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  • Dickinsonia fossil discovered in Bhimbetka

    Researchers have found the first-ever fossil in India of a Dickinsonia —the Earth’s ‘oldest animal’, dating back 570 million years — on the roof of what’s called the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka.

    Dickinsonia

    • Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
    • The individual Dickinsonia typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval.
    • Its affinities are presently unknown; its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi or even an “extinct kingdom”.
    • The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of Dickinsonia lends support to the idea that Dickinsonia was an animal.

    What are the new findings?

    Like the awe-inspiring rock shelters themselves, this fossil was discovered by chance.

    • Dickinsonia fossils have shown that they could exceed four feet in length but the one found in Bhimbetka is 17 inches long.
    • Eleven feet above the ground, almost blending with the rock and easily mistaken by laymen for prehistoric rock art, they found imprints of the Dickinsonia.
    • It is believed to be one of the key links between the early, simple organisms and the explosion of life in the Cambrian Period, about 541 million years ago.

    Cambrian Explosion and Dickinsonia

    • The ‘Cambrian Explosion’ is the term given to the period of time in history when complex animals and other macroscopic organisms such as molluscs, worms, arthropods and sponges began to dominate the fossil record.
    • Researchers from Australian found the Dickinsonia fossil since its tissue contained molecules of cholesterol a type of fat that is the hallmark of animal life.

    Do you know?

    Cosmogenic nuclide dating is deployed to determine time of earliest human culture. India’s oldest stone-age tools, up to 1.5 million years old, are at a prehistoric site near Chennai.

    About Bhimbetka

    • The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the prehistoric Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period.
    • It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times.
    • It is located in the Raisen District in Madhya Pradesh about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of Bhopal.
    • It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km (6.2 mi).
    • At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago.
    • Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE), corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic.
    • These cave paintings show themes such as animals, early evidence of dance and hunting.
    • The Bhimbetka rock shelters were found by V S Wakankar 64 years ago. Since then, thousands of researchers have visited the site, but this rare fossil went undetected.

  • US moves to rejoin UN Human Rights Council

    The Biden administration is set to reengage with the much-maligned UN Human Rights Council that former Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following:

    1. Right to education.
    2. Right to equal access to public service.
    3. Right to food.

    Which of the above is/are Human Right/Human Rights under “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) Only 1

    (c) 1, 2 and 3

    (d) Only 3

    Why did the US pulled-out earlier?

    • Trump pulled out of the world body’s main human rights agency in 2018 due to its disproportionate focus on Israel.
    • Israel had received by far the largest number of critical council resolutions against any country.
    • The Trump administration took issue with the body’s membership, which currently includes China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Venezuela, all of which have been accused of human rights abuses.

    About UN Human Rights Council

    • The UNHRC describes itself as “an inter-governmental body within the UN system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.
    • It addresses situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.
    • The first session took place from June 19-30, 2006, three months after the Council was created by UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251 on March 15 that year.
    • The UNHRC has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year.
    • The HRC replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).

    HRC Meetings

    • The Human Rights Council holds no fewer than three regular sessions a year, for a total of at least 10 weeks.
    • The meetings take place for four weeks in March, for three weeks in June, and for another three weeks in September.
    • The sessions are held at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
    • If one-third of the Member States so request, the HRC can decide at any time to hold a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies.

    Membership

    • The Council is made up of 47 UN Member States, which are elected by the UNGA through a direct and secret ballot.
    • The General Assembly takes into account the contribution of the candidate states to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
    • Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
    • As of January 1, 2019, 114 UN Member States have served on the HRC. Both India and Pakistan are on this list.
    • The HRC has a Bureau of one President and four Vice-Presidents, representing the five regional groups. They serve for a year, in accordance with the Council’s annual cycle.

    Seat distribution

    • African States: 13 seats
    • Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats
    • Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats
    • Western European and other States: 7 seats
    • Eastern European States: 6 seats

  • Einsteinium: the mysterious element named after Albert Einstein

    The University of California has reported some of the properties of element 99 in the periodic table called “Einsteinium”, named after Albert Einstein.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz, gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force.

    With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct? (CSP 2012)

    (a) Gravity is the strongest of the four

    (b) Electromagnetism act only on particles with an electric charge

    (c) Weak nuclear force causes radioactivity

    (d) Strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons inside the nuclear of an atom.

    Einsteinium

    • It was discovered in 1952 in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb (the detonation of a thermonuclear device called “Ivy Mike” in the Pacific Ocean).
    • Since its discovery, scientists have not been able to perform a lot of experiments with it because it is difficult to create and is highly radioactive.
    • Therefore, very little is known about this element.
    • With this new study published in the journal Nature last week, for the first time researchers have been able to characterize some of the properties of the element.

    The discovery of the element

    • Ivy Mike was detonated on November 1, 1952, as part of a test at a remote island location called Elugelab on the Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific.
    • The blast produced an explosion that was about 500 times more destructive than the explosion that occurred at Nagasaki.
    • Subsequently, the fallout material from this explosion was sent to Berkeley in California for analysis which identified over 200 atoms of the new element.

    Properties of the element

    • Einsteinium has a half-life of 20 days.
    • Because of its high radioactivity and short half-life of all einsteinium isotopes, even if the element was present on Earth during its formation, it has most certainly decayed.
    • This is the reason that it cannot be found in nature and needs to be manufactured using very precise and intense processes.
    • Therefore, so far, the element has been produced in very small quantities and its usage is limited except for the purposes of scientific research.
    • The element is also not visible to the naked eye and after it was discovered, it took over nine years to manufacture enough of it so that it could be seen with the naked eye.

  • [pib] Scheme for Management of Crop Residues

    The Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi’ has been extended for the year 2021-22.

    We can cite the example of this scheme for crop residue management as an effective solution against stubble burning.

    Management of Crop Residues

    • In pursuance this, a central sector scheme (100% funded by centre) was launched in 2018 Budget to support the efforts of the governments of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the NCT of Delhi to address air pollution.
    • It aimed to subsidize the machinery required for in-situ management of crop residue.

    Various objectives of the scheme:

    • Protecting the environment from air pollution and preventing loss of nutrients and soil micro-organisms caused by burning of crop residue;
    • Promoting in-situ management of crop residue by retention and incorporation into the soil through the use of appropriate mechanization inputs and
    • Creating awareness among stakeholders for effective utilization and management of crop residue

    Outcomes of the scheme

    • The residue burning events in 2020 in Punjab, Haryana and UP together have reduced by -30% as compared to 2016.
    • In Punjab the reduction is -22.7%, Haryana – 63.8% and UP – 52.01%.

  • [pib] Malabar Naval Exercises

    The 24th edition of Malabar maritime exercise, hosted by Indian Navy in 2020, witnessed the participation by Indian Navy, United States Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Royal Australian Navy.

    Such news is nothing but the repetitive chunk that occurs every year with few or no new developments. Still, they are significant for the sake of information as Australia has joined it after several apprehensions.

     Question can be expected in CAPF, CDS or AFCAT exams.

    About Ex. Malabar

    • Exercise Malabar is a trilateral naval exercise involving the US, Japan and India as permanent partners.
    • This year Australia has joined as a permanent partner.
    • Originally begun in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States, Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.
    • Past non-permanent participants are Australia and Singapore.
    • The annual Malabar series began in 1992 and includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.

    Significance of Australia’s inclusion

    • Earlier, India had concerns that it would give the appearance of a “quadrilateral military alliance” aimed at China.
    • Now both look forward to the cooperation in the ‘Indo-Pacific’ and the strengthening of defence ties.
    • This has led to a convergence of mutual interest in many areas for a better understanding of regional and global issues.
    • Both are expected to conclude the long-pending Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) as part of measures to elevate the strategic partnership.

  • Controversial hashtags on twitter and their regulation

    The Centre has issued notice to Twitter after the micro-blogging site restored more than 250 accounts that had been suspended earlier on the government’s ‘legal demand’.

    Take this new term “Hashtags Activism”.

    What is the news?

    • Twitter was asked to block accounts and controversial hashtags that spoke of an impending ‘genocide’ of farmers for allegedly promoting misinformation about the protests, adversely affecting public order.
    • Twitter reinstated the accounts and tweets on its own and later refused to go back on the decision, contending that it found no violation of its policy.

    Concerns with the directive

    • This direction presents a clear breach of fundamental rights but also reveals a complex relationship between the government and large platforms on the understanding of the Constitution of India.
    • The specific legal order issued is secret.
    • This brings into focus the condition of secrecy that is threshold objection to multiple strands of our fundamental rights.
    • It conflicts against the rights of the users who are denied reasons for the censorship.
    • Secrecy also undermines the public’s right to receive information, which is a core component of the fundamental freedom to speech and expression.
    • This is an anti-democratic practice that results in an unchecked growth of irrational censorship but also leads to speculation that fractures trust.
    • The other glaring deficiency is the complete absence of any prior show-cause notice to the actual users of these accounts by the government.
    • This is contrary to the principles of natural justice.
    • This again goes back to the vagueness and the design faults in the process of how directions under Section 69A are issued.

    Are platforms required to comply with legal demands?

    • Cooperation between technology services companies and law enforcement agencies is now deemed a vital part of fighting cybercrime and various other crimes that are committed using computer resources.
    • These cover hacking, digital impersonation and theft of data.
    • The potential of the misuse has led to law enforcement officials constantly seeking to curb the ill-effects of using the medium.
    • Therefore, most nations have framed laws mandating cooperation by Internet service providers or web hosting service providers and other intermediaries to cooperate with law and order authorities in certain circumstances.

    What does the law in India cover?

    • In India, the Information Technology Act, 2000, as amended from time to time, governs all activities related to the use of computer resources.
    • It covers all ‘intermediaries’ who play a role in the use of computer resources and electronic records.
    • The term ‘intermediaries’ includes providers of telecom service, network service, Internet service and web hosting, besides search engines, online payment and auction sites, online marketplaces and cyber cafes.
    • It includes any person who, on behalf of another, “receives, stores or transmits” any electronic record. Social media platforms would fall under this definition.

    What are the Centre’s powers, vis-à-vis intermediaries?

    • Section 69 of the Act confers on the Central and State governments the power to issue directions “to intercept, monitor or decrypt…any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource”.

    The grounds on which these powers may be exercised are:

    • in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state,
    • friendly relations with foreign states,
    • public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to these, or
    • for investigating any offence

    How does the government block websites and networks?

    • Section 69A, for similar reasons and grounds, enables the Centre to ask any agency of the government, or any intermediary, to block access.
    • Any such request for blocking access must be based on reasons given in writing.
    • Procedures and safeguards have been incorporated in the rules framed for the purpose.

    Obligations of intermediaries under Indian law

    • Intermediaries are required to preserve and retain specified information in a manner and format prescribed by the Centre for a specified duration.
    • Contravention of this provision may attract a prison term that may go up to three years, besides a fine.
    • When a direction is given for monitoring, the intermediary and any person in charge of a computer resource should extend technical assistance in the form of giving access or securing access to the resource involved.
    • Failure to extend such assistance may entail a prison term of up to seven years, besides a fine.
    • Failure to comply with a direction to block access to the public on a government’s written request also attracts a prison term of up to seven years, besides a fine.

    Is the liability of the intermediary absolute?

    • Section 79 of the Act makes it clear that “an intermediary shall not be liable for any third-party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him”.
    • This protects intermediaries such as Internet and data service providers and those hosting websites from being made liable for content that users may post or generate.
    • However, the exemption from liability does not apply if there is evidence that the intermediary abetted or induced the commission of the unlawful act involved.

    Judicial intervention in this regard

    • In Shreya Singhal Case (2015), the Supreme Court read down the provision to mean that the intermediaries ought to act only upon receiving actual knowledge that a court order has been passed.
    • This was because the court felt that intermediaries such as Google or Facebook may receive millions of requests, and it may not be possible for them to judge which of these were legitimate.
    • The role of the intermediaries has been spelt out in separate rules framed for the purpose in 2011.

    Legislative efforts

    • In 2018, the Centre favoured coming up with fresh updates to the existing rules on intermediaries’ responsibilities, but the draft courted controversy.
    • This was because one of the proposed changes was that intermediaries should help identify originators of offensive content.
    • This led to misgivings that this could aid privacy violations and online surveillance.
    • Also, tech companies that use end-to-end encryption argued that they could not open a backdoor for identifying originators, as it would be a breach of promise to their subscribers.

  • What are the One-Person Companies (OPCs)?

    In her Budget speech, the Union Finance Minister had announced measures to ease norms on setting up one-person companies (OPCs).

    Q.What are One-Person Companies (OPCs)?  Discuss how they will help startups and non-resident Indians?

    What is an OPC?

    • As the name suggests, a one-person company is a company that can be formed by just one person as a shareholder.
    • These companies can be contrasted with private companies, which require a minimum of two members to get going.
    • However, for all practical purposes, these are like private companies.
    • It is not as if there was no scope for an individual with aspirations in business prior to the introduction of OPC as a concept.
    • As an individual, a person could get into the business through a sole proprietorship mode, and this is a path that is still available.

    Why do we need such companies?

    • A single-person company and sole proprietorship differ significantly in how they are perceived in the eyes of law.
    • For the former, the person and the company are considered separate legal entities. In a sole proprietorship, the owner and the business are considered the same.
    • This has an important implication when it comes to the liability of the individual member or owner. In a one-person company, the sole owner’s liability is limited to that person’s investment.
    • In a sole proprietorship set-up, however, the owner has unlimited liability as they are not considered different legal entities.
    • Some see the proposal as a move to encourage corporatization of small businesses. It is useful for entrepreneurs to have this option while deciding to start a business.

    Is this a new idea?

    • Such a concept already exists in many countries. In India, the concept was introduced in the Companies Act of 2013.
    • Its introduction was based on the suggestions of the J. Irani Committee Report on Company Law, which submitted its recommendations in 2005.
    • Pointing out that there was a need for a framework for small enterprises, it said small companies would contribute significantly to the Indian economy.
    • But because of their size, they could not be burdened with the same level of compliance requirements as large public-listed companies.

    Features of OPCs

    • The law on one-person companies that took shape, as a result, exempted such companies from many procedural requirements, and, in some cases, provided relaxations.
    • For instance, such a company does not need to conduct an annual general meeting, which is a requirement for other companies.
    • A one-person company also does not require signatures of both its company secretary and director on its annual returns. One is enough.
    • There was, however, criticism that some rules governing a one-person company were restrictive in nature. This year’s Budget has dealt with some of these concerns.

    How many OPCs does India have?

    • According to data compiled by the Monthly Information Bulletin on Corporate Sector, there were 34,235 OPCs out of a total number of about 1.3 million active companies in India (Dec 2020).
    • Data also show that more than half of the OPCs are in business services.

  • Hope: UAE’s first mission to Mars

    The first Arab interplanetary mission is expected to reach Mars’ orbit on February 9 in what is considered the most critical part of the journey to unravel the secrets of weather on the Red Planet.

    Try this question from CSP 2014:

    Q.Which of the following pair is/are correctly matched?

    Spacecraft Purpose
    1. Cassini-Huygens Orbiting the Venus and transmitting data to the Earth
    2. Messenger Mapping and investigating the Mercury
    3. Voyager 1 and 2 Exploring the outer solar system

    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 and 3 only

    c) 1 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3

    Hope Mission

    • The Emirates Mars Mission called “Hope” was announced in 2015 with the aim of creating mankind’s first integrated model of the Red planet’s atmosphere.
    • Hope weighs over 1500 kg and will carry scientific instruments mounted on one side of the spacecraft, including the Emirates exploration Imager (EXI), which is a high-resolution camera among others.
    • The spacecraft will orbit Mars to study the Martian atmosphere and its interaction with outer space and solar winds.
    • Hope will collect data on Martian climate dynamics, which should help scientists understand why Mars’ atmosphere is decaying into space.

    Objectives of the mission

    • Once it launches, Hope will orbit Mars for around 200 days, after which it will enter the Red planet’s orbit by 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the founding of UAE.
    • The mission is being executed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE’s space agency.
    • It will help answer key questions about the global Martian atmosphere and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the span of one Martian year.

  • ‘Toolkit’ tweeted by Greta Thunberg

    The Delhi Police filed an FIR on charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy and promoting hatred against the creators of a ‘toolkit’ on farmer protests, which was shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg.

    Q.What do you mean by a social media toolkit? Discuss its potential mis-uses.

    What is a Toolkit?

    • A toolkit is essentially a set of adaptable guidelines or suggestions to get something done. The contents differ depending on what the aim of the toolkit is.
    • For example, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has a toolkit for the implementation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
    • This includes basics such as the guidelines to follow when investigating IPR violations, applicable laws, and definitions of terms such as counterfeit and piracy.
    • In the context of protests, a toolkit usually includes reading material on the context of the protest, news article links and methods of protest (including on social media).

    Why have they gained prominence?

    • While toolkits have been around for decades, the accessibility of social media has brought them into the spotlight over the past few years.
    • References to toolkits for protesters can be found in the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011, in the Hong Kong protests of 2019, several climate protests across the world, anti-CAA protests across India.
    • During the Hong Kong protests, toolkits advised participants to wear masks and helmets to avoid being recognised and ways to put out tear gas shells.
    • During the anti-CAA protests, a toolkit suggesting twitter hashtags to use, places to hold protests, and a guide on what to do and carry with you if you are detained by the police were shared on social media.

    Toolkit tweeted by Greta Thunberg

    • The 18-year-old shared a toolkit on Twitter on the anti-farm law protests in India.
    • This came on the heels of singer-businesswoman tweeting a news article on internet curbs near protest sites in and around Delhi.
    • The toolkit tweeted by Thunberg was later deleted, with the activist saying it was being updated by people on the ground in India.
    • The toolkit asked those interested to start a ‘Twitter storm’ to share solidarity photo/video message by social media users.

    It is being speculated that the document was proof that an international conspiracy is being hatched to defame India and the central government over the ongoing farmers’ protest.

    What is the recent apprehension?

    • The police have said that during the inquiry it appears that the toolkit was created by Poetic Justice Foundation.
    • It says the prior action section delineated the action plan for January 26, when violence was seen at several areas as a group of farmers diverted from the set route and started marching towards the Red Fort.
    • The unfolding of events over the past few days, including the violence of 26th January, has revealed copycat execution of the ‘action plan’ detailed in the tool kit.
    • The intention of the creators of the tool kits appeared to be to create disharmony among various social, religious and cultural groups and encourage disaffection and ill-will against the state and the nation at large.

  • Privacy concerns over Haryana’s Parivar Pehchan Patra

    Amid concerns over the Parivar Pehchan Patra scheme, the Haryana govt. says enrolment is voluntary. But residents have little choice as the delivery of even birth and death certificates is linked to it.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q.What is Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) recently rolled out by Haryana Govt.? How it is beneficial compared to the Aadhaar?

    What is Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP)?

    • It is an 8-digit Unique Identity Card number meant for each family to enable smooth and automatic delivery of several citizen-centric services.
    • The government will establish the scheme-wise eligibility of a particular family using this 8-digit code according to the information available in the PPP of the family.
    • The benefits, according to the schemes, shall automatically be transferred to the family using the same code.
    • PPP will ensure that not a single beneficiary is left out from the government benefits that they are entitled to.

    How is PPP different from the Aadhaar card?

    • The PPP, mathematically, is an integral number of Aadhaar.
    • While Aadhaar represents an individual as a unit, a PPP represents a family as a unit. Most of our government schemes are structured around the family.
    • It is not structured around an individual.
    • For example, ration eligibility is there for the family but the family can split it into various members as long as they are above 18 years and say they are separating entitlements for all individuals.

    Will it be mandatory for every family of Haryana to get PPP?

    • No, it will not be mandatory for every family of the state to obtain a PPP.
    • But, PPP is mandatory for families availing benefits under government schemes.
    • Also, whenever a family wants to avail any government scheme, it will have to first get a PPP to be eligible.

    The logic behind

    • Haryana officials said although there is a union government’s Aadhaar card, it contains individual’s details and does not cater to the entire family as a unit.
    • In certain circumstances, it may not be possible for a state government to keep track of all the families residing in the state.
    • Although the ration card system is there, it is not updated and does not contain adequate family records.
    • With the PPP, it will be easier for the state government to maintain a complete database of all the state dwellers.

    How would it work?

    • To begin with, the government has already linked PPP with three social security schemes – old age Samman allowance, divyang pension, and the widow and destitute women pension scheme.
    • For instance, when a family member turns 60, they will automatically get a message through the software and will automatically start getting benefits of the old-age pension if they meet the required criteria.
    • Similarly, the teenagers will get messages on turning 18 years old and shall become eligible for various government schemes that will be notified to them through the software.