Daily Prelims Notes 2 April 2023

April 2, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
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Daily Prelims Notes

2 April 2023

Table Of Contents

1. 50 years of project tiger

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Concept-

Tiger

India has 70% of the global tiger population.
The International Tiger Day celebrated on 29th July is an annual event marked to raise awareness about tiger conservation.
First international Tiger’s day was celebrated in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit.
The Tiger, Panthera Tigris, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species TM. The largest of all cats, the tiger once occurred throughout central, eastern and southern Asia.

Project tiger

The Govt. of India had launched “Project Tiger” on 1st April 1973 to promote conservation of the tiger. Project Tiger has been the largest species conservation initiative of its kind in the world. While the field implementation of the project, protection and management in the designated reserves is done by the project States, who also provide the matching grant to recurring items of expenditure, deploy field staff/officers, and give their salaries, the Project Tiger Directorate of the Ministry of Environment and Forests was mandated with the task of providing technical guidance and funding support.

Project Tiger started tiger conservation starting with nine reserves – Manas, Palamau, Simlipal, Corbett, Ranthambhore, Kanha, Melghat, Bandipur and Sundarban.

The implementation of Project Tiger over the years has highlighted the need for a statutory authority with legal backing to ensure tiger conservation. On the basis of the recommendations of National Board for Wild Life chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, a Task Force was set up to look into the problems of tiger conservation in the country. The recommendations of the said Task Force, interalia include strengthening of Project Tiger by giving it statutory and administrative powers, apart from creating the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. It has also recommended that an annual report should be submitted to the Central Government for laying in Parliament, so that commitment to Project Tiger is reviewed from time to time, in addition to addressing the concerns of local people.

NTCA

Considering the urgency of the situation, Project Tiger has been converted into a statutory authority (NTCA) by providing enabling provisions in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 through an amendment, viz. Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. This forms one of the urgent recommendations of the Tiger Task Force appointed by the Prime Minister.

The NTCA addresses the ecological as well as administrative concerns for conserving tigers, by providing a statutory basis for protection of tiger reserves, apart from providing strengthened institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and endangered species. The Authority also ensures enforcing of guidelines for tiger conservation and monitoring compliance of the same, apart from placement of motivated and trained officers having good track record as Field Directors of tiger reserves. It also facilitates capacity building of officers and staff posted in tiger reserves, apart from a time bound staff development plan.

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 has come into force with effect from the 4th of September, 2006, and the NTCA has also been constituted on the same date.

St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation

This resolution was adopted In November 2010, by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries (TRCs) assembled at an International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia
It aimed at promoting a global system to protect the natural habitat of tigers and raise awareness among people on white tiger conservation.
The resolution’s implementation mechanism is called the Global Tiger Recovery Program whose overarching goal was to double the number of wild tigers from about 3,200 to more than 7,000 by 2022.
13 Tiger range countries are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Conservation efforts- National and Global:

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status),a mobile monitoring system for forest guards.
At the Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010,leaders of 13 tiger range countries resolved to do more for the tiger and embarked on efforts to double its number in the wild, with a popular slogan ‘T X 2’.
The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI)program of the World Bank,using its presence and convening ability, brought global partners together to strengthen the tiger agenda.
Over the years, the initiative has institutionalized itself as a separate entity in the form of the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC),with its two arms –the Global Tiger Forum and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program.

Global

With the phasing out of the Global Tiger Initiative by the World Bank, which was a global alliance to conserve the tiger, the wild tiger agenda has been mandated to the inter-governmental platform, the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), as an implementing arm of the restructured Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC). A concerted portfolio of performance by tiger range countries (TRCs) is reviewed with complimentary support as a part of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP).

Global Tiger Forum is an international intergovernmental body exclusively set up for the conservation of tigers in the wild in the range countries. Out of the 13 tiger range countries, seven are currently members of GTF: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam besides non-tiger range country U.K. The secretariat is based in New Delhi, India. GTF’s goal is to highlight the rationale for tiger preservation and provide leadership and a common approach throughout the world in order to safeguard the survival of the tiger, its prey, and its habitat.

2. Bandipore Tiger Reserve

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: 50 years of Bandipore

Concept –

It was established in 1973 under Project Tiger. In 1985, by including adjacent areas from Venugopala Wildlife Park, it was enlarged and named as Bandipur National Park.
It is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) of Karnataka and is located at the tri-junction area of the States Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
It forms a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
It lies in one of the richest biodiversity areas of the country. It is surrounded by
- Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu) in the South,
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the South-west &
- The Kabini Reservoir separates the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on the North-west.
It is endowed with rich floral and faunal diversity and is recognized as one of the Mega Biodiversity Areas in the country.
The Bandipur along with Nagarahole, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam & Wayanad constitutes the single largest Wild population of Tigers in the world.
This Landscape is also home to the single largest Asian Elephant population in the world and is part of the Mysore Elephant Reserve (MER).
The park is located between the Kabiniriver in the north and the Moyar river in the south. The Nugu river runs through the park. The highest point in the park is on a hill called Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta

3. India’s unemployment rate rises to 3-month high of 7.8% in March

Subject: Economy

Section: Unemployment and Inflations

Context: India’s unemployment rate rose to a three-month high in March to 7.8percentasthecountry’slabour markets deteriorated, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Concept:

Unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.

PLFS

NSO launched the PLFS in April 2017. The first annual report (July 2017-June 2018) was released in May 2019
According to the third annual report on Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the NSO between July 2019 and June 2020, the unemployment rate fell to 4.8 per cent in 2019-20
. In 2018-19, it stood at 5.8 per cent and 6.1 per cent in 2017-18.

CMIE

According to the Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy (CMIE), the monthly jobless rate which rose to 23.52 per cent in April 2020, it was 10.18 per cent in June 2020,
CMIE is a leading business information company. It was established in 1976, primarily as an independent think tank.
CMIE produces economic and business databases and develops specialised analytical tools to deliver these to its customers for decision making and for research. It analyses the data to decipher trends in the economy.

4. Zee insider trading: Sebi bans 3 individuals from securities market

Subject :Economy

Section: Financial market

SEBI has barred three individuals from the securities market for two years and imposed penalty totalling Rs90 lakh on the mina case pertaining to insider trading activities in the scrip of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL).

Insider Trading

Insider trading is the buying or selling of a publicly-traded company’s shares/debt papers by someone who has confidential information about that shares/debt papers.
Insider trading is defined as a malpractice wherein trade of a company’s securities is undertaken by people who by virtue of their work have access to the otherwise non-public information/confidential information which can be crucial for making investment decisions.
When insiders, e.g. key employees or executives who have access to the strategic information about the company, use the same for trading in the company’s stocks or securities, it is called insider trading.
An insider is a person who possesses either access to valuable non-public information about a corporation or ownership of stock equaling more than 10% of a firm’s equity. This makes a company’s directors and high-level executives insiders.

Mechanism to prevent insider trading

According to SEBI Promoters will be held responsible for violation of insider trading norms, if they possess unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI) regarding the company without any “legitimate purpose”.
Legitimate purpose – Sharing of the UPSI by an insider with partners, collaborators, lenders, customers, suppliers, merchant bankers, legal advisors, auditors, insolvency professionals or other advisors or consultants, provided that such sharing has not been carried out to evade or circumvent the prohibitions of these regulations.

Recommendation of Kotak committee

The committee has recommended flow of unpublished price sensitive information (UPSI) shall be considered for ‘legitimate purpose’, and not an offence under the SEBI (Insider Trading) for those who:
- Is part of the promoter group.
- Has a nominee director on the board.
The information should be pursuant to a formal agreement in accordance with the regulations.
Communication of information must comply with the Insider Trading Regulations.

5. In Bison Hills, wedding bells fall silent as Konda Reddi tribals face ‘cultural trauma’

Subject: Geography

Section: Places in news

A Konda Reddi tribal habitation to be rehabilitated for the Polavaram irrigation project in Alluri Sitaramaraju district.
Konda Reddi tribal community perform rituals that are associated with river Godavari, but with resettlement and rehabilitation the tribals are in a cultural shock.

About Polavaram Project:

The present Polavaram Irrigation Project is a modified proposal of the Ramapada Sagar Project.
It is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation National project on the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.
It will facilitate an inter-basin water transfer from the Godavari River to the Krishna river through its Right canal.
Its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa States also.
The project is a multipurpose major terminal reservoir project for the development of Irrigation, Hydropower and drinking water facilities.
The project was started in 2008, accorded national status in 2014 in the Andhra Pradesh Bifurcation Act.
The Andhra Pradesh government extended the completion date to the 2022 Kharif season.

The Godavari River:

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular River system. It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
It rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
The Godavari basin extends over states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Puducherry.
The Pravara, Manjira and Maner are right bank tributaries and the Purna, Pranhita, Indravathi and Sabari are important left-bank tributaries.

6. Pattanam Mystery

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept :

Pattanam is a village in central Kerala. It is said to be the only multicultural archaeological site on the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent.
Pattanam is a part of Muziris which is called the ‘first emporium’ of the Indian Ocean.
The Greco-Roman classical age came into direct contact with an ancient South Indian civilization in Muziris.
The excavations in Pattanam highlight that there was no caste or institutionalized creed and use of weapons. Moreover, it was a thriving urban centre with a secular society. However, much of the region remains to be excavated.

Excavations in Pattanam

The excavations in the region have unearthed less than 1% of the site.
More than 45 lakh sherds (or ceramic fragments) have been unearthed from the region. These comprise around 1.4 lakh items belonging to regions of the Mediterranean, the River Nile, the Red Sea, the eastern and western Indian Oceans, and the South China Sea.
The seal of a sphinx was also found, which belongs to the ancient Greek city of Thebes.
Based on technological, metallurgical, literary, and artistic advances, it is found that there were rigorous cultural and commercial exchanges in Pattanam.
It is thus inferred that Pattanam was a thriving urban centre that existed from the 5th century B.C. till the 5th century A.D. Moreover, a peak phase was experienced from 100 B.C. to A.D. 300.
Notably, there is no evidence of the existence of institutionalized religion in ancient Pattanam. Moreover, there are no findings of the graded inequality of the caste system that has described contemporary Kerala and most of India.
It should be noted that Pattanam lacks sophisticated weaponry. This is in stark contrast to other contemporary sites like Berenike in Egypt and Khor Rori in Oman.
The fragmentary skeleton remains at graves highlight the “secondary” nature of burial. The dead were first cremated and then osseous remains were ceremoniously buried.
Furthermore, people of different backgrounds were buried in the same way. Thus, suggesting the prevalence of a secular ethos.
The genotype and ancestry analyses of samples show the link to South Asian, West Asian, and Mediterranean lineages.
No artefact indicates any religious customs.
Material evidence highlights that the society lived in harmony with nature, much like the several indigenous societies.
However, much of the site remains to be unearthed.

7. Thirra Dance Form

Subject: History

Section: Art and culture

Concept :

Recently, ‘Nagaraja Thira’ was celebrated at the Sree Muchilottu temple at Kuthiravattom in Kozhikode.

Thirra Dance

Thirra or Theyyam thira is a ritual dance performed in “Kaavu”(grove)& temples of the Malabar region in Kerala State, South India.
This art form is performed by the artists of malaya (the artist who recognised for performing the art form called as a “perumalayan”) community. This art is performed during Utsavam (annual temple festival). Clan deities such as Bhagavathi, Shiva are worshipped in these forms.
Theyyam thira is main sub division of Theyyam. It is similar to the Theyyam dance performed in the same region, except that in Theyyam the performer is considered as the god he is representing, while in Thira the performer is considered as to be possessed by god.
Thira brings the gods to life. Performers dress up with ceremonial facial paint and loud clothing and dance in front of the deity, the bhagavathi. The objective clearly is to bring a sense of awe to the proceedings. Each performer represents a particular deity and is sponsored by devotees as a prayer offering. These dancers are viewed as being possessed by the gods when they are in their act, with devotees queuing up to meet them to share woes and wishes.
The performers belong to the “Peruvannan” caste of, who are given prime importance in Thira. Therefore in Kerala, both upper caste Brahmins, and lower caste tribals have an important place in worship.

8. Novel catalyst offers to make hydrogen more viable as a fuel

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Msc

Concept :

Researchers at IIT Mandi have developed a novel carbon-based catalyst to make water electrolysis more efficient.
Water electrolysis is the process of choice to produce ‘green hydrogen ‘thus making it more significant.

Water electrolysis:

In water electrolysis, water molecules are split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity inside a device called an electrolyser. However, this process consumes a lot of electrical energy.

Findings

A new study has reported a porous carbon material containing nitrogen that functions both as a catalyst and as the anode in electrolyser units – and could substitute the metal-based catalysts.
The researchers produced this material, called ‘laser carbon’, by exposing a sheet of a polymer called polyimide to a laser beam, which carbonised the exposed bits, leaving the remainder rich in nitrogen.
Advantages of the new catalyst:
Laser carbon is “highly power efficient”, cheaper to produce, has a simpler synthesis technique, and “can be batch-manufactured with a laser”.

Hydrogen as Fuel

Hydrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, flammable gaseous substance.
It is a promising energy carrier, which has the potential to address several energy sector-related challenges.
It has the potential to substitute conventional fuels and reduce CO2 related emissions significantly at the point of use.
Further, if green hydrogen is used as fuel, then there is the capability to decarbonize the entire value chain, enabling reduced emissions and climate change threats.

Type of Hydrogen

Grey Hydrogen :
- It constitutes India’s bulk production and is extracted from hydrocarbons (fossil fuels, natural gas).
- It gives CO2 as by product
Blue Hydrogen :
- It is also sourced from fossil fuels.
- However, emissions/ by-products (CO, CO2) are captured and stored.
- Thus, it is better than grey hydrogen
Green Hydrogen :
- It is generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
- The electricity splits water into hydrogen and Oxygen.
- It gives water and water vapour as by-products.
- Thus, it is the best and cleanest type.

9. Chennai Andaman & Nicobar Islands (CANI) Cable

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Awareness in IT and Computers

Concept :

The undersea cable between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Chennai, connecting the Union Territory to global Internet, has seen a reasonable level of interest from telecom operators.
Telecom operators have to buy bandwidth on the system to be able to serve is landers on mobile and fixed line connections with fast Web access.

CANI Cable network

The ‘Chennai Andaman Nicobar Island’ (CANI) cable system is a sub-marine cable system to provide high speed internet to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
It was launched on 30 December 2018 and has been completed in 2020 before its designated deadline.
The CANI cable system have a speed of 100 Gigabit per second.
The sub-marine cable system is laid on the sea bed and the total route length is 2,199.66 km.
It connects the Indian mainland from Chennai with the eight islands of the Union Territory namely: Port Blair, Little Andaman (Hut Ba), Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar (Campbell Bay), Havelock, Long and Rangat.
The cable lands at the beaches and terminate at the proposed beach manhold (BMH) locations and then taken to the cable landing station (CLS) for distribution.

Significance:

It has immense strategic significance to India in addition to assisting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands communications security, especially during natural disasters or failures of other systems.
Telecom connectivity between the mainland and Andaman and Nicobar is through satellites with limited bandwidth capacity.

Submarine Communication Cable

A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea.
These cables use optical fibre technology to carry digital data, which includes telephone, Internet and private data traffic.
They are laid down by using specially-modified ships that carry the submarine cable on board and slowly lay it out on the seabed
The first submarine communications cables laid beginning in the 1850s carried telegraphy traffic, establishing the first instant telecommunications links between continents, such as the first transatlantic telegraph cable which became operational on 16 August 1858.

Optical Fibre

It is used to transmit data using light pulses travelling along with a long fibre which is usually made of plastic or glass.
The fibre optical cable uses the application of total internal reflection of light. The fibres are designed such that they facilitate the propagation of light along with the optical fibre depending on the requirement of power and distance of transmission.

10. IACS’s novel compound treats drug-resistant kala-azar infection

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

Researches at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) has done a experimental work in mice which has shown novel quinoline derivative to be effective in sharply reducing the load of leishmaniasis, also called kalaazar (black fever).

DNA Architecture in parasites

The quinoline derivative is a potent inhibitor of an enzyme called topoisomerase 1 (LdTop1), which is essential for maintenance of DNA architecture in the parasites;
This enzyme is distinct from the one found in humans.
Poisoning of LdTop1 imparts a significant level of cytotoxicity to both the Leishmania parasites found in gut of sandfly vectors (promastigotes) as well as the form found in the infected humans (amastigotes) of both the wild type and the antimony resistant isolates.
It doesn’t induce any lethality to human and mice host cells.

Kala Azar Disease / Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by any species of Leishmania parasite.
It is transmitted by the bite of an infected female sandfly.
In most cases, a person who is infected by the parasite has neither symptoms nor signs of infection and is not considered to have leishmaniasis.
Although there are some 20 different parasites that cause the disease, there are only three different types of leishmaniasis.
Visceral leishmaniasis, which affects multiple organs and is the most serious form of the disease.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores and is the most common form.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin and mucosal lesions.
Visceral leishmaniasis, which is commonly known as Kala-azar in India, is fatal in over 95% of the cases, if left untreated.
It is one of the most neglected tropical diseases and around 95 % of cases are reported from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

Drug Resistant

The only drug available against leishmaniasis, miltefosine, is rapidly losing its effectiveness because of emerging resistance to this drug due to a decrease in its accumulation inside the parasite.
A protein called ‘P4ATPase-CDC50’, is responsible for intake of the drug by the parasite, and another protein, called ‘P-glycoprotein’, is responsible for throwing this drug out from within the parasite’s body.
A decrease in the activity of the former protein, and an increase in the activity of the latter results in less accumulation of miltefosine inside the parasite’s body, thus causing it to become resistant to the drug.

11. Intergalactic stream of cosmic carbon feeding massive galaxy

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Concept :

Radio telescope observations have revealed a cold stream of intergalactic atomic carbon gas feeding star formation in a massive radio galaxy in the young Universe.
The findings provide observational evidence supporting theoretical cosmological models and offer new insights into the origins of the cosmic materials that enable galaxy and star formation.
Galaxies evolve by accreting gas, either in mergers with other galaxies or from streams of cold molecular gas.

Cold dark matter theory:

The theory suggest that hydrogen gas created in the big bang collapses first into sheets and then into filaments strung out across space.
In places where filaments cross or are clustered together, galaxies form and the filaments continue to fuel the growth of galaxies by feeding them a steady stream of gas.

Cosmic Web:

Galaxies across the universe are connected by a complex structure made up of filaments of dark matter and sheets of hydrogen gas. The network connecting these intergalactic filaments is known as cosmic web.
The existence of the cosmic web is central to current theories of how galaxies first formed following the big bang, however, evidence for it had remained largely theoretical.
The recent observations of the cosmic web support the cold dark matter theory of galaxy formation.

12. Can countries be sued over climate change?

Subject : International Relations

Section: International Organisation

Concept :

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been asked to provide an opinion on what kind of obligations countries have towards climate change reduction, based on the promises they have made to the UNFCCC.

Details

Recently, the UNGA passed a resolution seeking opinion from the ICJ regarding the accountability of countries towards climate change reduction, based on the promises they have made by these countries to the UNFCCC.
The resolution passed by consensus had been pushed through by one of the smallest countries in the world, the Pacific Island of Vanuatu.
This island was devastated in 2015 by the effects of Cyclone Pam, believed to have been spurred by climate change.

What does the resolution seek?

Asked the ICJ to deliberate on two questions
What are the obligations of states under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system for present and future generations?
What are the legal consequences under these obligations for states where they, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system?
The resolution refers to several international protocols including the Paris Agreement (2015), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The entire process is expected to take about 18 months for the ICJ to deliberate and deliver its opinion.

India’s position

Cautiously silent about the move
India has thus far been cautiously silent about the move, although it is generally supportive of the need for climate justice.
India is also vocal in holding the developed world accountable for global warming.
It has referred the resolution to legal authorities in the country who will look into the implications and international ramifications of the ICJ opinion.
India did not co-sponsor the draft resolution
India did not join the overwhelming majority of countries that co-sponsored the draft resolution.
Wait and watch mode
India is watching how global powers like the U.S. and China respond to the resolution, as without their support, it will be hard to implement.
India does not want top-down approach in climate change discussion
India was among the countries which voiced concerns about whether launching a judicial process was the best way to reach shared goals.
Successfully tackling the climate crisis is best achieved via diplomatic efforts.
As per India, top-down approach is not needed in the discussion around climate change.

Is the advisory opinion of the ICJ binding?

The ICJ is being asked for an advisory opinion, which by definition would not be legally binding as an ICJ judgment.
However, its clarification of international environmental laws would make the process more streamlined.
The ICJ opinion would carry legal weight and moral authority in dealing with contentious issues such as:
climate reparations by the developed world,
legal culpability for countries that do not achieve their NDC promises, and
climate support to the most vulnerable parts of the world battling the effects of global warming.
This is significant as according to the latest IPCC Synthesis report, global climate levels have already increased 1.1 degrees since pre-industrial levels in the past century.
Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as much as by a half, are required by 2030 to keep this goal.

13. Great Nicobar Project

Subject : Environment

Section: Places in news

Concept :

Great Nicobar Development Plan, spread over 166 sqkm of the 910 sqkm island, is an under-construction mega infrastructure project for the southern tip of Great Nicobar Islandin Andaman Sea of India.
Budget for the project is estimated to be around 72,000 crores.
The Project has geostrategic importance for defence, logistics, commerce and industries, eco-tourism, coastal tourism, Coastal Regulation Zone, etc. It has four components:
Galathea Bay International Container Transhipment Terminal (Galathea Bay ICTT), with 14.2 million TEUs (unit of cargo) capacity eventually.
Great Nicobar International Airport (GNIA): greenfield airport with peak hour capacity of 4,000 passengers.
Great Nicobar Gas and Solar Power Plant (Great Nicobar GSPP): with 450-MVA capacity, spread over 16,610 hectares.
Coastal cities: two new greenfield coastal cities.

Concerns: Environmental impact & mitigation

Flora:

Due to this project, island will loss 12 to 20 hectares of mangrove cover, which will be compensated by afforestation in Haryana’s Aravallis as per rules which allow for such remote compensatory afforestation.

Corals:

To mitigate the risk of loss of corals, the corals will be translocated in the reefs around the island.

Fauna:

The project area within a 10 km radius of Galthea Bay is ecologically sensitive zone and home of rare fauna such as Leatherback Sea Turtles, salt water crocodile, Nicobar macaque.
To mitigate the risk, the Indian MoEFCC’s Expert Appraisal Committee has proposed three conservation sites for fauna – Little Nicobar, Menchal Island and Meroe Island.
People:
This project will increase the population to over 3.5 lakh (350,000), which may cause a threat to the indigenous communities.
Around 1761 inhabitants, including indigenous Shompen people and Nicobarese communities of this island, are likely to be affected by this project.
853 square kilometers of this island is designated as tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956.
This means that the land is meant for exclusive use of the community and others cannot access the area without their express permission.
Around 10% of tribal reserve of the island will be affected by this project.
According to Forest Rights Act, 2006, Shompen people are legal sole authority to preserve the forest reserve.

14. India and Malaysia can now use Indian rupee to settle trade, says MEA

Subject: Economy

Section: External Sector

What has happened?

India and Malaysia have agreed to settle trade in the Indian rupee, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday

How it will happen?

The India International Bank of Malaysia(IIBM) has already operationalized this mechanism by opening a special Rupee Vostro account through its corresponding bank in India, Union Bank of India.

What is Vostro Account?

Vostro accounts are used to make payments in domestic currency. The opening of this account will allow Malaysia to use the Indian Rupee to settle trade payments. This move is expected to be beneficial for both India and Malaysia. It will eliminate the need for foreign exchange conversion and will reduce transaction costs. This development is also expected to lead to increased trade between the two countries, especially in areas such as textiles, automobiles, and electronics.

Why it is significant?

The announcement is seen as a decisive step towards dedollarisation and an effort to safeguard Indian trade from the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its subsequent fallout and sanctions

What is De-dollarization?

De-dollarization is a process of substituting the US dollar as the currency used for:

Trading oil and/ or other commodities

Buying US dollars for the forex reserves
Bilateral trade agreements
Dollar-denominated assets

It happens when the leading central banks diversify their reserves away from the USD to other assets or currencies like the Euro, Renminbi or gold.

The USD (United States Dollar) has been the world’s dominant currency since the conclusion of the second world war. Dollar has also been the most sought reserve currency for decades, which means it is held by central banks across the globe in significant quantities. Dollar is also primarily used in cross-border transactions by nations and businesses.

This unique position not only makes the US the leader in the financial and monetary system, but also provides incomparable leverage when it comes to coercive ability to shape decisions taken by governments, businesses, and institutions.

Causes of this shift:

The USD as a sanctions weapon-The US has for long used imposition of sanctions as a tool to achieve foreign policy and goals, which entails restricting access to US-led services in payment and financial transaction processing domain
The emergence of China,
Slowdown in the US economy,
European Union’s independent policy assertion,
Russia-US detachment, and us-china trade war
increasing voices from across the world to create a polycentric world and financial system in which hegemonic capacities can be muted.
The rise of digital or cryptocurrencies at an increasing pace.

Examples

Dedollarization emerged as a priority for Russia in 2014 in response to the imposition of Western sanctions following the annexation of Crimea that limited the ability of state firms and banks to raise financing in Western markets.
Between 2013 and 2020, the Russian central bank halved its dollar-denominated reserves. In 2021, it revealed plans to completely ditch all dollar assets from its sovereign wealth fund and increase holdings in euros, yuan, and gold instead, thus acquiring a quarter of the world’s yuan reserves.
China also began seeing value in this initiative after the onset of the US-China trade war in 2018 and the use of punitive financial measures by the US.
EU members had switched to INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) which acts as a special-purpose vehicle to facilitate non-USD trade with Iran to avoid US sanctions
The EU remains the largest investor as well the biggest trade partner for Russia, with trade taking place in euros, instead of dollars.
Further, in recent years, Russia has also switched to settlements in national currencies with India (for arms contracts) and the two traditionally strong defence partners are aiming at exploring technology as means for payment in national currencies.

Impact

Reduce trade volatility and risk-The “de-dollarisation” by several central banks is imminent, driven by the desire to insulate them from geopolitical risks, where the status of the US dollar as a reserve currency can be used as an offensive weapon.
As an alternative to economic sanctions.
Reduce demand of USD thus, relative depreciation of USD and imported inflation in the USA.
Push to globalisation
Reduce3 spillover effect of economic crisis in one country to global economy

Challenges

Finding alternatives to the dollar-currency with the right amount of availability, acceptability and stability.
Given the psychological bias, the world will continue to prefer the USD as a “store of value” and a “medium of exchange”, fulfilling the basic functions of money.
Sudden dumping of dollar assets by adversarial central banks will also pose balance sheet risks to them as it will erode the value of their overall dollar-denominated holdings.
No full proof from sanctions – increasing reliance on the euro and thus greater exposure to EU sanctions;
Finding true exchange rate-US dollar being the link currency for determining the exchange value of any two currencies
A new international payments system that could operate as an alternative to the US-dominated SWIFT, as international trade needs a payment and financial system to take place
Dollar’s continued primacy as the medium of exchange in international currency markets, selling euros in exchange for rubles is likely to be difficult without going through the dollar, as Iran learned a few years ago.
Increase economic autonomy

De Dollarization and India:-India, currently among the most dollarized countries (in invoicing) and hence relatively difficult to switch to other modes given the economic and political relation with the USA. However,

While others accumulate dollars from their earnings of trade surplus, India maintains a large forex reserve even though India imports less than it exports. In India’s case, the dollar reserves come through infusion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI), which reflects the confidence of foreign investors in India’s growth prospects. Thus, India is less impacted by economic sanctions of the USA.
Just like Chinese renminbi, Indian rupee is also not yet fully convertible at the exchange markets. While this means that India can control its burden of foreign debt, and inflow of capital for investment purposes in its economy

India remains vulnerable to policy changes by other nations’ monetary policies which are beyond India’s own control. For instance, it has been often highlighted that a tightening of the US monetary policy leads to capital outflows (capital flight) from India, thus impacting India adversely.

Alternatives: Instead of switching dependence from the USD to any other currency like euro, yuan or backing currency to the ‘old gold’ will not solve the problem but repeat the crisis the global economy went through pre-Bretton Woods times.

Currency swap agreements
A central bank digital currency (CBDC) that bypasses the dollar-China submitted a “Global Sovereign Digital Currency Governance” proposal at the Bank for International Settlements to influence global financial rules via its digital currency, the e-Yuan.
A global currency or an arrangement like the IMF’s SDR
Introduction of a new Russia-China payment system, bypassing SWIFT and combining the Russian SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages) with the Chinese CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System).
National electronic payments system-like Russia’s Mir or India’s UPI

15. Kalakshetra teacher booked for harassment, its director gets panel summons

Subject : History

Section: Art and culture

Context: Kalakshetra teacher booked for harassment, its director gets panel summons

Concept:

Kalakshetra Foundation is an arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music.
It is based in Chennai.
It was founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband George Arundale.
In 1994, an Act of the Parliament of India recognised the Kalakshetra Foundation as an “Institute of National Importance.”
The Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam developed by Rukmini Devi Arundale is noted for its angular, straight, ballet-like kinesthetics, and its avoidance of Recakas and of the uninhibited throw (Ksepa) of the limbs.

16. IMF approves $15.6billion loan to Ukraine

Subject: International Relations

Section: International Organisation

Context:

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $15.6bn support package for Ukraine to assist with the conflict-hit country’s economic recovery, the fund has said.
The Russian invasion has devastated Ukraine’s economy, causing activity to contract by around 30 percent last year, destroying much of its capital stock and fuelling poverty, according to the IMF.
The 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme approved by the fund’s board is worth roughly $15.6bn.
It forms the IMF’s portion of a $115bn overall support package comprised of debt relief, grants and loans by multilateral and bilateral institutions, the organisation confirmed in a press conference Friday.
The IMF recently changed its rules to allow loan programmes for countries facing “exceptionally high uncertainty”.

About EFF:

It is a fund created by IMF for helping economies to address serious medium-term balance of payments problems because of structural weaknesses that require time to address.
Assistance under an extended arrangement features longer program engagement to help countries implement medium-term structural reforms with a longer repayment period.
It provides for support for comprehensive programs including the policies needed to correct structural imbalances over an extended period.
Typically approved for periods of three years, but may be approved for periods as long as 4 years (repaid over 4.5–10 years in 12 equal semiannual installments unlike Stand-By Agreement facility which provides support for short period with repayment period of 3.5–5 years.)

Conditions to get help

When a country borrows from the IMF, it commits to undertake policies to overcome economic and structural problems
The IMF’s Executive Board regularly assesses program performance and can adjust the program to adapt to economic developments.
Lending is tied to the IMF’s market-related interest rate, known as the basic rate of charge, which is linked to the Fund’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR) interest rate.
EFF is guided by a country’s financing needs, capacity to repay, and track record with past use of IMF resources:
Normal access: Borrowing under an EFF is subject to the normal limit of 145 percent annually of a country’s IMF quota, (IMF quota broadly reflects a country’s position in the global economy), and a cumulative limit over the life of the program of 435 percent of its quota, net of scheduled repayments.
Exceptional access: The Fund may lend amounts exceeding these limits in exceptional circumstances provided that a country satisfies a predetermined set of criteria.

17. Sudan factions delay post-coup deal on civilian rule

Subject: International relations

Section: MSc

Context: Sudanese leaders have postponed the signing of an agreement planned for Saturday to resume a short-lived democratic transition, an official has said, amid continued disagreement between military factions.