Daily Prelims Notes 6 April 2024

April 6, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

6 April 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Section 144 imposed in Leh ahead of Sonam Wangchuk’s ‘Pashmina March’

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context: The Ladakh administration on Friday imposed prohibitory orders in Leh, banning public rallies just two days ahead of a proposed ‘Pashmina March’ by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to the Changthang region to highlight shrinking grazing lands in the Union Territory and threats from China.

The Changpa are a semi-nomadic people: they usually stay in one place for a few months in a row, near pastures where their sheep, yaks and Pashmina goats can graze
They are mainly found in the Changtang, a high plateau that stretches across the cold desert of Ladakh.
The process of migration from plain areas to pastures on mountains during summers and again from mountain pastures to plain areas during winters is known as transhumance.
The Pashmina goat is a breed of goat inhabiting the plateaus in Tibet, Nepal, parts of Burma and neighbouring areas of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
It is also known as ‘Changthangi’, ‘Changra”.
They are raised for ultra-fine cashmere wool, also known as pashmina once woven.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published an Indian Standard for identification, marking and labelling of Pashmina products to certify its purity.
The certification will help curb the adulteration of Pashmina and also protect the interests of local artisans and nomads who are the producers of Pashmina raw material. It will also assure the purity of Pashmina for customers.

Additional information:

Chiru goat also known as the Tibetan antelope is a ‘near threatened’ species whose underfur isused for making the famous Shahtoosh shawls.

2. RBI MPC Meeting April 2024 Highlights: RBI holds repo rate at 6.5%

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Context: In the post monetary policy press conference, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said inflation is moderating and the GDP growth is robust.

Highlights

Benchmark interest rate or repo rate kept unchanged at 6.5%
GDP growth for 2024-25 retained at 7% , lower than 7.6% last fiscal
Retail inflation to average 4.5% this fiscal, lower than 5.4% in FY24
Food price uncertainties to continue to weigh on inflation outlook
With rural demand catching up, consumption is expected to support economic growth in FY25
Outlook for agriculture, rural activity appears bright, with good rabi wheat crop and improved prospects of kharif crops, due to expected normal monsoon
Strong rural demand, moderating inflationary pressures and sustained momentum in manufacturing and services sector to boost private consumption
The headwinds from protracted geopolitical tensions and increasing disruptions in trade routes, however, pose risks to the outlook
Strong growth momentum, along with GDP projections for 2024-25, gives RBI the policy space to unwaveringly focus on price stability
Trading of Sovereign Green Bonds permitted in International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)
RBI to launch a mobile app to facilitate retail participation in G-secs
RBI to allow cash deposits in banks through UPI
The central bank permits non-bank payment system operators to offer CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) wallets
Net inflows by foreign portfolio investors (FPI) stood at $41.6 billion during 2023-24, the second highest level of FPI inflow after 2014-15
India continues to be the largest recipient of remittances in the world
Current Account Deficit in 2024-25 to remain at a level that is both viable and eminently manageable
RBI to allow UPI payments from PPI wallets via third-party apps
The Indian rupee remained largely range-bound as compared to its emerging market peers as well as a few advanced economies during 2023-24
The Indian rupee most stable among major currencies in FY24
RBI to modify LCR framework to facilitate better management of liquidity risk by banks
Next MPC meeting scheduled during June 5 to 7, 2024

Concept-

Repo Rate: The interest rate that the RBI charges when commercial banks borrow money from it is called the repo rate.
Reverse Repo: The interest rate that the RBI pays commercial banks when they park their excess cash with the central bank is called the reverse repo rate.
Since RBI is also a bank and has to earn more than it pays, the repo rate is higher than the reverse repo rate.
At present, the repo rate is 4%, and the reverse repo rate is 3.35%.
It is a key deciding factor for the interest rates that commercial banks themselves pay (or get) when they borrow (or deposit) money from (or in) the Reserve Bank of India.

Monetary Policy Committee

The Monetary Policy Committee is a statutory and institutionalized framework under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, for maintaining price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth.
An RBI-appointed committee led by the then deputy governor Urjit Patel in 2014 recommended the establishment of the Monetary Policy Committee.
The Governor of RBI is ex-officio Chairman of the committee.
The committee comprises six members (including the Chairman) – three officials of the RBI and three external members nominated by the Government of India.
Decisions are taken by majority with the Governor having the casting vote in case of a tie.
The MPC determines the policy interest rate (repo rate) required to achieve the inflation target (4%).

3. SAT ‘full’, with new presiding officer, technical member

Subject: Economy

Section: capital market

Concept –

SAT is a statutory body established under the provisions of Section 15K of the SEBI Act, 1992.
Located at Mumbai.

Composition:

SAT consists of a Presiding Officer and Two other members.
The Presiding officer of SAT shall be appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India or his nominee.

Powers & Functions:

It has the same powers as vested in a civil court. Further, if any person feels aggrieved by SAT’s decision or order can appeal to the Supreme Court.
To hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the SEBI or by an adjudicating officer under the SEBI Act,1992.
To hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
To hear and dispose of appeals against orders passed by the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

4. 8% growth projection for India, not ours: IMF

Subject: IR

Section: Int org

Context:

The IMF clarified that the 8% growth projection for India, suggested by executive director Krishnamurthy Subramanian, was his personal view and not an official stance of the IMF.

Details:

Subramanian had stated that India could achieve this growth rate till 2047 by accelerating existing policies and reforms.
The IMF’s official growth projection for India remains at 6.5% for the medium term, which was a slight increase from previous estimates.

International Monetary Fund (IMF):

The IMF is a global organization that works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its 190 member countries.
It does so by supporting economic policies that promote financial stability and monetary cooperation, which are essential to increase productivity, job creation, and economic well-being.
The IMF is governed by and accountable to its member countries.
Countries were not eligible for membership in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) unless they were members of the IMF.
Key facts:
- The IMF was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Conceived at a UN conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, in July 1944.
- The IMF was founded by 44 member countries that sought to build a framework for economic cooperation.
- The IMF is governed by and accountable to 190 countries that make up its near-global membership.
- The IMF is able to lend about $1 trillion to its member countries.
How is it organised?
- At the top of its organizational structure is the Board of Governors, consisting of one governor (usually the minister of finance or the governor of the central bank) and one alternate governor from each member country.
- All powers of the IMF are vested in the Board of Governors.
- The day-to-day work of the IMF is overseen by its 24-member Executive Board, which represents the entire membership and is supported by IMF staff.
- The Managing Director is the head of the IMF staff and Chair of the Executive Board and is assisted by four Deputy Managing Directors.
- The IMF has 18 departments that carry out its country, policy, analytical, and technical work.
Who funds the IMF?
- IMF funds come from three sources:
- Member quotas: The primary source of IMF funding. A member country’s quota reflects its size and position in the world economy. It is based upon:
  - It is a weighted average of GDP (weight of 50 %)
  - Openness (30 %),
  - Economic variability (15 %),
  - International reserves (5 %).
  - The GDP of a member country is measured through a blend of GDP—based on market exchange rates (weight of 60 %) and on PPP exchange rates (40 %).
- The USA (16.50) has the maximum quote and thus maximum voting power, followed by Japan (6.14%) and China (6.08%). India has a 2.63% Quota share.
- Multilateral borrowing agreements: New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) between the IMF and a group of members and institutions are the main backstop for quotas. In January 2020, the IMF Executive Board agreed to double the size of the NAB to SDR 365 billion, or $504 billion.
- Bilateral borrowing agreements: Member countries also have committed resources through  bilateral borrowing agreements (BBAs). In 2020, the IMF Executive Board approved a new round of BBAs, totalling SDR 138 billion, or $190 billion.
Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) are the IMF’s unit of account and not a currency.
- The currency value of the SDR is determined by summing the values in U.S. dollars, based on market exchange rates, of an SDR basket of currencies.
- SDR basket of currencies includes the U.S. dollar, Euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling and the Chinese renminbi (included in 2016).
- The SDR currency value is calculated daily (except on IMF holidays or whenever the IMF is closed for business) and the valuation basket is reviewed and adjusted every five years.
- Quotas are denominated (expressed) in SDRs.
- SDRs represent a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.
Gold tranche (or Reserve tranche):
- A reserve tranche is a portion of the required quota of currency each member country must provide (in the form of gold or foreign currency) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that can be utilized for its own purposes—without a service fee or economic reform conditions. It is a credit system granted by the IMF to its members.

Source: IMF

5. Kosovo will conduct nationwide census that includes surveying ethnic Serb minority

Subject: IR

Section: Mapping

Context:

Kosovo commenced its first nationwide census since 2011 on April 5, aiming to include the ethnic Serb minority despite high tensions with Serbia.
The census, costing 12 million euros and funded by Kosovo’s government, the EU, the UN, and the World Bank, was delayed from 2021 due to the pandemic.

Details:

Around 4,400 surveyors will gather data until May 17 on demographics, education, employment, and war damages, aiming to aid Kosovo’s EU integration efforts.
Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1999 NATO campaign, still faces non-recognition from Belgrade.
The 2011 census recorded 1.74 million residents, with ethnic Serbs making up nearly 1.5%.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti has urged the Serb minority to participate in the census for better governmental planning.
However, the Srpska List party, representing the Serb minority and allied with Belgrade, has called for a boycott, labelling the census as “fake” and a validation of alleged Serb expulsion.
Ethnic Serbs have historically boycotted Kosovo institutions and recently opposed the ban on using the Serbian dinar, escalating tensions.
The Srpska List claims conducting a census under current conditions would legitimize the claimed ethnic cleansing since 1999.
Kosovo and Serbia’s EU membership aspirations are hindered by their refusal to compromise on issues, amidst fears in the West of escalating regional tensions during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

What was the Kosovo conflict about?

Ethnicities at the centre :
- Of the 1.8 million people living in Kosovo, 92% are Albanian and only 6% Serbian.
- The rest are Bosniaks, Gorans, Turks and Roma.
- Serbs are Eastern Orthodox Christians, while the Albanians in Kosovo are majority Muslims.
- For many Serbians, the Kosovo region, is the heart of its national and religious identity — and home to numerous cherished mediaeval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries.
- On the other hand, Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as belonging to them, and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression.
- Root of conflict: breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s
- The conflict can be traced back to the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
- After the disintegration, Kosovo – a province of the former country – sought its own autonomy and independence. This was opposed by Serbia.
- As part of Yugoslavia, the republic of Serbia included the regions of Kosovo and Vojvodina.
- Within Serbia, Kosovo and Vojvodina held the status of autonomous provinces.
Armed clashes :
- In 1998, armed clashes broke out between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), an ethnic Albanian guerrilla group seeking independence, and the Serbian security forces.
- The conflict intensified, leading to a significant loss of life and the displacement of thousands of people.
NATO’s intervention :
- International efforts to resolve the conflict was led by the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- It resulted in a military intervention in 1999.
- NATO conducted a bombing campaign against Serbian targets and forced the withdrawal of Serbian security forces from Kosovo.
- The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFor) is still based in Kosovo, with a current strength of 3,762.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence :
- In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence.
- A total of 99 out of 193 UN countries now recognise Kosovo’s independence, including the US, the UK and 22 out of 27 European Union (EU) countries.
- But Russia and China (do not recognise Kosovo) have blocked Kosovo’s membership of the UN.

Source: TH

6. Urgent action needed to combat antimicrobial resistance: Report

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context:

The Global Steering Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (GLG-AMR) published a report emphasizing the urgent need for action against the rising dangers of AMR, which includes resistance to antibiotics, antifungals, and antiparasitics.

Detail findings of the report:

Political leaders are reportedly neglecting the escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), risking a major health and economic crisis.
The misuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture, compounded by environmental changes from the climate crisis, is accelerating the spread of AMR.
This report aims to mobilize global leaders before a critical meeting in New York.
AMR, a leading cause of death worldwide, causes 1.27 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting children under five in lower-income countries.
Without intervention, AMR could decrease life expectancy by 1.8 years by 2035 and inflict massive economic losses, estimated at $855 billion annually due to health costs and lost productivity.
Investing an average of $46 billion annually in combating AMR could yield returns of up to $13 for every dollar spent by 2050, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of addressing the issue.

From local to global:

GLG-AMR has set specific goals for 2023 to catalyze action, aiming to reduce deaths from bacterial AMR by 10% and ensure that at least 80% of human antibiotic consumption comes from the “ACCESS group” of antibiotics, which is considered crucial for treating common infections with a low risk of AMR development.
The group also targets a 30-50% reduction in antimicrobial use in the global agrifood system compared to current levels.
A more ambitious goal is to eliminate by 2030 the use of medically important antimicrobials for non-veterinary and non-phytosanitary purposes in human and animal medicine, as well as in plant production and agri-food systems.

Misuse of Antibiotics in agriculture and by poultry firms:

The overuse of antibiotics in agriculture contributes to the spread of drug-resistant pathogens, posing significant health risks worldwide.
Two poultry farms in southern Telangana were found using antibiotics for growth promotion and preventative purposes, a practice promoted by Venky’s on its website.
The use of antibiotics for these purposes is banned in the EU and the U.S., with the WHO opposing it due to the risk of diminishing drug effectiveness for treating human infections.
- In 2018, investigations revealed Venky’s was selling colistin, a critical “last resort” antibiotic, as a growth promoter, leading to criticism and a subsequent ban by the Indian government.
- Despite previous claims of using antibiotics solely for therapeutic reasons, Venky’s is now reported to be selling drugs for preventive use and growth promotion.
Antibiotics used by them are colistin, Tylomix, Amo-premix with amoxicillin, and Solutyl and Vendox.

Source: TH

7. Why green hydrogen presents both major opportunities, significant challenges

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Msc

Context:

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced a Rs-496-crore (until 2025-26) scheme to support pilot projects that either test the viability of green hydrogen as a vehicle fuel or develop secure supporting infrastructure such as refueling stations.

Hydrogen as a fuel:

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water.
Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of domestic resources, such as natural gas, nuclear power, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind.
Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be produced from a wide range of sources and used in many ways across the entire energy sector.
It can be produced from Solar-driven processes using light as the agent for hydrogen production
Water can be separated into oxygen and hydrogen through a process called electrolysis

Types of Hydrogen:

Hydrogen is colorless, and green hydrogen is ‘green’ only by virtue of the way it is produced, and the source of the energy used to manufacture it.
Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen that is produced from the electrolysis of water — splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen — using an electrolyser powered by renewable energy.
This is considered to be a virtually emission-free pathway for hydrogen production — it is ‘end-to-end’ green because it is powered by green energy, uses water as feedstock, and emits no carbon on consumption.
Currently, most hydrogen produced for industrial consumption and applications is ‘gray’ hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas through energy-intensive processes, and has high carbon emissions.
Except for a difference in the production pathway and emissions, green hydrogen is essentially the same as gray — or hydrogen categorized by any other color.
When hydrogen is produced from natural gas but carbon emissions are captured and stored, or reused it is called “blue” hydrogen.

Transport sector scheme

The major objectives of the MNRE scheme, guidelines for which were issued in February, include

(i) validation of technical feasibility and performance of green hydrogen as a transportation fuel,
(ii) evaluation of the economic viability of green hydrogen-powered vehicles, and
(iii) demonstration of safe operation of hydrogen-powered vehicles and refueling stations.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways will appoint a scheme implementation agency that will invite proposals for pilot projects.
The selected company or consortium will be the project’s executing agency.
Based on the recommendation of a Project Appraisal Committee, the MNRE will approve viability gap funding (VGF) for the project.
The VGF amount will be finalized after considering specific needs, merits, and feasibility of each project.
The executing agency will be required to complete the pilot project within two years.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

A hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle utilizes hydrogen through combustion — which is similar to cars running on diesel and petrol, except there are no carbon emissions.
A hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) utilizes hydrogen electrochemically by converting hydrogen stored in a high-pressure tank into electricity, leaving water as the byproduct.
Even though hydrogen ICE vehicles do not emit carbon, research suggests that burning hydrogen is far less energy efficient than converting it into electricity in a fuel cell.
Compared to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), in which the battery is the heaviest part, hydrogen FCEVs are typically much lighter because hydrogen is a light element, and a fuel cell stack weighs lesser than an electric vehicle (EV) battery.
This makes hydrogen fuel cell technology a viable alternative to EV battery technology, especially for heavy-duty trucks that can benefit from an increased payload capacity — without coughing clouds of smoke from burning diesel.

A number of challenges

There are significant challenges to the large-scale use of green hydrogen in the transportation sector.
The foremost among these is the prohibitive cost of production, followed by challenges of storage and transportation at scale.
With more innovation in technology and scaling-up of production though, costs are likely to come down in a few years.
Green hydrogen-powered vehicles are not yet seen as a suitable alternative to four-wheel BEVs due to challenges arising from fuel costs and building supporting infrastructure.
Currently, most cylinders manufactured in India are designed to carry compressed natural gas (CNG).
But hydrogen is stored at a much higher pressure, and CNG cylinders cannot carry hydrogen.
For cylinders to carry a high mass of hydrogen, the carbon fiber needs to be stronger, which makes high-pressure hydrogen cylinders expensive.
This is a key barrier to the adoption of hydrogen as a transport fuel.
For the same reason, the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure is also not seen as viable.
Hydrogen is extremely flammable, which means that special care would be needed in handling the fuel at retail stations compared to diesel, petrol, or even CNG.

8. Bengaluru and Cape Town: A tale of two cities hit by water scarcity

Subject: Geography

Section: Indian physical geography

Context:

With Bengaluru facing severe water shortage, many have compared the city’s predicament to Cape Town’s in 2015-18.

The Cape Town water crisis:

Cape Town faced a serious water shortage between 2015 and 2018, which peaked around 2017.
It was characterized by critically low levels of water in the city’s reservoirs.
The scarcity was such that the prospect of “Day Zero”- the day when municipal authorities would effectively cut water supply due to empty reserves, and residents would have to queue up for a daily ration of water — defined life in the city.
This would have made Cape Town the first major city in the world to “run out” of water.
The crisis was caused by a prolonged period of below-average rainfall, resulting in a drought across the Western Cape.
This resulted in the water levels in Cape Town’s reservoirs dropping significantly.

Bengaluru water crisis- Low rainfall a key reason:

The crisis in Bengaluru is caused by scanty rainfall in the Cauvery basin — which accounts for 60% of the city’s water supply — and the depletion of its groundwater reserves.
Like in Cape Town, Bengaluru’s water reservoirs have fallen to critically low levels due to this.
At the peak of the crisis, Cape Town’s Theewaterskloof Dam, the single largest source of water in the city, was filled to only 11.3% of its capacity.
Areas like Varthur, Marathahalli, Bellandur, Byrathi, Hoodi, Whitefield, and Kadugodi are completely dependent on water tankers to meet daily water needs.

Urbanization also to blame

Beyond low rainfall, rapid, unplanned urbanization has played a significant role in the crisis in both Cape Town and Bengaluru.
In Cape Town, as the city expanded, existing water infrastructure (reservoirs, pipelines and treatment plants) struggled to keep up with demand.
Bengaluru too has seen something similar.
In the 1800s, the city had 1,452 water bodies, with roughly 80% of its area covered in greenery. Now, only 193 water bodies remain, and green cover is below 4%.

Drastic impact on daily lives:

Water scarcity has drastically impacted the daily lives of citizens in Bengaluru, like it did in Cape Town.
Restrictions have been imposed on water usage.
At the peak of Cape Town’s water crisis, citizens were allowed to use no more than 50 liters of water daily.
Like in Cape Town, Bengaluru’s poor are the worst hit in the crisis, with increased health risks arising due to the lack of water for sanitation and hygiene purposes.

9. Pin code MH-1718: In Antarctica, a post office with Indian address

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context:

Almost four decades later, letters meant for Antarctica will now have a new PIN code, MH-1718, with the Department of Posts opening a second branch of the post office on Bharati research station in Antarctica.

More on news:

India’s two research bases on Antarctica i.e. Maitri and Bharati are located 3,000 km apart.
Both branches are part of the Goa postal division.
In 1984, shortly after India’s first foray to Antarctica, its first post office on the icy continent was set up at Dakshi Gangotri — the nation’s first scientific base there.
Dakshin Gangotri submerged in ice in 1988-89 and was subsequently decommissioned.
On January 26, 1990, a post office branch was set up at India’s Maitri research station on Antarctica.
The impression, ‘Maitri North Goa’, from the Antarctic research base is a famed “collector’s item”.

PINCODE MH-1718:

Almost four decades later, letters meant for Antarctica will now have a new PIN code, MH-1718, with the Department of Posts opening a second branch of the post office on Bharati research station in Antarctica.
The letters meant for the post office in Antarctica are sent to the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), the nodal agency for India’s polar expeditions, in Goa.
An Indian post office can only be in the jurisdiction of Indian land.
Antarctica gives a unique opportunity to have an Indian post office in a land which is foreign and does not belong to us.
So, it serves a strategic purpose in terms of asserting presence on the continent.

What is Cancellation:

When a scientific expedition to the continent leaves from the NCPOR, a researcher is usually tasked with carrying the consignment of letters.
At the research base, the letters are ‘canceled’, brought back, and returned via post.
Cancellation is a marking on a postage stamp or stationery done to deface the stamp and prevent reuse.
Typically, ‘canceled’ letters include the date and post office location where the stamps were mailed.

Research stations in Antarctic:

Dakshin Gangotri

Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific research base station established in Antarctica, as a part of the Indian Antarctic Program.
It has weakened and become just a supply base.

Maitri

Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica.
It was built and finished in Maitri and is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis.
India also built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini.

Bharti

Bharti, India’s latest research station operation since 2012.
It has been constructed to help researchers work in safety despite the harsh weather.
It is India’s first committed research facility and is located about 3000 km east of Maitri.

About Indian Antarctic Program:

The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional programme under the control of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
It was initiated in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica.
The programme gained global acceptance with India’s signing of the Antarctic Treaty and subsequent construction of the Dakshin Gangotri Antarctic research base in 1983,superseded by the Maitri base from 1989.
The newest base commissioned in 2012 is Bharati.
The Indian Antarctic Programme is bound by the rules of the Antarctic Treaty System, which India signed in 1983.
The expedition will duly follow all protocols for the deployment of men and material as per Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs(COMNAP).

About COMNAP

It is an international association, formed in 1988, which brings together our Members – the governmental National Antarctic Programs.
Countries engaging in Antarctic research that are also signatories to the Antarctic Treaty and the Environmental Protocol may participate in COMNAP.
COMNAP is one of only three permanent Observer organizations to the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCMs).

10. Rakhigarhi findings in NCERT books added; Narmada Dam references dropped

Subject: History

Section: Ancient India

Context:

The National Council for Education Research and Training, the Centre’s advisor on changes to school education recently introduced certain revisions to the history syllabus of Class 12 students.

More on news:

NCERT has stated that study of ancient DNA from archaeological sources in Rakhigarhi, Haryana suggests that the genetic roots of the Harappans go back to 10,000 BCE.

Key Changes:

Additions about findings from the DNA analysis of skeletal remains found at the archaeological site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana.
Dropping of references to how the Narmada Dam project adversely affected tribals and drew them to displacement leading to greater destitution.
NCERT has said that in the chapter-Eighteenth Century Political Formations, the word ‘Shivaji’ has been changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as “Chhatrapati and Maharaj are important honorifics of Shivaji.
The title ‘When People Rebel’, the word ‘Rebel’ changed to ‘Revolt’.
The word Revolt is more appropriate as it reflects the overall uprising of India against colonial oppression.
The word Rebellion to be changed to Uprising.
The word Uprising is more comprehensive opposed to the word ‘Rebellion’.

Linkage of Rakhigarhi and Harappans:

The DNA of the Harappans has continued till today and a majority of the south Asian population appears to be their descendants.
Due to trade and cultural contacts of the Harappans with distant regions there is a mixture of genes in small quantities.
The continuity without any break in genetic history as well as cultural history rules out large-scale immigration of the so-called Aryans.
At no stage, the genetic history of the Indians was either discontinued or broken.
As the Harappans started moving towards Iran and Central Asia, their genes also gradually spread in those regions.
The analysis of the data revealed that the Harappans are the indigenous people of this region.
NCERT has stated that the reconstructed facial features of the Harappans, male and female, show remarkable similarity with the modern population of Haryana and that the study has indicated unbroken continuity for 5000 years in this region.

About Rakhigarhi:

Rakhigarhi in Hisar is also said to be the largest archaeological site from the pre-Harappan period.
It was part of the mature phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating to 2600-1900 BCE.
It could change the commonly held view about the Indus Valley civilization, as Rakhigarhi is situated on the bank of the now dry Saraswati river.
There is also the Haryana Rural Antique Museum 60 km away, which is maintained by CCS HAU in its Gandhi Bhawan, exhibits evolution of agriculture and vanishing antiques.

Parts deleted:

Projects such as the Sardar Sarovar dam on the river Narmada in western India and the Polavaram dam on the river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh displace hundreds of thousands of adivasis, driving them to greater destitution,’ will be changed to, ‘Projects such as the Sardar Sarovar dam on the river Narmada in Western India and the Polavaram dam on the river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh displaced hundreds of thousands of adivasis from their original habitats,’ with deletion of the part — ‘driving them to greater destitution.