Daily Prelims Notes 13 October 2020

October 13, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

Subject: Environment

Context: Central government has allowed various exemptions for beaches from CRZ Norms to ease blue flag certification for Indian Beaches.

Concept:

The coastal areas of seas, bays, creeks, rivers, and backwaters which get influenced by tides up to 500 m from the high tide line (HTL) and the land between the low tide line (LTL) and the high tide line have been declared as coastal regulation zone (CRZ) in 1991.
The coastal regulation zones have been declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change under the Environment Protection Act 1986.
While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union environment ministry, implementation is to be ensured by state governments through their Coastal Zone Management Authorities.

HTL and LTL

High Tide Line: HTL means the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the spring tide.
Low Tide Line: Similarly, it means the line on the land up to which the lowest water line reaches during the spring tide.

Classifications of Coastal Zones under CRZ Notification 2011

CRZ-I (ecologically sensitive areas like mangroves, coral reefs, biosphere reserves etc.).
CRZ-II (Areas which are developed up to the shoreline and falling within the municipal limits; includes built-up area – villages and towns are that are already well established).
CRZ-III: Areas that are relatively undisturbed and do not fall under either in Category I or II and also include rural and urban areas that are not substantially developed.
CRZ-IV: The aquatic area from low tide line up to territorial limits is classified as CRZ-IV including the area of the tidal influenced water body.

Based on the recommendations of Shailesh Nayak committee, the suggestions were given by the coastal states and union territories, and the CRZ 2019 rules were notified.

CRZ 3 areas (land areas that are relatively undisturbed and those which do not fall under CRZ 2) are divided into CRZ 3A and 3B based on the density of population.
Areas with a population density of 2,161 persons or more per sq km (2011 census), will become CRZ 3A.
All other CRZ 3 areas with population density of less than 2,161 persons per sq km will be designated as CRZ 3B.
A No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20m has been stipulated for all Islands.
Temporary tourism facilities such as shacks, toilet blocks, change rooms, drinking water facilities etc.. Are permitted in the beaches.
The powers for clearances with respect to CRZ 2 and 3 have been delegated at the State level.

2. REPURPOSED DRUGS

Subject: Science and tech

Context :The BCG vaccine joins a handful of drugs like remdesivir, favipiravir, dexamethasone that have been repurposed to treat Covid-19.

Concept :

Drug repurposing is using an approved drug for the treatment of a disease or medical condition other than what it is approved for.
In surprise pandemics like COVID-19 that have no available ‘cure’, drug repurposing is one of the core research strategies for finding a treatment.
This method is very useful in addressing the disease quickly since these drugs are approved, readily available off the shelf, their safety for human use is established and their side effect profile is well known

Additional Information:

Drug Controller General of India

It is responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.
It comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

3. Stimulus to boost demand

Subject : Economy

Context: In an effort to propel the economy into positive territory in quick time, the Centre has come up with an innovative option to spur consumption demand in the economy without any fiscal impact.

Finance Minister announces interest free festive advance to all central government employees to boost demand in the economy.

Concept:

What is the Demand Curve?

The demand curve is defined as the relationship between the price of the good and the amount or quantity the consumer is willing and able to purchase in a specified time period, given constant levels of the other determinants–tastes, income, prices of related goods, expectations, and the number of buyers.

Determinants of Demand:

Price of the good
Taste or level of desire for the product by the buyer
The income of the buyer
Prices of related products:

Substitute products (directly competes with the good in the opinion of the buyer; e.g. tea & coffee).Complementary products (used with the good in the opinion of the buyer; e.g. car & petrol)

Future expectations (both income and price expectations).

Changes That Decrease Demand

The decrease in the price of a substitute
Increase in price of a complement
The decrease in income if good is normal good
Increase in income if good is inferior good

Elasticity of Demand

A measure of the sensitivity of the quantity variable (Q) to changes in the price variable (P.) Elasticity answers the question of how much the quantity will change in percentage terms for a 1% change in the price, and is thus important in determining how revenue will change.
The inelastic demand curve is steep because even a large change in P causes little change in Q. An example is foodgrains – even if the price is increased a lot, people will not cut down on eating foodgrain; and if P decreases, people will not start eating more!

4. DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION

Subject: Economy

Context : According to data shared by the Ministry of Mines, country-wide DMF collections last month stood at ₹718.46 crore, up from ₹417.29 crore in May, when the country was in the throes of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Concept:

DMFs:

DMFs were instituted under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Act 2015.
They are non-profit trusts to work for the interest and benefit of persons and areas affected by mining-related operations.
Objective: To work for the interest of the benefit of the persons and areas affected mining related operations in such manner as may be prescribed by the State Government.
Jurisdiction: Its manner of operation comes under the jurisdiction of the relevant State Government.
The fund is collected at the district level(District Mineral Fund) .There are certain high-priority areas identified in all states’ DMF rules, where at least 60 per cent of the fund must be used. These include vital and pressing concerns, including healthcare.
The various state DMF rules and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Khestra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) guidelines stipulate some “high priority” issues for DMFs
They are, drinking water, health, women and child welfare,.education, livelihood and skill development, welfare of aged and disabled, sanitation.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY):

The programme is meant to provide for the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

Objectives of the scheme:

To implement various developmental and welfare projects/programs in mining affected areas that complement the existing ongoing schemes/projects of State and Central Government.
To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, during and after mining, on the environment, health and socio-economics of people in mining districts.
To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for the affected people in mining areas.

5. FORENSIC AUDIT

Subject: Economy

Context: Growing importance of forensic audit in every sectors of the economy.

Concept :

Forensic audit

A forensic audit is an examination and evaluation of a firm’s or individual’s financial information for use as evidence in court.
Forensic auditing is a specialization within the field of accounting, and forensic auditors often provide expert testimony during trial proceedings.
Most large accounting firms have a forensic auditing department.
The audit covers a wide range of investigative activities performed by accountants.
The process may also include serving as an expert witness in a fraud trial.
A forensic audit could also cover situations that do not involve fraud or embezzlement, such as disputes related to a bankruptcy, business closures, and divorces.
It helps detect diversion of funds, wilful defaults and window dressing of financial statements.

When Are Forensic Audits Used?

Forensic audits are used wherever an entity’s finances present a legal concern. For instance, it is used in cases of suspected embezzlement or fraud, to determine tax liability, to investigate a spouse during divorce proceedings or to investigate allegations of bribery, etc.
An audit may be conducted to determine negligence or even to determine how much spousal or child support an individual will have to pay.

Common Areas where forensic audit is used,

Asset Misappropriation

Financial statement fraud

Corruption.

Conflicts of interest

6. MOUSHIK

Subject: Science and tech

Context: The Department of Computer Science and Engineering of IIT-Madras recently announced that it had developed a microprocessor christened (named) ‘Moushik’.

Concept:

It is a processor-cum-system on a chip that can cater to the rapidly-growing IoT devices.
It was conceptualised, designed and developed at Pratap Subrahmanyam Centre for Digital Intelligence and Secure Hardware Architecture (PS-CDISHA) of RISE group.
The project was funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The design of the microprocessor, motherboard printed circuit board design, assembly and post-silicon boot-up were done at IIT Madras.
The foundry-specific back-end design and fabrication was undertaken at Semi-Conductor Laboratory of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Shakthi Moushik SOC will constitute the heart of an indigenously-developed motherboard called Ardonyx 1.0.
The field application of Moushik includes smart cards, such as credit and debit cards; ID cards; travel cards for Metros and driving licences; electronic voting machines; office management systems including attendance, surveillance cameras and safe locks; personalised health management systems; consumer electronics, including washing machines and water pump monitoring systems.
The indigenous effort reduces the risk of deploying systems that may be infected with back-doors and hardware Trojans.

Additional Information: IIT Madras developed a biodegradable wrapping material, with a built in antibacterial compound to prevent food contamination and to reduce plastic waste.

It has won SITARE – Gandhian young technological innovation appreciation 2020.

7. ENCRYPTION

Subject: Science and tech

Context: Leading Intelligence agencies has written to tech companies to seek a way around encryption.

Concept:

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a system of communication where only the communicating users can read the messages.
In principle, it prevents potential eavesdroppers – including telecom providers, Internet providers, and even the provider of the communication service – from being able to access the cryptographic keys needed to decrypt the conversation. End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data being read or secretly modified, other than by the true sender and recipient(s).
The messages are encrypted by the sender but the third party does not have a means to decrypt them, and stores them encrypted. The recipient retrieves the encrypted data and decrypts it themselves.

8. ECONOMICS NOBEL PRIZE

Context: The Nobel Prize for Economics, 2020 was awarded to Paul R Milogrom and Robert B Wilson.

Concept:

They were awarded for improvements to Auction Theory and also for inventing new auction formats.

What is Auction Theory?

It is an applied branch of economics that speaks of people action in auction markets. It deals with how people research the properties of auction markets. The theory is more suited for auctions for privatization of public-sector companies or sale of electromagnetic spectrum.

9. NORTH EAST MONSOON

Subject: Geography

Context: Northeast monsoon is likely to set in after october 25 according to Indian Meteorological Department,

Concept:

October to December is recognised as the period for Northeast monsoon by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The northeast monsoon (winter monsoon) blows from land to sea.
During this period, rainfall is experienced over southern states, mainly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh along with some parts of Telangana and Karnataka.
In areas around Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and along the northeast, precipitation during this period reported is either in the form of rainfall or snowfall.
It can be noted that many other parts of the country, like the Gangetic plains and northern states, also receive rain in November and December but this is not due to the northeast monsoon.
It is caused mainly by the Western Disturbances, an eastward-moving rain-bearing wind system that originates beyond Afghanistan and Iran, picking up moisture from as far as the Mediterranean Sea, even the Atlantic Ocean. In the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the precipitation is often in the form of snow.
The northeast monsoon does not have anything to do with northeast India. It derives its name from the direction in which it travels, from the northeast to the southwest.

What is La Nina?

Also known as ‘El Viejo’ or cold event, La Nina is observed when the water temperature in the Eastern Pacific gets comparatively colder than normal, as a consequence of which, there is a strong high pressure over the eastern equatorial Pacific. The difference in pressure between Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific/Asia causes a moisture-laden wind movement from East to West Pacific and Asia.
As a result, La Nina causes drought in the South American countries of Peru and Ecuador, heavy floods in Australia, high temperatures in Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, off the Somalian coast and a comparatively better monsoon rains in India.(However often considered unfavourable for northeast monsoon over states like TN).Generally, El Nino and La Nina occur every 4 -5 years. El Nino is more frequent than La Nina.

India Meteorological Department

It was established in 1875.
It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.