Daily Prelims Notes 10 January 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

10 January 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Can the new Alzheimer’s drug, Lecanemab, be effective enough?
2. Joshimath crisis: What is land subsidence and why does it happen?
3. Mini-grids: Africa’s new tool to improve energy access, empower livelihoods
4. Ozone layer to recover in 4 decades but aerosol injection may undo gains: UNEP
5. Governor’s Address to the State Legislature
6. Opposite parties flay EC’s remote voting plan
7. Indians abroad: History, spread, remittances
8. DGCA raps Air India for not reporting two more incident
9. CBDC-R users to hit 50,000 by Jan-end on better acceptance
10. SC junks PIL challenging UCC committees in Gujarat and Uttarakhand
11. Human-animal conflict increased in Wayanad
12. It Is Not Just Size That Separates the Human Brain from Other Living Primates
13. Fatima Sheikh

1. Can the new Alzheimer’s drug, Lecanemab, be effective enough?

Subject: International relations

Context:

• The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has granted fast-track approval to an Alzheimer’s medicine which, initial results show, reduces the amyloid beta protein deposition in the brain – a classic symptom of the neurodegenerative disease.

Two new drugs that got approval fro US FDA:

• Two drugs that have received a lot of attention in recent weeks are aducanumab (marketed as Aduhelm) and lecanemab.
  • The drug Lecanemab, marketed as Leqembi, is the second such monoclonal antibody to receive approval from the regulator. (First one is Aducanemab.)
  • Its accelerated approval, a protocol used for serious conditions for which not many treatments exist, was based on a “surrogate endpoint” – there was a statistically significant reduction in amyloid beta plaques at week 79 in 856 Alzheimer’s patients who took the medicine, according to the statement from USFDA.
• Both drugs showed a substantial reduction in amyloid in the brain. But whether this reduction in amyloid resulted in a meaningful benefit in memory and thinking is less clear.
• The Food and Drug Administration in the United States granted accelerated approval for aducanumab and Lecanemab as it thought the drug would improve or slow Alzheimer’s symptoms.
• Lecanemab resulted in a 27 per cent slower decline in memory and thinking ability.

Concerns:

• The results were encouraging only when it was administered to patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.
• There is no evidence yet of its interventionist potential in advanced cases.
• Another medicine called Aducanemab, got approval in 2021, and developed by Japanese and American companies Eisai and Biogen, also shows less effective than what it claimed.
• Side effects include- Brain swelling and small brain bleed as detected on brain scans.
• High cost of drugs- Aducanumab costs US$28,200 (A$42,000) per patient per year, and the cost of Lecanemab is $26500/ year.

About Alzheimer’s disease:

• In Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid protein builds up in the brain, which further triggers the development of Tau (a protein) which induces memory loss.
• Beyond amyloid and tau, a range of other biological, genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors can also contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Two new drugs that got approval fro US FDA:

• Two drugs that have received a lot of attention in recent weeks are aducanumab (marketed as Aduhelm) and lecanemab.
• Both drugs showed a substantial reduction in amyloid in the brain. But whether this reduction in amyloid resulted in a meaningful benefit in memory and thinking is less clear.
• The Food and Drug Administration in the United States granted accelerated approval for aducanumab and Lecanemab as it thought the drug would improve or slow Alzheimer’s symptoms.
• Lecanemab resulted in a 27 per cent slower decline in memory and thinking ability.

2. Joshimath crisis: What is land subsidence and why does it happen?

Subject: Geography

Context:

• Almost a week after cracks appeared in many roads and hundreds of houses in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, authorities on Sunday declared it a landslide and subsidence-hit zone.

What is land subsidence?

• According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), subsidence is the “sinking of the ground because of underground material movement”.

Major causes for land subsidence:

• Natural factors: Land subsidence happens due to gradual or sudden natural compaction or collapse of soils due to reasons like –
  • Tectonic activities (e.g. earthquake and faulting).
  • Volcanic activities.
  • Landslide
  • Formation of sinkholes.
  • Thawing of permafrost.
• Anthropogenic causes:
  • Compaction of aquifer systems due to extensive groundwater withdrawals: When water is extracted from aquifers, the clay between pockets of water collapse gradually, leading to land subsidence.
  • Development of underground infrastructure such as metro, tunnels, etc.
  • Excessive underground mining of minerals, oil, and gas.
  • High load of constructions such as high-rise buildings

Joshimath land subsidence: MC Mishra committee report:

• The possibility of such an incident happening in the region was first highlighted around 50 years ago when the MC Mishra committee report was published and it cautioned against “unplanned development in this area, and identified the natural vulnerabilities.”
• According to experts, Joshimath city has been built on an ancient landslide material– meaning it rests on a deposit of sand and stone, not rock, which doesn’t have high load-bearing capacity.
• This makes the area extremely vulnerable to ever-burgeoning infrastructure and population.

What can be the reasons behind Joshimath’s subsidence?

• an expert panel set up by the Uttarakhand government found that several pockets of Joshimath are “sinking” due to man-made and natural factors.
• The exact reason behind Joshimath’s land subsidence is still unknown.
• Experts suggest that the incident might have occurred because of unplanned construction, over-population, and obstruction of the natural flow of water and hydel power activities.
• The lack of a proper drainage system might have also contributed to the sinking of the area.
• Not only this, the area is a seismic zone, which makes it prone to frequent earthquakes.
• Residents have also blamed NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project for the incident.

Land subsidence in Uttarakhand region:

• The towns that could suffer a Joshimath-like fate include Karnaprayag and Gopeshwar in Chamoli district (where Joshimath is situated); Ghansali in Tehri district; Munsiari and Dharchula in Pithoragarh district; Bhatwari in Uttarkashi district; Pauri; Nainital and several other towns.

What can be done now?

• Construction activities related to NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project, Char Dham road project and Helang bypass by the BRO have also been halted.
• While land subsidence cannot be reversed, it can be slowed, and in some cases, it can be checked significantly.
• Once the evacuation of Joshimath is completed, experts have suggested that micro-zonation of the town, replanning of its drainage system and rainwater outlets, and assessment of rock strength among other measures be made a priority.

3. Mini-grids: Africa’s new tool to improve energy access, empower livelihoods

Subject: Science and Technology

Context:

• Africa Mini-grids Program (AMP) is a specialised support initiative that was started to provide electricity at economies of scale, promote increased commercial investment with new growth opportunities and novel business models to some of the poorest African countries.

Africa Mini-grids Program (AMP):

• It was launched by the Rural Electrification Agency in 2022.
• The four-year project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria.
• This programme covers 21 African nations.
• The main aim of AMP is to focus on different low-price models, improve investments and develop financial credibility of mini-grids.
  • It will work with countries to put policies and regulations in place to strengthen private investment, promoting a favourable environment for the mass deployment of renewable mini-grids.
• Through its plan to support mini-grid deployment in Africa, AMP has recognised the following areas of operation:

1. national-level discussions for recognising the best means of establishing mini-grids in the region,
2. efficient utilisation of energy and iii) digitising mini-grids.

Advantages of Africa Mini-grids Program (AMP):

• AMP will follow a country-based approach, thereby increasing South-South / Triangular collaboration prospects.
• The global environmental benefit arising from AMP for a lifetime is estimated to be 74,200 tonnes CO2e.

Mini-grids:

• Mini-grids are decentralised electricity-generating systems that are not in sync with the country’s national grid.
• Solar-based renewable mini-grids offer good prospects to improve the energy access situation in the 21 countries by providing services such as electricity to households, electrification of health and education centres and empowering local businesses to accelerate economic opportunities.
• Powering through mini-grids would be the most economical way to provide electricity to nearly 265 million people in 21 countries by 2030.

Components of a mini-grid:

Challenges faced in the deployment of Renewable mini-grids:

4. Ozone layer to recover in 4 decades but aerosol injection may undo gains: UNEP

Subject: Environment

Context:

• The successful phasing out of banned substances as envisioned by the Montreal Protocol has set the stage for a complete recovery of the ozone layer by the 2060s, a United Nations-backed panel of experts said at the American Meteorological Society’s annual meeting January 8, 2023.

Details:

• If current policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 values (before the appearance of the ozone hole) by around 2066 over the Antarctic, by 2045 over the Arctic and by 2040 for the rest of the world.
• The scientists warned of the detrimental effects of geoengineering technologies such as stratospheric aerosol injection on the ozone layer.

Ozone hole:

• The first ozone hole was discovered in the stratospheric layers over the Antarctic in 1985, which allowed harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation to pass into the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere (troposphere) where humans live.
• UV radiation is linked with health hazards such as skin cancer, cataracts and other conditions in the eye and reduced immunity.

What is Montreal Protocol?

• The Montreal Protocol was created to reduce the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances and protect the earth’s vulnerable ozone layer.
• On September 16, 1987, the treaty was opened for signature, and it entered into force on January 1, 1989, following a first meeting in Helsinki in May 1989.
  • The Protocol’s parties meet once a year to make decisions that will ensure the agreement’s successful implementation.
  • The Protocol has been adjusted or amended seven times since its inception – in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing).
  • The protocol called for a ban on the use and trade of 100 ozone-depleting substances (ODS), and 99 per cent of these have been successfully phased out.
• The Kigali Amendment, the most recent amendment, called for the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016.
  • These HFCs were used to replace a batch of ozone-depleting substances that had been phased out under the original Montreal Protocol.
  • They are known to be powerful greenhouse gases and thus contributors to climate change, despite the fact that they do not deplete the ozone layer.
  • The implementation of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for phasing out some hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) can gain from the success of the ODS ban. Reducing the concentration of HFCs can help avoid 3-0.5°C of global warming over pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.
• The Montreal Protocol established a set of practical, actionable tasks on which everyone agreed.

Salient features of the protocol:

• A number of classes of halogenated hydrocarbons that destroy stratospheric ozone are the foundation of the agreement.
  • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were introduced as non-ozone depleting alternatives to aid in the timely phase out of CFCs and HCFCs.
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are gases that are used in foam applications, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems all over the world. However, the Montreal Protocol is phasing them out since they damage the ozone layer.
  • HCFCs are both ODS and potent greenhouse gases; the most widely used HCFC has a global warming potential about 2,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (GWP).
  • The Parties made the decision to move up the phase-out of HCFCs in September 2007. By 2020, developed nations were supposed to totally phase them out.
• Chlorine or bromine is a component of any substance regulated by the Montreal Protocol that damages ozone (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer).
• Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) that the Montreal Protocol does not yet regulate.
• The treaty specifies a timeline for when manufacturing of each category of ODS must stop and thereafter be completely eradicated.
• A 10-year phase-in period was given for the developing nations mentioned in Article 5 of the agreement.

Concerns include:

• Geoengineering experiments to reduce global warming can damage the ozone layer.
• The panel examined the potential effects on ozone of the intentional addition of aerosols into the stratosphere, known as a stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI).
• SAI can increase sunlight reflection, thereby lowering the amount of heat that enters the troposphere.
• This method “could also affect stratospheric temperatures, circulation and ozone production and destruction rates and transport.
  • Injection of sulphuric acid into the stratosphere, for example, would damage the ozone layer.
  • Aerosol sprays, like other commonly used substances such as dry cleaning solvents, refrigerants and fumigants, contain ODS.

What is Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)?

• Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) is an unproven and hypothetical geo-engineering technique that could limit rising temperatures that are causing climate change.
• Working:
  • It would involve the use of huge hoses, cannons or specially designed aircraft to spray large quantities of sulphate particles into the upper layer of the atmosphere to act as a reflective barrier against sunlight.
  • The research assumes a special aircraft can be designed to fly at an altitude of about 20 km and carry a load of 25 tonnes.

5. Governor’s Address to the State Legislature

Subject :Polity 

Context:

• Governor of Tamil Nadu, R N Ravi, skipped certain portions of the text of his customary address to the state’s legislature.
• As a result, the Chief Minister of the state, M K Stalin, moved a resolution demanding only the original printed speech in Tamil be put in records.
• Governor R N Ravi reacted to this in an unprecedented manner by staging a walkout from the House in protest even before the national anthem was played.

Constitutional Background:

• The Constitution gives the President (Article 87) and the Governor (Article 176) the power to address a sitting of the legislature.
• The special power is with regard to two occasions.
• The first is to address the opening session of a new legislature after a general election.
• The second is to address the first sitting of the legislature each year.
• Commonly referred to as the President’s or Governor’s Address, they are a constitutional requirement.
• A session of a new or a continuing legislature cannot begin without fulfilling this requirement.

Governor’s Address to the State Legislature:

• Article 176 of the Constitution – At the commencement of the first session after each general election to the Legislative Assembly and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the Governor shall address the Legislative Assembly and inform the Legislature of the causes of its summons.
• In the case of a State having a Legislative Council, both Houses assembled together.
• Provision shall be made by the rules regulating the procedure of the House or either House for the allotment of time for discussion of the matters referred to in such address.

Are there parallels in other countries?

• In the United States, it is referred to as the “State of the Union”.
• In the United Kingdom, it is referred to as the Queen’s Speech and is part of the ceremony to mark the formal start of the parliamentary year.
• The President’s Address in India is mirrored on the British system.

What does the Address contain?

• The President’s/Governor’s speech follows the convention of the British system, where it contains legislative and policy proposals that the government intends to initiate.
• The speech also recaps the government’s accomplishment in the previous years.
• The contents of the speech are put together by aggregating inputs from various ministries of the government.

Is the Address prepared by the President/Governor themselves?

• The Constitution, under Article 74 and Article 163 respectively, binds the President and the Governor to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers of the Union and state governments respectively, on a majority of issues.
• Therefore, the speech that the President or the Governor reads before the legislature is the viewpoint of the government and is prepared by it.

If the President/Governor disagrees with the text of the speech, are they still bound to read it?

• The President or a Governor cannot refuse to perform the constitutional duty of delivering an address to the legislature.
• But there can be situations when they deviate from the text of the speech prepared by the government.
• So far, there have been no instances of President doing so.
• But there have been multiple occasions when a Governor skipped a portion of the address to the Assembly.

Does it violate the constitution?

• Many experts believe that it was the intention of the Constitution-makers that the Governor’s speech would be prepared by the Council of Ministers and the Governor would read it.
• Hence, they are of the opinion that if a Governor violates this convention and deletes any para of the address under the cloak of his discretionary power, his action may not be unlawful’ from a rigid legalistic viewpoint.
• However, this will surely strike at the roots of the norms of parliamentary system of government.

6. Opposite parties flay EC’s remote voting plan

Subject :Polity 

Context:

• At a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, the parties questioned the EC’s logic in remote voting plan which would increase voting percentage.

Remote Voting Plan

• It will allow electors to vote from faraway cities without going to the designated polling station of their constituencies.
• The voters will have to reach a designated venue during a pre-decided period of time to be able to use this facility.
• The IIT-Madras is developing a system for two-way remote voting in a controlled environment using blockchain technology.
• It would entail voter identification and authorisation on the Electoral Registration Officer Network (ERO Net) using biometric data and web cameras for authentication, followed by a blockchain-based e-ballot generation, which would convert into a vote once the hash code would be generated on its execution.
• The encrypted remote votes cast would once again be validated at the pre-counting stage to ensure that they have neither been decrypted nor tampered with or replaced.

International perspective:

• Countries such as the United States, Argentina, Russia, Estonia, Thailand and South Korea in the past have utilised the blockchain methods for conducting voting processes for their citizens, with a fair share of positives and negatives deriving consequentially.

Postal voting or ballots

• It is also called Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Papers (ETPB) and under this ballot papers are distributed electronically to electors and are then returned to the election officers via post.
• Who can avail this facility?
• Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post.
• While prisoners are not allowed to vote, people under preventive detention can cast their votes through postal ballots.
• Special voters such as the President of India, Vice President, Governors, Union Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post.
• Recently, a new category of ‘absentee voters’ was introduced in which they can also opt for postal voting.
• These voters are employed in essential services and unable to cast their vote due to their service conditions.
• Currently, officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Northern Railway (Passenger and Freight) Services and media persons are notified as absentee voters.

Proxy voting

• Under proxy voting, a registered elector can delegate his voting power to a representative.
• This was introduced in 2003 for elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies but on a limited scale.
• Only a “classified service voter” which includes members of the armed forces, BSF, CRPF, CISF, General Engineering Reserve Force and Border Road Organisation is allowed to nominate a proxy to cast a vote on his behalf in his absence.

7. Indians abroad: History, spread, remittances

Subject :International relations

Context:

• The Prime Minister of India recently inaugurated the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), saying that Indians living abroad are brand ambassadors for the country on foreign soil.

History of the Indian diaspora

• ‘Girmitiya’ arrangement:
  • The Indian diaspora has grown manifold since the first batch of Indians were taken to counties in the east pacific and the Caribbean islands as indentured labourers.
  • They were shipped to these countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries to work on plantations in British colonies that were reeling from a labour crisis following the abolition of slavery in 1833-34.
• Waves of migration:
  • In the 2nd wave, nearly 20 lakh Indians went to Singapore and Malaysia to work in farms, while the 3rd and 4th wave saw professionals heading to western countries and workers going to the Gulf and west Asian countries in the wake of the oil boom.

Classification of Indian Diaspora

• Overseas Indians are classified into 3 categories: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs are Indians who are residents of foreign countries), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).
• According to the MEA, PIO refers to a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) –
• who at any time held an Indian passport, or
• who or either of their parents/grandparents/great grandparents was born and permanently resided in India as defined in Government of India Act, 1935, or
• who is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO
• A separate category of OCI was carved out in 2006. An OCI card was given to a foreign national –
• who was eligible to be a citizen of India on January 26, 1950,
• was a citizen of India on or at any time after January 26, 1950, or
• belonged to a territory that became part of India after August 15, 1947
• Minor children of such individuals, except those who were a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, were also eligible for OCI cards.
• The PIO category was abolished in 2015 and merged with the OCI category.

Size and geographical distribution of the Indian diaspora

• According to the Parliamentary committee on external affairs, there were 7 crore Indians (NRIs – 1.35 crore, PIOs – 1.87 crore, OCIs, and students) living overseas (as on December 31, 2021). Excluding students, the number stands at 3.22 crore.
• According to the World Migration Report, prepared by the International Organisation for Migration under the United Nations, India has the largest emigrant population in the world, making it the top origin country globally, followed by Mexico, Russian and China.

8. DGCA raps Air India for not reporting two more incident

Subject: Polity

Context:

• Air India did not report a second peeing incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) when a male passenger urinated on a vacant seat and the blanket of a female co-passenger on a Paris-Delhi flight.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation primarily dealing with safety issues.
• It is responsible for regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards.
• It investigates aviation accidents and incidents, maintains all regulations related to aviation and is responsible for issuance of licenses.
• It also co-ordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organisation.

9. CBDC-R users to hit 50,000 by Jan-end on better acceptance

Subject :Economy

Context:

• The number of retail users of CBDC-R is expected to touch 50,000 at the end of this month. Currently, this number stands at around 16,000.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched a pilot project for e₹-R on December 1 last year.

Central Bank Digital Currency

• The term central bank digital currency (CBDC) refers to the virtual form of a fiat currency.
• A CBDC( e₹-R) is an electronic record or digital token of a country’s official currency.
• As such, it is issued and regulated by the nation’s monetary authority or central bank. As such, they are backed by the full faith and credit of the issuing government.
• CBDCs can simplify the implementation of monetary and fiscal policy and promote financial inclusion in an economy by bringing the unbanked into the financial system.
• Because they are a centralized form of currency, they may erode the privacy of citizens.
• Although they aren’t formally being used, many countries are exploring the introduction and use of CBDCs in their economy.

Working of CBDC

• Users will be able to transact with e₹- R through a digital wallet offered by the participating banks.
• Transactions can be both Person to Person (P2P) and Person to Merchant (P2M).
• The e₹-R offers features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement finality. Like cash, the CBDC will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of money, like deposits with banks.
• Eight banks are participating in the retail pilot project.
• Use of e₹-R is voluntary and it is part of total currency in circulation.
• e₹-R is using API (Application Programming Interface). It is is a way for two or more computer programmes to communicate with each other.

Advantages of CBDC

10. SC junks PIL challenging UCC committees in Gujarat and Uttarakhand

Subject :Polity

Context: The Supreme Court junked a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the decision of the Gujarat and Uttarakhand governments to set up a committee for introducing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

• Gujarat and Uttarakhand had decided to form committees for the introduction and implementation of a Uniform Civil Code.

Uniform Civil Code:

• UCC is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• DPSP as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.

Status of Uniform Codes in India:

• Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters such as Indian Contract Act 1872, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act 1882, Partnership Act 1932, Evidence Act, 1872 etc.

UCC in States:

• UCC is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Goa’s Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 is an example of a common family law prevalent in a State.
• The promulgation of the UCC emerges as a positive obligation and not duty of the State under Article 44 of the Constitution in the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
• Article 44 says “the State shall endeavour to secure a UCC for the citizens throughout the territory of India”.

UCC and Implications

• Protection to Vulnerable Section of Society: The UCC aims to provide protection to vulnerable sections as envisaged by Ambedkar including women and religious minorities, while also promoting nationalistic fervour through unity.
• Simplification of Laws: The code will simplify the complex laws around marriage ceremonies, inheritance, succession, adoptions making them one for all. The same civil law will then be applicable to all citizens irrespective of their faith.
• When enacted the code will work to simplify laws that are segregated at present on the basis of religious beliefs like the Hindu code bill, Sharia law, and others.
• Adhering to Ideal of Secularism: Secularism is the objective enshrined in the Preamble, a secular republic needs a common law for all citizens rather than differentiated rules based on religious practices.
• Gender Justice: India has separate sets of personal laws for each religion governing marriages, divorce, succession, adoption and maintenance.
• However, the rights of women are usually limited under religious law, be it Hindu or Muslim. The practice of triple talaq is a classic example.
• If a uniform civil code is enacted, all personal laws will cease to exist.
• It will do away with gender biases in Muslim law, Hindu law and Christian law that have been often challenged by women on the ground that they violate the right to equality.

11. Human-animal conflict increased in Wayanad

Subject :Environment 

Context: In the latest in a series of wild elephant attacks in Kerala, a daily worker, was attacked by a rouge elephant at Sulthan Bathery town adjacent to the Wayanad wildlife Sanctuary.

About Human animal conflict

• https://optimizeias.com/human-animal-conflict/

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• It is bounded by the protected area network of Nagarhole National Parkand Bandipur National Park in Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu.
• It is part of theDeccan Plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the south Indian moist deciduous teak forests.
• Kabini river (a tributary of Cauvery river) flows through the sanctuary.
• Theforest types include South Indian Moist Deciduous forests, West coast semi-evergreen forests and plantations of teak, eucalyptus.
• The wildlife sanctuary comes under Protect Elephant.
• Scheduled tribeshere include Paniyas, Kurubas, Adiyans, Kurichiyas, Ooralis and Kattunaikkans.

About Elephants:

1. Asian Elephants:
   • There are three subspecies of Asian elephant which are the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan.
   • The Indian subspecies has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent.
   • Global Population: Estimated 20,000 to 40,000.
   • IUCN Red List:
   • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
   • CITES: Appendix I

2. African Elephants:

• There are two subspecies of African elephants, the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant.
• Global Population: Around 4,00,000.
• IUCN Red List Status:
  • African Savanna Elephant: Endangered.
  • African Forest Elephant: Critically Endangered
• CITES: Appendix II

About  Elephant Corridors:

• Elephant corridors are narrow strips of land that connect two large habitats of elephants. Elephant corridors are crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons. So fragmentation of forests makes it all the more important to preserve migratory corridors.
• The movement of elephants is essential to ensure that their populations are genetically viable.
• Nearly 40% of elephant reserves are vulnerable, as they are not within protected parks and sanctuaries. Also, the migration corridors have no specific legal protection.
• Forests that have turned into farms and unchecked tourism are blocking animals’ paths. Animals are thus forced to seek alternative routes resulting in increased elephant-human conflict.

12. It Is Not Just Size That Separates the Human Brain from Other Living Primates

Subject :Science and Technology

Context: Results of a study we published in Nature Ecology & Evolution show that the way the different parts of the human brain evolved separates us from our primate relatives.

Results of the study:

• Mammalian brains have four distinct regions or lobes, each with particular functions. The frontal lobe is associated with reasoning and abstract thought, the temporal lobe with preserving memory, the occipital lobe with vision, and the parietal lobe helps to integrate sensory inputs.
• Tracking change over deep time across dozens of primate species, we found humans had particularly high levels of brain integration, especially between the parietal and frontal lobes.
• Integration between these lobes was similarly high in Neanderthals too. Looking at changes in shape through growth revealed that in apes, such as the chimpanzee, integration between the brain’s lobes is comparable to that of humans until they reach adolescence.
• At this point, integration rapidly falls away in the apes, but continues well into adulthood in humans.
• Result suggest, what distinguishes humans from other primates is not just that brains are bigger. The evolution of the different parts of brain is more deeply integrated, and, unlike any other living primate, humans retain this right through into adult life.
• A greater capacity for learning is typically associated with juvenile life stages. We suggest this Peter Pan syndrome played a powerful role in the evolution of human intelligence.

About Peter Pan Syndrome:

• The term ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ first appeared in 1983, in a book authored by Dr Dan Kiley titled ‘Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up’.
  • He described it as a “social-psychological phenomenon”.
• It is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist James Matthew Barrie in the early 1900s.
  • His character is one of a carefree young boy, who never grows up.
  • He features in several of Barrie’s books and plays and has since been adapted in numerous films, television series and comics.
• It is said that people who develop similar behaviours (of living life carefree, finding responsibilities challenging in adulthood, and basically, “never growing up”) suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome.
• While the World Health Organization does not recognise Peter Pan Syndrome as a health disorder, many experts believe it is a mental health condition that can affect one’s quality of life.

13. Fatima Sheikh

Subject: Personalities in News

Context – On January 9, birth anniversary of Savitribai’s fellow pioneer teacher in Pune, Fatima Sheikh.

Concept: https://optimizeias.com/fatima-sheikh/