Daily Prelims Notes 29 August 2021

August 29, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

29 August 2021

Table Of Contents

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – A Yakshagana play with an artist performing all the roles of a ‘prasanga’ (episode) is on the verge of making it to the over-the-top (OTT) platform for the first time.

Concept –

Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form of
It is a temple artform that depicts mythological stories and Puranas.
It is performed with massive headgears, elaborate facial make-up and vibrant costumes and ornaments.
Usually recited in Kannada, it is also performed in Malayalamas well as Tulu (the dialect of south Karnataka).
It is performed with percussion instruments like chenda, maddalam, jagatta or chengila (cymbals) and chakratala or elathalam (small cymbals).
The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharatae. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra vivah, etc. and from Ramayanai.e. Rajyabhishek, Lav-Kush yuddh, etc.
Yakshagana is performed in open-air theatres.
It is usually performed in the village paddy fields after the winter crop has been harvested.
Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
Earlier days, the Yakshagana theatre was known as Bhagavatara attar, which revolved round the stories of Lord Krishna and Vishnu

2. ICGS Vigraha

Subject – Security

Context – Rajnath commissions ICGS Vigraha.

Concept –

The seventh Off-shore Patrol Vessel was built indigenously by Larsen & Toubro.
ICGS Vigraha will be based out of Visakhapatnam and will operate on India’s Eastern Seaboard under the operational and administrative control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPVs) are long-range surface ships, capable of operation in the maritime zones of India, including island territories with helicopter operation Their roles include coastal and offshore patrolling, policing maritime zones of India, control and surveillance, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations with limited wartime roles.

3. BH-Series

Subject – Governance

Context – ‘BH’ vehicle registration series notified.

Concept –

To ensure seamless transfer of personal vehicles across States, the Road Transport Ministry has come up with Bharat Series (BH-series), a new registration mark for new vehicles.
It is new vehicle registration regime that will avoid vehicle owners from re-registration process when they shift from one State/Union Territory to another.
This vehicle registration facility will be available on voluntary basis to defense personnel, employees of central government/ State government/ central/ State public sector undertakings and private sector companies/ organizations, which have their offices in four or more states/union territories.
An IT-based solution for vehicle registration is one such effort as “one of the pain points in the vehicle registration process that needed attention was re-registration of a vehicle while moving to another State”.
Earlier, under section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, a person is allowed to keep the vehicle for not more than 12 months in any state other than the state where the vehicle is registered.

4. Indian Council for Historical Research

Subject – Government Bodies

Context – Congress leaders have criticized the Indian Council for Historical Research for ‘omitting’ the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru during the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate the 75th year of Independence.

Concept –

It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
It was established under Societies Registration Act (Act XXI of 1860) in 1972.
Objectives of the ICHR: To bring historians together and provide a forum for exchange of views between them and to promote, accelerate and coordinate research in history.
The Council provides fellowships and financial assistance to the young teachers in colleges, universities and registered research organizations, as well as to senior scholars.
Publishes a biannual Journal – the Indian Historical Review, and another journal Itihas in Hindi.
The ICHR receives grants-in-aid from the Department of Higher Education, grants-in-aid from various Indian states, private donations, and the proceeds of revenues from the sale of publications of the ICHR.

5. Gaganyaan Mission

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – Indian pilots to return to Russia soon for stitching customized space suits.

Concept –

Gaganyaan is a mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Under the Gaganyaan schedule:
- Three flights will be sent into orbit.
- There will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.
The Gaganyaan system module, called the Orbital Module will have three Indian astronauts, including a woman.
It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7 days.
Payloads:
- Crew module –spacecraft carrying human beings.
- Service module –powered by two liquid propellant engines.
- It will be equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort.
GSLV Mk III, also called the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3,)the three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload capability.
Training in Russia:
- In June 2019, the Human Space Flight Centre of the ISRO and the Russian government-owned Glavkosmos signed a contract for the training, which includes Russian support in the selection of candidates, their medical examination, and space training.
- The candidates will study in detail the systems of the Soyuz manned spaceship, as well as be trained in short-term weightlessness mode aboard the Il-76MDK aircraft.
  - The Soyuz is a Russian spacecraft. The Soyuz carries people and supplies to and from the space station.
  - The Il-76MDKis a military transport plane specially designed for parabolic flights of trainee astronauts and space tourists.

6. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

Subject – Economy

Context – Encourage entrepreneurship in agriculture: NABARD chief

Concept –

NABARD is a development bank focussing primarily on the rural sector of the country. It is the apex banking institution to provide finance for Agriculture and rural development.
Its headquarter is located in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital.
It is responsible for the development of the small industries, cottage industries, and any other such village or rural projects.
It is a statutory body established in 1982 under Parliamentary act- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981.
It provides refinance support for building rural infrastructure.
It prepares district level credit plansto guiding and motivating the banking industry in achieving these targets.
It supervises Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and helping them develop sound banking practices and integrate them to the CBS (Core Banking Solution) platform.
It provides training to handicraft artisans and helps them in developing a marketing platform for selling these articles.
NABARD has various international partnerships including leading global organizations and World Bank-affiliated institutions that are breaking new ground in the fields of rural development as well as agriculture.
Reserve Bank of India is the central bank of the country with sole right to regulate the banking industry and supervise the various institutions/banks that also include NABARD defined under Banking Regulation Act of 1949.
NABARD provides recommendations to Reserve Bank of India on issue of licenses to Cooperative Banks, opening of new branches by State Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).

The NABARD (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed in 2018:

Increase in capital of NABARD: Under the 1981 Act, NABARD may have a capital of Rs 100 crore. This capital can be further increased to Rs 5,000 crore by the central government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Bill allows the central government to increase this capital to Rs 30,000 crore.

Transfer of the RBI’s share to the central government: Under the 1981 Act, the central government and the RBI together must hold at least 51% of the share capital of NABARD. The Bill provides that the central government alone must hold at least 51% of the share capital of NABARD. The Bill transfers the share capital held by the RBI and valued at Rs 20 crore to the central government. The central government will give an equal amount to the RBI.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME): Under the 1981 Act, NABARD was responsible for providing credit and other facilities to industries having an investment of upto Rs 20 lakh in machinery and plant. The Bill extends this to apply to enterprises with investment upto Rs 10 crore in the manufacturing sector and Rs five crore in the services sector.

7. Taiwan Strait

Subject – Geography

Context – U.S. Navy ships in Taiwan Strait pose threat: China

Concept –

The Taiwan Strait is a 180-kilometer (110 mi)-wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia.
The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north.
Former names of the Taiwan Strait include the Formosa Strait or Strait of Formosa, from a dated name for Taiwan; the Strait of Fokien or Fujian, from the Chinese province forming the strait’s western shore; and the Black Ditch, a calque of the strait’s name in Hokkien and Hakka.

8. West Asia

Subject – IR

Context – Afghanistan overshadows key West Asia summit.

Concept –

Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost sub region of the continent of Asia.
It is entirely a part of the Greater Middle East and almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Levant, the island of Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula, and partly Transcaucasia.
The region is considered to be separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, and separated from Europe by the waterways of the Turkish Straits and the watershed of the Greater Caucasus.
Central Asia lies to its northeast, while South Asia lies to its east.
Eight seas surround the region (clockwise): the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

9. Northernmost Landmass

Subject – Geography

Context – Scientists find ‘northernmost’ landmass

Concept –

Scientists have discovered what is believed to be the world’s northernmost landmass — a yet-to-be named island north of Greenland that could soon be swallowed up by seawaters.
Researchers came upon the landmass on an expedition in July, and initially thought they had reached Oodaaq, up until now the northernmost island on the planet.
Oodaaq is some 700 km south of the North Pole, while the new island is 780 m north of Oodaaq.

10. BCG Vaccine

Subject – Science and Tech

Context – BCG vaccine: 100 years and counting

Concept –

BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) is the vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) in humans.
TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family consisting of about 200 members.
Some of these cause diseases like TB and leprosy in humans and others infect a wide range of animals.
Mycobacteria are also widely dispersed in the environment.
In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
TB is a very ancient disease and has been documented to have existed in Egypt as early as 3000 BC.
According to the WHO’s Global TB Report, 10 million people developed TB in 2019 with 1.4 million deaths. India accounts for 27% of these cases.
BCG was developed by two Frenchmen, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin, by modifying a strain of Mycobacterium bovis (that causes TB in cattle) till it lost its capacity to cause disease while retaining its property to stimulate the immune system. It was first used in humans in 1921.
Currently, BCG is the only licensed vaccine available for the prevention of TB. It is the world’s most widely used vaccine with about 120 million doses every year and has an excellent safety record.
In India, BCG was first introduced in a limited scale in 1948 and became a part of the National TB Control Programme in 1962.
BCG is that it works well in some geographic locations and not so well in others.
Generally, the farther a country is from the equator, the higher is the efficacy. It has a high efficacy in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Denmark; and little or no efficacy in countries on or near the equator like India, Kenya and Malawi, where the burden of TB is higher. These regions also have a higher prevalence of environmental mycobacteria.
However, in children, BCG provides strong protection against severe forms of TB. This protective effect appears to wane with age and is far more variable in adolescents and adults, ranging from 0–80%.
India is committed to eliminate TB as a public health problem by 2025.
Over the last ten years 14 new vaccines have been developed for TB and are in clinical trials.
In addition to its primary use as a vaccine against TB, BCG also protects against respiratory and bacterial infections of the newborns, and other mycobacterial diseases like leprosy and Buruli’s ulcer. It is also used as an immunotherapy agent in cancer of the urinary bladder and malignant melanoma.
In progress Interestingly, it has been observed that in some countries that have had BCG vaccination as a national policy, the burden of SARS CoV¬2 morbidity and mortality was significantly less compared to countries which did not.

11. Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Subject – Economy

Context – The Centre is set to list India’s largest insurance firm, state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India, on the stock exchanges to help meet disinvestment targets for the year

Concept –

IPO is the selling of securities to the public in the primary market.
Primary market deals with new securities being issued for the first time. It is also known as the new issues market.
It is different from secondary market where existing securities are bought and sold. It is also known as the stock market or stock exchange.
It is when an unlisted company makes either a fresh issue of securities or an offer for sale of its existing securities or both for the first time to the public.
It is generally used by new and medium-sized firms that are looking for funds to grow and expand their business.

12. Brahmaputra

Subject – Geography

Context – Assam floods hit 2.25 lakh people

Concept –

It originates under the name of Siang or Dihang, from the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar Lake.
It enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh.
Tributaries: Dibang, Lohit, Siang, Burhi Dihing, Tista, and Dhansari.
It is a perennial river and has several peculiar characteristics due to its geography and prevailing climatic conditions.
It is flooded twice annually. One flood is caused by the melting of the Himalayan snow in summer and the other due to the monsoon flows.
These pose a concern for the population and food security in the lower riparian states of India and Bangladesh.
The river is in itself dynamic as frequent landslides and geological activity force it to change course very often.
The world’s largest riverine island, Majuli Island is on the Brahmaputra River in the state of Assam.
The Brahmaputra drains into the Bay of Bengal before forming a huge delta along with the Ganga.

13. National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP)

Subject – Economy

Context – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), which is expected to fetch around ₹5.96 lakh crore to the government.

Concept –

The NMP names a list of public assets that will be leased to private investors. Only brown-field assets, which are assets that are already operational, are planned to be leased out under the NMP.
Importantly, there won’t be any transfer of ownership from the government to the private sector when assets are leased out. The government only plans to cede control over its assets for a certain period of time, after which the assets must be returned to the government unless the lease is extended.
The government believes that leasing out public assets to private investors will help free capital that is stuck in these assets.
The proceeds from the NMP are expected to account for about 14% of the total outlay for infrastructure under the NIP. The government believes all this spending will boost economic activity. Analysts also believe that the government has now through the NMP found the right model for infrastructure development. The government, they say, is best suited to tackle the ground-level challenges in building infrastructure, while the private sector can operate and offer indirect finance to these projects through the NMP.

What are the risks?

The allocation of assets owned by governments to private investors is often subject to political influence, which can lead to corruption. In fact, many in the Opposition allege that the NMP will favour a few business corporations that are close to the government.

The expected boost to economic activity due to higher government spending may also need to be weighed against the opportunity costs. For one, the money that the government collects by leasing out assets comes from the pockets of the private sector. So higher government spending will come at the cost of lower private spending. The NMP also does not address the various structural problems such as legal uncertainty and the absence of a deep bond market that hold back private investment in infrastructure.

However, it is worth noting that assets are perceived to be better managed and allocated by the private sector than by the government. To the extent that the NMP frees assets from government control, it can help the economy. There are also concerns that the leasing of airports, railways, roads and other public utilities to private investors could lead to higher prices for consumers.