Daily Prelims Notes 27 August 2023

August 27, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

27 August 2023

Table Of Contents

1. After Chandrayaan3, what are ISRO’s plans?

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Gaganyaan – Human Spaceflight Mission:

ISRO is working on Gaganyaan, a human spaceflight mission.
Astronauts are being trained for this mission.
The modified Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) rocket is being tested for safety to carry humans.

Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD):

ISRO is testing a reusable launch vehicle that can be used for multiple missions, unlike traditional rockets.
The design resembles the NASA Space Shuttle, with a winged body that can glide through the air or use engines for propulsion.

SCE-200 Engine:

SCE-200 is a powerful rocket engine developed by ISRO.
It uses refined kerosene (known as “Isrosene”) as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer.

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV):

SSLV is a smaller rocket designed to carry lighter satellites into low-earth orbit.
It aims to have a shorter turnaround time between launches compared to larger rockets like PSLV.

Methalox Propellant and Electric Propulsion:

ISRO is working on developing new rocket propellants like methalox (methane plus liquid oxygen) for improved efficiency.
ISRO is also developing electric propulsion systems for satellites, which are lighter and potentially extend satellite lifespan.

2. PMJDY accounts surpass 50 crore, deposits touch ₹2 lakh cr

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

PMJDY Achievements and Deposits

PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) celebrates nine years, crossing 50 crore bank accounts.
Launched on August 28, 2014, with the aim of financial inclusion for all.
Total deposits in PMJDY accounts exceed ₹2 lakh crore.
The scheme focuses on providing access to banking facilities, credit, insurance, and pension to the excluded sections.

Six Pillars of the Scheme

Universal access to banking services: Branch and Banking Correspondent’s.
Overdraft Facility: Basic savings bank accounts with an overdraft facility of Rs. 10,000/- to every eligible adult.
Financial Literacy Programme: Promoting savings, use of ATMs, getting ready for credit, availing insurance and pensions, and using basic mobile phones for banking.
Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund: To provide banks with some guarantee against defaults.
Insurance: Accident cover up to Rs. 1,00,000 and life cover of Rs. 30,000 on account opened between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015.
Pension scheme for Unorganized sector.

Promoting Micro Insurance and Financial Literacy

The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana are key micro insurance schemes.
Focus on persuasion, not compulsion, through financial literacy camps and awareness drives.
Coordination with field-level ministries, such as Anganwadi and Asha workers, for better outreach.
Exploration of databases like the E-Shram portal to identify uncovered individuals for scheme benefits.

Enhancing Financial Services Access and Digital Payments

Significant drop in zero balance accounts from 58% (March 2015) to 8%, indicating increased usage.
Efforts to enhance infrastructure for digital payments through Rupay cards and UPI.
Over 34 crore account holders issued Rupay cards for digital transactions.

Overdraft Facility and Demographic Breakdown

32 lakh account holders utilized overdraft facilities, amounting to ₹370 crore.
The overdraft limit was raised from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 in August 2018, providing more financial flexibility.
The age limit for overdraft was extended from 60 to 65 years, benefiting a broader demographic.

Demographic breakdown: 56% women account holders, 67% accounts in rural and semi-urban areas, bringing financial services to underserved regions.

3. Artists Breathe New Life into Seethakali: Reviving a Fading Folk Art

Subject: History

Section: Art and culture

Key Features of Seethakali

Folk Dance Drama: Seethakali is a traditional folk dance drama that was once performed during the festival days in erstwhile Desinganad (Kollam, Kerala), primarily during the Onam festivities.
Dalit Artists: The performance was carried out by Dalit artists belonging to the Veda and Pulaya communities, focusing on presenting episodes from the Ramayana from Sita’s perspective.
Vanayatra to Andardhanam: Seethakali portrays the journey from “vanayatra” (exile to the forest) to “andardhanam” (descend into the earth) of Sita, featuring a blend of songs, storytelling, and fast movements.
Instruments: The dance drama is accompanied by instruments such as ganjira, manikatta, chiratta, and kaimani.
Narrative through Songs: Seethakali’s story is conveyed through songs, with 28 collected over three years, featuring a folk style influenced by Vallappaattu, Kuthirappaattu, and Rakshasappattu.
Oral Tradition: Seethakali songs were orally transmitted from one generation to the next, which led to a pause in the tradition.
Basic Movements: The dance involves basic steps, striving to preserve the original essence of the art form.
Character Ensemble: The performance includes key characters such as Sita, Ram, Lakshman, Ravan, and Hanuman.

Revival Efforts by Perinad Seethakali Sangham

Fading Tradition: Seethakali had gradually faded from public performance, with little to no activity around it for several decades.
- The Veda communities’ displacement due to the Land Reform Act in the ’70s led to the decline of the art form.
Revival Group: The Perinad Seethakali Sangham, formed in 2017, played a crucial role in reviving Seethakali.
Diverse Artists: The group consists of artists from various backgrounds, breaking caste and communal barriers.
Revival Effort: The group of enthusiasts, led by N. Shajimon, came together to revive Seethakali, saving it from extinction.
- Documentary: Shajimon created a documentary titled Seethakali – Desinganadinte Dalit Ramayanam, tracing the evolution, popularity, and relevance of the art form.

4. Chandrayaan-3’s landing spot on Moon to be known as Shiv Shakti point

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

PM Modi addressed the ISRO scientists at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

Details:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the point where the Moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down will now be known as Shiv Shakti and the point where the Chandrayaan-2 left its footprints will now be called Tiranga.
In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfill those resolutions.
This Shiv Shakti point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with the Himalaya to Kanyakumari.
The point ‘Tiranga’ will serve as an inspiration for every effort that India makes and remind us that failure is not the end.

National Space Day:

August 23, the day the Chandrayaan-3’s lander made a historic soft-landing on the Moon will be commemorated as National Space Day.
National Space Day will celebrate the spirit of Science, Technology and Innovation, and inspire us for an eternity.
India has become the fifth-largest economy in the world and it is now among the first-world countries.

A National hackathons and quiz on CHandrayaan mission:

Mr. Modi also asked ISRO to organise national hackathons on space technology in governance in collaboration with various departments of the Centre and the State governments.
He also called upon students across the country to take part in a huge quiz competition on the Chandrayaan mission organised by MyGov from September 1.

For details of Chandrayaan-3 mission: https://optimizeias.com/isro-releases-images-of-the-far-side-area-of-the-moon/

5. India and Asian Development Bank to set up climate change and health hub in Delhi

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

Having bagged the first WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine, to be set up in Gujarat, India is now all set to open a climate change and health hub in the national capital in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

WHO Centre for Global Traditional Medicine:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) outpost in Jamnagar (Gujrat) will aim to provide:
- Leadership on global health matters pertaining to traditional medicine;
- Ensure the quality, safety, efficacy, accessibility, and rational use of traditional medicine;
- Develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas; and
- Develop tools and methodologies for data collection and analytics.

WHO hub for climate change and health:

The new hub for climate change and health will facilitate knowledge sharing, promote partnerships and innovations, and also help countries beyond the G-20, especially developing countries.

Health system resilience is a priority:

The G20 outcome document commit to:
- prioritizing climate-resilient health systems development,
- building sustainable and low-carbon/low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission health systems and healthcare supply chains that deliver high-quality healthcare,
- mobilize resources for resilient,
- low-carbon sustainable health systems, and
- facilitate collaboration, including initiatives such as the WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).

Emerging infectious diseases:

There is a concern about the rising cases of zoonotic spillovers, and consequently emerging and re-emerging diseases at the G20 Health Ministers meet.
G-20 countries have also welcomed the work of the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, and the opportunity to work closely with the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence and its endeavor to globally expand communities of practice and establish knowledge exchange programmes that disseminate and share good practices.

Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH):

ATACH is a WHO initiative, an informal voluntary network for Participants to exchange views, share information, and enhance technical and political co-operation.
It is not a distinct legal entity, and it derives its legal status from WHO. Thus, it shall be administered by WHO, which provides its Secretariat.
ATACH works to realize the ambition set at COP26 to build climate resilient and sustainable health systems, using the collective power of WHO Member States and other stakeholders to drive this agenda forward at pace and scale; and promote the integration of climate change and health nexus into respective national, regional, and global plans.
Four thematic working groups will work to address common issues:

Financing the Health Commitments on Climate Resilient and Sustainable Low Carbon Health Systems.
Climate Resilient Health Systems.
Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems.
Supply chains.

International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN):

IPSN is a global network of pathogen genomic actors, brought together by the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, to accelerate progress in pathogen genomics, and improve public health decision-making.
Vision and Mission:
- A world where every country has equitable access to sustained capacity for genomic sequencing and analytics as part of its public health surveillance system.

WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence (PEI):

The World Health Organization (WHO) Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is working towards a world where collaborative surveillance empowers countries and communities to minimise the impact of pandemic and epidemic threats.
Collaborative surveillance, a key concept within WHO’s framework to strengthen the global architecture for health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience (HEPR), facilitates the systematic strengthening of capacity and collaboration among diverse stakeholders globally, both within and beyond the health sector, to enhance public health intelligence and improve evidence for decision-making.

6. What Terai tigers eat and what it tells about the habitat

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

The poop of tigers has helped a team of scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) understand the prey selection patterns of the striped feline in the Indian part of the Terai-Arc Landscape, or TAL.

About the Report:

Report title: The assessment of the food habits of the tiger (Panthera tigris)
Scientists have gather information about the hotspots of conflicts related to livestock predation across 15,000 sq. km of the animal’s habitat along the foothills of the Himalayas.

Terai Arc Landscape (TAL):

TAL is composed of 14 Indian and Nepalese trans-border protected ecosystems of the Terai and nearby foothills of the Himalayas.
The area includes Nepal’s Bagmati River to the east and India’s Yamuna River to the west.
The TAL is home to many endangered mammals including the Bengal tiger (of which it has one of the world’s highest densities), the Indian rhinoceros, the gaur, the wild Asian elephant, the hispid hare, the sloth bear, the South Asian river dolphin and the chital, as well as over 500 species of birds, many endangered.
Examples of birds are the endangered Bengal florican, the sarus crane, and the black stork.
The scientists chose the 900 km linear stretch of TAL, recognised as one of the most productive habitats in the subcontinent.
- The globally important tiger conservation landscape is characterised by a mosaic of forests and grasslands covering both protected areas (PAs) and non-PAs.
TAL represents three major habitat types:
- Shivalik covering parts of the lower Himalayas,
- Bhabar covering the foothills of the lower Himalayas marked by pebbles and boulders, and
- Terai comprises the lowland region below the Himalayan foothills and north of the Indo-Gangetic plains covering entire Uttar Pradesh, southern parts of Uttarakhand, and Bihar.
About 22% of the wild tiger population in India is found across the TAL.

Data-loaded dump:

The dump of an animal yields information about its lineage, genetic relatedness, diet preference, population status, and the use of the landscape.
Field sampling was conducted across:
- six tiger reserves (Rajaji, Corbett, Amangarh, Pilibhit, Dudhwa, and Valmiki),
- two wildlife sanctuaries (Nandhaur and Sohagibarwa),
- two conservation reserves, and
- 11 non-PAs; including nine forest divisions and two social forestry divisions across Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
What does the data reveal about dietary patterns?
- Large-bodied species – sambar, swamp deer, nilgai, chital, wild pig, and livestock – comprised about 94% of the diet, with sambar, chital, and livestock having the highest relative proportions.
- Habitat-specific (Shivalik-Bhabar and Terai) analyses indicate that prey selection is driven by prey abundance and body weight but not determined by protection status (PAs versus non-PAs).
- PAs and non-PAs in the Terai region were more prone to livestock predation-related conflict.
Large carnivores have significant role in maintaining ecological diversity and interactions within their respective biological communities.

Recommendations:

Prey abundance estimation outside the PAs,
Reduction of grazing pressures, and
Detailed records of tiger mortalities with causal investigations to ensure future conflict-free tiger persistence across the TAL.

7. Tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis

Subject: Environment

Section: Ecosystem

Context:

A small percentage of leaves on trees in tropical forests may be approaching the maximum temperature threshold for photosynthesis to work, suggests a study.

Study findings:

The study indicated a resilience of tropical forests to how warming impacts carbon uptake and long-term drought.
Tropical forests serve as critical carbon stores and host most of the world’s biodiversity and may be particularly sensitive to increasing temperatures.
The critical temperature acts as an absolute upper limit.
The critical temperature beyond which photosynthetic machinery in tropical trees begins to fail averages at about 46.7 degrees C.
Modeling suggests that tropical forests can withstand up to a 3.9 degree C increase over current air temperatures before a potential tipping point.
An estimated 0.01% of all leaves currently surpass this critical temperature but there are uncertainties in the range of potentially critical temperatures in tropical trees.
In addition to temperature increase caused by global warming, deforestation and fragmentation can amplify local temperature changes.
The combination of ambitious climate change mitigation goals and reduced deforestation can ensure that these important realms of carbon, water and biodiversity stay below thermally critical thresholds.

Tropical rainforests:

Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen rainforest.
True rainforests are typically found between 10 degrees north and south of the equator.
They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28-degree latitudes (in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn). Within the World Wildlife Fund’s biome classification, tropical rainforests are a type of tropical moist broadleaf forest (or tropical wet forest) that also includes the more extensive seasonal tropical forests.

8. Missed childhood TB cases impede achieving 2025 goal

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Health

Context:

With childhood TB continuing to remain a “staggering problem” in India, “eliminating” TB by 2025 might be extremely challenging.

Cases of TB:

Globally, TB is now regarded as the leading cause of death from infectious diseases for children of all ages.
The estimated mortality of children with TB who fail to receive treatment is about 22%.
The case fatality ratio in children less than five years is 43%.

Critical gaps in TB case detection:

According to the WHO, there are critical gaps in detecting TB cases among children.
Globally, at least 1.2 million children aged less than 15 years fall ill with TB every year, and around 67 million children get infected.
56% of the 1.2 million children who develop TB annually are not detected.
As per the 2022 WHO global TB report, last year, children aged less than 15 years across the world accounted for 11% of the total estimated incident TB cases.

Cases in India:

India contributes nearly one-third to the global childhood TB caseload.
Nearly 0.34 million children aged less than 15 years are estimated to get TB disease every year; children in this age group in India are estimated to contribute about 13% of the TB caseload.
But in 2022, only 1,35,734 children were notified. Thus over 2,00,000 (about 60%) children with TB were likely missed last year alone.
Though children are required to be tested using highly sensitive molecular tests at the first point of contact, smear microscopy is often used.
In 2022, of the 3,00,000 molecular tests performed on children, just 37,000 (12%) were bacteriologically confirmed.
While the number of TB cases notified in India has increased since 2015, notifications of childhood TB have remained constant at 6%. each year.
Even as the bulk of the cases in children is pulmonary TB, which is easier to detect, up to 32% of TB cases are extrapulmonary, which makes TB detection more challenging.
There is a reduction in BCG vaccination of children during the pandemic.