Daily Prelims Notes 10 April 2021
- April 10, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
10 April 2021
Table Of Contents
- EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE / UNCLOS
- NAGZIRA TIGER RESERVE
- INDIA NETHERLANDS STRATRGIC PARTNERSHIP
- LA SOUFRIERE VOLCANO
- ANISOTROPY
- VVPAT
- TERRITORIAL ARMY
- KEN BETWA PROJECT
- DIRECT TAX
1. EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE / UNCLOS
Subject : International Relations
Context: Pentagon defends US Navy ship asserting navigational rights inside India’s EEZ
Concept :
- In an unusual move, the US Navy announced that on Wednesday it conducted a freedom of navigation operation in Indian waters without prior consent to challenge India’s “excessive maritime claims.”
- The Government of India’s stated position on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is that the Convention “does not authorise other States to carry out in the EEZ and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal state.
- While India ratified UNCLOS in 1995, the U.S. has failed to do it so far.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
- The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defined the EEZ as a zone in the sea over which a sovereign nation has certain special rights with respect to the exploration and usage of marine resources, which includes the generation of energy from wind and water, and also oil and natural gas extraction.
- The EEZ is an area that is adjacent to and beyond the territorial sea.
- It can extend to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the baseline. The baseline is normally measured is the low-water line along the coast as indicated on large-scale charts officially approved by the coastal state.
- The EEZ does not include the territorial sea and also does not include the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
- The EEZ includes the contiguous zone.
- Within the EEZ, the country has rights over natural resources. The country has jurisdiction over some activities for the reasons of environmental protection, among others.
- It also has to respect the rights of other countries in the EEZ such as the freedom of navigation.
- The difference between territorial sea and the EEZ is that the former confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the latter is merely a “sovereign right” which refers to the coastal nation’s rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters.
Rights of the country in the EEZ
- The coastal state has the rights to:
- Explore and exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources (living or non-living).
- Produce energy from wind, currents and water.
- Establish and use artificial islands, structures and installations.
- Conduct marine scientific research.
- Protect and preserve the marine environment.
UNCLOS
- The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982.
- It replaced the four Geneva Conventions of April, 1958, which respectively concerned the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the continental shelf, the high seas, fishing and conservation of living resources on the high seas.
- The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene :
- the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
- the International Seabed Authority
- the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
- UNCLOS as the currently prevailing law of the sea is binding completely.
- There are 17 parts, 320 articles and nine annexes to UNCLOS
- The law of the sea provides for full rights to nations for a 200-mile zone from their shoreline. The sea and oceanic bed extending this area is regarded to be Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and any country can use these waters for their economic utilization.
Subject : Environment
Context: Three labourers killed in forest fire at Nagzira tiger reserve.
Concept :
- Nagzira wildlife sanctuary is located between Bhandara-Gondia district of Maharashtra.
- Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary is locked in the arms of nature and adorned with a picturesque landscape, luxuriant vegetation and serves as a living outdoor museum to explore and appreciate nature.
- This sanctuary has a number of fish, 34 species of mammals, 166 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles and four species of amphibians.
- The invertebrate fauna includes a number of butterfly and other insect species. Large wild mammals found here include the tiger, leopard, Indian gaur, sambar, nilgai, chital, wild boar, sloth bear, barking deer, mouse deer and wild dog.
- The Nagzira-Navegaon tiger reserve is established to conserve tigers wandering outside the Tadoba reserve territory.
- The Nagzira sanctuary, which was of 150 square kilometer and the Navegaon National Park, was of 130 square kilometer, which has been increased to 700 square kilometer for new tiger reserve.
3. INDIA NETHERLANDS STRATRGIC PARTNERSHIP
Subject : International Relations
Context :Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a virtual summit with his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte. The leaders agreed to diversify the ties in trade and economy between the countries. They also agreed to expand their relations in smart cities, agriculture, science and technology, healthcare, and space.
Concept :
Partnership in Water Sector
- During the summit, India and Netherlands launched a strategic partnership on water. Under the partnership, the countries agreed to alleviate the joint working group on water to ministerial level. It also aimed to broaden bilateral cooperation in new areas of water.
- Under the partnership the countries will focus on water budgeting, converting wastewater to energy and decentralized treatment technologies and cost effective water technologies.
Why did India sign the water sector partnership with the Dutch?
- Netherlands is the world leader in water management. One-fourth of Netherlands lies under sea level. Yet, the Dutch have successfully comprehended water related challenges and have tested technologies and solutions in delta management, desalination, flood control.
Subject : Geography
Context : La Soufriere volcano erupts on Caribbean’s Saint Vincent, evacuation underway. The volcano last erupted in 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people.
Concept :
- La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent is an active volcano on the island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718, most recently in April 2021.
- At 1,234 m (4,049 ft), La Soufrière is the highest peak on Saint Vincent as well as the highest point in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island’s youngest and northernmost volcano.
Subject : Science & tech
Context : Non-uniformity of Himalayas foresees significantly large earthquake events
Concept :
- Anisotropy is the property of a material which allows it to change or assume different properties in different directions as opposed to isotropy.
- It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material’s physical or mechanical properties (absorbance, refractive index, conductivity, tensile strength, etc.)
- An example of anisotropy is light coming through a polarizer. Another is wood, which is easier to split along its grain than across it.
Subject : Polity
Context : 15 votes registered on VVPAT carried on bike, Tamil Nadu CEO
Concept :
- The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing feedback to voters using a ballot less voting system.
- The VVPAT is an independent printer system attached with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that allows the voters to verify that their votes are cast as intended.
- It generates a paper slip every time a voter casts his vote, recording the party to whom the vote was made. The VVPAT slip is kept in a sealed cover.
- VVPAT slip counting takes place in the VVPAT counting booths under the close monitoring of the returning officer and direct oversight of the observer.
How does the VVPAT work?
- The voting in India is done using the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that is designed with two units: the control unit and the balloting unit.
- The balloting unit of the machine has a list of candidate names and party symbols with a blue button next to it. The voter can press the button next to the candidate’s name they wish to vote for.
- When the voter casts the vote on the EVM, printer-like VVPAT apparatus linked to the EVM generates a slip showing serial number, name and symbol of the candidate to whom the vote was made.
- With this slip, the voter can verify his casted vote.
- This VVPAT slip is displayed for 7 seconds before it’s automatically cut.
- The slip, once viewed, is cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard.
- The VVPAT machines can only be accessed by the election officers in the rarest of rare cases.
Subject : Defence
Context : Kashmir: Militants kill Territorial Army soldier at his home
Concept :
- India’s first Governor General Shri C Rajagopalachari formally inaugurated the Indian Territorial Army on October 9 in 1949.
- It is an organization where volunteers apply for a short period of training every year, so as to be ready to tackle any emergent situation or to serve for the defence of India.
- The Territorial Army, also known as the ‘Terriers’, is considered the second line of national defence after the regular Army.
- The Territorial Army is part of a Regular Army and its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the security of the country is threatened and to provide units for Regulars Army as and when required.
- Territorial Army comes under the Defence Ministry.
Subject : Economy
Context : Sonia Gandhi writes to Prakash Javadekar, asks him not to implement Ken-Betwa project.
Concept :
Ken Betwa Link Project (KBLP):
- The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the River interlinking project that aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
- The region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda, Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.
- The project involves building a 77-metre tall and a 2-km wide Dhaudhan dam and a 230-km canal.
- Ken-Betwa is one of the 30 river interlinking projects conceived across the country.
- The project has been delayed due to political and environmental issues.
Ken and Betwa Rivers
- Ken and Betwa rivers originate in MP and are the tributaries of Yamuna.
- Ken meets with Yamuna in Banda district of UP and with Betwa in Hamirpur district of UP.
- Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are over Betwariver.
- Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve.
National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers:
- The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding, to water ‘deficit’ basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.
- Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), has identified 30 links (16 under the Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component) for the preparation of feasibility reports (FRs).
- The NPP for transferring water from water-surplus basins to water-deficit basins was prepared in August 1980.
Subject : Economics
Context : The Centre’s direct tax collections, net of refunds, were estimated at Rs 9.45 lakh crore during 2020-21, around 5% higher than the revised estimates of Rs 9.05 lakh crore for the financial year, the government said.
Concept :
- A direct tax is a tax that a person or organization pays directly to the entity that imposed it.
- An individual taxpayer, for example, pays direct taxes to the government for various purposes, including income tax, real property tax, personal property tax, or taxes on assets.
- There are also indirect taxes, such as sales taxes, where a tax is levied on the seller but paid by the buyer.
Corporate Tax:
- It is levied on a firm’s profit by the government.
- It is taxed on operating earnings after expenses have been deducted.
- The rate of corporate tax in India varies from one type of company to another i.e. domestic corporations and foreign corporations pay tax at different rates .
Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT):
- Dividend refers to the distribution of profits to shareholders of a company.
- Thus, the dividend distribution tax is a type of tax that is payable on the dividends offered to its shareholders by the corporate.
- Higher dividends mean a greater tax burden for the corporate entity.
Minimum Alternate Tax
- At times it may happen that a taxpayer, being a company, may have generated income during the year, but by taking the advantage of various provisions of Income-tax Law (like exemptions, deductions, depreciation, etc.), it may have reduced its tax liability or may not have paid any tax at all.
- Due to an increase in the number of zero tax paying companies, Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) was introduced by the Finance Act, 1987 with effect from assessment year 1988-89. Later on, it was withdrawn by the Finance Act, 1990 and then reintroduced by Finance Act, 1996.
- MAT is an important tool with which tax avoidance can be prevented.