Daily Prelims Notes 10 September 2023

September 10, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
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Daily Prelims Notes

10 September 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people

Subject :Geography

Section Physical geography

Context:

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit the Marrakech and surrounding region in Morocco. The biggest earthquake in a North African country in 120 years.

Details:

Most affected province and city: Al Haouz province and Taroudant, Agadir, Al Hoceima (Mediterranean port city)

Doctors Without Borders, or MSF offers help.
- Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It is a non-governmental organization (NGO) of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.

Morocco bordering countries:

Morocco has a coast by the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Spain to the north (a water border through the Strait and land borders with three small Spanish-controlled exclaves, Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera), Algeria to the east, and Western Sahara to the south. Since Morocco controls most of Western Sahara, its de facto southern boundary is with Mauritania.

Abraham Accord: The U.S.-brokered accords that formalized ties between Israel and some Arab nations.

Shallow and dangerous earthquake:

As per the US Geological Survey, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8. An aftershock of magnitude 4.9 earthquake rocked the region just 19 minutes later.
Epicenter of the quake: The town of Ighil, roughly 70 km south west of Marrakech.
Depth of the epicenter: 18.5 km (shallow earthquake).
- Such quakes are generally more dangerous as they carry more energy than when they emerge to the surface, when compared to quakes that occur deeper underneath the surface.
- While deeper quakes do indeed spread farther as seismic waves move radially upwards to the surface, they lose energy while traveling greater distances.
Cause of the earthquake:
- Such quakes occur due to the “northward convergence of the African plate with respect to the Eurasian plate along a complex plate boundary.”
- With respect to this quake, the USGS attributed it to “oblique-reverse faulting at shallow depth within the Moroccan High Atlas Mountain range”.
- The Atlas Mountains span about 2,300 kilometers across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Known as fold mountains, they were created by the collision of tectonic masses: the Eurasian Plate to the north and the African Plate to the south.
Why did it cause so much damage?
- Earthquakes are not common in North Africa, so there was very little preparation.
- Buildings are compact and do not follow earthquake norms.
Faults:
- A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other, causing earthquakes if the movement occurs rapidly. During a quake, the rock on one side of the fault suddenly slips with respect to the other.’
- Faults which move along the direction of the dip plane are dip-slip faults, whereas faults which move horizontally are known as strike-slip faults.
- Oblique-slip faults show characteristics of both dip-slip and strike-slip faults. The term ‘reverse’ refers to a situation where the upper block, above the fault plane, moves up and over the lower block. This type of faulting is common in areas of compression — when one tectonic plate is converging into another.

2. Saudi Arabia, India, U.S. and EU launch economic corridor to increase trade

Subject: IR

Section: Groupings

Context:

India and Saudi Arabia have joined the European Union and the United States in launching the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

PGII:

The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) is a collaborative effort by Group of Seven (G7) to fund infrastructure projects in developing nations based on the trust principles of the Blue Dot Network.
It is considered to be the bloc’s counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and a key component of the “Biden Doctrine”.
Announced in June 2022 during the 48th G7 summit in Germany.
It is a repackaged version of the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative which President Biden announced at the 47th G7 summit in the United Kingdom.

Strategic Partnership Council (SPC):

India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council was formed to coordinate on strategically important issues. The council will be headed by the Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed and will meet every two years.
India is the fourth country with which Saudi Arabia has formed such a strategic partnership, after the UK, France and China.
India is the second largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia and bilateral trade between the two sides reached $52.75 billion during 2022-23.

New members of BRICS Group:

Current members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
A total of six countries will join the BRICS on 1 January 2024:
- Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.

Multimodal transport and Energy Corridor (MTEC):

Proposed between: India- Saudi Arabia- UAE- Europe- USA
It will connect: India- Middle East- Europe
The project could include other nations like Israel.
The project would involve:
- building of a railway line across the Arabian peninsula through Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- Develop shipping connectivity to India and Europe.
- Transport energy through pipeline and data through optical fiber network.
Significance of the project:
- India can avoid involvement of Pakistan for its connectivity to the west, specially Afghanistan and Central Asia.
- Increased connectivity with Iran and Eurasia.
- It is seen as an alternative to China’s belt and road initiative.
- It will also mobilize Europe in the development of infrastructure (EU has earmarked 300 million euros for infrastructure development worldwide for a period of 2021-2027)..
- The USA and EU have planned to build a Trans African Corridor that will connect Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. India is willing to join it to become deeply involved with Africa.

3. 67 species of reptiles, 59 amphibians recorded in Wayanad forest survey

Subject :Environment

Section: Protected Area

Survey in Wayanad:

Survey conducted by: University of Calicut, Kerala Forest Research Institute, South Wayanad forest department and Aranyakam Nature Foundation.
67 species of reptiles and 59 species of amphibians were identified in the first herpetofaunal survey that concluded recently in the South Wayanad Forest Division.
Of these, four amphibians and three reptiles were spotted for the first time at the forest division.
Of the 126 species identified, 48 amphibians and 21 reptiles are endemic to the Western Ghats.

Species found:

Important amphibian species recorded are: Starry Night Frog, bearing a constellation of blue dots on its obsidian body; Miniature Night Frog, the tiniest frog in the country; Naked Dancing Frog; and endangered species such as Malabar Torrent Toad and Red Stream Toad.
Wayanad Dravidogecko, Nilgiri Spiny Lizard, and the Nilgiri Forest Lizard are also sighted.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS):

WWS is a wildlife sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, India with four hill ranges namely Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga, Kurichiat and Tholpetty.
Species: gaur, Asian elephant, deer and tiger are found there.
It is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
It is bounded by the protected area network of Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park in Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu.
It is part of the Deccan Plateau
Vegetation : Predominantly of the south Indian moist deciduous teak forests and west-coast semi-evergreen trees.
The wildlife sanctuary comes under Protect Elephant.
Scheduled tribes : Paniyas, Kurubas, Adiyans, Kurichiyas, Ooralis and Kattunaikkans.

4. India reports far fewer people with orphan disease

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Rare disease or Orphan disease:

A rare disease is a disease that affects a small percentage of the population.
In some parts of the world, an orphan disease is a rare disease whose rarity means there is a lack of a market large enough to gain support and resources for discovering treatments for it, except by the government granting economically advantageous conditions to creating and selling such treatments. Orphan drugs are ones so created or sold.
Most rare diseases are genetic in origin and thus are present throughout the person’s entire life, even if symptoms do not immediately appear.
Many rare diseases appear early in life, and about 30% of children with rare diseases will die before reaching their fifth birthdays.
No single number has been agreed upon for which a disease is considered rare.
Global Genes has estimated that currently approximately 10,000 rare diseases exist globally, with 80% of these having identified genetic origins.

Initiatives by patient groups:

Hospitals in India have so far reported less than 500 of these diseases.
The Government’s National Policy for Treatment of Rare Diseases has only recently started making its mark.
Diseases prevailing in our countries include cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, lysosomal storage disorders, sickle-cell anemia, etc.
DART, the Dystrophy Annihilation Research Trust, a body formed by parents of patients suffering from Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. In this condition, muscles in the pelvis begin to waste away from the age of three.
In partnership with the IIT and AIIMS located in Jodhpur, the Trust has begun a clinical trial of an efficient and personalized antisense oligonucleotide-based therapeutic regimen for this dystrophy.

Leprosy free India:

leprosy is now considered a rare disease in India.
Incident rate: 0.45/10,000 population.
Recent research on the synthetic antibiotic rifapentine, which is widely used against tuberculosis, has shown that a single dose of this drug, when administered to household relatives of a leprosy patient, significantly curtailed the spread of leprosy to them over a four-year study period
India envisages to eradicate leprosy by 2027.

For details of rare diseases: https://optimizeias.com/rare-diseases-nprd/

5. What should be done with electronic waste?

Subject :Environment

Section: Pollution

Context:

Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) on August 28 released a report on ‘Pathways to Circular Economy in Indian Electronics Sector,’ following a government effort with NITI Aayog to explore opportunities to harness e-waste.
According to the report there could be an additional $7 billion market opportunity in harnessing e-waste.

ICEA:

India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) is the apex industry body of mobile and electronics industry comprising manufacturers, brand owners, technology providers, VAS application & solution providers, distributors and retail chains of mobile handsets and electronics devices.
Vision: To establish India as a Global Electronics Manufacturing HUB with major focus on exports.
Mission: To create a robust eco-system for electronics manufacturing in India and transform the nation into a gigantic global leader.steve trevor watch replica reddit where to buy rolex replicas garmin replica watch rolex replica vs original

Does India have e-waste management?

The Union Government notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 in order to digitize the process and provide more visibility to the movement of e-waste in the economy.
E-waste management and recycling are largely informal in India.
- Roughly 90% of collection and 70% of the recycling are managed by a very competitive informal sector.
Industrial hubs like Moradabad, where printed circuit boards (PCBs) arrive in the tonnes to have gold and silver melted out of them and sold.

Why is e-waste recycling successful among the informal sector?

The informal sector relies on a number of tools and techniques to stay competitive, a term used for this is ‘cannibalisation,’ a euphemism for repair shops buying whole devices and breaking them down to serve as spare parts for repair. As tariffs for finished products are sometimes lower than they are for parts, this works out in the repair shop’s favor.

Circular economy:

A circular economy seeks to bring the used and damaged electronic products back into the electronics ecosystem.
By 2019, China ensured that 5% of their secondary raw material went into manufacturing of new products. By 2030, they are targeting 35%.
E-waste contains several base and precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, nickel, and palladium.

How can e-waste be recycled?

The ICEA report suggests:
- Public-private partnerships to distribute the costs of setting up a sprawling “reverse supply chain,” an expensive prospect that envisages collecting devices from users, wiping them clean of personal data, and passing them along for further processing and recycling.
- Launching of an auditable database of materials collected through this process, and creating geographical clusters where these devices come together and are broken apart.
- Incentivising the ‘high yield’ recycling centers.
- Supporting the ‘Right to Repair’ movement.
MeiTy launched a scheme last April to cover 25% of the capital expenditure on such facilities.

Challenges associated:

Large informal sector
Large scale electronic products lying with customers
Concern of theft of personal data
Building recycling plants on a large scale

For details of e-waste management rules: https://optimizeias.com/e-waste-management-rules-2022/

6. Global Biofuel Alliance

Subject: IR

Section: Groupings

Context: The Global Biofuels Alliance was formally launched on the side-lines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

What is Global Biofuels Alliance:

It is an India-led Initiative to develop an alliance of Governments, International organizations and Industry to facilitate the adoption of biofuels.
A total of 19 countries and 12 international organizations have so far agreed to join the alliance, including both G20 members and non-member countries.
India, Brazil and the US are the founding members of the alliance.
This Alliance will be aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector.
India, the US and Brazil account for a total of 85 percent of the global ethanol production with the US holding 55 per cent share followed by Brazil 27 per cent and India 3 per cent.

What is Biofuel

Biofuels are renewable energy sources derived from biomass, such as crop stubble, plant waste, and municipal solid waste.
Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature.
- Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure
- Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel
- Gaseous: Biogas

What are different generations of biofuel

First generation: It is produced from consumable food items containing starch (rice and wheat), sugar (beets and sugarcane) for bioalcohols, or vegetable oils for biodiesel.
Second generation: It is mainly obtained from non-food feedstocks such as forest/industry/agricultural wastes and waste or used vegetable oils.
Third generation: It is known as ‘algae fuel’ and is derived from algae in the form of both biodiesel and bioalcohols.
Fourth generation: Like the third generation, 4G biofuels are made using non-arable land. However, unlike the third, they do not need the destruction of biomass.

7. New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration

Subject: IR

Section: Groupings

Context: New Delhi Leader’s Declaration was adopted by the G20 members.

More about the news:

The leaders at India’s G20 Summit 2023 arrived at a joint communique — called the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration
The communique is filled with deliverables on a range of issues.
It is also crafted in a different way, not the usual paragraphs that are structured in a joint declaration.
Instead, it starts with a preamble, and then has 10 chapters, and ends with a conclusion.
The G20 Summit addressed several key issues, including the Ukraine-Russia conflict, sustainable economic growth, sustainable development goals, green development, and multilateral institution reforms.
It also focused on technological transformation, gender equality, countering terrorism and money laundering, and promoting inclusivity.
India’s G20 Presidency emphasized inclusivity by welcoming the African Union as a permanent member and promoted respect for religious and cultural diversity.
The Summit highlighted a commitment to future presidencies and recognized India’s efforts in taking G20 meetings to various cities, democratizing diplomacy.

8. G20 becomes G21

Subject: IR

Section: Groupings

Context: African Union becomes permanent member of G20.

More about the news:

The G20 admitted the African Union as a new member on Saturday, three months after India proposed its inclusion in June, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to G20 leaders suggesting full membership for the African Union at the upcoming Delhi Summit.
The idea germinated after the ‘Voice of the Global South’ Summit in January.

Some facts about African Union:

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
It was officially launched in 2002 and replaced its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded in 1963.
The Headquarters of African Union is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The main working languages are French, Portuguese, English, Spanish, and Kiswahili.
Structure:
- Assembly: It is the highest decision-making body, consisting of the heads of state and government of member countries.
- Executive Council: Made up of foreign affairs ministers, handles policy matters and makes recommendations to the Assembly.
- AU Commission: Headquartered in Addis Ababa, is the administrative arm responsible for implementing the decisions of the Assembly and the Executive Council.
- The Peace and Security Council: Responsible for maintaining peace and security on the continent.
- The AU structure promotes the participation of African citizens and civil society through the Pan-African Parliament and the Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC).

Some facts about Voice of Global South Summit

Voice of Global South Summit was an initiative by India.
More than 120 countries were invited to participate in this summit.
The summit was hosted virtually.

The summit was held under the theme – ‘Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose’.

9. What helped Vikram lander to soft-land on the moon

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space technology

Introduction

India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission aimed to soft-land the Vikram lander on the moon but encountered a crash during its descent.
ISRO learned from the Chandrayaan-2 failure and implemented several corrections for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Phases of Landing

Before reaching the moon’s surface, there are four critical phases in the landing process:

Rough braking
Attitude-hold (orientation)
Fine braking, and
Terminal Descent (Landing)

Cause of Crash

Rough Braking Phase: During this phase, the lander successfully reduced its velocity.
Attitude-Hold Phase: Problem emerged. In this phase, the thrust should have been maintained at half the level, but a malfunction in the guidance system resulted in the thrust exceeding the expected level.
Fine Braking Phase: With large errors in velocity and altitude due to the guidance system malfunction, the system attempted to make corrections in the fine braking phase.
However, the control system was not designed to produce large orientation changes quickly, Leading to a crash.
The crash was a result of three cumulative errors:
- excessive thrust due to dispersion,
- guidance system malfunction, and
- limitations in the control system’s ability to make large orientation corrections.

Correcting Mistakes for Chandrayaan-3

Dispersion Control: Measures were taken to prevent excessive thrust dispersion.
Guidance System: The guidance system was improved to avoid malfunctions.
Control System: Restrictions on orientation changes in the control system were removed.
To enhance safety, Chandrayaan-3 incorporated several additional precautions:
- Redundancy: Extra sensors and propellant were added to enable the lander to reach an alternate landing site if necessary.
- Expanded Landing Area: The landing area was expanded from 500m x 500m to 4km x 2.4km.
- Increased Weight: The lander’s weight increased by approximately 250 kg.
- It was equipped with two engines instead of one.

10. Mpox watch helps identify variant of virus causing chickenpox

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Introduction

The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has identified the Clade 9 variant of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in India.
This discovery is a result of systematic surveillance prompted by the global multi-country monkeypox (mpox) outbreak.

Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV):

VZV, or Human Herpesvirus 3, is a contagious herpesvirus causing chickenpox during primary infection.
Latency and Reactivation:
- After primary infection, VZV remains dormant in nerve ganglia and can later reactivate as shingles.
Transmission:
- It spreads through respiratory droplets and direct contact with infected individuals or their blisters.
Symptoms:
- Chickenpox presents with fever, fatigue, and an itchy rash.
- Shingles cause pain and a one-sided rash.
Clade 9 Variant in India:
The clade 9 variant of VZV was found in India for the first time.
Commonly circulating in Germany, the UK, and the USA.

Monkeypox:

A rare viral disease that belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, which also includes smallpox and cowpox viruses.
It was first discovered in 1958 when outbreaks occurred in monkeys, hence the name “Monkeypox“.
Transmission:
- Typically transmitted from animals to humans, and occasionally, human-to-human.
Symptoms:
- Symptoms include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
Geographic Distribution:
- Primarily found in Central and West Africa.

Monkeypox vs. Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV)

Monkeypox disease symptoms often resemble those of VZV (chickenpox).
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease with relatively limited human-to-human transmission.
Varicella zoster virus does not have an animal reservoir and is characterized by widespread human-to-human transmission.
Despite VZV clade 9 infection, no significant increase in disease severity was observed in patients.