Daily Prelims Notes 26 May 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

26 May 2024

1. Southwest monsoon makes onset over Nicobar Islands: IMD

Sub: Geography

Sec: Climatology

Tags: Southwest monsoon makes onset over Nicobar Islands, Onset of Southwest monsoon

Context:

• Southwest monsoon made its onset over the Nicobar Islands, the southernmost region of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Details:

• Southwest monsoon has advanced into some parts of the Maldives, and the Comorin area and some parts of the South Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands and South Andaman Sea.

Date of Monsoon arrival:

• The date of monsoon onset over Kerala has varied widely over the last 150 years, the earliest being May 11 in 1918, and the most delayed being June 18 in 1972.
• It arrived in the southern state on June 8 last year, May 29 in 2022, June 3 in 2021 and June 1 in 2020.

Significance:

• The monsoon is critical for India’s agricultural landscape, with 52% of the net cultivated area relying on it.
• It is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water, apart from power generation across the country.
• June and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture because most of the sowing for the Kharif crop takes place during this period.

Factors influencing Monsoon:

For details of Monsoon

Source: TH

2. Warming climate intensifies flash droughts worldwide

Sub: Geography

Sec: Climatology

Tags: flash drought

Flash Droughts:

• Flash drought is simply the rapid onset or intensification of drought.
• It is set in motion by lower-than-normal rates of precipitation, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, winds, and radiation.
• Together, these changes in weather can rapidly alter the local climate.
• Higher temperature increases evapotranspiration (ET)—the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and by transpiration from plants—and further lowers soil moisture (SM), which decreases rapidly as drought conditions continue.

Causes of Flash Droughts:

• Unlike slow-evolving drought caused by a decline in precipitation, flash drought occurs with:
  • Low precipitation
  • Abnormally high temperatures (e.g., heat waves)
  • High winds
  • Changes in radiation
• These rapid changes can quickly:
  • Raise evapotranspiration rates
  • Remove available water from the landscape
• Geographic differences and climate patterns impact flash drought development:
  • Conventional drought can occur year-round at any location
  • Flash drought typically occurs during warm seasons in the central United States
  • Widespread flash drought in the U.S. is often linked to La Niña events

Study on Flash Droughts:

• The study, using 40 years of NASA’s MERRA-2 climate data (1980-2019), is the first to systematically quantify global flash drought occurrences, mapping hotspots and trends.
• Regions worldwide are experiencing larger, longer-lasting flash droughts with quicker onset.
• The study measured drought severity through onset speed, duration, and geographic extent.
• Findings:
  • Flash droughts, characterized by their sudden and severe onset, are becoming more intense globally, except in mountainous Central Asia where their extent is decreasing.
  • This trend is driven by climate change-induced heat and altered precipitation patterns. 
• Geographical impact of flash droughts:
  • It highlights significant intensification in South America, particularly southern Brazil and the Amazon, linked to deforestation, high temperatures, and reduced rainfall.
  • Similarly, parts of Africa, including Congo, Angola, and South Africa, are also identified as hotspots, where high temperatures play a crucial role.
  • The vulnerability to flash droughts is also influenced by land cover, with savanna and grasslands in humid and semi-humid climates being particularly susceptible.
  • In contrast, Central Asia’s high mountain regions, such as the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush, have seen a reduction in flash drought extent due to climate-induced changes in precipitation patterns, melting snowpack, and a shift from snow to rain, which maintain soil moisture but increase the risk of flash floods.

Source: TH

3. Gelephu Mindfulness City is a lifetime opportunity, says Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Tags: Gelephu

Context:

• Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announced plans for an “international city” (Gelephu smart city) on a 2,000+ sq. km. area bordering Assam, at the Changlimathang stadium in Thimpu.
• This Economic Corridor aims to connect South Asia with Southeast Asia via India’s northeastern states and will enhance the connectivity.
• Infrastructure Development: Includes India-Bhutan railway line to Gelephu, linking roadways, trading points, and connections to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore.

Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City Project:

• Gelephu’s marshland offers a unique and beautiful landscape.
• The city spans 2,000 sq. km and is designed to be carbon-negative.
• Interest from countries including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Economic Challenges and Solutions

• Bhutan announced an Economic Stimulus Programme using ₹1,500 crore from a ₹10,000 crore outlay promised by Indian PM Narendra Modi.
• The programme aims to tackle slow growth, a tourism downturn, and unemployment.
  • Emphasis on free education, healthcare, and a strong democratic governance model.
• Bhutanese youth leave due to a lack of opportunities and better-earning prospects abroad.

Indian Support and Development Plans

• India increased support for Bhutan’s Five Year Plan from ₹5,000 crore to ₹10,000 crore.
  • ₹8,500 crore was allocated for infrastructure projects including roads, schools, and hospitals.
  • ₹1,500 crore was dedicated to economic stimulus, particularly for small businesses and tourism.

BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement

• Bhutan remains hesitant to join the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement due to local opposition and demographic concerns.
• Tobgay acknowledges that Bhutan is not ready to revisit the agreement.

Source: TH

4. Low-lying Maldives seeks easier funding to battle waves

Sub: IR

Sec: Int groupings

Tags: Small Island Developing States (SIDS):

Context:

• President Mohamed Muizzu demands international funding to combat rising sea levels.

Details:

• Maldives contributes just 0.003% of global emissions but faces severe climate crisis impacts.
• Wealthier nations have a moral responsibility to support vulnerable communities like the Maldives.
• The Maldives needs about $500 million to mitigate climate change effects.
• The tourism-dependent economy cannot raise these funds independently.
• Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom initiated land reclamation to build an artificial island above sea level.
• President Muizzu plans a larger man-made island, “Ras Male,” with 30,000 apartments.
  • The project is not eligible for climate funding as it is considered infrastructure work.

Economic Discrepancy:

• Despite a higher GDP per capita than several countries, the Maldives is classified as an emerging economy.
• This classification excludes the Maldives from cheaper financing options available to the lowest-income countries.
• The Maldives’ tourism industry skews its economic metrics, limiting access to necessary climate funds.

Upcoming SIDS Conference:

• The Maldives will co-chair a Small Island Developing States (SIDS) conference in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
• Theme: “Charting the course toward resilient prosperity”.
• SIDS, often luxury tourism destinations, are threatened by rising sea levels.
• SIDS receive only about 14% of the finance that the least developed countries get.

About Small Island Developing States (SIDS):

• SIDS are a distinct group of 39 States and 18 Associate Members of United Nations regional commissions that face unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities.
• The three geographical regions in which SIDS are located are: the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS).
• SIDS were recognized as a special case both for their environment and development at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• They are highly vulnerable developing countries as they suffer from low economic diversification, often characterised by high dependence on tourism and remittances, volatility due to fluctuations in private income flows and the prices of raw materials, and debt stress situations.
• For SIDS, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)—the ocean under their control—is, on average, 28 times the country’s land mass.
• Thus, for many SIDS, the majority of the natural resources they have access to come from the ocean.

Source: TH

5. LTCG liability to ease on cost inflation reset

Sub: Economy

Sec: Fiscal Policy

Tags: Long-term capital gains (LTCG) liability

Context:

• Long-term capital gains (LTCG) liability on the sale or transfer of any capital asset, such as land, property, trademarks and patents is expected to be lower this year as the Cost Inflation Index (CII) for 2024-25 has been fixed at 363, a rise of 4.3% from 348 for FY24.
• Come into force with effect from April 1, 2025.

Cost Inflation Index (CII):

• The CII is a way to calculate inflation, that is, an estimated increase in the price of a good or service over the years.
• Released annually by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• Indexation is used to adjust the purchase price of an investment to reflect the effect of inflation on it.
• A higher purchase price means lower profits, which effectively means a lower tax.
• The CII number assists in determining the long-term capital gains on which an assessee is required to pay taxes when she/he files income tax returns the following year.
• The index is useful to adjust the capital gains for inflation so that the taxpayers are taxed on real appreciation of the assets and not the gains due to inflation.
• The Finance Act, of 2023 removed CII for debt mutual funds.
  • April 1, 2024, onwards, gains for funds are taxed at the investor’s tax slab rate, rather than the previous 20% with indexation benefit and 10% without that.
  • As a result, if the investor is subject to the highest tax bracket, this rate would be 35.8% (including surcharge and cess).
• Impact on taxable income:
  • With the help of indexation, one can lower her/his long-term capital gains, bringing down the taxable income.
  • The rate of inflation to be used for indexation can be obtained from the government’s CII.

Capital Gain Tax: A tax imposed on the profits (gains) derived from the sale of assets such as land, shares, etc.

Types of Capital Gains:

Tax Rates:

• LTCG Tax: Historically, LTCG arising from the transfer of listed equity shares were exempt from tax until the Union Budget 2018-2019. The budget reintroduced LTCG tax on equity investments, taxing gains exceeding 1 lakh at a rate of 10%, without allowing the benefit of indexation. Gains up to January 31, 2018, are grandfathered, meaning they are not subject to the new tax.
• STCG Tax: Gains from equity shares held for up to one year are taxed at the rate of 15% for short-term capital gains.

Source: TH

6. Why was Singapore flight turbulence severe?

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Msc

Context:

• On May 20-21, a Singapore Airlines flight, SQ321, with 211 passengers and 18 crew, from London’s Heathrow Airport to Singapore encountered severe turbulence while over the Andaman Sea/Bay of Bengal near the Irrawaddy Basin, Myanmar.

More on news:

• The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is to assist Singapore’s investigation as the aircraft is a Boeing jet.

What is Turbulence?

• Turbulence occurs by the relative movement of disturbed air through which an aircraft is flying.
• It could be thermal or mechanical and can happen either within or when it is clear of clouds.
• Turbulence is one of the most unpredictable of all the weather phenomena that are of significance to pilots.
• Turbulence is an irregular motion of the air resulting from eddies and vertical currents.
• It may be as insignificant as a few annoying bumps or severe enough to momentarily throw an airplane out of control or to cause structural damage.
• Turbulence is associated with fronts, wind shear, thunderstorms, etc.
• Its severity depends on the rate at which the speed or the direction of airflow/or both changes
• Turbulence is basically what happens when there is friction between airflow or wind flowing in different directions.
• When it involves aviation, there are two main forms, which are Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), which happens around jet streams, and the other being inside or around cumulonimbus clouds. 
• The clouds have very strong upwards air currents in the middle and downwards air currents around the outside, which can result in quite serious turbulence.
• The faster an aircraft is, the more severe the response to the turbulence.
• Turbulence on flights can be caused by storms, mountains, and strong air currents called jet streams.
• It is called clear air turbulence, and can be difficult to avoid because it does not show up on the weather radar in the flight deck.

TURBULENCE INTENSITY:

• In reporting turbulence, it is usually classed as light, moderate, severe or extreme.
• The degree is determined by the nature of the initiating agency and by the degree of stability of the air.
• Light turbulence momentarily causes slight changes in altitude and/or attitude or a slight bumpiness.
  • Occupants of the airplane may feel a slight strain against their seat belts.
• Moderate turbulence is similar to light turbulence but somewhat more intense. There is, however, no loss of control of the airplane.
  • Occupants will feel a definite strain against their seat belts and unsecured objects will be dislodged.
• Severe turbulence causes large and abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude and, usually, large variations in indicated airspeed.
  • The airplane may momentarily be out of control. Occupants of the airplane will be forced violently against their seat belts.
• In extreme turbulence, the airplane is tossed violently about and is impossible to control.
  • It may cause structural damage.
• Chop is a type of turbulence that causes rapid and somewhat rhythmic bumpiness.

Causes of Turbulence:

Mechanical Turbulence:

• Friction between the air and the ground, especially irregular terrain and man-made obstacles, causes eddies and therefore turbulence in the lower levels.
• The intensity of this eddy motion depends on the strength of the surface wind, the nature of the surface and the stability of the air.
• The stronger the wind speed (generally, a surface wind of 20 knots or higher is required for significant turbulence), the rougher the terrain and the more unstable the air, the greater will be the turbulence.

Thermal (Convective) Turbulence:

• Turbulence can also be expected on warm summer days when the sun heats the earth’s surface unevenly.
• Certain surfaces, such as barren ground, rocky and sandy areas, are heated more rapidly than are grass covered fields and much more rapidly than is water.
• Isolated convective currents are therefore set in motion with warm air rising and cooler air descending, which are responsible for bumpy conditions as an airplane flies in and out of them.
• Turbulence extends from the base to the top of the convection layer, with smooth conditions found above.

Frontal Turbulence:

• The lifting of the warm air by the sloping frontal surface and friction between the two opposing air masses produce turbulence in the frontal zone.
• This turbulence is most marked when the warm air is moist and unstable and will be extremely severe if thunderstorms develop.
• Turbulence is more commonly associated with cold fronts but can be present, to a lesser degree, in a warm front as well.

Wind Shear:

• Wind shear is the change in wind direction and/or wind speed over a specific horizontal or vertical distance.
• Atmospheric conditions where wind shear exists include: areas of temperature inversions, along troughs and lows, and around jet streams.
• When the change in wind speed and direction is pronounced, quite severe turbulence can be expected. Clear air turbulence is associated at high altitudes (i.e, above 15,000 feet AGL) with the jet stream.

Turbulence and Climate Change:

• There is strong evidence that turbulence is increasing because of climate change. 
• It was recently discovered that severe clear air turbulence in the North Atlantic has increased by 55% since 1979.

Work of Aviation attorneys:

• Aviation attorneys work with aviation and weather experts to plot the aircraft’s route, obtain satellite images of the weather at the time and location of the encounter, and to quickly secure airline data to help prove the claim.
• They even look at whether the crew knew there was bad weather ahead but decided not to deviate to save time, fuel, and airline money.

7. Why COVID vaccine safety needs scrutiny

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

• The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) issued a letter to the researchers of Banaras Hindu University last week, countering their study on the side effects of India’s indigenous vaccine for COVID — Covaxin.

What did the BHU study conclude?

• Adolescent girls and those with comorbidities were at a higher risk of adverse events after receiving Bharat Biotech’s BBV152 (Covaxin) vaccine against COVID-19.
• A third of the participants reported adverse events of special interest (AESI). 
• Findings from a one-year prospective study in North India’, also said that serious adverse events occurred in 1% of BBV152 recipients, and that extended surveillance is warranted following the vaccine administration.
• Viral upper respiratory tract infections were reported in 47.9% adolescents and 42.6% adults, as per the study.
• Menstrual abnormalities were noticed in 4.6% of female participants. 
• Ocular abnormalities and hypothyroidism were observed in 2.7% and 0.6% of the participants, respectively.
• Among the serious AESIs (1%), stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome were identified in 0.3% and 0.1% of the participants, respectively.

What is the ICMR stance?

• With reference to the study itself, ICMR claimed there were critical flaws:
• the study had no control arm of unvaccinated individuals for comparison with the vaccinated group, and therefore,
• the reported events in the study cannot be linked or attributed to COVID-19 vaccination;
• it did not provide background rates of patterns observed in the general population, and
• thereby made it impossible to study the observed events in the post vaccination period.

What was the fallout?

• Multiple accounts of doctors and researchers on social media also pointed out that the ICMR developed the vaccine along with the company, and not declaring its vested interest was also a serious lapse in research terms.

About COVAXIN:

• COVAXIN is an inactivated vaccine, created from a strain of the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has shown promise in preclinical studies, demonstrating extensive safety and effective immune responses.
• COVAXIN has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
• The SARS-CoV-2 strain was isolated in NIV, Pune and transferred to Bharat Biotech. 
• It is an inactivated vaccine that is made by using particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making them unable to infect or replicate.
• Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to build immunity by helping the body create antibodies against the dead virus.
• Bharat Biotech’s track record in developing Vero cell culture platform technologies has been proven in several vaccines for polio, rabies, rotavirus, Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya and Zika.

8. UAPA tribunal upholds MHA ban against seven Meitei extremist organizations

Sub:  Polity

Sec: Legislation

Context:

• A tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has upheld the Centre’s decision to declare seven valley based Meitei extremist organizations as “unlawful associations” for the next five years.

More on news:

• In the past five years, the seven outfits were responsible for 335 of 689 violent incidents reported in Manipur, in which nine security personnel and 21 civilians were killed.
• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the tribunal that the outfits through their front organizations and civil society groups are also engaged in targeting non-local population, protesting against peace talks of authorities with other ethnic groups of the State, boycotting national days like Republic Day, and opposing merger of Manipur with Indian Union.
• The ministry said that the insurgent groups were initially declared as unlawful associations in 1979 and since then the declarations have been continuously extended, last on November 13, 2018.

Order of the tribunal:

• An order by Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi said that the tribunal concurs with the opinion of the Central government that if there is no immediate curb and control of the seven outfits, they will take the opportunity to mobilize their cadres for escalating their secessionist, subversive and violent activities.

About UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES PREVENTION ACT (UAPA):

• UAPA was passed in 1967. 
• It aims at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.
• Unlawful activity refers to any action taken by an individual or association intended to disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.
• The 2004 amendment added “terrorist act” to the list of offenses to ban organizations for terrorist activities, under which 34 outfits were banned.
• Till 2004, “unlawful” activities referred to actions related to secession and cession of territory.
• In August, Parliament cleared the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019 to designate individuals as terrorists on certain grounds provided in the Act.
• The Act empowers the Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA) to grant approval of seizure or attachment of property when the case is investigated by the said agency.

About Meities:

• The Meitei people, Meetei,Meithei, Manipuri people are an ethnic group native to Manipur, they are also known as Kathe in Myanmar, Mogli in Tripura.
• They belong to the Mongoloid race and Tibeto-Burman language family in Northeast India. 
• They form the largest and dominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India.
• They speak the Meitei language (officially called Manipuri), one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic and the sole official language of Government of Manipur and it is also a associated official language of four districts( Hojai, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj) of Assam.

9. Brazil and EU urge India for timely notifications on sugar subsidies at WTO

Sub:  IR

Sec: Int org

Context:

• A group of WTO member countries, including Brazil, Canada and the European Union, have urged India to submit timely notifications on sugar subsidies in the World Trade Organisation.

More on news:

• The issue came up for discussion during the meeting of the WTO’s agriculture committee on May 23-24 in Geneva.
• Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay, New Zealand, the EU, and Guatemala have urged India to submit timely notifications on the subsidies.
• According to study, over the four-year period from 2018-19 to 2021-22, India has provided market price support on sugarcane in excess of the limits set out in the Agreement on Agriculture (10 percent of the total value of sugarcane production) by a margin of 92-101 per cent.

India’s Stand:

• India has stated that the Indian central and state governments neither paid for nor procured sugarcane from farmers, as all purchases were made by private sugar mills.
• In its appeal, India has stated that the WTO’s dispute panel ruling has made certain erroneous findings about domestic schemes to support sugarcane producers and exports and the findings of the panel are completely unacceptable to it.
• Hence, this information was not included in its notifications of domestic support.
• In 2022, India appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) trade dispute settlement panel which ruled that the country’s domestic support measures for sugar and sugarcane are inconsistent with global trade norms.
• The appeal was filed by India in the WTO’s Appellate Body, which is the final authority on such trade disputes and is not functioning.
• Brazil, Australia, and Guatemala had filed the cases against India on these support measures.

About WTO:

• The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. 
• Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that govern international trade in cooperation with the United Nations System.
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a multilateral organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. 
• It came into existence on January 1, 1995, as a successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). 
• The organization functions as a central body that facilitates global trade.