Daily Prelims Notes 5 March 2023

March 5, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

5 March 2023

Table Of Contents

Subject: Environment

Section: species in news

Context: Extensive fishing off the Coromandel coast could be forcing the great seahorse to migrate laboriously toward Odisha.

More on the News:

Fishing is less intense in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coastline. But the shallow coastal ecosystem of the eastern Indian State may not be the new comfort zone for the fish with a horse-like head, a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
The study was based on a specimen of a juvenile great seahorse, or Hippocampus kelloggi, caught in a ring net and collected from the Ariyapalli fish landing centre in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
It calls for increased monitoring of the coastal ecosystems of India on the east coast for better conservation and management of the remaining seahorse populations.

Seahorse

There are 46 species of seahorses reported worldwide.
They are known for their unique appearance, with a horse-like head, long snout, and a curled tail that they use to cling onto seagrasses, corals, and other underwater structures.
Seahorses are unique in that the males carry and give birth to the young.
After mating, the female seahorse transfers her eggs to a pouch on the male’s belly, where they are fertilized and develop until they are ready to be born. The male can carry hundreds of eggs at once, depending on the species.
Seahorses are also known for their ability to change color and blend in with their surroundings, which helps them to avoid predators.
They feed on small crustaceans and plankton, which they suck up through their snouts.
They live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangroves.
Seahorses are poor swimmers but migrate by rafting, clinging to floating substrata such as macroalgae or plastic debris for dispersal by ocean currents – to new habitats for successful maintenance of their population.
Seahorses are mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate salt water throughout the world, from about 45°S to 45°N.
These nine species are distributed along the coasts of eight States and five Union Territories from Gujarat to Odisha, apart from Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The population of the great seahorse, which is among the eight species tagged ‘vulnerable’.
Declining is due to its overexploitation for traditional Chinese medicines and as ornamental fish, combined with general destructive fishing and fisheries bycatch, the study said.

Conservation status

IUCN: Vulnerable
CITES: Appendix II

2. Phytoplankton blooms see two-decade surge along world’s coastlines

Subject :Environment

Section: species in news

Context: Huge blooms of phytoplankton microscopic algae floating on the ocean’s surface have become larger and more frequent along the world’s coastlines, according to new research.

Phytoplankton:

Phytoplankton are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.
Phytoplankton obtain their energy through photosynthesis, as do trees and other plants on land. This means phytoplankton must have light from the sun, so they live in the well-lit surface layers (euphotic zone) of oceans and lakes.
In comparison with terrestrial plants, phytoplankton are distributed over a larger surface area, are exposed to less seasonal variation and have markedly faster turnover rates than trees.
Phytoplankton form the base of marine and freshwater food webs and are key players in the global carbon cycle.
They account for about half of global photosynthetic activity and at least half of the oxygen production, despite amounting to only about 1% of the global plant biomass.
Phytoplankton are very diverse, varying from photosynthesizing bacteria to plant-like algae to armour-plated coccolithophores. Important groups of phytoplankton include the diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, although many other groups are represented.

Significance of Phytoplanktons:

They contribute more than half of the oxygen in the environment.
They reduce global warming by absorbing human-induced carbon dioxide.
They also serve as the base of the ocean food chain.
They are important bioindicators regulating life in oceans. Their abundance determines the overall health of the ocean ecosystem.
The productive fisheries in the world’s ocean are driven by Phytoplankton blooms.

Causes of Phytoplankton Bloom:

The primary cause of phytoplankton blooms is an increase in nutrient availability, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.
These nutrients can come from a variety of sources, including agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric deposition. When there is an excess of nutrients in the water, phytoplankton can grow and reproduce rapidly, leading to a bloom.
Other factors that can contribute to phytoplankton blooms include warm water temperatures, high light levels, and calm water conditions, which can allow the phytoplankton to remain near the surface and access the light they need for photosynthesis.

Impacts of Phytoplankton bloom:

Phytoplankton blooms can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment.
In some cases, they can support the growth of other organisms in the food chain and improve water quality by absorbing excess nutrients.
However, in other cases, blooms can deplete oxygen levels in the water, leading to fish kills and other negative impacts on aquatic life.
Some phytoplankton species can also produce toxins that can harm human health and the health of other animals that consume them.

3. Index Providers/makers under the purview of SEBI

Subject : Economy

Section: Financial Market

Concept :

Noting the growing dominance of Index Providers due to proliferation of passive funds that drive capital flows towards assets that are part of a particular market index, SEBI has proposed to bring them under its regulatory purview.
The plan, likely to be implemented soon, includes mandating SEBI registration for index providers and subjecting them to norms pertaining to eligibility criterion, compliance, disclosures and periodic audits.
Penal action is envisaged by SEBI in case of non-compliance and incorrect disclosures, among other things.

Background:

Following a report by Hindenburg Research levelling several allegations against the Adani group, global index providers like MSCI are reviewing some of these stocks’ inclusion in its indices that are replicated by many foreign portfolio managers.
MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) is a provider of investment decision support tools, including indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools.
India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE), on the other hand, has announced that five Adani group firms’ stocks will be added to 14 different indices administered by a subsidiary called NSE Indices.

Why do indices matter?

Most observers assess a market’s general trajectory amid these individual price swings by looking at broader benchmark indices.
There are thousands of stocks traded in stock markets around the world and their prices often moving in different directions.
This creates confusion among investors.
For instance, the Sensex represents the 30 largest and most actively traded stocks on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
While economists and governments look at market indices’ movements as a barometer of the confidence levels in the economy, individual investors and fund managers use them as a gauge to compare their own portfolios’ performance.
Mutual funds and portfolio managers often pitch to prospective investors that their investment strategies have outperformed the Sensex or other relevant benchmarks.

What are index funds?

An index fund is a fund which tracks the performance of an underlying index, like the Nifty or the Sensex.
Instead of trying to beat the market by selecting individual stocks, index funds aim to match the performance of the overall market or a specific market segment by investing in all the stocks in that index.
This means that an index fund will have a portfolio of stocks that closely resembles the composition of the index it tracks.
When one puts money in an index fund, that cash is then used to invest in all the companies that make up the particular index.
This gives investors a more diverse portfolio than if they were buying individual stocks.
Index investors do not need to actively manage the stocks and bonds investment as closely since the fund is just copying a particular index.
This is why index funds are known as passive investing.

How popular are such funds in India?

While index funds have been an option for Indian investors for about two decades, they have seen an exponential growth in assets since 2015.
From eight such funds in 2008, there are as many as 200 options now.
About 16% of the roughly ₹41 lakh crore assets managed by India’s mutual funds are parked in index funds and ETFs (exchange-traded fund).

How are indices made and what do providers do?

Indices could be based on different industry sectors, size of companies (small-cap, mid-cap, etc) and quantitative parameters like liquidity and trading volumes
The weightage assigned to each stock in an index may vary based on their market capitalisation or other gauges that index providers adopt.
NSE Indices served as the benchmark index for 117 ETFs listed in India and 12 ETFs listed abroad using these products as benchmarks.
MSCI and other global providers build indices that are used by international fund managers to earmark assets to stocks in different markets.
The methodologies usually provide for a review of the index composition or cessation of specific indices owing to factors such as exceptional circumstances, market disruptions or difficulty in replicating the indices.
However, they are not regulated by the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

4. Scrub typhus: combination therapy can save more lives.

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

Recently, a team of researchers from Christian Medical College in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and PGIMER Chandigarh found that an antibiotic combo is best for severe scrub typhus.

About Scrub typhus:

Scrub typhus is a life-threatening infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria which is a major public health threat in South and Southeast Asia.
It is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
The most common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.
Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
There is no vaccine available for this disease.
It is also known as bush typhus, Japanese river fever, and tsutsugamushi disease.
Scrub typhus is typically found in rural areas of the Asia-Pacific region, including parts of Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and Australia. The disease is most common during the rainy season, when chiggers are more prevalent.

What is Typhus fever?

Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
Epidemic typhus is caused due to Rickettsia prowazeki and spread by body lice.
Scrub typhusis caused due to Orientia tsutsugamushi and spread by chiggers.
Murine typhusis caused due to Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas.

5. China takes lead in mapping the deep

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Concept :

Departing from Sanya’s Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE), Explorer 2 ( a green-white vessel) makes frequent forays in some of the least explored parts of the world’s ocean
It carries with it one of the most advanced deep-sea submersibles.
It should be noted that China aims to dominate the emerging and highly competitive field of deep-sea exploration.
Apart from China, only the U.S., France, and Russia have similar capabilities.
China, the U.S., Russia, Germany, France, and even India (though to a lesser extent), are competing for exploration contracts to search the vast areas under the jurisdiction of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
China has secured several exploration licences in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Explorer 2 Vessel

China’s scientific research vessel Explorer 2, carrying the 4,500-meter manned submersible ShenhaiYongshi (Deep-sea Warrior), returned to Sanya in south China’s Hainan Province on Sunday, after completing its latest missions over the past 10 days.
Since setting off from Sanya on September 16, the ship with 60 scientific research staff aboard has completed in-situ observation of the deep-sea geological features and sea trial tasks of domestic equipment in the South China Sea.
It conducted functional tests on self-developed scientific research devices carried by ShenhaiYongshi, including a sampler for deep-sea sediments and deep-sea three-dimensional sensing equipment.

China’s Deep Sea Exploration Mission:

In 2020, IDSSE launched a mission that sent a manned submersible, Fendouzhe (or Striver) to a record depth of more than 10,000 metres. Its success was highly appreciated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Striver explored the Mariana Trench in December 2021. It discovered new microbes and a rich food supply system.
The submersible observed for the first time anemones at a depth of around 8,880 metres and fish feeding on shark remains at 9,900 metres at the Kermadec Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
The Kermadec project was run in collaboration with New Zealand.
The mission of IDSSE is jointly run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (premier scientific institution) and the Hainan provincial government.
It aims to establish China as a science and technology power. Its mission is to create “a China-led global deep-sea scientific research programme with joint participation by numerous major international deep-sea research teams”.

6. Influenza A H3N2

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), rising cases of intense cough lasting for over a week coupled with fever, observed in most parts of the country, can be linked to influenza A H3N2, a subtype of a virus that causes flu.
The virus appeared to lead to more hospitalisations than other influenza subtypes. There was very little difference in symptoms between COVID-19 and the illness brought on by Influenza A H3N2.
Antibiotics cannot treat flu symptoms.
The flu is caused by a virus, and antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Taking antibiotics needlessly may increase your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.
Due to the sudden weather shift and the temperature changing from extreme cold to warm, the flu symptoms are getting more prominent in people.
The ICMR has 30 Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) for respiratory virus surveillance.
These VRDLs are attached to top medical colleges in different States and gather samples from patients suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI).

Influenza:

Influenza is a viral disease. It is caused by Orthomyxovirus (influenza virus) pathogen.
It is a contagious disease, which means it can be spread easily from person to person.
Viruses that cause influenza spread from person to person mainly by droplets of respiratory fluids sent through the air when someone infected with the virus coughs or sneezes.
Influenza A viruses infect humans and many different animals. Influenza type A viruses are of most significance to public health due to their potential to cause an influenza pandemic.
Influenza type A viruses are classified into subtypes according to the combinations of different virus surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).
Fever, respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose, as well as other symptoms including body aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea, are some of the prominent symptoms of the virus.

Influenza A virus subtype H3N2

Influenza A virus subtype H3N2 (A/H3N2) is a subtype of viruses that causes influenza (flu). H3N2 viruses can infect birds and mammals. In birds, humans, and pigs, the virus has mutated into many strains.
Symptoms typically appear suddenly and can include:
- Cough, runny or congested nose, sore throat, headache, body aches and pains, fever, chills, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting
Vaccine for H3N2
- According to the CDC, the flu vaccine reduces the risk of flu illness in the general population by between 40 and 60 percent during most flu seasons when the vaccine strains are a good match to circulating strains.
- The flu vaccine tends to offer more protection from flu that’s caused by H1N1 viruses and influenza B viruses in comparison to H3N2 viruses.
Treatment of H3N2
- Treatment of an uncomplicated case of seasonal flu, such as H3N2, involves managing symptoms while you recover. Ways to do this include:
- getting plenty of rest, drinking enough fluids, taking over-the-counter medication to relieve symptoms such as fever, headache, and aches and pains
- Some people are at an increased risk of developing serious complications from the flu. These complications can include pneumonia or worsening of a preexisting medical condition, such as asthma.

7. IAEA meets with Iranians amid enrichment concerns

Subject : International Relations

Section: Internationalorganisation

Concept :

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog was meeting with officials in Iran on Saturday, days after it was revealed that the country had enriched particles of uranium to near weapons-grade, raising new alarm over its long-disputed nuclear programme.
The confidential quarterly report by the IAEA, which was distributed to member states on Tuesday, came as tensions were already high amid months of anti-government protests in Iran and Western anger at its export of attack drones to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The IAEA took samples, which showed particles with up to 83.7 per cent purity, the report said.
The IAEA report only spoke about particles, suggesting that Iran isn’t building a stockpile of uranium enriched above 60 per cent the level it has been enriching at for some time.
However, the agency also said in its report that it would further increase the frequency and intensity of agency verification activities at Fordo after the discovery.

International Atomic Energy Agency

Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.
Establishment:
The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.
Headquarter: Vienna, Austria.
Objective:
The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.
In 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for a safe and peaceful world.
Board of Governors:
22 member states (must represent a stipulated geographic diversity) — elected by the General Conference (11 members every year) – 2 year term.
At least 10 members states — nominated by the outgoing Board.
Board members each receive one vote.
Functions:
It is an independent international organization that reports annually to the United Nation General Assembly.
When necessary, the IAEA also reports to the UN Security Council in regards to instances of members’ non-compliance with safeguards and security obligations.

Iran Nuclear Deal:

Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) said the session had been a “constructive” one and the member states have unity to lift the sanctions on Iran.

Concept:

Commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015
It is signed between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany) together with the European Union.
Under JCPOA, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years.
For the next 15 years Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67%. Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the same period of time.
Uranium-enrichment activities will be limited to a single facility using first-generation centrifuges for 10 years. Other facilities will be converted to avoid proliferation risks.
To monitor and verify Iran’s compliance with the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities.
The agreement provides that in return for verifiably abiding by its commitments, Iran will receive relief from U.S., European Union, and UNSC nuclear-related sanctions.
On 5 January 2020, in the aftermath of the Baghdad Airport Airstrike that targeted and killed Iranian general QassemSoleimani, Iran declared that it would no longer abide by the limitations of the deal but would continue to coordinate with the IAEA, leaving open the possibility of resuming compliance.

8. Charaideo Maidams

Subject :History

Section :Art and Culture

Concept :

Assam’s pyramid-like structures known as moidams or maidams have met all the technical requirements of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.
Charaideo in eastern Assam has more than 90 moidams, the mound-burial system of the Ahoms who ruled large swathes of the present-day State and beyond for some 600 years until the advent of the British in the 1820s.
The nomination of Moidams met all of the technical requirements outlined in the Operational Guidelines concerning completeness check of nominations to the World Heritage List.

Moidams/Maidams

The Moidams (also Maidams) are the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty (13th century-19th century).
The mound-burial system of the royals of the Ahom dynasty in Assam’s Charaideo district can be likened to the royal tombs of ancient China and the Pyramids of the Egyptians Pharaohs (kings of ancient Egypt).
Charaideo, more than 400 km east of Guwahati, was the first capital of the Ahom dynasty founded by Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1253.
Previously, those of the deceased with their paraphernalia (apparatus/ equipment) were buried.
However, after the 18th century, the Ahom rulers adopted the Hindu method of cremation, entombing the cremated bones and ashes in a Moidam at Charaideo.
The Moidams enshrine the mortal remains of Ahom royalty and are highly venerated.
With the shift of Ahom capital south and eastwards, Moidams have been seen in different parts of Northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Northern Burma, Southern China and Northeast India – together defining the region where Tai-Ahom culture prevailed.

Why is Charaideo known as ‘Pyramids of Assam’?

It contains sacred burial grounds of Ahom kings and queens and is also the place of the ancestral Gods of the Ahoms.
Some 42 tombs (Maidams) of Ahom kings and queens are present at Charaideo hillocks.
Architecture: It comprises a massive underground vault with one or more chambers having domical superstructure and covered by a heap of earthen mound and externally it appears a hemispherical

9. Ayodhya mosque gets all land clearances

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept :

The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) on Friday gave final sanction for construction of the proposed mosque in Dhannipur, as directed by the Supreme Court in its Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid case judgment.
The top court had asked the government — either the Centre or Uttar Pradesh — to allot a “prominent and suitable” five acre plot in Ayodhya to the Sunni Central Wakf Board, to construct a mosque.
The Wakf Board later formed the Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) to execute the construction of the mosque that has been named ‘Masjid-e-Ayodhya’.

About IICF

Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Iis established as a trust body.
Nine trustees have been announced, while it will “co-opt” the remaining six. Four out of the nine trustees are affiliated to the Board.
On February 24, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board decided to accept the five acres of land allotted to it by the State government for building a mosque in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya, around 25 km from the site where the Babri Masjid stood.
The Trust would construct a centre showcasing Indo-Islamic culture of several centuries, a centre for research and study of Indo-Islamic culture, a charitable hospital, a public library and other public utilities at the site in Dhannipur.

10. Brus become visible, but their fight for identity continues

Subject :Geography

Section: Indian physical geography

Concept :

Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
In Mizoram, they have been targeted by groups that do not consider them indigenous to the state. In 1997, following ethnic clashes, nearly 37,000 Brus fled Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram and were accommodated in relief camps in Tripura.
Since then, 5,000 have returned to Mizoram in eight phases of repatriation, while 32,000 still live in six relief camps in North Tripura.
In June 2018, community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the Centre and the two state governments, providing for repatriation in Mizoram. But most camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement.
The camp residents say that the agreement doesn’t guarantee their safety in Mizoram.

New Agreement

All Bru currently living in temporary relief camps in Tripura will be settled in the state, if they want to stay on. The Bru who returned to Mizoram in the eight phases of repatriation since 2009, cannot, however, come back to Tripura..
The Centre will implement a special development project for the resettled Bru; this will be in addition to the Rs 600 crore fund announced for the process, including benefits for the migrants.
Each resettled family will get 0.03 acre (1.5 ganda) of land for building a home, Rs 1.5 lakh as housing assistance, and Rs 4 lakh as a one-time cash benefit for sustenance.
They will also receive a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000, and free rations for two years from the date of resettlement..
Bru tribals would be included in Tripura’s voter list.