Daily Prelims Notes 24 May 2021

May 24, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

24 May 2021

Table Of Contents

Subject: Environment

Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Union environment ministry to re-examine environmental clearance (EC) given to the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board for developing a ‘Modern Poultry and Egg Market’ at Ghazipur.

Concept:

It is a specialized body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialized environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.
NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.

Structure of NGT

The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment. The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Powers & Jurisdiction

The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial question relating to environment. The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, but shall be guided by principles of ‘natural justice’.

The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment, these include:

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977,
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980,
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981,
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,
The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Two important acts – Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 have been kept out of NGT’s jurisdiction.

2. CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION TO GOVERNOR & PRESIDENT

Subject: Polity

Context: Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said he was left “stunned” after Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee told reporters that he had urged party workers to file police complaints against the governor so that action can be taken against him after he leaves office.

Concept:

Protection of President and Governors – Article 361

Article 361 of the Indian Constitution is an exception to the Fundamental Right to Equality enshrined in Article 14.
It basically grants immunity to the country’s president and governors from prosecution while in office. The article says:
The President or Governor are not personally answerable to any court for the exercise and performance of their powers, while in office.
But it does not mean that conduct of these two office holders can not be checked. The Article 361 makes it clear that conduct of the President may be brought under review by any court, tribunal or body appointed or designated by either House of Parliament for the investigation of a charge under article 61.
No criminal proceedings can be started or continued against the President, or the Governor of a State, in any court during his term of office.
No court can issue arrest warrants for President as well as Governor.
Civil proceedings against a Governor or President against things done by him in his personal capacity can be done only with a prior 2 months’ notice.

3. PERMANENT COURT OF ARBITRATION

Subject: International Organisations

Context : German telecom company Deutsche Telekom, an investor in Indian firm Devas Multimedia Pvt Ltd, has filed a petition in a US court against the Indian government seeking confirmation of a $135-million compensation payment to it.

Concept:

The compensation, which includes interest, was awarded by a Permanent Court of Arbitration in Geneva last year over the 2011 annulment of a satellite deal between Devas and the Indian Space Research Organization’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation.

Permanent Court of Arbitration

Established in: 1899.
HQ: Hague, Netherlands.
It is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to serve the international community in the field of dispute resolution and to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution between States.
The PCA has a three-part organizational structure consisting of:

Administrative Council- to oversee its policies and budgets,

Members of the Court- a panel of independent potential arbitrators, and

International Bureau- its Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.

It has Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the PCA.

4. SEMICONDUCTOR

Subject: Science & technology

Context: A protracted shortage of inputs, especially semiconductor chips, has made India-based car manufactures and premium bike makers curtail production across categories.

Concept:

Semiconductors are the materials which have a conductivity between conductors (generally metals) and non-conductors or insulators (such as ceramics).
Semiconductors can be compounds such as gallium arsenide or pure elements, such as germanium or silicon. .
Semiconductors like Gallium arsenide, germanium, and silicon are some of the most commonly used semiconductors.
Silicon is used in electronic circuit fabrication and gallium arsenide is used in solar cells, laser diodes, etc.

Properties of Semiconductors:

Semiconductor acts like an insulator at Zero Kelvin. On increasing the temperature, it works as a conductor.
Due to their exceptional electrical properties, semiconductors can be modified by doping to make semiconductor devices suitable for energy conversion, switches, and amplifiers.
Lesser power losses.
Semiconductors are smaller in size and possess less weight.
Their resistivity is higher than conductors but lesser than insulators.
The resistance of semiconductor materials decreases with the increase in temperature and vice-versa.

Uses of Semiconductors

Temperature sensors are made with semiconductor devices.
They are used in 3D printing machines
Used in microchips and self-driving cars
Used in calculators, solar plates, computers and other electronic devices.
Transistor and MOSFET used as a switch in Electrical Circuits are manufactured using the semiconductors.
The physical and chemical properties of semiconductors make them capable of designing technological wonders like microchips, transistors, LEDs, solar cells, etc.
The microprocessor used for controlling the operation of space vehicles, trains, robots, etc is made up of transistors and other controlling devices which are manufactured by semiconductor materials.

5. VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET

Subject: Science & technology

Context: Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Concept:

Virgin Galactic announced that its VSS Unity with pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow at the controls, accelerated to three times the speed of sound and reached an altitude of just over 55 miles (89 kilometers) above sea level before making its gliding return through the atmosphere.
The crew enjoyed extraordinary views of Earth from the black skies of space and, during several minutes of weightlessness. Moses floated free to complete a number of cabin evaluation test points.
The human validation of data previously collected via sensors, and the live testing of other physical elements of the cabin interior, are fundamental to the provision of a safe but enjoyable customer experience, Virgin Galactic said in a statement.

6. HAVANA SYNDROME

Subject: Science & technology

Context: The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve a mystery that has vexed its predecessors: Is an adversary using a microwave or radio wave weapon to attack the brains of US diplomats, spies and military personnel?

Concept:

Havana Syndrome:

In late 2016, USA diplomats and other employees stationed in Havana (capital of Cuba) reported feeling ill after hearing strange sounds and experiencing odd physical sensations.
The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing loss, which have since come to be known as the Havana Syndrome.
The more chronic problems suffered by Havana personnel included mainly vestibular processing and cognitive problems as well as insomnia and headache.
While the symptoms have resolved for some of the affected employees, for others, the effects have lingered and posed a significant obstacle to their work and affected the normal functioning of lives.

Microwave Weapons

These are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.
The high-frequency electromagnetic radiations heat the water in the human body and cause discomfort and pain. It works the same way as the kitchen appliance.
In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron produces electromagnetic waves (microwaves) that bounce around the metal interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by the food.
The microwaves agitate the water molecules in the food, and their vibration produces heat that cooks the food. Foods with a high water content cook faster in a microwave often than drier foods.

Countries with Microwave Weapons:

A number of countries are thought to have developed these weapons to target both humans and electronic systems.
China had first put on display its microwave weapon, called Poly WB-1, at an air show in 2014.
The USA has also developed a prototype microwave-style weapon, which it calls the “Active Denial System”, which is the first non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel system with an extended range greater than currently fielded non-lethal weapons.

7. SC RULING ON CREDITORS INVOKING PERSONAL GUARANTEES

Subject: Polity

Context: Recently, the Supreme Court has ruled that creditors can proceed against promoters of defaulting companies to recover debt if such promoters have given personal guarantees to secure funds.

Concept:

The SC has said is that mere approval of a resolution plan for a debt-laden company does not automatically discharge a promoter from their liability in lieu of the personal guarantee they had given to secure the funding for the company.
The personal guarantees from promoters are a kind of assurance to lenders that the monies being borrowed will be returned.
The apex court has said that under the contract of guarantee, the liability of the promoter will be over and above the liabilities of the company.

What is a personal guarantee?

A personal guarantee is most likely to be furnished by a promoter or promoter entity when the banks demand for collateral which equals the risk they are taking by lending to the firm, which may not be doing so well.
It is different from the collateral that firms give to banks to take loans, as Indian corporate laws say that individuals such as promoters are different from businesses and the two are very separate entities.
A personal guarantee is an assurance from the promoters or promoter group that if the lender allows them the fund, they will be able to turn around the loss-making unit and repay the said loan on time.

8. ECOLOGICAL TAX REFORM

Subject: Governance

Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced countries all over the world to rethink climate change and the need for preservation of the environment. The fiscal reforms for managing the environment are important, and India has great potential for revenue generation in this aspect.

Concept:

Ecological Tax Reform

The environmental tax reforms generally involve three complementary activities:
Eliminating existing subsidies and taxes that have a harmful impact on the environment;
Restructuring existing taxes in an environmentally supportive manner; and
Initiating new environmental taxes
The taxes can be designed either as revenue neutral or revenue augmenting.
The additional revenue can either be targeted towards the provision of environmental public goods or directed towards the overall revenue pool.

In India, eco taxes can target three main areas:

Differential taxation on vehicles in the transport sector purely oriented towards fuel efficiency and GPS based congestion charges;
In the energy sector by taxing fuels which feed into energy generation; and
Waste generation and use of natural resources

Fixation of Eco Tax Rate

The success of an ecological tax in India would depend on its architecture, that is, how well it is planned and designed.
The eco tax rate ought to be equal to the marginal social cost arising from the negative externalities associated with the production, consumption or disposal of goods and services.
It requires an evaluation of the damage to the environment based on scientific assessments which would include the adverse impacts on the health of people, climate change, etc.

9. AUROVILLE

Subject: Current Events

Context: Aurovillian Christoph Pohl’s documentary EverSlowGreen has been officially selected for screening at the prestigious ChangeNow summit in Paris.

Concept:

EverSlowGreen tells the story of Auroville’s unique afforestation project that took root on an eroded desert plateau at Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
The project was supported by Auroville and funded by the 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2018. The documentary premiered at the Auroville Film Festival 2020.
Auroville is an experimental township in Viluppuram district mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry.
It was founded in 1968 by MirraAlfassa (known as “the Mother”) a French spiritual guru and a collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, who considered her to be of equal yogic stature to him and called her by the name “The Mother”.

10. MOUNT NYIRAGONGO

Subject: Geography

Context: As the active volcano in Congo, Mount Nyaragongo, erupted again, the Indian Army contingent under the United Nations peace keeping mission (MONUSCO) assisted in protecting civilians and U.N. officials as well as assets during the evacuation.

Concept:

Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 m in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift.
It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 12 km north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu.
The main crater is about two kilometers (1 mi) wide and usually contains a lava lake. Nyiragongo’s lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history.
Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40 per cent of Africa’s historical volcanic eruptions.

Lava lakes

Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression.

11. CHINA – CEEC

Subject: International Relations

Context: Lithuania said it was quitting China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states that includes other EU members, calling it “divisive”.

Concept:

Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-CEEC, a) is an initiative by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote business and investment relations between China and 16 countries of CEE (CEEC) – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The format was founded in 2012 in Warsaw.
Earlier it was known as 17+1, but after Lithuania quits it in May 2021 it is known as 16+1.
Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in Central Europe, the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (the Balkans), usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Europe.
Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Its Capital is Vilnius.

12. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)

Subject: International Organisations

Context: Iran said that a three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and IAEA has expired and that its access to images from inside some Iranian nuclear sites would cease. The announcement raised further questions about the future of indirect talks under way between the United States and Iran on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Concept:

About IAEA:

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an UN agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.
It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
It was formed in 1957 as a result of Conference on the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency held at the UN headquarters. Initially it was known as ‘Atoms for peace’.
It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
It has 171 members (Sain Lucia being most recent member).
Though it is and independent international agencies, yet, it reports annually to UNGA.
It along with its Director General won Nobel Peace prize in 2005.
The IAEA’s policy-making bodies decide on the Agency’s programmes and budgets. They comprise the General Conference of all Member States and the 35-member Board of Governors.

The IAEA’s three main areas of work are:

Safety and security
Science and technology
Safeguards and verification

Funding of IAEA:

The IAEA carries out its work in two main areas: the regular programme and the Technical Cooperation programme. These two programmes are financed from separate funds.
They are additionally supported by extra-budgetary contributions from Member States and non-member states donors. The IAEA’s budget is approved annually by the IAEA General Conference.