Daily Prelims Notes 23 July 2023

July 23, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

23 July 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Invasive weed threatens elephant habitats in Tamil Nadu

Subject :Environment

Section: Ecosystem

Context:

An aquatic weed is threatening elephant habitats and foraging areas in Valparai, a Tamil Nadu hill station close to the Kerala border, and reviving the risk of human-elephant conflicts in the region.

About the weed:

The weed is native to some countries in Central and South America, including Peru.
Ludwigia peruviana, which grows fast along water bodies, locally known as vayals, has invaded the foraging areas of elephants.
The rapid large-scale spread of the weed- which was probably introduced as an ornamental plant for its tiny yellow flowers- has shaken the balance of these perennial foraging grounds, limiting the growth of grass and native plants that are palatable to elephants and other animals including gaur.
It mainly spreads along the swamps in the middle of the tea estates and forms thickets.
These swamps are known for excellent grass covers, sedges and water sources that are very good for herbivores like gaur and elephant in particular.

Threat from Ludwigia peruviana:

Swamps are unique habitats that support amphibians and otters besides the large herbivores. They act as water storage areas that need to be preserved.
If Ludwigia colonises, it completely chokes swamps and does not allow grasses to grow.
The wildlife that had been depending on such swamps will move to other areas and it might lead to negative interactions.
Though Ludwigia is among the 22 priority invasive plants in Tamil Nadu, the State’s drive to remove exotic species from its forests is now largely focused on Lantana camara, Senna spectabilis and Acacia mearnsii (wattle).

Challenges in removal of Ludwigia peruviana:

Unlike other invasive plants, Ludwigia poses a unique challenge as it grows in swamps and there is little scope to use machinery which may further destroy the ecosystem.
Even if Ludwigia is pulled out manually, the soft plant easily breaks and it spreads again from the root or broken stems that fall in the swamp.

Valparai hills:

Located within the Annamalai Tiger Reserve, Valparai’s mosaic landscape of tea estates and fragmented forest patches still serve as key habitats for the elephants that move between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Senna spectabilis:

Senna spectabilis is a plant species of the legume family (Fabaceae) native to South and Central America.
They are often grown as ornamental plants due to their bright yellow flowers that bloom during the summer months.
They are also known as golden wonder tree, American cassia, popcorn tree, Cassia excelsa, golden shower tree or Archibald’s cassia.
The plant has become an invasive alien species in parts of Africa such as Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, and also in South India after it was introduced for resources such as firewood as well as to help combat deteriorating ecosystems affected by deforestation and desertification.

Lantana Camara:

Lantana camara (common lantana) is a species of flowering plant within the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the American tropics.
Lantanas arrived in India as a decorative shrub during British colonial period but quickly took over several ecosystems as an invasive plant.
The shrub can spread on the forest ground, climb over trees a creeper and entangle with other native plants with ease.
It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems.
Once it has been introduced into a habitat it spreads rapidly between 45ºN and 45ºS and more than 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) in altitude.

2. Missile boat Kirpan decommissioned from Indian Navy, handed over to Vietnam as gift

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Defence

Context:

The indigenous missile corvette INS Kirpan is decommissioned after 32 years in the Indian Navy, and was handed over to Cam Ranh, Vietnam.

Details:

India’s indigenous shipbuilding prowess is also an “assurance to our friends and partners” that the Indian Navy is capable and ready to support our collective security needs in the region, said the Navy Chief R. Hari Kumar.
This is the first-ever occasion that India is offering a fully-operational corvette to any friendly foreign country.

India and Vietnam ties:

Recently, India and Vietnam has signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’ to enhance the scope and scale of existing security collaboration and ensure that no ‘single’ nation can unilaterally alter or misinterpret rules to serve its own interests in the Indo-Pacific Region.
India has in the past trained Vietnamese Air Force pilots on SU-30 aircraft as well submarine crew of VPN on Kilo class submarines.

About INS Kirpan:

It is an indigenously-built in-service missile corvette.
It is a Khukri class missile corvette commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991.
Kirpan is 90 metres long and 10.45 metres in width with a maximum displacement of 1,450 tons.
It is capable of a speed of more than 25 knots.
The Khukri class are equipped with Diesel Engines assembled in India.
The ship is fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles.
It performs a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

3. Captive-bred vultures flying high in forest expanses

Subject :Environment

Section: Species

Why in news:

In 2020, eight critically endangered Oriental white-backed captive-bred vultures were released into the wild for the first time ever in India from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in Pinjore, Haryana.
Close to three years later, five survive and two have paired and successfully nested, in the untamed habitat of the Shivalik range in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Details:

There has been no report of veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) related mortality.
There is a concern over the uncontrolled veterinary use of NSAIDs especially the illegal use of the banned drug diclofenac that has caused vulture deaths.
3 drugs fatal for vultures are: Diclofenac, Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac.

Vultures:

In 1993 there was an estimated population of 40 million vultures in India.
The population of three species — the Oriental white-backed, the long-billed, and the slender-billed — has declined by over 97% since the 1990s.
- The Oriental white-backed vulture prevalence has gone down by an astonishing 99.9%.
All three species are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The species come under schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, meaning they enjoy the highest level of protection.
India is home to 9 species of Vulture namely the Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-headed, Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous and the Eurasian Griffon.
- Most of these 9 species face dangers of extinction.

Conservation efforts:

The BNHS and Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) have been managing four Jatayu conservation breeding centres across the country in partnership with the State governments of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam.
Through this conservation breeding programme, the BNHS-RSPB has bred more than 700 birds in captivity since 2004.
BNHS has started the construction of soft release centres in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, and at three tiger reserves in Maharashtra.
The Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) in its meeting on May 10, 2023, agreed to prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of the drugs Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac, and their formulations for animal use.
- The DTAB also suggested that a list of all drugs which affect animal health or the environment be prepared for further action.

Oriental white-backed vultures:

They are medium-sized, dark vultures.
Scientific name: Gyps bengalensis
Distribution: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam.
Habitat: Found mostly in plains and less frequently in hilly regions. Can also be seen in villages and cities near to cultivation.
Features:
- Adults are 75 to 85 cm tall.
- White neck ruff, rump and under wing coverts.
- Adults tend towards black coloration, while younger individuals are browner
- Their wing span is 180 to 210 cm
- Weight: Ranges from 5 to 7.5 kg
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB):

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland.
It was founded in 1889.
It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom.

4. Ancient genomic data shed light on the demise of the Copper Age

Subject :History

Section: Ancient India

Why in news:

An analysis of ancient human genomic data suggests that Copper Age farmers and steppe pastoralists may have interacted 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The findings may aid our understanding of the demise of the Copper Age and the expansion of pastoralist groups around 3,300 BC.

Backgeound:

Previous analyses of ancient genomic data have suggested that two major genetic turnover events occurred in Western Eurasia;
- one associated with the spread of farming around 7,000-6,000 BC and
- a second resulting from the expansion of pastoralist groups from the Eurasian steppe starting around 3,300 BC.
The period between these two events, the Copper Age, was characterised by a new economy based on metallurgy, wheel and wagon transportation, and horse domestication.

What has the new study found?

However, what happened between the demise of Copper Age settlements (around 4,250 BC) and the expansion of pastoralists is not well understood.
According to the paper, the researchers analysed genetic data dating to between 5,400 and 2,400 BC and they found that while there was genetic continuity between the Neolithic and Copper Age groups, from around 4500 BC groups from the northwestern Black Sea region carried varying amounts of ancestry from Copper Age and steppe-zone populations.
This finding shows that the groups had cultural contact and mixed nearly 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The transfer of technology between farmers and transitional hunters from different geographical zones was integral to the rise, formation and expansion of pastoralist groups around 3300 BC.
According to the authors, the early admixture during the neolithic appears to be local to the NW Black Sea region of the fourth millennium BC and did not affect the hinterland in southeastern Europe.
In fact, the Early Bronze Age individuals from Yunatsite and Pietrele do not show traces of steppe-like ancestry but instead a resurgence of hunter-gatherer ancestry observed widely in Europe during the fourth millennium BC.

About the Copper Age (or Chalcolithic age):

About: The end of the Neolithic period saw the use of metals. Several cultures were based on the use of copper and stone implements.
- Such a culture is called Chalcolithic and as the name indicates, during the Chalcolithic (Chalco = Copper and Lithic = Stone) period, both metal and stone were utilised for the manufacture of the equipment in day-to-day life.
- The Chalcolithic cultures followed the Bronze Age Harappa culture.
- It spanned around 2500 BC to 700 BC.
Salient Features: The Chalcolithic culture of a region was defined according to certain salient features seen in ceramics and other cultural equipment like copper artefacts, beads of semi-precious stones, stone tools and terracotta figurines.

Characteristics:

Rural Settlements: The people were mostly rural and lived near hills and rivers.
- The people of Chalcolithic Age survived on hunting, fishing, and farming
Regional Differences: Regional differences in social structure, cereals and pottery become visible.
Migration: Migration and diffusion of population groups were often cited as causes for the origin of different cultures within the Chalcolithic period.
First Metal Age of India: Since this was the first metal age, copper and its alloy bronze which melt at low temperature were used for the manufacture of various objects during this period.
Art and Craft: The specialty of the Chalcolithic culture was wheel made pottery mostly of red and orange colour.
- Different types of pottery were used by the people of the Chalcolithic phase. The Black-and-Red pottery among them was quite common.
- The Ochre-Coloured Pottery(OCP) was also in use.
Agriculture: The major crops cultivated were barley and wheat, lentil, bajra, jowar, ragi millets, green pea, green and black gram.
- Traces of rice cultivation are also found. This shows that their food included fish and rice. Eastern India produced rice and Western India produced barley.

5. GPS Data Could Detect Large Earthquakes Hours Before They Happen

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

A systematic global analysis of GPS time-series data from nearly 100 large earthquakes suggests the existence of a precursory phase of fault slip that occurs about two hours before seismic rupture.
Though predicting large earthquakes is still challenging.

The Challenge of Short-term Earthquake Prediction:

Short-term earthquake prediction, which involves issuing a warning anywhere from minutes to months before a quake, depends on the presence of a clear and observable geophysical precursor signal.
Prior retrospective studies have proposed that a slow aseismic slip can be seen in faults ahead of the main shock, serving as a possible precursor.
However, the connection between these observations and seismic ruptures remains unclear.
This uncertainty arises as these observations do not directly precede an event and often occur without an ensuing earthquake, leaving the existence of a precise precursory signal for predicting large earthquakes in question.

Significance and Limitations of the Study:

These findings suggest that many large earthquakes initiate with a precursory phase of slip, or the observations may represent the concluding part of a longer and more challenging to measure process of precursory slip.
The current earthquake monitoring instruments lack the necessary coverage and precision to detect or monitor for precursory slip at the scale of individual earthquakes.
It is not clear whether such slow-slip accelerations are distinctly associated with large earthquakes or whether they could ever be measured for individual events with the accuracy needed to provide a useful warning.

What are faults?

Faults are fractures in Earth’s crust where rocks on either side of the crack have slid past each other.
Sometimes the cracks are tiny, as thin as hair, with barely noticeable movement between the rock layers. But faults can also be hundreds of miles long, such as the San Andreas Fault in California and the Anatolian Fault in Turkey, both of which are visible from space.
There are three kinds of faults: strike-slip, normal and thrust (reverse) faults.
Each type is the outcome of different forces pushing or pulling on the crust, causing rocks to slide up, down or past each other.Each describes a different kind of relative motion.

Types:

Strike-slip faults indicate rocks are sliding past each other horizontally, with little to no vertical movement. Both the San Andreas and Anatolian Faults are strike-slip.
Normal faults create space. Two blocks of crust pull apart, stretching the crust into a valley. The Basin and Range Province in North America and the East African Rift Zone are two well-known regions where normal faults are spreading apart Earth’s crust.
Reverse faults, also called thrust faults, slide one block of crust on top of another. These faults are commonly found in collisions zones, where tectonic plates push up mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and the Rocky Mountains.

Difference among these faults:

Strike-slip faults are usually vertical, while normal and reverse faults are often at an angle to the surface of the Earth. The different styles of faulting can also combine in a single event, with one fault moving in both a vertical and strike-slip motion during an earthquake.

6. What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger?

Subject : International Relations

Section: Reports and Indices

Concept :

The Global Report on the Food Crises (GRFC) 2023, prepared by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), released recently estimated that between 691 million and 783 million people in the world suffered from hunger in 2022.

About Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC):

The GNAFC was founded by the European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Food Programme in 2016.
It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors working together to prevent, prepare for and respond to food crises and support the Sustainable Development Goal to End Hunger (SDG 2).
The Global Report on Food Crises is the flagship publication of the Global Network and is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).
The Report is the result of a consensus-based and multi-partner analytical process involving 17 international humanitarian and development partners.

About FSIN

A global initiative co-sponsored by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to strengthen food and nutrition security information systems for producing reliable and accurate data to guide analysis and decision-making.

Key Highlights of Global Report on Food Crises 2023:

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population is based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES).
The Global Report starts with a qualified assertion that hunger is no longer on an alarming path upwards at the global level, but still far above pre-COVID pandemic levels.
It sets the global contexts preceding and during the year under assessment, particularly paying attention to the increasing phenomenon of urbanisation, and its effects on food security.
In 2022, an estimated 2.4 billion people did not have access to adequate food. This is still 391 million more people than in 2019.
Some good news is that stunting, another key metric, defined as the condition of being too short for one’s age, among children under five years of age has declined steadily, from 204.2 million in 2000 to 148.1 million in 2022.
Simultaneously, child wasting, caused by insufficient nutrient intake or absorption, declined from 54.1 million in 2000 to 45 million in 2022.
In terms of children who are overweight or obese, the study indicated a non-significant increase from 5.3% (33 million) in 2000 to 5.6 % (37 million) in 2022.

Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is experience-based measures of household or individual food security.
The FIES Survey Module (FIES-SM) consists of questions regarding people’s access to adequate food, and can be easily integrated into various types of population surveys
The FIES-SM questions refer to the experiences of the individual respondent or of the respondent’s household as a whole. The questions focus on self-reported food-related behaviors and experiences associated with increasing difficulties in accessing food due to resource constraints.

7. Fragile X syndrome

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

On the occasion of World Fragile X Day, which raises awareness about the rare genetic illness — Fragile X or Martin-Bell syndrome — that causes intellectual disability and autism, India Gate gleamed teal on Saturday.

About Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome(FXS) is a genetic disorder. It is also known as Martin-Bell syndrome or Marker X syndrome.
The syndrome is the leading inherited cause of autism in 4% of the population worldwide. Boys often have a more serious form of it than girls.
Caused by: The syndrome is caused by changes in a gene called FMR1, which makes an important protein (FMRP). This protein is required for brain development. Children with Fragile X syndrome make too little or none of it.
Symptoms: The symptoms are learning difficulty, speech delay, aggressive behaviour, hyperactivity, attention deficit, problems in motor skills, etc.
Passed on from A mother who is a carrier of FXS has a 50% chance of passing the mutated gene to her children, who will either be carriers or have FXS. Men who are carriers do not pass the pre-mutation to their sons, but only daughters, who become carriers.
Estimated cases of Fragile X Syndrome in India: It is estimated there are 4 lakh individuals who have been identified with mutated FMRI in India and 40 lakh undiagnosed carriers of the gene.
Diagnosis: The simplest tool for timely detection of Fragile X Syndrome is a DNA test.
Treatment: The disorder cannot be cured, but early therapy can improve the individual’s quality of life.

8. Freed labourers bonded to past in Odisha

Subject : Polity

Section: Social Issues

Concept :

335 People rescued by Thiruvallur district administration rescued from the brick kilns, under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 (BLS Act) on February 12, 2015.
They should have received ₹20,000 each from the Odisha and Union governments under the anti-slavery Act. But the couple has been waiting for the compensation for almost eight years now.
The rehabilitation assistance was revised in 2016, to ₹2 lakh each to women and ₹1 lakh to men, and ₹3 lakh if the bonded labourers (women, children, transgenders) are rescued from brothels or sexual exploitation.
The Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2021 says that those rescued should be put in skilling programmes and linked with government welfare schemes.

About the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976:

Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 is an extension to article 23 of the Indian constitutio
The Act intends to free all bonded labourers, cancel their debts, establish rehabilitative measures and punish the offender through imprisonment and fine.
The Act is being implemented by the concerned State Govts./UTs.
The Act provides for an institutional mechanism at the district level in the form of Vigilance Committees.
For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Act, the State Governments/UTs may confer, on an Executive Magistrate, the powers of a Judicial Magistrate of the first class or second class for trial of offences under this Act.
Government of India has introduced a revamped Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers- 2016, under which financial assistance to the tune of Rs.1.00 (one) lakh, Rs.2.00 (two) lakhs & Rs. 3.00 (three) lakhs are provided to released bonded labourers based on their category and level of exploitation along with other non-cash assistance for their livelihood.

9. Naveen Patnaik equals Jyoti Basu’s record of second longest serving CM

Subject: Schemes

Concept :

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday achieved a remarkable milestone, equaling the record set by former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu as the second longest-serving Chief Minister in India.
Patnaik has held the position for an impressive 23 years and 138 days, sharing this rank with the late veteran CPI (M) leader.
The title of the longest-serving CM, however, belongs to Pawan Kumar Chamling, the former CM of Sikkim, who held the position for an impressive 24 years and 166 days.

Important Developments in Odisha

Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) program for farmers.
Revival of millet crops to benefit tribal populations, construction of hostels for tribal students
Initiatives like 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation, and time limit) for a responsive government.
He has also focused on the development of temples and the ongoing transformation of SCB Medical College Hospital into an AIIMS-plus institution.

KALIA Scheme

KALIA or “Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation” scheme was launched by the Odisha Government for farmer’s welfare.
The aim of the scheme is to accelerate agricultural prosperity and reduce poverty in the State payments to encourage cultivation and associated activities.
The scheme is being seen as a viable alternative to farm loan waivers.
Under the scheme, around Rs, 10,180 crores will be spent over three years until 2020-21 in providing financial assistance to cultivators and landless agricultural laborers.
Eligibility
Small and marginal farmers, landless agricultural household, vulnerable agricultural household, landless agricultural laborers and sharecroppers (actual cultivators) are eligible under different components of the scheme.
Provision of the Scheme
For Cultivators: All farmers will be provided Rs 10,000 per family as assistance for cultivation. Each family will get Rs 5,000 separately in the Kharif and Rabi, seasons, for five cropping seasons between 2018-19 and 2021-22. Crop loans up to Rs 50,000 are interest-free.
For Landless Agricultural Households: Financial Assistance of Rs.12500 will be provided to each landless Agricultural Household for Agricultural allied activities like for small goat rearing unit, mini-layer unit, duckery units, fishery kits for fisherman, mushroom cultivation and bee-keeping, etc.
For Elderly: The elderly, sick and differently-abled population who are unable to take up cultivation, will be provided Rs 10,000 per household per year.
Insurance for cultivators and landless agricultural household: The KALIA scheme also includes a life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident coverage of the same amount for 57 lakh households.

10. Lab Grown Meat

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

We have had two recent reports in the Indian press about making meat in the lab: one in The Statesman, and the second one in The Hindu.
They both focussed on the Indian efforts in making meat in the laboratory, rather than killing animals on the farm or in specially constructed slaughterhouses.
In fact, the making of meat in the laboratory has been going on both in the U.S. and Europe.
The idea is not to kill the animal for flesh but to save it and grow its meat in the laboratory.
As the article in The Statesman points out, there are several reasons why lab-cultured meat is a better option: there is zero cruelty; lab meat can be made with much less fat, no cholesterol and no saturated fats, thus healthier for the consumer; once the lab meat is available in the future, it may become cheaper than conventional meat and; lab meat will have less environmental impact.
In India, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) offered a grant to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for culturing meat in the lab from animal cells.
Currently, there are a few private labs in India that produce cultured meat.

Lab-Grown Meat

Lab-grown meat, officially known as cell-cultivated meat, refers to meat that is grown in a laboratory setting using isolated cells derived from animals.
These cells are provided with the necessary resources, such as nutrients and a suitable environment, to replicate and grow into edible meat.
The process typically takes place in bioreactors, specialized containers designed to support the cellular cultivation process.
The first country to approve the sale of alternative meat was Singapore in 2020.

How is lab-grown or cultured meat different from plant-based meat?

The latter is made from plant sources such as soy or pea protein, while cultured meat is grown directly from cells in a laboratory.
Both have the same objective: to offer alternatives to traditional meat products that could feed a lot more people, reduce the threat of zoonotic diseases, and mitigate the environmental impact of meat consumption.
In terms of cellular structure, cultured or cultivated meat is the same as conventional meat — except that cultured meat does not come directly from animals.
Cell-Cultivated Chicken:
Cell-cultivated chicken refers to chicken meat grown in a laboratory setting using isolated cells that have the resources needed for growth and replication.
Bioreactors, specialized containers designed to support a specific biological environment, are commonly used to facilitate the cultivation process.
Once the cells reach a sufficient number, they are processed, often with additives, to enhance texture and appearance, and prepared for consumption.

11. Farmers may stop sowing cotton as yields and prices slump in Tamil Nadu

Subject : Geography

Subject: Economic geography

Concept :

Area under cotton cultivation in Tamil Nadu is likely to fall next sowing season as farmers harvesting cotton now struggle to get remunerative prices.

Cotton crop-

Conditions of Growth-

Cotton is the crop of tropical and subtropical areas and requires uniformly high temperatures varying between 21°C and 30°C.
Frost is enemy number one of the cotton plant and it is grown in areas having at least 210 frost-free days in a year.
The modest requirement of water can be met by an average annual rainfall of 50- 100 cm.
About 80 per cent of the total irrigated area under cotton is in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Moist weather and heavy rainfall at the time of boll-opening and picking are detrimental to cotton as the plant becomes vulnerable to pests and diseases.
High amounts of rainfall in the beginning and sunny and dry weather at ripening time are very useful for a good crop.
Cotton is a Kharif crop which requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
In the peninsular part of India, it is sown up to October and harvested between January and May because there is no danger of winter frost in these areas. In Tamil Nadu, it is grown both as a kharif and as a rabi crop.
Cotton cultivation is closely related to deep black soils (regur) of the Deccan and the Malwa Plateaus and those of Gujarat. It also grows well in alluvial soils of the Satluj-Ganga Plain and red and laterite soils of the peninsular regions.
Cotton quickly exhausts the fertility of the soil. Therefore, regular application of manures and fertilizers to the soils is very necessary.

Production-

India has the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world though it is the world’s third largest producer of cotton after China and the USA.
Currently it is grown over 6 per cent of the net sown area.

Distribution-

In India, cotton is grown in three distinct agro-ecological zones, viz.,
Northern (Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan),
Central (Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) and
Southern zone (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka).
Maharashtra is the largest producer and produces 29.78 per cent of the total cotton production of India. Maharashtra is a traditional producer of cotton. Over 80 per cent of the production comes from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

12. AI – Game changer

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Awareness in IT

Concept:

AlphaFold – AI Tool

AlphaFold is an AI-based protein structure prediction tool. It is based on a computer system called deep neural network.
Inspired by the human brain, neural networks use a large amount of input data and provides the desired output exactly like how a human brain would. The real work is done by the black box between the input and the output layers, called the hidden networks.
AlphaFold is fed with protein sequences as input. When protein sequences enter through one end, the predicted three-dimensional structures come out through the other.
How does AlphaFold work?
It uses processes based on “training, learning, retraining and relearning.”
The first step uses the available structures of 1,70,000 proteins in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to train the computer model. Then, it uses the results of that training to learn the structural predictions of proteins not in the PDB.
Once that is done, it uses the high-accuracy predictions from the first step to retrain and relearn to gain higher accuracy of the earlier predictions.
By using this method, AlphaFold has now predicted the structures of the entire 214 million unique protein sequences deposited in the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt) database.

UNEP – World Environment Situation Room

The World Environment Situation Room implements the Big Data Initiative. The project is global with overarching environmental policy relevance and impact.
It includes geo-referenced, remote-sensing and earth observation information integrated with statistics and data on the environmental dimension of sustainable development.
The themes of this Global platform cover complementary dimensions for Global Green Solutions for the Environmen
It targets country policy makers, top environmental policy makers, the environmental scientific community, business and interested citizens.
The platform is essential as a knowledge instrument to support progress on delivering the environmental dimension of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
The World Environmment Situation Room will be implemented in different cities, countries and regions.
This platform will facilitate in tranforming data into information products and services which can be used by non-data experts.

13. Will G20 agree on a joint communique?

Subject :International relations

Section: Groupings

What is communique?

It is an official statement by a political group. It is a consensus document.

History of G20 communique?

Since its inception in 1999, and upgradation to a leader’s level summit in 2008, the G20 grouping has always managed to find a consensus within the countries and issue a joint declaration at the end of every summit.

Why controversy?

Russia and China has opposed the paragraphs on the war in Ukraine.