Daily Prelims Notes 15 January 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

15 January 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Rising sea, shrinking sands erode vibrancy of Ganga Sagar Mela
2. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu sets a deadline, demanding India withdraw its troops by March 15
3. A Speaker’s flawed move to determine the real faction
4. DRDO launches assault rifle ‘Ugram’ for Indian Army
5. Accelerated market entry: Govt permits parallel testing for electronics from manufacturers
6. Govt likely to unveil new PMAY-G version with 85% higher financial assistance

1. Rising sea, shrinking sands erode vibrancy of Ganga Sagar Mela

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in news

Context:

• The Ganga Sagar Mela at the Kapil Muni temple on Sagar Island in West Bengal is facing challenges due to rising sea levels and beach erosion.

Details:

• The West Bengal government is seeking “national fair” status for the religious congregation due to its uniqueness and spiritual significance.
• The beach in front of the temple is covered with mud.
• The government has installed tetrapods, a type of wave-dissipating concrete block, to address erosion, and their effectiveness will be assessed after the monsoon.
• There is the formation of a char land near Sagar Island due to sediment deposition.
• Rising sea levels are bringing water close to the Kapil Muni temple, and previous temples of Kapil Muni have submerged in the sea.
• Reason for coastal erosion:
  • Human interventions, including the removal of sand dunes and vegetation for Mela ground extension
  • Violations of Coastal Regulation Zone in constructions on Sagar Island
  • The impact of reduced sediment influx from the Ganga-Meghna-Brahmaputra river system, leading to land loss in the Sundarbans.

Sagar Island:

• It is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata.
• Although Sagar Island is a part of Sundarbans, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall Sundarban delta.
• This island is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti, Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers in the Kapil Muni Temple.
• Kolkata Port Trust has a pilot station and a light house.

Islands of Sundarbans

Source: TH

2. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu sets a deadline, demanding India withdraw its troops by March 15

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Defence

Context:

• According to the Maldives government, India has around 88 soldiers stationed in the  Maldives.
• New Delhi has maintained that most of them are technical staff, engaged predominantly in maintaining aircraft gifted by India.

Diplomatic Strain:

• India-Maldives High-Level Core Group meets; Indian statement focuses on finding a “mutually workable solution” for continued aviation operations.
• Muizzu’s consistent demand for troop withdrawal aligns with his past pledges and recent state visit to China, signalling evolving geopolitical dynamics.

India as a First Responder to the Maldives:

• It is a focal point for the Indian government’s priorities under the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy.’
• India’s swift response and immediate assistance during the 1988 coup attempt. The Indian Armed Forces acted promptly, executing Operation Cactus.
• India was the first to assist Maldives during the 2004 Tsunami as well as the water crisis in Malé in Dec 2014.
• India’s swift dispatch of 30,000 doses of measles vaccine in Jan 2020 to prevent an outbreak in the Maldives.
• Both nations are key players in maintaining the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), thus contributing to India-led Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision.
• Defense cooperation extends to the areas of Joint Exercises – “Ekuverin”, “Dosti”, “Ekatha” and “Operation Shield”.

3. A Speaker’s flawed move to determine the real faction

Subject: Polity

Section: Legislatures

Context: 

• In the Shiv Sena case in Maharashtra, the question as to which faction is the real party cannot be decided by the Speaker as the Tenth Schedule does not require him to decide this.

What constitutes defection?

• Voluntarily giving up the membership of their original party or voting against the whip of the party are treated as defection and the Members of the legislature who do either of these things are liable to be disqualified under the anti-defection law contained in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
• In Rajendra Singh Rana vs Swami Prasad Maurya (2007), the Court stated that when a member or a group of members of the ruling party joins hands with the Opposition party and meets the Governor along with the Members of the Opposition and try to form an alternative government, they can be said to have voluntarily given up the membership of their original party.
• Earlier, under the Tenth Schedule, a legislator could avoid disqualification on two grounds: a split in his political party where one-third of the legislators form a faction and break with that party, or the legislator’s party merging with another party and not less than two-thirds agree to the merger and walkout of the original party.
• The split provision in paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule was omitted through the 91st Constitution Amendment in 2003 due to frequent abuse by legislators. Now only the merger provision in paragraph 4 remains, which can protect defectors provided the conditions stipulated in paragraph 4 are met, such as the merger of the defectors party with another party.

4. DRDO launches assault rifle ‘Ugram’ for Indian Army

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Defence

Context:

• Ugram is a state-of-the-art assault rifle of the 7.62 x 51 mm caliber. It was launched by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Monday.

More on news:

• The Defence Acquisition Council in December gave a nod for procurement of 70,000 US-made SIG Sauer assault rifles.

About Ugram Assault Rifle:

• DRDO’s Pune-based facility Armament Research and Development Establishments (ARDE) along with Hyderabad-based Dvipa Armour India Private Limited, has developed the rifle .
• Ugram weighs less than four kilograms and has an effective range of 500 meters.
• It has been designed based on the General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs) of the Indian Army.
• The rifle has a rivet-free design and is capable of firing in both single as well as full auto mode.
• The assault rifle has been designed for the operational requirements of armed forces, paramilitary and state police entities.
• We have followed the concept of Development cum Production Partner, DcPP for the speedy progress of the project.
• A Mission Mode Project of the DRDO refers to a focused and time-bound development undertaken to achieve specific goals and objectives in the field of defense and technology.

Concept of Development cum Production Partner

• Under this, the vendor is associated with us during the design and production too.
• After the product is made by the vendor, it will undergo the acceptance trials.

About SIG Sauer assault rifles:

• The SIG Sauer SIG516 is a rifle manufactured by SIG Sauer. 
• It is a semi-automatic or select fire multi-caliber rifle.
•  It fires from a closed bolt, and has a short-stroke pushrod piston system.

5. Accelerated market entry: Govt permits parallel testing for electronics from manufacturers

Subject: Economy

Section: National economy

Context:

• Products of electronics and mobile manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Dell and others will now reach the market faster as the government has now allowed parallel testing of 64 electronics devices.
• These devices include mobile phones, wireless earphones, headphones, laptops, notebooks and tablets.

More on news:

• Manufacturers can opt for parallel testing voluntarily, while those preferring the traditional sequential method could continue to do so.
• Electronics and IT hardware makers can save as much as 4 to 13 weeks in the compliance process with the recent guidelines issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS):

• According to the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) electronic products, whether imported or manufactured locally are required to be mandatorily tested.
• They need security approvals from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) before being deployed as final products and sold to customers.

About Parallel Testing:

• In parallel testing different components are simultaneously tested unlike sequential testing where the tests are done one after another.
• Components can be deployed and can reach the market faster in parallel testing compared to sequential testing.
• Under parallel testing, the lab will test the first component and issue a test report.
• The voluntary adoption of parallel testing not only streamlines the compliance process for manufacturers but also significantly accelerates the go-to-market strategy compared to the traditional sequential testing methodology.
• This initiative enhances the speed of doing business, allowing companies to introduce cutting-edge products to Indian consumers more swiftly, thus contributing to the success of the Make in India mission.

About Bureau of Indian standards (BIS):

• It is the National Standard Body of India.
• It was established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods.
• It works under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• The Minister in charge of theMinistry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.
• The organization was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which was set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies.
• It is one of the founding members of International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• BIS has its Headquarters at New Delhi and its 05 Regional Offices (ROs) are at Kolkata (Eastern), Chennai (Southern), Mumbai (Western), Chandigarh (Northern) and Delhi (Central).
• BIS has 500 plus scientific officers working as Certification Officers, Member secretaries of technical committees and lab OIC’s.
• The organization was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which was set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies.

6. Govt likely to unveil new PMAY-G version with 85% higher financial assistance

Subject: Schemes

Section: Rural Dev

Context:

• The government may unveil a new version of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) for the next five years.
• The financial assistance will be 85 percent higher than under the current scheme for each beneficiary, to build pucca houses in rural areas.

More on news:

• The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JAN- MAN) scheme in November last year.
• Under the scheme Rs 2.39 lakh/unit is given for the provision of pucca houses to improve socio-economic conditions of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGS).
• Keeping in mind the escalation in cost, a similar cash support will likely be given in the new version of PMAY-G.
• The expected savings in PMAY-G would cover the additional allocation of Rs 16,143 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the first supplementary demand for grants.
• The Centre is likely to launch revamped urban affordable housing keeping in mind the escalation in costs.

About Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G):

• It is launched by the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Under the PMAY- G, the beneficiaries are provided financial assistance of
  • Rs 1.2 lakh in plains and 
  • Rs 1.3 lakh in hilly states-Northeastern states and union territories (UTs) of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh-as well as difficult areas and Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts.
• Beneficiaries are based on housing deprivation parameters of Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011 and are subjected   to13-point exclusion criteria followed by Gram Sabha verification.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U):

• PMAY-U is a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
• It was launched on 25th June 2015. 
• The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022.
• As per PMAY(U) guidelines, the size of a house for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) could be up to 30 sq. mt. carpet area.
• However States/UTs have the flexibility to enhance the size of houses in consultation and approval of the Ministry.

About PM-JANMAN:

•  The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs will be nodal and coordinating Ministry, whereas each of other 8 sectoral ministries and departments will implement the interventions related to them
• PM JANMAN is a government scheme that aims to bring tribal communities into the mainstream.
• The PM-JANMAN (comprising Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes) to focus on 11 critical interventions through 9 Ministries including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• The PM JANMAN Mission targets the development of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) who have been left out by the schemes of various Ministries/Departments.
• Tribal Health is one of the key focus areas under PM JANMAN.