Daily Prelims Notes 3 February 2022

February 3, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

3 February 2022

Table Of Contents

TOPIC: Environment

Context- The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has underlined some green rules for the living root bridges of Meghalaya to get the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag as the hill State marked its 50th year of creation.

Meghalaya has been celebrating its Statehood Day on January 21 since 1972.

Concept-

Living root bridges (also known as Jing Kieng Jri) are the aerial bridges that are built by weaving and manipulating the roots of the Indian rubber tree.
A living root bridge is like a suspension bridge formed by guiding the pliable roots of the rubber fig tree (Ficus elastica) across a stream or river and allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time.
They have been serving as connectors for generations in the Indian state of Meghalaya.
A root bridge uses traditional tribal knowledge to train the roots of the Indian rubber tree (found in abundance in the area) to grow laterally across a stream bed resulting in a living bridge of roots.
It spans between 15 and 250 feet and is built over centuries.
They have also become world-famous tourist attractions. The two most popular tourist spots are-
- Riwai Root Bridge
- Umshiang Double Decker Bridge.
There are no records to suggest when the Khasi community started the living root bridge tradition, but ecologists say it highlights the symbiotic relationship between people and nature.
Over 70 living root bridges (LRBs) thrive in the state’s mountainous rainforests in one of the world’s wettest regions – evidence of an enduring relationship between a pollinator, seed dispersers and indigenous communities.

Properties of Living Roots Bridge- They have three main properties:

They are elastic,
The roots easily combine, and
The plants grow in rough and rocky soils.

Ficus Trees-

Keystone role in nature.
They hold the ecosystem together and promote biodiversity around them.
They are hospitable to birds and bats (seed-dispersing animals) that feed on their fruits.
They stabilise the soil with their root system and prevent landslides.

Meghalaya government Draft Guidelines for Protection of Living Root Bridge

Underpinned by science-based approaches and community participation.
Zone-based conservation and a responsible development approach for regulating activities, including tourism. For example, the proposed Zone I suggests declaring at least approximately 30 meters from the core LRB structure as a protected area.
Determine the gene pool of both the trees and of the pollinators (eg. fig wasp pollinator).
Raise awareness levels among tourists and students about the root bridges.
The guidelines also emphasise forming Village Cooperative Societies for inclusion of all stakeholders, ensuring an equitable profit-sharing model, and nurturing sustainable livelihoods
Engage local communities in monitoring the biodiversity in the LRB ecosystem.

2. Frequent marine heatwaves in Indian Ocean disrupt India‘s monsoon patterns

TOPIC: Environment

Context- Marine heat waves (MHW) in the Indian Ocean region have increased significantly in the past few decades, according to a new study published in the journal JGR Oceans showed.

Concept-

Marine heat waves (MHW)

Marine heat waves (MHW) are periods of increased temperatures over seas and oceans.
Such heat waves are caused by an increase in the heat content of oceans, especially in the upper
Worldwide, they are one of the major results of human-induced global warming.
During an MHW, the average temperatures of the ocean surface (up to a depth of 300 feet) goes 5-7 degrees Celsius above normal.

Marine Heat Waves in Indian Ocean:

The number of MHWs in the West Indian ocean increased by around 1.5 events per decade between 1982 and 2018.
The occurrences went up by around 0.5 events per decade in North Bay of Bengal in the same period.
There were a total of 66 events in West Indian Ocean and 94 in North Bay of Bengal in the 36 years.

Link between marine heatwaves and atmospheric circulation and Monsoon rainfall

Around 90 per cent of the warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed by the oceans.
The increase in marine heat waves was due to rapid warming in the Indian Ocean and strong El Nino events.
- El Nino is one phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon which has a generally warming effect on the world’s ocean and land surfaces.
The marine heat waves in the Indian Ocean are also majorly impacting the southwest monsoon — the main rain-bearing system over the Indian subcontinent.
The MHWs in the two worst-hit regions reduce monsoon rainfall over central India, the study established.
The occurrence of MHW in North Bay of Bengal increases rainfall over the southern peninsular area.

Impacts of Marine Heat waves

Impacts on weather conditions around the world.
Habitat destruction due to coral bleaching,
Seagrass destruction and loss of kelp forests,
Affecting the fisheries sector adversely.

Case Study-

An underwater survey showed 85 per cent of corals in the Gulf of Mannar near the Tamil Nadu coast got bleached after the marine heatwave in May 2020.

3. COAL GASIFICATION

TOPIC: Environment

Context- Four pilot projects for coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals required for the industry will be set up for technical and financial viability said Union finance minister, while presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha February 1, 2022.

Concept-

Coal Gasification

Coal gasification is a process in which coal is partially oxidised with air, oxygen, steam or carbon dioxide to form a fuel gas. This gas is then used instead of piped natural gas , methane and others for deriving energy.
The process of Coal Gasification chemically transforms the fossil fuel into Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG), instead of burning fossil fuel.
It produces Syngas which is a mixture consisting primarily of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour (H2O).
Syngas can be used to produce a wide range of fertilizers, fuels, solvent and synthetic materials.
It is primarily used for electricity generation, for the production of chemical feedstocks.
The hydrogen obtained from coal gasification can be used for various purposes such as making ammonia, powering a hydrogen economy.
In-situ gasification of coal – or Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) – is the technique of converting coal into gas while it is still in the seam and then extracting it through wells.
China has the biggest number of coal gasification projects in the world. Five per cent of China’s total coal consumption is from its gasifier.

Environmental Impacts of coal gasification:

Coal gasification actually produces more carbon dioxide than a conventional coal-powered thermal power plant, according to (Centre for Science & Environment) CSE’s assessment.
Also, coal gasification plants are costlier than conventional power plants. Since, coal is the main feed for gasification, it, in no way helps in India’s decarbonisation goals.
According to CSE estimates, one unit of electricity generated by burning gasified coal generates 2.5 times more carbon dioxide than what would result when burning the coal directly.
The syngas process converts a relatively high-quality energy source (coal) to a lower quality state (gas) and consumes a lot of energy in doing so. Thus, the efficiency of conversion is also low.

4. COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA

TOPIC: Economy

Context- Competition Commission on Wednesday said Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by tyre companies wherein they had challenged the regulator’s order imposing penalties totalling over Rs 1,788 crore on them for anti-competitive practices.

Concept-

In August 2018, CCI had imposed a fine on Apollo Tyres, MRF, CEAT, Birla Tyres, JK Tyre and Industries and Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA).
They were found to have violated Section 3 of the Competition Act during 2011-2012. The section prohibits anti-competitive agreements.
The regulator had found that the companies and the association indulged in cartelisation by acting in concert to increase the prices of cross ply/bias tyres variants sold by each of them in the replacement market and to limit and control production and supply in the market.

About Competition Commission of India (CCI)-

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002, it was duly constituted in March 2009.
The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP Act) was repealed and replaced by the Competition Act, 2002, on the recommendations of Raghavan committee.
Competition Commission of India aims to establish a robust competitive environment through proactive engagement with all stakeholders, including consumers, industry, government and international jurisdictions.

Composition of CCI- The Commission consists of

One Chairperson and six Members as per the Competition Act who shall be appointed by the Central Government.
The commission is a quasi-judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases.
The Chairperson and other Members shall be whole-time Members.
Eligibility of members:
- The Chairperson and every other Member shall be a person of ability, integrity and standing and who, has been, or is qualified to be a judge of a High Court, or, has special knowledge of, and professional experience of not less than fifteen years in international trade, economics, business, commerce, law, finance, accountancy, management, industry, public affairs, administration or in any other matter which, in the opinion of the Central Government, may be useful to the Commission.

Functions and Role of CCI-

To eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.
To give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.
Consumer welfare: To make the markets work for the benefit and welfare of consumers.
Ensure fair and healthy competition in economic activities in the country for faster and inclusive growth and development of the economy.
Implement competition policies with an aim to effectuate the most efficient utilization of economic resources.

5. RAMANUJACHARYA

TOPIC: Art & Culture

Context- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Statue of Equality, a gigantic statue of Ramanujacharya, on February 5 on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Concept-

Who was Ramanujacharya?

Born in 1017 in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Ramanujacharya is revered as a Vedic philosopher and social reformer.
Ramanuja’s philosophical foundation was qualified monism and is called Vishishtadvaita in the Hindu tradition.
Important writings include:
- Vedarthasangraha (literally, “Summary of the Vedas meaning”),
- Sri Bhashya (a review and commentary on the Brahma Sutras),
- Bhagavad Gita Bhashya (a review and commentary on the Bhagavad Gita)
He travelled across India, advocating equality and social justice.
Ramanuja revived the Bhakti movement, and his preachings inspired other Bhakti schools of thought.
He is considered to be the inspiration for poets like Annamacharya, BhaktRamdas, Thyagaraja, Kabir, and Meerabai.
He went on to write nine scriptures known as the navaratnas, and composed numerous commentaries on Vedic scriptures.
Ramanuja is also credited with establishing the correct procedures for rituals performed in temples throughout India, the most famous being Tirumala and Srirangam.

Statue of Equality

The ‘Statue of Equality’, as it is called, is being installed to mark the 1,000th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanuja.
It was built of panchaloha, a combination of gold, silver, copper, brass and zinc, by the Aerospun Corporation in China and shipped to India.
It is the second largest in the world in sitting position of the saint.
The monument will be surrounded by 108 “DivyaDesams” of Sri Vaishnavite tradition (model temples) like Tirumala, Srirangam, Kanchi, Ahobhilam, Badrinath, Muktinath, Ayodhya, Brindavan, Kumbakonam and others.

Where is the statue located?

The 216-foot-tall statue, which was first proposed in 2018, is located at the 45-acre scenic Jeeyar Integrated Vedic Academy (JIVA) at Muchintal near Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The statue was proposed and designed by ChinnaJeeyar.

Why is it called the Statue of Equality?

Ramanuja was an advocate of social equality among all sections of people centuries ago, and encouraged temples to open their doors to everyone irrespective of caste or position in society at a time when people of many castes were forbidden from entering them.
His greatest contribution is the propagation of the concept of “vasudhaivakutumbakam”, which translates as “all the universe is one family”.
He embraced the socially marginalised and condemned, and asked royal courts to treat them as equals.
He spoke of universal salvation through devotion to God, compassion, humility, equality, and mutual respect, which is known as Sri VaishnavamSampradaya.

6. LORD NATRAJA

TOPIC: Art & Culture

Context- A police team nabbed a few suspects and found that a gang had planned to smuggle the idols, including those of Nataraja, Kali, Murugan, Vinayagar and Nagadevathai.

Concept-

Lord Natraja

Nataraja (Lord of the Dance), the Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer, is represented in metal or stone in many Shaivite temples, particularly in South India.
It is an important piece of Chola sculpture.

Features of the Nataraja sculpture:

The upper right-hand holds the drum, which signifies the sound of creation. All creations spring from the great sound of the damru.
The upper left-hand holds the eternal fire, which represents the destruction. Destruction is the precursor and inevitable counterpart of creation.
The lower right hand is raised in the gesture of Abhay mudra signifying benediction and reassuring the devotee to not be afraid.
The lower left-hand points towards the upraised foot and indicates the path of salvation.
Shiva is dancing on the figure of a small dwarf.
- The dwarf symbolises ignorance and the ego of an individual.
The matted and flowing locks of Shiva represent the flow of river Ganges.
In ornamentation, one ear of Shiva has a male earring while the other has female.
- This represents the fusion of male and female and is often referred to as Ardhanarishvara.
A snake is twisted around the arm of Shiva.
- The snake symbolises the kundalini power, which resides in the human spine in the dormant stage. If aroused, one can attain true consciousness.
The Nataraja is surrounded by a nimbus of glowing lights which symbolises the vast unending cycles of time.

7. MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH

TOPIC: Indian History

Context- As the Uttar Pradesh election rhetoric gets shriller, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, is back in the news.

Concept-

About Jinnah:

Born on 25 December 1876 in Karachi, now in Pakistan, (then part of British-controlled India) , Jinnah was a barrister by occupation at Lincoln’s Inn in London, England.
Jinnah was the person who successfully structured the dream for an independent Pakistan and became its first leader.
He is popularly called there as ‘Quaid-I Azam’ or ‘Great Leader’.

Role in Indian politics

In 1916, he was elected as the president of the Muslim league.
Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, in which Jinnah had also become prominent.
In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of satyagraha, which he regarded as political anarchy.
In 1940, in the Lahore Muslim League session, the first official demand for the partition of India and the creation of a Muslim state of ‘Pakistan‘ was called upon
His continuous efforts and negotiations with the British government resulted in the partition of India and the formation of the state of Pakistan on 14 August 1947.
Jinnah became the first governor general of Pakistan, but died of tuberculosis on 11 September 1948.

Major Contributions by him:

Muhammad Ali Jinnah is known to be the ﬁrst political leader to raise a voice against the Salt Tax.
He helped in shaping the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League.
Jinnah, also, was a key leader in the All-India Home Rule League.
He even proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan for protecting the political rights of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.

8. FDI POLICY

TOPIC: Economy

Context- The DPIIT is in the last phase of its interministerial discussion on making changes to the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy to allow disinvestment in Life Insurance Corporation.

Concept-

Foreign Direct Investment:

FDI is the process whereby residents of one country (the home country) acquire ownership of assets for the purpose of controlling the production, distribution and other activities of a firm in another country (the host country).
It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys stocks and bonds of a company. FPI does not provide the investor with control over the business.
It is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Components:

Equity capital: It is the foreign direct investor’s purchase of shares of an enterprise in a country other than its own.
Reinvested earnings: It comprises the direct investors’ share of earnings not distributed as dividends by affiliates, or earnings not remitted to the direct investor. Such retained profits by affiliates are reinvested.
Intra-company loans: These refer to short- or long-term borrowing and lending of funds between direct investors (or enterprises) and affiliate enterprises.

Routes through which India gets FDI:

Automatic Route: In this, the foreign entity does not require the prior approval of the government or the RBI (Reserve Bank of India).
1. The Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal (FIFP) facilitates the single window clearance of applications which are through approval route.
Government Route: In this, the foreign entity has to take the approval of the government.

9. CRIMINAL LAW AMENDMENTS

TOPIC: Indian Polity

Context- The government has started the process of comprehensive amendments to criminal laws in response to a question on marital rape.

Concept-

Various petitions have sought striking down of the exception to Section 375 of the IPC, which says forcible sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being 18 years, is not rape.
Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides a deﬁnition for domestic violence, which includes physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse.
The National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) shows that 7% of ever-married women experienced spousal sexual violence.
- Among ever-married women aged 15-49 who have ever experienced sexual violence, 83% report their current husband and 9% report a former husband as perpetrators.
However it is diﬃcult to prove when a woman had consented to sexual intercourse and when she had withdrawn her consent.

10. KHIJADIYA & BAKHIRA BIRD SANCTUARY

TOPIC: Environment

Context- The Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary near Jamnagar in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh have been listed as Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

Concept-

The total number of Ramsar sites in India goes up to 48.

Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary-

Khijadiya, which is part of the Central Asian Flyway, has become the fourth wetland of Gujarat to get the Ramsar tag.
- Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Thol Wildlife Sanctuary and Wadhwana wetland are the other Ramsar sites in the state.
Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary is a freshwater wetland near the coast of the Gulf of Kutch, was formed following the creation of a bund (dike) in 1920 by the then ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Nawanagar to protect farmlands from saltwater ingress.
The sanctuary is now part of Marine National Park, Jamnagar, the first marine national park in the country.

Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary

BakhiraWildlife Sanctuary is a freshwater marsh in the SantKabir Nagar district, is the largest natural floodplain wetland of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Sanctuary was established in 1980 and is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972); an “eco-sensitive zone” extends up to a kilometre around its boundary.

About Wetlands:

Wetlands are ecosystems saturated with water, either seasonally or permanently.
They include mangroves, marshes, rivers, lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, coral reefs, marine areas no deeper than 6 metresat low tide, as well as human-made wetlands such as waste-water treatment ponds and reservoirs.
Though they cover only around 6% of the Earth’s land surface, 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.

Ramsar convention:

It is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
It is named after the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the Caspian Sea, where the treaty was signed on 2 February 1971.
Known officially as ‘the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat’ (or, more recently, just ‘the Convention on Wetlands’), it came into force in 1975.

Montreux Record:

Montreux Record under the Convention is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.
It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
The Montreux Record was established by Recommendation of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (1990).
Sites may be added to and removed from the Record only with the approval of the Contracting Parties in which they lie.

11. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES (G-SEC)

TOPIC: Economy

Context- Government Securities (G- Secs) continued to keep investors attracted a day after the Budget, with G-Sec yields further rising upto 7 percent mark.

Concept-

Government Securities:

A G-Sec is a tradable instrument issued by the Central Government or the State Governments.
It acknowledges the Government’s debt obligation.
Such securities are short term (usually called treasury bills, with original maturities of less than one year- presently issued in three tenors, namely, 91 day, 182 day and 364 day) or long term (usually called Government bonds or dated securities with original maturity of one year or more).
In India, the Central Government issues both treasury bills and bonds or dated securities while the State Governments issue only bonds or dated securities, which are called the State Development Loans (SDLs).
G-Secs carry practically no risk of default and, hence, are called risk-free gilt-edged instruments.
- Gilt-edged securities are high-grade investment bonds offered by governments and large corporations as a means of borrowing funds.

12. ASSAM-ARUNACHAL PRADESH BORDER DISPUTE

TOPIC: Internal Security

Context- Arunachal Pradesh, which was earlier a part of Assam, shares a boundary of roughly 800 km with the state—with frequent flare-ups reported along the border since the 1990s.

Concept-

Bone of contention: 1951

The dispute dates back to colonial times, when the British in 1873 announced the “inner line” regulation, demarcating an imaginary boundary between plains and the frontier hills, which were later designated as the North East Frontier Tracts in 1915. The latter corresponds to the area that makes up present-day Arunachal Pradesh.
After Independence, the Assam government assumed administrative jurisdiction over the North East Frontier Tracts, which later became the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1954, and finally, the Union Territory (UT) of Arunachal Pradesh in 1972.
It gained statehood in 1987.
However, before it was carved out of Assam, a sub-committee headed by then Assam chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi made some recommendations in relation to the administration of NEFA (under Assam) and submitted a report in 1951.
Based on the Bordoloi committee report, around 3,648 sq km of the “plain” area of Balipara and Sadiya foothills was transferred from Arunachal Pradesh (then NEFA) to Assam’s then Darrang and Lakhimpurdistricts. This remains the bone of contention between the two states.
The border issues came to the fore after Arunachal Pradesh became a UT in 1972.

13. Children’s share in 2022 Union Budget plummets to 11-year low

Topic: Government schemes

In news:

Children in the country received the lowest share of allocation in the Budget in 11 years, according to an analysis by the NGO, HAQ-Centre for Child Rights.

About:

The total allocation for children in Union Budget 2022-23 is ₹92,736.5 crore, against an allocation of ₹85,712.56 crore in the last Budget.
This is an increase of 8.19% in absolute terms, but it is not proportionate to the increase in the total expenditure in the Budget.
The share of the Budget for children is a meagre 2.35% of the Budget for the next fiscal, which is a reduction of 0.11 percentage points from this fiscal. This is the lowest share children have received in the last 11 years.
The allocation for child health has decreased by 08%. It has dropped from ₹3,727.57 crore in 2021-2022 to ₹3,501.11 crore for the next fiscal.
One of the most important child health schemes, the NRHM-RCH Flexi Pool, has a reduced allocation of 8.22% at ₹3,174.57 crore in Budget 2022-23.
As far as child development programmes are concerned, they have seen a drop of 10.97% in allocation for the next fiscal at ₹17,826.03 crore.

Mission Vatsalya:

Mission Vatsalya or VatsalyaMaatriAmritKosh was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
It is a scheme to promote breastfeeding and thereby reduce infant mortality.
‘Vatsalya – MaatriAmritKosh’, a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre has been established at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), Delhi.
It has been established in collaboration with the Norwegian government, Oslo University and Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).
Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development classified all of its major schemes under 3 umbrella schemes: Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti.

PoshanAbhyan 2.0:https://optimizeias.com/poshan-abhiyan-2-0/

14. Kisan Drones

Topic: Agriculture

In news:

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Centre will promote ‘Kisan Drones’ to help farmers assess crops, digitise land records as well as spray insecticides and nutrients.

About:

Drone services is an emerging market that finds application in agriculture, construction, search and rescue, package delivery, industrial inspection, insurance and videography.
In 2021, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare brought out a standard operating procedure for spraying pesticides and nutrients through drones.
The Finance Minister has announced the use of ‘kisan drones’ for crop assessment, digitalisation of land records and spraying agri-nutrients like fertilisers and pesticides.
The idea behind using drones could be to reduce human exposure to poisonous chemicals.
Crop assessment using drones will help crop insurance companies.
This will give a fillip to increasing the yield of the small and marginal farmers in India.
The Centre had earlier envisioned using drones to digitise land records.
These flying objects will survey the land, the government proposed, and officials can use the data to match with recorded information, according to the plan.
The digitised data could be used to build Agristak, a collection of technology-based interventions in agriculture proposed by the Centre.
The government will support these industries in building domestic capacities as well as promoting research and development.
This initiative would bring academia, industry and public institutions together.

15. Kisan Saarathi

Topic: Agriculture

About:

It was jointly launched by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and the Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology.
KisanSaarathi’ digital platform will improve these farmers’ ability to negotiate price and consolidate their produce for the market, drone monitoring will enhance farm practices for a better yield.
It is a digital platform to facilitate farmers to get ‘right information at right time’ in their desired language.
It will help farmers to interact and avail personalised advisories on agriculture and allied areas directly from the respective scientists of KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVKs).
Farmers can also learn new farming methods using it.

16. Star campaigners

Context: The INC announced the names of its star campaigners for the state.

Concept:

A recognised political party can have 40 star campaigners and an unrecognised (but registered) political party can have 20.
The list of star campaigners has to be communicated to the Chief Electoral Officer and Election Commission within a week from the date of notification of an election.
The expenditure incurred on campaigning by such campaigners is exempt from being added to the election expenditure of a candidate. However, this only applies when a star campaigner limits herself to a general campaign for the political party she represents.
Candidates cannot afford to breach their expenditure limit (Rs 28 lakh in case of Delhi elections).
If a candidate or her election agent shares the stage with a star campaigner at a rally, then the entire expenditure on that rally, other than the travel expenses of the star campaigner, is added to the candidate’s expenses.
This applies even if the star campaigner mentions the candidate’s name during the event. When more than one candidate shares the stage, or there are posters with their photographs, then the expenses of such rally/meeting are equally divided between all such candidates.

Does removal from the star campaigner’s list bar them from campaigning?

No, that decision will only be taken by the EC once the barred leaders reply to the showcase notices served to them. However, the removal from the star campaigner’s list does make campaigning difficult for them.
This is because whichever constituency they hold their election meeting or rally at, irrespective of whether they limit themselves to general party propaganda or not, the entire expenditure of the event will be added to the account of the candidate contesting from that seat.