Daily Prelims Notes 19 October 2022

October 19, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

19 October 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Financial Liabilities of Household Sector in India

Subject :Economy

Context:

In the recent period, liabilities of the household sector have increased and their assets in the form of accumulated savings have also enlarged according to an article ‘Financial Liabilities of Household Sector in India in the RBI’s latest monthly Bulletin.

Details:

Total borrowings of the household sector from institutional sources have risen by 28.3 percent from March 2019 to September 2021
Credit to the household sector consists of both personal and non personal loans to individuals including Hindu undivided family (HUF), un-incorporated enterprises such as proprietary and partnership concerns, joint liability groups, NGOs, trusts and groups.
- Personal loans included mainly housing loans, vehicle loans, credit cards and educational loans.
  - Share of personal loans in total credit to households has risen steadily.
- Non-Personal loans to household comprised mainly agricultural loans, industrial loans, and trade loans
  - The share of credit for agricultural activities reduced and trade remained around 10 per cent in total credit of households during the last nine years.
Savings is an important indicator for the sustainability of borrowings as it contributes to the buildup of assets that can be used for discharging future liabilities.
Household liabilities and assets can be captured in the ratio of their bank credit to bank deposit.

Concept:

Institutional lending sources include Institutional source of credit —the credit offered by authorised and credential associations such :

Scheduled commercial banks ( SCBs)
Non banking financial companies (NBFCs)
Housing finance companies (HFCs)
Cooperative banks
Regional Rural Banks

Credit Deposit Ratio

It is the ratio of how much a bank lends out of the deposits it has mobilised.
It indicates how much of a bank’s core funds are being used for lending, the main banking activity.
To calculate the loan-to-deposit ratio, divide a bank’s total amount of loans by the total amount of deposits for the same period.
The regulator (RBI) does not stipulate a minimum or maximum level for the ratio. But, a very low ratio indicates banks are not making full use of their resources. And if the ratio is above a certain level, it indicates a pressure on resources.
Typically, the ideal loan-to-deposit ratio is 80% to 90%.
- A loan-to-deposit ratio of 100 percent means a bank loaned one dollar to customers for every dollar received in deposits it received.
- A credit-deposit ratio of over 70 percent indicates pressure on resources as they have to set aside funds to maintain a cash reserve ratio of 4.5 per cent and a statutory liquidity ratio of 23 per cent. Under such a scenario Banks can lend out of their capital, but it is not considered prudent to do so.

Importance:

The ratio gives the first indication of the health of a bank.
- A very high ratio is considered alarming because, in addition to indicating pressure on resources, it may also hint at capital adequacy issues, forcing banks to raise more capital.
The loan-to-deposit ratio is used to assess a bank’s liquidity by comparing a bank’s total loans to its total deposits for the same period.
LDR helps to show how well a bank is attracting and retaining customers.

The LDR can help investors determine if a bank is managed properly. If the bank isn’t increasing its deposits or its deposits are shrinking, the bank will have less money to lend.

2. Inflation targeting

Subject :Economy

Context:

According to the RBI the latest and first report of target breach is “privileged communication” the central bank will not make it public.

Details:

If the RBI does not make the report public, the government may like to do so for stakeholders to form rational expectations.

Concept:

Flexible inflation targeting regime

Flexible inflation targeting is adopted when the central bank is to some extent also concerned about other things, for instance, the stability of interest rates, exchange rates, output and employment.
In case of India, the flexible Inflation targeting was introduced through the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement signed between the RBI and Government in 2015.
The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for a FTI framework.
The amended Act provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government, in consultation with the RBI, once every five years.
As per terms of the agreement, RBI’s primary objective would be to maintain price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth.
- The RBI is required to maintain a rate of inflation of 4% with a deviation of 2% i.e. inflation has to be maintained between 2% to 6%.
Under the flexible inflation targeting regime, the monetary policy decision making is vested with the Monetary Policy Committee but its implementation falls in RBI’s domain.
- The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) constituted by the Central Government under Section 45ZB of RBI Act determines the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.
When the Reserve Bank of India fails to meet the inflation target for 3 consecutive quarters, it will send a report to the central government stating:
- A breach of the “tolerance level” for three consecutive quarters will constitute a failure of monetary policy
  - the reasons for failure to achieve the inflation target;
  - remedial actions proposed to be taken by the bank; and
  - an estimate of the time period within which the inflation target shall be achieved.
These would be presented in a report to the Union Ministry of Finance.
It would be up to the government to make the RBI report public.
The special meeting of the MPC will discuss the RBI report before it is submitted.

Challenges to monetary policy to control inflation

Inflation, mainly cost-push caused by supply chain disruption-Russia-Ukraine conflict and high crude oil prices are the two immediate factors contributing to upside risks to inflation.
Fiscal-monetary conflict– as tightening monetary policy would increase cost of borrowing for government
Crowd out effect of tight monetary policy- as cost of borrowing would rise leading to decline in private consumption and investment.
Output gap is still negative– as output is below full-capacity production due to COVID pandemic.

Rational Expectations?

Rational expectations is an economic theory that states that individuals make decisions based on the best available information in the market and learn from past trends.
Because people make decisions based on the available information at hand combined with their past experiences, most of the time their decisions will be correct. If their decisions are correct, then the same expectations for the future will occur. If their decision was incorrect, then they will adjust their behavior based on the past mistake.
Increasing information–would help build expectations of low inflation by increasing credibility of the government and would help tame inflation in future.

3. Falling reserves

Subject : Economy

Context:

The Indian central bank’s 2013 playbook to buffer the domestic currency against depreciation and rebuild foreign exchange reserves is unlikely to prove fruitful.

Details:

The Reserve Bank of India reduces its forex reserves by selling dollars to defend rupee depreciation.
In 2013 RBI – swapped the U.S. dollars banks had raised via foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposits or foreign currency funding for rupees at concessional rates.
- But these methods are unlikely to be as fruitful now due to a narrower US-IN rate spread and less aggressive rate hikes in this cycle versus back in 2013.
- India’s 3-year bond yields at 7.5% and U.S. yields at 4.5%, the 3% spread is unlikely to help investors make any profits given the current hedging cost is about 6.5%-7%.
Possible measures
- Floating sovereign bonds, like the Resurgent India bonds (RIBs) India Millennium Deposit bonds (IMDs) in the past, to help boost forex reserves.

Concept:

Foreign currency non-resident deposits?

Foreign currency non-resident deposits, usually abbreviated as FCNR(B) – the B stands for banks, are term deposits that non-resident Indians (NRIs) can open with banks in India.
These deposits are denominated in foreign currencies permitted by the Reserve Bank of India.
This term deposit was started in 1993 and is available in tenures of one to five years.
A term deposit lasts for a fixed period after which the amount has to be paid back with the interest being paid either periodically or lump sum at the time of maturity. Fixed deposits are a type of term deposit.
This would provide for forex resources to banks to lend to their customers who might need foreign funding.

Is it the only way an NRI can invest in India?

There are two more options: the non-resident (external) rupee account (NRERA) and non-resident ordinary (NRO) account.
These are similar to normal bank accounts and differ in the fact that the former is a term account with a maximum period of three years.
Unlike FCNR(B) they are denominated in rupees.

What is a currency risk under FCNR(B)?

Indian banks have most of their deposits in rupees and thus make most of their investments in the Indian currency.
When a NRI invests $1,000 under the FCNR(B) scheme for 3 years, it raises the bank’s deposits by Rs 67,000 (considering $1=Rs 67). The bank then invests this amount.
But in case over the period the value of the rupee depreciates to Rs 69. The bank will have to spend Rs 69,000 to get pay back the $1,000. This is called currency risk.
On the other hand the bank stands to gain if the rupee appreciates.

About the Swap scheme:

In 2013 — Indian currency depreciated which led to currency risk for banks.
RBI introduced the three-month swap window for FCNR(B) deposits with a term for three years or more.
Under this swap window RBI allowed banks to exchange (or swap) their FCNR(B) deposits with it by paying an interest at a fixed rate of 3.5% (3 percentage points less than market rates at the time).
- This means that the banks swapped dollars raised through FCNR (B) deposits with the RBI for rupees at a fixed interest rate of 3.5% and the RBI had to give back the money in dollars.
- Example – Suppose the average exchange rate in September-December 2013 was Rs 62. At present, the exchange rate is around Rs 67, down by 8%. But banks will pay back the amount with an annual interest of 3.5%, which means for the banks the effective exchange rate will be around Rs 69.
  - For the banks, this was a decent hedge – with only a minor depreciation – as they would have invested the money exchanged from RBI in high-return assets..

Impact?

FCNR(B) deposits rose from $15.1 billion at the start of August 2013 to almost $40 billion by December 2013.
Influx of foreign exchange stabilized the rupee, which appreciated from a high and volatile range of Rs67-68 a dollar to Rs 62-64 a dollar.
Shift the currency risk to the RBI- the idea meant giving banks a 3.5% subsidy to bring in foreign exchange.
- The 3.5% can be considered as the banks’ hedging costs. If the swap window did not exist banks would have had to hedge rupee depreciation risk by entering swap agreements at as high as 7%.

4. TN Assembly passes resolution against Hindi imposition

Subject :Polity

Context:

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution against imposition of Hindi language and urged the Central Government not to implement recommendations of the report of the Parliamentary committee on Official Language.

What is the issue:

Recently the 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee headed by Home Minister Amit Shah was submitted to President Droupadi Murmu.
This has triggered angry reactions from the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

What is this Committee on Official Language:

The Committee of Parliament on Official Language was set up in 1976 under Section 4 of The Official Languages Act, 1963.
The Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister, and has 30 members — 20 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 MPs from Rajya Sabha.
The job of the Committee is to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes, and to make recommendations to increase the use of Hindi in official communications.
The Committee of Parliament on Official Language is constituted by the Home Ministry and submits its report to the President.

What is the resolution of Tamil Nadu:

The resolution stated that the recommendations of the report of the Parliamentary committee on Official Language go against the use of English as official language which was made clear by resolutions passed in 1968 and 1976.

5. Centre pitches Uniform Civil Code to Supreme Court

Subject :Polity

Context:

The Centre in its response to petitions filed in the apex court seeking uniformity in laws governing matters of divorce, succession and inheritance and adoption and guardianship for all irrespective of gender and religion pitches for Uniform Civil Code.

What is the issue:

The recent affidavit was filed by the Union Law Ministry to petitions, which was filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking directions from the apex court to the government to remove anomalies and frame uniform divorce law and uniform guidelines for adoption and guardianship of children.

What was Government stand:

The government said the power to make laws is exclusively that of the legislature and the court cannot give a mandamus to Parliament to make certain laws.
Since this is a matter of policy for the elected representatives of the people to decide and hence no direction in this regard can be issued by the court.
It is for the legislature to enact or not enact a piece of legislation.
Government said that it had requested the Law Commission to examine various issues relating to the Uniform Civil Code and make recommendations considering the sensitivity and in-depth study involved of various personal laws governing different communities.
The 21st Law Commission had uploaded a consultation paper titled ‘Reform of Family Law’ subsequently in August 2018 before the end of the term.
Government stated that the subject matter will be placed before the 22nd Law Commission for its consideration when the Chairman and Members of the Commission are appointed.

What is mandamus:

Mandamus is the prerogative writs which means ‘we command’.
It is a judicial remedy in the form of an order from a court to any government, subordinate court, corporation, or public authority, to do or forbear from doing some specific act which that body is obliged under law to do or refrain from doing, and which is in the nature of public duty, and in certain cases one of a statutory duty.
It cannot be issued to compel an authority to do something against statutory provision.
This writ cannot be issued against a private individual or body. except where the State is in collusion with the private party for contravening a provision of the Constitution or a statute.

What is Uniform Civil Code:

The Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession for all citizens, irrespective of religion.

Constitutional Provision related to UCC.

Article 44 of the Part 4 i.e Directive Principles of State Policy Of the Indian Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India

Status of Uniform Codes in India:

Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters such as Indian Contract Act 1872, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act 1882, Partnership Act 1932, Evidence Act, 1872 .
Goa is the only state where there is Uniform Civil Code.
Recently, Uttarakhand had formed an expert committee for the effective implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the state.

6. Judicial comity over arithmetic

Subject: Polity

Context:
Recently a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has unanimously held that a judgment delivered by a larger Bench will prevail over the decision of a smaller Bench, irrespective of the number of judges constituting the majority in the larger Bench.
Mechanism of functioning of benches:
A vast majority of cases before the Supreme Court are heard and decided by a Bench of two judges called Division Bench or three judge full Bench.
The bench with an equal number of judges cannot overrule or reconsider a decision of a coordinate bench. It can at best, doubt the correctness of it.
Further, the doubt and conflict between decisions of co-equal Benches is referred to the Chief Justice of India and which leads to the formation of larger benches.
The larger Benches examine the question or correctness of the decision and the majority opinion expressed by them becomes the verdict, which is also binding on the lower Benches.
What is the issue with larger benches:
A majority decision is treated as the ruling of the entire Benchignoring the opinion of the dissenting judges that examined the question.
Further, if a larger Bench arrived at a decision by a slim majority then its correctness can be doubted on the presumption that had the Bench comprised different judges, the outcome might have been different.
What is Doctrine of Precedents:
The Doctrine of Precedents states that a decision that has already been taken by a higher court is binding to the lower court and it also stands as an example to the lower court judgment which cannot be altered by a lower court.
How is the Doctrine of Precedents followed in other countries:
The issue of the precedent is generally avoided in countries like the US and South Africa.
Whereas, countries like theK. and Australia follow a system similar to that of India but the entire act of reconsidering a precedent is viewed as a delicate and grave judicial responsibility in these countries.
Recommendation to avoid such conflicts:
There should be a quorum with a break-even or a greater majoritythan the lower Bench.
For example, If a five-judge unanimous decision is referred to a larger Bench, it should be considered by a nine-judge Bench rather than seven, so that it would, in any case, be decided by a majority of at least five judges.

7. Global leaders pledge $2.5 billion for polio eradication at World Health Summit

Subject: International Organisation

Context:

Recently, Global leaders at the World Health summit have committed to donating $2.54 billion to eradicating polio.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $1.2 billion to the largest international public health initiative, Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

What is Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI):

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is the largest public-private partnershipcreated in 1988
It is led by national governments with six partners:The World Health Organization (WHO),Rotary International, The US Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and
What is Poliomyelitis:
It is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus.
Poliovirus is very contagious and spreads through person-to-person It lives in an infected person’s throat and intestines and can contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions.
The virus can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis.

What is the current status of the disease:

Wild poliovirus is endemic in just two countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.
However, after just six cases were recorded in 2021,29 cases have been recorded so far this year, including a small number of new detections in southeast Africa linked to a strain originating in Pakistan.
Additionally, outbreaks of cVDPV, variants of the poliovirus that can emerge in places where not enough people have been immunized, continue to spread across parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, with new outbreaks detected in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom in recent months.

What is nOPV2:

To better address the evolving risk of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2), GPEI with its partners is deploying an innovative tool i.e novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2).
The vaccine is a modified version of type 2 monovalent OPV (mOPV2)
It is more genetically stable and less likely to be associated with the emergence of cVDPV2 in low immunity settings and provides a comparable protection against poliovirus

8. Direct Benefit Transfer

Subject: Government Schemes

Context:

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lauded India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme as a “logistical marvel” that has reached hundreds of millions of people.
The President of the World Bank Group, had also urged other nations to adopt India’s move of targeted cash transfer instead of broad subsidies

What is Direct Benefit Transfer:

Direct Benefit Transfer is an attempt to change the mechanism of transferring subsidies and aims to establish a Giro system to transfer subsidies directly to the people through their linked bank accounts.
It was launched by the Government of India on 1 January 2013.
The DBT was inaugurated at Gollaprolu in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

Structure of the Direct Benefit Transfer:

The Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), being implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts,acts as the common platform for routing DBT.
CPSMS is also used to prepare the beneficiary list, digitally sign it, and process payments in the beneficiary’s bank accounts via the Aadhaar Payment Bridge.
Aadhar is not mandatory to access benefits under DBT.

9. Cyclone brewing? Conditions favourable, wait and watch for next 48 hours, say experts

Subject: Geography

Context-

A cyclonic circulation has formed over the southern Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood.
This cyclonic circulation, swirling winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere, may induce a low-pressure area in the southeast and east central Bay of Bengal.
After formation, the storm system will likely move north-westward into west central and neighbouring southwest Bay of Bengal.
IMD predicted that the low-pressure area would become slightly more intense in the subsequent two days.
It did not say anything about further intensification into depression or a cyclone. The conditions for cyclogenesis do exist in the region.

Impact of LaNiña-

There is a La Niña in the Pacific.
La Niña conditions are favourable for cyclone formation and intensification in the Bay of Bengal, as compared to El Niño years.
Winds have changed to a northeast pattern and the rainfall trends over the Arabian Sea and the northern Bay of Bengal for October will favour cyclogenesis
The forecast does seem to indicate the tightening and strengthening of the cyclonic system.

Rapid intensification of tropical cyclones-

Rapid intensification is when a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained wind speeds increase by more than 55 kilometres per hour (kmph) in 24 hours.
It generally happens due to warm ocean waters and conducive wind conditions over the ocean area where the cyclone is forming.
Many tropical cyclones in recent years have undergone rapid intensification, such as Super Cyclone Amphan which hit West Bengal and Bangladesh in May 2020.
Amphan also grew to an incredible size and gained considerable strength, becoming the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengalsince the Odisha super cyclone in 1999.
It was also the costliest cyclone in the Indian Ocean region, with a loss and damage bill of around $13 billion.
Extremely severe cyclone Tauktae also experienced rapid intensification by gaining around 83 kmph wind speed in 24 hours in May 2021.
It was one of the strongest cyclones to impact the west coast of India.

Relation between Monsoon and Tropical cyclones-

As of now, the Bay of Bengal is warm (29°C and above) and humid.
The monsoon wind shear is weak.
It means that the basin can support the formation of a depression or a cyclone.
However, the sea surface temperatures are not exceptionally warm to support the rapid intensification of cyclones.
The fact that the monsoon winds have not yet withdrawn from India may also influence the formation and intensification of the cyclone.
The monsoon has retreated from the northwest and many parts of central India and some parts of east and northeast India.
The withdrawal is already late by two days.
The withdrawing monsoon can interact with the Bay of Bengal conditions and cyclogenesis.

10. Climate change threatens the habitat of the endangered white-winged wood duck, finds study

Subject: Environment

Context-

Alarm bells ring for the white-winged wood duck (WWWD).
Declared the state bird of Assam in 2003, the on-ground conservation situation of the bird has not improved in recent years. On the contrary, the bird could well go extinct.

About White-Winged Wood Duck (WWWD)-

The bird is called Deo Hanh (the spirit duck) in Assamese, owing to its ghostly call.
In India, this species can only be found in the northeast states.
The white-winged wood duck is an inhabitant of the tropical evergreen forest, mostly confined to dense forests and wetlands and requires average annual precipitation of about 1,000-1,200 millimetres.

Protection status of WWWD-

The white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata) has been classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), since 1994.
Only 800 individuals of this species are estimated to be left in the wild, out of which 450 individuals are known to be present in India.
The duck can be spotted only in Nameri and the adjoining areas, Dehing Patkai and Namdapha.
There have been no bird sightings in Dibru Saikhowa for more than 20 years.
There are many areas in eastern Assam, where the birds were spotted in the first year of our survey in 2018 but have completely disappeared by 2020.

‘The habitat of the white-winged wood duck is likely to shift’

A recent study conducted to assess the impacts of climate change and the potential distribution of the white-winged wood duck in the Indian Eastern Himalayan (IEH) region for the 2050s and 2070s revealed that 436.61 square kilometres of the highly potential habitat of the species would be lost by 2070.
The study has been conducted by researchers from Wildlife Institute of India, Assam University, NGO Aaranyak and A.V.C College.
The objective of this new study was to understand the potential distribution of the white-winged wood duck in future climate scenarios, in order to facilitate the creation of immediate conservation plans and the mitigation of subsequent threats.
The bird is mainly dependent on forested wetlands of undisturbed forest areas, these wetlands are very shallow and small and climate change will affect them first.
The study also predicts a decline in the potential habitat in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura, under future climate scenarios.
The habitat of the bird is likely to shift towards the western part of northeast India and towards Bhutan – specifically on the Assam-Bhutan border with Nameri National Park – from its current habitat in the easternmost states of northeast India.
The West Garo Hills, which are located in Meghalaya and share a northern border with Bangladesh, are also likely to become a more suitable area for a white-winged wood duck by 2070.

Past conservation efforts-

A report on Project Deo hanh, the white-winged wood duck recovery project initiated by Wildlife Trust of India in 2018, says that the duck was first granted protection from hunting in 1937, when the Assam Government (then under British rule) restricted hunting of the ducks during the breeding season (April to September) and outside stipulated reserve forest areas of the state.
The duck was later placed under Special Protected List by the Indian Board of Wildlife in 1952.
Despite being declared as the State Bird of Assam in 2003, in an effort to encourage further conservation of the species, the WWWD population has drastically declined over the years, both in its numbers and the extent of occupancy.

Way forward-

There needs to be a systematic survey to determine the current population of the species and awareness is essential to understand the importance of birds.
There is a need for research on the species local migration.
We must also identify the important sites.
Long-term conservation action plans and research activities, as well as support from aspiring ecologists and nature lovers, have become critical for the survival of the existing population.

Massive support is needed to develop local leadership around the study area which includes developing the capacity of local youth around the bird’s habitat to ensure strict protection by regular monitoring of the bird and the habitat.

11. Six new spider species discovered from across the country

Subject: Environment

Arachnologists from the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Christ College, Irinjalakuda, have discovered six new species of spiders from across the country.
The new species of spiders were found in the Garo hills in Meghalaya, the Thar desert of Rajasthan, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kottappara hills near Kothamangalam, Thumboormuzhi butterfly garden near Athirappilly, and the University of Calicut campus.
Jumping spiders
- Two new species of spiders coming under the family of jumping spiders ( Salticidae) were discovered in the Thar desert of Rajasthan and the Kurichiyad forest ranges of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
Spiny-legged spiders
- Two new species of spiders belonging to the family of spiny-legged spiders (Oxyopidae) have been discovered in the Thumboormuzhi butterfly garden, near the Athirappilly waterfalls, and on the Calicut University campus.
Studies were conducted with financial assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).
These findings have been published in the latest volume of Zootaxa (New Zealand), Arthropoda Selecta (Russia), British Journal of Arachnology (England), Acata Arachnologica (Japan) and Serket (Egypt), international journals that deal with spider study.

12. Giraffes brought to India 150 years ago from Africa may be a critically endangered species

Subject: Environment

Context-

About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of what they thought was a single species of the northern giraffe to India, from their other colonial possessions in Africa.
These now comprise a captive population of 29 individuals of northern giraffes across the country.

Genealogical study of Giraffes-

A recent genealogical study of the largest captive herd in India at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata has confirmed that the individuals in this facility, at least, are most likely “critically endangered” Nubian giraffes ( Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) or the endangered Rothschild giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).
The Nubian giraffes are believed to be among three sub-species of the northern giraffe, according to a whole genome sequencing study conducted in 2021.
He pointed out that there were giraffes in captivity in Mysuru, Chennai, Patna, Guwahati, and Hyderabad, and that it was imperative to identify which species of giraffe each of the facilities in India have in their possession.
Genetic distance analysis of the giraffes in Alipore showed that they were most closely related to Nubian and Rothschild giraffes.
There’s still debate among scientists on whether the Nubian and Rothschild giraffes are separate sub-species.
As both the Nubian and Rothschild giraffes are listed as ‘critically endangered’ and ‘endangered’ by the IUCN respectively, we think it’s imperative that the Central Zoo Authority conducts further studies of the giraffes in captivity so that the species are not interbred with each other and the giraffes’ germplasm is preserved.

No past record-

The “stud-books” maintained in zoos across India had little to no information on where the giraffes brought to India from Africa had been captured, so the only way to identify the species would be through a mitochondrial gene study.
As giraffes are an exotic species that was imported into India, protocols to manage the populations were different when compared to animals that are native to the country.

About the Giraffe-

Giraffes are most often found in savanna/woodland habitats and range widely throughout Africa.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified giraffes as vulnerable in the Red List in December 2016, when it noted that their population had dropped by over 40% since 1985.
According to IUCN, the four principal factors that have led to a population decline among giraffes are habitat loss, civil unrest, poaching and ecological issues.

Giraffes are listed under Appendix II of the CITES

13. Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study

Subject: Environment

Context-

A study carried out by researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) and the Divecha Centre for Climate Change (DCCC), IISc, has revealed that grazing animals hold the key to long-term soil carbon stability.

Research finding-

The 16-year-long study carried out by CES and DCCC researchers state that large mammalian herbivores like the Yak and Ibex play a crucial role in stabilising the pool of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems such as the Spiti region in the Himalayas.
Experimental removal of grazing by herbivores from such ecosystems was found to increase the fluctuations in the level of soil carbon, which can have unintended negative consequences for the global carbon cycle, the study revealed.
Since soil contains more carbon than all plants and the atmosphere combined, it is important to ensure its persistence.
When plants and animals die, the dead organic matter remains in the soil for a long duration before microbes break it down and release carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Reliable sink

The soil pool is a reliable sink for trapping carbon.
Maintaining stable levels of carbon in the soil is, therefore, key to offsetting the effects of climate change.

Fluctuations in soil carbon

From one year to the next, soil carbon was found to fluctuate 30-40% more in the fenced plots where animals were absent, compared to the grazed plots where it remained more stable each year.
A key factor underlying these fluctuations was nitrogen.
Depending on the soil conditions, nitrogen can either stabilise or destabilise the carbon pool. Grazing by herbivores, however, changes their interactions in ways that tip the balance in favour of the former.
These fluctuations can be consequential for climate as they are linked to how large mammalian herbivores influence soil.
As grazing ecosystems make up about 40% of the Earth’s land surface, protecting the herbivores that keep the soil carbon stable should remain a key priority for mitigating climate change.

How effective soil as carbon sinks?

SOC –

Soil organic carbon (SOC) comes from plants, animals, microbes, leaves and wood, mostly found in the first metre or so.
Soils contain around 2,300 Gt (1 gigatonne = 1 billion tonnes) of organic carbon, making this the largest terrestrial carbon pool.

Benefits –

Increasing SOC through various methods can improve soil health.
It can contribute to agricultural yield, food security, and water quality, and also reduce the need for chemicals.
It helps address carbon mitigation and also improves conditions of fresh water, biodiversity, land use and nitrogen use.
Moreover, carbon sequestration in soils has the potential to offset GHG emissions from fossil fuels by up to 15% annually.
Utilising this option would thus offer breathing time before other technologies can help to transit to a zero-carbon lifestyle.

How is it achieved?

There are many conditions and processes that determine changes to SOC content.
These include temperature, rainfall, vegetation, soil management and land-use change.
Thus, increasing Soil Organic Carbon involves adopting sustainable agricultural practices to keep these factors in balance.
The approaches to increase SOC include:
- reducing soil erosion
- no-till-farming
- use of cover crops
- nutrient management
- applying manure and sludge
- water harvesting and conservation
- agroforestry practices, etc

14. How effective are anti-smog guns in Delhi? Here’s what experts have to say

Subject: Environment

Context-

Vehicle-mounted ‘anti-smog guns’ have begun their rounds of the city, spraying water in a fine mist, in what is an effort to get suspended dust to settle as air quality begins to take a turn for the worse.

Anti-smog guns-

Anti-smog gun is a device that sprays nebulised water droplets into the atmosphere to reduce air pollution.
Connected to a water tank and mounted on a vehicle, the device could be taken across the city to spray water to settle the dust and other suspended particles.
It can spray water up to a height of 50 metres and the results was positive as the spray acts like rain and settles dust particles and also PM 2.5.
According to the CPCB’s guidelines on anti-smog guns, the water throw distance ranges from 30 metres to 100 metres depending on the device.
Anti-smog guns can also be rotated.
Treated waste water is not to be used in the anti-smog gun.
The guns that are “customised for urban areas” use 40 to 250 litres of water per minute depending on the device, according to the guidelines.

Anti-Smog Guns for Delhi-

This winter, Delhi will have more anti-smog guns than in previous years.
While only large construction sites of 20,000 sqm or more needed them last year, they have now been mandated by the Delhi government at smaller construction sites of 5,000 sqm or more.
The number of anti-smog guns that are required to be placed varies according to the size of the site, with a maximum of four being required at sites of 20,000 sqm or more.
The Public Works Department is also rolling out more vehicle-mounted anti-smog guns this year than it did last year.
The vehicles that are being used to mount the anti-smog guns are either CNG or BS-VI engines.

But how effective are these devices in mitigating air pollution?

There has been no thorough scientific analysis so far to determine what impact they have, and there could be some brief effect at best.
In winter, conditions are dry and with repeated action on the topsoil, it gets lifted. Due to low humidity, this dust is unable to settle.
If the anti-smog gun is used along the roadside, the particulate matter may settle.
It may reduce particulate pollution, but it is not a permanent solution.
In emergency situations, where there is a fire or construction and demolition dust, this can be applied so that the situation is not aggravated in nearby areas.
For the entire city, it is not possible. Water itself is an important resource.
In China, they tried artificial rain to control haze. But that works at scale.
Rain droplets remove pollutants, water has that ability which is called wet scavenging.
That is the idea that is being pursued.
Whatever comes beneath the droplets, the droplets will carry the particles and gases.
But how many guns can you employ? You’re firing at a small place, and the overall volume is small, so it’s almost inconsequential whether you look at removal or other effects.

Supreme court’s directive-

In November 2019, the Supreme Court asked the CPCB to ascertain the efficacy of anti-smog guns and submit a report in 10 days.

A Supreme Court order from January 2020 then mandates the use of anti-smog guns at large construction sites, road construction stretches and dust-prone traffic corridors.

15. Tipping points of global warming

Subject: Environment

Context-

A new study has found that even the current level of average global temperatures — about 1.1 degree Celsius higher than preindustrial times — is enough to trigger catastrophic changes in several climatic systems.
The research is an updated assessment of important climate tipping points or the thresholds beyond which changes in the earth’s systems become uncontrollable and irreversible.

Tipping points

Several studies in the past 15 years have identified different tipping points such as the disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet, a spontaneous reduction in Amazon forest cover, melting of glaciers, or softening of the permanently frozen grounds in the polar regions that have large amounts of carbon trapped in them.
Over the years, researchers have identified at least 15 tipping points, each correlated with different levels of temperature rise.
The latest study has identified nine global and seven regional tipping points and has re-assessed their dynamics and correlation with global warming.

Tipping points at work

Rising temperatures are causing largescale changes in these climatic systems.
Glacial melt, thinning of Arctic ice, and rise in sea levels are all well-documented and visible changes.
The Greenland ice sheet, which is already melting, is a good example to illustrate this process. As it melts, the height of the ice sheet gradually reduces.
In the process, a larger part of it gets exposed to warmer air. That is because air is warmer at lower altitudes than at higher altitudes.
Exposure to warmer air expedites the process of melting.
Once the tipping point is crossed, this becomes a self-sustaining and cyclic system.
The system does not reverse even if the global temperatures stop rising.
Similar is the case with Amazon forests.
These play a very important role in causing rain in the region.
If deforestation continues unabated, there would be fewer and fewer trees, which would reduce rainfall, causing further stress on the trees.
Once again, it develops into a self-perpetuating process.
Several areas of the world remain frozen throughout the year. These are known as permafrost. Because they have remained in this state for centuries, they hold large amounts of carbon — from plants and animals that died and decomposed over the years — trapped in them.
It is estimated that the permafrost layers hold as much as 1,700 billion tonnes of carbon, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide and methane.
In comparison, the global emissions of carbon in a year are in the range of 40 billion tonnes.
The softening or melting of permafrost layers is already releasing some carbon into the atmosphere. This release of carbon is adding to the warming, which in turn is expediting the process of softening permafrost layers.
This too has a tipping point beyond which it would become a self-perpetuating cycle.

New findings-

About two decades ago, CTP (Climate tipping points) were considered to be crossed only in warming scenarios exceeding 5 degrees Celsius.
But more recent information, including those presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), suggests that most of these tipping points would be crossed between 1 and 2 degree Celsius temperature rise.
The latest study has presented evidence to suggest that some of these tipping points could be met even at the current levels of warming.

Policy response

The sixth assessment report of the IPCC released earlier this year had said that global emissions of greenhouse gases needed to peak by 2025, and reduce by 43 per cent from current levels by 2030 if the 1.5 degree Celsius target was to be achieved.
With the current level of efforts, the world is on the path to becoming more than 2 degrees warmer by the year 2100.

16. Earth just had its 5th-warmest September on record

Subject : Environment

Context : September 2022 marked the fifth-warmest September in 143 years, tying with the same in 2021, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Concept :

The average temperature across the world was 0.88 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century average of 15°C, making September 2021 the fifth-warmest since 1880.
Higher than normal temperatures were recorded over Africa, north America, southern Asia, Atlantic, and northern South America
Near normal or cooler temperatures were recorded over Europe, northern Asia, most parts of India, and southeastern Pacific Ocean, the NOAA report said.
This was mainly due to above average rainfall over northern and southern Asia, Australia, central Europe, Caribbean islands and southeastern US.

Sea-ice Extent

The sea-ice extent coverage dropped to the eighth lowest ever. The Arctic sea ice now cover 5.95 lakh square miles below the 1981-2010 average, whereas the Antarctica sea ice is 1.90 lakh square miles below average.

Warmest year

The year-to-date global surface temperature is the sixth-highest on record, and the year 2022 is virtually certain to rank among the 10 warmest years on record.
However, it is 5% less likely that 2022 will end up in top 5 warmest years because of the fact that La Nina conditions are prevailing throughout the year.

About NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. governmental agency established in 1970 within the Department of Commerce to study Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and coastal areas.

About La Nina:

It means the large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, together with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, namely winds, pressure and rainfall.
It has the opposite impacts on weather and climate as El Niño, which is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

17. India – Africa Defence dialogue 2022

Subject: International Relations

Context: The India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) was held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on October 18, 2022.

Concept:

The broad theme of the dialogue is ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.
India’s approach towards Africa is guided by the Kampala Principles enunciated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018.
India’s engagement rests on African priorities as outlined by Africans themselves.
India also stressed the importance of making the United Nations Security Council more representative and the global world order needs to be democratized.
The first-ever India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in conjunction with DefExpo on February 06, 2020.

What is Kampala Principles ?

The Kampala Principles is a set of ten guiding principlesfor deepening India’s engagement with Africa to help in its economic growth and tackle challenges like terrorism and climate change.
It helps to promote ownership of private sector engagement (PSE) through development co-operation by partner countries and ensure the alignment of PSE projects and programmes with national sustainable development priorities.

Gandhinagar Declaration

As an outcome of IADD 2022 the Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted.
This document has proposed to further enhance cooperation in various aspects of defence cooperation between the two sides.
It includes the field of training, increasing training slots and deputation of training teams, participation in exercises and humanitarian assistance; empowerment and capability building of the defence forces of Africa.
India also offered fellowships for experts from the African countries in the region through Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis(MP- IDSA).

Indo – Africa Fellowship programme

MP-IDSA, the knowledge partner for the IADD, will host the Fellowship Programme.
The fellowship will give an opportunity to African scholars to pursue research on defence and security issues in India. The fellows would be attached with the MP-IDSA for a period of 1-3 months. A stipend would also be provided to the scholar.

For further details UNSC Reform, Refer – https://optimizeias.com/unsc-reform/

18. Meghalaya Panel prepares action plan to restore waterbodies

Subject : Government

Context : An expert committee will soon submit an action plan for the restoration of polluted waterbodies in Meghalaya.

Concept :

The Meghalaya government had set up the 10-member expert panel on the protection and restoration of the State’s waterbodies following an order of the High Court of Meghalaya.
The committee is headed by the State’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest
The action plan will be site specific to every river and will cover the whole stateexcept those water bodies in the wildlife protected areas, reserved forests and water-bodies dealt with by the State Wetland Authority and River Rejuvenation Committee and the fish ponds.
The major rivers of Meghalaya – Umkhrah, Umshyrpi, Umtrew, Lukha and Myntdu – have been excluded from the purview of this committee.

River Rejuvenation Committee

In 2018, National Green Tribunal has directed all the states/UT’s to constitute a four member committee called River rejuvenation committee.
The committee comprises, Director of Environment, Director of Urban Development., Director of Industries, and Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board of concerned State.
This Committee will also be the monitoring Committee for execution of the action plan to bring all the polluted river stretches to be fit at least for bathing purposes.
The RRC will function under the overall supervision and coordination of Principal Secretary, Environment of the concerned State/Union Territory.

State Wetlands Authority (SWA):

As per Wetland(Conservation and Management) rules, 2017, State Wetland Authority should be setup in each State/UTs headed by State’s environment minister and include range of government officials.
State government will also nominate one expert each in fields of wetland ecology, hydrology, fisheries, landscape planning and socioeconomics.

Functions of SWA:

It will develop comprehensive list of activities to be regulated and permitted within notified wetlands and their zone of influence.
It will also recommend additional prohibited activities for specific wetlands, define strategies wise use of wetlands and its conservation and undertake measures to enhance awareness within stakeholders and local communities on values and functions of wetlands.
In this case, wise use has been defined as principle of sustainable uses that is compatible with conservation.

19. International Solar Alliance approves funding mechanism

Subject : International Organisations

Context : To bolster investments in solar power projects, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), in its General Assembly approved the ‘Solar Facility’, a payment guarantee mechanism.

Concept :

About Solar Facility

It is expected to stimulate investments into solar projects through two financial components:
Solar Payment Guarantee Fund and
Solar Insurance Fund
The thrust of the facility is to attract private capital to flow into “underserved markets” in Africa.
The ISA would aim to crowdsource investments from various donors across the globe and proposed projects in Africa would be able to purchase payment guarantees or partial insurance premium from these funds.

Why such move?

ISA’s mission is to unlock US $1 trillion (₹80 lakh crore) of investments in solar power by 2030 while reducing cost of the technology and its financing.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

The ISA is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
The initiative was launched by PM Modi and President of France at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21)to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
It is headquartered in Gurugram, India.
The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has granted Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Structure of the organization:

The International Solar Alliance is headed by the Director General.
The Director General leads the operations and carries out the functions of the ISA Secretariat.
He is responsible to the ISA Assembly.
The Director General has a term of four years and is eligible for re-election.

20. Remission of prisoners

Subject: Polity / Governance

Context: Centre went against own guidelines in release of Bilkis Bano case convicts.

Concept:

Special Remission Scheme

As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, special remission was granted to a certain category of prisoners. These prisoners would be released in three phases.
Union Government has devised a set of guidelines for the release of the priosners under the scheme.
Prisoners convicted for heinous crimes like Dowry death, counterfeiting currency notes, offence of rape & human trafficking, offences under POCSO Act, 2012, Immoral Trafficking Act, 1956, Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, UAPA, National Security act, etc are excluded.

Remission

Remission is the complete ending of a sentence at a reduced point. Remission is distinct from both furlough and parole in that it is a reduction in sentence as opposed to a break from prison life.
In remission, the nature of the sentence remains untouched, while the duration is reducede., the rest of the sentence need not be undergone.

Clemency powers of state and central government under CrPC

The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) provides for remission of prison sentences.
Under Section 432, the ‘appropriate government’ may suspend or remit a sentence, in whole or in part, with or without conditions.
Under Section 433, any sentence may be commuted to a lesser one by the appropriate government.
This power is available to State governments so that they may order the release of prisoners before they complete their prison terms.
However, Section 435 says that if the prisoner had been sentenced in a case investigated by any agency under a Central Act such as CBI the State government can order such release only in consultation with the Central government.

How remission under the CrPC is different from the constitutional power

Under the CrPC, the government acts by itself.
Under Article 72 and Article 161, the respective governments advise the President/Governor to suspend, remit or commute sentences.
Though it is the decision of the government in either case, the Supreme Court has made it clear that the two are different sources of power.