Daily Prelims Notes 19 April 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

19 April 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Plant ‘cries’: Recalling Jagadish Chandra Bose
2. Our worst nightmares have come true: Kin of mountaineer missing in Nepal
3. Epigeneres Biotech operationalise the HrC test – an early warning system that picks up cancer signals
4. El Niño is coming and Ocean Temperature are already at record highs
5. Climate Change and Coastal erosion
6. Finding gondra amid the floods
7. Same sex couples’ right to marry’
8. India to appeal WTO panel ruling on ICT import tariffs
9. Nagaland’s Municipal Tightrope
10. Latest developments in Yemen
11. National Museum Institute

1. Plant ‘cries’: Recalling Jagadish Chandra Bose

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Contribution of scientists

Context:

• Late last month, a group of researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel reported that they had been able to pick up distress noises made by plants.

Details:

• The researchers said these plants had been making very distinct, high-pitched sounds in the ultrasonic range when faced with some kind of stress, like when they were in need of water.
• This was the first time that plants had been caught making any kind of noise.

About Jagdish Chandra Bose:

• Born on 30th November, 1858 to Bama Sundari Bose and Bhagawan Chandra, Bengal.
• He was a Plant Physiologist and physicist who invented the crescograph, a device for measuring the growth of plants. He for the first time demonstrated that plants have feelings.

Education:

• He earned a BSc from University College London, which was connected with the University of London in 1883, and a BA (Natural Sciences Tripos) from the University of Cambridge in 1884.

Contributions to science:

• He made pioneering contributions in both the fields and was the first Indian to have made a powerful impact on modern science, much before Srinivasa Ramanujan, C V Raman, or Satyendra Nath Bose, a student of Jagadish, arrived on the scene.
• Several previous generations of Indians had grown up hearing that Jagadish Chandra Bose had shown, more than a century ago, that plants experienced sensations and were able to feel pleasure and pain just like animals.
• The discovery that plants ‘cry’ in distress, therefore, did not come as much of a surprise to them. It seemed just a logical extension of J C Bose’s work.
• Bose discovered wireless communication and was named the Father of Radio Science by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
• He was responsible for the expansion of experimental science in India.
• Bose is considered the father of Bengali science fiction. A crater on the moon has been named in his honour.
• He founded Bose Institute, a premier research institute of India and also one of its oldest. Established in 1917, the Institute was the first interdisciplinary research centre in Asia. He served as the Director of Bose Institute from its inception until his death.
• To facilitate his research, he constructed automatic recorders capable of registering extremely slight movements, these instruments produced some striking results, such as quivering of injured plants, which Bose interpreted as a power of feeling in plants.

Books:

• His books include Response in the Living and Non-Living (1902) and The Nervous Mechanism of Plants (1926).

His work:

• Jagadish Chandra Bose is remembered for two things

1. his work on wireless transmission of signals, and
2. on the physiology of plants.

• He is also credited as one of the first contributors to solid state physics.
• Sir Neville Mott, Nobel Prize winner in 1977, is said to have remarked that Bose was “at least 60 years ahead of his time and he had anticipated the p-type and n-type semiconductors”.

Work on radio waves:

• Bose is widely believed to be the first one to generate electromagnetic signals in the microwave range.
• In 1895 he demonstrated how microwaves could be used, wirelessly, to ring an electric bell on the other side of a building.
• He published as many as 12 papers on radio waves in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, and many more in some other prestigious journals.
• He lectured on his work at some highly publicised scientific gatherings in Europe, in the presence of some of the leading scientists of the day.
• He was the first one to come up with radio receivers, which enabled wireless telegraphy.
• And yet, Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian scientist who carried out the first transmission of signals across the Atlantic in 1901, is recognised as the sole inventor of the radio.
• Marconi, along with another colleague, was awarded the 1909 Nobel Prize for work that Bose is known to have accomplished earlier.
• It was not just bias but a reluctance on Bose’s part to obtain patents for his work, that deprived him of the Nobel.

Controversies over his work:

• Some of his work became controversial as well, particularly when he claimed that not just plants, even inanimate inorganic matter could respond to stimulus, and that there was actually no sharp demarcation between living and non-living worlds.
• Such “mental leaps” have sometimes been attributed to Bose’s “deep convictions in Indian philosophy” and his “faith in universalism”.
• Bose regarded plants to be the “intermediates in a continuum that extended between animals and the non-living materials”.
• Over the years, much of Bose’s work has been confirmed.

2. Our worst nightmares have come true: Kin of mountaineer missing in Nepal

Subject : Geography

Section: Indian Physical geography

Context:

• Mountaineer Anurag Maloo, who had scaled several peaks before, went missing in the mountains of Nepal.

Details:

• He had gone to scale Mt Annapurna peak and was at Camp III. Due to his health condition, he was asked to descend instead. While coming down, he slipped and fell in a crevasse between Camp III and Camp II.
• Baljeet Kaur, Pakistani climbers Shehroze Kashif, NailaKiani and Indian climber Arjun Vajpai were evacuated from Camp IV, while Nepal Army Captain Suman Panday, who suffered from snow blindness at Camp III, has also been evacuated to Kathmandu.
• Noted Irish climber Noel Hanna, 56, who has scaled Mount Everest 10 times, died on his way down from the summit.

About Mount Annapurna:

• Annapurna is a mountain situated in theAnnapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal.
• It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres (26,545 ft) above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its ascent.
• As of 2022, 365 people had reached the summit of Annapurna I, while 72 had died in the attempt.
• Annapurna I was the first 8,000-metre (26,200 ft) peak to be climbed.

Top10 mountain peaks of the world:

Highest Peaks in India: Top 10

3. Epigeneres Biotech operationalise the HrC test – an early warning system that picks up cancer signals

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

• An early warning system for cancer, that’s the promise of  HrC or the Himanshu Roy Cancer test – a first-of-its-kind prognostic test for cancer.

Details of HrC test:

• It was developed by the city-based Epigeneres Biotechnology along with Singapore-based Tzar Labs, supported by some marquee investors.
• The test is named after mumbai’s top cop Himanshu roy.
• the test involves a single blood test that claims to detect the absence, imminence or presence of cancer.
• The test detects all cancers from a blood test; it catches imminent cancer “very early” and it’s “very accurate” of the “stage zero” test that detects a potential cancer risk 18 months earlier, the company claims.
• The test has been launched in India, priced at sub-₹10,000. With a capacity of 15 samples daily the aim is to get to 50-100 samples a day.
• Besides cancer survivors, the test would help people with a family history of cancer or with a risk profile.
• The company is now discussing taking this technology to the United Kingdom and the US.

4. El Niño is coming and Ocean Temperature are already at record highs

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context: El Niño tends to trigger intense and widespread periods of extreme ocean warming known as marine heat waves.

More on the News:

• By July, most forecast models agree that the climate system’s biggest player – El Niño – will return for the first time in nearly four years.
• El Niño can also wreak havoc on the many marine ecosystems that support the world’s fishing industries, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows.
• El Niño tends to trigger intense and widespread periods of extreme ocean warming known as marine heat waves.
• Marine heat waves also unfold along the seafloor of coastal regions.
• In the Bay of Bengal east of India, interactions between El Niño and a tropical air flow pattern known as the Walker Circulation elevate the risk for marine heat waves.

Marine Heatwaves:

• Heatwaves are periods of extreme warmth when temperatures rise beyond the normal range for at least two consecutive days or nights.

Formation of Marine Heatwaves:

• Marine heat waves form much like land-based ones: weather systems intensify over time, leading to extremely high temperatures over large ocean surface areas.
• But there are key differences between them that drive their formation processes:
  • Land-based heat waves depend on atmospheric conditions like high-pressure systems (anticyclones) over land masses such as continents or oceans that block cold air from reaching those areas.
  • Marine heatwaves are periods when sea surface temperature reaches extreme levels for an extended period, sometimes lasting weeks or months. These events occur in various ocean regions and can be caused by natural variability or human-induced climate change.

Causes of Marine Heatwaves:

• The main cause of marine heat waves is the increase in ocean temperature due to the absorption of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, which leads to global warming.
• Natural climate variability can also contribute to marine heat waves, including changes in ocean currents, weather patterns, and atmospheric circulation.
• El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can contribute to the occurrence of marine heat waves.

Impacts of Marine Heatwaves

• Coral bleaching: Marine heatwaves can lead to coral bleaching, which is the loss of photosynthetic algae, called zooxanthellae, from the coral. This can ultimately lead to the death of coral.
• Ocean acidification: Marine heatwaves can exacerbate ocean acidification, which is the increase in acidity of seawater due to the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This can have negative impacts on marine organisms that build shells or skeletons out of calcium carbonate, such as corals and some types of plankton.
• Harmful algal blooms: Marine heatwaves can cause harmful algal blooms, which can produce toxins that are harmful to humans and marine life.
• Ocean circulation: Marine heatwaves can also affect ocean circulationby altering the temperature and density of ocean water, which can have implications for ocean currents and the transport of nutrients and heat around the globe.
• Marine biodiversity: Marine heatwaves can affect the composition and abundance of marine species, leading to changes in marine biodiversity.

El Nino: https://optimizeias.com/el-nino-and-india/

5. Climate Change and Coastal erosion

Subject :Environment

Context: Left with just 11 inhabitants, a village caught between climate change and sea

More on the News:

• Since 2007, when the marauding sea started making swift advances to reclaim land. Over 500 families deserted the Podampeta village, condemning the once-thriving hamlet to a deserted shadow of its former self. Once home to over 1,500 fisherfolk, it is currently inhabited by just 11 persons belonging to the two remaining families, one of them Paindi’s.
• Podampetalies quiescent on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, near the mouth of Rushikulya river.
• According to Odisha’s climate change action plan, made by its Forest and Environment Department, of the coast length of 480 km, nearly 187 km is exposed to erosion and considered stable; 39.3 km falls in the high-erosion zone; while 51.96 km has been designated as falling in the medium-erosion zone.
• The action plan emphasized Odisha’s particular vulnerability to the impact of climate change in the form of rise in sea levels and increased intensity of storms. Loss of land to sea has become a more recurrent and frequent phenomenon.
• According to a study on ‘Shoreline Change Along Odisha Coast’, published in the Journal of Earth System Science in 2021, coastal structures such as sea walls, breakwaters and jetties result in modification of the shoreline and beach morphology.
• Construction of hard structures along the coast, either for development of ports and harbours significantly modifies the shoreline. Besides, natural hazards such as tsunami and cyclone storms along the Indian coast have resulted in significant changes in the shoreline. It said that along the east coast of India, Odisha is most prone to cyclones. Cyclones along the Odisha coast cause severe damage to coastal life and coastal structures.

Causes of Coastal erosion https://optimizeias.com/beaches-in-visakhapatnam-are-now-heading-towards-a-disaster-say-experts/

Integrated Coastal Zone Management:  https://optimizeias.com/coastal-crisis/

New Policy to help displaced Communities https://optimizeias.com/new-policy-to-help-indian-communities-displaced-by-annual-river-coastal-erosion-drafted/

6. Finding gondra amid the floods

Subject :Environment

Section:  Species in new

Context: Sahariyaadivasis gather and treat a river sedge called ‘gondra’, the roots of which are used in manufacturing perfume. The Sahariyas rely on gondra for subsistence.

More on the News:

• Sahariyas living in Madhya Pradesh on the banks of Sindh river were impacted by a flash flood in August 2021 and other subsequent weather events.
• Changes in the river’s ecology and climate impact the accessibility of gondra, and consequently the livelihoods of one of the most vulnerable communities in India.

River Sedge (Gondra)

• River sedge, locally called ‘gondra’, is a grass-like plant species that grows in the riverine plains of the Himalayan region.
• It belongs to the Cyperaceae family and is found in the foothills of the Himalayas, in states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
• It is used by local communities for weaving traditional baskets, mats, and other handicrafts, and is an important source of livelihood for them.
• The sedge is also used for making ropes, for thatching roofs, and as a biofencing material.
• The plant is drought-resistant and can grow on sandy and moist river banks.
• Gondra is a medicinal plant that is used in Ayurvedic cures in dry or powdered form. The essential oil (0.5-0.9%) from the tuber is used in perfumery, soap making and in insect repellents. The raw material that remains after extracting the oil is used for making the body of incense sticks.
• Additionally, some species of gondra are used for soil stabilization and phytoremediation of contaminated sites.

Sahariya Tribe

• Sahariyas are a tribe living in the border regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in India.
• They are classified as particularly vulnerable tribal groups.
• The Sahariya community considers every adult member part of a governing council which is headed by a patel.
• The Sahariyas are expert woodsmen and forest product gatherers.
• They are particularly skilled in making catechu from Khair trees.

7. Same sex couples’ right to marry’

Subject :Polity

Section:  Constitution

Context:

• A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, began hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage.

More about the news:

• A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, began hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage.
• The Centre argued against the petitions and questioned the judiciary’s right to confer legal recognition on the socio-legal institution of marriage.
• However, the apex court clarified that the hearing’s scope would be limited to developing a notion of a civil union that finds legal recognition under the Special Marriage Act.

What is civil union:

• A civil union under the Special Marriage Act is a legally recognized union between two individuals, regardless of their caste, religion, or nationality.
• It also refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred upon married couples.
• This type of union allows couples to have a formal, legally binding relationship without going through the traditional rituals and customs of a religious or cultural marriage ceremony.
• Although a civil union resembles a marriage and brings with it employment, inheritance, property, and parental rights, there are some differences between the two.

How is a civil union different from marriage:

• A civil union is a legal agreement between two individuals that provides them with some of the rights and benefits of a marriage, such as inheritance rights, tax benefits, and access to healthcare.
• However, it is different from a marriage in several ways:
  • Religious or cultural beliefs do not play a role in a civil union, whereas they often do in a marriage.
  • In some countries, civil unions are only available to same-sex couples, whereas marriage is available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
  • A civil union may not be recognized by all states or countries, whereas a marriage is generally recognized worldwide.
  • There may be differences in the legal requirements and procedures for entering into a civil union versus a marriage. It may be different in terms of social and cultural significance and legal recognition.

Which other countries allow civil unions:

• The United States allows same sex unions.
• Before 2009, the year that Sweden legalised same sex marriages, LGBTQ couples there could apply for civil unions and enjoy different benefits.
• From 1993, couples in Norway enjoyed the right to enter into civil unions, which gave way to a new law 15 years later.This allowed such couples to marry, adopt and undergo state-sponsored artificial insemination.

Similarly, countries like Brazil, Uruguay, Andorra, and Chile had also recognised the right of same sex couples to enter into civil unions, even before they formally recognised their legal right to marriage..

8. India to appeal WTO panel ruling on ICT import tariffs

Subject : International Relations

Section:  International Organization

Context:

• India is expected to appeal a recent ruling by a panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its imposition of tariffs on mobile phones and electronic components.

More about the news:

• The dispute settlement panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) had ruled that India had violated global trading rules in a dispute with the European Union (EU), Japan and Taiwan over import duties on IT products.
• The EU, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and Japan dragged India to the WTO dispute in 2019 on imposing tariffs on certain information and communications technology goods.
• These products include mobile phones, microphones, transmission apparatus for radio broadcasting etc.
• As per these petitions, India is signatory to the 1996 Information Technology Agreement (ITA).
• Hence, it is required to eliminate tariffs on a range of products, including mobile handsets.
• Many countries had complained that the imposition of tariffs on IT products by India was against the principles agreed upon under ITA.

What options does India have after the present WTO ruling.

• India has the option to appeal against the present ruling.
• If India does so, the case will sit in legal purgatory since the WTO’s top appeals bench is no longer functioning due to U.S. opposition to judge appointments.
• Legal purgatory is a term used to describe a situation where a legal case or dispute is in a state of limbo, without resolution or a clear path forward.

What is Dispute Settlement Body of WTO:

• The General Council convenes as the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) to deal with disputes between WTO members.
• The DSB has authority to:
  • Establish dispute settlement panels,
  • Refer matters to arbitration, adopt panel, Appellate Body
  • Maintain surveillance over the implementation of recommendations and rulings contained in arbitration reports, and
  • Authorize suspension of concessions in the event of non-compliance with those recommendations and rulings.

9. Nagaland’s Municipal Tightrope

Subject : Polity

Section: PRI

Concept :

• Due to the pressure from the Supreme Court, the current Nagaland government after consulting various stakeholders such as churches, NGOs, and tribal bodies, established the ground for conducting elections in March 2022.
• The State Election Commission March notified the election dates.
• However, the tribal hohos and various civil society organisations opposed the move and cautioned the government that they would boycott the polls until the Municipal Act which extends reservations for women is reviewed and rewritten as per the will of the Naga people.
• Due to public pressure, the government has repealed the Municipal Act as the people “cannot be compelled” to participate in the elections.

Background

• The Nagaland government decided to be in contempt of the Supreme Court rather than going against the community-based organisations and facing their wrath by repealing the Nagaland Municipal Act of 2001.
• The move led to the cancellation of the State Election Commission’s notification for conducting the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections in Nagaland with 33% of the seats being reserved for women.
• However, the Supreme Court has stayed the notification cancelling the ULB elections body polls.
• Further, in the Legislative Assembly elections held in 2023, two women were elected to power for the very first time in Nagaland.

Opposition to ULB polls

• Nagaland is said to be the only State in the country where Urban Local Bodies seats are not reserved for women which are mandated under clause IV of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.
• The key reason for not extending the reservation to women is that several traditional tribal and urban organisations have opposed the 33% reservation of seats for women.
• These organisations believe that such reservations would violate the special provisions extended to Nagaland through Article 371A of the Constitution.
• According to Article 371A, no Act of Parliament would apply to the religious or social practices of the Nagas, their customary laws, administration of civil and criminal justice, and ownership and transfer of land and resources.
• Apex tribal hohos (bodies) argue that women have not been part of decision-making bodies as per their customs and traditions.
• The first and only ULB elections in the State were held in 2004 without reservation for women.
• In 2006, the State government amended the Municipal Act of 2001 to extend 33% reservation for women as mandated by the 74th Constitutional Amendment.
• This led to widespread opposition from local organisations which forced the government to postpone the ULB polls in 2009.
• Again in 2012, efforts to conduct the elections were met with strong protests.
• Later in September 2012, the State government enacted a resolution to exempt Nagaland from Article 243T of the Constitution which mandates the reservation for women in ULB elections.
• The resolution to exempt the state from Article 243T was revoked in 2016 and elections with 33% reservation were notified.
• This notification resulted in widespread protests and large-scale violence and the government declared the process to conduct the election null and void in February 2017.

Article 371A of Indian Constitution

• Article 371A of the Indian Constitution is a special provision made for the state of Nagaland.
• It was introduced by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of India in 1962.
• The main objective of Article 371A is to provide special safeguards for the protection of the unique social and cultural practices, customs and traditions of the Naga people, who have a distinct identity and history.
• The provision also aims to promote the equitable development of the state of Nagaland.

Important provisions of Article 371A:

• The Governor of Nagaland has special responsibility to ensure the development of the state with respect to law and order, and administration of justice.
• The Governor must be consulted on all matters concerning the appointment of civil servants and the selection of candidates for admission to educational institutions in Nagaland.
• The state legislature of Nagaland has the power to enact laws relating to the ownership and transfer of land and its resources, customary law and practice of the Naga tribes.
• The provision prohibits the Parliament of India from enacting any law that affects the religious or social practices of the Naga people, their customary law and procedures, or ownership and transfer of land and its resources in Nagaland.
• Overall, Article 371A recognizes the unique history, culture, and identity of the Naga people and provides special protections to ensure their equitable development while preserving their traditions and customs.

10. Latest developments in Yemen

Subject : International Relations

Section:  msc

Concept :

• Hundreds of prisoners captured during the war in Yemen were reunited with their families amid diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict.
• The main warring sides in Yemen are the Iran-backed Houthis and the pro-Yemen government, Saudi-led coalition.
• The two opposing sides had agreed to release 887 detainees.
• The large-scale prisoner swap has given the people hope for a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.

Stockholm Agreement

• The warring parties had signed the Stockholm Agreement in December 2018.
• As per the agreement they had committed to freeing conflict-related detainees
• The agreement brokered by the United Nations had three main components:
• Hudayah agreement
• The Hudayah agreement included a ceasefire in the city of Hodeidah and other clauses like no military reinforcements in the city and strengthened UN presence.
• Prisoner exchange agreement
• Taïz agreement
• The Taïz agreement includes the formation of a joint committee with participation from civil society and the UN.

How did the war in Yemen begin?

• The conflict in Yemen began in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring protests.
• The Houthis, backed by Iran, took advantage and captured the Saada province in the north, and then Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, in 2014.
• The thought of Iran-backed Houthis in control of Yemen bothered Saudi Arabia due to its differences with Iran.
• Saudi Arabia then led a coalition that included other Arab countries and sent troops to Yemen in 2015.
• However, they were unable to oust Houthis from Sana’a as well as from the north of the country.

How has this affected Yemen?

• According to the UN, Yemen is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with 80% of its population dependent on aid and protection.
• Over three million people have been displaced from their homes since 2015, and public service sectors like healthcare, water, sanitation, and education have either collapsed or are in a dire situation.
• It has lost $90 billion in economic output and more than 6,00,000 people have lost their jobs.
• More than half of the country’s population is living in extreme poverty.

11. National Museum Institute

Subject : History

Section:  Art and Culture

Concept :

• National Museum Institute (NMI) is the content creator for the new parliament museum upgrade.

About NMI :

• The National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology was formed and registered in 1989 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• It has been accorded the status of ‘Deemed to be University‘.
• It is under the Ministry of Culture.

Mandate:

• The Institute is one of the leading centres in the country for training and research in the field of art and cultural heritage.
• It imparts higher education in Master of Arts and Ph. D in the field of History of Art, Conservation and Museology.