Daily Prelims Notes 5 June 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

5 June 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Government plans Rs. 15 k crore push for batteries
2. TRAI action against pesky calls: Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA)
3. Banks cut FD rates
4. Root cause of Odisha Train Accident
5. Understanding the Kavach system
6. The ‘interlocking’ system in Railways
7. Acinetobacter baumannii
8. Evapotranspiration
9. Saudi Arabia to cut oil output by 1 million barrels per day
10. NATO chief urges Turkey not to veto Sweden’s bid
11. How genome sequences tracked down an ancient disease
12. Adverse Possession
13. High road to Dubai COP28: Can Bonn climate conference iron out disagreements around loss & damage fund
14. World Environment Day 2023
15. How India has become relatively Atmanirbhar in Pulses compared to Edible Oil

1. Government plans Rs. 15 k crore push for batteries

Subject: Economy

Section: Infrastructure

Key points:

• Government is working to bring a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth as much as 15,000 crore to encourage the setting up of grid-scale battery storage.
• Will be ensured that coverage does not overlap with the existing PLI scheme for advanced chemistry cells (ACC).
  • ACC have high ramp rate, used for e-vehicles
  • BESS batteries need grid stability and flow of power at regular frequency as the main features
• Important for India to achieve the 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030.
• Required for two purposes:
  • Grid stability: the renewable sources like wind and solar energy have wide variations as per time of day or seasons.
  • Ensuring peak power: the peak power demand is much higher than what the renewable source can supply.
• No specification on type of batteries yet, as it is an evolving field. Various batteries like: Lithium ion batteries, Sodium Ion batteries, vanadium redox batteries are eligible for incentive if they are found economically viable.
• Union Budget 2023-24 also mentioned viability gap funding (VGF) for BESS with capacity of 4,000 MWh.
  • VGF capacities are to support the immediate requirements of storage systems
  • The PLI for BESS is for the future supplies, so as to reduce import dependence.
• Last year the Power Ministry also issued guidelines for procuring and utilizing BESS as part of generation, transmission, and distribution. Similar to renewable-purchase obligation, it notifies energy storage obligations of 4% of total energy consumption by FY30 for the power discoms.
• Present energy storage capacity installed is around 40 KWh.

2. TRAI action against pesky calls: Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA)

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Computer

Key points:

• Telcos are coming together to form a new platform on the lines of TRAI’s DCA circular.
• DCA:
  • A unified platform that will allow users to give consent to specific service providers like Banks, Utilities to send messages, while requiring the telecom companies(telcos) to block all calls and messages that the user has not consented to.
  • At present the consent status is maintained by the third parties (Banks, financial services etc) themselves and thus no way for telcos to verify if consent is being followed.
  • The present system also did not allow users to revoke consent on some centralized platform.
  • Will be different from Do Not Disturb (DND) system that made user consent as the default and user had to apply to put their number on the DND list.
• The consent data will be shared on a Digital Ledger Platform for ‘scrubbing’ by the telecom companies thus ensuring that consumers don’t get pesky calls.
• Initially banking, insurance, finance and traded-related sectors shall be on-boarded.

3. Banks cut FD rates

Subject :Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Key points:

• Rate cuts (5-20 bps) on fixed deposits of upto3 year tenure by the larger banks.
• Smaller banks have smaller deposit base are continuing to increase rates
• Liquidity of the system was increased by government spending and currency intervention of RBI (Rs. 2000 Note withdrawal)
• the weighted average domestic term deposit rate (WADTDR) has reached 6.36 % in April and will reduce further

What it indicates:

• High liquidity in the banking system
• Easing of rates by RBI in view of inflation being in control.
  • CPI inflation for April came below RBI’s upper threshold of 6%
• Deposit mobilization (liabilities) is adequate with respect to the credit creation (loans being made)
• The decision to cut rates for 3-year deposit also reflects that the bulk of recent credit growth has been in form of retail loans and working capital credit (having similar tenure)

Why FD Rates are important:

• The rates are a indicator of monetary policy transmission
• A comparison between the WALR (weighted average lending rate) and WADTDR gives an idea of to what extent rate cuts got transmitted
• From Jan-Nov 2022, the RBI hiked the repo rate by 1.90%, whereas the weighted FD rate has been hiked by only 0.59%. This shows that only 31% of the 1.90% has been transmitted to the FD investor.
• But the WALR is generally seen to increase in sync with the repo rate.
• Economic Survey 2023 in its analysis of transmission of monetary policy across bank groups during FY23 (up to November 2022) indicates following:
  • that the increase in the WALRs on fresh loans was higher in the case of public sector banks (PSB take the lead in increasing loan rates)
  • the WADTDR on outstanding deposits and WALR on outstanding loans was higher for private banks. (Private banks make costly loans and also offer higher deposit rates0

4. Root cause of Odisha Train Accident

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Msc

Context: The Railways identified the “root cause” of the accident in Odisha. Union Railway Minister has indicated that “someone” made a change “to the point machine, the configuration of the track”, resulting in the collision.

Content:

• The spot of the crash is a little before Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district, which is part of the Kharagpur railway division of the South Eastern Railway. Three trains were involved — two passenger trains going in opposite directions, and a goods train that was stationary.

How could the incident have happened?

• There is the Up Main Line (towards Chennai), the Down Main line (towards Howrah), and two loop lines on the two sides. The purpose of a loop is to park a train on the side so that the main line is left clear for a faster or more important train.
• Locomotive drivers are guided by signals, not so much by what they see on the tracks, especially in the dark.
• A multi-disciplinary joint inspection by supervisors had concluded that a green signal was given to the Coromandel (headed towards Chennai) to pass through on the designated main line, and then the signal was taken off. The train entered the loop line, and rammed into the goods train.
• It was identified that someone had changed the configuration of the signalling (point) on the track, which led to the Coromandel to enter the loop line.

Could the driver have done something to prevent the crash?

• Trains are gigantic masses of steel, hauled by enormously powerful engines. The Coromandel was going at “full speed”, which could be around 100 km/hr. At that speed, even after the application of emergency brakes, a train would not come to a halt before perhaps a couple of kilometres.

Where does the third train come into the picture?

• At the same time as the Coromandel hit the goods train, a third train, was going past on the adjacent Down main line, headed towards Howrah (in the opposite direction). Most of this train had already crossed the point of the accident, however, the last few coaches were impacted. These derailed — either because they were hit by coaches of the Coromandel that toppled onto them, or because of the shock waves that could have passed through the ground and the tracks.

5. Understanding the Kavach system

Subject: Science and technology

Section:Msc

Concept :

• The death of over 288 passengers in triple train accident at Bahanaga Bazaar railway station in the Balasore district of Odisha has brought into sharp focus the safety mechanisms needed to prevent such tragedies.

About the Technology:

• The Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian industry.
• The trials were facilitated by the South Central Railway to achieve safety in train operations across Indian Railways.
• It is a state-of-the-art electronic system with Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) standards.
• It is meant to provide protection by preventing trains to pass the signal at Red (which marks danger) and avoid collision.
• It activates the train’s braking system automatically if the driver fails to control the train as per speed restrictions.
• In addition, it prevents the collision between two locomotives equipped with functional Kavach systems. The system also relays SoS messages during emergency situations. (SoS means, a call or request for help or rescue)
• An added feature is the centralised live monitoring of train movements through the Network Monitor System.
• ‘Kavach’ is one of the cheapest, SIL-4 certified technologies where the probability of error is 1 in 10,000 years.

How does Kavach work on Railway Systems?

• The Traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), with the help of equipment on board the locomotive and transmission towers at stations connected with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags helps in two-way communication between the station master and loco-pilot to convey any emergency message.
• The instrument panel inside the cabin helps the loco-pilot know about the signal in advance without visual sighting, and the permissible speeds to be maintained.
• If a red signal is jumped and two trains come face to face on the same line, the technology automatically takes over and applies sudden brakes.
• Additionally, the hooter activates by itself when approaching a level crossing which serves as a big boon to loco-pilots during fog conditions when visibility is low.
• Both the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and the Yeshwanthpur-Howrah Express were not fitted with KAVACH-TACS.

Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO):

• Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) is an ISO 9001 research and development organization under the Ministry of Railways.
• It functions as a technical adviser and consultant to the Railway Board, the Zonal Railways, the Railway Production Units, RITES and IRCON International in respect of design and standardization of railway equipment and problems related to railway construction, operation and maintenance.
• Indian Railways’ Research Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) has recently become the nation’s first institution to be declared as Standard Developing Organization (SDO) under the mission called “One Nation One Standard” on Bureau of Indian Standards.

6. The ‘interlocking’ system in Railways

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Msc

Concept :

• Minister for Railways said that a change in the “configuration” of the track had led to the Coromandel Express smashing into the stationary goods train from behind, triggering the three-way train accident in Odisha in which 275 people have died so far.

Interlocking in railway

• Interlocking in railway signalling systems is a crucial safety mechanism used in the operation of train movements on railway tracks.
• It ensures that train movements continue without any conflicts with each other, preventing accidents.
• There are three main components that comprise an interlocking system:
• the point,
• the track occupancy sensing devices, and
• the signal.
• The Interlocking system coordinates the functions of these three components to control train movements.

Function of each of these three main components

• Signals (which are lights of green, red, and yellow colour) are installed along the tracks to indicate the status of the track ahead.
• Track circuits are electrical circuits (also known as track-occupancy sensing devices) that detect the presence of trains.
• Points allow trains to change tracks.

How safe is this system?

• If any of the three components (signals, points, and track occupancy sensors) does not correspond to the overall ‘safe’ logic fed into the computer, the system will work to stop the oncoming train.
• This means if the point is not locked, or not set to the desired direction, and/ or if the sensing device detects that the track is not clear, the signal will automatically turn red.
• This is called a “fail safe” system — one that errs on the side of safety.

Who operates and monitors the interlocking signalling system?

• The interlocking system is usually operated and monitored by trained personnel from the signalling and telecommunications department in Railways, often known as ‘signallers’ or signal operators.

7. Acinetobacter baumannii

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

• In a major breakthrough for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of medicine, scientists from the United States and Canada have found a new antibiotic – powerful enough to kill a superbug – using AI.

Superbugs

• Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to several types of antibiotics. Each year these drug-resistant bacteria infect more than 2 million people in the US and kill at least 23,000, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Acinetobacter baumannii

• The dealt with the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii.
• In 2017, the bacterium was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the world’s most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• baumannii can cause pneumonia, meningitis and infect wounds, all of which can lead to death.
• baumanni is usually found in hospital settings, where it can survive on surfaces for long periods.

How do bacteria become resistant to drugs?

• Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections.
• Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines.
• This ultimately threatens the ability of medicines to treat common infectious diseases.

How did researchers use AI in this case?

• Narrowing down the right antibacterial chemicals against bacteria can be a long, difficult process.
• This is where algorithms come in because the concept of AI is based on the process of machines being given large amounts of data and training themselves on identifying patterns and solutions based on them.
• The researchers first exposed A. baumannii grown in a lab dish to about 7,500 different chemical compounds, to see which ones could help pause the growth of the bacterium.
• Then they fed the structure of each molecule into the machine-learning model.
• They also told the model whether each structure could prevent bacterial growth or not.
• This allowed the algorithm to learn chemical features associated with growth inhibition.
• Once the model was trained, the researchers used it to analyse a set of 6,680 compounds.
• This analysis took less than two hours and yielded a few hundred results.
• Of these, the researchers chose 240 to test experimentally in the lab, focusing on compounds with structures that were different from those of existing antibiotics.
• Those tests yielded nine antibiotics, including one that was very potent and effective at killing A. baumannii.
• This has been named abaucin.

8. Evapotranspiration

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Concept :

• Evapotranspiration is the combined process of evaporation and transpiration that leads to the loss of water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere.
• Term ‘Evapotranspiration’ was coined and later defined by climatologist Charles Warren Thornthwaite in 1944.
• Evaporation refers to the conversion of liquid water to water vapour, mainly from open water bodies, whereas transpiration is the release of water vapour by plants through their leaves.
• Several factors influence the rate of evapotranspiration, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, and the availability of water in the soil.
• Higher temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds increase evapotranspiration, while cloudy conditions and limited soil moisture reduce the process.
• Various methods are used to measure evapotranspiration. These include the use of evaporation pans, lysimeters, and meteorological instruments such as atmometers and eddy covariance systems.
• These techniques help researchers and policymakers estimate water loss from different landscapes, including agricultural fields, forests, and urban areas.
• Evapotranspiration plays a crucial role in agricultural water management. By understanding the water requirements of crops and estimating evapotranspiration rates, farmers can optimise irrigation scheduling to ensure efficient water use.
• This knowledge helps prevent over-irrigation, which can lead to water wastage and environmental issues, and under-irrigation, which can reduce crop productivity.
• Evapotranspiration is an essential component of the Earth’s water cycle and has significant environmental implications.
• It affects regional and global climate patterns by regulating the exchange of moisture between the land surface and the atmosphere.
• Changes in evapotranspiration rates due to land-use changes, deforestation, or climate change can impact local and regional water availability, precipitation patterns, and overall ecosystem health.
• Understanding evapotranspiration is vital for effective water resource management and sustainable development.

Hydrological Cycle

• The hydrological cycle is also known as Water Cycle.
• It is the circulation of water in various forms – Liquid, Solid, and Gaseous.
• Water moves in different realms like ocean, river, glaciers etc.

Distribution of water on surface of the earth

• About 71% of the water of the earth is found in the oceans.
• The remaining is freshwater in glaciers and ice caps, groundwater, lakes, etc.
• About 59% of the water on the land evaporates and returns back to the atmosphere.

Hydrological cycle Process

• The movement of water takes place through various processes.
• Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Runoff, Infiltration, Transpiration, etc.

Evaporation and Transpiration

• The Water cycle begins with the evaporation of water.
• It is the process of water transfer from surface of water bodies into the atmosphere.
• Water vapours also get discharged from plant leaves through transpiration.
• Condensation
• The water vapours rise up and get cooled to liquid water droplets in the air, forming fog and clouds.
• Precipitation
• The condensed water vapour falls on the Earth is known as Precipitation.
• The water also falls in form of hail, snow, sleet depending on the temperature.
• Runoff and Infiltration
• Runoff is the flow of water in rivers, streams, and lakes.
• Infiltration is the process through which rainwater is absorbed by the surface of earth.

9. Saudi Arabia to cut oil output by 1 million barrels per day

Subject : International Relations

Section: Groupings

Concept :

• Saudi Arabia will soon pledge new voluntary production cuts as part of a broader OPEC+ deal to curb output.

About OPEC+:

• It is a group of 23 oil-exporting countries which meets regularly to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.
• These nations aim to work together on adjusting crude oil production to bring stability to the oil market.
• At the core of this group are the13 members of OPEC (the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries), which are mainly Middle Eastern and African countries.
• Members: It comprises 13 OPEC countries plus Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Oman.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC):

• It is a permanent intergovernmental organization of oil-exporting countries.
• Mission:
• To coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.
• Ensure the stabilization of oil prices in the international oil markets, with a view to eliminating harmful and unnecessary fluctuations.
• Formation: It was established in 1960 by the five founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
• Currently, it has 13 members, including Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.

10. NATO chief urges Turkey not to veto Sweden’s bid

Subject :International Relations

Section: Groupings

Concept :

• NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has urged Turkey not to veto Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance, ahead of a meeting this month to try to overcome objections delaying Stockholm’s membership.
• Also, China’s defence minister warned against establishing NATO-like military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying they would plunge the region into a “whirlpool” of conflict.
• Li’s comments echoed long-held Chinese criticism of the United States’ efforts to shore up alliances in the region and counter China’s rise.
• The United States is a member of AUKUS, which groups it with Australia and Britain.
• Washington is also a member of the QUAD group, which includes Australia, India and Japan.
• For further notes on NATO Membership – https://optimizeias.com/finland-joins-nato-bloc/
• For further notes on AUKUS Partnership – https://optimizeias.com/australia-to-buy-us-nuclear-submarine-under-aukus/

11. How genome sequences tracked down an ancient disease

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

• The ‘Black Death’ causing bacteria’s prehistoric trail has been traced by scientists thanks to advanced gene-sequencing techniques.
• The ‘black death’, or the Great Plague, of the 14th century, was one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. It’s a clear example of the profound influence infectious disease outbreaks can have on society, economy, and culture.
• It was also probably one of the most impactful epidemics, considering it left an indelible mark on humankind and shaped the collective memory of many subsequent generations.

Whole Genome Sequencing

• All organisms have a unique genetic code, or genome, that is composed of nucleotide bases- Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C) and Guanine (G).
• The unique Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) fingerprint, or pattern can be identified by knowing the sequence of the bases in an organism.
• Determining the order of bases is called sequencing.
• Whole genome sequencing is a laboratory procedure that determines the order of bases in the genome of an organism in one process.

Methodology:

• DNA Shearing:
  • Scientists begin by using molecular scissors to cut the DNA, which is composed of millions of bases (A’s, C’s, T’s and G’s), into pieces that are small enough for the sequencing machine to read.
• DNA Bar Coding:
  • Scientists add small pieces of DNA tags, or bar codes, to identify which piece of sheared DNA belongs to which bacteria.
  • This is similar to how a bar code identifies a product at a grocery store.
• DNA Sequencing:
  • The bar-coded DNA from multiple bacteria is combined and put in a DNA sequencer.
  • The sequencer identifies the A’s, C’s, T’s, and G’s, or bases, that make up each bacterial sequence.
  • The sequencer uses the bar code to keep track of which bases belong to which bacteria.
• Data Analysis:
  • Scientists use computer analysis tools to compare sequences from multiple bacteria and identify differences.
  • The number of differences can tell the scientists how closely related the bacteria are, and how likely it is that they are part of the same outbreak.
• Advantages:
  • Provides a high-resolution, base-by-base view of the genome
  • Captures both large and small variants that might be missed with targeted approaches
  • Identifies potential causative variants for further follow-up studies of gene expression and regulation mechanisms
  • Delivers large volumes of data in a short amount of time to support assembly of novel genomes
• Significance:
  • Genomic information has been instrumental in identifying inherited disorders, characterizing the mutations that drive cancer progression, and tracking disease outbreaks.
  • It is beneficial for sequencing agriculturally important livestock, plants, or disease-related microbes.

Black Death Disease

• The term Black Death refers to the bubonic plague that spread across Western Asia, Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe in 1346-53.
• Most scholars agree that the Black Death, which killed millions, was caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis and was spread by fleas that were carried by rodent hosts.
• The microorganism Y. pestis spread to human populations, who at some point transmitted it to others either through the vector of a human flea or directly through the respiratory system.
• Contemporaries who wrote about the epidemic, often described the buboes (hard, inflamed lymph nodes) as the distinguishing clinical feature.
• In the 14th century, the epidemic was referred to as the ‘great pestilence’ or ‘great death’, due to the demographic havoc that it caused.
• Due to a lack of comprehensive historical data from that time, it is difficult to know the exact death toll.

12. Adverse Possession

Subject: Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Context: “There is no justification for introducing any change in the law relating to adverse possession,” the 22nd Law Commission has said in its recent report. While two of its ex-officio members filed a dissent note saying that the law promotes false claims.

Concept:

Adverse Possession

• The concept of adverse possession stems from the idea that land must not be left vacant but instead, be put to judicious use.
• Essentially, adverse possession refers to the hostile possession of property, which must be “continuous, uninterrupted, and peaceful.”
• According to the Law Commission’s report, the rationale behind this comes from considerations that the “title to land should not long be in doubt”, “society will benefit from someone making use of land the owner leaves idle,” and “persons who come to regard the occupant as owner may be protected.”
• The law does not help those who sleep over their rights. Simply put, “the original title holder who neglected to enforce his rights over the land cannot be permitted to re-enter the land after a long passage of time,”.

Background:

• The concept originally dates back to 2000 BC, finding its roots in the Hammurabi Code, but the historical basis of “title by adverse possession” is the development of the statutes of limitation on actions for recovery of land in England.The first such statute was the Statute of Westminster, 1275. However, it was the Property Limitation Act, 1874, that set the period of limitation at twelve years from when the cause of action first arose, which laid the groundwork for the limitations model inherited by colonial India.
• Act XIV of 1859 regulated the limitation of civil suits in British India.
• After the passage of the Limitation Act in 1963, the law on adverse possession underwent significant changes.

Limitation Act, 1963:

• It fortified the position of the true owner of the land, as he now had to merely prove his title, while the burden of proof of adverse possession shifted to the person claiming it.
• Any person in possession of private land for over 12 years or government land for over 30 years can become the owner of that property.
• Article 65 of Schedule I of the 1963 Act: A person in adverse possession of immovable property acquires title to that property. However, the possession must be open, continuous, and “in defiance of the title of the real owner for twelve years.”
• The limitation period for the State will be 30 years from the date of dispossession for land belonging to a private person where any public street or road or any part of it has been dispossessed and no suit has been moved for its possession “by or on behalf of any local authority”.

SC Rulings:

• In the 2004, Karnataka Board of Wakf v Government of India, the apex court held “A person who claims adverse possession should show: (a) on what date he came into possession, (b) what was the nature of his possession, (c) whether the factum of possession was known to the other party, (d) how long his possession has continued, and (e) his possession was open and undisturbed.”
• In 2008, HemajiWaghaji Jat v. BhikhabhaiKhengarbhai Harijan and Others, the court ruled that Article 65 “ousts an owner on the basis of inaction within limitation” and is “irrational, illogical, and wholly disproportionate” and recommended the government “to seriously consider and make suitable changes in the law of adverse possession”.
• Owing to the importance of the subject, coupled with the fact that the reference had been pending since 2008, the present Law Commission found it “expedient to deliberate afresh over the subject.”

13. High road to Dubai COP28: Can Bonn climate conference iron out disagreements around loss & damage fund

Subject :Environment

Section: International convention

Context:

• The discussions around making the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) fully operational by the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) seem to be heading in the wrong direction due to divergent views about the scope, scale and sources of the fund among developed and developing countries.
• The Subsidiary Body (SB) conference at Bonn could be an opportunity for course correction to COP28, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

About the Bonn climate conference (BCC):

• The Bonn Climate Change Conference is scheduled from 5 to 15 June 2023.
• Building on the mandates that emerged from COP 27 in Egypt, the conference will host a large number of mandated events and continue discussions on issues of critical importance, such as the global stocktake, global goal on adaptation, just transition, loss and damage and the mitigation work programme.
• The conference is expected to make progress on these and other important issues and prepare draft decisions for adoption at COP 28 / CMP 18 / CMA 5 in the UAE in December 2023.

About Loss and Damage Fund (LDF):

• Loss and damage refer to the negative consequences that arise from the unavoidable risks of climate change, like rising sea levels, prolonged heatwaves, desertification, the acidification of the sea and extreme events, such as bushfires, species extinction and crop failures.
• As the climate crisis unfolds, these events will happen more and more frequently, and the consequences will become more severe.
• The 2022 Adaptation Gap Report indicates that international adaptation finance flows to developing countries are five to ten times below estimated needs, and will need over US$300 billion per year by 2030.
• Loss and damage finance needs are closely connected to our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
• At COP 26 and 27 philanthropies and country governments pledged funds for loss and damage.
• LDF was brought into existence at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• The funding sources should be expanded to include innovative sources such as taxes and levies in line with the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
  • This could include taxes on Shipping and aviation sectors and contributions from historical emitters of greenhouse gases.

Transitional committee (TC):

• Among the 24 members of a Transitional Committee (TC) that was formed in March, 14 are from developing countries, and 10 are from developed countries.
• The committee’s formation was mandated by the decision text on LDF agreed upon at COP27, and its function was to make recommendations to COP28 towards the full operationalisation of the LDF.
• Decisions taken at the first meeting of TC:
  • Members of the committee decided on the importance that should be given to funding arrangements outside of the UNFCCC process, such as the Global Shield being led by the V20 group of vulnerable countries and the G7 group of developed countries.

Issues with the present situation of climate funds:

• The most affected by extreme weather events are also the least responsible for thegreenhouse gas emissions that have caused the planet to warm by 1.1°C and changed major aspects of its climate, including extreme weather events.
• The current sources of climate finance are mostly loan based, which increases the debt burden of developing countries that are already facing development challenges.
• LDF should also act as an oversight mechanism which would monitor the activities undertaken by the fund and assess if they have their intended impact.
• Hence its governance is of utmost importance, which is being considered to be under the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage, which already has the mandate to advise countries on the technical aspects of Loss and Damage.
  • Vision of the Santiago network: Catalysing technical assistance of relevant organizations, bodies, networks and experts, for the implementation of relevant approaches for averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage at the local, national and regional levels, in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
• A separate and new LDF with its own governance is the need of the hour.

14. World Environment Day 2023

Subject: Geography

Section: Human geography

Context:

Adivasis (Paniyan tribal men in Kerala) making life-sized elephants from lantana provides them with employment besides decreasing lantana in the forest and raising awareness about human-wildlife coexistence.

Paniya tribe:

• The Paniya, also known as Paniyar and Paniyan, are an ethnic group of India.
• They constitute the single largest Scheduled Tribe in Kerala and are mainly found in the Wayanad District and the neighboring areas of Karnataka.
• They primarily inhabit villages around the edge of forestland in Kerala’s Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Malappuram districts.
• The Paniya speak the Paniya language, which belongs to the Dravidian family, closely related to Malayalam.
• A scheduled tribe, they have a population of around 94,000 (Sex ratio 1057).
• There is a theory that the Paniyas were brought to Wayand by the Jain Gounders who trained them to be agricultural laborers in their fields.
• The centre of the bonding contracts was the famous temple of the regional Mother Goddess of the Valliyoorkkavu shrine near Mananthavady.

Distribution of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:

Issues Faced by PVTGs in India

• The dearth of data – The census doesn’t comprehensively capture data on the PVTGs.
  • Some PVTGs are not even recognized as STs.
  • Some PVTGs are located outside Schedule 5 and 6 areas, and remain bereft of special protections.
• Problems of Culture Contact which causes:
  • Degradation of the native culture.
  • Bringing in foreign pathogens and diseases that can wipe out their entire populations. (Syphilis among Jarawas)
  • Disruption of the tribal way of life due to economic exploitation of the resources of the area. (Resource curse)
• Rise of exploitative economic systems like the Goti system – a bonded labour system among Juangs.
• The conflict between environmental conservation and upholding tribal rights.
• PVTGs, being a near Mendelian population, are more prone to modern diseases, thereby increasing the chances of extermination.
• Poor socio-economic indicators.  For example, Himalayan tribes suffer from goitre due to the paucity of iodine in their diet.

15. How India has become relatively Atmanirbhar in Pulses compared to Edible Oil

Subject :Geography

Section: Economic geography

Context:

• There are two agricultural commodities in which India is significantly import-dependent: Edible oil and pulses.

High import dependence on edible oil:

• Between 2013-14 and 2022-23 (April-March), the value of India’s vegetable oil imports soared from $7,249.85 million (Rs 44,038.04 crore) to $20,837.70 million (Rs 167,269.99 crore). Much of this has been in just the last two fiscal years.
• Out of the 24-25 million tonnes (mt) cooking oil that the country consumes annually, only 9-10 mt is from domestically produced grain. The balance of 14-15 mt is imported.

Relative self-dependence in pulses:

• The value of imports has posted only a marginal rise during the past nine years from $1,828.16 million (Rs 11,036.75 crore) to $ 1,943.89 million (Rs 15,780.56 crore).
• Imports went up initially to reach a high of $4,244.13 million (Rs 28,523.18 crore) in 2016-17, only to fall substantially thereafter.

• In quantity terms, India’s imports of pulses more than doubled from 3.18 mt in 2013-14 to 6.61 mt in 2016-17. Then they have come down to 2.70 mt in 2021-22 and 2.52 mt in 2022-23.
• The major cause of decline is the higher domestic production of pulses.
• According to the Agriculture Ministry, India’s pulses output has increased from 19.26 mt in 2013-14 to 27.50 mt in 2022-23.

• In the above chart, it can be seen that imports of two items have recorded dramatic drops: Yellow/white peas (matar) and chickpeas (chana).
  • Yellow/white peas – imported mainly from Canada, Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania.
  • Chickpea is mainly imported from Russia and Australia.
• The boost to chana production came from two key government measures, incentivizing Indian farmers to expand the area under the pulses crop grown during the rabi (winter-spring) season.
  • The first is the levy of a 60% import duty on chana since March 2018.
  • The second intervention has been government procurement at minimum support prices (MSP).
• Though the same is not being replicated to the other pulses like: Arhar or Pigeonpea and Urad or black gram (a Kharif crop). Moong (green gram) has fared better. 
  • Its (Moong dal) estimated production of 3.74 mt in 2022-23, for the first time, overtook Arhar’s at 3.43 mt.
• Arhar is mainly imported from Mozambique, Myanmar, Tanzania, Malawi and Sudan.
• Masoor (red lentil) is mainly imported from Canada and Australia and has crossed 1.1-1.2 mt in some years.
• There is currently no duty on imports of masoor, arhar or urad.