Daily Prelims Notes 27 May 2021
- May 27, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
27 May 2021
Table Of Contents
- ECLGS
- RECLINING BUDDHA
- GST COMPENSATION
- LINE OF CONTROL
- SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS
- ICAO
- TULSA RACE MASSACRE
- QUAD
- ACCR PORTAL & AYUSH SANJIVANI APP
- PFRDA
- TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE & SUPERMOON
- MEKEDATU MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECT
- WHO BIOHUB
Subject : Government Schemes
Context : Federation of Indian Small and Medium Enterprises FISME has now called for ECLGS 3.0 with “inbuilt flexibility” to be made available to more firms to deal with the current crisis.
Concept :
- ECLGS was rolled out as part of the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar package in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The objective was to support small businesses struggling to meet their operational liabilities due to the imposition of a nationwide lockdown.
- The ECLGS provides for the Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility. The GECL is a loan for which 100% guarantee is provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) – banks, financial institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
- The loans are extended in the form of additional working capital term loan facility in case of banks and additional term loan facility in case of NBFCs to eligible MSME enterprises and interested Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) borrowers.
- First-time borrowers and Non-Performing Asset (NPA) accounts cannot raise funds under the scheme.
- The tenor of loans provided under the GECL facility is four years from the date of disbursement.
- A moratorium period of one year on the principal amount is provided.
- Interest rates of banks and financial institutions have been capped at 9.25% per annum, while NBFCs can lend at a maximum of 14% per annum.
Subject : Culture
Context : Recently, India’s largest statue of the Reclining Buddha was to have been installed at the Buddha International Welfare Mission temple in Bodh Gaya on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. The ceremony has been put off due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Concept :
Reclining Buddha
- The reclining Buddha statue or image represents The Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana.
- Parinirvana the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls.
- Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha is supposed to be a very important event that happened in Kushinagar; it is not simply a demise, it is the great demise, after which there is no rebirth for him.
- The Buddha’s death came when he was 80 years old, in a state of meditation, in Kushinagarin eastern Uttar Pradesh, close to the state’s border with Bihar.
- It signifies the Buddha’s last deeksha i.e. even while on his deathbed, he took a follower into the fold.
Reclining Buddha in India
- Cave No. 26 of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ajanta contains a 24-foot-long and nine-foot-tall sculpture of the Reclining Buddha, believed to have been carved in the 5th century AD.
- It shows the Buddha reclining on his right side, and behind him are two sala trees.
- At the base of the sculpture are his begging bowl, a water pitcher and walking stick.
- Kushinagar, where the Buddha actually attained parinirvana, has a 6-metre-long red sandstone monolith statue of the Reclining Buddha inside the Parinirvana Stupa.
Other depictions of the Buddha
- In India, there are a lot of Buddhas in sitting postures, mostly pertaining to his Enlightenment rather than to his demise.
- At the Mahabodhi temple, the Buddha is sitting in the bhoomi-sparsha mudra, where his hand is pointing towards the ground.
- At Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, the stone statue has a hand gesture called the dharma-chakra mudra, which signifies preaching.
- It is also the most popular depiction in India, along with the Bodhi tree depiction.
- The Buddha statues found in South East Asia are an amalgamation of all his various postures and life events, including mahaparinirvana, but not limited to it.
Subject : Governance
Context : Opposition-ruled states discuss extension of compensation period ahead of GST Council meet on May 28.
Concept :
GST Compensation
- After the introduction of GST States have very limited taxation rights as most of the taxes, barring those on petroleum, alcohol, and stamp duty, were subsumed under GST.
- GST accounts for almost 42% of states’ own tax revenues, and tax revenues account for around 60% of states’ total revenues.
- Under the GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, states are guaranteed compensation for loss of revenue on account of implementation of GST for a transition period of five years between 2017 and 22.
- The compensation is calculated based on the difference between the states’ current GST revenue and the protected revenue after estimating an annualised 14% growth rate from the base year of 2015-16.
Logic Behind GST Compensation
- In theory the GST should generate as much revenue as the previous tax regime.
- However, the new tax regime is taxed on consumption and not manufacturing.
- This means that tax won’t be levied at the place of production which also means manufacturing states would lose out and hence several states strongly opposed the idea of GST.
- It was to assuage these states that the idea of compensation was mooted.
- To make this promise watertight, the idea of compensation was both written into the Constitution and its finer details passed by way of central legislation.
Subject : Defence / Security
Context : India Can’t Accept Terrorism Legitimate as Diplomacy: S Jaishankar on LoC Ceasefire
Concept :
- The LoC emerged from the 1948 as “ceasefire line” negotiated by the UN after the Kashmir War.
- It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the two countries. It is delineated on a map signed by DGMOs of both armies and has the international sanctity of a legal agreement.
- The part that is under Indian control is known as the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Pakistani-controlled part is divided into Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. The northernmost point of the Line of Control is known as NJ9842.
LOC different from LAC:
- The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept between India and China’s border areas – it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither delineated on a map nor demarcated on the ground.
- The LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
- It is divided into three sectors: the eastern sector which spans Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh.
- The alignment of the LAC in the eastern sector is along the 1914 McMahon Line, and there are minor disputes about the positions on the ground
- The line in the middle sector is the least controversial but for the precise alignment to be followed in the Barahoti plains.
- The major disagreements are in the western sector where the LAC emerged from two letters written by Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai to PM Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, after he had first mentioned such a ‘line’ in 1956.
Subject : Current Events / Governance
Context :New rules have come into effect, taking away the protection granted to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the IT Act if they fail to comply.
Concept :
- The safe harbour provisions have been defined under Section 79 of the IT Act, and protect social media intermediaries by giving them immunity from legal prosecution for any content posted on their platforms.
- This protection, the Act says, shall be applicable if the said intermediary does not in any way, initiate the transmission of the message in question, select the receiver of the transmitted message and does not modify any information contained in the transmission.
- This means that as long as a platform acts just as the messenger carrying a message from point A to point B, without interfering in any manner, it will be safe from any legal prosecution brought upon due to the message being transmitted.
- The protection accorded under Section 79, however, is not granted if the intermediary, despite being informed or notified by the government or its agencies, does not immediately disable access to the material under question.
- The intermediary must not tamper with any evidence of these messages or content present on its platform, failing which it lose its protection under the Act.
Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code
- In February 2021, the guidelines had asked all social media platforms to set up a grievances redressal and compliance mechanism.
- It included appointing a resident grievance officer, chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person.
- The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology had also asked these platforms to submit monthly reports on complaints received from users and action taken.
- A third requirement was for instant messaging apps was to make provisions for tracking the first originator of a message.
- The failure to comply with any one of these requirements would take away the indemnity provided to social media intermediaries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
Subject : International Organisations
Context : International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will hold an urgent meeting in Montreal, Canada, on May 27 to discuss the forcibly diversion of the Ryanair plane, which was flying from Greece to Lithuania, to land in Belarus on May 23 after Western powers called for the UN civil aviation agency to investigate the incident.
Concept :
International Civil Aviation Organisation
- ICAO is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency, established in 1944, which laid the foundation for the standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation.
- The Convention on International Civil Aviation was signed on 7th December 1944 in Chicago.
- It established the core principles permitting international transport by air, and also led to the creation of the ICAO.
- Its one of the objectives is to foster the planning and development of international air transport so as to ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world.
- India is among its 193 members.
- It is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
Subject : International Relations
Context : US President Joe Biden will next week visit the city of Tulsa in Oklahoma state, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, known among the worst incidents of racial strife in American history.
Concept :
- In 1921, from the evening of May 31 until the afternoon of June 1, a violent mob of Tulsa’s White residents attacked a prosperous Black neighbourhood, killing hundreds and leaving the locality in ashes.
- The massacre took place in Greenwood, a thriving Black-dominated neighbourhood that had sprung up at the start of the 20th century on the northern side of Tulsa, separated by a railroad track from the city’s White-dominated part on the south.
- Known as the “Black Wall Street”, Greenwood was a favoured destination for African Americans from the Southern US states– where laws actively upheld racism and disempowered Black people– to come and seek upward mobility.
- The visit by a US president on the occasion is being read as a signal to acknowledge the race massacre, whose history has long been suppressed and left out of national memory.
Subject : International Relations
Context : Quad ‘targeting’ China, says Consul General.
Concept :
- It is a four-nation alliance of India, Australia, USA and Japan which was established in 2007.
- It is often dubbed as an “Asian” or “mini” NATO, and is viewed as a counterbalance to China’s military and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The 2020 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission shows China’s growing power projection along the Indian Ocean rim with military or economic activities in countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
- Interestingly, the QUAD, which used to be known as the quadrilateral security dialogue, is now known as the quadrilateral framework to indicate it has gone beyond a narrow security dialogue.
- In November 2017, India, the USA, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending “QUAD” Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence (especially China).
- Since then, QUAD has taken several steps to bolster military and strategic ties with a series of working- and ministerial-level meetings.
Participation in Malabar Exercise:
- In 2020, all four QUAD Countries – Japan, India, Australia and the USA took part in the Malabar exercise.
- Malabar exercise is an annual trilateral naval exercise between the navies of India, Japan, and the USA which is held alternately in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
9. ACCR PORTAL & AYUSH SANJIVANI APP
Subject : Governance
Context : Recently, the Ministry of AYUSH has launched the Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) portal and Ayush Sanjivani App.
Concept :
Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) Portal
- It is the dedicated section for reporting and publishing details of Covid 19 cases treated through Ayush Systems.
- It is conceptualized and developed by the Ministry of Ayush as a platform to support both Ayush practitioners and the public.
- It welcomes Ayush practitioners from all over the world to enroll and share information about successfully treated cases for the benefit of all.
- It covers all the seven systems of Ayush viz. Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy and Sowa Rigpa.
Significance of Ayush Clinical Case Repository (ACCR) Portal
- It aims to aggregate information about clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large scale.
- It will facilitate not just dissemination of information but also further analysis and research.
- It is expected to document the strengths of Ayush systems for treatment of various disease conditions.
About Ayush Sanjivani App
- It facilitates a significant study/ documentation regarding the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, including Ayush 64 and KabasuraKudineer medicines.
- It will help to generate data on acceptance and usage of AYUSH advocacies and measures among the population and its impact in prevention of COVID 19.
- It is developed by Ministry of AYUSH and MEITY and shall reach out to a target of 50 lakh people.
Subject : National Organisations
Context : The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) crossed the milestone of Rs 6 lakh crore (Rs 6 trillion) of Assets Under Management (AUM) under the National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY), after 13 years.
Concept :
- PFRDA is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament to promote old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds, to protect the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and for matters connected there with or incidental thereto.
- PFRDA performs the function of appointing various intermediate agencies like Pension Fund Managers, Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) etc.
- It develops, promotes and regulates the pension industry under National Pension System and also administers the Atal Pension Yojana.
Atal Pension Yojana
- The scheme was launched on 9th May, 2015, with the objective of creating a universal social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the under-privileged and the workers in the unorganised sector.
- Administered By: Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority through National Pension System (NPS).
- Any citizen of India can join the APY scheme. The age of the subscriber should be between 18-40 years. The contribution levels would vary and would be low if a subscriber joins early and increases if she joins late.
- Benefits:
- It provides a minimum guaranteed pension ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 on attaining 60 years of age.
- The amount of pension is guaranteed for lifetime to the spouse on death of the subscriber.
- In the event of death of both the subscriber and the spouse, the entire pension corpus is paid to the nominee.
- Contributions to the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) are eligible for tax benefits similar to the National Pension System (NPS).
National Pension System
- NPS is a government-sponsored pension scheme. It was launched in 2004 for government employees.
- Now, any individual citizen of India (both resident and non-resident) in the age group of 18-65 can join NPS.
11. TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE & SUPERMOON
Subject : Geography
Context : Recently, a super-celestial event took place as the first lunar eclipse of 2021 took place. The event was more special as it coincided with a supermoon, a total lunar eclipse and a red blood moon all at once.
Concept :
Supermoon
- NASA notes that a supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full.
- As the Moon orbits the Earth, there is a point of time when the distance between the two is the least (called the perigee) and a point of time when the distance is the most (called the apogee).
- When a full Moon appears at the point when the distance between the Earth and the Moon is the least, not only does it appear to be brighter but it is also larger than a regular full moon.
- According to NASA, the term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.
- In a typical year, there may be two to four full supermoons and two to four new supermoons in a row.
What is a Lunar Eclipse?
- It is a phenomenon which occurs when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth.
- The phenomenon occurs during the full moon.
- A full moon happens when the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth which allows the person to see the entire lit-up side, which looks like a round disc in the night sky.
- The moon will also appear to be red because of the total lunar eclipse.
Why does the moon look red?
- It is because the Earth will block some of the light from the Sun from reaching the moon and as the Earth’s atmosphere filters the light, it will soften “the edge of our planet’s shadow” “giving the Moon a deep, rosy glow”.
- Sunlight has all colors and while passing through the atmosphere of the Earth, the blue light is filtered while the red part passes through it.
- It is because of this the sky looks blue and redness prevails at sunrise and sunset.
- In the case of a lunar eclipse, the red light passes through the earth’s atmosphere and it turns towards the moon while the blue light remains out of it which makes the moon look completely red.
12. MEKEDATU MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECT
Subject : Economy / Geography
Context :The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed a joint committee to look into allegations of unauthorised construction activity taking place in Mekedatu, where the Karnataka government had proposed to construct a dam across the Cauvery River.
Concept :
- Acting suomotu based on a media report, the NGT has directed the panel to submit a report on or before July 5.
- The Mekedatu multi-purpose project involves building a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district.
- It envisages supplying drinking water to Bengaluru and Ramanagaram districts, besides generation of power.
- The project was conceived in 2013 and in 2017, the Karnataka state cabinet decided to implement it.
- The project, however, ran into a controversy after Tamil Nadu opposed it on the grounds that the project violates the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award.
Subject : International Events
Context : The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland have signed an MoU to launch a BioHub facility that will allow rapid sharing of pathogens between laboratories and partners to facilitate better analysis and preparedness against them.
Concept :
WHO BioHub
- The BioHub will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations.
- The facility will help in the safe reception, sequencing, storage, and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, so as to facilitate global preparedness against these pathogens.
- It would be based in Spiez, Switzerland.
- Pathogens are presently shared bilaterally between countries: A process that can be sluggish and deny the benefits to some.
Its significance
- This will ensure timeliness and predictability in response activities.
- The move is significant in the view of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the need to underline the importance of sharing pathogen information to assess risks and launch countermeasures.
- The move will help contribute to the establishment of an international exchange system for novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging pathogens.