Daily Prelims Notes 24 February 2023

February 24, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

24 February 2023

Table Of Contents

1. CAG of India selected as External Auditor of International Labour Organization

Subject: Polity

Section: National Body (Constitution)

Concept:

CAG is an independent authority under the Constitution of India.
He is the head of the Indian audit & account department and chief Guardian of public purse.
It is the institution through which the accountability of the government and other public authorities (all those who spend public funds) to Parliament and State Legislatures and through them to the people is ensured.

Comparison with Britain CAG

CAG of India only performed the role of an Auditor General and not of a Comptroller but in Britain it has the power of both Comptroller as well as Auditor General.
In India the CAG audits the accounts after the expenditure is committed i.e. ex post facto. In UK no money can be drawn from the public exchequer without the approval of the CAG.
In India, CAG is not a member of the parliament while in Britain; CAG is a member of house of the Commons.

Constitutional Provisions

Article 148broadly deals with the CAG appointment, oath and conditions of service.
Article 149deals with Duties and Powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.
Article 150says that the accounts of the Union and of the States shall be kept in such form as the President may, on the advice of the CAG, prescribe.
Article 151says that the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall be submitted to the president, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament.
Article 279– Calculation of “net proceeds” is ascertained and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, whose certificate is final.
Third Schedule– Section IV of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of India prescribes the form of oath or affirmation to be made by the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India at the time of assumption of office.
According to Sixth Schedule the accounts of the District Council or Regional Council should be kept in such form as CAG, with the approval of the President, prescribe. In addition these bodies account are audited in such manner as CAG may think fit, and the reports relating to such accounts shall be submitted to the Governor who shall cause them to be laid before the Council.

Independence of CAG

CAG is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal and provided with tenure of 6 years or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier.
CAG can be removed by the President only in accordance with the procedure mentioned in the Constitution that is the manner same as removal of a Supreme Court Judge.
He is ineligible to hold any office, either under the Government of India or of any state, once he retires/ resigns as a CAG.
His salary and other service conditions cannot be varied to his disadvantage after appointment.
His administrative powers and the conditions of service of persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department are prescribed by the President only after consulting him.

The administrative expenses of the office of CAG, including all salaries, allowances and pensions are charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India that is not subject to vote

Functions and Power of CAG

CAG audits the accounts related to all expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India, Consolidated Fund of each state and UT’s having a legislative assembly.
He audits all expenditure from the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India as well as the Contingency Fund and Public Account of each state.
He audits all trading, manufacturing, profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept by any department of the Central Government and the state governments.
He audits the receipts and expenditure of all bodies and authorities substantially financed from the Central or State revenues; government companies; other corporations and bodies, when so required by related laws.
He audits the accounts of any other authority when requested by the President or Governor e.g. Local bodies.
He advises the President with regard to prescription of the form in which the accounts of the Centre and States shall be kept.
He submits his audit reports relating to the accounts of the Centre to the President, who shall, in turn, place them before both the houses of Parliament.
He submits his audit reports relating to the accounts of a State to the Governor, who shall, in turn, place them before the state legislature.

CAG also acts as a guide, friend and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament.

CAG and Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

PAC is a Parliamentary Standing Committee created under GOI Act, 1919.
CAG audit reports are handed over to the PACs at the centre and at the state.
Three CAG reports i.e. audit report on appropriation accounts, audit report on finance accounts and audit report on public sector undertakings are examined by PAC.
At the central level, these reports are submitted by CAG to president, who makes them to be laid in parliament.
CAG also assists the committee in its deliberations by preparing a list of the most urgent matters which deserve the attention of the PAC.
He also helps in making the actions of the committee clear to the witnesses and in making the action of the government clear to the committee.
CAG position is sometimes one of interpreter and translator, explaining the officials’ views to the politicians and vice-versa.
The responsibility of the CAG does not end here. He has to watch whether the corrective action suggested by him has been taken or not. In cases whether it has not been taken, he reports the matter to the PAC which will take up the matter.

2. OBICUS

Subject : Economy

Section :Monetary Policy

The RBI has been conducting the OBICUS of the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis since 2008.
It stands for – Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilization Survey (OBICUS).
The survey provides an insight into the demands of the Indian manufacturing sector.
The survey covers 2,500 companies both in the public and private sector.
The survey represents the movements in actual data on order books, inventory levels of raw materials and finished goods and capacity utilization.
- Inventory is the amount of goods held by a company.
- Capacity utilization refers to the manufacturing and production capabilities that are being utilized by a nation or enterprise.
The survey also gives out the ratio of total inventories to sales and ratio of raw material (RM) and finished goods (FG) inventories to sales in percentages.
It considered as important indicator to measure economic activity, inflationary pressures and the overall business cycle.
The survey provides valuable input for monetary policy formulation.
The Reserve Bank of India has launched the 58th round of its Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation Survey (OBICUS). The survey is for the reference period April – June 2022 (Q1:2022-23).

3. Access and benefit-sharing: Paper proposes 8 principles on use of indigenous medicine

Subject : Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

A group of practitioners, activists, scholars, lawyers and human rights defenders has proposed a set of ethical guidelines that can guide Western psychedelic research and practice on traditional indigenous medicines.

Details:

The set of eight ethical principles — each beginning with the letter ‘R’ — can address increasing concerns among many indigenous nations regarding the cultural appropriation of their traditional medicines.
The proposed guidelines come as the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes is on the rise.

The 8 Rs:

Reverence, Respect, Responsibility, Relevance, Regulation, Reparation, Restoration, and Reconciliation.
These were categorised within four overarching categories:

Acknowledgement
Knowledge-Translation and Education
Intellectual Property
Belonging

What are Psychedelics substances?

Psychedelics (serotonergic hallucinogens) are powerful psychoactive substances that alter perception and mood and affect numerous cognitive processes.
They are generally considered physiologically safe and do not lead to dependence or addiction.
There were 367 registered clinical studies on psychedelics as of 2022.
An increasing number of cities and states in the US have also legalised their use.
Indigenous healing medicines like Ayahuasca are rising in popularity. Yet, the economic profits hardly accrue to the communities and regions from where these medicines originate.

Need for the guidelines:

The economic profits alone of the psychedelic industry is expected to grow to 6.85 billion by 2027.
Traditional Indigenous medicine was not widely protected by law.
As of 2022, only the constitutions of Bolivia (Art. 42) and Ecuador (Art. 57) include regulation specific to Indigenous traditional medicine.
While Western psychedelic practitioners and facilitators can reach average earnings of $10,500 per service event, indigenous medicine practitioners may earn between $2 to $150 for their services in their communities of origin.
International demand is driving people to unsustainably harvest iboga, the plants used to make ayahuasca and the hallucinogenic cactus peyote.

Is there any global framework?

Yes. There are frameworks that mention indigenous rights to the use and development of their traditional medicines and related practices.
These include the Article 8 (j), Article 16 and Annex 1 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as well as the Articles 7 and 12 of the CBD’s Nagoya protocol on Access and benefit-sharing (ABS).
However, countries like the US where research on psychedelics using traditional indigenous medicine is being carried out, are not signatories to the CBD and therefore also not party to the Nagoya protocol on ABS.

What is access and benefit-sharing?

Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) refers to the way in which genetic resources may be accessed, and how the benefits that result from their use are shared between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or countries that provide them (providers).

Why is it important?

The access and benefit-sharing provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are designed to ensure that the physical access to genetic resources is facilitated and that the benefits obtained from their use are shared equitably with the providers.
In some cases this also includes valuable traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources that comes from indigenous and local communities (ILCs).
The benefits to be shared can be monetary, such as sharing royalties when the resources are used to create a commercial product, or non-monetary, such as the development of research skills and knowledge.
It is vital that both users and providers understand and respect institutional frameworks such as those outlined by the CBD and in the Bonn Guidelines.
These help governments to establish their own national frameworks which ensure that access and benefit-sharing happens in a fair and equitable way.

How does it work?

Access and benefit-sharing is based on prior informed consent (PIC) being granted by a provider to a user and negotiations between both parties to develop mutually agreed terms (MAT) to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of genetic resources and associated benefits.
- Prior informed consent (PIC): is the permission given by the competent national authority of a provider country to a user prior to accessing genetic resources, in line with an appropriate national legal and institutional framework.
- Mutually agreed terms (MAT): is an agreement reached between the providers of genetic resources and users on the conditions of access and use of the resources, and the benefits to be shared between both parties.
These conditions are required under Article 15 of the CBD, which was adopted in1992 and provides a global set of principles for access to genetic resources, as well as the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits that result from their use.

Who is involved?

Providers of genetic resources: States have sovereign rights over natural resources under their jurisdiction. They are obligated to put in place conditions that facilitate access to these resources for environmentally sound uses. Providers agree terms, which include PIC and MAT, for granting access and sharing benefits equitably. Laws within the provider country may entitle others, such as indigenous and local communities (ILCs), to also negotiate terms of access and benefit-sharing. The participation of ILCs is necessary in instances where traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources is being accessed.
Users of genetic resources: Users are responsible for sharing the benefits derived from genetic resources with the providers. They seek access to genetic resources for a wide range of purposes, from basic research to the development of new products. They are a diverse group, including botanical gardens, industry researchers such as pharmaceutical, agriculture and cosmetic industries, collectors and research institutes.
National Focal Points: To facilitate access, users need a clear and transparent process that details who to contact and what the requirements and processes are in provider countries in order to gain access. National Focal Points are responsible for providing this information.
Competent National Authorities (CNAs): CNAs are bodies established by governments and are responsible for granting access to users of their genetic resources, and representing providers on a local or national level. National implementation measures establish how CNAs work in a given country.

4. Cyclone Freddy travelled from Australia to batter Madagascar, one of the most climate-vulnerable nations

Subject :Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

Cyclone Freddy made landfall along Madagascar’s south-eastern coast.

Details:

Madagascar was also hit by tropical storm Cheneso in January 2023.
There were a total of six tropical weather systems (tropical storm Gombe on March 8 and tropical storm Jasmine on April 26), apart from the ITCZ, that affected Madagascar between January and April.
Madagascar is also undergoing the worst famine in the recent history.
The World Food Programme (WFP) called it the world’s first famine caused because of climate change.

About Cyclone Freddy:

Freddy travelled around 7,200 km from the southeast Indian Ocean to Madagascar in 15 days.
This is the first time since 2000 that a cyclone has moved such a long distance from the south-eastern parts to the south-western parts of the Indian Ocean.
It is highly unusual for cyclones to be sustained for such long time periods and travel such long distances.
The storm carried winds of 130 kilometres per hour at landfall and has brought torrential rainfall for south-eastern Madagascar.
The cyclone is now moving towards Mozambique.

Role of Inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ):

The rainfall started with an inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in mid-January.
ITCZ is the region near the equator where the northeast and southwest trade winds converge to form a band of clouds with rainfall and occasional thunderstorms.
The ITCZ gave way to two back-to-back tropical storm systems:
tropical storm Ana in the last week of January.
cyclone Batsirai in the first week of February.

Tropical cyclones:

Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas.
It brings large-scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges.
The winds blow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Terminology:

It varies location to location. They are known as
- Cyclones in the Indian Ocean
- Hurricanes in the Atlantic
- Typhoons in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, and,
- Willy-willies in the Western Australia.

Conditions favorable for the formation:

Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C;
Presence of the Coriolis force;
Small variations in the vertical wind speed;
pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation;
Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Characteristics:

The energy that intensifies the storm comes from the condensation process in the towering cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm.
With continuous supply of moisture from the sea, the storm is further strengthened. The more time they spend over the seas, the stronger they become.
On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates. The place where a tropical cyclone crosses the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone.
The cyclones, which cross 20⁰ N latitude generally, re-curve and they are more destructive.
A mature tropical cyclone is characterized by the strong spirally circulating wind around the centre, called the eye. The diameter of the circulating system can vary between 150 and 250 km. The eye is a region of calm with subsiding air.
Around the eye is the eye wall, where there is a strong spiraling ascent of air to greater height reaching the tropopause. The wind reaches maximum velocity in this region, reaching as high as 250 km per hour. Torrential rain occurs here.
From the eye wall rain bands may radiate and trains of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds may drift into the outer region.

5. Blue foods can help India improve nutrition, livelihood: Study

Subject : Environment

Section: Climate change

Context:

Blue food, sourced from aquatic environments, can reduce nutritional deficiencies and contribute to employment and export revenue in India, according to a new study.

Details:

Compared to terrestrial meat, blue foods generate lower emissions.
They can also contribute to the health, well-being and livelihoods of rural communities.
India can use aquatic foods to address B12 and omega-3 deficiencies.

Four ways blue foods can help achieve food system ambitions across nations:

Ensuring supplies of critical nutrients,
Providing healthy alternatives to terrestrial meat,
Reducing dietary environmental footprints and
Safeguarding blue food contributions to nutrition, just economies and livelihoods under a changing climate.

What is Blue Food?

They are food derived from aquatic or marine animals, plants or algae that are caught or cultivated in freshwater and marine environments.
Examples
- Seaweeds, Sea Cucumber
- Bivalves (mussels, oysters, etc.)
- Fishes like tilapia, salmon, catfish and carp, etc.
- It also involves Capture Fisheries.
  - Capture fisheries refers to all kinds of harvesting of naturally occurring living resources in both marine and freshwater environments.

Advantages:

They have higher nutritional benefits in comparison to terrestrial food.
- Many blue food species are rich in important nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.
More sustainable as they release less greenhouse gasses.
The aquaculture and marine farms free the space which was needed for feeding the growing population by conventional agriculture.
They can address the problem of ‘real hunger’ and the ‘hidden hunger’ both. They helps in fulfilling the SDGs (SDG2 Nutrition and SDG14 Sustainable use of marine resources).

Blue food vs Red meat:

Countries with high red meat intake, above the threshold recommended as environmentally sustainable and healthy, have an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease.
India’s consumption of red meat was around 50 grams per capita per day, which is not high, moreover, the country does not suffer from high levels of cardiovascular disease.
Promoting blue foods over red meat overconsumption could address health and environmental concerns for about 82 per cent of the 22 countries suffering from a high cardiovascular disease risk.
Over 91 per cent of countries with vitamin B12 deficiencies also show high levels of omega-3 deficiency.

Issue in blue food production:

Almost 90 per cent of global marine fish stocks are now fully exploited or overfished, according to the World Bank.
- There are issues with overfishing, illegal fishing and other unsustainable aquatic food production.
Danger of invasive species.
Technology and capital intensive sector.

Schemes and policies related to blue economy:

Draft Blue Economy Policy:

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has rolled out the draft Blue Economy policy, inviting suggestions and inputs from various stakeholders.
- It is in line with the Government of India’s Vision of New India by 2030.
Key Highlights of the Policy
- It categorised the blue economy as one of the 10 core dimensions for national growth.
- It emphasizes policies across several key sectors to achieve holistic growth of India’s economy.
- It recognizes the following 7 thematic areas:
  - National accounting framework for the blue economy and ocean governance.
  - Coastal marine spatial planning and tourism.
  - Marine fisheries, aquaculture, and fish processing.
  - Manufacturing, emerging industries, trade, technology, services, and skill development.
  - Logistics, infrastructure and shipping, including trans-shipments.
  - Coastal and deep-sea mining and offshore energy.
  - Security, strategic dimensions, and international engagement.

Pradhan Mantri MatsyaSampada Yojana:

Nodal Ministry/ Department: Department of Fisheries
Tenure: 2020-2025
Intended Beneficiaries are
- Fishermen, fish farmers, fish workers and fish vendors
- Fisheries Development corporations
- Self Help Groups (SHGs)/Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) in the fisheries sector
- Fisheries cooperatives and federations
- Entrepreneurs and private firms
- Fish Farmers Producer Organisations/Companies (FFPOs/Cs)
- SCs/STs/Women/Differently abled persons

6. Third patient is cured of HIV

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept:

A 53-year-old man from Germany, referred to as the Dusseldorf patient, has become at least the third person to have been “cured of HIV” with the virus not being detectable in his body.
This was achieved with a bone-marrow transplant from people carrying a specific HIV-resistant genetic mutation ( CCR5-delta 32 mutation).
The CCR5-delta 32 mutation prevents the receptors used by the HIV virus from forming on the surface, effectively denying the virus its doorway to the body. It is this genetic mutation that scientists have utilised to “cure” patients of HIV.

About CCR5 Delta 32:

Cysteine-cysteine chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that are involved in the immune system as it acts as a receptor for chemokines.
CCR5 is found in the cell membranes of many types of mammalian cells, including nerve cells and white blood cells.
In humans, the CCR5 gene that encodes the CCR5 protein is located on the short (p) arm at position 21 on chromosome 3.
The role of CCR5 is to allow entry of chemokines into the cell—chemokines are involved in signalling the body’s inflammation response to injuries.

How does the mutation work in HIV patients?

Various mutations of the CCR5 gene are known that result in damage to the expressed receptor.
One of the mutant forms of the gene is CCR5-delta 32, which results from the deletion of a particular sequence of 32 base pairs.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) mainly attacks the CD4 immune cells in the human body, thereby reducing a person’s ability to fight off secondary infections.
The CCR5 receptors on the surface of the CD4 immune cells act as a doorway for HIV. However, the CCR5-delta 32 mutation prevents these receptors used by the HIV from forming on the surface, effectively removing the doorway.
Prevalence :
Only 1 per cent of the people in the world carry two copies of the CCR5-delta 32 mutation(they got it from both their parents) and another 20 per cent carry one copy of the mutation, mainly those of European descent.

Can such transplants solve the HIV crisis?

With the mutation existing in very few people and nearly 38.4 million people living with HIV across the world, it would be very difficult to find a matching donor in the first place.

7. New President for World Bank

Subject : International Relations

Section : International Organizations

Concept :

US President Joe Biden is nominating former Mastercard CEO, India-born Ajay Banga, to be head the World Bank.

Appointment of the President of World Bank:

The President of the World Bank Group serves as Chairman of the Board, and is selected by the Executive Directors.
The President is the presiding officer, and ordinarily has no vote except a deciding vote in case of an equally divided Board.
As per the guidelines of the World Bank, the World Bank president must have:
- A proven track record of leadership.
- Experience managing large organizations with international exposure, and a familiarity with the public sector.
- Ability to articulate a clear vision of the Bank’s development mission.
- A firm commitment to and appreciation for multilateral cooperation.
- Effective and diplomatic communication skills, impartiality, and objectivity.

Who can nominate?

Executive directors of the World Bank can nominate candidates for the post and the candidate must be citizens of one of the bank’s member countries and cannot be a bank governor, executive director or alternate.
If there are more than three candidates, there would be a shortlisting process to narrow the field through an informal straw poll.
Then the shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the board. The board will then make a final selection through a majority vote.

Number of votes needed to win:

To win the presidency of the World Bank, a candidate must win approval from the institution’s executive board, which has 25 members.
The US holds a 16% share of board voting power hence more often it is the US-backed candidate gets elected for the post of the president.

Voting Power in World Bank

Member countries are allocated votes at the time of membership and subsequently for additional subscriptions to capital.
To become a member of the Bank, a country must first join the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Governors

A Board of Governors represents the Bank’s government shareholders. Each member nation appoints a Governor and an Alternate Governor. Generally, these governors are country ministers, such as Ministers of Finance or Ministers of Development.
The governors are the ultimate policymakers in the World Bank. They meet once a year at the Bank’s Annual Meetings.

Executive Directors

The Bank’s 25 Executive Directors oversee the Bank’s business, including approving loans and guarantees, new policies, the administrative budget, country assistance strategies, and borrowing and financial decisions.
Under the IBRD Articles of Agreement, each of the five members having the largest number of shares appoints an Executive Director, , and the remaining members elect the other Executive Directors.

8. Adopt a Heritage Scheme

Subject : Schemes

Concept :

The Dalmia Bharat Group, under the Central Government’s Adopt A Heritage: ApniDharohar, ApniPehchaan scheme, is now showcasing the history of the Red Fort (17th Century monument) to visitors.

About the Scheme

The ‘Adopt a Heritage: ApniDharohar, ApniPehchaan’ scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India.
It was launched in September 2017.
Under it, the government invites entities, including public sector companies, private sector firms as well as individuals, to develop selected monuments and heritage and tourist sites across India.
Development of these tourist sites calls for providing and maintaining basic amenities, including drinking water, ease of access for the differently abled and senior citizens, standardized signage, cleanliness, public conveniences and illumination, along with advanced amenities such as surveillance systems, night-viewing facilities and tourism facilitation centres.
The sites/monument are selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility and can be adopted by private and public sector companies and individuals — known as Monument Mitras— for an initial period of five years.
The Monument Mitras are selected by the ‘oversight and vision committee,’ co-chaired by the Tourism Secretary and the Culture Secretary, on the basis of the bidder’s ‘vision’ for development of all amenities at the heritage site.
Note: There is no financial bid involved.
The corporate sector is expected to use corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the upkeep of the site.
The oversight committee also has the power to terminate a memorandum of understanding in case of non-compliance or non-performance.

9. Kerala Mural paintings

Subject : History

Section : Art and Culture

Concept :

Pooja Kashyap, a noted artist in Kerala Mural Paintings, who teaches History at Delhi’s Gargi College is exhibiting 30 of her works in acrylic paint, this week at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS).

Kerala Mural Paintings

Kerala painters (16th to 18th century) evolved a pictorial language and technology of their own while discriminately adopting certain stylistic elements from Nayaka and Vijayanagara schools.
It is one of the Later Mural traditions in India.
Later Mural Traditions
Even after Ajanta, very few sites with paintings have survived which provide valuable evidences to reconstruct the tradition of painting.
The sculptures too were plastered and painted and the tradition of cave excavation continued further in many places where sculpting and painting were done simultaneously.
The painters evolved a language taking cues from contemporary traditions like Kathakali and Kalam Ezhuthtuusing vibrant and luminous colours, representing human figures in three dimensions.
Most of the paintings are seen on the shrine walls, cloister walls of temples and some inside the palaces.
Thematically too, paintings from Kerala stand apart.
Most of the narrations are based on those episodes from Hindu mythology which were popular in Kerala.
The artist seems to have derived sources from oral traditions and local versions of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata for painting narrations.
Apart from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and The Gita, some texts that inspire these paintings include 15th Century Tantrasamuchhaya on temple architecture by Narayana, 16th Century Shilparatna by Sreekumara, Kumarasambhava by Kalidasa.
More than 60 sites have been found with mural paintings.
The important palaces where mural paintings can be found are :Dutch Palace, Kochi, Krishna Puram palace, Kayamkulam and Padmanabhapuram palace.
The mature phase of Kerala’s mural tradition can be seen at Pundareekapuram Krishna Temple, Panayanarkavu, Thirukodithanam, Tripayar Sri Rama temple and Thrissur Vadakkunnatha temple.

10. Budget for cooperatives to achieve inclusive growth

Subject : Schemes

Concept :

Budget 202324 strengthens the cooperatives to take forward the agenda for inclusive growth.
Cooperatives as economic entities have a major role in enhancing the income of the small and weaker sections, providing opportunities for employment, enabling access to credit and the market.

Initiatives for Cooperatives

The Cabinet has also approved the Centrally Sponsored Scheme — Vibrant Villages Programme for the FYs 2022–23 to 2025- 26 with a financial allocation of ₹4,800 crore. The scheme will strengthen the cooperative movement through two lakh multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Societies in each uncovered panchayat.
It will lead to infrastructure development and livelihood opportunities in four States and one Union Territory along the northern land border.
Budget outlay of ₹1,150.38 crore is allocated for Computerization of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit societies (PACS), and establishing National Multi State Cooperative Societies in export, seed and organic products, creation of large grain storage infrastructure and national cooperative database.
The model byelaws on PACS pave the way to make PACS as multi service centres to dispense services in a timely and affordable manner.
Budget provides for the new association and or cooperative society in manufacturing, to be formed on or after April 2023, which commences manufacturing or production by March 2024.
It Provided 15% concessional tax to promote new manufacturing co-operative society.
A massive decentralised storage capacity will be set up to help farmers store their produce and realise remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times through cooperative ecosystem

Draft bye-laws Proposals:

The Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), are set to get transformed with a different name and have a CEO to undertake infrastructure development, building and managing community centres, hospital or educational institutions, and dealership in petrol or diesel, if States agree to accept the draft bye-laws prepared by the Centre.
The Centre has proposed the PACS may promote subsidiary organisations, such as Farmer Producers Organisation (FPO) with 100 per cent funding from the society for the furtherance of its stated objectives.
The Centre’s proposals brings enrollment of members under two classes—A and B.
A class members (shareholders) will have voting rights and claims over dividends
B-class (nominal members) will not get voting rights or contest for Board of Governors.
For Vibrant Villages Programme, refer – https://optimizeias.com/vibrant-villages-programme/

11. NSE gets final nod from SEBI for Social stock exchange

Subject : Economy

Section: Financial Market

Concept :

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has received final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE.

About Social Stock Exchange:

SSE is a stock exchange, intended to benefit the private and non-profit sectors by directing more capital to them.
The SSE will function as a distinct division of the current stock exchanges under the new regulations.
Countries like the UK, Canada and Brazil have SSEs.

Who can list on SSE?

Not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) and for-profit social enterprises with social intent and impact as their primary goal will be eligible to participate in the SSE.
The social enterprises will have to engage in a social activity out of 16 broad activities listed by the regulator (SEBI).
The eligible activities include-
Eradicating hunger poverty, malnutrition and inequality
Promoting healthcare, supporting education, employability and livelihoods
Gender equality empowerment of women LGBTQIA communities.
Supporting incubators of social enterprise.
Corporate foundations, political or religious organisations or activities, professional or trade associations, infrastructure companies, and housing companies, except affordable housing, will not be eligible to be identified as social enterprises.
According to Sebi’s framework, a minimum issue size of ₹1 crore and a minimum application size for the subscription of ₹2 lakh are currently required for SSE.

Minimum requirements for sustenance

NPO needs to be registered as a charitable trust and should be registered for at least three years, must have spent at least ₹50 lakh annually in the past financial year.
They should have received a funding of at least ₹10 lakh in the past financial year.

12. Keeladi Findings

Subject : History

Section :Art and Culture

Concept :

Recently, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has submitted a detailed report on the findings during the first two phases of the digging at the Sangam-era site and their significance.
Also, the Keeladi Site Museum is coming up in Sivaganga that would house significant ones of the over 18,000 artefacts unearthed so far.

About Keeladi

Keeladi is a tiny hamlet in the Sivaganga district in south Tamil Nadu. It is about 12 km south-east to the temple city of Madurai and is located along the Vaigai river.
The excavations here from 2015 prove that an urban civilization existed in Tamil Nadu in the Sangam age on the banks of the Vaigai river.

What are the Key Findings?

In the eight rounds of excavations, including the first three by the ASI, over 18,000 artefacts have been unearthed from the site and the unique artefacts will be on display at the museum to be opened soon.
Unearthing of heaps of pottery suggest the existence of a pottery making industry, mostly made of locally available raw materials. Over 120 potsherds containing Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have been found.
Over a thousand inscribed potsherds, found at Keeladi and other sites clearly suggest the long survival of the script.
Spindle whorls, copper needles, terracotta seal, hanging stones of the yarn, terracotta spheres and earthen vessels to hold liquid suggest various stages of a weaving industry. There also existed a dyeing industry and a glass bead industry.
Gold ornaments, copper articles, semi-precious stones, shell bangles, ivory bangles and ivory combs reflect the artistic, culturally rich and prosperous lifestyle of the Keeladi people.
Agate and carnelian beads suggest import through commercial networks while terracotta and ivory dice, gamesmen and evidence of hopscotch have been unearthed revealing their pastime hobbies.

Significance of the Findings

Linkages with Sangam Age:
The Sangam age is a period of history in ancient Tamil Nadu which was believed to be from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE and derives its name from the renowned Sangam assemblies of the poets of Madurai from that time.
A recent ASI report has pushed the Sangam age to 800 BCE based on these archaeological findings.
Keeladi could also provide crucial evidence for understanding the missing links of the Iron Age (12th century BCE to sixth century BCE) to the Early Historic Period (sixth century BCE to fourth century BCE) and subsequent cultural developments.
Potential Linkages with Indus Valley:
The unearthed Keeladi artefacts have led academics to describe the site as part of the Vaigai Valley Civilization. The findings have also invited comparisons with the Indus Valley Civilization while acknowledging the cultural gap of 1,000 years between the two places.
The gap is filled with Iron Age material in south India, which serve as residual links.
According to Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department (TNSDA) Keeladi has all the characteristics of an urban civilization, with brick structures, luxury items and proof of internal and external trade.
It comes across as an industrious and advanced civilization and has given evidence of urban life and settlements in Tamil Nadu during the Early Historic Period.

13. French Troops withdrawn from Burkina Faso

Subject : International Relations

Section :Places in news

Concept :

On February 19, Burkina Faso announced an official end to the operations led by France in the country.
France was asked to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso months after it pulled out its troops from Mali.

Reasons for withdrawal

The primary reason behind the withdrawal is the failure of its counter insurgency operations in the Sahel region against Islamist groups.
Secondly, as Islamist insurgency kept intensifying, France’s military presence in Burkina Faso came under scrutiny.
After the second coup in September 2022, anti France protests increased in Burkina Faso with demonstrators demanding French withdrawal from the country.
There was also an increasing proRussia sentiment.

Background

On November 9, 2022 French President Emmanuel Macron announced the end of the decade-long Operation Barkhane in Africa.
French President, Mr. Macron said that, “Our military support for African countries will continue, but according to new principles that we have defined with them.”

Operation Barkhane

In January 2013, France started conducting military operations in the Sahel.
Operation Serval, as it was known, was restricted to going after Islamic extremists affiliated with al-Qaeda who had taken over northern Mali.
The operation, now known as Operation Barkhane, was renamed and scaled up in 2014 with a counterterrorism focus.
The goal was to support regional military forces in their efforts to stop the emergence of non-state armed groups throughout the Sahel.
The regional joint counterterrorism force deployed about 4,500 French personnel.
The Operation Barkhane initiative, which aims to combat terrorism in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Chad, was launched as a result of the 2014 success. But Operation Barkhane saw a number of setbacks.
First, the region saw the expansion of new groups linked to terrorist organizations, notably the Islamic State, notwithstanding the operation.
Second, the operation’s failure triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Third, the failure of Operation Barkhane to put an end to the insurgencies in the area led to a rise in civilian military support, which in turn exacerbated the political unrest that followed in the Sahel.

Sahel Region

In Africa, the Sahel is the region of ecoclimatic and biogeographic transition between the Sudanese savanna to the south and the Sahara to the north.
It covers the southern central latitudes of Northern Africa, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea, and has a semi-arid climate.
The name is derived from the Arabic word for “coast, shore,” which is used metaphorically to allude to the southernmost tip of the huge Sahara, it is said.
The Sahel part includes from west to east parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, extreme north of Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, the extreme north of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea and the extreme north of Ethiopia.(Read with MAP)

Great Green Wall (GGW) Programme:

It was launched in 2007 by the African Union.
Initial idea for the GGW: A band of trees about 8,000 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide, stretching across Africa from east to west.
The GGW programme aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded ecosystems across 11 countries in the region.
It aims to promote sustainable development and climate change mitigation.
By 2030, the GGW aims to sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land and create 10 million jobs for the world’s poorest people.

Countries selected as intervention zones for the Great Green Wall are:

Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan.

14. National Science and Technology Management Information System

Subject: Polity

Section: National body

Department of Science and Technology (DST) was setup in 1971, and by virtue of its responsibility in S&T policies, implementation and funding involving multi-agencies/ministries, the department has been acting as the nodal agency to establish S&T statistical system and collect national science statistics at regular intervals in the country.
National Science and Technology Management Information System Division (NSTMIS) formerly known as Science and Technology Statistics (STS), a division of DST has been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out the studies relating to resources devoted to S&T activities at regular intervals. The Division published the first report Research and Development Statistics in the year 1973-74.

National S&T Survey

The National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has been conducting periodically national surveys to collect data on resources devoted to S&T activities (mainly R&D) in the country. Based on survey data, a number of S&T reports are published, providing vital information on national R&D indicators which serves as an evidence-base for S&T assessment and policy formulation.
The national S&T survey 2021-22 aims at capturing the current R&D landscape by collecting information from around 6000 R&D organizations viz., public sector, private sector, MNCs, higher education, SIROs and NGOs spread across the country. A structured questionnaire based on international standardization of S&T resources has been designed seeking information on various aspects such as General Information, Expenditure on S&T (R&D) activities, R&D Manpower and R&D Output.
In the digital era, the present national survey is being conducted on a web based platform to minimize the time lag and to ensure smooth accomplishment of such a mammoth task. In order to ensure the authenticity of information, each respondent organization has been assigned a unique Username and Password.