Daily Prelims Notes 22 July 2020

July 22, 2020
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Table Of Contents

1. Bharatanatyam and musical instruments

Subject: Arts and culture

Context:

The Madras High Court directed Tamil Nadu government to safeguard the interests of traditional musicians such as those who play Thavil and lamented that the art and artistes were on the verge of extinction.

Concept:

Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old.
Several texts beginning with Bharata Muni’s NatyaShastra (200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.) provide information on this dance form.
The AbhinayaDarpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance.
Bharatnatyam dance is known to be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance.
In the early 19th century, the famous Tanjore Quartette, under the patronage of Raja Serfoji are said to have been responsible for the repertoire of Bharatnatyam dance as we see it today.
The accompanying orchestra consists of a vocalist, amridangam player, violinist or veena player, a flautist and a cymbal player. The person who conducts the dance recitation is the Nattuvanar.

Musical instruments

In the NatyaShastra, compiled by Bharat Muni dated 200 B.C.-200 A.D., musical instruments have been divided into four main categories on the basis of how sound is produced.

(i) The Tata Vadya or Chordophones- Stringed instruments
(ii) The SushiraVadya or Aerophones- Wind instruments
(iii) The AvanaddhaVadya or Membranophones- Percussion instruments
(iv) The Ghana Vadya or Idiophones- Solid instruments which do not require tuning.

2. N 95 respirator

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

The Union Health Ministry cautioned against the use of N-95 valved respirator/masks as it does not offer the desired protection against the spread of COVID-19.

Concept:

The evidence which suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are COVID-19 positive or asymptomatic, then propensity of that person infecting others is there.

Source: The Hindu

An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles
N95 mask named because it is able to block at least 95% of particles in the air that are of the size 0.3 microns or bigger (1 micron is a millionth of a metre).
A single SARS-CoV2 virus is typically up to 0.2 microns in size, so it can possibly penetrate the N95 mask.
N:This is a Respirator Rating Letter Class. It stands for “Non-Oil” meaning that if no oil-based particulates are present, then it can be used in the work environment.
Other masks ratings are R (resistant to oil for 8 hours) and P (oil proof).

3. Asteroid 2020 ND

Subject: Geography

Context:

NASA has issued a warning that a huge “Asteroid 2020 ND” will move past Earth on July 24.

Concept:

This asteroid is about 170 metres-long and will be as close as 0.034 astronomical units (5,086,328 kilometres) to our planet, and is travelling at a speed of 48,000 kilometres per hour.
Its distance from Earth has placed it in the potentially dangerous category.
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less are considered PHA.

Threats:

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program finds, tracks and characterises over 90 per cent of the predicted number of NEOs that are 140 metre or larger which according to the space agency are of “the greatest concern” due to the level of devastation that their impact is capable of causing.
No asteroid larger than 140 metre has a “significant” chance of hitting the Earth for the next 100 years.

Measures:

Over the years, scientists have suggested different ways to ward off such threats, such as blowing up the asteroid before it reaches Earth, or deflecting it off its Earth-bound course by hitting it with a spacecraft.
Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA), which includes NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera. The mission’s target is Didymos, a binary near-Earth asteroid, one of whose bodies is of the size that could pose the most likely significant threat to Earth.

4. Recombinant DNA

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Recombinant DNA technology may see enormous growth in post covid-19 as it plays important role in vaccine development

Concept:

Recombinant DNA involves cutting a piece of original DNA and inserting in its place a different segment of DNA having desired characters. The recombined or recomposed DNA is then copied multifold inside bacterial cells and stored in a gene library for use when required.
Recombinant DNA technology resulted from the two discoveries made while experimenting with bacteria :

1. presence of plasmids or extra chromosomal DNA fragments in the bacterial cell which replicate along with bacterial DNA and can be used as a vector for carrying foreign DNA.

2. presence of specific restriction enzymes which attack and cut DNA at specific sites.

Recombinant DNA technology is widely used in Agriculture to produce genetically-modified organisms
It is used for the production of medicines like insulin

Source: Biology Discussion

5. Garib kalyan Rojgar yojana

Subject: Economy

Context:

Stimulus package in pandemic hit economy

Concept:

The livelihood opportunities will come up in 116 districts spread over six states namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha who have received substantial numbers of migrants through the Common Service Centres and KrishiVigyanKendras
This campaign of 125 days, which will work in mission mode, will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to the migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country on the other hand, with a resource envelope of Rs. 50,000 crore.
The Abhiyaan will be a coordinated effort between 12 different Ministries/Departments, namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport & Highways, Mines, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, New & Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture.

6. Article 159

Subject: Polity

Context:

Tussle between Governor and Chief Minister in West Bengal shed light on constitutional provisions of State government

Concept:

It provides that every person appointed a Governor or required to discharge the functions of a Governor, before taking charge of the office, shall take an oath or make an affirmation of office.
The article also contains the form of the oath according to which the Governor undertakes to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law”.
Provisions of the Constitution inter alia require the Governor to discharge his functions with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers except in matters specifically mentioned for being handled in his discretion.

7. Winter and covid

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

A collaborative study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar found that fall in temperature with seasonal progression towards winter will environmentally favour COVID-19 transmission in India.

Findings:

Low temperature and high humidity appear to favour the spread of the disease.
An increase in temperature by one degree leads to a 0.99% decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases
In terms of doubling time, a one-degree rise in temperature leads to slowing by 1.13 days. Similarly, an increase in 10% relative humidity leads to an increase in doubling time by 1.18 days
The progression of the season towards monsoon, post-monsoon, and after that winter with a continuous reduction in temperature will prove a significant challenge for health workers and policymakers attempting to enforce mitigation and control measures

8. Serological surveys

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

One in every five individuals has shown the presence of antibodies that indicate exposure to the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in a serological survey conducted in Delhi

Concept:

A serological survey seeks to assess the prevalence of disease in a population by detecting the presence of specific antibodies against the virus.
A serological test is performed to diagnose infections and autoimmune illnesses.
It can also be conducted to check if a person has developed immunity to certain diseases.
It includes IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test which estimates the proportion of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The IgG test is not useful for detecting acute infections, but it indicates episodes of infections that may have occurred in the past.

9. Fundamental Rights of Police

Subject: Polity

Context:

While issuing a first-of-its-kind ‘gag order’ or ‘code of conduct’ for personnel of Gujarat Police regarding their usage of social media, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) said that police do not enjoy the same rights as citizens.

Concept:

Article 33 empowers the Parliament to restrict or abrogate the fundamental rights of the members of armed forces, para-military forces, police forces, intelligence agencies and analogous forces.
The objective of this provision is to ensure the proper discharge of their duties and the maintenance of discipline among them.
The power to make laws under Article 33 is conferred only on Parliament and not on state legislatures.
Any such law made by Parliament cannot be challenged in any court on the ground of contravention of any of the fundamental rights.
Accordingly, the Parliament has enacted the Army Act (1950), the Navy Act (1950), the Air Force Act (1950), the Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1966, the Border Security Force Act and so on.
These impose restrictions on their freedom of speech, right to form associations, right to be members of trade unions or political associations, right to communicate with the press, right to attend public meetings or demonstrations, etc.
The expression members of the armed forces also cover non-combatants in armed forces.

10. IT Form 26AS

Subject: Economy

Context:

Income Tax Department has launched a revised Form 26AS or Annual Information Statement from this assessment year, which will reflect details of all high-value transactions.

Concept:

Form 26AS is a consolidated annual tax statement that includes information on tax deducted/collected at source, advance tax, self-assessment that is available on the Income Tax website against a taxpayer’s Permanent Account Number (PAN).
It will enhance the flow of information between taxpayers and tax authorities
Earlier tax department receives information from financial institutions and then acting upon it, there would now be a greater onus on taxpayers to comply in a voluntary manner.

11. Extended Producer responsibility

Subject: Environment

Context:

With increasing biomedical waste like PPE ,Centre needs to stitch together a national protocol that combines The Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, with the recently released Environment Ministry guidelines on ‘extended producer responsibility’ (EPR) for producers of plastic.

Concept:

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility financial and/or physical for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.
Assigning such responsibility could in principle provide incentives to prevent wastes at the source, promote product design for the environment and support the achievement of public recycling and materials management goals.

12. Repurposed medicines and Compulsory licensing

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Repurposed drugs are used in COVID treatment.

Concept:

Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is a drug development strategy predicated on the reuse of existing licensed drugs for new medical indications

Compulsory licensing and section 92

Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.
It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
Indian law permits the government to issue a compulsory licence in certain circumstances of a public health crisis under Section 92 of the Indian Patents Act. This would allow third parties to manufacture a patented drug without permission of the patent holder.

13. Record Temperature Verkhoyansk

Subject: Environment

Context:

Temperatures exceeded 38C in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk on 20 June, the highest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic circle.

Concept:

This new record breaks the Arctic town’s 32-year record it set on 25 July 1988, which was a sweltering 37.3 degrees Celsius set on 25 July 1988.
The town of about 1,300 is located farther north than Fairbanks, Alaska, and is known for having an unusually wide temperature range.
During the winter, Verkhoyansk is one of the coldest spots in the world, with temperatures frequently dipping well below minus-50 degrees.
It has accelerated the melting of snow and ice; contributed to permafrost melt, and have gotten the Siberian wildfire season off to an unusually early and severe start.
An international team of climate scientists found the record average temperatures were likely to happen less than once every 80,000 years without human-induced climate change.
That makes such an event “almost impossible” had the world not been warmed by greenhouse gas emissions, they conclude in the study.
The scientists described the finding as “unequivocal evidence of the impact of climate change on the planet”.

14. One health

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

There is increasing evidences of disease spread from plants and animals to humans.

Concept:

‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment
The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses and combatting antibiotic resistance.

Need:

Human populations are growing and expanding into new geographic areas. As a result, more people live in close contact with wild and domestic animals, both livestock and pets. Animals play an important role in our lives, whether for food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, education, or companionship. Close contact with animals and their environments provides more opportunities for diseases to pass between animals and people.
The earth has experienced changes in climate and land use, such as deforestation and intensive farming practices. Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats can provide new opportunities for diseases to pass to animals.
The movement of people, animals, and animal products has increased from international travel and trade. As a result, diseases can spread quickly across borders and around the globe.