Daily Prelims Notes 24 August 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

24 August 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Special status of Northeast States
2. No end to shortage of TB drugs, states asked to buy their own
3. RBI asks some banks not to take fresh NDF arbitrage bets
4. India lights up the dark side of the moon
5. LCA Tejas Successful Test-Firing of Astra BVR Missile
6. ISRO’s Post-Chandrayaan-3 Missions
7. How can ‘one health’ help India, and India help ‘one health’?
8. Speedy uptake of five-star rated fans needs government push to make them affordable, say experts
9. Rich countries force poor nations to rely on fossil fuels: What a new report says
10. Chandrayaan-3 | Not just sons of Tamil Nadu but State’s soil itself contributed to Moon mission

1. Special status of Northeast States

Subject: Polity

Section: Federalism

Context: Supreme Court accepted Centre’s commitment to not alter the special provisions safeguarding northeastern states, during Article 370 challenge hearing.

More about the news:

• Centre’s assurance of non-interference with special constitutional provisions safeguarding northeastern States was accepted by the Supreme Court Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
• The apprehensions were raised by petitioners regarding the potential serious implications of tampering with the “periphery” of the country.

What are the Special Provisions for Some States.

• Articles 371 to 371-J in Part XXI of the constitution contain special provisions for twelve states– viz., Maharashtra, Gujarat, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka.
• Originally, the constitution did not make any special provisions for these states. They have been incorporated by the various subsequent amendments made in the context of reorganization of the states or conferment of statehood on the Union Territories.
• Meghalaya and Tripura don’t come under these special category states.
• There are a total of 11 articles for these states.

Why North-East State gets special status:

• Article 371 was inserted in the Constitution to grant special status to certain states through some special provision to meet the unique need of some backward regions of these states. These special provisions were inserted in the Constitution to bring peace and harmony and to deal with the disturbed law and order in some parts of these states.
• The main reason behind granting special status to these states was to protect and preserve the cultures, traditions, languages, and ethnic diversity of the tribes of these states.
• The north-eastern states of India consist are home to more than 200 fascinating tribes, and each tribal group has its own unique culture and tradition and other ethnic diversities. For ages, the north-eastern region of India had been struggling equal opportunities that the rest of the states enjoyed, hence another important reason to grant special status to the northeast states was to bring them to an equal footing with the rest of the states in India, to provide them with similar opportunities in terms of educational and employment facilities.

2. No end to shortage of TB drugs, states asked to buy their own

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Health

Context:

• India is facing an acute shortage of tuberculosis drugs, including medicines used for treating drug-resistant TB such as Linezolid, Clofazimine, and Cycloserine.

Why is there a shortage of TB drugs?

• It started with shortage of Rifampicin used for treating drug-sensitive TB.
• The cases of TB dipped during pandemic.
• TB notification by the public sector improving and nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels, drug procurement and supply by the Central government to States has not kept pace, resulting in shortage.
• The Central government has not supplied the 3HP combination drug to States since then.

Isoniazid-Rifapentine regimen for MDR-TB:

• The new short-course drug regimen of Isoniazid-Rifapentine given once weekly for 12 weeks (3HP) to prevent TB in people with latent TB infection.
  • 3HP is a short-course Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment (TPT) regimen which is endorsed by the WHO.
  • It combines high dose Isoniazid (H) and high dose rifapentine (P) once weekly for three months.
• Tamil Nadu had procured the combination drug for short-course TB Preventive Treatment [TPT], the first State to launch the programme.

For more on Tuberculosis (TB):https://optimizeias.com/the-road-to-ending-tuberculosis/

3. RBI asks some banks not to take fresh NDF arbitrage bets

Subject :Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

In News: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked some banks to stop taking fresh arbitrage positions in the non-deliverable forwards market.

Key Points:

• Non-Deliverable Forwards (NDF) are foreign exchange forward contracts traded in the over-the-counter market at offshore destinations (see box for details). These are used to manage currency exposure, especially to currencies that are not fully convertible.
• The restrictions are apparently aimed at managing the volatility of the Indian rupee. Similar restrictions were imposed when the rupee hit a record low of 83.29 in October 2022, the RBI had informally asked local banks to not build additional positions in the NDF market. The restrictions were lifted in December once the volatility ebbed.
• The rupee reached 83.16 last week and only the RBI’s intervention in both the NDF and onshore markets prevented a slide to the record low.
• What are foreign exchange forward contracts?
  • The forward market for currencies, often referred to as the “currency forward market,” is a financial marketplace where participants can enter into contracts to exchange one currency for another at a specified future date and at a predetermined exchange rate.
  • Forward contracts are a type of derivative that allows businesses and investors to manage their currency risk and lock in a future exchange rate.
• What are arbitrage positions?
  • Arbitrage positions are trading strategies that take advantage of price discrepancies between related financial instruments or markets to generate profit with minimal risk.
  • The goal of arbitrage is to exploit temporary price imbalances that exist due to market inefficiencies.

4. India lights up the dark side of the moon

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

India has become the fourth country to successfully land on the moon as the Chandrayaan-3’s lander module, with the rover in its belly, successfully made a soft landing on the lunar surface near the south pole

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

• India successfully landed the Chandrayaan-3’s lander module with a rover on the moon’s surface.
• Communication link established between the lander and MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru.
• Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-2 failed in 2019, but Chandrayaan-3’s landing was successful.
• Powered descent had four phases:

1. rough braking,
2. attitude-hold,
3. fine-braking, and
4. terminal descent phase.

• The lander completed each phase seamlessly and made a safe landing.
• Prime Minister hailed the achievement as reaching the Moon’s South Pole.
• The lander will deploy a rover for in-situ chemical analysis and experiments.
• Mission life of one Lunar day (14 Earth days).
• Launched on July 14 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Exploring the Moon’s South Pole:

• The Moon’s South Pole is a focus of scientific interest due to its mysteries.
• Water ice present in permanently shadowed craters could potentially sustain a human presence.
• The Moon’s South Pole has ultra-cold temperatures of -414F (-248C) due to its atmosphere absence, creating conditions suitable for water ice preservation.
• Chandrayaan-1 found evidence of water on the Moon in 2008.
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA) data supports the presence of water ice.
• Water has pragmatic value for future human missions, including drinking water and rocket propellant.
• However, it’s essential to determine the accessibility and mineability of this water for practical use in future lunar missions.

Scientific and Practical Importance:

• Water in cold polar regions might provide insights into the solar system’s history.
• Solar power potential at the lunar south pole.
• A large impact crater at the lunar south pole holds geological significance.
  • Lunar pole exploration offers new insights due to different light and thermal conditions.

Future Lunar Exploration:

• Russia is planning more Luna missions.
• China and Russia have plans to build a lunar space station.
• Japan is preparing to send a smart lander (the SLIM mission) on 26 August.
• NASA’s Artemis program aims to put astronauts back on the Moon in a series of spaceflights.
• India is planning a joint Lunar Polar Exploration (LuPEX) mission with Japan to explore the shadowed regions or the “dark side of the Moon” by 2026.

5. LCA Tejas Successful Test-Firing of Astra BVR Missile

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Defence technology

Context:

• LCA Tejas successfully test-fired the indigenous Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
• Test conducted off the Goa coast on August 23, 2023.

Test-Firing event:

• Missile release was executed from the aircraft at an altitude of around 20,000 ft.
• All test objectives were met.
• Described as a “perfect textbook launch” by the Defence Ministry.

Contributing Organizations:

• Test launch supervised by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DG-AQA).

Astra Missile Details:

• Astra is an indigenous BVR (beyond visual range) air-to-air missile.
• Designed to engage and destroy highly maneuvering supersonic aerial targets.
• Developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), and other DRDO laboratories.
• Aimed at enhancing Tejas’ combat capability and reducing dependence on imported weapons.

LCA Programme Review:

• Air Force Chief ACM V.R. Chaudhari reviewed the LCA Tejas program in Air Headquarters.
• All contracted fighter variants of LCA Mk-1 were delivered to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• Contracts: 40 LCA-MK1 (32 single-seat fighters, 8 twin-seat trainers), 83 LCA Mk1A (deliveries starting from Feb 2024).

LCA Tejas: Advanced Features and Key Characteristics

A Versatile Multi-Role Fighter:

• Classified as a 4.5 generation, all-weather, and multi-role fighter aircraft.
• Designed for various roles: offensive air support, close combat, ground attack, and ground maritime operations.

Variants in Production and Development:

1. Single-seater fighter for Air Force.
2. Single-seater fighter for the Navy.
3. Twin-seater trainer aircraft for Air Force.
4. Twin-seater trainer version for Navy.

LCA Mk1A: Advanced Version:

• Equipped with AESA Radar, EW suite, Digital Map Generator, Smart Multi-function Displays, and more.
• Features enhance combat effectiveness and situational awareness.

Technical Specifications:

• Length: 13.2 m, Width: 8.2 m, Height: 4.4 m.
• Max Takeoff Mass: 13,500 Kgs.
• Engine: GE F404 -IN20, Thrust: 85KN (afterburner).
• Max Speed: 1.6 Mach, Service Ceiling: 50,000 feet.
• No of Hard Points: 09.

Key Characteristics:

• Compact and Lightweight: Smallest and lightest in its class, with extensive composite structure for reduced weight.
• Excellent Safety Record: Notable achievement of accident-free flying.
• Compound Tail-Less Delta: Enhanced weapon-carrying capacity for various ordnances.
• In-Flight Refueling (IFR): Probe facilitates extended mission range, proven for day and night operations.
• Open Architecture Mission Computer: Indigenously designed for interoperability, scalability, and portability.
• Quadruplex Redundant Fly-By-Wire: Fully redundant digital flight control system for pilot ease.
• AESA Radar: Electronically Scanned Array Radar with a low probability of interception.
• Versatile Weaponry: 9 hard points, capable of firing diverse weapons including long-range BVR and WVR missiles, bombs, etc., with precision.

6. ISRO’s Post-Chandrayaan-3 Missions

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Introduction:

• ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, has an array of ambitious missions lined up after the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission.
• These endeavors span various aspects of space exploration and observation, showcasing ISRO’s commitment to advancing space technology.

Mission to Study the Sun (Aditya-L1)

• Launching in early September.
• Space-based solar observatory.
• Positioned in a halo orbit around the L1 (Lagrange) point of the Sun-Earth system.
• Provides continuous observation of solar activities.
• Enhances understanding of space weather and solar phenomena.
• Lagrange point:
  • A Lagrange point is a spot in space where the gravitational forces of two objects balance out, creating a stable position for another object to stay in their relative vicinity.

NASA-ISRO Earth Observation Satellite (NISAR)

• Collaboration with NASA.
• Launch expected in the next year into polar sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit.
• Equipped with synthetic aperture radar
• Monitors Earth’s land and ice surfaces.
• Offers detailed insights into climate change, deforestation, glacial melt, and geological events.
• Regular observations every 12 days contribute to understanding global dynamics.

First Manned Space Flight (Gaganyaan)

• Aims to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capability.
• Crew of three members to be sent into 400 km orbit for the 3-day mission.
• Preceded by two unmanned missions to validate systems.
• The initial launch was delayed due to the pandemic.

Mission to Study X-Ray Sources (XPoSat)

• ISRO’s first dedicated polarimetry mission.
• Will be launched into a Low earth orbit
• Focuses on understanding X-ray sources in extreme conditions.
• Launch planned for late 2023 or early 2024.
• Aims to comprehend emission mechanisms from black holes, neutron stars, and pulsar wind nebulae.

Additional Plans

• Launch of climate observation satellite INSAT-3DS.
• Test vehicle mission to validate crew escape system for Gaganyaan.

7. How can ‘one health’ help India, and India help ‘one health’?

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Health

One Health Approach- Historical perspective:

• One Health is a holistic approach to problems that recognises the interconnections between the health of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
• An early articulation can be found in the writings of Hippocrates (460-367 BC), who contemplated the relationships between public health and clean environments.
• The 19th-century German physician and pathologist Rudolf Virchow (1821-1863) also talked about the integrated health approach of humans and animals.
• The eminent veterinarians James Steele (1913-2013) and Calvin Schwabe (1927-2006) have championed the value of ecology for both animal and human health.

Why is One Health special?

• Harmful environmental changes led by population growth and urbanization are linked to zoonoses.
• Researchers have estimated that 60% of emerging diseases that can infect humans are zoonotic in nature.
• They include bird flu, Ebola, rabies, and Japanese encephalitis.
• Other threats include: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food-safety and security and control of vector-borne diseases.
• To tackle these intersectoral management and One Health approach is necessary.
• One Health minimizes resource requirements across sectors.

What are some recent One Health initiatives?

1. The Government of India established its ‘Standing Committee on Zoonoses’ in 2006 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
   • The purpose of this committee was to provide the Union and the State governments guidance and recommendations on challenges related to zoonoses.
2. The Department of Biotechnology launched India’s first consortium on One Health in October 2021.
   • It plans to assess the burden of five transboundary animal diseases and 10 select zoonotic diseases.
   • The government has allocated Rs 31 crore for three years to the consortium.
3. In June 2022, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy (DAHD) – in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry – launched a One Health pilot project in Karnataka and
   • This initiative intends to strengthen intersectoral collaborations through capacity-building, with the goal of improving livestock health, human health, wildlife health, and environmental health.
4. India is also currently preparing for a wider ‘National One Health Mission’.
   • The idea behind this mission is to coordinate, support, and integrate all existing One Health initiatives in the country.

How can we switch to a One Health approach?

• The transformation process can be broken down into four major stages.

Stage 1: Communication

• The focus is on keeping the important stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the One Health transformation. Example: National Standing Committee on Zoonoses under the MoHFW.

Stage 2: Collaboration

• Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of different sectors in zoonoses management.
• collaboration means assessing and lowering disease risk, surveillance, building capacity at different institutions, research, and public outreach.
• Example: DAHD’s One Health pilot project in Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

Stage 3: Coordination

• Routine and long-term activities are carried out in this stage.
• Example: India’s forthcoming ‘National One Health Mission’

Stage 4: Integration

• A policy framework that helps the relevant sectors to efficiently share resources and streamline their current programmes is essential.
• Certain samples like blood, tissue, faecal matter, and effluent water are also expensive and come with ethical implications, and an integrated system that deals with them can prove especially beneficial.

8. Speedy uptake of five-star rated fans needs government push to make them affordable, say experts

Subject : Environment

Section: Conservation

Context:

• Super energy efficient fans with better cooling are available in the market, but are prohibitively expensive, with only three percent of households reporting they owned one, according to a survey.

Energy saving ceiling fans:

• Study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
• Since this year, all fans produced and sold in the market come bearing a ‘star rating’ from one to five – an indicator of how much electricity the fan consumes.
  • The higher the star rating, the less electricity it consumes and greater the potential for energy savings.
  • The super efficient five-star rated fans use 35 watts of electricity or less and run on expensive brushless direct current (BLDC) motors.
• If India is to reduce its electricity consumption, tapping into low income households and scaling up the sale and distribution of five-star rated fans is key. But experts say retail prices need to drop before this can happen.
• Super energy-efficient fans with five stars perform better when it comes to air delivery – the volume of air pushed out per minute.

Making it affordable:

• A number of financial tools and incentives can be used to reduce upfront costs with a high payback period, including reducing tax rates and enabling low cost credit schemes.
• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture company of four public sector undertakings plans on buying and distributing 10 million BLDC fans – one fourth of the stock that is sold in the market – in a bid to drive down the price.
  • The EESL played a significant role in reducing the prices of energy efficient LED bulbs through bulk procurement, which led to the success of the government’s Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme, launched in 2014.
• Reducing the GST on ceiling fans which currently is 18%.

Concept of Brushless Direct Current Motors (BLDC) fans:

• A brushless DC electric motor (BLDC), also known as an electronically commutated motor, is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply.
• It uses an electronic controller to switch DC currents to the motor windings producing magnetic fields that effectively rotate in space and which the permanent magnet rotor follows.
• The controller adjusts the phase and amplitude of the DC current pulses to control the speed and torque of the motor.
• This control system is an alternative to the mechanical commutator (brushes) used in many conventional electric motors.

Advantages of BLDC ceiling fans:

• BLDC fans use BLDC motors compared to induction motors in normal ceiling fans. With the use of bldc motor in the ceiling fan we can save 60% electricity in the ceiling fan.
• BLDC fan lifespan is more than a normal ceiling fan because there is no heat generated in BLDC Motor.
• Also there are fewer chances for the winding failure due to the use of high thickness copper wire in the winding.

Building awareness:

• Every year around 45 million fans are sold, and once bought these fans are used for another 20 years. So, awareness about energy efficient fans is necessary.
• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency made star rating for ceiling fans a voluntary programme in 2010.
• The energy efficiency standards were revised once in 2019 and made mandatory only in 2022.

9. Rich countries force poor nations to rely on fossil fuels: What a new report says

Subject: Economy

Section: Reports

Context:

• Poor countries with heavy debts have been forced to continue to rely on fossil fuels for generating revenue to return the loans taken from richer countries and private lenders to meet various economic exigencies like the pandemic three years ago, a new report said.

Details of the Report:

• These countries, mostly in the global south, may find it impossible to phase out fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy as revenues from fossil fuel projects “are often overinflated and require huge investments to reach expected returns, leading to further debt.
• Report name: The Debt-Fossil Fuel Trap
• Published by: The anti-debt campaigners Debt Justice and partners in affected countries.

Understanding the debt-Fossil fuel Trap:

• The global south countries are increasingly being burdened by enormous debts in recent years.
  • Global South is a term used for developing, less developing and underdeveloped countries, located in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
• Their external debt payments have gone up by 150% between 2011 and 2023, reaching their highest levels in 25 years.
• 54 countries are in a debt crisis — they had to cut their public sending budgets during the pandemic to repay the loans.
• The extreme weather events force these countries to borrow more money as they lack adequate finances and resources for adaptation, mitigation and tackling loss and damage.
  • Example: Dominica’s debt as a percentage of GDP rose from 68% to 78% after Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017.
• To repay the debts, these countries extract more fossil fuels.
  • Example: Argentina is supporting fracking projects in the Vaca Muerta oil and gas field in Northern Patagonia.

Rich countries, IMF and World Bank keep global south’s fossil fuel projects running

• The richer countries and multilateral and bilateral lenders have financed fossil fuel projects, often through loans, adding to debt burdens and keeping countries locked in fossil fuel production.
• One of these loan contracts is: Resource based loans (RBLs).
  • In RBLs, repayment is either made directly in natural resources (in kind) such as oil or minerals, or from a resource-related future income stream; or repayment is guaranteed by a resource-related income stream, or where a natural resource asset serves as collateral.
  • Example: Surinam after defaulting on its debt in 2020 and 2021, negotiated a deal in which creditors would get the right to 30% of Suriname’s oil revenue until 2050.

Ending the high debt burden:

• Clean energy, wealthy governments and institutions must implement ambitious debt cancellation for all countries that need it, across all creditors, free from economic conditions.
• They should also stop accepting repayments made through fossil fuel projects’ revenue.
• Bilateral and multilateral finance should be aligned with a 1.5 degree warming scenario and fair share calculations, and not be used to finance fossil fuels.

10. Chandrayaan-3 | Not just sons of Tamil Nadu but State’s soil itself contributed to Moon mission

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in news

Namakkal, Tamil Nadu:

• Since 2012, Namakkal, which is about 400 km from the State capital Chennai, has supplied soil to ISRO for testing for the Chandrayaan Mission capability, as the earth in that district is similar to that of the lunar surface.
  • The soil was available in abundance in places like Sithampoondi and Kunnamalai villages surrounding Namakkal, and also in some areas in Andhra Pradesh and northern parts of the country.
• This has enabled ISRO to test and refine the ability of the lander module to soft land on the surface of the Moon, given that the properties of the Namakkal soil are similar.
• Tamil Nadu has the kind of soil that is present on the lunar surface, particularly that which is very similar to the soil present at the southern pole [of the Moon].
• The lunar surface has ‘Anorthosite’ [a type of intrusive igneous rock] type of soil.