Daily Prelims Notes 13 December 2020

December 13, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

1. NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY (NFHS)

Subject: Governance

Context: Health minister Harsh Vardhan released the 5th National Family Health Survey (NFHS) which contains detailed information on population, health and nutrition for India and its states and union territories.

Concept:

The results of 17 States and 5 UTs have been released Phase-I. Phase II covering the remaining 12 States and 2 UTs had their fieldwork suspended due to Covid-19, which has been resumed from November and is expected to be completed by May 2021.
Substantial improvement in maternal and child health indicators over NFHS-4 (2015-16) was recorded in the present survey.
The fertility rate has further declined, contraceptive use has increased and unmet need has been reduced in most phase I states.
The survey found considerable improvement in vaccination coverage among children age 12-23 months across all states and UTs.
But malnutrition indicators have worsened, with the proportion of children with stunting rising in 11 out of 18 states for which data was available, of those with wasting going up in 14, and of those with anaemia in 17.

2. KV KAMATH COMMITTEE

Subject: Economy

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked borrowers to make requests for resolution rather than working out resolution plans under the KV Kamath committee’s resolution framework to tackle Covid-related stress.

Concept:

RBI set up a committee headed by K.V. Kamath on restructuring of loans impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Committee was tasked to recommend parameters for one-time restructuring of corporate loans.

Recommendations made by the Committee:

Graded approach to restructuring of stressed accounts based on severity of the impact on the borrowers- Banks can classify the accounts into mild, moderate and severe as recommended by the committee.
Five financial parameters to gauge the health of sectors facing difficulties- total outside liabilities to adjusted tangible networth, total debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (Ebitda), debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), current ratio and average debt service coverage ratio (ADSCR).
26 sectors have been identified including auto, aviation, construction, hospitality, power, real estate and tourism.

Applicability of these recommendations:

The committee was to scrutinize restructuring of loans above ₹1500 crore.
The resolution under this framework is applicable only to those borrowers who have been impacted on account of Covid.
Only those borrowers which were classified as standard and with arrears less than 30 days as at March 1, 2020 are eligible under the Framework.

3. MAHAKALI CAVES

Subject: Arts & Culture

Concept:

The Mahakali Caves, are a group of 19 rock-cut monuments built between 1st century BCE and 6th century CE.
This Buddhist monastery is located in the eastern suburb of Andheri in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) in western India. Monument consists of two groups of rock-cut caves – 4 caves more to the north-west and 15 caves more to the south-east.
Most caves are viharas and cells for monks, but Cave 9 of south-eastern group is chaitya.
Caves in north-west have been created mainly in 4th – 5th century, while south-eastern group is older. Monument contains also rock-cut cisterns and remnants of other structures.
Caves are carved out of a solid black basalt rock,(volcanic trap breccias, prone to weathering).
The largest cave at Kondivite (Cave 9) has seven depictions of the Buddha and figures from Buddhist mythology but all are mutilated.

4. NUPI LAN MEMORIAL COMPLEX

Subject: Arts & Culture

Context: Manipur observed the 81st anniversary of the “women’s war” at an official function held at the “Women’s War Memorial Complex” in Imphal.

Concept:

This memorial complex is dedicated to the memory of several Manipuri women, who lost their lives while fighting for justice against the British on December 12, 1939.
The word NupiLan in Manipuri means women’s war. The memorial complex houses sculptures portraying Manipuri women fighting against the British officials and is worth a visit.
As the story goes, what began as an agitation against the oppressive policies of the rulers of Manipur and the British government, later turned into a movement for Manipur’s constitutional and administrative reform.
During NupiLan, agitations and protest rallies were held by the women traders in Manipur’s ImaKeithel Market. The historical movement paved the way for economic and political reforms in the state during the early 40s.

5. BHASHAN CHAR ISALND

Subject: International Relations

Context: United Nations (UN) human rights investigator had requested Bangladesh to allow a safety assessment of the remote islet of Bhashan Char, where the government had shipped 1,600-odd Rohingya refugees.

Concept:

Bhashan Char Island was formed about two decades ago on the mouth of river Meghna.
The uninhabited island is located around 30 kilometres east of Hatiyaisland in South-East Bangladesh.
Bangladesh wants to move 100,000 Rohingya refugees to the muddy silt island to take the pressure off the overcrowded border camps.
The Bhashan Char falls in an ecologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclone.
Though the Bangladesh government has built a three-metre-high embankment along its perimeter to keep out tidal surges during cyclones.

6. EPIGENETICS

Subject: Science & tech

Concept:

Epigenetics refers to chemical changes in our genetic material and proteins that regulate it.
The best-known epigenetic mark is the methylation, the addition of a methyl chemical group (-CH3) in our DNA. The epigenome consists of all the epigenetic marks of a living being.
Unlike DNA mutations that are permanent, such epigenetic changes are reversible and are mediated by regulatory proteins such as DNA methyl transferases (DNMTs), histone acetyl transferases (HATs), histone deacetylases (HDACs) and so on.
These regulatory proteins can add or remove such modifications and can result in turning ON/OFF a specific gene in a tissue or organ specific manner.

7. TB TEST FEOM URINE SAMPLE

Subject: Science & tech

Context: IIT Madras researchers are developing a point-of-care platform for early-stage TB screening and detection using urine samples. The platform is yet to be tested in clinical trials.

Concept:

Diagnosing TB usually involves using a sputum sample or a biopsy in the detection tests. This is not just time-consuming or expensive, there are also cases where getting a sputum sample is not easy or even possible, such as with small children or in the case of extra pulmonary TB.

Process:

The glycolipid lipoarabinomannan (LAM), an integral component of the cell wall and cell membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the disease-causing bacterium, has been explored as a biomarker for TB diagnosis.
Since it is known that LAM is released into the blood stream during active infection and passed out in urine, it can be viewed as a potential biomarker for even cases other than pulmonary TB.

8. NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN

Subject: National Organization

Context: If the West Bengal government fails to respond to more than 260 complaints from the state in the next 15 days, the National Commission for Women (NCW) will submit details of those cases to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the panel’s Chairperson said.

Concept:

It was set up as a statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
Its mission is to strive towards enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation in all spheres of life by securing her due rights and entitlements through suitable policy formulation, legislative measures, etc.
Its functions are to:

Review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women.

Recommend remedial legislative measures.

Facilitate redressal of grievances.

Advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.

Composition:

Chairperson: The central government should nominate the chairperson.
Five members: The five members are also to be nominated by the central government from amongst the person of ability, integrity, and standing. They should possess experience in various fields like law or legislation, trade unionism, management of industry potential of women, women’s voluntary organization, education, administration, economic development, and social good-being.
Member Secretary: The Central Government also nominates member secretary. He/ she should be either an expert in the field of management, an organization, or an officer who is a member.

9. INS VIRAAT

Subject: Defence

Context: INS Viraat is the second aircraft carrier to be broken in India in the last six years. In 2014, INS Vikrant, which played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was dismantled in Mumbai.

Concept:

Viraat a Centaur class aircraft carrier weighing 27,800 tonnes, served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes for 25 years.
Viraat played a major role in Operation Jupiter in 1989 during the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation. It also saw action during Op Parakram in 2001-2002, post the terrorist attack on Parliament.
The indigenous Advance Light Helicopters ‘Dhruv’ and the Russian twin rotor Kamov-31 have also operated from the ship.
It was decommissioned in March 2017, and the Navy had been incurring expenditure since then on its upkeep, such as the provision of electricity and water, and repairs. It was also taking up space in the crowded Naval dockyard.
There had been demands from various quarters to not let Viraat go the way of Vikrant, India’s first carrier that was eventually scrapped.
In 2014, INS Vikrant, which played a role in the 1971 war with Pakistan was broken down in Mumbai.
India is currently doing with only the 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov inducted from Russia in November 2013.
The trials of the first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-I, to be named as INS Vikrant) being built at the Cochin Shipyard have been derailed by the pandemic.
The government’s approvals for a third carrier, the 65,000-tonne IAC-II (tentatively christened INS Vishal) has been pending since May 2015.
India needs aircraft carriers to secure the seas of the Indo-Pacific, to maintain peace, secure trade routes, and provide security to the region.

10. ISRAEL MOROCCO DEAL

Subject: International Relations

Context: Recently, Morocco and Israel have agreed to normalise relations in a deal brokered by the USA.

Concept:

It makes Morocco the fourth Arab country, after the UAE, Bahrain (Abraham Accords) and Sudan, to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months.

Highlights of the Deal:

Morocco will establish full diplomatic relations and resume official contacts with Israel, reopen their liaison offices in Rabat (capital of Morocco) and Tel Aviv (a city in Israel) immediately with the intention to open embassies and promote economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies.
Morocco intends to facilitate direct flights for Israeli tourists to and from Morocco.
The USA has changed its longstanding policy and recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Since 2007, the UN Security Council, of which the USA is a veto-capable permanent member, has called on Morocco and the Polisario to engage in negotiations without preconditions to reach a “mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.”

Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a desert region, a former Spanish colony and was annexed by Morocco in 1975.
Since then, it has been the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and its indigenous Saharawi people, led by the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Morocco says it has always been part of its territory, while the African Union recognises it as an independent state.
A 16-year-long insurgency ended with an UN-brokered truce in 1991 and the promise of a referendum on independence, which has yet to take place.
The USA supported the ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
In November 2020, after a border incident, the Polisario pulled out of that deal and announced a return to armed struggle.
The USA’s backing of Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara is a big deal because it diminishes the hope of a people who have aspired for the independence of that territory for decades.