Daily Prelims Notes 20 July 2024

July 20, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

20 July 2024

Table Of Contents

1. What caused the global Microsoft outage?

Sub: Sci

Sec: Awareness it and computer

Context:

A major outage in Microsoft’s cloud services on Friday (July 19) has hit businesses across the world, from airlines and financial services to media groups and healthcare.

More on News?

It was reported that on late Thursday several users in the Central US region experienced issues with Azure services and its Microsoft 365 suite of apps.
The list of services impacted by the outage includes Microsoft Defender, Intune, Teams, PowerBI, Fabric, OneNote, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, Windows 365, Viva Engage, Microsoft Purview, and the Microsoft 365 admin center.

What caused the outage?

Microsoft has revealed that the outage which prevented users from accessing several Microsoft 365 apps was due to a ‘Configuration change’.
According to Microsoft’s Service Health Status page, the configuration change in a section of their Azure backend workloads was causing interruption between storage and compute resources.
This rendered several apps from Microsoft 365 apps unusable.
Another potential reason cited by the news report is a wrong software update from the cybersecurity company called Crowdstrike which produces anti-virus software.
Fault in the “Falcon sensor” used by US-based cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike caused System crash with blue screen of death (BSOD) errors. impacting many organizations and services worldwide, including banks, airlines, airports, TV stations, and hospitals.

What is ‘Configuration change’?

Configuration change control is a set of processes and approval stages required to change a configuration object’s attributes and to re baseline them.
All proposed configuration changes must maintain or enhance the level of system security and shall not, in any way, degrade existing levels of system security safeguards.

What is the Blue screen of death?

The blue screen of death is a critical error screen displayed by Microsoft Windows.
It indicates a system crash, in which the operating system reaches a critical condition where it can no longer operate safely.
BSoDs can be caused by poorly written device drivers or malfunctioning hardware, such as faulty memory, power supply issues, overheating of components, or hardware running beyond its specification limits.

2. UPSC chairman Manoj Soni resigns citing ‘personal reasons’

Subject: Polity

Sec: Msc

Context:

Manoj Soni, chairman of UPSC, has resigned for personal reasons before his term ends in May 2029. Soni now wants to focus on “socio-religious activities”.

More about News:

His resignation is “not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)”
At the time of joining the MSU, Soni was the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor in India.
A scholar of political science with specialisation in international relations, Soni taught international relations at Sardar Patel University (SPU), Vallabh Vidyanagar between 1991 and 2016, except for the period when he served as Vice-Chancellor of the two universities.
UPSC is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of ten members. At present, there are seven members in the UPSC, three less than its sanctioned strength.

Public Service Commissions:

Article 312of the Indian Constitution, the Parliament is entitled to create one or more All India services (including an All India Judicial Service) common to the Union and the States.The recruitment to all these services is made by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the central recruiting agencyin India.
It is an independent constitutional body.The provisions regarding the composition of UPSC, appointment and removal of its members and the powers and functions of UPSC are provided in Part XIV of the Indian Constitution under Article 315 to Article 323.

Constitutional Provisions:

Article 315:Constitution of Public Service Commissions (PSC) for the Union and for the States of India.
Article 316:Appointment and term of office of members of UPSC as well as SPSC.
Article 317:Removal and suspension of a member of both the UPSC or SPSC.

Composition of Union Public Service Commission:

Appointment of Members: The Chairman and other members of the UPSC are appointed by the President of India.
Term of Office: Any member of the UPSC shall hold office for a term of six years or till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Reappointment: Any person who has once held the office as a member of a Public Service Commission is ineligible for reappointment to that office.
Resignation: A member of the Union Public Service Commission may resign from his/her office by submitting the written resignation to the President of India.
Removal/Suspension of Members: The Chairman or any other member of UPSC shall only be removed from his/her office by order of the President of India.
The President can suspend the Chairman or any other member from his/her office in respect of whom a reference has been made to the Supreme Court.
Conditions for Removal: The Chairman or any other member of UPSC may be removed if he/she:
- is adjudged an insolvent.
- engages during his/her term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his/her office.
- is, in the opinion of the President, unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body.
Restriction of Power: The conditions of service of a member of UPSC shall not be amended after his/her appointment that may lead to his/her disadvantage.

3. Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory ‘illegal’: U.N. top court

Sub : IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated that Israel’s long-term occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and should end immediately.

Details:

This advisory opinion, although not binding, comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s Settlement Policies:

Israel’s actions, including building new settlements and maintaining a separation wall, are considered as annexing large parts of the occupied territory.

U.N. and ICJ Proceedings:

The U.N. General Assembly sought the ICJ’s opinion on Israel’s violation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination and discriminatory measures.
The ICJ’s opinion on the legal status of Israel’s occupation and its implications for the U.N. and other countries was also requested.
Historically, the ICJ has provided non-binding advisory opinions on similar disputes, such as Kosovo’s independence and South Africa’s occupation of Namibia.
In 2004, the ICJ declared parts of Israel’s separation wall illegal and called for its removal, a ruling Israel has not complied with.

About ICJ:

ICJ was established in 1945 by the United Nations charter and started working in April 1946.
It is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, situated at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).
Unlike the six principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York (USA).
It settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions in accordance with international law, on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.
It has 193 state parties and current President is Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam.

Structure of ICJ:

The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. These organs vote simultaneously but separately.
In order to ensure a measure of continuity, one third of the Court is elected every three years and Judges are eligible for re-election.
ICJ is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ. Its official languages are English and French.
The 15 judges of the Court are distributed in following regions:
- Three from Africa.
- Two from Latin America and Caribbean.
- Three from Asia.
- Five from Western Europe and other states.
- Two from Eastern Europe.
Unlike other organs of international organizations, the Court is not composed of representatives of governments. Members of the Court are independent judges whose first task, before taking up their duties, is to make a solemn declaration in open court that they will exercise their powers impartially and conscientiously.
In order to guarantee his or her independence, no Member of the Court can be dismissed unless, in the unanimous opinion of the other Members, he/she no longer fulfils the required conditions. This has in fact never happened.

4. Bhil tribe have demanded a separate Bhil Pradesh

Subject: Polity

Sec: Msc

Context:

A large number of people from the Bhil tribe recently gathered at a rally in Rajasthan’s Mangarh Dham, where Banswara’s Member of Parliament Rajkumar Roat again raised the “long due” demand for an independent ‘Bhil state’.

More about News:

“In a democracy, there is freedom of expression. Every person has a right to demand, and there should be smaller states as it is good for development. However, creating a state on the basis of caste is not apt. If it is Adivasis today, tomorrow you will have other communities demanding the same on the basis of their caste, which is not good for the society and the country, while we talk of social harmony.”
The idea of a tribal state, comprising parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Bhill Tribe:

Largest tribal groups, living in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
They speak Bhili, which is an Indo Aryan language.
Baneshwar fair is the main festival celebrated among the Bhils. This fair is held during the period of Shivratri (in the month of January or February) and is dedicated to Baneshwar Mahadev also known as Lord Shiva.
The name is derived from the word ‘billu’, which means bow.
Excellent archers coupled with deep knowledge about their local geography.
Traditionally, experts in guerrilla warfare, most of them today are farmers and agricultural labourers. They are also skilled

Bhil Pradesh:

The demand for a separate tribal state in western India was previously put forward by regional parties such as the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP). The BTP was formed in 2017 in Gujarat, with this issue as a major agenda.
The Bhil community has been demanding that 49 districts be carved out of the four states to establish Bhil Pradesh.
Bhil social reformer and spiritual leader Govind Guru first raised the demand for a separate state for tribals back in 1913.
This was after the Mangarh massacre, which took place six years before Jallianwalla Bagh and is sometimes referred to as the “Adivasi Jallianwala”. It saw hundreds of Bhil tribals being killed by British forces on November 17, 1913, in the hills of Mangarh on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border.

Why do tribals want separate state?

” According to the 2011 census, tribals comprise almost 14% of Rajasthan’s population and are mainly concentrated in the Vagad region, comprising Pratapgarh, Banswara Dungarpur and parts of Udaipur districts.

Constitutional Provisions:

Indian constitution empowers the Union government to create new states out of existing states or two merge one state with other. This process is called reorganisation of the states.
The basis of reorganisation could be linguistic, religious, ethnic or administrative.
Article 3spells out the modes/ways of formation of States in the country.
- by separation of territory from any State
- by uniting two or more States or parts of States or
- by uniting any territory to a part of any State.
Article 3 provides the following procedure:
- Presidential reference is sent to State Assembly.
- After presidential reference, a resolution is tabled and passed in Assembly.
- Assembly has to pass a Bill creating the new State/States.
- A separate Bill has to be ratified by Parliament.

5. HC quashes exemption from RTE quota for private schools

Subject: Polity

Sec: Msc

Context:

The Bombay High Court quashed the Maharashtra government’s recent notification which had exempted private schools — located within one kilometre radius of a government or government-aided school — from providing a 25% quota for students belonging to “weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood”.

Right To Education (RTE):

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards. Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010.
The quota comes under Section 12(1)(C) of The Right Of Children To Free And Compulsory Education Act, 2009. Students admitted under this quota are given fee concessions, with the state government meant to reimburse private schools for the same.

What did the rule say?

The “local authority shall not identify the private unaided school, for the purposes of 25% admission of disadvantaged group and weaker section under the Maharashtra Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2013, where government schools and aided schools are situated within one-kilometre radius of that school.”
In Kerala, the fee concession for students is only made available to RTE quota students if there are no government or aided schools “within walking distance”, which is one km for students joining Class 1.

Why have states introduced such exemptions?

In Karnataka, when the rule was introduced in 2018, the primary intention of RTE is to provide education to all classes of students… Till date, Karnataka has allowed parents to admit children to private schools despite having government schools in the same neighbourhood. This has resulted in the enrollment ratio [in government schools] dropping drastically.”
According to Section 12(2) of the RTE Act, state governments are bound to reimburse expenses incurred by the school per child, or the fee amount, whichever is less.
In Maharashtra, the Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) threatened to boycott RTE admissions last December citing pending payments of Rs 1,800 crore in reimbursements.

Why was the notification criticised?

Section 12(1)(C) of the RTE Act that mandates 25% reservation of seats to children from disadvantaged backgrounds is in the direction of contesting the education apartheid in the country, and bringing parity and equality of opportunity for all children. Maharashtra government’s amendment is unjustified. Bottom of Form
One of the intentions of this law (the quota) was to enable students from marginalised backgrounds to get education in good schools.

6. India-Japan Carbon Crediting Mechanism

Sub : Env

Sec: Climate change

Objective:
- India plans to enter into a carbon trading and carbon credit adjustment mechanism with Japan.
- Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) with shared emission-reduction credits.
Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC):
- India and Japan plan to sign an MoC to establish the JCM.
- MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) authorized to sign the MoC.
Carbon Credits Allocation:
- Carbon credits will be allocated through a structured process.
- Registry to track these credits.
- Credits allocated to respective registries of India and Japan.
- Used towards the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of both countries.
- Credits can be used for NDCs and international mitigation purposes.
Economic and Financial Impact:
- Boost job creation by attracting investments in low-carbon and clean technologies.
- Financial implications included in project planning.
Technological Facilitation:
- Japan to facilitate the transfer of technology, finance, and capacity building.
Paris Agreement Compliance:
- JCM formed under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.
- Implementation according to relevant domestic laws and regulations.
Joint Committee Responsibilities:
- Develop rules, guidelines, and procedures for JCM.
- Cover project cycle procedures, methodologies, design documents, monitoring, and third-party entities designation.
- Decisions require prior confirmation from both governments unless specified otherwise.
Emission Reductions Recognition:
- Credits contribute to the NDCs of both countries while avoiding double counting.

Key Points:

India and Japan collaborate on a carbon trading and credit adjustment mechanism.
Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) established with shared emission-reduction credits.
Projects approved by a Joint Committee and credits tracked via a registry.
Credits allocated to India and Japan’s registries and used for NDCs.
Boost job creation by attracting investments in low-carbon and clean technologies.
Japan facilitates the transfer of technology, finance, and capacity building.
JCM formed under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and follows domestic laws.
Joint Committee develops rules and guidelines for JCM implementation.

Carbon Credits and Carbon Credit Mechanisms

Purpose of Carbon Credits:

Carbon Credit: A financial instrument issued to an entity (company or body) for activities that avoid the emission of CO2 or absorb already emitted CO2 (sequestration).
Permit: Allows the holder to emit a certain amount of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. One credit equals one ton of CO2.
Mechanism: Devised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through market-oriented approaches.
Cap-and-Trade System:
- Credits Allocation: Companies receive a set number of credits, which decline over time.
- Trade: Companies can sell excess credits to other companies.
- Incentive: Encourages companies to reduce emissions as they can profit from selling surplus credits.

History and Development:

Kyoto Protocol (1997): Created a market for reducing greenhouse gases by assigning monetary value to emission reductions.
- Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): One of the flexible mechanisms defined by the Kyoto Protocol.
- Reduction Targets: Signatory countries agreed to specific reduction targets.
- Carbon Credits Trading: Credits can be sold to governments or companies failing to meet reduction targets.
Durban Climate Change Conference (2011): Expanded and updated goals from the initial Kyoto Protocol agreement.
Paris Agreement (2020): Replaced the Kyoto Protocol, continuing the carbon markets.

Mechanisms Under Kyoto Protocol:

Removal Unit (RMU): Based on land use, land-use change, and forestry activities like reforestation.
Emission Reduction Unit (ERU): Generated by a joint implementation project.
Certified Emission Reduction (CER): From a clean development mechanism project activity.
Registry Systems: Track and record transfers and acquisitions of these units.

Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMO):

New Mechanism: For international emissions trading between Parties to the Paris Agreement.
- Article 6(2) of Paris Agreement: Stipulates general rules but details are still to be established.
Adjustment Mechanism: Ensures only one party takes credit for emission reductions.
NDC Compliance: Countries can include emission reductions from other countries in their NDC.
Financial Flexibility:
- Buyer Country: Can finance lower-cost emissions reductions in another country to meet its own commitment.
- Seller Country: Can finance domestic mitigation beyond its resources.