Bihar on the confluence of river Gandak. It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela and it attracts visitors from all over Asia. The Pushkar Fair, also called locally as Kartik Mela or Pushkar ka Mela is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fair held in the town of Pushkar, Rajasthan. The fair starts with the Hindu calendar month of Kartik and ends on the Kartik Poornima. Conclusion: The fairs and festivals not only bring the people from different backgrounds and ethnicities closer but also turn the country into an alluring carnival, always having something new to offer to its tourists and visitors. 4. The Chinese adventurism in the Ladakh region is a manifestation of Chinese expansionism and its aggressive posturing as an imminent global superpower. Comment.  Approach: A candidate is expected to put forth their opinion based on these kind of issues. However, it is necessary to adopt a neutral approach while answering this question. For introduction, a candidate can start with briefing of the issue. Whereas, in the main body part it is expected to write how China's policy of expansion and their aggressive posturing as an imminent global superpower has manifested as Chinese adventurism in the Ladakh region. To sound neutral, it is necessary to write down what counter and suo motu measures India has taken to contain Chinese aggression in Ladakh. While concluding one can end up by showing what extra steps India should take to counter Chinese expansionism and aggression.  Introduction: Tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) pose the biggest national security challenge to New Delhi in at least 20 years. The clashes in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh have claimed 20 Indian lives, the first incident of fatalities on the India-China border in 45 years. China has revived its claim on the entire Galwan Valley and has asked India to pull back from the areas. Body: In 2017, India and China agreed to amicably resolve the Doklam standoff that lasted for more than two months. No blood was spilt then, and no shots fired. However, the situation this time is different due to following reasosns behind China's aggression: Salami slice strategy: There is a clear shift in Chinese foreign policy post the COVID-19 outbreak. This is seen in China’s rising tensions with the U.S., its threats against Taiwan, repeated naval incidents in the South China Sea, and a new security law for Hong Kong. The tensions along the LAC are part of this shift. To understand this shift, one has to get a sense of the sources of China’s conduct. Today’s China is an ambitious rising power which wants to reorient the global order. When it was rising, China had adopted different tactical positions — “hide your capacity and bide your time”, “peaceful rise” or “peaceful development”. That era is over. Under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese think they have arrived. With the global economy in the doldrums, globalisation in an irrecoverable crisis accentuated by the COVID-19 outbreak, and the U.S. under an isolationist President taking the most aggressive position towards China since Richard Nixon, Beijing believes the global order is at a breaking point. It is fighting back through what game theorists call “salami tactics” — where a dominant power attempts to establish its hegemony piece by piece. India is one slice in this salami slice strategy. Changed perception about International table: China doesn’t see India as a ‘swing state’ any more. It sees India as an ally-in-progress of the U.S. If India is what many in the West call the “counterweight” to China’s rise, Beijing’s definite message is that it is not deterred by the counterweight. This is a message not just to India, but to a host of China’s rivals that are teaming up and eager to recruit India to the club. Within this broader framework there could be a host of factors — local, regional and global — that influenced China’s moves. When most of the world’s big powers are grappling with the pandemic, revisionist powers such as China have more room for geopolitical manoeuvring. Europe has been devastated by the virus. The U.S. is battling in an election year the COVID-19 outbreak as well as the deepest economic meltdown since the Great Depression. A confluence of all these factors, which point to a decline in the country’s smart power, allowed China to make aggressive moves on the LAC. Hence, it is clear that Chinese adventurism in the Ladakh region is a manifestation of Chinese expansionism and its aggressive posturing as an imminent global superpower. However, India is not a silent observer when China moves with agression. It following counter and suo motu measures have proved to be an 'eyball to eyeball' answer. Military: India has moved in additional divisions, tanks and artillery across the LAC to match Chinese deployments. Further, India has approved the purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and upgrades to 59 war planes at a cost of Rs. 18,148 crore. Economic: Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, including popular ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, and Weibo, the government has banned  224 Chinese apps. Further, India’s trade deficit with China fell to $48.66 billion in 2019-20 on account of the decline in imports. The trade deficit stood at $53.56 billion in 2018-19 and $63 billion in 2017-18. On 1st April, 2020, India and China completed their 70 years of diplomatic relations. Both sides should acknowledge that the situation is precarious, and that the recent days in particular have undone decades of painstakingly negotiated confidence-building mechanisms. Conclusion: Good neighbourhood relations are crucial for national stability and well-being. If India is to disengage from economic involvement with China and build the capacities and capabilities it needs in manufacturing, and in supply chain networks closer home, it cannot be a prisoner of the short term. However, through Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, India can try to replace chinese products with domestic products in the sectors where it is possible. Further, it needs to boost up its economic relations with other countries so that there exists the real mettle to stand one on one in terms with China. 5. What are your views on the recently enacted farm laws? In your opinion, what are the most important provisions therein? Substantiate your views. Approach:  As the question is directed towards recently enacted farm laws, it becomes necessary for candidate to put forth their own views on the recently enacted farm laws. It also asks to enlist the most important provisions therein with relative examples. Here, a candidate can start with introducing which new form laws are enacted by the government. In the main body part candidate can put forth their views on recently enacted farm laws with respect to backend and frontend operations. It is also necessary to enlist the most important provisions with relative substantiation. However, in the conclusion one can explain how it is going to beneficial for the farmer and what are the necessary steps needs to be taken to ensure better implementation of provisions.  Introduction: In order to revive the Indian economy, the Central government has announced the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Agricultural reforms are part of the third tranche of the economic package announced under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to counter Covid-19 pandemic which may yield better income for farmer in coming days. In this direction, the newly introduced ordinances have been enacted by the government recently.  Body: The central government introduced major agricultural market reforms through three reform laws as  The Essential Commodities Amendment Bill 2020 (ECA), The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. These bills are aimed at transformation of agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income. The amendment to ECA would deregulate the commodities such as cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potatoes. It will help to lessen the fears of private investors of excessive regulatory interference in their business operations. Any limits under ECA over these commodities will be imposed only in exceptional circumstances such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity. The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply will lead to harnessing economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into the agriculture sector. It will help drive up investment in cold storages and modernization of the food supply chain. An amendment to FPTC will create an ecosystem where the farmers and traders would enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce. It will also promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State agricultural produce marketing legislations. It empowers farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, large retailers, exporters etc. and thus eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price. Farmers have been provided adequate protection. Sale, lease or mortgage of farmers’ land is totally prohibited and farmers’ land is also protected against any recovery. It also provides an effective dispute resolution mechanism with clear timelines for redress. These reforms are expected to build necessary agrarian infrastructure in the country which will lead to build “One India, One Agriculture Market”. With respect to the above mentioned views following are the most important provisions of the laws which are beneficial to the farm sector. The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 will create an ecosystem where the farmers and traders will enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce. It will also promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations. The farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce and will not have to bear transport costs. The Bill also proposes an electronic trading in transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 will empower farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters etc., on a level playing field. Price assurance to farmers even before sowing of crops. In case of higher market price, farmers will be entitled to this price over and above the minimum price. It will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor. Due to prior price determination, farmers will be shielded from the rise and fall of market prices. It will also enable the farmer to access modern technology, better seed and other inputs. It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities.  This will remove fears of private investors of excessive regulatory interference in their business operations. The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply will lead to harnessing of economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into agriculture sector. Conclusion: These newly introduced  reforms are the most awaited reforms since the Independence of India in 1947. It has opened up a new window to improve the farmers income by  better price realisation. In the long run it will help India to  achieve its  target to double farmers income by 2022.   TLP HOT Synopsis Day 2 PDF

TLP Mains 2020

IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2 - ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies Paper 1 Questions[14th OCTOBER,2020] - Day 3

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Friends, Welcome to IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2- ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies 1 Questions[14th October, 2020] - Day 3   We will make sure, in the next 3 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. We are giving 5 Mains Questions on Daily basis so that every student can actively participate and keep your preparation focused. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE   Note: Click on Each Question (Link), it will open in a new tab and then Answer respective questions! 1. What was the subsidiary alliance? How did it shape the contemporary political landscape? Examine.  सहायक संधि क्या थी? इसने समकालीन राजनीतिक परिदृश्य को कैसे आकार दिया? जांच करें। 2. What was the tribal response to British policies and rule in the 19th century? Explain with the help of suitable examples.  19 वीं शताब्दी में ब्रिटिश नीतियों और शासन के प्रति जनजातीय प्रतिक्रिया क्या थी? उपयुक्त उदाहरणों की सहायता से समझाएँ। 3. The socio-religious movements were reformist in nature and they hardly created revolutionary sentiments against British rule in India. Do you agree? Critically examine.   सामाजिक-धार्मिक आंदोलन प्रकृति में सुधारवादी थे और उन्होंने भारत में ब्रिटिश शासन के खिलाफ क्रांतिकारी भावनाएं पैदा नहीं की। क्या आप सहमत हैं? समालोचनात्मक जांच करें। 4. The partition of Bengal is a watershed in India’s freedom struggle. Do you agree? Substantiate your views.  बंगाल का विभाजन भारत के स्वतंत्रता संग्राम में एक वाटरशेड है। क्या आप सहमत हैं? अपने विचारों की पुष्टि करें। 5. Examine the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi on Swaraj, Swadeshi and Sarvodaya.  स्वराज, स्वदेशी और सर्वोदय पर महात्मा गांधी के विचारों की जाँच करें। P.S: The review from IASbaba will happen from the time the question is posted till 10 pm everyday. We would also encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each others answers. This will keep the entire community motivated. All the Best :)

RSTV Video

Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Vehicles – The Big Picture – RSTV IAS UPSC

Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Vehicles Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Environment; Science and Technology In News: Aimed at a significant push for hydrogen vehicles in the country, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified standards for the safety evaluation of hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles. Standards for Safety Evaluation 0f Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles The motor vehicles of Category M and Category N, running on compressed gaseous hydrogen fuel cell, shall be in accordance with AIS 157:2020, as amended from time to time, till the corresponding Bureau of Indian Standard Act, 2016, specification is notified. Also, the hydrogen fuel specification for fuel cell vehicles will be in accordance with ISO 14687. They were notified through an amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. These standards are also at par with the available international standards. This would facilitate the promotion of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based vehicles in India. Hydrogen Fuel Cell based vehicles are energy efficient and environment friendly. The Fuel Cell Technology A fuel-cell electric vehicle is essentially a hybrid electric vehicle wherein, the internal combustion engine is replaced with a fuel-cell stack. The onboard sources of power include hydrogen as well as an advanced battery system. The hydrogen, stored in its pure form, in high-pressure tanks, is sent through the fuel-cell wherein it is combined with oxygen, resulting in the the production of water (H2O) and electricity. The electricity produced is used directly to drive the vehicle with water being the waste and the only emission through the tail-pipe. In simple words, unlike a battery-electric vehicle, which needs to be charged from external sources, a fuel-cell electric vehicle produces it’s electricity onboard. This drastically reduces the battery capacity and hence the dead-weight which an FCEV needs to carry. Picture Source: Indian Express Hydrogen can be produced through a number of sources, be it thermal, wind, solar, CNG, LNG and the likes. But the most feasible sources of hydrogen, which is also available in surplus, is biomass. India has a huge biomass reserve which is either burnt of simply goes waste. Apart from livestock dung, agriculture and forest residual and sewage sludge are also CO2 free sources from which hydrogen can be obtained. Similarly, by virtue of electrolysis, hydrogen can be produced from the 40 per cent excess electricity available through renewable resources such as wind, water, solar and Geothermal. India’s vast coal reserves can also be used for the due process. Like conventional batteries under the bonnets of automobiles, hydrogen fuel cells too convert chemical energy into electrical energy. From a long-term viability perspective, FCEVs are billed as vehicles of the future, given that hydrogen is the most abundant resource in the universe. Fuel cells have strong advantages over conventional combustion-based technologies currently used in many power plants and cars, given that they produce much smaller quantities of greenhouse gases and none of the air pollutants that cause health problems.  If pure hydrogen is used, fuel cells emit only heat and water as a byproduct. Such cells are also far more energy efficient than traditional combustion technologies. Unlike battery-powered electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles do not need to be plugged in, and most models exceed 300 km of range on a full tank. They are filled up with a nozzle, just like in a petrol or diesel station. Criticism/Challenges of Hydrogen Cell Technology The process of making hydrogen needs energy — often from fossil fuel sources. That has raised questions over hydrogen’s green credentials. Safety — hydrogen, in its pure form, is highly reactive. It is more explosive than petrol. High Cost – high cost involved in the production of hydrogen, fuel-cell stacks and establishment of hydrogen fuel stations. The costs involved in the same only go down with technological development along with wider adoption, as is the case with most of the new technologies. A lack of refuelling stations, which are costly to build, is usually cited as the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of FCVs. At the same time, the main reason cited for the lack of refuelling infrastructure is that there are not enough FCVs to make them profitable. Important value additions: Hydrogen Fuel Hydrogen does not occur free in nature in useful quantities. It can be made from natural gas or it can be made by passing electric current through water. When hydrogen is burned, it only emits water vapour and carbon dioxide (CO2) is not produced.  It is more efficient than internal combustion engine.  However, manufacturing hydrogen fuel based vehicle is still expensive. Connecting the Dots: Are hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicles the future? Discuss.  

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 13th October 2020

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Asia-Pacific Group (Apg) On Money Laundering retains Pakistan on its ‘Enhanced Follow-Up’ list Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations In news Due to Pakistan’s minimal progress in combating money laundering and terror financing, the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering has retained the country on its ‘Enhanced Follow-Up’ list. Key takeaways According to APG, Pakistan will remain in the enhanced follow-up list. It will also have to continue to report back to the APG on progress to strengthen its implementation of comprehensive measures. Pakistan is desperate to move out of ‘grey list’ because its inclusion in the list has severely impacted its economy and image. Pakistan was placed in the grey list in June 2018.  Important value additions Asia-Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering APG is a regional affiliate of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Secretariat: Sydney, Australia.  Founded in: 1997 in Bangkok, Thailand It currently consists of 41 member jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region. Tech for Tribals initiative Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – SCs and STs & GS-III – Entrepreneurship; Computers In news Tech for Tribals initiative shall be launched on 13th October, 2020. Launched by: TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with Chhattisgarh MFP Federation and IIT, Kanpur  Key takeaways Aim of the initiative: Holistic development of tribals with a focus on entrepreneurship development, soft skills, IT, and business development through SHGs operating through Van Dhan Kendras (VDVKs). TRIFED has tied up with national institutions such as IIT, Kanpur; Art of Living, Bangalore; TISS, Mumbai; KISS, Bhubaneswar; Vivekananda Kendra, Tamil Nadu and SRIJAN, Rajasthan. Vandhan-ESDP Training Programs shall be conducted under these institutes. Important value additions Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)  It came into existence in 1987.  It is a national-level apex organization.  The basic objective of the TRIFED is to provide good price of the ‘Minor Forest Produce (MFP) collected by the tribes of the country. It functions under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India. TRIFED has its Head Office at New Delhi.  It has a network of 13 Regional Offices located at various places in the country. Nation- wide campaign to celebrate Kamdhenu Deepawali Abhiyan started Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Policies In news Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) recently started a nation- wide campaign to celebrate Kamdhenu Deepawali Abhiyan on the occasion of Deepawali festival. Through this campaign, the RKA is promoting extensive use of cow-dung/ Panchgavya products during this Diwali Festival. Important value additions Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) It was constituted by Indian Prime Minister for the conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny and for giving direction to the cattle development programmes. It is a high powered permanent body to formulate policy and to provide direction to the implementation of schemes related to cattle so as to give more emphasis on livelihood generation. Sets of measures announced to generate consumption demand  Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Economy In news Union Finance Minister recently announced two sets of measures to generate consumption demand and boost capital spending in the economy. Key takeaways Leave Travel Concession (LTC) Cash Voucher Scheme: The Government has decided to give cash payment to employees in lieu of one LTC during 2018-21. Full payment on Leave encashment and tax-free payment of LTC fare depending on class of entitlement will be given. Special Festival Advance Scheme: It was meant for non-gazetted government employees. It is being revived as a one-time measure for gazetted employees too. All central govt. employees can now get interest-free advance of Rs. 10,000, in the form of a prepaid RuPay Card, to be spent by March 31, 2021. Capital Expenditure Boost for States: A special interest-free 50-year loan to states is being issued. For ₹ 12,000 crore capital expenditure which is to be spent by March 31, 2021: (1) ₹ 200 crore each for 8 North East states; (2) ₹ 450 crore each for Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh; (3) ₹ 7,500 crore for remaining states, as per share of Finance Commission’s devolution Higher cytotoxicity in human lung cells suggested due to presence of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment; Pollution In news A recent study - ‘Insights on the biological role of ultrafine particles of size PM<0.25: a prospective study from New Delhi’ was conducted recently. Key takeaways Proportion of Ultrafine Particles:  Particulate matter of below 0.25 micrometres constituted the highest share in the composition of PM2.5 around the year as compared to particles of other sizes. Exposure to ultrafine particles of below 0.25 micrometres was also associated with over two-fold higher cytotoxicity as compared to exposure to other sizes. Reasons:  Celebration of Diwali. Stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. Secondary formation of particles due to favourable meteorological conditions. The low temperature and high humidity during winter nights enhance the fog-smog-fog cycle and result in 2-3-fold increase in PM concentration compared to pre-monsoon and South-West monsoon season. Health Impacts:  Stroke Lung cancer Other heart and lung related problems Blocking Factor D Protein may reduce inflammatory reactions associated with Covid-19 Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Biotechnology In news A new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests that blocking a human protein factor D may reduce the deadly inflammatory reactions that many patients have due to COVID-19. Key takeaways Team focused on two proteins, factor H and factor D. These are known as “complement” proteins. They help the immune system clear pathogens from the body. The researchers discovered that Covid-19’s spike protein causes factor D to overstimulate the immune response, which in turn prevents factor H from mediating that response. When SARS-CoV-2 attacks the ACE2 receptors to proliferate and infect more cells in the human body, it also prevents Factor H from using the sugar molecule to bind with cells. The team found that by blocking factor D, they were able to stop the destructive chain of events triggered by SARS-CoV-2. Status of Bharatmala Pariyojana Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Policies and Interventions In news A total of 322 projects in a length of 12,413 km have been awarded and 2921 km has been constructed under Bharatmala Pariyojana till August 2020. Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana: Implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years (from 2017 to 2022) has been approved (Rs. 5,35,000 crore). Phase-II: Around 48,000 km of road network across India by 2024. Important value additions Bharatmala Pariyojana It is an umbrella program for the highways sector. Initiated by: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Objectives: (1) To optimise the efficiency of freight and passenger movement across India by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions; (2) To generate a large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the construction and infrastructure sector; (3) To connect 550 districts in the country through national highway linkages. Effective measures: Development of economic corridors, inter corridors and feeder routes, national corridor efficiency improvement, border and international connectivity roads, coastal and port connectivity roads and Greenfield expressways.  Features: (1) Improvement in the efficiency of existing corridors through the development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of chokepoint; (2) Improving connectivity in North East and increasing harmony with Inland Waterways; (3) Emphasis on the use of scientific and technological planning; (4) Satellite mapping of corridor; (5) Delegation of powers for successful completion of Phase I by 2022. Do you know? Economic Corridors: These are integrated networks of infrastructure within a geographical area designed to stimulate economic development. Greenfield Projects: They lack constraints imposed by prior work on the site. Typically, it entails development on a completely vacant site and architects start completely from scratch. Brownfield Projects: They carry constraints related to the current state of the site and might be contaminated or have existing structures that architects have to tear down or modify in some way before the project can move forward. Multimodal Logistics Parks: These are a key policy initiative of the Government of India to improve the country's logistics sector by lowering overall freight costs, reducing vehicular pollution and congestion, and cutting warehousing costs. Chokepoint: It is a single point through which all incoming and outgoing network traffic is funnelled and hence, leads to congestion and traffic. Miscellaneous Nechiphu Tunnel Nechiphu Tunnel shall be constructed on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Constructed by: Border Roads Organisation (BRO). (MAINS FOCUS) AGRICULTURE/ GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 2, 3: Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation MSP in the age of Surplus Context: New Agricultural Laws being introduced by Union Government with an objective of making agriculture sector market oriented that would in turn help increase farmers’ income. What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)? MSP is the price set by the government to purchase crops from the farmers, whatever may be the market price for the crops. MSP assures farmers agricultural income besides providing a clear price signal to the market The major objectives are to support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution.  The MSP is an assurance (not legal binding) by the government to the farmers that it will buy at this assured price if the market prices go below it. MSP and the Changed Situation of Agriculture Sector The MSP regime was the creation of the era of scarcity in the mid-1960s Indian agriculture has, since then, turned the corner from scarcity to surplus.  The policy instruments of dealing with shortages are different from those dealing with surpluses In a surplus economy, unless we allow a greater role for markets and make agriculture demand-driven, the MSP route can spell financial disaster.  The new laws are trying to increase the relative role of markets without dismantling the MSP system. Source: Indian Express Criticism of MSP System Distorted Procurement: MSPs pertain primarily to paddy and wheat in selected states — in recent years, the government has also been buying some amounts of pulses, oilseeds and cotton occasionally.  Buffer exceeding Limits: Due to MSP dominated system of rice and wheat, the stocks with the government are way above the buffer stock norms (see figure). High Cost of Procurement: The economic cost of procured rice comes to about Rs 37/kg and that of wheat is around Rs 27/kg.  High Wages in FCI: The CTC (cost to company) of departmental labour of the Food Corporation of India is six to eight times higher than contract labour in the market.  As a result, market prices of rice and wheat are much lower than the economic cost incurred by the FCI. In Bihar’s rural areas, for example, one can easily get rice in the retail market at Rs 23-25/kg. Export Inefficiency: The bottom line is that grain stocks with the FCI cannot be exported without a subsidy, which invites WTO’s objections. Food Subsidy Bill: The real bill of food subsidy is going through the roof but that is not reflected in the Central budget as the FCI is asked to borrow more and more. The FCI’s burden is touching Rs 3 lakh crore. Is it right to compare sugarcane pricing and milk pricing by co-operatives in the same vein as the MSP? Sugarcane Pricing In the case of sugarcane, the government announces a “fair and remunerative price” (FRP) to be paid by sugar factories This has created mess in the Sugar Sector The sheer populism of SAP has resulted in cane arrears amounting to more than Rs 8,000 crore, with large surpluses of sugar that can’t be exported. This sector has, consequently, become globally non-competitive.  Unless sugarcane pricing follows the C Rangarajan Committee’s recommendations — somewhat akin to milk pricing — the problems of the sugar sector will not go away. Milk Pricing The most important commodity of Indian agriculture, milk, whose value is more than that of rice, wheat, and sugarcane combined.  In the case of milk co-operatives, pricing is done by the company in consultation with milk federations, not by the government. It is more in the nature of a contract price. Milk does not have a MSP and competes with private companies, be it Nestle, Hatsun or Schreiber Dynamix dairies Result: The milk sector has been growing at a rate two to three times higher than rice, wheat and sugarcane.  Today, India is the largest producer of milk — 187 million tonnes annually — way ahead of the second-ranked US which produces around 100 million tonnes every year. What are the good prospects with new agricultural laws? In the next three to five years, hundreds and thousands of companies will be encouraged to build efficient supply lines somewhat on the lines of milk, as a result of these changes in farm laws. These supply lines — be it with farmers producer organisations (FPOs) or through aggregators — will, of course, be created in states where these companies find the right investment climate. These companies will help raise productivity, similar to what has happened in the poultry sector. Milk and poultry don’t have MSP and farmers do not have to go through the mandi system paying high commissions, market fees and cess. Conclusion The MSP system is much more costly and inefficient, while the market-led system will be more sustainable provided we can “get the markets right”. The pricing system has its limits in raising farmers’ incomes.  More sustainable solutions lie in augmenting productivity, diversifying to high-value crops, and shifting people out of agriculture to high productivity jobs  Connecting the dots: History of Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) How has agri-marketing policy changed over years EDUCATION / GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education, Human Resources  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation DU’s Cut-off reflects a broken system Context: Delhi University (DU)’s first cut-off list for admission to its undergraduate programmes was announced on October 10, and it touched the 100% ceiling for the first time since 2011.  Cut-offs are decided by calculating the best of four subjects’ marks in Class 12 board exams For Example: The Lady Sri Ram (LSR) College of DU has pegged the cut off at 100 % for three undergraduate programmes—Psychology (Hons), Economics (Hons), and Political Science (Hons) Do You Know? As many as 5,500 students out of 3.54 lakh students, who have applied for admission in Delhi University, have scored perfect 100% in their four best subjects.  This is not the first time when the cut off for admission in Delhi University has gone up to reach 100%. In 2015, the College of Vocational Studies and Indraprastha College had also kept the cut off at 100 % for admission to Computer Science. What explains the high cut-offs? One, there is a higher number of applications vis-a-vis the number of seats. Two, the Class 12 evaluation process is distorted, leading to such high marks Three, colleges set high cut-offs to prevent “over admissions”.  Four, there is a paucity of good-quality public universities.  And finally, students are attracted to Delhi due to its academic and physical infrastructure, extra-curricular activities, and scholarships; the opportunity to interact with a diverse student population; and eventually access better job opportunities What does the Phenomenon of High Cut-offs indicate? The phenomenon of high cut-offs is not just an academic-administrative problem. It is a subset of more critical issues that ail the education system, and the lack of democratisation of resources.  Way Ahead To improve, the Centre and states must invest more in public education;  Need to boost academic infrastructure across the country;  Governments have to make the Class 12 evaluation process more holistic;  Administration has to ensure that all students, irrespective of where they are studying, get a level-playing field when it comes to availing good teachers and infrastructure. Connecting the dots: New Education policy 2020 Right to Education Act (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers.  Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1 Consider the following statements regarding Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED): It is an autonomous cooperative. It is a state-specific organization functioning only in tribal-majority regions. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.2 Recently, a new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests that blocking a human protein factor D may reduce the deadly inflammatory reactions that many patients have due to COVID-19. What is the basic function of Factor D Protein? Blood clotting Clear pathogens from the body Builds muscles in the body Burns extra fat in the body Q.3 Bharatmala Pariyojana comes under which of following Ministry? Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Ministry of Commerce Ministry of Home Affairs Ministry of Tribal Affairs Q.4 Nechiphu Tunnel shall be constructed in which of the following state/Union Territory of India? Ladakh Himachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam ANSWERS FOR 12th October 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 D 2 C 3 D 4 D Must Read About gene editing and 2020 Nobel prize in Chemistry: The Hindu About the Purpose of Protests: The Hindu About Finance Minister’s recent economic package to boost demand: The Indian Express

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz 13th Oct 2020

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. This is a part of our recently launched, NEW INITIATIVE IASbaba’s INTEGRATED REVISION PLAN (IRP) 2020 – Road Map for the next 100 Days! FREE INITIATIVE! We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

TLP Mains 2020

SYNOPSIS [12th OCTOBER,2020] Day 1: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

  SYNOPSIS [12th OCTOBER,2020] Day 1: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. The portrayal of Buddha in different forms and moods is a recurring theme in India’s ancient artistic culture. Illustrate with the help of suitable examples. Approach: It expects students to write about how Buddha’s images were influenced at different stages of history and its various depictions and styles (with suitable examples) Introduction: Buddhist Art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world. Therefore, Indian Buddhist art reflects all the important stages in the history of Buddhism. Body: Buddha images began with representations of Sakyamuni Buddha and later following the spread of Buddhism, Buddha images of different forms and moods were developed according to time period, geographic location, and cultural traditions of an area.  Responding to religious belief, local craftsmen and artisans created differing Buddha images that were both imposing and tranquil in appearance.  Examples:  Stupa-1 at Sanchi: This was built during first century BCE. Buddha is shown symbolically as an empty throne, feet, chhatra, stupas etc.  Seated Buddha, Katra mound, Mathura: This belongs to the period of second century BCE during Kushana period. Buddha is seen with two Bodhisattvas. Buddha is seated on lion throne and has a large halo around head. There is more flexibility compared to rigid images of the past.  Gandhara style: Buddha head (2nd century CE) at Taxila, Gandhara, Pakistan has Greco Roman elements. It shows hybridized pictorial conventions with assimilation of Achaemenian, Parthian Bactrian traditions. Buddha is in a spiritual state with wavy hair and fewer ornaments. Saranath school of sculpture: Seated Buddha at Sarnath developed during 5th century CE represents Dhammachakrapravartana. Buddha is seated on throne in Padmasana. Face is rouund, eyes are half closed. Roundness of cheeks has reduced compared to Kushana period. Standing Buddha: Another example of Sarnath School of the Gupta art, the standing Buddha holds with his left hand one end of the robe which closely fits the body. The right hand is in abhaya mudra suggesting quelling of fear and promising assurance and protection. A feature that is restricted to the Gupta period is the webbed fingers of the Buddha. Conclusion: The source of development of Buddha's images were mainly influenced by geo-political conditions, narratives of life of Buddha, narrations from Jataka stories and Bodhisattva images, which can be seen across different periods of time and different locations. 2. India’s ancient temple architectures depict the vibrant social life and the spiritual sensibilities prevalent during those times. Elucidate. Approach: It expects students to write about depiction of cultural aspects of historical times like social life, spiritual sensibilities with the help of different examples in chronological order and geographical variations. Introduction: Temple architecture in ancient India with different styles like Nagara, Dravidian and Vesara facilitated various art forms like sculpting, painting, dance forms and theatre forms. Artistic liberty, royal influence, societal traditions along with religious affinity dominated subjects of sculpting, inscriptions and paintings.  Body: Evidence of temples in India found since post Mauryan era. Gupta period accelerated temple building in India which continued to flourish till modern times.    Temple as centre of vibrant social life: Institution of temple: It was like urban centre consists of temple land and various crafts created economic model based on royal patronage. Temples in return of patronage provided legitimacy to rulers of various dynasties. It employed dancing women popularly known as devdasis for deity, dancing teachers, drummers, tailors, goldsmiths and accountants. E.g. Jagannath temple complex in Puri, Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Brihadeshwara temple of Tanjavur.      Inscriptions on temples: Temple patrons included chieftains, landowners, merchants, villages and town assemblies. Merchants generally donated money and livestock, sometimes gold and silver ornaments and took responsibility of perpetual lamps in temples. E.g. Tanjavur temples. The abundance of evidence of women donors in various religious traditions gives a picture of active participation in women in social life. Temple architecture depicts celebration of various festivals and marriages in mandapas of temple and temple premises.   Tirumukkudal Perumal temple inscription of Tamilnadu mentions existence of hospital attached to it and massive land grant to it by Rajendra chola.  Depictions erotic sculptures at Khajuraho temples part of the Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples.     Temples as landed magnates in south India and signify the increasing oppression of peasantry and the growth of feudal agrarian relations as per D.N. Jha.   Spiritual sensibilities: The worship of Yakshas and Yakshinis: Sculptures of Yaksha and Yakshinis in religions of Jain, Buddhists and Hindus were associated with water, fertility, trees, the forest and the wilderness.   Shakti Cult sculptures: Temple architecture indicates Mahishasurmardini sculpture in various temples indicate prevalence of shakti cult and worship of Saptamatrikas. E.g. Sivadol temple Sibasagar, Virupaksh temple pattadakal, Nataraja temple Chidambaram. Yogini sculpture in Chausant Yogini temple at Bheraghat, Khajuraho, Lalitpur.           Puranic Vaishnavism: Worship of various avatars of Vishnu as per Matsypurana and Vayupurana.   Krishna lifting Govardhana Mountain and Vishnu resting on sheshnag at deogarh, Ravan shaking Kailash Mountain of Ellora Kailash temple indicate Puranic themes. Shaivism: It is associated with the worship of Shiva along with Parvati and Ganesha.  Tripurantaka sculpture of Brihadeshwara temple resonates with Chola ruler’s trait of conquests. Sculpture of Linga worship at Mathura temple indicates continuity in belief of fertility cult.   Buddhist iconography in Sirpur temple of Odhisha school in Chhattisgarh along with Hindu sculptures indicate harmony between different religions of ancient India.  Jain temple at Dilwara, mount Abu, Khajuraho Jain temples indicates that Jains were prolific temple builders like the Hindus.   Conclusion: Temple architecture in Ancient India indicate shift of Vedic Sanatan dharma to Puranic Hinduism with rapidly changing social conditions and rise of Bhakti movement. Temple architecture not only focussed on religious but also secular sensitivities of ancient India.   3. India has a rich tradition of storytelling through paintings. With the help of suitable examples, examine the periods in India’s history when this practice was highly prevalent. Approach: It expects students to write about various tradition of storytelling through painting in various time periods of Indian history. Introduction: Painting and drawing were one of the oldest art forms practised by human beings to express themselves. Use of vegetable and mineral colours, Buddhist and Hindu religious themes, synthesis of Persian and Indian style and adoption of European style in late medieval and early modern period are some of the major characteristics of Indian paintings.     Body: Painting remains arguably only source to gauge progress of standard of life in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic times. Scenes of paintings help to reconstruct the emotional and cultural sensitivities of prehistoric people.   Prehistoric times:  Bhimbetka painting: The hunting scenes depict people hunting in groups, armed with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows and bows. In some paintings these primitive men are shown with traps and snares probably to catch animals. In the process, some injured men are depicted lying scattered on the ground. In another scene, an animal is shown in the agony of death and the men are depicted dancing. These kinds of paintings might have given man a sense of power over the animals he would meet in the open. In another painting man was killed by wild animal shown indicate harsh realities of their survival.  Lakhudiyar painting: Hand linked painting indicates social life of hunter gatherers.   Spread of Buddhism in different parts of India led to royal support for Stupas, Viharas and Chaitya constructions by different kings. Rich merchants, officers of rulers also used to fund the cave building and paintings in early Christian times. E.g. Vakataka rulers funded Ajanta cave complex.  Buddhist Paintings:  Ajanta is the only surviving example of painting of the first century BCE and Buddha, the Jatakas and the Avadanas. Simhala Avadana painting in which the fifth century CE. It depicts jataka stories of Buddha’s previous lives. The themes of the paintings are the events from the life of the merchant simhala is shown with beautiful women. Mahajanaka Jataka story painting at Ajanta describes the future Buddha's birth as a prince named Mahajanaka.  Painting of Boddhisattva, Chaddanta, is shown removing his own tusk and giving it to the hunter, Sonuttar to depict story of Chaddanta jataka.  Revival of Puranic Hinduism since Gupta age with flourishing temple architecture and growth of Bhakti movement in southern India created mural paintings of caves and temples. It started depicting stories of Puranas especially in Badami by Chalukya rulers.   Hindu and Jain paintings:  Mural paintings of Badami (6th to 8th century CE): It depicts stories of Matsyapurana and Vayupurana depicted. Painting of Jain tirthankara Adinath depicts Jain saints relinquishing the world for attainment of knowledge.  Shiva chasing the boar a scene from Kiratarjuniya in which Arjuna fights with Lord Shiva depicted in Lepaksh temple. Painting of Shiva killing Tripuraasura is depicted in Thanjavoor and painting of Rama kills Ravana, a scene from Ramayana panel, Mattancheri Palace. We find many examples of paintings in Ramayana and Mahabharata depicted in the form of continuous paintings such as Pattachitra of Odisha.  Along with ancient and early medieval period, Sultanate and Mughal period also saw progress of miniature paintings which tried to depict court scenes and ibadat khana discussion as aspect of cultural life. However, there was lack of storytelling through paintings.  Provincial schools of painting in medieval era like various schools of painting in Rajasthan style and Pahari style continued to depict stories of Bhagavata purana. Conclusion: Paintings helped to reconstruct prevalent socio-religious ideas of ancient times. Paintings brought emotions of characters in stories alive which is not always case for literary sources cultural history. 4. In the age of widespread fake news and misinformation, it has become imperative to regulate the media. Do you agree? Is it possible to make the media organisations behave responsibly without stifling the right to freedom of expression? Share your views. Approach: In the introduction mention what do you mean by fake news and misinformation or give recent example of fake news. Then in the main part of answer mention about causes of spread of fake news, need of regulation of media (try to mention examples), give some measures or innovative solutions to regulate media. Introduction: Fake news refers to deliberate creation of misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print and broadcast news media or online social media shaping belief of people around the nation and world. Fake news, defined by the New York Times as “a made-up story with an intention to deceive”. Body: Causes of spread of fake news: Lack of verification/authenticity: Everyone is busy in sharing/forwarding news items without verifying news.People don’t care about finding truth behind a news item and instead look for evidence to support their preferred narrative. Social media: It decentralised creation &propagation of fake news. The vastness of social media users and internet makes tracing the origin of fake news almost impossible Lack of legislation: There is no specific law or codes of practices to deal with fake news in India.  Traditional news sources, journalist follow strict code of practices. However, internet enabled a whole new way to publish, share and consume information with very little or no regulation. Organised fake news: Misinformation is no longer considered rare & isolated phenomenon, but appears to be organised and disseminated to target certain section of society. There is need to regulate media due to following threats posed by fake news: Fake news and misinformation can disturb fraternity & brotherhood in society, which then lead to creating enmity & hatred among two or more communities. It can flare up communal violence, hurt sentiments of people. Example: Child kidnapping rumours leads to lynching by mob in Jharkhand. As communal tendencies emerged in politics due to spread of fake news economic development taken back seat. Social conditions in country impacts the investor’s sentiments. Political parties and political leaders try to polarize voter’s mind which then further leads to growing tension between different sections of society.Political campaigning during elections has progressed from mere mass appeal in name of identity to something akin to psychological warfare.  By following measures fake news and misinformation can be managed without stifling the right to freedom of expression: Internal regulations: Regulating social media to put proper checks through rigorous internal editorial standards and imposing fines upon its inability to stop proliferating fake news. Accountability of Social Media: Social media websites should be made accountable of such activities so that it becomes their responsibility to have better control over the spread of fake news. Strict regulations:Government should establish new independent agency to verify data circulated in social & other media platforms. The agency should have tasked with presenting real facts and figures. Legislation: Properly define broad forms of fake news to avoid unnecessary litigation and putting in place strong monitoring mechanism for proper implementation. Government should have mechanism for immediately issuing of notice against websites/agencies/peoples involved in fake news. Spreading awareness: About legal and social consequences of fake news. Government must take initiative to make all sections of population aware of realities of fake news. Italy, for example, added ‘recognising fake news’ in school syllabus. Conclusion: In today's technologically advanced and connected world, fake news poses a grave threat to democratic setup. Correct steps need to be taken to ensure distinction between news, opinion and rumour. 5. Is it ethical for the judges to become legislators after retirement? Critically examine. Approach: It  expects to ascertain as to what extent the appointment for the Judges to take up positions in the government post-retirement justified. While introducing the question candidate can start with the respective independence and autonomy of judiciary. Whereas in the main body part it is necessary for a candidate to throw light on the negatives and positives of judges becoming legislators after retirement. Then on can conclude with the respective opinions of whether it is ethical  or not for judges to become legislators.  Introduction: The judiciary  has been assigned a very significant role in the Indian democratic political system. Therefore, its independence becomes very essential for the effective discharge of the duties assigned to it. To maintain its impartiality and integrity Article 124(7) of the Indian Constitution provides that a retired Supreme Court judge cannot "plead or act in any court or before any authority within the territory of India".  Body: Former Chief Justice of India's  (CJI) nomination to the Rajya Sabha, just four months after his retirement, raises the question on  integrity and impartiality of judges. Hence, it becomes imperative to check the positive as well as negative arguments in this regard.  Arguments against judges becoming legislature after retirement: The very fact that a judge accepts such an appointment could cast doubt on his judgements. For instance, former CJI had presided over politically sensitive cases (Assam NRC, Sabarimala, Ayodhya, Rafale, CBI) where all the decisions went in favour of the government.  This gave rise to the impression that his nomination was a reward for these ‘favours’. Hence, it also raises a question on the integrity of the such judge who became legislator. The desire of a post-retirement job can influence pre-retirement judgments. Hence, a situation of 'conflict of interest' can occur or 'favouritism' could take place.  It might also signal that the judiciary is not independent, but is vulnerable to dictates of the executive. Hence, it might hamper the foundational principle of 'Separation of Powers'. It will undermine the very constitutional values of impartiality in the dispensation of justice.  Deteriorates the Public Perception about the integrity of the Judiciary and thus the functioning of our Democracy. Arguments in favour of  judges becoming legislature after retirement: Article 124(7) of the Indian Constitution restricts post-retirement appointments in Judiciary itself, but not in posts of president, governor, member of parliament, etc. In this context, Former Chief Justice of India  viewed that membership of the Rajya Sabha was not a job but a service and hence there accepting RS nomination is not ethically conflicting. With regard to judgements, former CJI has said that he did not deliver the judgements alone and that there were other judges also. Hence, there cannot be quid-pro-quo arrangements. In its 14th report in 1958, the Law Commission noted that retired Supreme Court judges used to engage in two kinds of work after retirement: Firstly, "chamber practice" (a term which would, today, mean giving opinions to clients and serving as arbitrators in private disputes) and secondly, "employment in important positions under the government". The Law Commission frowned upon chamber practice, but did not recommend its abolition. However, it strongly recommended banning post-retirement government employment for Supreme Court judges because the government was a large litigant in the courts. The Commission’s recommendations were never implemented. In constitutional democracy, it is time to have a law in place either by way of a constitutional amendment or a parliamentary enactment barring/regulating post-retirement appointments of Judges.  Conclusion: Several appointments to administrative bodies require a cooling-off period for individuals so as to eliminate the possibility or suspicion of a conflict of interest or quid pro quo. This cooling-off period must be extended to Indian Judiciary. So that people's trust in the judiciary is maintained and its impartiality will not be questioned citing attack on principle of separation of power.    TLP HOT Synopsis Day 1 PDF

TLP Mains 2020

IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2 - ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies Paper 1 Questions[13th OCTOBER,2020] - Day 2

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Friends, Welcome to IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2- ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies 1 Questions[13th October, 2020] - Day 2   We will make sure, in the next 3 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. We are giving 5 Mains Questions on Daily basis so that every student can actively participate and keep your preparation focused. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE   Note: Click on Each Question (Link), it will open in a new tab and then Answer respective questions! 1. In India’s rich musical heritage, ‘Khyal’ and ‘Thumri’ hold a prominent place. Discuss.  भारत की समृद्ध संगीत विरासत में, 'ख्याल' और 'ठुमरी' एक प्रमुख स्थान है। चर्चा करें। 2. Sufi and Bhakti poets have contributed immensely to India’s literary and spiritual heritage. Elucidate.   सूफी और भक्ति कवियों ने भारत की साहित्यिक और आध्यात्मिक विरासत में बहुत योगदान दिया है। स्पष्ट करें। 3. The fairs and festivals in India resonate with the weather and the harvest cycles. Illustrate with the help of suitable examples.  भारत में मेले और त्यौहार मौसम और फसल चक्र के साथ प्रतिध्वनित होते हैं। उपयुक्त उदाहरणों की सहायता से चित्रण करें। 4. The Chinese adventurism in the Ladakh region is a manifestation of Chinese expansionism and its aggressive posturing as an imminent global superpower. Comment.  लद्दाख क्षेत्र में चीनी साहसिकवाद चीनी विस्तारवाद की अभिव्यक्ति है और एक आसन्न वैश्विक महाशक्ति के रूप में इसकी आक्रामक मुद्रा है। टिप्पणी करें। 5. What are your views on the recently enacted farm laws? In your opinion, what are the most important provisions therein? Substantiate your views.  हाल ही में बनाए गए कृषि कानूनों पर आपके क्या विचार हैं? आपकी राय में, इसमें सबसे महत्वपूर्ण प्रावधान क्या हैं? अपने विचारों की पुष्टि करें। P.S: The review from IASbaba will happen from the time the question is posted till 10 pm everyday. We would also encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each others answers. This will keep the entire community motivated. All the Best :)

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