Daily Prelims Notes 8 August 2021

August 8, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

8 August 2021

Table Of Contents

1. Ladakh glacier retreat due to warming low winter precipitation

Subject: Geography

Context: The Pensilungpa Glacier located in Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley is retreating due to increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation during winters, a recent study has found.

Since 2015, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) at Dehradun, an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, has been working on various aspects on glaciology – glacier health (mass balance) monitoring, dynamics, discharge, past climatic conditions, speculation for future climate change and its impact on glaciers in this region.

About The study:

The observations for four years (2015–2019) showed that the glacier is now retreating at an average rate of 6.7 plus/minus 3 metre per annum.
There is significant influence of debris cover on the mass balance and retreat of the glacier’s endpoint.
Due to continuous rise in the air temperature in line with the global trend, the melting would increase, and it is possible that the precipitation of summer periods at higher altitudes will change from snow to rain, and that may influence the summer and winter pattern.

Impact of Melting Glaciers

Glacial Melting will cause global sea levels to rise, threatening already endangered species like the Snow Leopard and Tiger and dramatically change the roof of the world.
Melting Glaciers will increase river flows through the years 2050 to 2060, pushing up the risk of high altitude lakes bursting their banks and engulfing communities.
From the 2060s, river flows will go into decline. Lower flows will cut the power from Hydro dams that generate much of the Region’s electricity.

2. Absorption Spectroscopy

Subject: Science and Technology

In news: Researchers from IIT Madras and IISER Kolkata have developed a method to detect minute quantities of chemicals in solution.

They use a variation of absorption spectroscopy that surpasses the systemic limits imposed by conventional absorption spectroscopy.
With this technique, they can, in principle, illuminate the insides of cells and detect minuscule quantities of substances present there. The work was published in Nanoscale.

About Absorption Spectroscopy:

Absorption spectroscopy is a tool to detect the presence of elements in a medium.
Usually in absorption spectroscopy, the principle used is that light, because of its wavelike nature, shows diffraction patterns, that is, dark and light fringes, when it scatters off any object.
A related concept called the Abbe criterion sets a natural limit on the size of the object being studied.
Absorption spectroscopy is performed across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Absorption spectroscopy is also employed in studies of molecular and atomic physics, astronomical spectroscopy and remote sensing.

Applications:

Infrared gas analyzers can be used to identify the presence of pollutants in the air, distinguishing the pollutant from nitrogen, oxygen, water and other expected constituents.
Remote Sensing.

Following are the major types of absorption spectroscopy:

Sr. No	Electromagnetic Radiation	Spectroscopic type
1	X-ray	X-ray absorption spectroscopy
2	Ultraviolet–visible	UV–vis absorption spectroscopy
3	Infrared	IR absorption spectroscopy
4	Microwave	Microwave absorption spectroscopy
5	Radio wave	Electron spin resonance spectroscopy Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

3. Dravidian Languages

Subject: History

Context: A recent publication has provided crucial evidence that Ancestral Dravidian languages were possibly spoken by a significant population in the Indus Valley civilisation.

Dravidian Group of Languages:

The Dravidian languages are first attested in the 2nd century BCE as Tamil-Brahmi script inscribed on the cave walls in the Madurai and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu.
Proto dravidian gave rise to 21 dravidian languages. These are classified into three categories.
- Northern :Brahui (Balochistan), malto (tribal areas of bengal and odisha) and kurukh (bengal, odisha, bihar, madhyapradesh) are the main languages.
- Southern :Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu, Kodagu, Toda and Kota. Tamil is the oldest amongst these.
- Central :It consists of eleven languages i.e. gondi, Khond, Kui, Telugu. Only Telugu became a civilised language and is spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Telugu is numerically the largest of all dravidian languages, Malayalam is smallest and youngest of the dravidian group.
Only two Dravidian languages are spoken exclusively outside the post-1947 state of India: Brahui in the Balochistan region of Pakistan and Afghanistan; and Dhangar, a dialect of Kurukh, in parts of Nepal and Bhutan.
Dravidian place names along the Arabian Sea coasts and Dravidian grammatical influence such as clusivity in the Indo-Aryan languages, namely, Marathi, Gujarati, Marwari, and Sindhi, suggest that Dravidian languages were once spoken more widely across the Indian subcontinent.

4. Plastic Pollution in Sundarbans

Subject: Environment

Context: Several NGOs, experts, and even officials have pointed out that the plastic accumulating in the isolated islands of the fragile ecosystem are cause for great concern.

Concerns:

Plastics would have a long-term ecological impact on the Sundarbans ecosystem.
The presence of plastic in saline water will increase the toxicity of water gradually and also there will be eutrophication of water.
Because of the presence of plastics in the water, there will be an increase in microplastics, which can slowly enter the food system.
Sunderbans is connected to the sea and the increase of plastic in the region could lead to plastic water entering the ocean.
Sunderbans, which is home to a population of 5 million, is largely dependent on fisheries and aquaculture, and any change in the delicate ecosystem can spell doom to livelihoods.

About Sundarbans:

It is a vast contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the coastal region of Bay of Bengal spread over India and Bangladesh on the world’s largest delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. It contains the world’s largest mangrove forests.
The Indian Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to about 2,626 fauna, including Royal Bengal Tigers, Gangetic Dolphins, saltwater crocodiles, and threatened species of freshwater turtles. It is also home to 428 bird species.
Conservation efforts in India were stepped up with the creation of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973.
Sunderbans was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001.
Sundarban Wetland, India was recognised as the ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under theRamsar Convention in January 2019.
The Sunderbans Delta is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.

5. No-patrolling zone

Subject: Geography

Context: As Indian and Chinese troops disengage from Patrolling Point (PP) 17A near Gogra Post, the two sides have followed the template for disengagements from previous points since last year.

Concept:

What is a no-patrolling zone?

When two forces disengage from a face-off point where they had been eyeball-to-eyeball or in close proximity to each other, one way to prevent new face-offs is to create a zone in which troops from neither side are allowed for a certain length of time.
As the name ‘no-patrolling zone’ suggests, the area becomes a zone where neither side is allowed to patrol.
It can’t keep it fixed. It is guided by what infrastructure you have at any point of time.
Indian officials have asserted multiple times that the suspension of patrolling is not permanent, and that India has not given up its right to patrol those areas.
In the case of an undecided boundary like the one between India and China, where the two countries do not even agree on the alignment of the LAC in places, forces patrol the region to assert their control over the territory.
The patrolling points for India are decided by a body known as the China Study Group (CSG), a secretary-level official group that is the sole adviser to the central government on matters related to China.
De-escalation means both sides will pull back the additional troops that have been stationed in the region.

Instances of no-patrolling

Between India and China, the idea of the no-patrolling zone can be traced back to the border war of 1962.
More recently, the concept was used by India in 2013. Chinese troops had pitched tents in an area known as the Bottleneck in the Depsang Plains, and India was negotiating to end the face-off.
As part of the understanding to end the Depsang standoff, India temporarily suspended patrolling in an area further south, but within eastern Ladakh, called Chumar. Patrolling was suspended temporarily in 2014 as well, again in Chumar, to resolve another standoff.
The five friction pointsare: PP14 (Galwan), PP15 (Hot Springs), PP17A (Gogra Post), Rezang La, and Rechin La.
PP17A will become the third region where Indian troops used to patrol before the standoff began in May 2020, and will, at least temporarily, not do so now. The first such no-patrol zone since last year had come up in Galwan Valley.

6. Perseverance rover

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring the Jezero Crater on Mars and attempting to collect its first rock samples.

Concept:

NASA says that sampling Mars is one of the most complicated tasks and involves drilling holes, collecting and then storing the samples in test tubes.

Perseverance rover

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The rover carries 43 titanium sample tubes and is supposed to collect samples from the Jezero Crater.
Perseverance’s sampling process is autonomous — its sampling and caching system uses a hollow coring bit and percussive drill that is fixed at the end of its 7-feet-long robotic arm.
Perseverance will spend one Mars year (two years on Earth) on the planet during which time it will explore the landing site region.
The Jezero Crater where it landed was once the site of an ancient river delta — scientists know this because of evidence collected during previous landed and orbital missions that point to wet conditions on the planet billions of years ago.
The rover is carrying with it seven instruments, which include an advanced camera system with the ability to zoom, a SuperCam, which is an instrument that will provide imaging and chemical composition analysis, and a spectrometer.
One of the most interesting instruments aboard the rover is called MOXIE, which will produce oxygen from Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide. If this instrument is successful, then future astronauts (as of now, no human being has kept foot on Mars) can use it to burn rocket fuel for returning to Earth.
The rover is also carrying Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on Mars that will help collect samples from the surface from locations where the rover cannot reach.
Broadly, the rover is designed to study signs of ancient life, collect samples that might be sent back to Earth during future missions, and test new technology that might benefit future robotic and human missions to the planet.
If Mars once harboured a warmer atmosphere enabling water to flow in its ancient past (3.5-3.8 billion years ago), and if microbial life had once existed on the Red Planet, it is possible that it exists in “special regions” even today.

7. Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog

Subject: Geography

Context: NASA is seeking applications for participation as a crew member for the first one-year long analog mission in a habitat simulated to feel like what staying on the surface of Mars would be like.

Concept:

This is the first of three analog missions called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), which is related to Mars.
The other three are scheduled to take place over the next four years.
The second analog mission is scheduled for 2024 and the third is scheduled for 2025.

Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA)

The mission is set to begin in Fall 2022 and will give four successful applicants the chance to live and work in a 1,700 square-foot module that is created by a 3D printer and is called the Mars Dune Alpha.
The simulated quarters include a kitchen, areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work, crop growth, a technical work area and two bathrooms.
This habitat will simulate what it feels like to carry out missions on Mars including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and any other environmental stressors. The crew will be expected to perform simulated spacewalks, scientific research and use virtual reality and robotic controls and exchange communications.
This analog mission will provide scientific data that will help in validating the systems that will be used for actual missions to Mars and also help in solving problems for spaceflight research.
CHAPEA is not the only analog mission, there are others including Aquarius/NEEMO, Concordia, Desert RATS and HESTIA.
Analog missions are required because not all experiments can be carried out in space because resources and money are limited.

8. NCLT

Subject: National organization

Context: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has called out the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on persistent vacancies in National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs) leading to delays in corporate insolvency under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Concept:

The Parliamentary Standing Committee recommendations

The committee has also recommended that the IBC be amended to prevent frivolous litigation and non-adherence to deadlines under the IBC that can lead to value destruction.
The committee noted that delays in the admission of insolvency cases by NCLTs and the approval of resolution plans were the key reasons behind the non-adherence of timelines under the IBC.
The committee also recommended that the IBC be amended to provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are operational creditors under the IBC, with greater protection in the current economic environment. The IBC currently prioritises financial creditors over operational creditors.
The committee called out the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on persistent vacancies in National Company Law Tribunals (NCLTs) leading to delays in corporate insolvency under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).The combined strength of the current NCLT benches around the country is currently only 29 members against the total sanctioned strength of 63 members.

NCLT:

It is a statutory body constituted under the section 408 of the Companies Act, 2013.
The current NCLT traces its formation to the recommendations of the Justice Eradi Committee which was set up by Central Government in the year 1998
It is a quasi-judicial authority incorporated for dealing with corporate disputes that are of civil nature arising under the Companies Act.
It has power to regulate its own procedures.
The NCLT composition is of the President and other Judicial and Technical members, to exercise and discharge powers and functions as prescribed by the Act or any other power delegated to them by way of any other enactment or a Notification by Ministry Of Corporate Affairs.
Appeals against the order of the NCLT will go to NCLAT, exclusively dedicated for this purpose.
It has been given jurisdiction over:

Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction. (“BIFR”)
The Appellate Authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction. (“AAIFR”)
Jurisdiction and powers relating to winding up restructuring and other such provisions, vested in the High Courts.
Company Law Board (“CLB”).

It has following power:

Most of the powers of the Company Law Board under the Companies Act, 1956.
All the powers of BIFR for revival and rehabilitation of sick industrial companies;
Power of High Court in the matters of mergers, demergers, amalgamations, winding up, etc.;
Power to order repayment of deposits accepted by Non-Banking Financial Companies as provided in section 45QA of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934;
Power to wind up companies;
Power to Review its own orders.

9. July 2021 was the third-warmest July on record globally

Subject: Environment

Context: The shattering of climate records continue: July 2021 was the “the third-warmest July on record globally, less than 0.1 degree Celsius cooler than July 2019 and July 2016,” revealed Copernicus earth observation programme of the European Union.

Concept:

According to Copernicus:

July is usually the warmest month of the year globally.
July 2021 was warmer globally than any previous month in the data record other than July 2019 and July 2016.
The month was 0.33°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average for the month
Global surface temperature for June 2021 was the fifth-highest in 142 years, according to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Global Climate Report June 2021. It was 0.88°C above the 20^thcentury average

Copernicus

Copernicus is the European system for monitoring the Earth and is coordinated and managed by the European Commission.
The development of the observation infrastructure is performed under the aegis of the European Space Agency for the space component and by the European Environment Agency and EU countries for the in situ component.
It consists of a complex set of systems which collect data from multiple sources: earth observation satellites and in situ sensors such as ground stations, airborne sensors, and sea-borne sensors. It processes this data and provides users with reliable and up-to-date information through a set of services related to environmental and security issues.
The services address six thematic areas: land, marine, atmosphere, climate change, emergency management, and security. They support a wide range of applications, including environment protection, management of urban areas, regional and local planning, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, health, transport, climate change, sustainable development, civil protection, and tourism.

10. Quit India Movement

Subject: History

Context: Culture Minister Sh G. Kishan Reddy to inaugurate an Exhibition on ‘Quit India Movement’ on its 79th Anniversary

Concept:

In July 1942, the Congress Working Committee met at Wardha and resolved that it would authorise Gandhi to take charge of the non-violent mass movement. The resolution generally referred to as the ‘Quit India’ resolution.
Proposed by Jawaharlal Nehru and seconded by Sardar Patel, it was to be approved by the All India Congress Committee meeting in Bombay in August.
The Quit India Resolution was ratified at the Congress meeting at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, on August 8, 1942.
The meeting also resolved to
- demand an immediate end to British rule in India.
- declare commitment of free India to defend itself
- against all types of Fascism and imperiali
- form a provisional Government of India after British withdrawal.
- sanction a civil disobedience movement against British rule.
The Quit India resolution was passed on August 8, 1942.
ArunaAsaf Ali hoisted the tricolour on the Gowalia Tank ground and on August 9 night, the senior leaders of the Congress were arrested.
Many nationalists went underground and took to subversive activities. The participants in these activities were the Socialists, Forward Bloc members, Gandhi ashramites, revolutionary nationalistsand local organisations in Bombay, Poona, Satara, Baroda and other parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra, United Provinces, Bihar and Delhi.
The main personalities taking up underground activity were RammanoharLohia, Jayaprakash Narayan, ArunaAsaf Ali, Usha Mehta, BijuPatnaik, ChhotubhaiPuranik, AchyutPatwardhan, SuchetaKripalani and R.P. Goenka. Usha Mehta started an underground radio in Bombay.
This phase of underground activity was meant to keep up popular morale by continuing to provide a line of command and guidance to distribute arms and ammunition.

11. Declaring any natural disaster as a ‘National Calamity’

Subject: Environment

Context: Standing Committee on Water Resources recommends setting up a permanent National Integrated Flood Management Group under the chairmanship of the Minister of Jal Shakti. No provision to declare any natural disaster as a ‘National Calamity’ says Panel report

Concept:

States have often demanded natural calamities to be declared as national ones, especially after floods in a region. But surprisingly, there is no provision to declare any natural calamity as a ‘National Calamity’.
This was also confirmed by a Standing Committee report to the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR).
The Scheme of State Disaster Response Fund / National Response Fund of the Ministry of Home Affairs, there is no provision to declare any disaster including flood as a National Calamity, the DoWR, RD & GR
However, whenever a calamity of ‘severe nature’ occurred, financial assistance was provided.
It is not practical and economically feasible to provide complete protection to all flood-affected areas. Therefore, reasonable economic security is given to reduce the damage caused by floods.

Standing Committee report to the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR)

The committee also observed that in view of the existing constitutional and administrative classification, it appeared that the responsibility of flood management lay with everyone and hence no one paid attention to it.
This administrative approach needed to be changed. Hence, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti should take up this important responsibility of flood control.
It also recommended the central government should take the responsibility of flood control and coordination, keeping in view the loss of life and property due to floods.
It suggested setting up a permanent National Integrated Flood Management Group under the chairmanship of the Minister of Jal Shakti, with respective state ministers to be part of the group. The committee suggested meeting once a year.
In its report, the committee also acknowledged that rainfall patterns had changed due to rising temperature. Rainfall in terms of days had decreased. However, instances of extreme rainfall were on the rise

12. Foreign exchange reserves

Subject: Economy

Context: The Nation’s forex reserves surged by $9.427 billion to record high of $620.576 billion in the week ended July 30, according to the latest data from the RBI.

Concept:

FCA increased by $8.596 billion to $576.224 billion in the reporting week. It is expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.
Gold reserves were up by $760 million to $37.644 billion in the reporting week, the data showed.
The special drawing rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose by $6 million at $1.552 billion

Foreign exchange reserves

Foreign exchange reserves are assets held on reserve by a central bank in foreign currencies, which can include bonds, treasury bills and other government securities.
It needs to be noted that most foreign exchange reserves are held in U.S. dollars.
These assets serve many purposes but are most significantly held to ensure that the central bank has backup funds if the national currency rapidly devalues or becomes altogether insolvent.

India’s Forex Reserves include:
Foreign Currency Assets
Gold
Special Drawing Rights
Reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Foreign Currency Assets

FCA are assets that are valued based on a currency other than the country’s own currency.
FCA is the largest component of the forex reserve. It is expressed in dollar terms.
FCA includes the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.
Currency appreciation refers to the increase in value of one currency relative to another in the forex markets.
Currency depreciation is a fall in the value of a currency in a floating exchange rate system.
In a floating exchange rate system, market forces (based on demand and supply of a currency) determine the value of a currency.

Special Drawing Rights

The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
The SDR is neither a currency nor a claim on the IMF. Rather, it is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members. SDRs can be exchanged for these currencies.
The value of the SDR is calculated from a weighted basket of major currencies, including the U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and British pound.
The interest rate on SDRs or SDRi is the interest paid to members on their SDR holdings.

Reserve Position in the International Monetary Fund

A reserve tranche position implies a portion of the required quota of currency each member country must provide to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that can be utilized for its own purposes.
The reserve tranche is basically an emergency account that IMF members can access at any time without agreeing to conditions or paying a service fee.