Daily Prelims Notes 11 April 2023

April 11, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

11 April 2023

Table Of Contents

1. AAP gets tag: How a ‘national party’ is defined

Subject: Polity

Section: Elections

What is a national party?

As the name suggests, a national party has a presence ‘nationally’, as opposed to a regional party whose presence is restricted to only a particular state or region.
A certain stature is sometimes associated with being a national party, but this does not necessarily translate into having a lot of national political clout. Some parties, despite being dominant in a major state — such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, BJD in Odisha, YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, RJD in Bihar, or TRS in Telangana—and having a major say in national affairs, remain regional parties.

Recognition of National and State Parties

The Election Commission registers political parties for the purpose of elections and grants them recognition as national or state parties on the basis of their poll performance.
The other parties are simply declared as registered unrecognised parties.
The ECI has laid down the technical criteria for a party to be recognized as a national party. A party may gain or lose national party status from time to time, depending on the fulfilment of these conditions
The recognition granted by the Commission to the parties determines their right to certain privileges like allocation of the party symbols, provision of time for political broadcasts on the state-owned television and radio stations and access to electoral rolls.
Further, the recognized parties need only one proposer for filing the nomination. Also, these parties are allowed to have forty “star campaigners” during the time of elections and the registered–unrecognized parties are allowed to have twenty “star campaigners”.
The travel expenses of these star campaigners are not included in the election expenditure of the candidates of their parties.
Every national party is allotted a symbol exclusively reserved for its use throughout the country.
Similarly, every state party is allotted a symbol exclusively reserved for its use in the state or states in which it is so recognised. A registered-unrecognised party, on the other hand, can select a symbol from a list of free symbols.
The national parties and state parties are also known as all-India parties and regional parties respectively.

Conditions for Recognition as a National Party

A party is recognised as a national party if any of the following conditions is fulfilled:
If it secures six per cent of valid votes polled in any four or more states at a general election to the Lok Sabha or to the legislative assembly; and, in addition, it wins four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states; or
If it wins two per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha at a general election; and these candidates are elected from three states; or
If it is recognised as a state party in four states.

Conditions for Recognition as a State Party

A party is recognised as a state party in a state if any of the following conditions is fulfilled:
If it secures 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the legislative assembly of the state concerned; and, in addition, it wins 2 seats in the assembly of the state concerned; or
If it secures 6% of the valid votes polled in the state at a general election to the Lok Sabha from the state concerned; and, in addition, it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha from the state concerned; or
If it wins 3% of seats in the legislative assembly at a general election to the legislative assembly of the state concerned or 3 seats in the assembly, whichever is more; or
If it wins 1 seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to the state at a general election to the Lok Sabha from the state concerned; or
If it secures 8% of the total valid votes polled in the state at a General Election to the Lok Sabha from the state or to the legislative assembly of the state. This condition was added in 2011.

2. TN Assembly resolution seeks ‘time limit’ for Governors to clear Bills

Subject: Polity

Section: Parliament

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution in which it criticized Raj Bhavan for stalling Bills and asked the Centre to fix a “specific time limit” for “Governors to give assent to Bills passed by the Legislatures

Concept

Assent to bills under article 200 (i.e. assent of the Governor to the bills passed by the state legislature):

Giving assent to a Bill passed by the legislature is a normal constitutional act performed by the Governor.
The Governor is an appointee of the President, which means the Union government.
Article 154(1) of the Constitution vests in the Governor the executive power of the State, he is required to exercise that power in accordance with the Constitution. In other words, the Governor can act only on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
While there is not much deviation from the language used in the Government of India Act of 1935 in the context of the powers of the British era Governors, It is a settled constitutional position that the Governor is only a constitutional head and the executive power of the State is exercised by the Council of Ministers.
When a bill is sent to the governor after it is passed by state legislature, he can:

(a) Give his assent to the bill, or

(b) Withhold his assent to the bill, or

However, if the bill is passed again by the state legislature with or without amendments, the governor has to give his assent to the bill, or
- Reserve the bill for the consideration of the president (article 201). In one case such reservation is obligatory, that is, where the bill passed by the state legislature endangers the position of the state high court.
- In addition, the governor can also reserve the bill if it is of the following nature:
  - (i) Ultra-vires, that is, against the provisions of the Constitution.
  - (ii) Opposed to the Directive Principles of State Policy.
  - (iii) Against the larger interest of the country.
  - (iv) Of grave national importance.
  - (v) Dealing with compulsory acquisition of property under Article the Constitution.

3. Global Economic Prospects report

Subject : International Relations

Section: Reports AND Indices

Context: WORLD BANK Group President David Malpass said on Monday that the lender has revised its 2023 global growth outlook slightly upward to 2 per cent from a January forecastof1.7per cent but the slowdown from stronger 2022 growth will increase debt distress for developing countries.

The upward revision was due to an improved outlook for China’s recovery from Covid-19 lockdowns, with growth now pegged at 5.1 per cent this year compared to 4.3 per centin the bank’s January Global Economic Prospects report

About the Report

The World Bank produces the GEP twice a year, in January and June, as part of its in-depth analysis of key global macroeconomic developments and their impact on member countries.
The GEP provides intelligence in support of achieving development goals and is a trusted resource for member countries, stakeholders, civil organizations and researchers.

4. Spring meeting

Subject : International Relations

Section: International organization

The IMF and World Bank meet each autumn in what is officially known as the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group and each spring in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Names of the two groups are alternated each year so a different one has top billing.
The autumn meetings are customarily held in Washington, D.C., United States for two consecutive years, and in another member country in the third year. At the spring and annual meetings there are meetings of the World Bank-IMF Development Committee and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC). Each committee is made of up ministers or central bank governors. There are equivalent numbers and the same constituency systems as is used at the Executive boards of the institutions. At the annual meetings, the governors of the World Bank and IMF also meet in plenary sessions.

5. Climate change is the architect of new human species

Subject :Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context: Fossil records tell us that physical changes typically take 500,000 years to appear

More on the News:

Changes in water availability, rainfall, temperature and humidity, either globally or locally, can shape evolution. Looking at the origin and evolution of humans, many climatic changes have occurred over millions of years. Six million years ago, human ancestors separated from a branch comprising of chimpanzees and gorillas.
This new branch became known as hominin, which includes humans and the extinct humans and our immediate ancestors that could walk upright. This change corresponded to climatic changes.
Humans have evolved from unicellular organisms, thanks to climatic conditions. If conditions had not changed, perhaps there would have only been microbes in the ocean. If you look at life as a tree, the branches kept changing until humans reached a particular branch.
The bacteria that did not change perhaps lived in an environment that was constant, so they stayed the same.
There are two kinds of changes: genetic and phenotypic (observable, physical changes). Even now, genetic changes keep happening automatically. But they do not necessarily translate to changes in the human body or physical appearance.
Physical changes occur only if there is a change in our diet or locomotion. For example, if a species ingests tough food, it will develop a heavy jaw. If it evolves to consume softer food, a heavy jaw is useless, and it recedes.
Climate change resulted in the most dramatic change in us: the brain size. That happened with our genus, Homo. The brain size of our ancestors belonging to the genus Australopithecusor Paranthropus or Ardipithicines were ape-like. They lived in climatic conditions that did not require a big brain. Their diet and lifestyle did not need that either.
Approximately two million years ago, there were dramatic climatic changes. The conditions were not conducive to human survival. Hunter-gatherers had to move around, change their diet, communicate and develop strategies to hunt. They needed to build tools to survive. So humans began to use their brains more, which would have affected the size of the organ.
The brain capacity almost doubled from Australopithecus. Within our genus, Homo habilis still had lower brain capacity. But the brain capacity of Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis dramatically increased. We have seen this in our fossil record.
In the present day, we see genetic changes due to climate changes. These changes allow people living in high-altitude regions or colder climates to live in extreme conditions.
Drastic changes can also occur, but climatic fluctuations occur at a rate of hundreds of thousands of years. The human body is complex, and it takes millions of years for changes to occur.
Seeing genetic changes in Europeans if hot and dry conditions become recurrent. Around 13-14 million years ago, Europe was warm and humid. Roughly 16-18 varieties of apes lived there. And then the climate changed, transforming Europe into a cooler place. All apes disappeared from the continent.
Later, it became inhabited by Neanderthals who adapted to colder climates. Much later, Homo sapiens came in. They were smart enough to adapt to changing situations. They migrated to greener pastures. Other human species died out because they could not adapt. Every species evolves in its niche.
And if that niche becomes inhabitable due to climate change, the species would perish or migrate.

6. Periyar Tiger Reserve gets top rank in management review

Subject: Environment

Section: Paces in news

Context: Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the best-maintained of all tiger reserves in the country, according to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre.

More on the News:

Periyar reserve has obtained an MEE score of 94.3%, it is followed closely by the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Bandipur in Karnataka and Nagarhole in Karnataka.
The government has been using the MEE to assess tiger reserves across the country since its inception in 2006.
The MEE results also suggested an overall improvement in the management effectiveness of the tiger reserves.
There has been continuous improvement with the subsequent cycles of evaluation in MEE scores of tiger reserves in India. The overall mean MEE score in the second cycle in 2010 was 65%, 69% in third cycle in 2014, and 70% in fourth cycle of evaluation in 2018 and 77.92% in present assessment.

Management Effectiveness Evaluation

Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) is a methodology used to evaluate the effectiveness of protected areas and their management. The MEE is carried out to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a protected area management system and to identify areas that need improvement.
The MEE is conducted by a team of experts who review the management practices of the protected area and determine how well they are achieving the objectives of the protected area.
The MEE methodology was developed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and has been widely adopted by many countries around the world. The MEE is conducted using a set of standard criteria that are used to evaluate the management of the protected area.
There are 30”Headline Indicators” developed under six elements of MEE framework suitable in Indian context for evaluation.
The MEE process involves a site visit to the protected area by the evaluation team, who meet with the protected area management staff, local communities, and other stakeholders. The team reviews documents, conducts interviews, and visits key sites within the protected area to assess its management effectiveness.
The results of the MEE are used to develop action plans to improve the management of the protected area. The MEE also provides a baseline for monitoring and evaluating the progress of management improvements over time.
At present, the country has 998 Protected Areas – including 106 National Parks, 567 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 105 Conservation Reserves and 220 Community Reserves — covering 1,73,629 sq km or 5.28% of India’s geographical area.
Of these 53 tiger reserves, however, only 51, covering a total area of 73,765 sq km, were evaluated as two newly declared tiger reserves, Ramgarh Visdhari and Ranipur, have not been included in the current cycle of MEE.

Periyar Tiger Reserve

Periyar Tiger Reserve is a protected area in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located in the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats and is named after the Periyar River that flows through the area.
Flora: The reserve is rich in tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, and grasslands. It is home to a wide variety of flora, including over 2000 species of flowering plants.
Fauna: The reserve is home to a large number of endangered species, including the Bengal tiger, Indian elephant, gaur, sambar deer, barking deer, Nilgiri langur, and lion-tailed macaque.
Birdlife: Periyar Tiger Reserve is also a haven for birdwatchers, with over 265 species of birds, including the great Indian hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, blue-winged parakeet, grey-headed bulbul, white-bellied tree pie, and Nilgiri wood pigeon.
Periyar Lake: The Periyar Lake is an artificial lake that was created by the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River. The lake is an important source of water for the animals in the reserve, and it is also a popular tourist attraction.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary: The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is located within the Periyar Tiger Reserve and covers an area of 777 square kilometers. It is notable as an elephant reserve.
Tribal communities: The reserve is home to a number of tribal communities, including the Mannans, Paliyas, and Uralis. These communities have lived in the area for centuries and have a deep knowledge of the forest and its flora and fauna.

TN Assembly resolution seeks ‘time limit’ for Governors to clear Bills

7. UN Democracy Fund

Subject : International Relations

Section: International organization

Concept :

That India, a founding member of UNDEF, has no objections to the Fund giving grants to NGOs funded by George Soros, while he is put on the watchlist in India underlines a contradiction that’s not new.

About UNDEF

Background :

India and the US were prime movers behind the UN Democracy Fund in 2005, when they were negotiating the civilian nuclear co-operation deal.
As Joint Secretary (Americas) at the time, S Jaishankar was a lead negotiator.
UNDEF was created by UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world.

Role

UNDEF funds projects that empower civil society, promote human rights, and encourage the participation of all groups in democratic processes.
The large majority of UNDEF funds go to local civil society organizations.
In this way, UNDEF plays a novel and unique role in complementing the UN’s other, more traditional work — the work with Governments — to strengthen democratic governance around the world.

Finance

UNDEF subsists entirely on voluntary contributions from Governments; in 2021, it reached almost 220 million dollars in contributions and counts more than 45 countries as donors, including many middle- and low-income States in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
In 15 Rounds of Funding so far, UNDEF has supported over 880 two-year projects in more than 130 countries.
Grants ranging from US$100,000 to US$300,000 support initiatives in the areas of:
- Support for Electoral Processes
- Women’s Empowerment
- Media and Freedom of Information
- Rule of Law and Human Rights
- Strengthening Civil Society Interaction with Government
- Youth Engagement

UNDEF Composition:

The Advisory Board, constituted by the Secretary General, includes eight largest Member State contributors and six other states to reflect diverse geographical representation.
India has been a member of the Board since the beginning.
The Advisory Board considers the proposals from NGOs and recommends proposals for approval by the Secretary General.

India’s Contribution to UNDEF:

India gave $5 million to the fund in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
The contributions began dipping from 2012 ($4.71 m) and the following year it was $1.85 million.
After no contribution in 2017, India was back with $100,000 in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, it gave $150,000.

8. Public Interest Immunity Claim Procedure

Subject : Polity

Section: Judiciary

Concept :

The Supreme Court has expressed dissatisfaction with so-called “sealed cover jurisprudence” and has developed a process for “public interest immunity claims” as a less restrictive option for handling claims containing state secrets.

Background

The Kerala High Court’s decision upholding the order from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry decision to block MediaOne, a Malayalam news channel, from airing its programming was overturned by the Supreme Court.
The High Court’s ruling was based on information that the Home Ministry had only disclosed to it in a “sealed cover.”
The Supreme Court has frequently expressed dissatisfaction with so-called “sealed cover jurisprudence” and has developed a process for “public interest immunity claims” as a less severe option for handling state secret cases.

Public interest immunity claim

The Supreme Court ruled that the following criteria must be used to determine whether a claim concerning issues of national security is valid:
Whether there is sufficient evidence to conclude that information secrecy serves the interests of national security.
Whether a reasonable person would make the same conclusion from the evidence.
The court suggested that secret elements of the document be censored and a summary of the document’s contents be supplied to fairly exclude materials following a successful public interest immunity claim.

For further notes on Sealed Cover Jurisprudence, refer – https://optimizeias.com/sealed-cover-jurisprudence/

9. On Finland’s journey to join NATO

Subject: International Relations

Section : Groupings

Concept :

Finland, on April 4, 2023, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and became the 31st member of the Organization.

Background:

Finland has joined NATO due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has made its smaller neighbors feel the need for the powerful military backing that NATO provides. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership after the invasion.
Finland which shares a 1,340-km border with Russia, has ended more than 70 years of military non-alignment — in fact, in the Cold War years, a policy of neutrality between the Soviet Union and the West was known as ‘Finlandisation’, and Finlandisation had been one of the options discussed for Ukraine before Russia invaded it.
Experts, however, believe that Finland is not the first and would not be the last neighbour of Russia to join NATO.
Before Finland, countries like Norway (1949, and a founding member), Latvia (2004), Estonia (2004), Poland (1999) and Lithuania (2004) joined NATO.

Impacts of Joining NATO:

Finland has gained better security, but it is losing out on significant trade and tourism revenue it was making from Russia, and its status as a confidence-building presence in the Baltic Sea and Europe at large is being threatened.
For NATO, the addition of Finland brings in a military trained to repel an attack from Russia and strengthens its position to station weapons closer to Russia.
However, Russia sees this as a dangerous historical mistake that could escalate the Ukraine conflict and has said it will strengthen its military capacity in its west and northwest.

Paasikivi’s line:

Post the Second World War, the skilful diplomacy and pragmatism displayed by Finnish President Juho Kusti Paasikivi helped the country to save itself from the spread of communist ideology.
In 1948, the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance was signed between the USSR and Finland.
Paasikivi’s line was based on the idea of peaceful coexistence with the USSR and neutrality was the key motive. This helped Finland address the complexities in global geopolitics post the Second World War.
This became popular as “Finland’s neutrality”.
About Finland
Finland is part of Scandinavia (a geographical region) in northern Europe, and shares land borders with Norway, Sweden, and Russia.
Finland is heavily forested, with over 70 percent of the country covered by thick woodlands.
Finland’s underlying structure is a huge worn-down shield composed of granite dating from Precambrian time.
The Baltic Sea borders the country to the south and southwest.
The coastline of the country is contains nearly 180,000 small islands. Finland’s remote northern province, known as Lapland, sits above the Arctic Circle.
The aurora borealis (northern lights) can be seen in the Lapland region regularly.

10. Israel- Syria Conflict

Subject: International Relations

Section: Places in news

Concept :

Israel shelled parts of Syria, claiming it was in response to rockets being fired at Golan Heights from the neighboring country.

Details

al-Quds Brigade — a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group loyal to the Syrian regime — claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, saying they were launched in retaliation for the recent raids at the al-Aqsa mosque by the Israeli police.

Why is the conflict boiling over recently?

With an ultra-nationalist government coming to power in Israel, the region has been simmering for months.
Israeli police raided Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, considered the third holiest site in Islam.
This served as the immediate trigger for a wave of rocket attacks, including from Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Syria.
In Syria, Israel’s actions come out of the fear that arch-rival Iran is using the long-running war in the country to station its fighters and weapons close to Israel’s borders.
Israel is also locked in a conflict with the Hezbollah, which holds sway in another neighbour, Lebanon.

al-Aqsa Mosque & Associated Conflict

The al-Aqsa Mosque is one of Jerusalem’s most recognized monuments.
The site is part of the Old City of Jerusalem, sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has classified the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls as a World Heritage Site.
The mosque’s complex is the reason for the conflict between Israel & Palestine (Islam & Judaism).
Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of Islam’s most revered locations, and the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism.
The Temple Mount is a walled compound inside the Old City in Jerusalem, and is the site of two structures:
The Dome of the Rock to the north and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the south.
To the southwest of the Temple Mount, is the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple and the holiest site in Judaism.

11. States subsidy accounting must be transparent – CAG

Subject : Polity

Section: National body

Concept :

The Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, on Monday said the States must take measures to maintain proper accounting of subsidies, reduce fiscal deficits, remove revenue deficits and keep outstanding debts at an acceptable level.
Details
There are fiscal sustainability risks and financial indiscipline in many States due to off-budget borrowings, misclassification of revenue expenditure as capital expenditure and because state guarantees are not getting captured in finance accountin
These factors make qualitative and timely preparation of accounts by the CAG difficult.

Constitutional Mandate

Article 150 of the Constitution mandates that the accounts of the Union and of the States has to be kept in a manner as prescribed by the President on the CAG’s advice.
Section 10 of the Duties, Powers and Services Act also empowers the CAG to compile accounts of the central and State governments.

Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS)

It is a web-based solution designed to bring efficiency in financial planning and expenditure control in the States.
This portal has brings various stakeholders such as Department of Finance, Treasuries, Administrative Departments, Accountant General (AG), RBI and Banks on a single platform with role based Smart Dashboards.
Smart Dashboards have provided a better Decision Support System to all the stakeholders.

Public Financial Management System (PFMS)

The Public Financial Management System (PFMS), earlier known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS), is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.
PFMS was initially started during 2009 as a Central Sector Scheme of Planning Commission with the objective of tracking funds released under all Plan schemes of the Government of India, and real time reporting of expenditure at all levels of Programme implementation.
Subsequently in the year 2013, the scope was enlarged to cover direct payment to beneficiaries under both Plan and non-Plan Schemes.
In 2017, the Government scrapped the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure.
The primary objective of PFMS is to facilitate a sound Public Financial Management System for the Government of India (GoI) by establishing an efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.
At present, the ambit of PFMS coverage includes Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes as well as other expenditures including the Finance Commission Grants.
PFMS provides various stakeholders with a real time, reliable and meaningful management information system and an effective decision support system, as part of the Digital India initiative of GoI.
PFMS is integrated with the core banking system in the country.
Implementation of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) by the Central government had wide implications for State accounting so far as sanctions of State grants, funds transfer and monitoring were concerned.

12. Over half of heavy industry eyeing low carbon hydrogen

Subject : Environment

Concept :

As many as 62% of heavy industry companies across sectors are looking at low-carbon hydrogen to replace carbon-intensive systems, says a new report from the Capgemini Research Institute.
The report, “Low-Carbon Hydrogen – A Path to a Greener Future,“ also found that on average, Energy and Utilities (E&U) companies expect low-carbon hydrogen to meet 18% of total energy consumption by 2050.

Green Hydrogen

It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic and highly combustible gaseous substance.
Hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most abundant member of the family of chemical elements in the universe.
Future hydrogen: The colour — green — prefixed to it makes hydrogen the “fuel of the future”.
The ‘green’ depends on how the electricity is generated to obtain the hydrogen, which does not emit greenhouse gas when burned.
Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis using renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind or hydel power.

Uses:

Chemical industry: Manufacturing ammonia and fertilisers.
Petrochemical industry: Production of petroleum products.
Furthermore, it is starting to be used in the steel industry, a sector which is under considerable pressure in Europe because of its polluting effect.

Other Types of Hydrogen:

Brown Hydrogen: Most of the gas that is already widely used as an industrial chemical is either brown, if it’s made through the gasification of coal or lignite.
Grey Hydrogen: If it is made through steam methane reformation, which typically uses natural gas as the feedstock. Neither of these processes is exactly carbon-friendly.
Blue Hydrogen: Where the gas is produced by steam methane reformation but the emissions are curtailed using carbon capture and storage.

13. Indian history congress denounces changes made in NCERT books

Subject : Governance

Concept :

The Indian History Congress has said that it is “greatly alarmed by the changes in the history syllabi and textbooks” recently effected by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and urged historians to stand up against “distortions of history”.

Distortions

It pointed out that the University Grants Commission (UGC), in the draft syllabus that it has framed for the Bachelor’s course for History, claims for India the “honour” of being the Aryan homeland, deems the epics as possible historical chronicles and excludes all reference to caste system in its ancient India portion.
Mughal emperor Akbar, along with his policy of religious tolerance between various religions, has been excluded from the syllabus.
In NCERT books
It claimed that the same process of “misrepresentation has been introduced in the prescribed History textbooks by omitting whole sections, along with individual passages and sentences.
These include complete omission of the narrative of the Mughal dynasty which gave India political unity, and sundry other deletions inlcduing Mahatma Gandhi’s assasination.

About Indian History Congress:

Indian History Congress(IHC) was founded in 1935
IHC is the largest association of professional historians in South Asia.
It has about 35000 members of which over 2000 delegates participate in its session every year.
It has been holding its sessions very regularly from its inception and publishing its proceedings every year since 1935.
Origin:
IHC can be traced to the efforts of scholars working on India’s ancient past as well as modern history, in a bid to counter the colonial claims, while also drawing from Western analytical methods.
Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala (BISM) was one such effort that owed its origins to the stalwart Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade. He founded this institution in 1910 in Pune with the support of K C Mehendale.
BISM organised an All India Congress in 1935 to celebrate its silver jubilee. The Indian History Congress (IHC) was thus born with about 50 delegates.
Mandate:
- To regulate the standard of works of history produced in India.
- To promote impartial and substantive history.
- To commit to a fair and scientific history, devoid of bias and politics.
- Historians Ram Sharan Sharma, Satish Chandra, Bipan Chandra, Romila Thapar, B. N. Mukherjee, N. Panikkar, Brajadulal Chattopadhayay, Dwijendra Narayan Jha, Sumit Sarkar, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya have had a long association with the Indian History Congress.

14. Drills test India’s COVID 19 Preparedness

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

India began a two-day COVID 19 preparedness drill , amid the continuing surge in cases.
A senior Health Ministry official said the drill was aimed at reviewing and ensuring proper arrangements for testing and treatment of patients.
Drills were conducted at all major government and private hospitals across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Mumbai.
The Ministry said the spike in cases witnessed recently could be attributed to the newly emerged recombinant coronavirus variant XBB.1.16.

SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.16 Lineage

An Omicron variant of the coronavirus namely XBB.1.16, which is a recombinant virus of Omicron has been attributed to a recent spike in covid cases in India.

How is XBB.1.16 Lineage Cause for Concern?

The XBB.1.16 variant has been detected in around 14 countries across the world and the earliest sequence of this lineage originated in a viral genome detected in NewYork.
The 1.16 lineage evolved from the XBB lineage and is a recombinant lineage of the SARS-COV2 virus.
XBB is an Omicron sublineage and it is currently the most prevalent one among the Omicron variants.
The 1.16 lineage also has various mutations and initial data suggest that this variant has a superior advantage when compared with other SARS-CoV-2 lineages including XBB.1.5 lineage.
In the middle of an uptick in seasonal influenza H3N2 cases, there is also a spike in COVID-19 cases in March 2023 despite a low number of tests conducted.
The total number of cases increased to 6000 in India and XBB.1.16 lineage is considered to be the reason behind the spike in cases.
Genomic surveillance data also reveals that XBB.1.16 accounts for more than 30% of all sequenced genomes in march 2023 and its share of infection is increasing.
Preliminary data suggest that there is no difference in clinical severity between XBB.1.16 and other Omicron variants, but there is a chance of a higher risk of reinfection with XBB.1.16 lineage due to its fast-growing ability.
Hence it is important to monitor the spread of this XBB.1.16 lineage if the Covid-19 cases continue to increase.

15. SC’s grant of bail to Lakhimpur-Kheri deaths accused raises questions about how similar or lesser offences are treated

Subject: Polity

Section: Judiciary

What is bail?

Bail is the conditional release of a person held under legal custody in matters which are yet to be pronounced by the Court, by undertaking a promise to appear in the Court as and when required.

What governs bail in India:

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 governs the terms of the bail.
Section 2 (a) of the CrPC,1973 defines the phrases “bailable offense” and “non-bailable offense” even though the Act does not define “bail” expressly.

What are different categories of bail:

Bailable offences

Section 2(a) of CrPC categorizes a bailable offence.
It means that an offence that is classified as bailable in the First Schedule of the Code, or which is classified as bailable under any other law.
An accused can claim bail as a matter of right if he is accused of committing a bailable offence.
Under Section 436 of CrPC 1973, a person accused of a bailable offence at any time while under arrest without a warrant and at any stage of the proceedings has the right to be released on bail.

Non-bailable offences

A non-bailable offence is defined as any offence which is not a bailable offence.
A person accused of a non-bailable offence cannot claim bail as a righ
A person accused of non-bailable offences can be granted bail provided the accused does not qualify the following conditions:

There are reasonable grounds to believe that he has committed an offence punishable with death penalty or life imprisonment.
That the accused has committed a cognizable offence and he had beenpreviously convicted of an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of seven years or more or if the accused been convicted on two or more instances of a cognizable and non-bailable offence.

What are the types of bails in India:

Regular bail:
- The court orders the release of a person who is under arrest, from police custody after paying the amount as bail money.
- An accused can apply for regular bail under Section 437 and 439 of CrPC.
- Interim bail:
- This is a direct order by the court to provide temporary and short term bail to the accused until his regular or anticipatory bail application is pending before the court.
- Anticipatory bail:
- This is a direct order of Sessions or High Court to provide pre-arrest bail to an accused of a crime.
- When the person has an apprehension of being arrested, the person can apply for anticipatory bail.

16. SC lets Vedanta open Thoothukudi copper plant for upkeep

Subject : Indian geography

Section : Economic geography

Sterlite’s product

Sterlite’s product, copper, is a strategic metal.
Important applications are energy, electrical equipment and electronics.
Nations are switching more and more to wind and solar. This means new projects and transmission lines. There is a push for electrical vehicles.
Globally, and in India, copper demand is only set to ramp up. Imports can cause supply bottlenecks. End consumers such as electrical equipment manufacturers sometimes pay a high premium as a result.
Copper production provides strategic balance and price stability. The shuttering of the Sterlite plant quickly made India, a copper exporter, an importer.
A copper smelter would serve India well. The only other major smelter in India is Hindalco.

Copper:

Copper is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. copper is one of the few metals that occurs in nature in directly usable metallic form (native metals) and is an important non-ferrous base metal having wide industrial applications, ranging from defence, space programme, railways, power cables, mint, telecommunication cables, etc. India is not self-sufficient in the production of copper ore. In addition to domestic production of ore and concentrates, India imports copper concentrates for its smelters. The domestic demand for copper and its alloys is met through domestic production, recycling of scrap and by imports. Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), a Public Sector Undertaking, is the only integrated company in the country that is involved in mining & beneficiation of ore and is engaged in smelting, refining and casting of refined copper. Hindalco Industries Ltd and Vedanta Limited are the major copper producers in the Private Sector that mainly rely on imported copper concentrates. These companies own copper mines in other countries.

Reserves

The total reserves/resources of copper ore as on 1.4.2015 as per NMI database based on UNFC system are estimated at 1.51 billion tonnes. Of these, 207.77 million tonnes (13.74%) fall under ‘reserves category’ while the balance 1.30 billion tonnes (86.25%) are ‘remaining resources’ category. Gradewise there are no reserves with 1.85% or more copper grade. However, 203.83 million tonnes reserves fall under 1% to below 1.85% Cu grade. Of the total ore resources 8.28 million tonnes (0.55%) comprise ore containing 1.85% Cu or more and 657.92 million tonnes (43.53%) resources fall under 1% to below 1.85% Cu grade. The total metal content out of the total copper resources is 12.16 million tonnes of which 2.73 million tonnes constitute reserves. Largest reserves/resources of copper ore to a tune of 813 million tonnes (53.81%) are in the state of Rajasthan followed by Jharkhand with 295 million tonnes (19.54%) and Madhya Pradesh with 283 million tonnes (18.75%). Copper reserves/ resources in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal accounted for remaining 7.9% of the total all India resources

Famous mines:

Copper Mines	State
Malanjkhand Mine	Madhya Pradesh
Khetri Mine	Rajasthan
Banwas Mine	Rajasthan
Kolihan Mine	Rajasthan
Kendadih Mine, Ghatsila	Jharkhand

Pollution from copper smelters

Copper smelting plants separate elemental copper from copper concentrates through multiple sulphide oxidizing stages
Emissions from primary copper smelters are principally particulate matter and sulfur oxides (SOx). Emissions are generated from the roasters, smelting furnaces, and converters. Fugitive emissions are generated during material handling operations. Roasters, smelting furnaces, and converters are sources of both particulate matter and SOx.
Copper and iron oxides are the primary constituents of the particulate matter, but other oxides, such as arsenic, antimony, cadmium, lead, mercury, and zinc, may also be present, along with metallic sulfates and sulfuric acid mist. Fuel combustion products also contribute to the particulate emissions from multiple hearth roasters and reverberatory furnaces.

An opportunity: Way forward

While the economic and national interest case for a copper smelter is proven, the trust deficit between Vedanta and the people of Thoothukudi needs to be bridged if the smelter has to restart.
The framework for a solution could focus on adherence to norms and creating harmony between the company, government and the people.
Sterlite presents an opportunity for the people of Thoothukudi to move forward in national and local economic interest.
It is an opportunity for a corporate group to act responsibly and take people along while conducting its business.