Daily Prelims Notes 12 September 2022

September 12, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

12 September 2022

Table Of Contents

1. The slowdown of continental plates linked to volcanic eruptions triggered mass extinctions: Study

Subject: Geography

Context: Slow-moving continental plates may have triggered a series of volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions in the Toarcian Period — the warmest interval of the Jurassic Period — about 183 million years ago, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

The theory behind the study-

Continental plates have been on the move for hundreds of millions of years. This enabled landmasses to fuse and split during different periods.
The new study shows that a decline in continental plate movement likely controlled the onset and duration of many of the major volcanic events throughout Earth’s history.
This makes it a “fundamental process in controlling the evolution of climate and life at Earth’s surface throughout the history of this planet.”

How slow movement of continental plate leads to volcanic eruptions-

This is similar to placing paper under a candle. When the paper is moved swiftly over the candle, it may turn black but is unlikely to burn as a whole.
But if the paper moves slowly over the flame, there is enough time to burn the paper completely.
In the future, there is a possibility that continental plates may slow down, potentially triggering volcanic activities.

Observations-

Researchers from the United Kingdom and Canada collected sediments lying on the seafloor of the Cardigan Bay basin, a large inlet of the Irish Sea.
The sediments from the Toarcian Period showed elevated levels of mercury, which is orders of magnitude higher than sediments that formed in other times.
Modern-day volcanoes also release mercury into the ocean and atmosphere.
This indicates a direct link between volcanic activity and the associated greenhouse gas release, climatic or environmental change at that time.

Previous studies-

Earlier studies have linked major volcanic eruptions with past mass extinctions and disturbances in the global climatic, environmental and carbon cycle.
Large igneous province volcanism, formations due to major volcanic eruptions occurring throughout Earth’s history, released large quantities of greenhouse gasses and toxic compounds into the atmosphere.
The sea warmed up by 4°C to 10°C, even at low- to mid-latitudes. Increased acidic levels and a lack of oxygen drove major ocean extinctions.
Around this time, large-scale volcanism took place in southern Africa, Antarctica and Australia.
This is known as the Karoo-Ferrar Large Igneous Province.

Modelling of the theory-

The researchers used models to reconstruct the location of continents in different periods.
After comparing these models with the age of volcanic activity, they observed that the continents moved at less than two centimetres per year.
This pattern emerged not only Karoo-Ferrar Large Igneous Province but also in the Siberian traps — linked to the Great Dying 250 million years ago, the East African Rift valley and the North Atlantic Igneous Province.
This slowdown in movement gives the underlying mantle more time to erode the continent’s base, ultimately leading to volcanic activity.

Conclusion-

In the future, there is a possibility that continental plates may slow down, potentially triggering volcanic activities, according to researchers.
But at this stage, it may be challenging to predict in detail where and when that may happen.

2. Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Subject: History

Context: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Acharya Vinoba Bhave on his Jayanti.

Concept:

Vinayak Narahari also known as Vinoba Bhave (11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982) was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights.
He is considered a National Teacher of India and the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi.

Role in Freedom Struggle

Association with Mahatma Gandhi: Under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba also got involved in the Indian freedom struggle. He took part in programs of non-cooperation and especially the call for use of Swadeshi goods instead of foreign imports. He took up the spinning wheel churning out Khadi and urged others to do so, resulting in mass production of the fabric.
Life in prison: In 1932, accusing Vinoba Bhave of conspiring against the British rule, the government sent him to jail for six months to Dhulia. There, he explained the fellow prisoners the different subjects of ‘Bhagwad Gita’, in Marathi. All the lectures given by him on Gita in Dhulia jail were collected and later published as a book.
Individual Satyagraha: Mahatma Gandhi, on 5 October, 1940, introduced Bhave to the nation by issuing a statement. He was also chosen as the first Individual Satyagrahi (an Individual standing up for Truth instead of a collective action) by Gandhi himself.
Quit India Movement: Bhave also participated in the Quit India Movement

Social Work

Vinoba Bhave worked tirelessly towards eradicating social evils like inequality.
Influenced by the examples set by Gandhi, he took up the cause of people that his guru lovingly referred to as Harijans.
It was his aim to establish the kind of society that Gandhi had envisioned in an Independent India.
He adopted the term Sarvodaya from Gandhi which simply means “Progress for All”. The Sarvodaya movement under him implemented various programs during the 1950s, the chief among which is the Bhoodan Movement

Bhoodan Movement

In 1951, Vinoba Bhave started his peace-trek on foot through the violence-torn region of Telangana. On April 18, 1951, the Harijans of the Pochampalli village requested him to provide them with around 80 acres of land to make a living.
Vinoba asked the landlords of the village to come forward and save the Harijans. To everybody’s surprise, a landlord got up and offered the required land. This incident added a new chapter in the history of sacrifices and non-violence. It was the beginning of the Bhoodan (Gift of the Land) movement.
The movement continued for thirteen years and Vinoba toured the length and breadth of the country, a total distance of 58741 Km. He was successful in collecting around 4 million acres of land, of which around 1.3 million was distributed among poor landless farmers. The movement attracted admiration from all over the world and was commended for being the only experiment of his kind to incite voluntary social justice.

NaiTalim:

As Gandhi’s disciple, Vinobha Bhave, developed the idea of NaiTalim further as a means of social transformation: “The crux of NaiTalim lay in overcoming distinctions between learning and teaching, and knowledge and work”.
NaiTalim, or Basic Education, is a principle which states that knowledge and work are not separate. Mahatma Gandhi promoted an educational curriculum with the same name based on this pedagogical principle

Literary Work

Some of the books written by him are Swarajya Sastra, Geeta Pravachane, Teesri Shakti or The Third Power
The Gita has also been translated into Marathi language by him with the title Geetai
He stayed for some time at Gandhi’s Sabarmati ashram in a cottage that was named after him, ‘Vinoba Kutir’. These were later published in book form, as Talks on the Gita.
Brahma Vidya Mandir: The Brahma Vidya Mandir is one of the ashrams that Bhave created. It is a small community for women that was created in order for them to become self-sufficient and non-violent in a community.

Awards

Vinoba Bhabe was the first international figure to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1958. He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.

3. Dara Shikoh

Subject: History

Context: The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that this spirit of mutual respect was exemplified by Indian kings too – from the time of the great Asoka to the crown prince Dara Shikoh.

Concept:

Dara Shikoh, also known as Dara Shukoh, was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Dara was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-BuzurgMartaba and was favoured as a successor by his father and his elder sister, Princess Jahanara Begum.
He was a champion of interfaith understanding, philosopher, artist, architect, translator, poet and administrator.
Persian was Dara’s native language, but he also learned Hindi, Arabic and later Sanskrit.
Dara Shikoh’s magnum opus Majma-ul-Bahrain (which means ‘Confluence of Two Oceans’) has helped in bringing stronger unity among the people of India. The Confluence of the Two Seas (Majma-ul-Bahrain), which argues for the harmony of Sufi philosophy in Islam and Vedanta philosophy in Hinduism.
A genius, a skilled poet, and a Sanskrit scholar, Dara Shikoh studied Sufi and Vedic philosophies extensively.
He translated the Upanishads and other important works from Sanskrit to Persian. He was convinced that the Upanishads are what the Qur’an calls ‘Al-Kitab Al-Maknoun’ (The Hidden book-Upanishads). His translation is often called Sirr-i-Akbar (“The Greatest Mystery”).
A great patron of the arts, Dara ordered for the compilation of some refined artwork into an album which is now famous by the name of Dara Shikhoh Album.
Dara Shikoh subsequently developed a friendship with the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai.
A great patron of the arts, he was also more inclined towards philosophy and mysticism rather than military pursuits.
Dara Shikoh is also credited with the commissioning of several exquisite, still extant, examples of Mughal architecture – among them the tomb of his wife Nadira Begum in Lahore, the Shrine of Mian Mir also in Lahore, the Dara Shikoh Library in Delhi,theAkhun Mullah Shah Mosque in Srinagar in Kashmir and the Pari Mahal garden palace (also in Srinagar in Kashmir).

4. SFIO arrests ‘mastermind’ of China-linked shell companies

Subject: Economy

The Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) has arrested one person named Dortse, the alleged mastermind of a widespread racket involving setting up of shell companies with Chinese links and supply of dummy directors.

Serious Frauds Investigation Office

SFIO is a multi-disciplinary organization under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, consisting of experts in the field of accountancy, forensic auditing, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market and taxation for detecting and prosecuting or recommending for prosecution white-collar crimes/frauds.
Section 211 of the Companies Act, 2013, has accorded statutory status to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
SFIO also has powers to arrest people for the violation of the Company law.

Structure

SFIO is headed by a Director as Head of Department in the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India.
The Director is assisted by Additional Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Senior Assistant Directors, Assistant Directors Prosecutors and other secretarial staff.
The Headquarter of SFIO is at New Delhi, with five Regional Offices at Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad & Kolkata

Powers

The SFIO will normally take up for investigation only such cases, which are characterized by –
- complexity and having inter-departmental and multi– disciplinary ramifications;
- substantial involvement of public interest to be judged by size, either in terms of monetary
- The possibility of investigation leading to or contributing towards a clear improvement in systems, laws or procedures.
- The SFIO shall investigate serious cases of fraud received from Department of Company Affairs.
- SFIO may also take up cases on its own,

What are shell companies?

Shell companies are typically corporate entities which do not have any active business operations or significant assets in their possession.
There is no definition of the term “Shell Company” in the Companies Act.
The government views them with suspicion as some of them could be used for money laundering, tax evasion and other illegal activities.
Some laws help in curbing illegal activities to target shell companies are
Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2016
The Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002
The Companies Act, 2013.

5. NCERT approaches UGC for ‘deemed university’ status

Subject: Education

With the government’s proposal of making the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) an “institute of national importance” on the back burner, the NCERT is now vying for another tag — deemed to be university.
The UGC is the academic authority for higher education whereas NCERT is the academic authority for school education.

Institute of national importance

Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which “serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state”.
As of July 2021, there are 161 Institutes of National Importance under various Acts of Parliament. These INIs include: 23 IITs, 15 AIIMSs, 20 IIMs, 31 NITs, 25 IIITs, 7 IISERs, 7 NIPERs, 5 NIDs, 3 SPAs, 2 NIFTEMs, 5 Central universities, 4 Medical research institutes, and 14 other specialized institutes.

Benefits of Institute of National Importance

Functional autonomy to enhance efficiency, quality and accountability.
Increased funding.
Have a better quality of education imparted, and improved research facilities.
Faster decision-making capabilities.
Minimal interference from the political executive.
Such institutions might be able to provide more scholarships to the students.
They can also provide more sports facilities, seminars, etc.

NCERT

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.
Executive Committee (EC) is the highest decision-making body of NCERT and is chaired by the Education Minister.
The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to:
- undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education
- prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.
- organize pre-service and in-service training of teachers
- develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices
- collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions
- act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education; and act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalization of Elementary Education.
- In addition, NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education.

Deemed University

The status of deemed-to-be-university is awarded in accordance with the Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956.
An Institution of Higher Education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in a specific area of study, can be declared by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC as an Institution ‘deemed-to-be-university’.
Institutions that are ‘deemed-to-be-university’ enjoy academic status and privileges of a university.

6. What govt curbs on exporting rice mean for India and the world

Subject: Economy

The Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance notified the slapping of a 20% duty on exports of rice “other than parboiled and basmati rice”

What are the restrictions imposed?

There are four categories of rice exports. Out of these, exports in the case of two – basmati rice and parboiled non-basmati rice –are still freely allowed. The curbs are only for the other two: raw (white) and broken non-basmati rice.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry imposed a blanket ban on broken rice exports.

Why have these restrictions been placed?

The possibility of India’s rice production declining significantly because of deficient monsoon rainfall
Farmers have planted 2.1 million hectares (mh) less area under rice compared to the same period last year.
Yields in Punjab and Haryana turn out to be lower due to a new virus that has caused “dwarfing” of paddy plants
Public wheat stocks on August 1, at 26.65 mt, were the lowest in 14 years, while the same for rice, at 40.99 mt, was quite comfortable
The government is worried about their depletion in the event of a sub-par kharif harvest.
The political pressure to continue the free-foodgrains scheme (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) beyond September.

What is India’s place in Rice and Wheat trade?

The country has a 40% share of the world’s total rice exports, with its 21 mt-plus shipments last year thus number one in rice exports
However for Wheat India is only an occasional large exporter

Where does India export rice to?

More than 75% of basmati exports last year were to Iran and the Arabian Peninsula countries; the US, UK, Canada and Australia added up to another 10%.
In non-basmati rice, almost 55% went to African countries – including Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Togo, Guinea

Parboiled Rice

Parboiling is a process where the paddy is soaked in water, steamed and dried while retaining its outer husk.
However, there is no specific definition of parboiled rice of the Food Corporation of India or the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Recently Government has decided to Stop Purchases as FCI has sufficient stocks and there is no demand for such grain under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Telangana is a surplus parboiled producing region and does not consume parboiled rice, but only produces which is always surplus and delivered to FCI.

Rice Varieties Suitable for Parboiling:

Generally, all varieties can be processed into parboiled rice, but it is ideal to use long slender varieties to prevent breakage during milling.
However, aromatic varieties should not be parboiled because the process can make it lose its aroma.

Advantages

Parboiling makes rice tougher which reduces the chances of the rice kernel breaking during milling.
Parboiling also increases the nutrient value of the rice.
Parboiled rice has a higher resistance to insects and fungi.

7. Dolphin and porpoise: First time, avian flu is seen in cetaceans

Subject: Science

A bottlenose dolphin found dead in a Florida canal in the spring tested positive for a highly virulent strain of bird flu, scientists said on Wednesday.
This strain of bird flu is known as Eurasian H5N1.
While experts emphasise that the risk to humans remains low, the spread of the virus to new species poses potential risks to wildlife and provides the virus with new chances to mutate and adapt to mammalian hosts. Besides birds, the virus has earlier turned up in foxes, bobcats, skunks, and seals.

Cetacea

Cetacea or ‘huge fish, sea monster’ is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet.
While the majority of cetaceans live in marine environments, a small number exclusively reside in brackish water or freshwater.
Cetaceans have been extensively hunted for their meat, blubber and oil by commercial operations. Although the International Whaling Commission has agreed on putting a halt to commercial whaling, some nations continue to do so.

Gangetic Dolphins

The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal. It is a Schedule I animal under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It has been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially
They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind. They are also called ‘susu’.
It is a reliable indicator of the health of the entire river ecosystem.
It was recognised as the National Aquatic Animal in 2009, by the Government of India.
The Gangetic river dolphin is one of four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China (now extinct), the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.
India’s and Asia’s first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come upon the bank of the Ganges in the premises of Patna University, Bihar.

Avian influenza

Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds.
Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.
Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
- HPAI A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.
- HPAI Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.
Prevention: Strict biosecurity measures and good hygiene are essential in protecting against disease outbreaks.
Eradication: If the infection is detected in animals, a policy of culling infected and contact animals is normally used in an effort to rapidly contain, control and eradicate the disease.

8. Arunachal villagers fight losing battle to save forest

Subject: Environment

Residents of Nyukmadong village said Border Roads Organisation destroyed more than 80% of the 36 sq. km forest without consultations or compensation
The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) declared the patch as a community reserve forest because of its rich biodiversity. The red-listed Indian red panda is found in this area.
Community representatives said the deforestation (for the road) affected their traditional holy sites, locally called ‘phu’.

Sela Pass

The Sela Pass is a high-altitude mountain pass located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Sacred Groves

Sacred groves are communally protected forests which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community.
In India, there are over a lakh sacred groves across different states called by different names like Kaavu in Malayalam, Koyilkaadu in Tamil, Orans in Rajasthan, Devarakaadu in Karnataka, and Sernas in Madhya Pradesh.
Many rare and endemic species, and species having medicinal and economic value can be found here, thus making them Biodiversity Hotspots. They house gene pools of some critically endangered plant species.
They are often associated with religious beliefs and felling of trees in sacred groves is considered taboo.
Sacred groves have been legally protected under ‘community reserves’ in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002.

Border Roads Organisation

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces.
BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s borderareas and friendly neighboring countries.
Officers from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES) and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.
It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.

Daily Mapping

9. KRS and Kabini outflow to cross 300 tmcft: Karnataka centre

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context: The cumulative outflow from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and the Kabini reservoirs between June 1 and September 10 has been higher than during the corresponding periods in the past three years

Concept –

The Krishna Raja Sagar Dam was built across river Kaveri for the Mysore and Mandya districts in Karnataka in 1932.
The dam is named for the then ruler of the Mysore Kingdom, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.
The Dam is the creation of one of the greatest engineers that India had produced, Sir M. Vishweshwaraiah. His birthday, 15^thSeptember is celebrated as Engineers day.
The reservoir is also the main source of drinking water for all of Mysore city and almost the whole of Bangalore.
The water released from this dam is further used as an important source of water in the state of Tamil Nadu, and is stored in Mettur dam in the Salem district.

Type: It is a type of Gravity Dam.
Location: The dam is located below the confluence of river Kaveri with its tributaries Hemavati and Lakshmana Tirtha, in the district of Mandya in Karnataka.
Brindavan Gardens, an ornamental garden, is attached to the da

Kabini reservoir:

The Kabani dam is built on the River Kabini in the district of Mysore. The dam is 696 meters in length and was built in 1974. The exact location of the dam is near village Beechanahally, (Taluk) Heggadadevanakote. The catchment area of the dam is 2141.90 sq kms. It caters to the needs of around 22 villages and 14 hamlets.

The river which flows from Wayanad from the confluence of Panamram River and Mananthavady River is called by various names, Kabani, Kabini or Kapila. The river flows eastwards towards Kaveri ‘s river and as it flows towards the Bay of Bengal, it forms the Kabini reservoir in the town of Sagrur.

Bandipur tiger reserve is located between the Kabini river in the north and the Moyar river in the south.