Daily Prelims Notes 21 February 2022
- February 21, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
21 February 2022
Table Of Contents
- INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY
- Where have all the ₹2,000 notes gone?
- PASHMINA SHAWLS
- SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
- LEPROSY
- ACCESSIBLE INDIA CAMPAIGN
- PROGRESSIVE & REGRESSIVE TAXATION
- RIVER POLLUTION
1. INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY
TOPIC: Polity
Context- The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2022 — “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities”
Concept-
International Mother Language Day:
- In November 1999, the UNESCO General Conference approved the declaration of February 21 as International Mother Language Day, in response to the declining state of many languages.
- It has been observed throughout the world since 2000.
- According to the UNESCO, at least 43% of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.
- The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2022 — “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities”.
- The central idea is to leverage technology to support and enrich the teaching-learning experience on a multi-lingual level.
- Technology can provide new tools for protecting linguistic diversity. Such tools, for example, facilitating their spread and analysis, allow us to record and preserve languages which sometimes exist only in oral form.
UNESCO:
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).
- It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
- It is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Headquarters are located in Paris.
- Some important conventions and International treaties of UNESCO to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage:
- The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)
- The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)
- The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)
- The Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001)
- The Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
- The Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property (1970)
2. Where have all the ₹2,000 notes gone?
TOPIC: Economy
Context- No fresh indent for printing of ₹2,000 notes was given to the RBI during FY20 and FY21, govt told Lok Sabha.
Concept-
- There is a disconnect between the number of ₹2,000 notes in circulation as per Reserve Bank of India data and their churn out in day-to- day transactions.
Impact of shortage of ₹2,000 notes:
- Customers are paying the price for the shortage of ₹2,000 notes.
- ATMs can dispense only 40 notes at one go, we can only withdraw ₹20,000.
- If there are ₹2,000 notes too in an ATM tray, it will be better for a customer in the wake of higher ATM use charges these days. So, banks are actually gaining due to this.
TOPIC: Art & Culture
Context- Srinagar-born designer Zubair Kirmani repurposing the shawls as wall hangings using kufic calligraphy.
Concept-
Pashmina Shawls:
- Pashmina is known world over as cashmere wool, it comes from a special goat (Capra hircus) living at an altitude of 12000 to 14000 ft.
- Shawls are produced by two techniques, loom woven or kani shawls and the needle embroidered or sozni shawls.
- Pashmina Shawls are GI certified.
Kufic calligraphy:
- Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument.
- Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts.
- Arabic calligraphy became one of the most important branches of Islamic Art.
- The name of the script derives from Kufa, a city in southern Iraq which was considered as an intellectual center within the early Islamic period.
TOPIC: Science & Tech.
Context- The Centre is working on a national policy on synthetic biology, an emerging science that deals with engineering life forms for a wide range of applications from making designer medicines to foods.
Concept-
- The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology released a draft foresight paper on synthetic biology.
- As part of the 12th Five-Year Plan, India had set up a task force on systems biology and synthetic biology re- search in 2011.
- However, Parliament is yet to clear the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013, for the creation of an independent regulator to adjudicate research around genetic engineering including synthetic biology.
Synthetic Biology:
- Synthetic biology refers to the science of using genetic sequencing, editing, and modification to create unnatural organisms or organic molecules that can function in living systems. e.g. GM crops.
- Synthetic biology is seen as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies as part of the “new industrial revolution”.
- The term ‘synthetic biology’ was first used by Barbara Hobomin in 1980, to describe bacteria that had been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology.
- Synthetic biology enables scientists to design and synthesise new sequences of DNA from scratch.
- Instances of application of synthetic biology include the use of gene editing systems such as CRISPR that allow defective genes in animals, plants and even people to be silenced, or changed, and control biological outcomes.
TOPIC: Science & Tech.
Context- The COVID-19 pandemic leading to social distancing and lockdowns caused a fall of 62.5% in the detection of active leprosy cases in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh due to COVID induced restrictions, says a study.
Concept-
About The Report:
- The latest report by the Leprosy Mission Trust India, “The pandemic and the people’s plight”, says that active case finding activities had been suspended in most States since April 2020.
- The report highlights that the proportions of multibacillary (MB) leprosy and grade-2 disability (G2D) among the new cases increased by 20% and 12%, respectively, from April to September 2020, compared with the figures for the corresponding six-month period in 2019.
- Moreover, the proportion of women and children among new cases decreased by 70% from the numbers during the two quarters in 2019.
Leprosy:
- Leprosy is also known as Hansen’s Disease.
- It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Leprae. It is a disease that leaves a terrifying image in its wake of mutilation, rejection, and exclusion from society.
- Genetic evidence supports the existence of Leprosy infections in hundred-thousand-year-old remains.
- Symptoms: Red patches on the skin, skin lesion, and numbness in arms, hands, and legs, ulcers on the soles of feet, muscle Weakness and excessive weight loss.
- It usually takes about 3-5 years for symptoms to appear after coming into contact with Leprosy causing bacteria. The long incubation period makes it difficult for doctors to determine when and where the person got infected.
- Infected areas: Skin, Peripheral nerves, Upper respiratory tract and Lining of the nose.
- It is transmitted mainly by breathing airborne droplets from the affected individuals. It can be contacted at any age.
- If not treated on time, Leprosy can lead to significant disability, disfigurement, permanent nerve damage in arms and legs and even loss of sensation in the body.
- Leprosy is curable with the combination of drugs known as Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT).
Steps Taken to Eliminate Leprosy:
- World Health Organisation’s Global Leprosy Strategy (2016).
- National Leprosy Control Programme (NLCP) was launched by the Govt. of India in 1954- 55.
- Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) came into wide use from 1982, and the National Leprosy Eradication Programme was introduced in 1983.
- India achieved the goal set by the National Health Policy, 2002 of elimination of leprosy as a public health problem, defined as less than 1 case per 10,000 population, at the National level in December 2005.
- In 2016, the draconian colonial era’s Lepers Act was repealed.
- In 2017, the SPARSH Leprosy Awareness Campaign was launched to promote awareness and address the issues of stigma and discrimination.
- In 2019, Lok Sabha passed a Bill seeking to remove Leprosy as a ground for divorce.
TOPIC: Governance
Context- Almost half the government buildings in States and Union Territories identified during access audits in 2016-17 have been made accessible to people with disabilities, while only around 8% of public buses have become fully accessible under the Accessible India campaign ending in June, according to government data.
Concept-
Accessible India Campaign:
- It was launched by the Prime Minister of India on International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December 2015.
- The Campaign was launched in 2015 with the goal of making selected government buildings, transportation and websites accessible for persons with disabilities by March 2018.
- The deadline was then extended to March 2020 and then again to June 2022.
- Three Components of AIC
- Built Environment Accessibility
- Transportation System Accessibility
- Information and Communication Eco-System Accessibility
Background:
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the PwD Act, 1995.
- Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 provided for non-discrimination in transport and in the built environment.
- United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory, under Article 9 casts obligations on the Governments for ensuring to PwDs accessibility to:
- Information,
- Transportation,
- Physical Environment,
- Communication Technology and
- Accessibility to Services as well as emergency services.
7. PROGRESSIVE & REGRESSIVE TAXATION
TOPIC: Economy
Context- It is a myth that the poor don’t pay taxes as they pay a significant amount through indirect taxes.
Concept-
Some ‘taxing’ issues in India’s fiscal policy:
- The ‘middle- class’ complain that while they pay taxes, the poor get all the subsidies from the government. This is not true. The poor people pay all kinds of indirect taxes like the GST, excise, and sales tax when they buy goods.
- Second, all rich people do not necessarily pay income tax. Rich farmers in India do not have to pay any tax on the so-called ‘agricultural income’.
- Third, tax collections from indirect taxes like GST, Customs duties, sales tax and excise are becoming more and more important relative to direct taxes revenues like personal income tax and corporate profit tax.
What is progressive and regressive taxation?
- Progressive tax: Progressive tax is the one where the tax rate increases with the taxpayer’s income. The correct interpretation is that the tax liability for a taxpayer increases with his income in terms of proportion of income and in absolute amount.
- Tax burden of the taxpayer also goes up when the tax is progressive.
- An example for progressive taxation is: 10% tax rate for income of Rs 2 lakh, 20% for Rs 5 lakh and 30% for Rs 10 lakh. Here, the tax liability or the absolute amount as well as the proportion of income to be paid as tax increases with income of the taxpayer.
- Ideally, the tax system should be progressive, and it should not be regressive.
- Regressive tax: In the case of regressive tax, the tax rate decreases with increase in income. Here, the tax liability of the taxpayer decreases with increase in his income.
- Or in other words, the proportion of his income to be paid as tax decreases with increase in income.
- For example, suppose, there is 30% tax for Rs 2 lakh, 20% for Rs 5 lakh and 10% for Rs 10 lakh. Here, the tax liability or the amount of the income to be paid as tax decreases with increase in income.
- The tax rates may be proportional as well. Here, tax rate is same for all slabs of income.
- Ideally, tax revenue should come from the rich people to ensure progressiveness. A progressive tax system is beneficial for the poor people.
TOPIC: Geography
Context- The Sutlej and its tributaries in Punjab are extremely polluted. The state’s air quality index is a matter of deep concern.
Concept-
- More than half of Punjab’s districts have reported dangerous levels of uranium, arsenic, cadmium and lead in their groundwater.
Rivers in Punjab:
- Since the partition of India in 1947, only two-and-a-half Rivers of the Indus system have been flowing through Punjab.
- These include the Sutlej, the Beas and some part of the Ravi.
- The others — Jhelum and Chenab — now mostly flow through Pakistan, which has also been allocated their waters through the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
- Sutlej that has suffered the most from pollution.
River Sutlej:
- The Sutlej is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world.
- It originates from Lake Rakshastal, near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet.
- The river is 1,550 km long, passing through the Himalayas.
- The Sutlej enters the plains at the town of Nangal in Punjab’s Rupnagar district. It flows through Rupnagar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ferozepur districts, covering a distance of 440 km, before entering Pakistan.
- The Bhakra dam is built on the Sutlej near Nangal. Much of the river’s water is stored in the GobindSagar reservoir for hydroelectricity.