Daily Prelims Notes 15 November 2021

November 15, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

15 November 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Climate warming over the last 24000 years

Subject – Environment

Context – Scientists have reconstructed Earth’s climate since the last ice age, about 24,000 years ago. The study, published in Nature, suggests that current temperatures are unprecedented in 24,000 years.

Concept –

The main drivers of climate change since the last ice age are rising greenhouse gas concentrations and the retreat of the ice sheets.
The study suggests a general warming trend over the last 10,000 years, settling a decade-long debate in the palaeoclimatology community about whether this period trended warmer or cooler.
The magnitude and rate of warming over the last 150 years far surpasses the magnitude and rate of changes over the last 24,000 years.

2. Kamo’oalewa

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – In 2006, the PanSTARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted a quasi-satellite — a near-Earth object that orbits the Sun and yet remains close to the Earth. Scientists named it Kamo’oalewa

Concept –

In 2006, the PanSTARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted a quasi-satellite — a near-Earth object that orbits the Sun and yet remains close to the Earth. Scientists named it Kamo’oalewa, a word that is part of a Hawaiian chant, and alludes to an offspring that travels on its own.
The asteroid is roughly the size of a Ferris wheel – between 150 and 190 feet in diameter – and gets as close as about 9 million miles from Earth.
Because of its small size (about 50 metres wide), this quasi-satellite has been difficult for scientists to study, and little was known about it so far.

Theories of its origin –

One possibility is that Kamo’oalewa was a part of the Earth’s Moon, the study suggests. It could have broken away from the Moon due to a possible impact, and gone on to orbit the Sun rather than the Earth-like its parent does.
- When scientists compared its spectrum with a lunar sample that was brought back to Earth during the Apollo 14 mission, they found striking similarities between the two.
- A mission to collect Kamo’oalewa’s samples has been scheduled for a launch in 2025.
Another possibility is that Kamo’oalewa was captured in its Earth-like orbit from the general population of Near Earth Objects.
A third possibility could be that it originated from an as-yet-undiscovered quasi-stable population of Earth’s Trojan asteroids (Trojans are a group of asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet.

3. One Sun One World One Grid declaration

Subject – IR

Context – The declaration was jointly released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the COP26 Climate Meet in Glasgow.

Concept –

The declaration was jointly released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the COP26 Climate Meet in Glasgow.

What is its objective?

While the sun is the source of all energy and solar energy is totally clean and sustainable, it is available only during the day time and is dependent on the weather. OSOWOG is the solution to this challenge.
Its objective is to aid in developing a worldwide grid through which clean energy can be transmitted anywhere, anytime (use power at night in one part of the world from solar energy generated on other side of the world where it is day time).
It also aims to help in reducing storage needs and enhancing the viability of solar projects. Its ultimate goal is to reduce carbon footprints and energy costs.

Who all are behind this initiative?

At the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in October 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi floated the idea of the OSOWOG initiative.
The UK and India decided to merge the UK’s Green Grids Initiative (GGI) and ISA’s OSOWOG into GGI-OSOWOG as part of the UK-India Virtual Summit earlier this year.
The ISA is an inter-governmental organisation formed by India and France, comprising 101 members, to accelerate the global adoption of solar power.

How will it be implemented?

OSOWOG is divided into three main phases.

In the first phase, the Indian grid will be connected to the grids of West Asia, South Asia and South-East Asia to develop a common grid. This grid will then be used to share solar energy as per need, in addition to other renewable energy sources.
The second phase will connect the functional first phase to the pool of renewable resources in Africa.
The third phase will look at achieving true global interconnection. The idea will be to integrate as many countries as possible to create a single power grid of renewable energy.

4. Ordinances to extend tenure of ED- CBI directors

Subject – Polity

Context – Centre brings Ordinances to extend tenure of ED, CBI directors up to 5 years

Concept –

Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may now continue in their jobs for up to five years if the government desires.
Both posts currently have a fixed tenure of two years.
The Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act and The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act have been amended to give the government the power to keep the two chiefs in their posts for one year after they have completed their two-year terms.
- The CBI is governed by The DSPE Act;
- The CVC Act lays down the term of office of the Director of Enforcement.
And this one-year extension, the amendment says, can continue to be given until the officers complete five years as the chiefs of the agencies.
Section 4B(1) of the Act deals with the fixed two-year tenure of the CBI Director.
- The ordinance issued on Sunday said the following provisos shall be inserted in section 4B(1) of the DSPE Act, 1946:
- “Provided that the period for which the Director holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under sub-section (1) of section 4A (the committee led by the Prime Minister and leader of Opposition and CJI as members) and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time… Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment.”
In the case of The CVC Act, the government has inserted an amendment in clause D of Section 25 of the law that deals with the fixed two-year tenure.
- “Provided that the period for which the Director of Enforcement holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee under clause (a) — comprises of CVC chief, Revenue and Home Secretaries among others — and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time… Provided further that no such extension shall be granted after the completion of a period of five years in total including the period mentioned in the initial appointment.”

5. Birsa Munda

Subject – History

Context – Remembering Birsa Munda on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

Concept –

Birsa Munda lived a short — just 25 years — but valiant life.
Born on November 15, 1875, in Ulihatu village in present-day Jharkhand, Birsa spent his childhood in abject poverty in a tribal Munda family.
The Britishers introduced a feudal zamindari system in the Chhota Nagpur region, destroying the tribal “Khuntkatti” agrarian system.
The Raj brought in the outsiders — moneylenders and contractors, as well as feudal landlords — who aided the British in their exploitation.
During the 1880s, Birsa closely witnessed the SardariLarai movement in the region, which demanded the restoration of tribal rights through non-violent methods like sending petitions to the Raj.
- However, the oppressive colonial regime paid no heed to these demands.
- The zamindari system soon reduced the tribals from the status of landowners to that of labourers.
- The feudal setup intensified the forced labour (vethbigari) in the forested tribal areas.
This culminated in Birsa taking up the cause of Adivasis. He shed new light on the religious domain.
- He stood firm against missionaries who were belittling tribal life and culture.
- At the same time, Birsa worked to refine and reform religious practices, discouraged many superstitious rites.
- He brought in new tenets, prayers and worked to restore tribal pride.
- Birsa impressed upon the Adivasis the importance of “sirmarefirun raja jai” or “victory to the ancestral king” — thus invoking the sovereignty of the tribals’ ancestral autonomous control over the land.
- Birsa became a mass leader and began to be considered as Bhagwan and Dharati Aba by his followers.
The Mundas, Oraons, other Adivasis and non-Adivasis responded to his call and joined the “Ulgulan” or revolt against the colonial masters and exploitative dikus.
- Birsa asked the people not to pay any rent, and attacked the outposts of feudal, missionary and colonial authorities. With traditional bows and arrows, the tribals of Central and Eastern India waged an effective armed resistance against the British.
Soon, he was captured by British police and lodged in jail, where he died in captivity on June 9, 1900.
But BhagwanBirsa Munda’s spirited struggle did not go in vain. It compelled the British to take cognisance of the plight and exploitation of tribals, and bring in the Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 for their protection.
- This Act restricted the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals, giving Adivasis a huge relief and became a landmark legislation for the protection of tribal rights.
- The British regime also took steps to abolish VethBigari or forced labour.
India’s freedom struggle was strengthened by several tribal communities such as Mundas, Oraons, Santhals, Tamars, Kols, Bhils, Khasis, Koyas and Mizos, to name a few.

6. Solar Energy Corporation of India

Subject – Government Bodies

Context – Andhra to buy solar power from SECI, supply to farmers for free

Concept –

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, established to facilitate the implementation of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
It is the only Central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) dedicated to the solar energy sector.
The company’s mandate has been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain and the company will be renamed to Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
The SECI was registered as Section 25 under the Companies Act, 1956 (now Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013) on 9 September 2011. It was set up as a Non-for-Profit Company to promote solar energy in India.
- It was established in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) and achievement of targets set therein.
The company is responsible for implementation of a number of government schemes, major ones being the VGF schemes for large-scale grid-connected projects under JNNSM, solar park scheme and grid-connected solar rooftop scheme, along with a host of other specialised schemes such as defence scheme, canal-top scheme, Indo-Pak border scheme etc.
SECI is the leading PSU in the rooftop solar segment, and has already commissioned over 54 MW capacity of rooftop solar projects under multiple government schemes.

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was launched in 2010.
The Mission has set the ambitious target of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022.
Present government revised target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) by five times, reaching 1, 00,000 MW by 2022.

7. Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar Link

Subject – Geography

Context – Karnataka opposes T.N.’s riverlink proposal

Concept –

Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar Link which forms a part of the scheme of transfer of surplus river water of Mahanadi and Godavari rivers to the deficit basins of Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery and Vaigai, is an important part of the various inter-basin water transfer proposals envisages under the Peninsular Rivers Development component of the National Perspective Plan.
Cauvery–Vaigai Link Canal Project is a project envisioned by the Government of Tamil Nadu, linking Kaveri and Vaigai rivers.
Tamil Nadu depends heavily on the rivers flowing from the neighboring states of Kerala and Karnataka.
State government started this project linking Kaveri and Vaigai rivers which would benefit during the drier seasons.
Project involves construction of a 60-kilometre (158.82 mi) long canal from Mayanur in Karur district to link river Kaveri with Vaigai.
National Water Development Agency, the gravity canal will provide water for irrigating an additional area of 3.38 lakh hectares and for domestic and industrial water supply.
The Cauvery – Vaigai – Gundar link project lies entirely in Tamil Nadu State.
This link is an integral part of the Mahanadi – Godavari – Krishna -Pennar – Cauvery – Vaigai – Gundar link, which envisages transfer of surplus Mahanadi and Godavari waters that would be brought into the Krishna river to Pennar and from there to Palar, Cauvery, Gundar etc.
Hence, a broad consensus amongst the States of Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry has to be reached before taking up the project.

8. Amrabad Tiger Reserve

Subject – Environment

Context – ‘Tiger tourism’ on Nallamala Hills

Concept –

Amrabad Tiger Reserve lies in Nallamala hills of Telangana.
It is India’s second-largest tiger reserve, next only to NagarjunasagarSrisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
It has a large presence of the Chenchu tribe.
This Forest tract is home to the largest number of Tigers in Telangana State. The hilly terrain of this Tiger Reserve with deep valleys and gorges forms the catchment of the Krishna River.

9. Zonal Councils

Subject – Polity

Context – Role of southern States key in country’s development: Shah. Use Zonal Councils to settle disputes, says Home Minister

Concept –

The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies. They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
The act divided the country into five zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern) and provided a zonal council for each zone.
While forming these zones, several factors have been taken into account which includes: the natural divisions of the country, the river systems and means of communication, the cultural and linguistic affinity and the requirements of economic development, security and law and order.
Each zonal council consists of the following members:
- (a) home minister of Central government.
- (b) chief ministers of all the States in the zone.
- (c) Two other ministers from each state in the zone.
- (d) Administrator of each union territory in the zone.
Besides, the following persons can be associated with the zonal council as advisors (i.e., without the right to vote in the meetings):
- (i) a person nominated by the Planning Commission;
- (ii) chief secretary of the government of each state in the zone; and
- (iii) development commissioner of each state in the zone.
The home minister of Central government is the common chairman of the five zonal councils.
Each chief minister acts as a vice-chairman of the council by rotation, holding office for a period of one year at a time.
The zonal councils aim at promoting cooperation and coordination between states, union territories and the Centre.
- They discuss and make recommendations regarding matters like economic and social planning, linguistic minorities, border disputes, inter-state transport, and so on.
- They are only deliberative and advisory bodies.
The objectives (or the functions) of the zonal councils, in detail, are as follows:
- To achieve an emotional integration of the country.
- To help in arresting the growth of acute state-consciousness, regionalism, linguism and particularistic trends.
- To help in removing the after-effects of separation in some cases so that the process of reorganisation, integration and economic advancement may synchronise.
- To enable the Centre and states to cooperate with each other in social and economic matters and exchange ideas and experience in order to evolve uniform policies.
- To cooperate with each other in the successful and speedy execution of major development projects.
- To secure some kind of political equilibrium between different regions of the country.

10. Kaiser-i-Hind Butterfly

Subject – Environment

Context – Kaiser-i-Hind is Arunachal’s State butterfly

Concept –

An elusive swallowtail butterfly carrying ‘India’ in its name and found in next-door China will become the State butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh.
The State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday approved the large, brightly coloured Kaiser-i-Hind as the State butterfly.
The Cabinet meeting was for the first time held outside State capital Itanagar at an unusual location —Pakke Tiger Reserve.
The Cabinet also adopted the Pakke Tiger Reserve 2047 declaration on climate changeresilient and responsive Arunachal Pradesh aimed at lowering emissions and sustainable development.

Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpusimperialis) literally means Emperor of India. This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in six States along the eastern Himalayas at elevations from 6,000-10,000 feet in well-wooded terrain.
The butterfly also flutters in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and southern China.
Although the Kaiser-i-Hind is protected under Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, it is hunted for supply to butterfly collectors.
The two species of Kaiser-i-Hind were listed in CITES Appendix II from 1987 onwards.
The Kaiser-i-Hind would be a keystone species for conservation of high-altitude forest.

11. Manipur Naga People’s Front

Subject – Defence and Security

Context – Manipur ambush: Naga outfit under scanner. MNPF claims responsibility for attack.

Concept –

It is ideologically opposed to the NSCN (I-M), the strongest of Manipur’s Naga group but not in conflict with the armed forces in the State since the ceasefire in 1997.
The NSCN (I-M) is short for the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland.
According to local intelligence officials, the MNPF was formed in June 2013 after the merger of two more obscure outfits called the United Naga People’s Council and Manipur Naga Revolutionary Front.
A statement issued by the MNPF said the group’s objective was “restoration of sovereignty and right to self-determination” besides “bridging the gap” among all revolutionary groups across the seven north-eastern States.
VBIGs – an abbreviation used by the armed forces to mean groups comprising mostly of fighters from the Meitei community who dominate Manipur’s Imphal Valley. VBIG expands to Valley-based insurgent group.

12. Glasgow Climate Pact

Subject: Environment

Context: The annual climate change summit came to an end on Saturday night with the adoption of a weaker-than-expected agreement called the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Content:

The Glasgow meeting was the 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP26. These meetings are held every year to construct a global response to climate change.
Earlier, these meetings have also delivered two treaty-like international agreements, the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, expired last year and the Paris Agreement in 2015, which form the global architecture for actions to be taken to tackle climate change.
The main task for COP26 was to finalise the rules and procedures for implementation of the Paris Agreement. The effort was to push for an agreement that could put the world on a 5 degree Celsius pathway, instead of the 2 degree Celsius trajectory which is the main objective of the Paris Agreement.

Actions empazised by Glasgow

The countries have to strengthen their 2030 climate action plans, or NDCs (nationally-determined contributions), by next year
Established a work programme to urgently scale-up mitigation ambition and implementation
Decided to convene an annual meeting of ministers to raise ambition of 2030 climate actions
It Called for an annual synthesis report on what countries were doing
Requested the UN Secretary General to convene a meeting of world leaders in 2023 to scale-up ambition of climate action
To make efforts to reduce usage of coal as a source of fuel, and abolish “inefficient” subsidies on fossil fuels

Mitigation:

Expressed “deep regrets” over the failure of the developed countries to deliver on their $100 billion promise. It has asked them to arrange this money urgently and in every year till 2025
Initiated discussions on setting the new target for climate finance, beyond $100 billion for the post-2025 period
Asked the developed countries to provide transparent information about the money they plan to provide.
Asked countries to strengthen their 2030 climate action plans, or NDCs (nationally-determined contributions), by next year
Established a work programme to urgently scale-up mitigation ambition and implementation
Decided to convene an annual meeting of ministers to raise ambition of 2030 climate actions
Called for an annual synthesis report on what countries were doing
Requested the UN Secretary General to convene a meeting of world leaders in 2023 to scale-up ambition of climate action
Asked countries to make efforts to reduce usage of coal as a source of fuel, and abolish “inefficient” subsidies on fossil fuels
Has called for a phase-down of coal, and phase-out of fossil fuels. This is the first time that coal has been explicitly mentioned in any COP decision. It also led to big fracas at the end, with a group of countries led by India and China forcing an amendment to the word “phase-out” in relation to coal changed to “phase-down”.

Adaptation:

The developed countries to at least double the money being provided for adaptation by 2025 from the 2019 levels. In 2019, about $15 billion was made available for adaptation that was less than 20 per cent of the total climate finance flows. Developing countries have been demanding that at least half of all climate finance should be directed towards adaptation efforts.
Created a two-year work programme to define a global goal on adaptation. The Paris Agreement has a global goal on mitigation — reduce greenhouse gas emissions deep enough to keep the temperature rise within 2 degree Celsius of pre-industrial times.

Finance:

Every climate action has financial implications. It is now estimated that trillions of dollars are required every year to fund all the actions necessary to achieve the climate targets
Developed countries are under an obligation, due to their historical responsibility in emitting greenhouse gases, to provide finance and technology to the developing nations to help them deal with climate change. The 2020 deadline for the $100 billion promise of the developed nations have now said that they will arrange this amount by 2023.
There is no institutional mechanism to compensate these nations for the losses, or provide them help in the form of relief and rehabilitation. The loss and damage provision in the Paris Agreement seeks to address that.
In 2009, developed countries had promised to mobilise at least $100 billion every year from 2020. This promise was reaffirmed during the Paris Agreement, which also asked the developed countries to scale up this amount from 2025. The 2020 deadline has long passed but the $100 billion promise has not been fulfilled. The developed nations have now said that they will arrange this amount by 2023.

Loss and Damage:

The frequency of climate disasters has been rising rapidly, and many of these cause largescale devastation. The worst affected are the poor and small countries, and the island states.
There is no institutional mechanism to compensate these nations for the losses, or provide them help in the form of relief and rehabilitation.
The loss and damage provision in the Paris Agreement seeks to address that.

Carbon Markets:

Carbon markets facilitate the trading of emission reductions. Such a market allows countries, or industries, to earn carbon credits for the emission reductions they make in excess of their targets.
These carbon credits can be traded to the highest bidder in exchange of money. The buyers of carbon credits can show the emission reductions as their own and use them to meet their reduction targets.
Carbon markets are considered a very important and effective instrument to reduce overall emissions.