Daily Prelims Notes 14 March 2023

March 14, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

14 March 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Smoke particles from wildfires can erode ozone layer

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context: The researchers identified a new chemical reaction by which smoke particles from the Australian wildfires made ozone depletion worse.

More on the News:

The smoke from recent wildfires is threatening to slow and even reverse the recovery of Earth’s ozone layer, according to a study.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US noted that a wildfire can pump smoke up into the stratosphere, where the particles drift for over a year.
While suspended there, these particles can trigger chemical reactions that erode the ozone layer.
The researchers’ model also indicates the fires had an effect in the Polar Regions, eating away at the edges of the ozone hole over Antarctica.

Ozone:

Ozone is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms (O3). It occurs naturally in small (trace) amounts in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere).
Ozone protects life on Earth from the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
In the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) near the Earth’s surface, ozone is created by chemical reactions between air pollutants from vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and other emissions. At ground level, high concentrations of ozone are toxic to people and plants.
Ninety percent of the ozone in the atmosphere sits in the stratosphere, the layer of atmosphere between about 10 and 50 kilometers altitude
The natural level of ozone in the stratosphere is a result of a balance between sunlight that creates ozone and chemical reactions that destroy it.
Ozone is destroyed when it reacts with molecules containing nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, or bromine.
Increased levels of human-produced gases such as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) have led to increased rates of ozone destruction, upsetting the natural balance of ozone and leading to reduced stratospheric ozone levels. These reduced ozone levels have increased the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.

For Ozone hole and Montreal Protocol refer https://optimizeias.com/ozone-layer-to-recover-in-4-decades-but-aerosol-injection-may-undo-gains-unep/

2. IPES report highlights global hunger crisis amid high debt

Subject: Environment

Section: International convention and environmental Organisation

Context: At least 21 countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Zimbabwe — were nearing catastrophic levels of both debt distress and rising hunger in 2022, according to a new report.

More on the News:

Global public debt was at its highest levels in almost 60 years and countries were having to choose between repaying debts and feeding people, said the special report by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).
About 60 per cent of low-income countries and 30 per cent of middle-income countries were considered at high risk of (or already in) debt distress.
The world’s poorest countries saw the costs of servicing their debt increase by 35 per cent in 2022, the report titled, Breaking the cycle of unsustainable food systems, hunger, and debt
This pointed out how the food price crisis was entering a dangerous phase, a debt crisis that could plunge millions more into hunger.

International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food)

International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems – is a diverse and independent panel of experts guided by new ways of thinking about research, sustainability, and food systems.
Since 2015, IPES-Food has uniquely shaped the debate on global food systems reform, through policy-oriented research and direct engagement with policy processes.
With 23 experts from 16 countries across 5 continents, the panel brings together ground-breaking thinkers on global food systems – including a World Food Prize laureate, a holder of the Légion d’Honneur, a Balzan Prizewinner, and two recipients of the Right Livelihood Award.
IPES-Food is co-chaired by Olivier De Schutter, current UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, and Maryam Rahmanian, independent expert on agriculture and food systems.
Comprising environmental scientists, development economists, nutritionists, agronomists and sociologists, as well as experienced practitioners from civil society & social movements, the panel takes a systemic approach that recognizes the complex and interconnected nature of challenges in food systems, and the power relations that shape decision-making.
IPES-Food does not accept funding from governments or corporations, allowing the panel to deliver independent analysis that addresses the most pressing questions.

3. Oscar win for ‘The Elephant Whisperers’

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Indian documentary The Elephant Whisperers emerged as the winner in the Best Documentary Short category at the 95th Academy Awards, among the five films nominated.

More on the News:

The documentary shows the lives of Bomman and Bellie, two Indigenous people entrusted with the care of two orphaned baby elephants, Raghu and Ammu. It portrays the bond between the elephants and the couple as they nurture the calves.
The film also highlights the stunning beauty of Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai National Park and gives a peek into the lives of the Kattunayakan, an indigenous community that inhabits parts of South India.
It also emphasises the importance of involving indigenous communities in the process of conservation.
The documentary also sheds light on the incessant human-animal conflict, with Raghu losing his mother to electrocution and Bellie losing her partner to a tiger attack.
The film is also the first Indian production that has won an Academy Award for the Documentary Short category.

Kattunayakan tribes:

Kattunayakan is one of the tribes who had been the true inhabitants of forest. As the name indicates they were once the kings of jungles. They rarely mix with other tribes and still follow black magic and sorcery.
They are completely dependent on forest and forest products and subsist on honey, roots and barks of plants and what small animals that they trap or fell with their bows and arrows. They are also known as Then Kurumas as they collect honey from the forest.
They follow a religion which is strongly rooted in their culture and worship animals, birds, trees, rocks and snakes and almost everything natural. They also worship their ancestors.
The physical features of hill-tribes are very obvious in them and their language is a mixture of all Dravidian languages.
The Kattunayakan community is found nowadays in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. While they are called Kattunayakan in Wayanad, those belonging to interiors of Nilambur of Malappuram district are called Cholanaickan and those who live in the plains of Malappuram district are called Pathinaickans.

For Mudumalai Tiger Reserve refer https://optimizeias.com/mudumalai-tiger-reserve-2/

4. NGT appointed committee holds Kochi Corporation responsible

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Concept :

The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management appointed by the National Green Tribunal has held the Kochi Corporation responsible for all the fire incidents at the Brahmapuram dump site.
SLMC report highlights various defects in the dump site, which can lead to more accidents in the future also.
There was no progress in the process of bio mining undertaken by an independent service provider.
Also, it remains doubtful whether they had set up adequate fire fighting mechanism at the yard.

What is Biomining?

Biomining is mineral processing with microbes.
Biomining is the process of using microorganisms (microbes) to extract metals of economic interest from rock ores or mine waste.
Biomining techniques may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals.
Valuable metals are commonly bound up in solid minerals. Some microbes can oxidize those metals, allowing them to dissolve in water. This is the basic process behind most biomining, which is used for metals that can be more easily recovered when dissolved than from the solid rocks.
A different biomining technique, for metals which are not dissolved by the microbes, uses microbes to break down the surrounding minerals, making it easier to recover the metal of interest directly from the remaining rock.

What metals are currently bio-mined?

Most current biomining operations target valuable metals like copper, uranium, nickel, and gold that are commonly found in sulfidic (sulphur-bearing)
Microbes are especially good at oxidizing sulfidic minerals, converting metals like iron and copper into forms that can dissolve more easily.
Other metals, like gold, are not directly dissolved by this microbial process, but are made more accessible to traditional mining techniques because the minerals surrounding these metals are dissolved and removed by microbial processes.
When the metal of interest is directly dissolved, the biomining process is called “bioleaching,” and when the metal of interest is made more accessible or “enriched” in the material left behind, it is called “bio oxidation.”

What processes are used to bio-mine?

Heap leaching: freshly mined material is moved directly into heaps that are then bioleached.
Dump leaching: low-value ore or waste rock is placed in a sealed pit and then bioleached to remove more of the valuable metals from the waste pile.
Agitated leaching: crushed rocks are placed into a large vat that is shaken to distribute the microbes and material evenly and speed up the bioleaching process.
Leaching times vary from days to months, making this process slower than conventional mineral extraction techniques.
Dump and heap leaching are the oldest and most established biomining techniques, but the use of agitated leaching is becoming more common for minerals that are resistant to leaching, including some copper sulfides like chalcopyrite.

What are the environmental risks of biomining?

the release of the microbes themselves into the local environment are considered to be relatively small.
The greatest environmental risks are related to leakage and treatment of the acidic, metal-rich solution created by the microbes.
This risk can be managed by ensuring that biomining is conducted under controlled conditions with proper sealing and waste management protocols.

How common is biomining?

Biomining is currently a small part of the overall mining industry.
worldwide, 10-15% of copper is extracted using bioleaching.
Biomining is also important in the gold industry, where roughly 5% of global gold is produced using bio oxidation.

Difference between Bio-capping and Biomining:

About National Green Tribunal

It is a specialised body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.
NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the principal place of sitting and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the other four.

Structure of NGT

The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment.
The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI). A selection committee would be formed for this purpose.

Powers & Jurisdiction

The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial question relating to environment (including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment).
Being a statutory adjudicatory body like Courts, apart from original jurisdiction side on filing of an application, NGT also has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeal as a Court (Tribunal).
The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, but shall be guided by principles of ‘natural justice’.
While passing any order/decision/ award, it shall apply the principles of sustainable development, the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle.
An order/decision/award of Tribunal is executable as a decree of a civil court.
The NGT Act also provides a procedure for a penalty for non compliance.
An appeal against order/decision/ award of the NGT lies to the Supreme Court, generally within ninety days from the date of communication.
The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment, these include:
- The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,
- The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977,
- The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980,
- The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,
- The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,
- The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and
- The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Any violation pertaining to these laws or any decision taken by the Government under these laws can be challenged before the NGT.

5. Room-temperature Superconductors

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Physics

Concept :

A study has reported the discovery of room-temperature superconductivity in nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride at about a thousand atmospheres of pressure.

Room-temperature superconductors

Recently, scientists at the University of Rochester in the US have reported the discovery of room-temperature superconductivity in nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride at about a thousand atmospheres of pressure.
According to the researchers, the presence of nitrogen led to the findings.
The nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride exhibited superconductivity upon the jiggling motion of the crystal, and the scientists have inferred that the right amount of nitrogen could induce the right amount of jiggling that can induce superconductivity at room temperature but without destabilising the crystal.
However, the discovery has become controversial as there are scientific criticisms of the methods employed by the researchers to process the data and other subtraction methods.

Superconductors:

Superconductors are those materials that do not resist the flow of current and hence conduct electricity without any energy losses.
No heat, sound or any other form of energy would be released from the material when it has reached critical temperature (Tc), or the temperature at which the material becomes superconductive.
The critical temperature for superconductors is the temperature at which the electrical resistivity of metal drops to zero.
Scientists have found out that superconductors can exhibit truly quantum phenomena and can enable revolutionary technologies, such as quantum computing.
Some of the popular examples of superconductors are Aluminium, Magnesium diboride, Niobium, Copper oxide, Yttrium barium and Iron pnictides.
As per the studies, all the materials which are known to be superconductors gain such properties in special circumstances and outside those circumstances, they resist the flow of current.
Example: Aluminium becomes superconducting when it is cooled below its critical temperature i.e. less than –250°C.
Researchers across the world have been working towards finding materials that exhibit superconductive properties in ambient conditions such as a few atmospheres of pressure and at room temperature.
Studies have indicated that hydrogen and materials based on it could hold great promise in this regard.
Example: In 2019, scientists in Germany found lanthanum hydride (LaH10) to be a superconductor at –20° C but under more than a million atmospheres of pressure which is almost equal to the pressures at the centre of the earth.

6. India remains world’s largest importer of arms: SIPRI report

Subject : Defense

Concept :

As per the report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India has remained the world’s largest arms importer between 2018 and 2022 despite there being a drop in imports by around 11% between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022.
According to the report, Russia was the largest arms supplier to India from 2013 to 2022. However, the percentage of total imports from Russia has fallen from 64% to 45%.
France has displaced the US (11%) to become the second-largest supplier of arms to India, accounting for close to 30% of its defence imports.
The latest report has also revealed that:
Among the top 10 arms exporters for the period 2018 to 2022, India was the biggest arms export market to Russia, France and Israel.
India has been the second-largest export market to South Korea and the third-largest market for South Africa.
Saudi Arabia is the second largest arms importer after India.
While India’s tensions with its neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and China have been the major drivers in the arms imports and the decrease in the share of imports compared to the 2013-2017 period is mainly on account of India’s slow and complex arms procurement process, efforts to diversify arms suppliers, and the attempts by the government to achieve self-reliance in the defence sector.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
Established in 1966 and based in Stockholm (Sweden), SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
It is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks.

7. National Disaster Response Fund

Subject : Schemes

Concept :

A committee chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional Central assistance worth ₹1,816.16 crore.
It was released under the National Disaster Response Fund to Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Nagaland, which were affected by flood, landslips and cloudburst in 2022.
This additional aid is over and above the funds released by the Centre to the States in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), already placed at the disposal of the States.

About National Disaster Response Fund

The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements SDRF of a State, in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in SDRF.
It is a fund managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster.
NDRF amount can be spent only towards meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation.
It is financed through the levy of a cess on certain items, chargeable to excise and customs duty, and approved annually through the Finance Bill.
The requirement for funds beyond what is available under the NDRF is met through general budgetary resources.
A provision also exists in the DM Act to encourage any person or institution to make a contribution to the NDRF.
It is kept under “Public Accounts” of Government of India.
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audits the accounts of NDRF.
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) monitors relief activities for calamities associated with drought, hailstorms, pest attacks and cold wave /frost while rest of the natural calamities are monitored by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

8. Section 8 (1) (j) of RTI Act

Subject: Polity

Concept:

Activists and Opposition MPs on Monday expressed concern over a proposed amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act,2005.
The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, which the government may introduce in the Budget Session, removes provisions from Section8(1)(j) that allow public interest disclosure.
After the amendment, the RTI Act would say that any information that is personal will not be disclosed, leaving away the concept of disclosure based on the larger public interest.

Section 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005

Section 8 (1) mentions exemptions against furnishing information under RTI Act.
Section 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005 encapsulates that information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual, unless the CPIO or SPIO or the Appellate Authority is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information should be exempted from disclosure.
Further, the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or the State Legislature shall not be denied to any person.
So, Section 8(1)(j) of the Act allows officials to refuse access to information if it intrudes on the privacy of an individual, but permits disclosure of information if there is an overriding public interest.

9. EC Power to de-register a Political Party

Subject: Polity

Section: Election

Concept :

The Election Commission of India has submitted before the Allahabad High Court that it has no Jurisdiction to either ban caste-based rallies organized by political parties in the non-election period or to ban them from contesting subsequent polls.
The submission was made by the Election watchdog in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea filed by one Moti Lal Yadav before the High Court in the year 2013 seeking a ban on all such political rallies that organize caste rallies.
The PIL plea also seeks a direction to the ECI to cancel the registration of such political parties which organize such rallies.

EC Submissions on Court

Significantly, the ECI submitted that it has formulated a set of strict rules which prohibit electioneering along communal lines, or seeking votes on the basis of caste, creed, or religion, however, the violation of the same can not be dealt with by the ECI outside the election period.
The ECI also informed the Court that it can take action against delinquent political parties, contesting candidates, and their agents who make appeals on caste lines in their election campaign only during the election period (after the model code of conduct kicks in till the completion of polls) and that outside this period, it can not take actions against the political parties.

EC Power regarding De-registration of a Political Party

The ECI is not empowered to de-register parties on the grounds of violating the Constitution or breaching the undertaking given to it at the time of registration ECI under Section 29 A (5).
ECI submitted that while it can register a party under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the commission has no power to de-register a party except on the limited grounds as mentioned in the Supreme Court order in the case of Indian National Congress vs. Institute of Social Welfare and Others (2002).
Indian National Congress vs Institute of Social Welfare (2002) :
This case addressed the issue of whether the ECI under Section 29-A of RPA 1951 has the authority to deregister or cancel party’s registration.
The court held that ECI has no express mandate to deregister a political party for violating Indian Constitution, except in rare circumstances like (a) when a party becomes registered by defrauding; (b) when a political party modifies its terminologies of association, rules, abrogating the provisions or notifies the Commission that it has lost allegiance to the Indian Constitution or its principles; and (c) when the central government declares a political party illegal under the UAPA 1967.

Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan vs UOI :

In the Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan vs UOI (2014), the Supreme Court requested the Law Commission to examine whether ECI should be granted the power of deregistering political parties, since it lacks effective execution.

Law Commission

The recommendations of the Law Commission are still pending before the Parliament.
This has led to lack of effective control over political parties by the ECI. The legislation on this grey area is the need of the hour – a significant electoral reform that can potentially rid the democratic-political ecosystem from some of its evils.

10. Antiquities abroad: Indian and International Laws

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept :

About Antiquities

The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act (1972), defines “antiquity” as –
any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship;
any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave;
any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages;
any article, object or thing of historical interest.
The minimum time for any of the above mentioned items to be considered as antique is 100 years.
For “manuscript, record or other document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value”, this duration is “not less than 75 years.”

International Conventions w.r.t. Antiquities:

The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is an international treaty.
The convention urges States Parties to take measures to prohibit and prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
It provides a common framework for the States Parties on the measures to be taken to prohibit and prevent the import, export and transfer of cultural property.
To date, the Convention has been ratified by 143 states (including India).
In 2000, the General Assembly of the UN and the UN Security Council in 2015 and 2016 also raised concerns on the issue.
An INTERPOL report in 2019 said that almost 50 years after the UNESCO convention, “the illicit international traffic of cultural items and related offences is sadly increasingly prolific.”

Indian Laws w.r.t. Antiquities:

In India, Item-67 of the Union List, Item-12 of the State List, and Item-40 of the Concurrent List of the Constitution deal with the country’s heritage.
Before Independence, an Antiquities (Export Control) Act had been passed in 1947 to ensure that “no antiquity could be exported without license.”
Post-independence, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 was enacted.
Further, the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (AATA) was implemented in 1976.
Under the AATA, no person carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity except in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence.
This licence is granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Provenance and the Ownership of an Antiquity

Provenance includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker’s possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner
The first thing in order to prove the ownership is the complaint (FIR) filed with the police.
Under the UNESCO 1970 Convention, a requesting party has to furnish the documentation and other evidence necessary to establish its claim for recovery and return.

How to Check for Fake Antiquities?

Under section 14(3) of the AATA, “Every person who owns, controls or is in possession of any antiquity” shall register such antiquity before the registering officer “and obtain a certificate in token of such registration.”
So far, the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, launched in March 2007, has registered 3.52 lakh antiquities among the 16.70 lakh it has documented, to help in “effective check” of illegal activities.
This is a very small portion of the total number of antiquities in the country (estimated to be around 58 lakh).

Can India bring back Antiquities?

There are three categories –
Antiquities taken out of India pre-independence;
Those which were taken out since independence until March 1976, i.e. before the implementation of AATA; and
Antiquities taken out of the country since April 1976.
For items in the first two categories, requests have to be raised bilaterally or on international fora.
Antiquities in the second and third categories can be retrieved easily by raising an issue bilaterally with proof of ownership and with the help of the UNESCO convention.

11. In Cambodia, a battle for democracy, inclusiveness

Subject : History

Section : Art and Culture

Concept :

The imprisonment of Opposition leader Kem Sokha who was found guilty of treason by a municipal court in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh has attracted criticism from the international community and human rights groups.
Due to the impact of Pol Pot’s dictatorship and the continuous cycles of war which officially ended in 1991, Cambodia is struggling to elevate its economy from a lower-income status. Further, there have been growing concerns about democratic freedoms and inclusive development in the southeast Asian country.
Additionally, there have also been concerns over the growing Chinese investment in Cambodia.
A 187-km-long expressway that connects the Sihanoukville port town with the capital Phnom Penh has been built with a Chinese investment of $2 billion which is now a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

India’s Presence in Cambodia

India is currently involved in restoring the 12th-century sites at the Angkor Wat temple in the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia.
India is also engaged in extending technical training, livelihood support, and supporting local entrepreneurship.
However, the locals opine that India should help promote democracy within Cambodia as without democratic freedoms, the development initiatives fail to reach people.

Angkor Vat Temple

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world.
It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.
It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
Architecture: Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres (160 hectares), and marks the high point of Khmerarchitecture.
Stylistic elements: the ogival, lotus bud-shaped towers, half-galleries, axial galleries, connecting enclosures and cruciform terraces.

12. PM Modi termed the Congress leader’s remarks “an insult to (12th-centurysocial reformer) Basaveshwara

Subject : History

Section: Personality

About Basaveshwara

Basavanna was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a social reformer during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka, India.
Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas. Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals.
He introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual experience”), which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds to discuss spiritual and mundane questions of life, in open.
As a leader, he developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or “ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva”.
This movement shared its roots in the Tamil Bhakti movement, particularly the Shaiva Nayanars traditions, over the 7th- to 11th-century.

Lingayats

The term Lingayat denotes a person who wears a personal linga, an iconic form of god Shiva, on the body which is received during the initiation ceremony.
Lingayats are the followers of the 12th-century social reformer-philosopher poet, Basaveshwara.
The Lingayats are strict monotheists. They enjoin the worship of only one God, namely, Linga (Shiva).
The word ‘Linga’ does not mean Linga established in temples, but universal consciousness qualified by the universal energy (Shakti).
Lingayats had been classified as a Hindu subcaste called “Veerashaiva Lingayats” and they are considered to be Shaivites.

Sharana movement:

The Sharana movement , Basaveshwara presided over attracted people from all castes, and like most strands of the Bhakti movement, produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the Veerashaiva saints.
The egalitarianism of Basavanna’s Sharana movement was too radical for its times.
He set up the Anubhava Mandapa, where the Sharanas, drawn from different castes and communities, gathered and engaged in learning and discussions.
Sharanas challenged the final bastion of the caste order: they organised a wedding where the bridegroom was from a lower caste, and the bride a Brahmin.

13. ICC may launch war crimes cases against Russia over Ukraine war

Subject :International Relations

Section: International Organisation

International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (ICC), located in The Hague, is the court of last resort for prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
It is the first permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
Its founding treaty, the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002.
Funding: Although the Court’s expenses are funded primarily by States Parties, it also receives voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, individuals, corporations and other entities.

Composition and voting power:

The Court’s management oversight and legislative body, the Assembly of States Parties, consists of one representative from each state party.
Each state party has one vote and “every effort” has to be made to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, decisions are made by vote.
The Assembly is presided over by a president and two vice-presidents, who are elected by the members to three-year terms.

Criticisms:

It does not have the capacity to arrest suspects and depends on member states for their cooperation.
Critics of the Court argue that there are insufficient checks and balances on the authority of the ICC prosecutor and judges and insufficient protection against politicized prosecutions or other abuses.
The ICC has been accused of bias and as being a tool of Western imperialism, only punishing leaders from small, weak states while ignoring crimes committed by richer and more powerful states.
ICC cannot mount successful cases without state cooperation is problematic for several reasons. It means that the ICC acts inconsistently in its selection of cases, is prevented from taking on hard cases and loses legitimacy.

14. ‘Chip 4’ alliance

Subject :International relations

Section : Groupings

Context:

Japan, the United States, South Korea and Taiwan have held the first meeting of senior officials under a new U.S.-led framework to help ensure a stable supply of semiconductors.
Details:
The “Chip 4” or “Fab 4” alliance includes four of the world’s top producers of semiconductors: the S., Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
It represents more than 70 percent of the value of the global semiconductor industry.
It was first proposed by the US in March 2022 as part of wider plans aimed at enhancing the “security” and “resilience” of semiconductor supply chains, including by reducing the world’s reliance on chips made in China.
It is intended to cooperate on policy implementation that would support sustainable semiconductor manufacturing in the member states’ home countries.
Objectives:
Support industry efforts to diversify their manufacturing base in semiconductor production.
Protect the Intellectual Property (IP) of companies in member countries.
Develop policies regarding the export of the most advanced semiconductors and equipment.

15. Albania migration Crisis

Subject :International relations

Section : Places in news

Context:

The UK recorded a spike in Albanians illegally entering the country in small boats across the English Channel last year.

More about the news:

12,301 Albanian nationals made the journey across the Channel in 2022, more than any other nationality in the world.
In 2022, Albanians accounted for 28 per cent of arrivals in small boats. For context, 8,633 migrants (less than 19 per cent) came via small boats from Afghanistan. India makes up for under 1.5 per cent.

Reason for the migration:

Albania is also one of the poorest countries in Europe
More than half of Albanians were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2020, the highest percentage in Europe.

How the UK became a destination:

Migration out of Albania pre-dates the spike seen in the UK. Historically, Albanians have migrated to neighbouring countries such as Italy and Greece, but this trend changed after the 2008 financial crisis, which hit these countries very hard. Since then, there has been an ever-growing number of Albanian migrants to northern and western Europe, with France and UK being preferred destinations.
Moreover,the emergence of the UK as a destination is linked to the workings of organised crime groups across the Channel, in northern France

What was UK response:

The UK signed a cooperation agreement with Albania in December 2022, which has come down hard on illegal migration from the country.
This agreement has declared Albania to be a “safe country”, making it much harder for migrants to be granted political asylum, and also raised the threshold someone has to meet to be considered a victim of “modern slavery” – a common basis for asylum claims.

More about Albania:

Officially known as the Republic of Albania is a country in Southeastern Europe.
It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea
It shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the
Tirana is its capital and largest city.
Albania joined the UNSC as a non permanent member for the first time in 2022.

16. Wagner Group of mercenaries

Subject :International relations

Section : Msc

Context:

Tensions are escalating between the United States President Joe Biden’s administration and the US Congress as they debate over designating the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization.

What is the issue:

The US had imposed the designation of a transnational criminal organisation on the group.
A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers is trying to pass legislation known as the Holding Accountable Russian Mercenaries (HARM) Act, which would require the US State Department to label the Wagner Group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
However, the Biden administration argues that the FTO designation might result in a “potential, negative blowback”,

What would the FTO designation mean for the Wagner Group:

FTO is a designation for non-US organisations that are deemed to be involved in terrorist activities.
According to Section 219 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State can “designate an organisation as a foreign terrorist organisation if the Secretary finds that:

The organisation is a foreign organisation.
The organisation engages in terrorist activity or terrorist.
Threatens the security of United States nationals or the national security of the United States.

Once an organisation is labelled as an FTO, “it is unlawful for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to” it.
Moreover, members and representatives of an FTO, “if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances, removable from the United States”.
The department also adds that the funds of an FTO must be frozen and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury.

Why is the Biden administration not designating the Wagner Group as FTO:

The Biden administration is reluctant to label Wagner Group as FTO as it believes that the move “could impede US efforts to convince and work with African nations to end their associations with or dependency on Wagner.

About Wagner Group:

The Wagner Group also known as PMC Wagner is a Russian paramilitary organization.
The group is believed to have been founded in 2014 by a Russian veteran of the Chechen war who so admired Hitler he named the group after Richard Wagner, the führer’s favorite composer.
The skull is the symbol of the Wagner Group.
The organization first came to the world’s attention in 2014, fighting alongside Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
The organization has also been active across Africa in recent years — Libya, Sudan, Mozambique, Mali and the Central African Republic.
Today there are thought to be some 10,000 Wagner Group members.
The U.S. government has called Wagner a “proxy force” of Russia’s defense ministry.