Daily Prelims Notes 25 June 2022

June 25, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

25 June 2022

Table Of Contents

1. NASA Announces Launch Delay for Psyche Asteroid Mission

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space

Psyche asteroid mission

Psyche is a planned orbiter mission that will explore the origin of planetary cores by studying the metallic asteroid of the same name under NASA’s Discovery Program.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will manage the project.
The Psyche spacecraft is designed with solar electric propulsion, and the scientific payload includes a multispectral imager, a magnetometer, and a gamma-ray spectrometer.
16 Psyche is the heaviest known M-type asteroid, and was once thought to be the exposed iron core of a protoplanet.
Scientists think that 16 Psyche could be the exposed core of an early planet that could have been as large as Mars and lost its surface in a series of violent collisions.
The Psyche mission aims to characterize 16 Psyche’s geology, shape, elemental composition, magnetic field, and mass distribution.
It is expected that this mission will increase the understanding of planetary formation and interiors.

Science goals for the mission are:

Understand a previously unexplored building block of planet formation: iron cores.
Look inside terrestrial planets, including Earth, by directly examining the interior of a differentiated body, which otherwise could not be seen.
Explore a new type of world, made of metal.

The science objectives are:

Determine whether 16 Psyche is a core, or if it is unmelted material.
Determine the relative ages of regions of 16 Psyche‘s surface.
Determine whether small metal bodies incorporate the same light elements as are expected in the Earth’s high-pressure core.
Determine whether 16 Psyche was formed under conditions more oxidizing or more reducing than Earth’s core.
Characterize 16 Psyche’s topography.

2. National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Awareness in the field of IT

The app was launched by the Minister of Rural Development on May, 21 2021.
This app is aimed at bringing more transparency and ensuring proper monitoring of the schemes.
The NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites along with geo-tagged photographs.
The app helps in increasing citizen oversight of the programme.
The National Mobile Monitoring App is applicable for the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers for all the States/ Union Territories.

3. Protest against Eco-Sensitive Zones

Subject :Environment

Section :environment act

The Supreme Court has ordered the establishment of 1-km Eco-Sensitive Zones around all protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
Farmers in Kerala continue to protest across several high ranges of the state against the Supreme Court’s recent order to establish 1-km Eco-Sensitive Zones around all protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

Eco-Sensitive Zones

As per the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016), issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, land within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is to be notified as eco-fragile zones or Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ).
In case of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, even areas beyond 10 km width can also be included in the eco-sensitive zone.
The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimize the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.
Furthermore, these areas are meant to act as a transition zone from areas requiring higher protection to those requiring lesser protection.

Activities Allowed in ESZs

Prohibited activities: Commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise etc), establishment of major hydroelectric projects (HEP), commercial use of wood, Tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park, discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances.
Regulated activities: Felling of trees, establishment of hotels and resorts, commercial use of natural water, erection of electrical cables, drastic change of agriculture system, e.g. adoption of heavy technology, pesticides etc, widening of roads.
Permitted activities: Ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, use of renewable energy sources, adoption of green technology for all activities.

Recent Developments:

SC while marking 1km as mandatory ESZ also stated that no new permanent structure or mining will be permitted within the ESZ.
The people in Kerala are protesting to exempt all human settlements from the ESZ ruling.
This was because the villagers occupying the densely populated settlements in these areas believed that the ESZ would restrict their agricultural and related activities.

4. Bharat NCAP Draft Notification Filed – All Cars To Get Safety Rating

Subject: Economy

Section: Infrastructure

India ranks top in the world in terms of the number of persons killed and third on the injury list.
Until now, determining vehicle safety has been wholly courtesy of GNCAP (Global New Car Assessment Programme).
Now, the industry is a step closer to testing vehicles in house with Bharat NCAP coming into being.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved Bharat NCAP’s(New Car Assessment Programme) draft.
Cars tested will be awarded star ratings based on crash test performance.

Bharat NCAP Testing

Bharat NCAP testing protocol is aligned with global procedures. At the same time, existing Indian regulations will be factored in.
The end result allows OEMs to test vehicles in the country’s in-house testing facilities.
Standard large-scale testing is aligned to aid buyers. A seal of approval of sorts.
Auto firms in India follow AIS-145 (automotive Indian standard-145), which enforces safety features for vehicles such as seatbelts tell-tale, passenger airbags, and the speed limit alarm.
This standard has created changes in the Indian automotive industry and was enforced first in July 2019.

Global NCAP

The US was the first country to start a programme that provided information on car safety with regard to crashes to customers in 1978.
Later, a number of similar programmes were started across regions.
In 2011, a UK-based charity Towards Zero Foundation formed the Global NCAP to enhance cooperation among the various NCAPs.

5. ‘Hermit’ spyware

Subject : Science and Technology

Section :Awareness in the filed of technology

Hermit is a commercial spyware known to be used by governments, with victims in Kazakhstan, northern Syria and Italy, according to Lookout and Google.
The spyware uses various modules, which it downloads from its command and control servers as they are needed, to collect call logs, record ambient audio, redirect phone calls and collect photos, messages, emails and the device’s precise location from a victim’s device.
Hermit, which works on all Android versions, also tries to root an infected Android device, granting the spyware even deeper access to the victim’s data.
Targeted victims are sent a malicious link by text message and tricked into downloading and installing the malicious app — which masquerades as a legitimate branded telco or messaging app — from outside of the app store.
There is evidence that in some cases the government actors in control of the spyware worked with the target’s internet provider to cut their mobile data connectivity, likely as a lure to trick the target into downloading an telco-themed app under the guise of restoring connectivity.
Hermit is the latest government-grade spyware known to be deployed by state agencies.
Although it’s not known who has been targeted by governments using Hermit, similar mobile spyware developed by hacking-for-hire companies, like NSO Group and Candiru, have been linked to surveillance of journalists, activists and human rights defenders.
Hermit spyware is also targeting iPhones, which previously it was unable to do.
The Hermit iOS app — which abuses Apple enterprise developer certificates allowing the spyware to be sideloaded on a victim’s device from outside of the app store — is packed with six different exploits, two of which were never-before-seen vulnerabilities — or zero-days — at the time of their discovery.

6. What is Roe v. Wade, which the US Supreme Court has overturned — and why is it significant?

Subject :Polity

Section :Rights

Context: The landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade judgment that legalised abortion in the US has been struck down by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority

What is the position on abortion in India?

Medical Termination of Pregnancy act, 1971:

Abortion is legal in India. The MTP Act, more commonly known as the Medical Termination of Pregnancy act, was enacted in 1971, mainly as a means to control the population
Initially, the MTP act said that abortion can be permitted up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
It also stipulated that the procedure can be carried out only by a registered medical practitioner
Through an amendment in 2021, the ceiling for abortions was raised to 24 weeks, but only for special categories of pregnant women such as rape or incest survivors, that too, with the approval of two registered doctors
In case of foetal disability, there is no limit to the timeline for abortion, but that is allowed by a medical board of specialist doctors set up by the governments of states and union territories

Who is eligible to avail of an abortion?

A woman can undergo an abortion if the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape
Major deformations in the fetus can also be grounds to medically terminate a pregnancy
Other reasons can be the abortion is a result of failed contraception
A woman can also avail of an abortion if the continuation of the pregnancy can cause grave injury to the physical or mental health of the mother
An abortion can also be availed in case of a miscarriage i.e. if the baby is dead inside
An unmarried woman too can avail of abortion in India
In case the woman is under 18, “a case should be registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) act to abort
In the case of a minor getting an abortion, “the guardian’s signature would be needed to attest the age of the woman

7. Invasive species

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

A Vitamin D3-rich weed and a shrub with roots that wild boars love to gorge on are among the 18 invasive plants stifling the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, the best-known address of the greater one-horned rhinoceros on the Earth.

Impact of invasive species on Kaziranga national park

Kaziranga has had to deal with encroachment, poaching, and annual ﬂoods for decades. along with the green invaders like ipomoea (Ipomoeacarnea) and mimosa (Mimosa himalaica)
Invasive plants silently taking over the landscape at the cost of indigenous grasses, shrubs and trees.
Invasive plants are fast clogging paths and grasslands.
The herbivores usually avoid the invasive plants which regenerate at an alarming speed and threaten to edge out the indigenous flora.
Some of the invasive plants have a toxic impact on the landscape after remaining underwater, which is often for two months every monsoon.
Some weeds have herbal properties, but their toxicity outweighs their utility.
- For instance, wild boars love to gorge on the succulent rootlets of the Leea macrophylla or ‘kukurathengia’ that are fast clogging the patrolling paths and grasslands.
Another one is the Cestrum diurnum or day-blooming jasmine of West Indies origin “coming up gregariously” on the Brahmaputra sandbars. The plant is otherwise a source of Vitamin D3.

Alien Invasive Species:

An alien species is a species introduced outside its normal distribution.
An alien species become ‘invasive’ when they are introduced deliberately or accidentally outside their natural areas, where they out-compete the native species and upset the ecological balance.
Invasive alien species (IAS) are animals, plants or other organisms that are introduced into places outside their natural range, negatively impacting native biodiversity, ecosystem services or human well-being.

Examples of invasive species in India

Common water hyacinth
Prosopis juliflora
Napier grass
Indian jujube
Mimosa pigra
Indian Lantana

8. Victim compensation

Subject :Polity

Section: Judiciary

Context:

The Calcutta High Court has described the inability of the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) and the West Bengal government to pay victim compensation as a sorry state of affairs which cannot be permitted to continue for an indefinite period of time.

Inability to pay victim compensation

Inadequate funds- SLSA has not been provided with the funds for disbursement towards victim compensation.
The court pointed out that those victims who have suffered loss or injury or any kind of physical or mental agony have been brought within the purview of The Code of Criminal Procedure for a stated purpose.
The Code of Criminal Procedure as well as the notification published by the State in 2017 make it mandatory on the State government not only to make a separate budget for victim compensation, but also to constitute a fund with the specific nomenclature “Victim Compensation Fund” for those who need rehabilitation, the order noted.
Activists and survivors have welcomed the Calcutta High Court order. There are a number of survivors of trafficking in the State who have been awarded victim compensations, but the money has not yet been handed over to them since the SLSA does not have sufficient funds for that.

State Legal Service Authority

It is headed by the Chief Justice of the State High Court who is its Patron-in-Chief.
A serving or retired Judge of the High Court is nominated as its Executive Chairman.

Legal Services Institutions for providing Free Legal Aid:

National Level : National Legal Services Authority
State Level : State Legal Services Authority.
District Level : District Legal Services Authority. The District Judge of the District is its ex-officio Chairman.
Taluka/ Sub-Division Level : Taluka/ Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committee headed by a senior Civil Judge.
Supreme Court: Supreme Court Legal Services Committee
High Court : High Court Legal Services Committee

National Legal Services Authority:

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 in 1995 for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society.
The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief and the second senior most Judge of Supreme Court of India is the Executive Chairman of the Authority.
Article 39 A of the Constitution provides for free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society, to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunity.

9. Dense fog episodes twice more frequent in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh than Delhi-NCR: Study

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Context: Dense fog episodes were at least twice as frequent in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh than in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) from 2002-2020, a new study found

Concept:

What is Fog?

Fogis a cloud that touches the ground. Fog can be thin or thick, meaning people have difficulty seeing through it
Fog shows up when water vapor, or water in its gaseousform, condenses.
During condensation, moleculesof water vapor combine to make tiny liquid water droplets that hang in the air. You can see fog because of these tiny water droplets

How Fog is formed?

Fog happens when it’s very, very humid. There has to be a lot of water vapor in the air for fog to form.
In order for fog to form, dustor some kind of air pollution needs to be in the air. Water vapor condenses around these microscopic solid particles

Fog Vs Mist:

Fog is denser than mist. This means fog is more massive and thicker than mist
There are more water molecules in the same amount of space in a fog.

Effects of Fog:

Fogs reduce the near-surface visibility to less than 100 metres
During fog flights and trains get cancelled or experience massive delays
Vehicular accidents also occur

10. Another failure extends the elusive search for Alzheimer’s ‘silver bullet’

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Life science

Context: An experimental Alzheimer’s drug aimed at slowing or preventing cognitive decline in people at risk of developing the disease early has failed in clinical trials

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

It is a degenerative brain disorder that slowly robs people of their memory and thinking abilities
It is the most common form of dementia or loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning – contributing 60%-70% cases
Pathology of the disease is deposition of an abnormal protein called beta-amyloid in the brain
The abnormal clumps (beta-amyloid plaque) and bundles of fibres (neurofibrillary tangles) along with loss of connections between the neurons to transmit messages inside the brain, are key markers of the disease

What was the latest trial that failed?

The decade-long effort used crenezumab, a drug designed to block beta-amyloid in its latest trial did not show “significant clinical benefits
In 2021, the USFDA approved Biogen’s beta amyloid targeting drug aduhelm, making it the first new Alzheimer’s drug to receive approval in the US in almost 20 years
While that controversy continues to rage, crenezumab’s failure has called into question the very approach of relying too much on neutralising beta-amyloid to fight the disease, the strategy being tried in the majority of Alzheimer’s studies

11. Iyer set to be NITI CEO

Subject : Polity

Section :National Organization

Context:

Parameswaran Iyer, a 1981-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre and a well-known sanitation specialist, has been appointed the chief executive officer of Niti Aayog, after Amitabh Kant retires on June 30.

Functions of NITI Aayog

To evolve a shared vision of national development priorities sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in the light of national objectives
To foster cooperative federalism through structured support initiatives and mechanisms with the States on a continuous basis, recognizing that strong States make a strong nation
To develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government
To ensure, on areas that are specifically referred to it, that the interests of national security are incorporated in economic strategy and policy
To pay special attention to the sections of our society that may be at risk of not benefiting adequately from economic progress
To design strategic and long term policy and programme frameworks and initiatives, and monitor their progress and their efficacy. The lessons learnt through monitoring and feedback will be used for making innovative improvements, including necessary mid-course corrections
To provide advice and encourage partnerships between key stakeholders and national and international like-minded Think tanks, as well as educational and policy research institutions.
To create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative community of national and international experts, practitioners and other partners.
To offer a platform for resolution of inter-sectoral and inter departmental issues in order to accelerate the implementation of the development agenda.
To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource Centre, be a repository of research on good governance and best practices in sustainable and equitable development as well as help their dissemination to stake-holders
To actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes and initiatives, including the identification of the needed resources so as to strengthen the probability of success and scope of delivery
To focus on technology upgradation and capacity building for implementation of programmes and initiatives
To undertake other activities as may be necessary in order to further the execution of the national development agenda, and the objectives mentioned

Composition of NITI Aayog:

Chairperson: Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson.
Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.
Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. These will be formed for a specified tenure.
The Regional Councils will be convened by the Prime Minister and will comprise of the Chief Ministers of States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories in the region. These will be chaired by the Chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee.
Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister.

The full-time organizational framework:

Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by the Prime Minister.
Members: Full-time.
Part-time members: Maximum of 2 from leading universities research organizations and other relevant institutions in an ex-officio capacity. Part time members will be on a rotational basis.
Ex Officio members: Maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
Chief Executive Officer : To be appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.

12. Govt advertises top post of oil regulator, 2nd in as many years

Subject : Polity

Section :National Organization

Context:

The Centre has for a second time in as many years advertised the post of chairman of oil and gas regulator Petroleum And Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), which has been lying vacant since December 2020.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) was constituted under The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (NO. 19 OF 2006) notified via Gazette Notification dated 31st March, 2006.
The Act provide for the establishment of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board to protect the interests of consumers and entities engaged in specified activities relating to petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas and to promote competitive markets and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Further as enshrined in the act, the board has also been mandated to regulate the refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas excluding production of crude oil and natural gas so as and to ensure uninterrupted and adequate supply of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas in all parts of the country.