Daily Prelims Notes 27 March 2023

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

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Daily Prelims Notes

27 March 2023

Table Of Contents

1. RBI asks banks to make extra provisioning on top 20 business houses

Subject: economy

Context:

The Reserve Bank of India has advised banks to set aside specific provisioning towards their exposure to top 20 conglomerates of India.
Some of large corporations also have significant foreign debt exposure in the form of bonds and loans and it would be better to be step ahead of the curve to ensure that banks in India don’t suffer because of the global turmoil.
Reliance Industries, Adani group and Vedanta are conglomerates to name a few, with heavy exposure to foreign debt.

Provisioning:

Banks have to set aside or provide funds to a prescribed percentage of their bad assets.
The percentage of bad asset that has to be ‘provided for’ is called provisioning coverage ratio.
Provisioning Coverage Ratio (PCR) is essentially the ratio of provisioning to gross non-performing assets and indicates the extent of funds a bank has kept aside to cover loan losses.
Thus, provisioning coverage ratio is the percentage of bad assets that the bank has to provide for (keep money) from their own funds.

2. Chenab River Bridge

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in news

The Chenab Bridge is a railway bridge currently under construction in the Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. The project is being carried out under the auspices of the Northern Railways
It was announced on March 17, 2021 that the bottom ends of the arch were connected and that the bridge is expected to be open by December 2021
Upon completion it will span the entire length of the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, making it the world’s highest rail bridge.

Chenab River

It rises in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh state.
The river is formed by the confluence of two rivers, Chandra and Bhaga, at Tandi, 8 km southwest of Keylong, in the Lahaul and Spiti district.
The Bhagariver originates from Surya taal lake, which is situated a few kilometers west of the Bara-lacha la pass in Himachal Pradesh.
The Chandra river originates from glaciers east of the same pass (near Chandra Taal).
It flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before flowing into the Indus River.

3. Russia to station nuclear weapons in Belarus

Subject: International relations

Section: Places in news

Context: Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. President Putin said the move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements and compared it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe. Moscow would not be transferring control of its arms to Minsk

Belarus:

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
It is bordered by
- Russia to the east and northeast,
- Ukraine to the south,
- Poland to the west, and
- Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
Belarus is the 13th-largest and the 20th-most populous country in Europe.
Minsk is the capital and largest city.
Major rivers are the west-flowing Western Dvina and Nyoman rivers, and the south-flowing Dnieper with its tributaries, the Berezina, Sozh, and Prypyat rivers.
- The Prypyat River has served as a bridge between the Dnieper, flowing to Ukraine, and the Vistula in Poland since the period of Kievan Russia.
Nearly one-third of the country is covered with pustaz, large unpopulated tracts of forests.

4. Tigers from India may be sent to Cambodia

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: India signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia in November to assist it with “all technical details and knowledge’’ regarding the reintroduction of the tiger in the country.

How did tigers go extinct in Cambodia?

Due to habitat destruction and poaching. Tigers need large habitats to roam in and a significant prey base to hunt. As forests were cut down for development activities and as human habitats extended into forests, the tiger’s habitat came under stress. Smaller habitats meant more competition for prey, more inbreeding, and more human-animal conflict.
Also, tigers were killed for their valuable body parts. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), “Every part of the tiger—from whisker to tail—has been found in illegal wildlife markets. A result of persistent demand, their bones, and other body parts are used for modern health tonics and folk remedies, and their skins are sought after as status symbols among some Asian cultures.”
The last tiger spotted on a camera trap in Cambodia was in 2007. In April 2016, Cambodia announced that tigers were “functionally extinct”, meaning no breeding populations of the animal were left in the country.

Why translocate from India?

Thirteen countries make up the tiger range of the world — Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
In 2010, these countries had met and adopted a goal to double their tiger population by 2022. India reached the goal before that year, and, with its current population of about 3,000 tigers, harbours more than 70% of the global wild tiger population. The animal has gone extinct in Laos and Vietnam.
The Indochinese tiger found in Cambodia is smaller than the Royal Bengal tiger, but they are the same subspecies. According to the WWF, “since 2017, IUCN has recognised two tiger subspecies, commonly referred to as the continental tiger and the Sunda island tiger. All remaining island tigers are found only in Sumatra, with tigers in Java and Bali now extinct. These are popularly known as Sumatran tigers. The continental tigers currently include the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese and Amur (Siberian) tiger populations, while the Caspian tiger is extinct in the wild. The South China tiger is believed to be functionally extinct.”
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said, “We will have to look at many factors before taking a decision. To begin with, we have to verify whether the reasons for tiger disappearance in Cambodia have been addressed, whether they have the requisite facilities and infrastructure to support the tiger.”

What is Cambodia doing to reintroduce the tiger?

One of the possible sites of tiger reintroduction is the Cardamom Rainforest Landscape, which offers “a vast expanse of forest cover, grasslands, and wetlands that are ideal for tiger reintroduction. These protected areas include the Southern Cardamom National Park, Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary and Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary.”
In these areas, the Wildlife Alliance website says,
- an inviolate core zone of more than 2,000 sq km has been “created and secured”
- Three tiger prey base surveys have been conducted, “finding good tiger prey density”
- More patrol rangers to prevent poaching are “strategically situated around the Tiger Core Zone”
- Local communities are being engaged in the conservation efforts.
A successful reintroduction of the tiger will not only mean increased tourism income for Cambodia, but also restore ecological balance by introducing an apex predator. Also, as WWF says, “Tigers are an umbrella species, which means when they are conserved, it also helps to conserve many other species. Tiger conservation brings the highest levels of protection for an area as well as an increase in funds and capacity.”

Tiger Conservation in India https://optimizeias.com/tiger-conservation-initiatives/

5. New species of Moray eel discovered off Cuddalore coast named after Tamil Nadu

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: This is the first ever record of this species and has been named after Tamil Nadu as tamilnaduensis with common name as Tamil Nadu brown moray.

More on the News:

Researchers have discovered a new species of Moray eel at the Mudasalodai fish landing centre off the Cuddalore coast. The species has been named after Tamil Nadu as Gymnothoraxtamilnaduensis with common name as Tamil Nadu brown moray.
This is the first ever record of this genus, Gymnothorax, collected through an exploration survey conducted along the coastal waters of Cuddalore district, particularly, Parangipettai and Mudasalodai fish landing centres.
About 28 species of Gymnothorax have been documented in Indian waters so far. The species discovered off the Cuddalore coast represents India and increases the total amount of species of Gymnothorax to 29.

Gymnothoraxtamilnaduensis:

A new species of short brown unpatterned moray, is described, based on four specimens ranging from 272–487 mm total length.
The new species is distinguished by the following combination of characters:
- origin of dorsal fin at middle of rictus and gill opening,
- anus just before mid-body,
- series of lines of small dark spots present on head and
- a single line of black spot-on mid-line of body, jaw pores with white rim, anal-fin margin whitish, 3 pre-dorsal vertebrae, 56–59 pre-anal vertebrae and 139–150 total vertebrae.
The new species differs from its known Indian water congeners by having series of lines of small dark spots present on the head and a single line of black spots on the mid-line of the body (vs. absent in all the three congeners in India), serrated teeth (vs. smooth), jaw pores with white rim (vs. black to brown in others) and higher vertebral count (139–150 vs. 134–138 in others).
Distribution: Indian Ocean: off Cuddalore Coast, Bay of Bengal, southeast coast of India. The species were collected at a depth of about 25–30 metres.

6. Global initiative “50 by 2050”

Subject : Environment

Section: Environment International conventions

Context: COP27: Global initiative “50 by 2050” targets waste colonialism in fight against Africa pollution.

More on the News:

Egyptian government is launching a global waste initiative dubbed “50 by 2050” that aims to ensure at least half of all African waste is treated and recycled before 2050.
Announced at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, proponents say the ambitious targets could reduce the “waste colonialism” plaguing African countries.
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) held a press conference with Friends of the Earth Nigeria to provide civil society’s perspective on the goals.
A UK-based startup, based at Imperial College in London, claims to have developed a technology that could alter the state of plastics and make them biodegradable. The company calls the process “biotransformation”. It claims the technology would digest the plastic packaging waste naturally with the help of microbes and biodegrade the waste without leaving behind any microplastics.

Decolonizing packaging waste

According to Niven Reddy, regional coordinator for GAIA Africa Waste, pollution and the environmental and human health harms it creates are not only generated in Africa.
Large amounts of waste are created through non-recyclable packaging coming from companies in the global north. They produce materials that cannot be recycled in places lacking the necessary waste management infrastructure.
Global leaders can support Africa by bringing an end to waste colonialism, both by creating policies to reduce single-use plastic marketed in the global south and preventing the transfer trade of waste from the global north to the south.
Legal waste exportation also opens the doors for illicit waste trafficking. Handlers can smuggle illegal forms of toxic waste inside authorized shipping containers. The European Anti-Fraud Office estimates illegal waste trafficking to be worth over US$10 billion annually – more than the human trafficking trade.

Tackling African waste

Achieving the goals of 2050 can be done by recognizing that we need to embrace the different starting points of each country in Africa and that improving recycling rates must be centered around waste picker integration.
Many workers throughout the continent rely on informal waste collection labor to survive. This job market should be protected and improved before novel solutions like advanced recycling and incineration projects.
The initiative must focus on job-generating and inclusive solutions, discarding industry-led initiatives like incineration and chemical recycling and ensuring that waste pickers and waste cooperatives are formative parts of the models to be adopted.

7. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)

Subject : Environment

Section: Environment International conventions

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) is an international organization working to promote sustainable and just solutions to waste management. GAIA works with community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and policy makers to promote waste reduction, recycling, and composting, and to oppose incineration and landfills as harmful waste management practices.
GAIA was founded in 2000 as a global network of grassroots organizations working on waste issues. Its mission is to promote sustainable waste management solutions that protect public health, the environment, and human rights.
GAIA works on a range of issues related to waste management, including zero waste, toxic pollution, climate change, and the circular economy. Its programs include research and policy advocacy, capacity building and training, and media and communications.
GAIA promotes the concept of zero waste, which aims to reduce waste generation and maximize recycling and composting. This approach prioritizes waste reduction and reuse, and encourages the development of local, community-based solutions to waste management.
GAIA opposes the use of incineration and landfills as harmful and unsustainable waste management practices. Incineration releases toxic pollutants into the air and generates greenhouse gas emissions, while landfills can lead to soil and water contamination and contribute to climate change.
GAIA works with policy makers at the local, national, and international levels to promote sustainable waste management policies and regulations. This includes advocating for extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies that hold manufacturers responsible for the end-of-life management of their products.

Biotransformation technology:

Biotransformation technology is a process that uses microorganisms to transform organic compounds into less toxic or more useful products. It is a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical synthesis methods, as it is typically less energy-intensive and generates less waste.
Biotransformation can be used to transform a variety of organic compounds, including chemicals used in pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and food additives. The two main types of biotransformation are biodegradation, which breaks down complex organic molecules into simpler compounds, and biotransformation, which modifies the structure of organic compounds to produce more useful or less toxic products.
Biotransformation relies on microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, to carry out the chemical transformations. These microorganisms can be found in a variety of environments, including soil, water, and the human gut.
Plastics made using this technology are given a pre-programmed time during which the manufactured material looks and feels like conventional plastics without compromising on quality. Once the product expires and is exposed to the external environment, it self-destructs and biotransforms into bioavailable wax. This wax is then consumed by microorganisms, converting waste into water, CO2, and biomass.
Biotransformation technology is the world’s first that ensures polyolefins fully biodegrade in an open environment causing no microplastics.

8. Institution of Eminence scheme

Subject: Schemes

Context : No progress on the scheme

The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.
The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.
Grant: The public institutions under IOE tag will receive a government grant of 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

Criteria

Global/National Ranking: Only those institutions which have appeared in any of the global/national ranks shall be recommended for the IoE status.
Public institutions are assessed on the basis of QS-2020 world rankings, in case of a tie QS- 2019 rankings are used.
Private institutions are assessed on the basis of their ranking in the QS India or National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF), the NIRF ranking being used as a tie-breaker.
Any institution that did not appear in any rankings (QS-2019, QS-2020 and NIRF) is excluded completely from the list of IOE tag.
Greenfield Proposals: Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, consideration shall be given to yet to be established (Greenfield) proposals.
The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.
The Greenfield Institutions would get 3 year period to establish and operationalise the institution, and thereafter, EEC will consider giving IoE status to such institutions.
Satya Bharti Foundation (telecom major Airtel’s philanthropic arm) became the second greenfield institution to be given IoE status, after Reliance’s Jio Institute.

9. MPs’ group mulls over charter of demands to combat air pollution

Subject :Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: Taking note of the poor air quality in various parts of the country and its impacts on human health, the PGCA held a two-day ‘Clean Air workshop’ with the MPs in Gurgaon over the weekend.

More on the News:

Parliamentarians Group for Clean Air (PGCA), a consortium of 35 MPs across party lines, launched a compendium to empower their peers to monitor factors impacting levels of air pollution in their constituencies and seek answers for better implementation of government policies.
The effort was facilitated by Swaniti Initiative, which serves as the secretariat to the PGCA.
Taking note of the poor air quality in various parts of the country and its impacts on human health, the PGCA held a two-day ‘Clean Air workshop’ with the MPs in Gurgaon over the weekend.
The group deliberated on a charter of demands that will be presented to the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The charter framed by the MPs says that there should be an integration of air quality with public health in policy matters and pushes for the installation of infrastructure in rural and urban areas alike to capture even finer pollutants.
The charter says that governments need to encapsulate an airshed approach at the municipal or city-level.
It has also recommended international cooperation to reduce the effects of transboundary effects of air pollution.
The MPs have further recommended partnerships of industries with the government and other stakeholders to adopt clean air initiatives.

Curbing air Pollution: https://optimizeias.com/curbing-air-pollution/

10. ISRO puts 36 satellites into orbit

Subject : Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Concept :

Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) GSLV-Mk3/LVM3 successfully put into space 36 satellites of Bharti-backed OneWeb enabling the completion of the UK firm’s first generation (Gen-1) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation.
The mission was the second (1st – GSAT-24) dedicated commercial satellite mission undertaken by Space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for Network Access Associates Ltd (OneWeb).

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

It is a (49 meters tall) is a 3-stage space launch vehicle designed, developed and operated by the ISRO to launch satellites and other space objects into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits (GTO ~37,000 km).
The 1st stage (S139) generates maximum thrust.
The 2nd stage uses a liquid rocket engine which is known as Vikas engine.
The 3rd stage uses a Cryogenic engine, which uses liquefied oxygen and hydrogen as fuel.
GSLV has the capability to put a heavier payload (up to 5,000 kg up to 37,000 km) in orbit than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV can carry up to 2000 kg into space up to 600-900 km).
PSLV is designed mainly to deliver earth observation or remote sensing satellites, whereas GSLV has been designed for launching communication satellites.
GSLV delivers satellites into a higher elliptical orbit – Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
GSLV-D5 – launched in 2014 – was the first successful flight of the GSLV using the indigenous cryogenic engine (CE-7.5).
The current configuration of GSLV with a CE-7.5 cryogenic engine, can put a payload of up to –
2500 kg in the GTO
5000 kg in Low Earth Orbits (LEO – altitude 2000 km or less)

GSLV MKIII /Launch Vehicle 3

GSLV MKIII Project was approved in 2002, with a mandate of achieving the capability to launch a 4-ton (4000 kg) class satellite to Geo-Synchronous orbit, by realizing an indigenously developed launch vehicle.
GSLV MKIII (43.5 m height and a gross lift-off weight of 640 tonnes) is configured as a three-stage vehicle with two solid strap-on motors (S200), one liquid core stage (L110) and a high thrust CUS (configured with the fully indigenous cryogenic engine – CE20).
Characteristics of GSLV MkIII:
Performance capability of 4.3 ton to GTO
Payload capability to support 10 ton to LEO missions
Cost effective
Improved reliability, operability and redundancy management
Future growth potential of payload with minimal design changes
To support manned missions (like Gaganyaan mission) of Indian Space Programme
The maiden operational flight of GSLV MKIII has successfully launched Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into the Super Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit in 2019.

Details of the Mission

NSIL – a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of the ISRO, has signed two launch service contracts with M/s OneWeb, United Kingdom.
OneWeb is a (Bharti group-backed) global communications network, powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities.
As part of this contract, 36 communication satellites were placed into orbit by LVM3 – ISRO’s heaviest launcher, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, under the OneWeb India-1 Mission.
This is the second LVM3 dedicated commercial launch (earning the agency upwards of Rs 1,000 crore) and through this launch LVM3 is making its entry into the Global commercial launch service market.
This is the third (operational) flight of the GSLV MKIII, since it carried India’s second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2.
The OneWeb has set a significant benchmark for the Indian space industry in downstream application of satellite communication in India.
It will pave the way for India to move towards benefiting from remarkable capabilities of LEO connectivity and the spread of space-based internet, bridging the digital divide in the country’s most remote areas.

ISRO’s Future Endeavours

The space agency is looking at a PSLV commercial mission, GSLV-Mk3 (for Chandrayaan-3) mission and a GSLV-Mk2 mission (for Nisar) in the coming months.
The LVM3 mission has also given ISRO more confidence about the rocket which will be used for Gaganyaan mission (Human Spaceflight Programme).

11. IMF Bailouts

Subject :International Relations

Section: International Organization

Concept :

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed a $3 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy.
Negotiations are also being held with Pakistan for a $1.1 billion bailout plan.

Reasons:

Such currency crises are generally the result of gross mismanagement of the nation’s currency by its central bank, often under the covert influence of the ruling government.
Central banks may be forced by governments to create fresh money out of thin air to fund populist spending.
Such spending eventually results in a rapid rise of the overall money supply, which in turn causes prices to rise across the economy and the exchange value of the currency to drop.
A country’s domestic economic policies can also have an adverse impact on its currency’s exchange rate and foreign exchange reserves. For example, economic policy that imperils productivity can affect a country’s ability to attract the necessary foreign exchange for its survival.
Bad luck can also contribute to a crisis. In the case of Sri Lanka, a decrease in foreign tourists visiting the country led to a steep fall in the flow of U.S. dollars into the nation.

Impact:

A rapid, unpredictable fall in the value of a currency can destroy confidence in said currency and affect economic activity as people may turn hesitant to accept the currency in exchange for goods and services.
Foreigners may also be unwilling to invest in the economy where the value of its currency gyrates in an unpredictable manner.
In such a scenario, many countries are forced to seek help from the IMF to meet their external debt and other obligations, to purchase essential imports, and also to prop up the exchange value of their currencies.

How does the IMF help countries ?

The IMF basically lends money, often in the form of special drawing rights (SDRs), to troubled economies that seek the lender’s assistance
The IMF carries out its lending to troubled economies through a number of lending programs such as:
the extended credit facility,
the flexible credit line,
the stand-by agreement, etc.
Countries receiving the bailout can use the SDRs for various purposes depending on their individual circumstances. Any money that they receive from the IMF is likely to go towards addressing these urgent issues.

Conditions attached to an IMF bailout:

A country may have to agree to implement certain structural reforms as a condition to receive IMF loans.
The IMF’s conditional lending has been controversial as many believe that these reforms are too tough on the public.
Some have also accused the IMF’s lending decisions, which are taken by officials appointed by the governments of various countries, to be influenced by international politics.
Supporters of the IMF’s lending policies, however, have argued that conditions are essential for the success of IMF lending. For one, countries that seek an IMF bailout are usually in a crisis due to certain policies adopted by their governments that turned out to be inimical to economic growth and stability.
Corruption is another issue. The IMF lending to troubled economies, may turn out to be a wasted effort because these economies have poor institutions and suffer from high corruption.

Special Drawing Rights

The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
The SDR is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members. SDRs can be exchanged for these currencies.
The value of the SDR is calculated from a weighted basket of major currencies, including the U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and British pound.
The interest rate on SDRs or SDR is the interest paid to members on their SDR holdings.

12. Bodoland Territorial Council

Subject :Polity

Section: Federalism

Concept :

The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) of Assam is to start its Mission Happiness programme throughout the Bodoland Territorial Area (BTR).

About:

The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) government will begin implementing its Mission Happiness in April over the 9,000 sq. km (BTR).
After consulting with various groups of individuals to understand and evaluate the causes of their “anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction,” all stakeholders were included in the development of the course material.
Former radicals, government officials, political leaders, members of civil society, delegates from various ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups, as well as the “downtrodden individuals at the bottom of the barometer of happiness” are among the contributors.

Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)

The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was created under the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution following the Memorandum of Settlement between the Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Government of India, and the Government of Assam.
It is an autonomous region within Assam. It consists of four districts (Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, and Udalguri) that are situated by the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.
The BTC is made up of 40 elected members and an additional six that the Assam Governor appoints.
A Speaker leads the Bodoland Territorial Council, while a Chief Executive Member chairs the executive committee.
The BTC region is located within India’s least developed zone on the map. The people’s main source of livelihood is the agro-economy. There are few industrialization and other employment opportunities.

Power and Function

The Bodoland Territorial Council’s executive and legislative authority derives from the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution as well as the 2003 and 2020 Bodoland Peace Agreements.
The Bodoland Territorial Council has the authority to levy taxes, fees, and tolls on a variety of items, including land, buildings, animals, vehicles, boats, goods entering the region, transportation by ferry or bridge, sanitation, employment, and income, as well as general taxes for the upkeep of roads and schools.

Autonomous District Councils and Sixth Schedule

According to Article 244, the administration of the tribal areas in the four northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram is covered by the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The Indian Constitution’s 6th Schedule permits the creation of autonomous administrative units that have been granted autonomy within their respective states.
The State Governor has the authority to modify the boundaries of the autonomous districts, including changing their names.
In terms of their administration, the 6th Scheduled Areas fall under the State’s executive authority.
Some autonomous districts and autonomous regions are exempt from the laws of the Parliament or the state legislature, or they do so with specific modifications and restrictions.
These Autonomous Councils have been given extensive civil and criminal judicial powers, including the ability to set up village courts, among other things.
The relevant High Court has jurisdiction over these councils.
Along with ADCs, the Sixth Schedule also provides for separate Regional Councils for each area constituted as an autonomous region.
In all, there are 10 areas in the Northeast that are registered as autonomous districts – three in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram and one in Tripura.
These regions are named as district council of (name of district) and regional council of (name of region).
Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four are nominated by the governor and the rest via elections. All of them remain in power for a term of five years.
The Bodoland Territorial Council, however, is an exception as it can constitute up to 46 members.

13. Moore’s Law

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Msc

Concept :

“Coordinating concept” was used to imply that the law’s existence served as one of the things that kept it in place, producing a kind of self-fulfilling prediction.
The co-founder of Intel Corporation and the businessman and engineer Gordon Moore, for whom the law is named, passed away on March 24.

Moore’s Law

Dr Moore observed that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit (IC) would double every yea
Ten years later, he changed it to suggest that the number will double roughly every two years.
Moore’s law has since been proven to be accurate: the number of transistors on an IC did rise in that way, as several papers, articles, and books have noted.
According to Moore and Carver Mead, if a microchip’s size is reduced by a certain amount, its efficiency rises by the cube of that amount, resulting in an exponential gain.
Moore’s law gave the semiconductor sector a means to establish goals and advised militaries and governments on where and how much to invest.
The law makes it easier for software developers to predict how much larger their releases should be.
Consumer prices for computer power are falling, while producers’ expenses to implement Moore’s law are increasing instead of decreasing with each new chip generation.
These expenditures include R&D, manufacturing, and testing. For Moore’s law to continue, rising production costs must be taken into account.

14. Depleted Uranium Munitions

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Concept :

The U.K. would provide Ukraine with armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

Depleted Uranium Munitions

Depleted uranium (DU) is a by-product of uranium enrichment.
Enriched uranium is highly radioactive and is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.
In comparison to enriched uranium, depleted uranium is much less radioactive and is incapable of generating a nuclear reaction.
Due to its high density (more dense than lead), depleted uranium is widely used in weapons as it can easily penetrate armour plating.
The US began manufacturing armour-piercing rounds with depleted uranium in the 1970s and has since added it to composite tank armour to strengthen it.
Note :
About 340 tons of depleted uranium were used in munitions during the 1991 Gulf War, and an estimated 11 tons in the Balkans in the late 1990s.
Such rounds were developed by the U.S. during the Cold War to destroy Soviet tanks, including the same T-72 tanks that Ukraine now faces in its push to break through a stalemate in the east.

Weapons

The US, Britain, Russia, China, France and Pakistan produce uranium weapons.
Depleted uranium munitions are not classified as nuclear weapons, as per the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons.
Still they emit low levels of radiation, mainly α-particles and can cause severe diseases.

Risks

Ingesting or inhaling them depresses renal function and raises the risk of developing a range of cancers.
Depleted uranium munitions which miss their target can poison groundwater and soil.

15. Daylight savings dispute leaves Lebanon with two time zones

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical Geography

Concept :

The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan caused mass confusion on Sunday.
As some institutions implemented the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves able to juggle work and school schedules across different time zones – in a country that is just 88 kilometers (55 miles) long at its widest point.
The small Mediterranean country usually puts its clocks forward one hour on the last Sunday in March, which is in line with most European countries.
On Thursday, however, the Lebanese government announced a decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to postpone the start of daylight saving time to April 21.

Daylight saving time (DST)

Daylight saving time (or referred to as Summer Time in Europe) is the practice by some countries of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that in the evening hours day light is experienced later, while sacrificing normal sunrise times
Also called Spring Forward, Fall Backward
The idea behind DST is to make better use of daylight.
During the summer months, the sun stays visible for a longer time and sunset happens late in the day – there is an extra hour of daylight in the evening.
In the autumn/winter, as the days begin to become shorter and nights longer, the clocks are again set back by one hour signalling the end of DST or Summer time. In effect, it transfers an hour of daylight from evening to morning, when it is assumed to be of greater use to most people.

How DST came into being ?

New Zealander George Hudson is said to have proposed the modern idea of daylight saving in 1895.
By some accounts, a group of Canadians in Port Arthur (Ontario) were the first to adopt the practice in 1908 .
Germany and Austria-Hungary organized the first implementation, starting on 30 April 1916, during World War I. Several European countries dropped it after the War ended in 1918. The practice returned again during the energy crises of the 1970s.
Many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s.

Criticism of DST

People and governments of many countries are not happy with the requirement of changing time of clocks twice a year.
Considering the way the way modern societies work, there are grave doubts that DST actually saves much energy.
Some studies have also found health risks as people lose an hour of sleep while advancing the clocks.

A move to end the practice soon

In fact, the European Parliament has voted to scrap DST, and starting 2021, the member states of the EU will choose between having a “permanent summertime” or “permanent wintertime”.
Those who choose the former will reset their clocks for the last time in March 2021; those who choose the latter would do so in October 2021.
In the US, the changing of clocks is the subject of a debate every year, and a large number of people protest against the practice.

Why India does not follow DST ?

India does not follow daylight saving time, even though there are large parts of the country where winter days are shorter.
Daylight Saving Time was observed briefly during the Sino-Indian war in 1962 and the Indo-Pakistani wars in 1965 and 1971 respectively, so that energy consumption by civilians would be reduced.
Also, tea gardens in Assam start work at 8am, continuing a practice started during the colonial rule. This timing is so widespread that it is nick-named “Bagaan Timing” or the tea garden time.
In effect, tea gardens in Assam follow their own informal time zone.

16. Honduras

Subject : International Relations

Section: Places in news

Concept :

China and Honduras signed a landmark communique to formally establish diplomatic relations, with the Central American nation becoming the latest country to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The agreement now leaves a dwindling number of diplomatic partners for Taiwan, with Honduras joining Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica in recently recognising Beijing and ending ties with Taipei.
The only remaining among the 193 member countries of the UN that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, along with the Holy See (Vatican), are the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, and Palau in the Pacific; Eswatini in Africa; and Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, in Latin America and the Caribbean.

One China policy

One China policy is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s position that there is only one Chinese government and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.
Any country that wants diplomatic relations with mainland China must break official ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan is not recognised as an independent country by much of the world not even the United Nations.
It undergoes extraordinary naming contortions just to participate in events and institutions like the Olympic Games and the World Trade Organization.
India has followed a “One China policy” since its recognition of China (also known as the People’s Republic of China) in 1949, and only maintains trade and cultural relations with Taiwan.
Though U.S. agrees with a one-China policy, it said, it will intervene militarily if China will try to annex Taiwan by force.
Under the policy, the US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland one day including with the use of force.

How did it come about?

The policy can be traced back to 1949 and the end of the Chinese civil war. The defeated Nationalists, also known as the Kuomintang, retreated to Taiwan and made it their seat of government while the victorious Communists began ruling the mainland as the People’s Republic of China.
Both sides said they represented all of China. Since then, China’s ruling Communist Party has threatened to use force if Taiwan ever formally declares independence, but it has also pursued a softer diplomatic track with the island in recent years.

Taiwan Strait

Taiwan Strait, also called Formosa Strait, is the arm of the Pacific Ocean, lying between the coast of China’s Fukien province and the island of Taiwan (Formosa).
The strait extends from southwest to northeast between the South and East China seas.
It contains the Pescadores Islands (which are controlled by the government of Taiwan).

About Honduras

The Republic of Honduras is a country of Central America situated between Guatemala and El Salvador to the west and Nicaragua to the south and east.
The Caribbean Sea washes its northern coast, the Pacific Ocean its narrow coast to the south.
It was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before the Spanish Colonization in the sixteenth century.
More than three-fourths of the land area of Honduras is mountainous, lowlands being found only along the coasts and in the several river valleys that penetrate toward the interior.
A large undeveloped lowland jungle, La Mosquitia lies in the northeast, and the heavily populated lowland Sula valley in the northwest.
In La Mosquitia lies the UNESCO world-heritage site Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, with the Coco River which divides Honduras from Nicaragua.
It is known for its rich natural resources, including minerals, coffee, tropical fruit, and sugar cane, as well as for its growing textiles industry, which serves the international market.

Northern Triangle

The countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are known as Northern Triangle.
These countries share a border tripoint at Trifinio biosphere reserve, and also aspects of classical cultures, history, society, and politics.