Daily Prelims Notes 26 September 2021

September 27, 2021
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Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

26 September 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Unites Nations

Subject – IR

Context – India is the mother of all democracies, PM says at UNGA

Concept –

The term United Nations was first coined by the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was first used as a collective pledge of representatives of 26 nations on the 1st January, 1942, as a commitment to continue to fight against the Axis Powers.
On October 24th, 1945, as many as 51 countries signed the United Nations Charter in South Africa.
The central role of the United Nations was the promotion of peace and security, development and human rights.

Bodies and mandate

The United Nations consists of six main organs – the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat and the Trusteeship Council.
Second, there are a number of United Nations programmes and funds such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) etc. These programmes and funds fall under the Economic and Social Council of the UN but are also reported to the General Assembly.
The third set of actors within the UN is the specialised agencies and analogous bodies working in diverse areas such as agriculture, health, labour and meteorology. Well known among these bodies are UNESCO, ILO, FAO and the World Bank set of institutions

Main organs

The General Assembly:

It is the mainstay of the UN. It is the only forum where all countries sit down together and discuss their pressing problems.
Moreover, all nation states have equal voting rights regardless of their economic status. The vote of the General Assembly represents at one level world opinion.
The decisions of the General Assembly, however, are not legally binding on the Member States and only represent, at best, the moral authority of the community of nations.

Security Council:

The Security Council is the UN organ which is in charge of security and international peace and deals with crises as they arise.
Under the UN Charter, the Security Council’s decisions are legally binding and the Member States are obligated to carry them out.
At present, the Security Council is made up of 15 members out of whom 5members are permanent. The 10 non-permanent members are periodically elected for a 2 year term.
The permanent members have the veto power, i.e. , they can block a proposal by casting a negative vote.

Economic and Social Council:

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the central UN forum with regard to international economic and social issues.
It has 54 members who are elected by the General Assembly for a three year term.
ECOSOC plays a central role in strengthening the regional cooperation for development as well as setting priorities in terms of economic and social work.
Most of the UN programmes and funds and functional commissions including environmental ones such as the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) fall under the purview of ECOSOC.
It thus coordinates the work of the UN specialized agencies, programmes and funds and undertakes follow-up action in terms of major UN conferences. This role has become all the more important in the context of globalisation and with regard to issues such as sustainable development. Environmental concerns fall under the jurisdiction of ECOSOC.

Secretariat:

The UN Secretariat comprises various UN departments and is thus the backbone of the UN system.

International Court of Justice:

The International Court of Justice arbitrates on disputes between nation-state
It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.
The ICJ is the successor of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), which was established by the League of Nations in 1920.

United Nations Trusteeship Council:

It is established to ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security.
The trust territories—most of them former mandates of the League of Nations or territories taken from nations defeated at the end of World War II—have all now attained self-government or independence, either as separate nations or by joining neighbouring independent countries.
The last was Palau, formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which became a member state of the United Nations in December 1994.

2. Cyclone landfall

Subject – Geography

Context: According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Cyclone Gulab, the first cyclone post-monsoon, formed in the Bay of Bengal on the evening of September 25, 2021. It may make landfall along the south Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh coasts by tomorrow evening.

Concept –

What is landfall?

A landfall, in simple words, is the storm moving over the land after its intensification in the ocean (heat source). Therefore, a cyclone is said to make landfall when the centre of the storm (eye) moves across the coast. As per the US National Hurricane Centre definition, it is ‘the intersection of the surface centre of a tropical cyclone with a coastline.’

Tropical cyclones are usually formed in warmer seas. The strongest winds of the cyclone are not at the centre, but at the immediate surroundings of the eye of the storm—usually stronger on one side of the centre. Therefore, very high wind speed can be experienced over the land area when the cyclone is near the land, even when it is yet to make landfall. It can be vice versa too, where the cyclone can make landfall but leave the strongest wind over the ocean.

The landfall usually brings with it high-speed winds, severe storm surge and torrential downpour, all of which can have a severe impact on the region. The storm usually weakens rapidly after landfall as the ocean heat and moisture that fuels the storm is no longer available.

Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclone Formation

Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27°C.
Presence of the Coriolis force enough to create a cyclonic vortex.
Small variations in the vertical wind speed.
A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation.
Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Favorite Grounds for Tropical Cyclones

South-east Caribbean region where they are called hurricanes.
Philippines islands, eastern China and Japan where they are called typhoons.
Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea where they are called cyclones.
Around south-east African coast and Madagascar-Mauritius islands.
North-west Australia.

Nomenclature of Tropical Cyclones

The naming of tropical cyclones is a recent phenomenon. The process of naming cyclones involves several countries in the region and is done under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
For the Indian Ocean region, a formula for naming cyclones was agreed upon in 2004. Eight countries in the region – Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand – all contributed a set of names which are assigned sequentially whenever a cyclonic storm develops.
Hudhud, Titli, Phethai, Fani, Vayu , Amphan and Nivar are among the names of cyclones in the Indian Ocean region.

Worldwide Terminology of Tropical Cyclones

They are given many names in different regions of the world – eg. they are known as Typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; Hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; Tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA.; Willy-willies in north-western Australia and Tropical Cyclones in the Indian Ocean.

3. LaNina and Indian Monsoon

Context:

The possible emergence of a weak La Nina phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean in the coming months may be a possible reason behind the late September rainfall and the delayed withdrawal of the monsoon.
La Nina is the cooling phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and generally causes an increase in rainfall over the Indian subcontinent.

To know more about La-nina, please click here.

4. Co-operatives

Subject – Polity

Context – Cooperative Society Act will be amended soon, says Amit Shah

Concept –

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
The United Nations General Assembly had declared the year 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives.
India is an agricultural country and laid the foundation of World’s biggest cooperative movement in the world.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Cooperatives:

The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011 added a new Part IXB right after Part IXA (Municipals) regarding the cooperatives working in India.
The word “cooperatives” was added after “unions and associations” in Article 19(1)(c) under Part III of the Constitution. This enables all the citizens to form cooperatives by giving it the status of fundamental right of citizens.
A new Article 43B was added in the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) regarding the “promotion of cooperative societies”.
Cooperatives are a State subject

To know about Cooperative banks, please click here.

To know about Ministry of Cooperation, please click here.

To know about Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs), please click here.

Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002

An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to co-operative societies, with objects not confined to one State and serving the interests of members in more than one State
Facilitate the voluntary formation and democratic functioning of co-operatives as people’s institutions based on self-help and mutual aid and to enable them to promote their economic and social betterment and to provide functional autonomy.
Urban and multi-state co-operative come under the direct supervision of RBI.

Primary agriculture cooperative societies

PACS are the ground-level cooperative credit institutions that provide short-term, and medium-term agricultural loans to the farmers for the various agricultural and farming activities.
It works at the grassroots gram Panchayat and village level.
Primary Agricultural Credit Societies confers equal rights to all its members without considering their holding of share and their social standing.
PACS are generally providing the following facilities to the members:
- Input facilities in form of cash or kind component to members
- Agriculture implements on hiring basis
- Storage facility
Organisational Structure –

Union home minister Amit Shah, who also holds the cooperation portfolio, said that the Centre will soon unveil a new cooperative policy that will entrust the primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) with the task of implementing various government schemes in the farm sector.
The government is also planning to facilitate the creation of more PACS so that one such entity is present in every two villages.
There is a role for PACSs in running many farm-related schemes like electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM) and soil health card scheme. Benefits of all these schemes will reach the ground level when PACS is made implementing agencies at village levels.

National Policy for Cooperatives, 2002

It was formulated to provide support for promotion and development of cooperatives as autonomous, independent and democratic organizations so that they can play their due role in the socio-economic development of the country.

Objectives –

5. National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)

Subject – Disaster Management

Context – The India Meteorological Department informed the National Crisis Management Committee that the cyclone Gulab was likely to hit Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh, and Ganjam and Gajapati districts of Odisha.

Concept –

To know about NCMC, please click here.

6. Periyar River

Subject – Geography

Context – Kayaking, standup paddling on Periyar river on Sunday

Concept –

Periyar is the longest river and the river with the largest discharge potential in the Indian state of Kerala.
It is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns.
It generates a significant proportion of Kerala’s electrical power via the Idukki Dam and flows along a region of industrial and commercial activity.
Due to these reasons, the river has been named the “Lifeline of Kerala”.
Kochi city, in the vicinity of the river mouth draws its water supply from Aluva, an upstream site sufficiently free of seawater intrusion.
Twenty five percent of Kerala’s industries are along the banks of river Periyar.
Periyar River originates from Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar National Park.
It flows into Vembanad Lake and finally into Arabian Sea.
The main tributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti.

7. Registration of Political Party

Subject – Polity

Context – EC mulls deregistering inactive political parties

Concept –

How does a political party get set up?

The law (The Representation of the People Act 1951 Section 29A) sets down certain conditions for a political party to form and get registered by the Election Commission of India (ECI):
It must consist only of Indian citizens
It must call itself a political party set up for the purpose of contesting elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures and for no other purpose.
It must have at least 100 registered electors as its members.
An application for registration (along with all supporting documents) is to be submitted to the Secretary of the ECI in the prescribed format.
Also, after a political party has been registered by the ECI, it is its legal duty to keep the ECI duly informed of any change in its name, head office, office-bearers, address, or in any other material matters, like its constitution.
Currently, there is no express provision for internal democratic regulation of political parties in India – the only (limited) provision in the law requires an explicit undertaking pledging true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India and the principles enshrined in it.

Can political parties be de-registered by the Election Commission?

The ECI is not empowered to de-register parties on the grounds of violating the Constitution or breaching the undertaking given to it at the time of registration.
A party can only be de-registered if its registration was obtained by fraud; if it is declared illegal by the Central Government; or if a party amends its internal Constitution and notifies the ECI that it can no longer abide by the Indian Constitution.

How are election symbols chosen and allotted to political parties?

Election symbols are simple images that are easily identifiable by the general mass of voters. Each symbol represents a particular political party and helps the voter to identify the party of her choice while casting her vote.
The ECI decides which party gets which symbol. Only parties that are recognised by the ECI can reserve symbols for their own exclusive use. Unrecognised parties can pick from any unreserved or free symbols.
The symbol reserved for a National party can be exclusively used by it and its candidates in all states throughout India.
- State parties, on the other hand, have symbols reserved for them only in the state(s) where they are so recognised.
- The ECI has also stipulated that a symbol reserved for a state partyin any state will not be reserved for another state party in any other state (with effect from December, 1997), or be a free symbol anywhere else.

How are parties recognised as ‘regional’ and ‘national’ political parties?

Benefits –

The primary advantage of being recognised as a National Party or a State Party is that the Party is entitled to use its reserved symbol for all its candidates contesting elections throughout the country or the State, as the case may be.
dedicated broadcast slots on public broadcasters,
lesser number of proposers required to file nomination papers, grant of two free copies of electoral rolls,
nomination of greater number of leaders/star campaigners for campaigning (expenditure incurred by them towards travel for propagating the programme of the political party is exempted from inclusion towards a candidate’s total expenditure limits) etc. (The Representation of the People Act 1951 Section 77).
- A recognized National or State party can have a maximum of 40 “Star campaigners” and a registered un-recognised party can nominate a maximum of 20 ‘Star Campaigners”.

On the latest list of parties are eight national recognised parties — the Trinamool Congress, the BSP, the BJP, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Congress, the NCP and the National People’s Party — and 54 recognised State parties.

Membership of MLA , MP and MLC

On 10 July 2013, the Supreme Court of India, in its judgement of the Lily Thomas Union of India case ruled that any Member of Parliament(MP), Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Member of a Legislative Council (MLC) who is convicted of a crime and awarded a minimum of two year imprisonment, loses membership of the House with immediate effect.
- This is in contrast to the earlier position, wherein convicted members held on to their seats until they exhausted all judicial remedy in lower, state and supreme court of India.
- Further, Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, which allowed elected representatives three months to appeal their conviction, was declared unconstitutional.

8. National Mission on Cultural Mapping

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – Cultural mapping of 75 villages soon

Concept –

National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) has been set up by the Ministry of Culture in 2017.
Mission will compile data of artists, art forms & geo location with inputs from Central Ministries, State Governments & art/culture bodies.
The Culture Ministry had approved the mission in 2017 with a ₹469 crore budget from 2017-18 to 2019-20, according to the administrative approval for the project.
National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) has now been handed over to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), which is gearing up for a trial run in 75 villages in October.

9. mRNA Vaccines

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – While many low- and middle-income countries have received by far insufficient supply of vital COVID-19 vaccines so far, vaccine inequity has been most striking in Africa.

Moderna said it will not enforce patents related to its vaccine during the pandemic, but it is yet to transfer technology to the South African hub.

Concept –

The WHO and COVAX, wanted low and middle income countries to produce COVID-19 vaccines themselves to have easy access to vaccines in their fight against the pandemic and need not wait for For this, WHO is facilitating establishment of technology transfer hubs to transfer necessary technology to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines and provide training to interested manufacturers in these countries.
The initial focus has been on developing vaccines using the mRNA vaccine platform and expanding to other technologies in the future.

Reasons for choosing mRNA vaccines

They have been found to be extremely efficacious in protecting against COVID-19, and protection is maintained to a large degree against variants.
The technology needed to manufacture mRNA vaccines is very flexible and allows relatively rapid adaptation of the vaccine to variants, if needed.
Such vaccines can be produced by manufacturers of medicines and medical active substances
The availability of several technical features that are free of Intellectual Property Rights in many countries of the world.
The WHO, a South African consortium — Biovac, Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, a network of universities and the Africa CDC — and COVAX partners are working to set-up the first technology transfer hub in South Africa under the assumption that companies like Pfizer and Moderna will show a willingness to transfer technologies

Research funded

Moderna was given $1 billion as part of Operation Warp Speed to specifically fund its research efforts. Moderna’s vaccine was in part developed by National Institutes of Health.
The US President can legally compel mRNA manufacturers to sign technology transfer contracts in exchange for reasonable compensation. The Defense Production Act of 1950 confers vast powers to act for the national defense. The DPA specifically includes “emergency preparedness.”

To know about mRNA Vaccines, please click here.

To know about DNA-based Vaccines, please click here.