Daily Prelims Notes 5 September 2022

September 5, 2022
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

5 September 2022

Table Of Contents

1. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on September 1 announced a staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka

Subject :IR

Section: International organization

It is a formal arrangement by which IMF staff and Sri Lankan authorities agree on a $2.9-billion package that will support Sri Lanka’s economic policies with a 48-month arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF)

Conditionalities:

IMF has agreed to support Sri Lanka, the EFF is conditional on many factors.

Sri Lanka must take a series of immediate measures that the Fund has deemed necessary to fix fiscal lapses and structural weaknesses — such as raising fiscal revenue, safeguarding financial stability and reducing corruption vulnerabilities.
Sri Lanka must also restructure its debt with its multiple lenders.
The country’s official creditors must give financing assurances on debt sustainability, and when the government reaches a collaborative agreement with its private creditors.

About EFF:

It is a fund created by IMF for helping economies to address serious medium-term balance of payments problems because of structural weaknesses that require time to address.
Assistance under an extended arrangement features longer program engagement to help countries implement medium-term structural reforms with a longer repayment period.
It provides for support for comprehensive programs including the policies needed to correct structural imbalances over an extended period.
Typically approved for periods of three years, but may be approved for periods as long as 4 years (repaid over 4.5–10 years in 12 equal semi annual installments unlike Stand-By Agreement facility which provides support for short period with repayment period of 3.5–5 years.)

Conditions to get help

When a country borrows from the IMF, it commits to undertake policies to overcome economic and structural problems
The IMF’s Executive Board regularly assesses program performance and can adjust the program to adapt to economic developments.
Lending is tied to the IMF’s market-related interest rate, known as the basic rate of charge, which is linked to the Fund’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR) interest rate.
EFF is guided by a country’s financing needs, capacity to repay, and track record with past use of IMF resources:
Normal access: Borrowing under an EFF is subject to the normal limit of 145 percent annually of a country’s IMF quota, (IMF quota broadly reflects a country’s position in the global economy), and a cumulative limit over the life of the program of 435 percent of its quota, net of scheduled repayments.
Exceptional access: The Fund may lend amounts exceeding these limits in exceptional circumstances provided that a country satisfies a predetermined set of criteria.

2. A golden memory of Rajamahendravaram

Subject : Art and Culture

Section: Ancient India

Context: Chalukyan gold coins found.

Concept:

Built by Eastern Chalukya king Raja RajaNerendra on the banks of the Godavari river, the city of Rajamahendravaram still contains a memory of him.

History of Gold Coin in India

The gold coins were first issued by Indo-Greeks in India. They introduced the gold coins around 270 BC. Ruler, Antochios II was the first one to introduce the gold coins for various economic reasons.
The Kushanas (1st-4th Centuries CE) were the first dynasty in the subcontinent that issued a large number of gold coins. Kushan Ruler, VimaKadaphises (2nd Kadaphises),father of Kanishka, is first one to issue gold coin(Roman denarii) in Roman pattern .The gold coins were minted with punch marks and many coins contained the symbol of a bull or a Swastika.
Gold coins in ancient India reached their peak with the Gupta emperors(Guptas issued the largest number of gold coins in ancient India) from the 3rd to 6th century AD. This was India’s Golden Age, where there was prosperity all around, and people lived the good life, full of culture and joy.
The Gupta coins are works of art in themselves, and show the monarchs not just as warrior kings, but as men who prided themselves in their refinement. Thus you see coins with the mighty conqueror Samudra gupta shown playing the veena, or standing with his queen, along with those of him with a bow or battle axe.
Gold coins struck between Post-Gupta (6th-12th centuries AD),period are rare. These were revived by Gangeyadeva the Kalachuri ruler who issued the ‘Seated Lakshmi Coins’ which were copied by later rulers both in gold as well as in debase form. The Bull & Horseman type of coins were the most common motif appearing on coins struck by the Rajput clans. In western India, imported coins like the Byzantine solidi were often used reflecting trade with the Eastern Roman Empire.
The symbols and motifs on South Indian coin issues were confined to dynastic crests such as the boar (Chalukya), bull (Pallava), tiger (Chola), fish (Pandya and Alupas), bow and arrow (Cheras) and lion (Hoysala)
The Yadavas of Devagiri issued ‘Padmatankas’ with an eight-petalled lotus on the obverse and a blank reverse. Coin legends refer to names or titles of the issuer in local scripts and languages. Decorative features are rare and divinities are almost absent till the medieval Vijayanagar period (14th- 16thcenturies AD).
The Badami Chalukyas minted coins that were of a different standard compared to the coins of the northern kingdoms.The coins had Nagari and Kannada legends. Pulakeshin II’s coins had a caparisoned lion facing right on the obverse and a temple on the reverse. The coins weighed 4 grams and were called, in old-Kannada, hun (or honnu) and had fractions such as fana (or fanam) and the quarter fana (the modern day Kannada equivalent being hana – which literally means “money.A gold coin called gadyana is mentioned in a record at the Vijayeshwara Temple at Pattadakal, which later came to be known as varaha (their royal emblem)

Eastern Chalukyas

Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they became a sovereign power, and ruled the Vengi region of present-day Andhra Pradesh until c. 1130 CE. They continued ruling the region as feudatories of the Cholas until 1189 CE.
Seven gold coins that date back to the Eastern Chalukya dynasty, including the regime of Raja Raja Narendra, are a proud possession of the city.
One big coin contains the image of ‘varaha’ (boar), an official symbol of the EasternChalukyas. The big coin also contains some text in early Telugu script. It is believed to be minted marking ‘some donation’ by the Eastern Chalukyas

3. ‘Freak incident’: ONGC, ISOR downplay geothermal fluid discharge into Ladakh’s Puga nullah

Subject : Geography

Section: Physical Geography

Context: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Energy Centre (OECT) and the Iceland Geosurvey (ISOR), that have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for developing a geothermal plant in Puga, Ladakh, have termed a recent accident at the site as a ‘freak incident’.

Content:

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is natural heat from the interior of the earth that can be used to generate electricity as well as to heat up buildings.

The natural examples of geothermal energy are given below.

Geysers
Lava Fountain
Hot Springs
Advantages :Renewable; Easy to exploit in some cases; CO2 production less than with fossil fuel; High net energy yield
Disadvantages :Not available everywhere; H2S pollution ; geothermal energy harnessing produces some water pollution

Geothermal Energy in India

In India, exploration and study of geothermal fields started in 1970.
Geological Survey of India has found around 350 geothermal energy locations in the country. The most promising of these is in the Puga valley of Ladakh.
India has 7 geothermal provinces [viz. Himalayas, Sohana, West Coast, Cambay (Gujarat), Godavari, Mahanadi and Son-Narmada-Tapi (SONATA)] and a number of geothermal springs.
Geothermal resources in India have been mapped by GSI and a broad estimate suggests that there could be 10 gigawatts (GW) geothermal power potential, as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
In 2013, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to establish the Geothermal Power Plant in the country at Tattapani in the Balrampur district.
Ministry of renewable energy has planned to generate geothermal energy up to 1000 MW by 2022.

The major sites for geothermal energy in India are:

Himalayas: J&K, HP and Sikkim; PUGA hot spring in J&K and Manikaran in HP.
Sohana: Haryana, Rajasthan.
Son-Narmada-Tapi (SONATA): MP, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand; Tattapani spring in Chhattisgarh.
Cambay: Mainly Gujarat and some parts of Rajasthan
Godavari: AP
Mahanadi: Orissa, Taptapani Spring in Orissa.
Jalgaon in Maharashtra
Bakreshwar in West Bengal
Tuwa in Gujarat

4. Who can enter various zones in an airport

Subject: Polity

Section :National Organization

According to a complaint filed with Jharkhand Police on September 1 by airport security in-charge Suman Anand, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, and some others including Dubey’s two sons violated “safety standards” by entering the ATC room the previous evening and pressuring officials to grant take-off clearance after the air services window had closed for the day.

Who can enter an airport in India?

A person who is not a passenger with a valid ticket requires an Aerodrome Entry Permit (AEP) that is issued by the airport operator in concurrence with the security agency in charge of the airport.
Typically, at the bigger airports, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) undertakes the security responsibilities, while at a smaller airport like Deoghar, it is the state police that manages security.
The security in-charge of Deoghar airport is Deputy Superintendent of Police Suman Anand, who was the complainant in the case.

What is the ATC in an airport?

Air traffic control, as the name suggests, is the traffic control room for aircraft at airports and in certain designated airspaces, from where ground-based air traffic controllers direct aircraft movements. The controllers use equipment including radar to track aircraft, and communicate with pilots over rad The ATC complex typically has a tower, which may be attached to a building.
The primary purpose of the ATC system is to prevent a collision between aircraft operating in the system and to organize and expedite the flow of (air) traffic.

Does an AEP authorise the holder to enter the ATC premises?

It does not happen automatically; prior approval is needed to enter the ATC building. The AEP application form, which is issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), mentions 13 zones that a person can potentially enter. Among them are the arrivals hall, the departures hall, the terminal building, the security hold area, the apron area, the ATC building, the ATC tower, the cargo terminal building, etc. However, the access authorisations are granted on a ‘need’ basis.

Does a Member of Parliament have special privileges to enter airport premises?

An order issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in October 2007 on the subject “Courtesy towards Members of Parliament at Airports” said a “Member of Parliament may be allowed free access in the Terminal building and Visitors Gallery on the basis of MPs Identity Card”.
However, the order did not state whether MPs were allowed to also enter ATC premises. The same order was circulated again by the Civil Aviation Ministry in January 2020.

5. Why do jets leave a white trail in the sky?

Subject : Geography

Section : Climatology

Jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot, humid exhaust from jet engines mixes with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas. The water vapor contained in the jet exhaust condenses and may freeze, and this mixing process forms a cloud very similar to the one your hot breath makes on a cold day.
Jet engine exhaust contains carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, unburned fuel,soot and metal particles, as well as water vapor. The soot provides condensation sites for the water vapor. Any particles present in the air provide additional sites.

Weather Prediction

Depending on a plane’s altitude, and the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere, contrails may vary in their thickness, extent and duration. The nature and persistence of jet contrails can be used to predict the weather. A thin, short-lived contrail indicates low-humidity air at high altitude, a sign of fair weather, whereas a thick, long-lasting contrail reflects humid air at high altitudes and can be an early indicator of a storm.

Vortices

The mixing gases contained in the contrail rotate with respect to the ambient air. These regions of rotating flow are called vortices. (Any sharp surface, such as the tip of a wing, can cause vortical flow in its wake if it is sufficiently large or the flow is sufficiently fast.) On occasion, these trailing vortices may interact with one another.

Crow Instability

In one well-known example of this fact, the Crow Instability causes the vortices to develop symmetric sinusoidal oscillations and eventually to merge and form vortex rings behind the je This instability can be triggered by turbulence in the surrounding air or by local variation in air temperature or density, which may itself be the result of the stratification of the atmosphere. When the contrails are visible and strong, it is possible to see the white streaks become wavy and then leave rings floating high in the sky, like smoke rings from a giant cigar.

Global Warming

Recent research has suggested that the ice clouds contained in contrails cause greenhouse effects and contribute to global warming as part of the insulating blanket of moisture and gases in the atmosphere. Researchers in this area seized on the opportunity presented on September 11 and 12 over the U.S. The complete cessation of commercial air traffic offered a control sky without contrails for use in quantifying the environmental effects of contrails.

6. The rising spectre of bio-crimes

Subject : Science and Technology

Section: Biotechnology

Easy availability of genome editing and sequencing tools has democratized genetic engineering
Newly emerging ‘synthetic biology’ enables wrongdoings — from illegal gene editing to home-cooked drugs and neuro-hacking
Some might remember the 2001‘anthrax attacks’ — people received letters laced with anthrax, a killer bacterium; five died and several fell sick, and it was not until years later that the letters were traced to Dr Bruce Ivins, an American microbiologist, who took his life just before he was about to be arrested.

Synthetic biology

There is no standard definition of synthetic biology, but it essentially refers to creating organisms that are not found in nature and designed to do a task that we desire.
However, synthetic biology could also mean “re-programming” natural organisms to perform a task or modifying them to have new abilities, in the same way that computers can be re-programmed for specific functions. For example, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology, where immune cells can be engineered to recognise and attack cancer cells.
Synthetic biology, often described as the biology equivalent of the internet, has many promising and useful applications. Every country is looking at it seriously. In February, the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, brought out an insightful ‘Foresight Paper’ calling for a policy on synthetic biology. But much like how the internet has engendered cybercrimes, synthetic biology, too, could be misused.

Easy access

One is ‘next-generation sequencing’ (NGS), which refers to ultra-quick genome sequencing. According to Illumina, a company that offers NGS services, the technology “is used to determine the orderof nucleotides in entire genomes or targeted regions of DNA or RNA”. With NGS, the cost of genome sequencing has come down to a few hundred dollars from thousands earlier — the ‘sub-$100’ milestone is tantalisingly within reach.
The second is the gene editing tool CRISPR, a Nobel Prize winning technology that helps alter a DNA and modify gene functions. This technology has rather democratised genetic engineering.
TALEN is another gene editing tool. These genome editing kits “are being made openly available for purchase over the internet”, says a publication of the UK Home Office on ‘Future trends in security’.

Vulnerabilities

Synthetic biology involves large-scale synthesis of DNA which can create new pathogens from scratch, recreate old pathogens, or engineer naturally occurring organisms to become a threat to biosafety. If a sequence coding for a toxin is made available on the Internet and anyone can print the gene or pathogen.
Add to this deadly concoction yet another poison — cybercrime — and the potential for crime increases by orders of magnitude. Synthetic biology integrates a diverse set of technologies to enable various applications that have enormous potential and they are now freely available online through kits, bioinformatics tools and data.

Evil experiments

A criminal possibly can do— illegal gene editing, home-made bad drugs, genetic blackmail, neuro-hacking, bio-hacking, bio-discrimination, cyber bio-crime and bio-malware.
A blackmailer, for instance, could easily obtain saliva samples of a father and son and do a paternity test; if negative, he could resort to blackmail. A neuro-hacker can manipulate the gut biome of a person and control the person’s brain, because there is a connection between the activities of the bacteria in the gut and the brain.