Daily Prelims Notes 28 November 2020

November 28, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

Subject: Government Schemes

Context: Tamilnadu government informed the Madras HC that it has sent a proposal to the Union Ministry of Tourism, seeking ₹563.5 crore for the overall development of Mamallapuram township. The quantum includes ₹232 crore under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme (SDS).

Concept:

Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

It is implemented by Tourism Ministry.
Objective: to develop theme-based tourist circuits in the country. These tourist circuits will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner.

Features of Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

100% centrally funded for the project components undertaken for public funding.
To leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and corporate sector.
Funding of individual project will vary from state to state and will be finalised on the basis of detailed project reports prepared by PMC (Programme Management Consultant). PMC will be a national level consultant to be appointed by the Mission Directorate.
A National Steering Committee (NSC) will be constituted with Minister in charge of M/O Tourism as Chairman, to steer the mission objectives and vision of the scheme.
A Mission Directorate headed by the Member Secretary, NSC as a nodal officer will help in identification of projects in consultation with the States/ UTs governments and other stake holders.

2. GDP CONTRACTION

Subject: Economy

Context: India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted 7.5% in the second quarter of 2020-21, following the record 23.9% decline recorded in the first quarter, as per estimates released by the National Statistical Office.

Concept:

The country has now entered a technical recession with two successive quarters of negative growth.
Agriculture, which was the only sector to record growth between April and June this year, grew at the same pace of 3.4% in the second quarter.
Manufacturing gross value-added (GVA) staged a sharp recovery to record 0.6% growth between July and September after collapsing 39.3% in the first quarter.
Electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services also recorded 4.4% growth in the second quarter, recovering from a 7% contraction in Q1.
But it remained a bleak quarter for several sectors, including mining, services such as retail trade and hotels, construction and financial services.
While the 7.5% contraction in GDP came as a positive surprise, there are concerns about a decline in government spending and the worsening fate of two key sectors compared to the first quarter.

Source: The Hindu

3. DRY SWAB TEST

Subject: Science & tech

Context : The CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) got permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to commercially use the “game-changing technology” of dry swab RNA-extraction-free testing method for COVID-19.

Concept:

Currently, the preferred protocol for testing uses the RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) test which is times consuming and expensive.
In the usual method of testing, nasal swabs collected from a person are placed in a viral transport medium (VTM).
From this, a part of the liquid is taken, the viral RNA is extracted and RT-PCR test is carried out.
The remainder is stored. It is the step of isolating the RNA that takes time and is expensive.
The standard method is also known to have a problem of false negatives.
The dry swab technique also does not require the RNA-extraction process, and can be directly used for RT-PCR testing with sensitivity and specificity similar to the current gold standard.

4. CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Subject: International Events

Context: New Zealand’s government will decide next week if a climate emergency should be declared in the country or not.

Concept:

In 2019, the Oxford dictionaries declared “climate emergency” to be the word of the year, a word that reflects “the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance”.
It defines climate emergency as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it”.
Some of the countries that have declared a climate emergency in recent years include the UK, Portugal, Canada, France and, most recently, Japan.
Last November, the parliament of New Zealand passed the Zero-Carbon Act, which commits New Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.

5. BRAIN FINGERPRINTING

Subject: Science & tech

Context: The accused in Hathras rape case will undergo brain fingerprinting.

Concept:

Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP) is also known as brain fingerprinting.
It is a neuro psychological method of interrogation in which the accused’s participation in the crime is investigated by studying their brain’s response.
The BEOSP test is carried out via a process known as electroencephalogram, conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
The accused are then shown visuals or played audio clips related to the crime to check if there is any triggering of neurons in their brains which then generate brainwaves. The test results are then studied to determine the participation of the accused in a crime.

6. ASTEROID 153201

Subject: Science & tech

Context: A large asteroid – named (153201) 2000 WO107 – will sweep past Earth in late November, providing astronomers with a good opportunity to study it. Closest approach to Earth will happen on November 29, 2020.

Concept:

The asteroid is expected to be a real monster, estimated to range anywhere between 12,00ft to 2,5700ft across (370m and 820m).
To put this into perspective, the rogue space rock at it widest is almost the height of Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa skyscraper. However , it is not a hazardous asteroid.
NASA has also forecast how the asteroid is currently speeding through space at a whopping 25.07km/s – the equivalent of 56,000mph.
The asteroid will not be visible to the eye, but people with small telescopes might catch it. Astronomers are gearing up to observe this asteroid further, in part because of its relatively large size, and in part, because subsequent passes of 2000 WO107 will be closer than this year’s pass.
It is a Near Earth Object (NEO).
NASA defines a Near-Earth Object (NEO) as any asteroid or comet coming within 1.3 AU of Earth.

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs):

NEOs are comets and asteroids pushed by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits which allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.
These objects are composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles.
NEOs occasionally approach close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Study (CNEOS) determines the times and distances of these objects, when their approach to the Earth is close, through the Asteroid Watch Widget.

7. DISQUALIFICATION

Subject: Polity

Context: India’s first Member of Parliament to have been disqualified(Mr. Lalduhoma ) from the Lok Sabha has now been disqualified as an MLA in Mizoram.

Concept:

The disqualification was on the ground that he had declared himself as a representative of the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) despite being elected as an independent candidate from the Serchhip constituency.
“He lost the character of an independent legislator because of the declaration,” Mr. Speker said.

Anti-defection law(Tenth schedule)

The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act.
It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.
The decision on question as to disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, and his decision is final.
The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

Disqualification:

If a member of a house belonging to a political party:
Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or
Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.
If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.
If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.

Exceptions under the law:

Legislators may change their party without the risk of disqualification in certain circumstances.
The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of its legislators are in favour of the merger.
In such a scenario, neither the members who decide to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.

Decision of the Presiding Officer is subject to judicial review:

The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1992, thereby allowing appeals against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court. However, it held that there may not be any judicial intervention until the Presiding Officer gives his order.

8. MARKET CAPITALIZATION

Subject : Economics

Context : CPSEs must have Market Capitalization targets : DIPAM.

Concept :

DIPAM has also asked public sector enterprises to engage with investors “consistently and transparently” to improve market capitalization.
It has also asked them to pay interim dividends to reward shareholders.

Market Capitalization :

Market capitalization is the aggregate valuation of the company based on its current share price and the total number of outstanding stocks. It is calculated by multiplying the current market price of the company’s share with the total outstanding shares of the company.
Market capitalization is one of the most important characteristics that helps the investor determine the returns and the risk in the share. It also helps the investors choose the stock that can meet their risk and diversification criterion.
For instance, a company has 20 million outstanding shares and the current market price of each share is Rs100. Market capitalization of this company will be 200,00,000 x 100=Rs 200 crore.

9. FISCAL DEFICIT

Subject : Economics

Context :The Union Government’s fiscal deficit further widened to ₹9.53 lakh crore, or close to 120% of the annual budget estimate, at the end of October of the current fiscal, according to official data released.

Concept :

The deficit widened mainly due to poor revenue realisation according to official sources.

Fiscal Deficit

The government describes fiscal deficit of India as “the excess of total disbursements from the Consolidated Fund of India, excluding repayment of the debt, over total receipts into the Fund (excluding the debt receipts) during a financial year”.
The government that has a fiscal deficit is spending beyond its means.
It is calculated as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or simply as total money spent in excess of income.
In either case, the income figure includes only taxes and other revenues and excludes money borrowed to make up the shortfall.

Formula:

Fiscal Deficit = Total expenditure of the government (capital and revenue expenditure) – Total income of the government (Revenue receipts + recovery of loans + other receipts).
Expenditure component: The government in its Budget allocates funds for several works, including payments of salaries, pensions, etc. (revenue expenditure) and creation of assets such as infrastructure, development, etc. (capital expenditure).
Income component: The income component is made of two variables, revenue generated from taxes levied by the Centre and the income generated from non-tax variables.
The taxable income consists of the amount generated from corporation tax, income tax, Customs duties, excise duties, GST, among others.
Meanwhile, the non-taxable income comes from external grants, interest receipts, dividends and profits, receipts from Union Territories, among others.
It is different from revenue deficit which is only related to revenue expenditure and revenue receipts of the government.
The government meets the fiscal deficit by borrowing money. In a way, the total borrowing requirements of the government in a financial year is equal to the fiscal deficit in that year.
A high fiscal deficit can also be good for the economy if the money spent goes into the creation of productive assets like highways, roads, ports and airports that boost economic growth and result in job creation.
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 provides that the Centre should take appropriate measures to limit the fiscal deficit upto 3% of the GDP by 31st March, 2021.
The NK Singh committee (set up in 2016) recommended that the government should target a fiscal deficit of 3% of the GDP in years up to March 31, 2020 cut it to 2.8% in 2020-21 and to 2.5% by 2023.