Daily Prelims Notes 18 January 2024

January 18, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

18 January 2024

Table Of Contents

1. The Legacy of Shankaracharya

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Adi Shankara

One of India’s greatest philosopher-sages, Shankaracharya was born in a Namboodiri Brahmin family. Adi Shankara took to contemplation and Vedantic studies at an early age and completed his gurukul studies in eight years. He went on a journey through India, propagating Vedantic Advaita. He firmly established Vedanta in India—all in a short span of 32 years.

Four Peethas: For spreading Vedanta, Adi Shankaracharya established four peethas (monasteries) in the four corners of the country, under the leadership of his four chief disciples. Their successors are heads of these peethas today. Two upa-peethas were also established in Kashi and Kanchi.

Shankaracharya Peethas

1. Sharda Peetha, Sringeri (Karnataka):Adi Shankaracharya set up his first peetha here for South India
Current Head: Shri Bharati Teertha

2. Kalika Peetha, Dwarka (Gujarat): Also called Sharada peetha, established in the western corner of the country
Current Head: Swami Swaroopanandji

3. Govardhan Peetha, Puri (Orissa): Established in the eastern corner of the country by Adi Shankaracharya
Current Head: Swami Nischalanandaji

4. Jyotir Peetha, Joshimath (Uttaranchal): For north India, established near Badrinath
Current Head: Swami Vasudevanandaji

Kamakoti Peetha, Kanchi (TN): Upa-peetha where Adi Shankaracharya used to perform “linga puja”
Current Head: Swami Jayendra Saraswati

Kashi Sumeru Peetha, Varanasi (UP): Upa-peetha (not recognised by some Hindu organisations)
Current Head: Swami Narendranandji

Who becomes Sankaracharya?

“Shankaracharya” is a traditional title for head of the peetha. It is handed over to the disciple by the incumbent Shankaracharya. The person should be a Brahmin by birth and a master in Yoga. He should be well-versed in Vedanta and must be recognised by the other three Shankaracharyas.

2. Greenland has lost 20% more ice than previously thought: study

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate change

Context:

Climate change has caused Greenland’s ice sheet to lose 20% more ice than previously thought, according to research published that used satellite imagery to track the retreat of glaciers over the past four decades.

Reasons for Melting:

About 80% of thinning of ice can be attributed to weather-related factors such as winds that break up and move the ice around.
The remaining 20% can be attributed to longer-term thinning of the ice due to global warming.

Impact of Melting Arctic Ice:

Global Climate: The glaciers act like the world’s refrigerator. Since they are covered in white snow and ice that reflect heat back into space (Albedo effect), they balance out other parts of the world that absorb heat.
Coastal Communities: Global average sea level has risen by about 7-8 inches since 1900, and it’s getting worse. Rising seas endanger coastal cities and small island nations by exacerbating coastal flooding and storm surge.
Food Security: Polar vortexes, increased heat waves, and unpredictability of weather caused by ice loss are already causing significant damage to crops on which global food systems depend.
Permafrost & Global Warming: Permafrost in the Arctic region (ground that is permanently frozen) stores large amounts of methane, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Biodiversity Threat: Melting of the ice puts the region’s vibrant biodiversity under serious threat.

3. Pak warns of consequences as Iran Strikes Terror Bases in Balochistan

Subject :IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

Iran launched unprecedented missile and drone strikes on terrorist bases of a Sunni militant group in the restive Balochistan province. Pakistan warns of severe consequences to Tehran.

Details:

Strikes were launched against the Jaish al-Adl militant group.
Site of strike: Panjgur in Balochistan.
A member of Iran’s Revolutionary Gaurd was shot dead in the country’s south-eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Balochistan:

Balochistan is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau’s far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline.
This arid region of desert and mountains is primarily populated by ethnic Baloch people.
The Balochistan region is split among three countries: Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Administratively it comprises the Pakistani province of Balochistan, the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and the southern areas of Afghanistan, which include Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
It borders the Khyber Paktunkhwa region to the north, Sindh and Punjab to the east, and Iranian regions to the west.
Its southern coastline, including the Makran Coast, is washed by the Arabian Sea, in particular by its western part, the Gulf of Oman.
Natural resources in the region:
- Balochistan is richly endowed with natural resources. The province possesses many minerals including coal, sulphur, chromite, iron ore, barytes, marble, quartzite, and limestone.
- Balochistan has the largest reserves of copper and gold in the world and is also blessed with huge oil reserves.
- In 1953, the natural gas discovered at the Sui area of Dera Bugti, Balochistan has supplied gas to all over Pakistan, but the people of Sui are still deprived of their own gas.
Strategic location:
- Dominated by natural resources, Balochistan is also the most significant province of the country due to its geo-strategic location.
- Gwadar port, located in the coastal belt of Balochistan, is a deep-sea port in the Indian Ocean, strategically important for regional and international players.
- Since the start of commercial trade at Gwadar port, the United States (US) has been concerned about the Chinese engagement in Balochistan.

4. On delisting some Kuki-Zomi tribes

Subject: Geography

Section: Human geography

Context:

The Manipur Government has been asked by the Centre to examine a representation seeking the delisting of certain Kuki and Zomi tribes from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of Manipur.

What led to the representation?

The representation to de-schedule certain Kuki and Zomi tribes in Manipur is a response to the ongoing ethnic conflict between the valley-based Meitei people and the hills-based Kuki-Zo (ST) people.
The Meiteis, who seek ST status to own land in forested hill districts where only STs can own land, argue against the inclusion of certain Kuki and Zomi tribes on the list.
This marks the first instance of the Meitei community challenging the ST status of other tribes, potentially influencing the criteria for defining STs set in 1965.

What does the representation say?

The representation by Mr Thounaojam (National Secretary of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) in Manipur) challenges the inclusion of three specific entries in Manipur’s Scheduled Tribe (ST) list: “Any Mizo(Lushai) Tribes,” “Zou,” and “Any Kuki Tribes.”
The main argument is that these tribes are not “indigenous” to Manipur, as there is no mention of them in pre-Independence Censuses.
The representation asserts that the ambiguity of the entries has facilitated illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in wrongfully obtaining benefits meant for STs in India.

Do these claims hold true?

The claim that certain tribes were not residing in Manipur at the time of the first Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) list in 1950 is refuted.
The list included entries such as “Any Kuki Tribe,” “Any Lushai Tribe,” and “Any Naga Tribe.” While there is no empirical evidence supporting the notion that the presence of these tribe names in the list has facilitated organized illegal immigration, the 1955 First Backward Classes Commission recommended adding individual tribe names to the ST list for Assam and the hills of Manipur, suggesting a need for updated information.
In 1956, the ST list for Manipur was revised, including 29 entries with individual tribe names, except for “Any Mizo (Lushai) Tribe,” which was retained, along with the tribe “Zou.”
The representation questions the lack of specific recommendations for these entries by the First Backward Classes Commission.
The “splintering tendency” among Kuki tribes, noted by the Lokur Commission in 1965, led to the addition of “Any Kuki Tribes” to the ST list in 2002-2003, addressing the identity concerns of a minority. However, the Bhuria Commission in 2002-2004 observed confusion and recommended mentioning specific tribe names in the ST list to prevent inter-tribe differences.
The Lokur Commission chose to classify tribes as larger groups with sub-tribes, including synonyms, to address this argument.

Important commissions:

First Backward Class Commission: It was set up by a Presidential Order under Article 340 of the Constitution of India on Jan 29th, 1953, under the Chairmanship of Shri Kaka Kalelkar (popularly known as Kaka Kalelkar Commission). It submitted its report on March 30th, 1955.
The criteria set out by the Lokur Committee (1965) for defining a community as a tribe are:
- indications of primitive traits,
- distinctive culture,
- geographical isolation,
- shyness of contact with the community at large,
Bhuria Commission 2002-04: In 1995, the Bhuria Committee, constituted to recommend provisions for the extension of panchayat raj to Scheduled Areas, recommended including these villages, but this is yet to be done. The President of India notifies India’s Scheduled Areas.
Xaxa Committee (2013): The Committee was mandated to examine the socio-economic, educational and health status of tribal communities and recommend appropriate interventional measures to improve the same. It submitted the report in May 2014.

Source: TH

5. Rainfall rising in over half of India’s sub-districts, says four-decade study

Subject :Geography

Section: Indian Physical Geography

In the news:

A detailed analysis of Indian monsoon changes at the tehsil level reveals that over 55% of India’s 4,400 tehsils have experienced an increase in rainfall.
The study, conducted by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), analyzes high-resolution meteorological data from 1982 to 2022 recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Study findings:

Approximately 11% of tehsils have observed decreasing rainfall, particularly during the critical southwest monsoon.
Among tehsils with reduced rainfall, about 68% experienced lower rainfall throughout the monsoon months from June to September, and 87% saw a decline during the crucial June and July period, impacting the sowing phase of Kharif crops.
Most affected tehsils are located in the Indo-Gangetic plains, northeastern India, and the Indian Himalayan region, which collectively contributes to over half of India’s agricultural production.

At district level:

An analysis at the district level in India over a period of time reveals that, collectively, the country experienced 29 ‘normal’, eight ‘above-normal’, and three ‘below-normal’ monsoon years.
However, when examining individual districts, 30% witnessed more years of deficient rainfall, and 38% saw many years of excessive rainfall.
Notably, 23 districts, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Nilgiris, Jaipur, Kachchh, and Indore, experienced both deficient and excessive rainfall in higher proportions.
Regions historically considered dry, such as several tehsils in Rajasthan, Gujarat, central Maharashtra, and parts of Tamil Nadu, have been getting wetter, aligning with the overall trend of increasing rainfall reported by a majority of tehsils.
In the study of localized wet rainfall extremes, it was found that nearly 64% of Indian tehsils experienced an increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall days by 1-15 days per year in the past decade during the southwest monsoon.
This trend is particularly prominent in tehsils of states with the highest GDPs, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
Additionally, in tehsils with increased rainfall during the southwest monsoon, the excess is attributed to short-duration, heavy rainfall events.

Increasingly erratic rainfall pattern:

Over the last decade (2012-2022), rainfall from the northeast monsoon, primarily affecting peninsular India from October to December, has increased by more than 10% in approximately 80% of tehsils in Tamil Nadu, 44% in Telangana, and 39% in Andhra Pradesh.
While the southwest monsoon contributes to 76% of India’s annual rainfall, the northeast monsoon accounts for about 11%.
Notably, several tehsils in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha, and West Bengal have reported increasing rainfall during these winter months, possibly due to cyclonic activity in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The monsoons play a crucial role in influencing food production, water availability, and energy transition.
Hyper-local climate risk assessments and action plans are essential for India to lead in climate action and disaster risk reduction, safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure in the face of extreme weather events.

Source: TH

6. “Centre of Excellence in Intelligent Internet of Things Sensors” and “India Innovation Centre for Graphene”

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Msc

Context:

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the following two flagship programs from Maker Village, Kochi, Kerala.
- “Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) Sensors” and
- India’s first Graphene Centre “India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG).

More on news:

The CoE in IIoT Sensors is a unique facility established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY.
The India’s first Graphene Centre IICG also has been established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY.
Digital University Kerala (DUK) (formerly IIITMK) and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET)-Thrissur are the technical partners for setting up these centers at Makers Village Kochi.
The complete full-fledged facility for R&D, incubation, innovation, skilling, capacity building, testing & certification shall be established at these centers by the experts of these agencies.
Shri S Krishnan has also launched Hardtech 2024, Maker Village’s annual flagship programme.
The programme aims to bring together leaders from Industries, Startups, Investors, Academia, R&D organizations in the field of electronics hardware design and manufacturing.

About CoE in IIoT Sensors:

The CoE in IIoT Sensors aims to catalyze the development of sensors within the realm of Intelligent IoT systems.
It will cover a broad spectrum of applications of intelligent sensors in networks, devices and sensor systems.

About India’s first Graphene Centre IICG:

The India’s first Graphene Centre IICG also has been established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY, GoI and Govt. of Kerala alongwith Tata Steel Limited.
It aims to foster R&D, product innovation and capacity building in the area of Graphene and 2D material systems.

Importance of the initiative:

IIoT sensors and Graphene technologies will help in driving digital transformation and economic growth.
One of the main objective of setting up these centers in the country is creation of complete ecosystem for start-ups in the area of IoT Sensors and Graphene & 2D Materials

About Graphene:

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure.
It is considered to be the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material for both electricity and heat.
It is harder than diamond yet more elastic than rubber; tougher than steel yet lighter than aluminum.
Graphene is the strongest known material.

Other Properties of Graphene are:

Lowest resistivity substance known at room temperature.
High thermal stability.
High elasticity.
High electrical conductivity.
Electron mobility is high at room temperature.
Graphene oxide (GO) membranes can be used to filter common salt from seawater.

7. Express View on ASER report: Cues for reform

Subject :Schemes

Section: Education

Context:

Latest ASER report has significant pointers on how country could use education to leverage its demographic dividend

More on news:

The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) focuses on an age group that is critical to India unlocking its demographic dividend — 14- 18-year-olds in rural areas.
The report has seen a heartening trend of more students transitioning to secondary education.
ASER 2023 notes that “today more children in India have more years of schooling than ever before”.
The 2023 survey focuses on children’s ability to apply reading and math skills to everyday situations and their aspirations.
It also sought to capture their access to digital technology and whether they possess the skills to use it.
The latest report doesn’t see enrollment as an end in itself.

Key findings:

About a fourth of those surveyed find difficulty in reading a Grade 2 level text in the local language.
More than half struggles with arithmetic skills in which they should have been proficient in by Grade 5.
This is a serious deficit that has a bearing on the quality of the country’s labor force.
Only 6 percent of the surveyed are currently doing vocational courses
There is an increasing pressure on young students amidst acute academic competition.
The difficulties of a section of learners get compounded as they have to juggle academic requirements with responsibilities like working in family farms.
The use of smartphones for education today is way less than that for entertainment.
About 90% of surveyed households had smartphones.
Almost 95% boys and 90% girls could use a smartphone.

Key suggestions:

ASER suggests reforming pedagogic processes to reduce pressures on such students.
The increasing use of smartphones in rural areas can be used as an opportunity to extend education, and design classrooms that are flexible with time and schedules.
There is a need to nudge students and their parents to use digital technologies for learning.
NEP 2020 envisions embedding digital technologies in the educational landscape.
China is able to realize its demographic dividend to a large extent by prudent reforms in its technical and vocational education and training systems

About ASER report:

It is a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes in terms of reading and arithmetic skills.
It is conducted by the NGO Pratham for the last 15 years.
It has been conducted every year since 2005 in almost all rural districts of India.
It is the largest citizen-led survey in India.
It is a household-based rather than school-based survey.
It is also the only annual source of information on children’s learning outcomes available in India today.
It uses Census 2011 as the sampling frame and continues to be an important national source of information about children’s foundational skills across the country.
The ASER 2023 ‘Beyond Basics’ survey was carried out among 34,745 young respondents in 28 rural districts in 26 states, including two districts each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.