Daily Prelims Notes 4 June 2023

June 4, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

4 June 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Oil reserves in salt caverns

Subject: Geography

Section: Economic geography

Context:

A Govt-owned engineering firm is studying whether petroleum reserves can be developed in Rajasthan’s salt caverns.

Why do countries need strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) ?

If the idea comes to fruition, India could get its first salt cavern-based oil storage facility. The country’s three existing strategic oil storage facilities — at Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh — are made up of excavated rock caverns.
Countries build strategic crude oil reserves to mitigate major supply disruptions in the global supply chain.
India, the world’s third-largest consumer of crude, depends on imports for more than 85% of its requirement — and strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) could help ensure energy security and availability during global supply shocks and other emergencies.

Salt cavern-based reserves vs rock cavern-based reserves

Unlike underground rock caverns, which are developed through excavation, salt caverns are developed by the process of solution mining, which involves pumping water into geological formations with large salt deposits to dissolve the salt.
After the brine (water with dissolved salt) is pumped out of the formation, the space can be used to store crude oil.
The process is simpler, faster, and less cost-intensive than developing excavated rock caverns.
Salt cavern-based oil storage facilities are also naturally well-sealed, and engineered for rapid injection and extraction of oil. This makes them a more attractive option than storing oil in other geological formations.
The salt that lines the inside of these caverns has extremely low oil absorbency, which creates a natural impermeable barrier against liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, making the caverns apt for storage. Also, unlike rock caverns, salt cavern-based storages can be created and operated almost entirely from the surface.
The entire SPR programme of the United States has so far been based on salt cavern- based storage facilities.
Salt caverns are also used to store liquid fuels and natural gas in various parts of the world. They are also considered suitable for storing compressed air and hydrogen.

Potential in India for storing crude, petroleum products

Rajasthan, which has the bulk of requisite salt formations in India, is seen as the most conducive for developing salt cavern-based strategic storage facilities.

Strategic petroleum reserves programme: story so far

India’s strategic oil reserves are part of the effort to build sufficient emergency stockpiles on the lines of the reserves that the US and its Western allies set up after the first oil crisis of the 1970s. The three existing rock cavern-based facilities were built during the first phase of the programme.
Crude oil from the reserves are to be re- leased by an empowered committee set up by the government, in the event of supply disruptions due to a natural calamity or an unforeseen global event leading to an abnormal increase in prices.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization in which India is an ‘Association’ country, recommends that all countries should hold an emergency oil stockpile sufficient to provide 90 days of import protection.
In India, apart from the SPR that are sufficient to meet 9.5 days of oil requirement, the oil marketing companies (OMCs) have storage facilities for crude oil and petroleum products for 64.5 days — which means there is sufficient storage to meet around 74 days of the country’s petroleum demand.

2. Between ‘friends’ Cong & DMK, Mekedatu dam dispute

Subject :Geography

Section: Places in news

Context:

Days after Karnataka’s Congress government took over at a ceremony that was attended by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, the two states, run by parties that are southern allies against the BJP, clashed over a project to supply drinking water to Bengaluru.

The dispute over Mekedatu project:

After Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister expressed the resolve to build a dam and reservoir on the Cauvery at Mekedatu close to the state’s border with Tamil Nadu, Tamilnadu pointed out that the Mekedatu project was not part of the awards of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) or the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Any unauthorized construction across the river could harm Tamil Nadu and violate both the 2007 final order of the CWDT and the 2018 verdict of the SC, Durai Murugan, who is Water Resources Minister for the state, said.

Mekedatu project:

The Mekedatu dam project is located in Ramanagara district about 100 km south of Bengaluru, close to where the Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu. The project has been contentious for years.
Mekedatu, meaning goat’s leap, is a deep gorge situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi, about 100 km from Bengaluru.
The dam aims to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and replen- ish the regional groundwater table.
The Mekedatu dam will be larger than the Krishnaraja Sagar project on the Cauvery. The Central Water Commission (CWC) had cleared a feasibility study for the project in 2018.

History of opposition:

Tamil Nadu witnessed widespread protests against the dam in 2015, with a statewide bandh that was supported by various stakeholders. The state Assembly passed unanimous resolutions against the project in December 2018 and January 2022.
In August 2021, Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court against the project. Tamil Nadu’s key arguments are that Karnataka is attempting to modify the flow of the river by constructing two reservoirs on it.
The action violates the final award of the CRWT, and would impound the flow in the intermediate catchment below the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, and Biligundlu, along the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the state has argued.

3. Govt imposes stock limits on tur, urad dal to check hoarding

Subject :Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Context:

The central government imposed stock limits on tur (arhar) and urad till October 31, a move aimed at controlling the rising prices.

Stock limits:

The stock limit applicable to each of the pulses individually will be 200 metric tonnes for wholesalers and 5 MT for retailers.
An order to this effect has been issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
To prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation and also to improve affordability to the consumers in respect of tur dal and urad dal, the government has issued an order where it has imposed stock limits on the pulses applicable to wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers, millers and importers.
Under this order… importers are not to hold imported stock beyond 30 days from the date of Customs clearance.
The respective legal entities are to declare the stock position on the portal of Department of Consumer Affairs and in case the stocks held by them are higher than the prescribed limit, they shall bring the same to the prescribed stock limits within 30 days of issuance of the notification.
The order has been issued in exercise of the powers conferred by the Essential Commodities Act, 1955

Essential Commodities Act:

There is no specific definition of essential commodities in The EC Act.
Section 2(A) of the act states that an “essential commodity” means a commodity specified in the “Schedule” of this Act.
The ECA was enacted way back in 1955.
It has since been used by the Government to regulate the production, supply and distribution of a whole host of commodities it declares ‘essential’ in order to make them available to consumers at fair prices.
The list of items under the Act include drugs, fertilizers, pulses and edible oils, and petroleum and petroleum products.
The Centre can include new commodities as and when the need arises, and take them off the list once the situation improves.
Under the Act, the government can also fix the maximum retail price (MRP) of any packaged product that it declares an “essential commodity”.

How does it work?

If the Centre finds that a certain commodity is in short supply and its price is spiking, it can notify stock-holding limits on it for a specified period.
The States act on this notification to specify limits and take steps to ensure that these are adhered to.
Anybody trading or dealing in a commodity, be it wholesalers, retailers or even importers are prevented from stockpiling it beyond a certain quantity.
A State can, however, choose not to impose any restrictions. But once it does, traders have to immediately sell into the market any stocks held beyond the mandated quantity.

4. Increased rainfall alone will not help groundwater recovery

Subject :Geography

Section: Indian geography

Context:

Rapid groundwater depletion in north India has become a norm during the last few decades.

Groundwater exploitation:

Between 2002 and 2022, about 95% of India’s groundwater depletion occurred in north India.
Groundwater use and summer monsoon rainfall variability are the two main drivers of groundwater storage.
The evapotranspiration has increased due to the warming climate, which will further limit water availability for groundwater recovery.
Groundwater exploitation for irrigation purposes is still the main cause of groundwater depletion.
Excessive pumping from nonrenewable groundwater storage will aggravate groundwater loss.

Status of Groundwater Depletion in India:

According to the CGWB, with 230 billion metre cubes of groundwater drawn out each year for irrigating agricultural lands in India, many parts of the country are experiencing rapid depletion of groundwater.
The total estimated groundwater depletion in India is in the range of 122–199 billion metre cubes.
89% of ground water extracted is used in the irrigation sector, making it the highest category user in the country.
This is followed by groundwater for domestic use which is 9% of the extracted groundwater. Industrial use of ground water is 2%.50% of urban water requirements and 85% of rural domestic water requirements are also fulfilled by groundwater.

Recovery of depleted groundwater:

The warming climate will also increase the amount of summer monsoon rainfall that north India will receive, and the enhanced precipitation could help the recovery rates of groundwater.
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data shows that the increased monsoon rainfall due to a warming climate is not enough for the recovery of depleted groundwater due to irrigation purposes.
As per climate projection, the summer monsoon rainfall is projected to increase by 6-8%, and this increase is expected to help recover the lost groundwater.
But even in the most optimistic scenario, the highest projected groundwater recovery (about 260 cubic km) in the near period (2021-2040) will only help recover about 50% of groundwater lost in the last two decades.
Effects of drought:
- While the impact of droughts at longer frequencies may be less, consecutive years of drought can adversely affect groundwater storage as recharge will be less while extraction of groundwater for irrigation will be higher than when summer monsoon rainfall is normal.
- There is a compulsion to make irrigation more efficient and shift crop growing and procuring areas.

Some initiatives taken by the government to reduce and recover the groundwater resources in India:

It is promoting the concept of conjunctive use of surface and groundwater based on the village/gram panchayat level water security plan prepared in a scientific manner through the participation of communities/stakeholders.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal): It is a Rs. 6000 crore Central Sector Scheme with World Bank assistance, for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA): It was launched in 2019 in 256 water-stressed districts in the country to improve water availability including groundwater conditions in these areas.
- It has a special emphasis on the creation of recharge structures, rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, intensive afforestation etc.
Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme: The CGWB has taken up Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme.
- The program is aimed to delineate aquifer disposition and their characterization for the preparation of aquifer/area-specific groundwater management plans with community participation.
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): The Mission focuses on the development of basic urban infrastructure in the AMRUT cities, such as water supply, sewerage & septage management, stormwater drainage, green spaces & parks, and non-motorized urban transport.

5. Is climate change altering Arctic ground squirrels’ hibernation patterns?

Subject :Environment

Section: species in news

Context:

A new study (Science) analysed more than 25 years of climate and biological data. The findings include shorter hibernation periods and differences between male and female hibernation periods.

Details of the study:

Arctic ground squirrels survive harsh Alaska winters by hibernating for over half the year.
They still must spend energy to generate enough heat from stored fat to keep tissues from freezing.
They resurface from their burrows more than three feet below the ground each spring, famished and eager to mate.
The researchers found that females are changing when they end hibernation, emerging earlier every year, but males are not.
Changes in females match earlier spring thaw.
The advantage of this phenomenon is that they do not need to use as much stored fat during hibernation and can begin foraging for roots and shoots, berries and seeds sooner in the spring.
Scientists think this could lead to healthier litters and higher survival rates.

Arctic ground squirrel:

The Arctic ground squirrel is a species of ground squirrel native to the Arctic and Subarctic of North America and Asia.
People in Alaska, particularly around the Aleutians, refer to them as “parka” squirrels, most likely because their pelt is good for the ruff on parkas and for clothing.
Hibernation:
- The Arctic ground squirrel hibernates over winter from early August to late April in adult females and from late September to early April for adult males, at which time it can reduce its body temperatures from 37 °C (99 °F) to as little as −3 °C (27 °F).
- During hibernation, its core body temperature reaches temperatures down to −2.9 °C (26.8 °F) and its heart rate drops to about one beat per minute.
- Peripheral, colonic, and blood temperatures become subzero.
- The best theory as to why the squirrel’s blood doesn’t freeze is that the animal is able to cleanse their bodies of ice nucleators which are necessary for the development of ice crystals.
- In the absence of ice nucleators, body fluids can remain liquid while in a supercooled state.
- This process is being studied with the hope that the mechanism present in arctic ground squirrels may provide a path for better preservation of human organs for transplant.
- The connections between brain cells also wither away in this state.
- The damage should have resulted in death, but research on related species shows that these connections regrow after waking up.
- In the warmer months, the squirrel is active during the day.
Diet:
- This squirrel feeds on grasses, sedges, mushrooms, bog rushes, bilberries, willows, roots, stalks, leaves, leaf buds, flowers, catkins, and seeds.
- They will also eat insects, and occasionally they will even feed on carrion (such as mice, snowshoe hares and caribou).
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

6. Study reveals evolutionary history, biogeographic origins of butterflies

Subject :Environment

Section: species in news

Context:

An international team of researchers sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species from 90 countries to help reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all general.

Details:

While the earlier classification was based more on butterfly morphology, the latest attempt has been based on genome sequencing.
As a result, the researchers found that at least 36 butterfly tribes (above genus in taxonomical classification) require reclassification.

Origin of butterflies:

According to a study published recently in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, butterflies originated in the Americas in the late Cretaceous, about 100 million years after the origin of flowering plants.
There is no adaptive reason for butterflies to originate in North America.
- It’s more of a coincidence that butterflies had their origin in North America where the closest moth relatives of the earliest butterflies were present.
While butterflies dispersed from North America to Europe relatively quickly about 75 million years ago due to the landmass then being nearly contiguous, the dispersal from North America to Asia was through colder northern regions and happened around 60 million years ago.
North America largely being a temperate region has far less diversity compared with the tropical region in South America and Asia.
Speciation is far higher in the tropics than in the temperate region.
- A suitable climate that allows butterflies to live through the year, the greater diversity of habitats, and the far higher diversity and an absolute number of plant species that serve as a source of food for butterflies serves as the main drivers for higher speciation of butterflies in the tropics.
The dispersal of butterflies never followed a single direction.
- The dispersal has been seen in both directions, which has been the case in other animal species.

Role of butterflies in the ecosystem:

They are naturally responsible for increasing the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Thus they are the indicator of a healthy environment.
Their primary role in the ecosystem is that of a pollinator.
Some species of butterflies such as monarch butterflies help in reducing air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

7. Plastic-free planet: Paris meet ends after severe delays, with a proposal for zero draft text

Subject :Geography

Section: Indian geography

Context:

The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee-2 (INC-2) meet being held in Paris on May 29 to discuss a global and binding treaty to end plastic pollution ended on June 2. It was agreed that a ‘zero draft’ text would be developed and put forth before INC-3 in Nairobi later this year.

Details:

The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) is demanding an ambitious, legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.
United Nations has set up Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
Two contact groups went into discussing ‘substance’ and ‘implementation’.
Contact Group 1 was co-facilitated by delegates from Palau and Germany, while Contact Group 2 was co-facilitated by delegates from Ghana and Australia.

8. India’s rethinking on anaemia policy

Subject :Schemes

Concept :

Questions related to anaemia are slated to be dropped from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) scheduled to begin on July 6.
The omission comes after health experts questioned the efficacy of the method being used to estimate haemoglobin levels.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS):

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
The first National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) was conducted in 1992-93. Subsequent NFHS’ were conducted as below –
- NFHS-2 was conducted in 1998-99
- NFHS-3 was conducted in 2005-06
- NFHS-4 was conducted in 2015-16
- NFHS-5 was conducted in 2019-21
The main objective of the NFHS has been to provide reliable and comparable data relating to health and family welfare and other emerging areas in India.
All the rounds of NFHS have been conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the national nodal agency.
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Anaemia

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal.
Haemoglobin is needed to carry oxygen.
If there are too few red blood cells, or not enough haemoglobin, there will be a decreased capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues.
This results in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath among others.

Factors

The most common nutritional cause of anaemia is iron deficiency although deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and A are also important causes.
Certain chronic diseases, such as kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, or autoimmune disorders, can interfere with the production of red blood cells.
Inherited conditions, such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia, affect the structure or function of red blood cells, leading to chronic anemia.

India’s anaemia burden

India’s anaemia burden has grown alarmingly with NFHS-5 (2019-21) finding that:
57% of women in the age group 15-49 and
67% children between six months and 59 months are anaemic (from the corresponding 53% and 58.6% respectively in NFHS-4 (2015-16)).
The Health Ministry has noted that anaemia is a public health challenge.

What prompted the change?

WHO cut-offs for haemoglobin may not be suited to India
The WHO defines:
anaemia in children aged under five years and pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration <110 g/L at sea level, and
anaemia in non-pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration <120 g/L.
Experts had cautioned that there is a danger of anaemia being over-diagnosed in India as it follows WHO cut-offs for haemoglobin.
This may not be suited to India, because the cut-off point depends on the age, gender, physiological status, altitude and other factors.

Differences in the way blood is drawn for sampling in NFHS

Various studies also pointed to differences in the way blood is drawn for sampling in NFHS.
The NFHS survey measured haemoglobin in a drop of capillary blood that oozes from a finger prick.
This, as per the report, can dilute the blood and give a falsely lower value.
The recommended method of venous blood sampling, as per the report, gives a more accurate value.

Shift in assessment of anaemia in India

According to the Health Ministry, assessment of anaemia in India is being shifted to the new Diet and Biomarkers Survey in India (DABS-I).
DABS-I was launched in December 2022 to map diet, nutrition and health status and provide the correct estimate of anaemia among the rural and urban population.
The survey will define food and nutrient adequacy by collecting individual dietary intake data of different age groups of people.
The study will also provide nutrient composition data on cooked and uncooked foods from various regions of the country for the first time.

India’s initiative-

India launched a programme under the POSHAN Abhiyaan aiming to make the country ‘anaemia-free’ and set a target of reducing anaemia in WRA to below 35% by 2022.
Because an iron-deficient diet is the primary cause of the large burden of anaemia, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is engaged in increasing the iron intake of the population.

The Government of India implements Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy under POSHAN Abhiyaan with the target for reducing anaemia in the six population groups – Children (6-59 months), Children (5-9 years), Adolescents girls and boys (10-19 years), Pregnant women, Lactating women and Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) group (15-49 years) in life cycle approach. Some of the major interventions by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to address anaemia under AMB include:

Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation.
Deworming.
Intensified year-round Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Campaign and delayed cord clamping.
Testing of anaemia using digital methods and point of care treatment.
Addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
Convergence and coordination with line department and other ministries.
Engaging National Centre of Excellence and Advanced research on Anaemia Control for capacity building of health care providers.
Monitoring progress in States/UTs using Anaemia Mukt Bharat Dashboard.

9. Govt. Bans 14 Combination Drugs Used to Treat Common Ailments

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

The Union Health Ministry has published a gazette notification banning 14 Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs citing lack of therapeutic justification and an expert committee’s recommendation for their prohibition.

About Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs:

Combination products, also known as fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs), are combinations of two or more active drugs in a single dosage form.
The Food and Drug Administration, USA defines a combination product as ‘a product composed of any combination of a drug and a device or a biological product and a device or a drug and a biological product or a drug, device, and a biological product’.
It is widely accepted that most drugs should be formulated as single compounds.
Fixed ratio combination products are acceptable only when –
The dosage of each ingredient meets the requirement of a defined population group and
The combination has a proven advantage over single compounds administered separately in therapeutic effect, safety or compliance.
FDCs are highly popular in the Indian pharmaceutical market and have been particularly flourishing in the last few years.

Advantages of FDC Drugs –

FDC formulations have unique advantages such as complementary mechanism of action, synergistic effects, better tolerability, elongated product life-cycle management, and cost savings.
Use of FDCs is a rational approach for achieving optimal therapeutic benefits while minimizing pill-burden.

Challenges/Demerits of FDC Drugs:

There are increased chances of adverse drug effects and drug interactions compared with both drugs given individually.
Unfortunately, many FDCs being introduced in India are usually irrational.
The most pressing concern with irrational FDCs is that they expose patients to unnecessary risk of adverse drug reactions.
Irrational FDCs also impose unnecessary financial burden on consumers.
Medical practitioners who patronize such combinations could be the centre of controversy when subjected to litigation in consumer forums.
This is due to the fact that these combinations do not find mention in standard text or reference books and reputed medical journals.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers, however, continue to reap the benefits of huge sales, and therefore continue to promote combinations with vigour.

10. India urges G20 countries to join vaccine research initiative to tackle inequity

Subject : International Relations

Section: Groupings

Concept :

With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing the acute inequity in vaccine development and access, the Indian government is working in partnership with two leading global non-profits to convene and build consensus among the G-20 member States and others, for a proposed Global Vaccine Research Collaborative.
International cooperation is essential to advance vaccine development for emerging pathogens, and the G-20 can serve as a vital platform to facilitate collaboration between governments, research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders.

Global Vaccine Research Collaborative

The Global Vaccine Research Collaborative aims to leverage expertise and resources from various stakeholders to expedite vaccine development and mitigate the impact of future pandemics.
The event provided a platform for global leaders to discuss strategies, exchange best practices, and foster collaboration in the field of vaccine research and development.
Mandaviya proposed the Global Vaccine Research Collaborative as a mechanism to advance vaccine research and development for emerging pathogens.

11. Rare firing incident at Israel-Egypt border

Subject : International Relations

Section: Places in news

Concept :

Israel’s military said on Saturday that three of its soldiers were killed by live fire near the border to Egypt in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“Three IDF soldiers were killed today,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on Twitter. “Two soldiers were killed by live fire adjacent to the Egyptian border, and the third during an exchange of fire with an assailant in the area of the Paran Regional Brigade.”
The IDF statement identified the assailant as “an Egyptian policeman,” and said he had been fatally shot by troops.
“An investigation is being conducted in full cooperation with the Egyptian army,” the IDF said

Egyptian border comparatively calm, although militant attacks more common

Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, and Egypt has become an important strategic partner for Israel as one of its neighbors on somewhat better terms.
The government in Cairo also often operates as a mediator in the region, as it did last month arranging a truce in Gaza.
That said, the peace remains tense and anti-Israeli sentiment in Egypt is still widespread among ordinary people.
The border tends to be comparatively quiet, although the presence of Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula has contributed to several fatal incidents in recent years.
In 2011, assailants from Sinai killed eight Israelis in a triple ambush north of Eilat. Israeli forces pursued them and killed seven attackers and five Egyptian police.
In 2012, an Israeli soldier and three militants who infiltrated from Sinai were killed in a border clash.
And in 2014, two Israeli soldiers on patrol were wounded by unidentified men firing an anti-tank weapon from Sinai during an attempted drug-smuggling operation.
The “Islamic State” group also claimed responsibility in 2015 for a series of rockets fired from Sinai which struck southern Israeli territory but caused no major damage or injuries.

12. Jaipur to have centre on structural safety of dams

Subject :Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Concept :

Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Jaipur has been identified as the National Centre for Earthquake Safety of Dams, the first centre of its kind in the country.
The centre will develop indigenous capabilities in making the country self-reliant in handling technology issues related to structural and earthquake safety of dams.
Earthquake shaking is considered the most significant threat to the safety of dams.
Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), functioning under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, the new centre will work intensively with dam engineers, regulators and policy makers.

About Dam Safety Act 2021

Applicability : It applies to all specified dams in the country. These are dams with:
- height more than 15 metres
- height between 10 metres to 15 metres and subject to certain additional design and structural conditions.
National Committee on Dam Safety: The National Committee on Dam Safety will be constituted and will be chaired by the Chairperson, Central Water Commission. All other members will be nominated by the central government, and include:
- Up to 10 representatives of the central government,
- up to seven representatives of the state governments (by rotation)
- up to three dam safety experts.
Functions of the Committee include:
- formulating policies and regulations regarding dam safety standards and prevention of dam failures
- analysing causes of major dam failures and suggesting changes in dam safety practices.
National Dam Safety Authority:
- The National Dam Safety Authority will be headed by an officer, not below the rank of an Additional Secretary, who will be appointed by the central government. Functions of the Authority include:
- implementing the policies formulated by the National Committee on Dam Safety,
- resolving issues between State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs), or between a SDSO and any dam owner in that state,
- specifying regulations for inspection and investigation of dams,
- providing accreditation to agencies working on construction, design, and alteration of dams.
State Committees on Dam Safety have been provided in Schedules to the act. It specifies that the central government can amend these Schedules through a notification, if deemed necessary.
Obligations of dam owners: Owners of specified dams are required to provide a dam safety unit in each dam. This unit will inspect the dams:
- before and after the monsoon session
- during and after every earthquake, flood, or any other calamity or sign of distress.
Dam owners will be required to prepare an emergency action plan, and carry out risk assessment studies for each dam at specified regular intervals.
Dam owners will also be required to prepare a comprehensive dam safety evaluation of each dam, at regular intervals, through a panel of experts.
The evaluation will be mandatory in certain cases such as major modification of the original structure, or an extreme hydrological or seismic event.

13. Genetic changes power H5N1 virus spread, severity in animals

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists discovered how the current epizootic H5N1 avian influenza virus (bird flu) gained new genes and greater virulence as it spread west.
Researchers showed that the avian virus could severely infect the brains of mammalian research models, a notable departure from previous related strains of the virus.
The researchers genetically traced the virus’ expansion across the continent and its establishment in wild waterfowl populations to understand what makes it so different.

A low risk to humans

While the newer strains of this H5N1 influenza show a greater ability to cause disease in mammals than earlier viruses, the scientists found it to be low-risk to humans.
This is because the virus appears well-adapted to transmit between birds rather than between mammals.

Genetic change supercharges spread and severity

In the past, similar strains of influenza viruses have not caused similarly severe diseases, nor have they become far-flung in wild bird populations.
Since the new strains have done so much more damage, the scientists looked for what was different.
The group identified the direct ancestor to the current strains, which spread from Europe to the Americas after gaining a different version of the viral protein, neuraminidase.
This new protein increased the virus’s ability to transmit between birds. Then it arrived on the East Coast of Canada and traveled to the United States.
As the researchers studied the virus further, they pinpointed which viruses — distinct from previous ones — caused the current outbreaks. They found that after reaching North America, the virus rapidly changed again to become more virulent.
It mixed with flu viruses in North American wild birds, swapping several genes. This reassortment of genes had two effects.
One, the virus seemed to become even more adapted to the bird population, infecting many different types of birds. This included atypical hosts, such as buzzards and eagles, which typically do not get the flu.
Second, the virus gained its severe disease-causing properties.

For further reference on H5N1 Virus, refer – https://optimizeias.com/avian-flu/

14. Indonesia proposes peace plan to end war between Russia and Ukraine

Subject : International Relations

Section: Msc

Concept :

Indonesia’s defence minister on Saturday proposed a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarised zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called disputed territory.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko dismissed the plan, reiterating Kyiv’s position that Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Peace Plan proposed by Indonesia

Prabowo Subianto called on defence and military officials from around the world, gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore, to issue a declaration calling for a cessation in hostilities.
He proposed a multi-point plan including a ceasefire and establishing a demilitarised zone by withdrawing 15 kilometres (nearly 10 miles) from each party’s forward position.
The demilitarised zone should be observed and monitored by a peacekeeping force deployed by the UN, he said, adding that a UN referendum should be held “to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas”.

Shangri-La Dialogue:

It is Asia’s premier defense and security summit.
It is attended by Defence Ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific countries.
It is organized by an independent think-thank, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The summit is named after the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore, where it has been held since 2002.