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GS Paper: GS1

  • [pib] Manipuri Basanta Raasa

    As part of the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a celebration of Destination North East India, dance and music of Manipur was organised.

    Manipuri Raas Leela

    • The Raas Leela, also referred to as Manipuri Dance, is one of the major Indian classical dance forms, originating from the state of Manipur.
    • The dance form is based on Hindu Vaishnavism themes, and exquisite performances of love-inspired dance drama of Radha-Krishna called Raas Leela.

    Notable features

    • It is marked by a performance that is graceful, fluid, sinuous with greater emphasis on hand and upper body gestures.
    • It is accompanied with devotional music created with many instruments, with the beat set by cymbals (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mrdanga) of sankirtan.
    • The dance drama choreography shares the plays and stories of Vaishnavite Padavalis, that also inspired the major Gaudiya Vaishnava-related performance arts found in Assam and West Bengal.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2017:
    With reference to Manipuri Sankirtana, consider the following statements:
    It is a song and dance performance.
    Cymbals are the only musical instruments used in the performance.
    It is performed to narrate the life and deeds of Lord Krishna.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
    (a) 1, 2 and 3.
    (b) 1 and 3 only
    (c) 2 and 3 only
    (d) 1 only

    Post your answers here.

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  • India offers ‘Panchamrita’ Strategy for Climate Conundrum at Glasgow

    PM Modi has proposed a five-fold strategy called the ‘Panchamrita’ for India to play its part in helping the world get closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the global climate meeting in Glasgow.

    What is Panchamrita?

    • ‘Panchamrita’ is a traditional method of mixing five natural foods — milk, ghee, curd, honey and jaggery. These are used in Hindu and Jain worship rituals. It is also used as a technique in Ayurveda.
    • The PM euphemistically termed his scheme as ‘Panchamrita’ meaning the ‘five ambrosia’.
    • Under Panchamrita’, India will:
    1. Get its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030
    2. Meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements till 2030 with renewable energy
    3. Reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030
    4. Reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030
    5. Achieve net zero by 2070

    Key takeaways of PM’s speech

    (a) Commitment for climate action

    • India consists of 17 per cent of the world’s population but contribute only five per cent of emissions.
    • Yet, it has left no stone unturned in doing our bit to fight climate change.
    • At Paris, India was making promises not to the world but to itself and 1.3 billion Indians, PM said.

    (b) Climate finance

    • The 2015 Paris CoP where the Paris Agreement was signed was not a summit but a sentiment.
    • The promises made till now on climate finance were useless.
    • When we all are increasing our ambitions on climate action, the world’s ambition could not stay the same on climate finance as was agreed at the time of Paris.

    (c) India’s track record

    • India was fourth as far as installed renewable energy capacity was concerned.
    • The Indian Railways has pledged to make itself net-zero by 2030. This will result in an annual 60 million tonnes reduction in emissions.
    • India initiated the International Solar Alliance for solar energy.
    • It has also set up the coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure for climate adaptation.

     

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  • [pib] BASIC Countries

    The Union Environment Minister has delivered the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries at the UN Climate Change Conference underway at Glasgow.

    Who are the BASIC Countries?

    • The BASIC countries (also Basic countries or BASIC) are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
    • It was formed by an agreement on 28 November 2009.
    • The four committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations.
    • This emerging geopolitical alliance, initiated and led by China, then brokered the final Copenhagen Accord with the United States.

    What is the Copenhagen Accord?

    • The Copenhagen Accord is a document signed at COP 15 to the UNFCCC on 18 December 2009.
    • The Accord states that global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).
    • It does not specify what the baseline is for these temperature targets (e.g., relative to pre-industrial or 1990 temperatures).
    • In January 2010, the Accord was described merely as a political agreement and not legally binding, as is argued by the US and Europe.
    • It is not legally binding and does not commit countries to agree to a binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose round ended in 2012.
    • According to the UNFCCC, these targets are relative to pre-industrial temperatures.

     

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  • Shri Guru Nanak Jayanti to be declared World Pedestrian Day

    The Punjab Police has proposed that the birth anniversary (Gurpurab) of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev be declared as ‘World Pedestrian Day’.

    Why is Guru Nanak Dev considered the world’s most notable and revered pedestrian?

    • The founder of Sikhism, Shri Guru Nanak Dev had traveled far and wide during the 15th and 16th centuries.
    • It is believed that Nanak Dev, along with his companion Bhai Mardana, undertook most part of his journeys on foot.
    • He aimed to spread the message of oneness and to break barriers across faiths by engaging in spiritual dialogues.

    Places visited by him

    • From Mecca to Haridwar, from Sylhet to Mount Kailash, Guru Nanak visited hundreds of interfaith sites related to Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Jainism.
    • His journeys are referred are also called udaasis. At some sites, gurdwaras were constructed to commemorate his visit.
    • Later his travels were documented in texts called ‘janamsakhis’.
    • These sites are now spread across nine nations as per current geographical divisions — India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, China (Tibet), Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

    Motive behind Punjab Police’s proposal

    • The idea is to spread awareness on road safety for pedestrians by introducing Guru Nanak Dev’s own life as an inspiration.
    • The best results are achieved only when the community is mobilized for a cause.
    • Walking is a universal form of travel. It is the best way which convey equality amongst all.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Q. Consider the following Bhakti Saints:

    1. Dadu Dayal
    2. Guru Nanak
    3. Tyagaraja

    Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over? (CSP 2018)

    (a) 1 and 3

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3

    (d) 1 and 2

     

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  • [pib] Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar

    The Prime Minister has recalled the rich contributions of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar on Thevar Jayanthi.

    Who was M. Thevar (1908-1963)?

    • Muthuramalingam was a politician and a patriarch of Thevar community in the state of Tamil Nadu.
    • He was elected three times to the national Parliamentary Constituency.

    His legacy:

    (a) Association with INC

    • Thevar attended the 52nd annual session of the Indian National Congress, held in Tripuri in March 1939.
    • At this meeting the presidency of Subhas Chandra Bose was challenged by Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Sitaramayya had the active support of Gandhi.
    • Bose was elected president again over Gandhi’s preferred candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
    • Thevar strongly supported Bose in the intra-Congress dispute and joined the Forward Bloc.

    (b) Opposition to the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA)

    • The CTA had been enacted in 1920 by the government of the Madras Presidency and was subsequently implemented in a piecemeal fashion.
    • CTA criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals.
    • Adult males of the groups were forced to report weekly to local police, and had restrictions on their movement imposed.
    • Thevar mobilised resistance to it, touring villages in the affected areas and leading protest rallies for the rights of the individuals registered under it.

    (c) Temple entry movement

    • The Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act was passed by the government of C. Rajagopalachari in 1939.
    • This removed restrictions prohibiting Dalits from entering Hindu temples.
    • Thevar supported this reform and on 8 July 1939 he helped the activist A. Vaidyanatha Iyer take Dalits to Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.

     

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  • What is Climate Vulnerability Index?

    Environmental think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water has carried a first-of-its-kind district-level climate vulnerability assessment, or Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI).

    Climate Vulnerability Index

    • The Index takes into account certain indicators when assessing the preparedness of a state or district.
    • It considers:
    1. Exposure (that is whether the district is prone to extreme weather events)
    2. Sensitivity (the likelihood of an impact on the district by the weather event)
    3. Adaptive capacity (what the response or coping mechanism of the district is)

    Significance of CVI

    • CVI helps map critical vulnerabilities and plan strategies to enhance resilience and adapt by climate-proofing communities, economies and infrastructure.
    • Instead of looking at climate extremes in isolation, the study looks at the combined risk of hydro-met disasters, which is floods, cyclones and droughts, and their impact.
    • The study does not take into consideration other natural disasters such as earthquakes.

    Why does India need a climate vulnerability index?

    • According to Germanwatch’s 2020 findings, India is the seventh-most vulnerable country with respect to climate extremes.
    • Extreme weather events have been increasing in the country such as supercyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal, which is now the strongest cyclone to be recorded in the country.
    • Recent events such as the landslides and floods in Uttarakhand and Kerala, have also increased in the past decade.
    • Further, the IPCC states that every degree rise in temperature will lead to a three per cent increase in precipitation, causing increased intensification of cyclones and floods.

    Key findings of the CVI

    According to CVI, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are most vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones in India.

    • 183 hotspot districts are highly vulnerable to more than one extreme climate events
    • 60% of Indian districts have medium to low adaptive capacity in handing extreme weather events – these districts don’t have robust plans in place to mitigate impact
    • North-eastern states are more vulnerable to floods
    • South and central are most vulnerable to extreme droughts
    • 59 and 41 per cent of the total districts in the eastern and western states, respectively, are highly vulnerable to extreme cyclones.

    Best performing states

    • Kerala and West Bengal have performed well comparatively, despite both being coastal states and dealing with the threat of cyclones and floods annually.
    • The reason why these states have performed better is that they have stepped up their climate action plans as well as preparedness to handle an extreme weather event.

    Key recommendations

    • Develop a high-resolution Climate Risk Atlas (CRA) to map critical vulnerabilities
    • Establish a centralised climate-risk commission to coordinate the environmental de-risking mission.
    • Undertake climate-sensitivity-led landscape restoration focused on rehabilitating, restoring, and reintegrating natural ecosystems as part of the developmental process.
    • Integrate climate risk profiling with infrastructure planning to increase adaptive capacity.
    • Provide for climate risk-interlinked adaptation financing by creating innovative CVI-based financing instruments that integrate climate risks for an effective risk transfer mechanism.

     

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  • Sundarbans among 5 sites with highest ‘Blue Carbon’ globally

    India’s Sundarbans National Park is among five sites that have the highest blue carbon stocks globally, according to a new assessment.

    Highlights of the study

    • ‘World Heritage forests’ are now releasing more carbon than they are absorbing, primarily due to human activity and climate change, according to the assessment.
    • UNESCO lists 50 sites across the globe for their unique marine values. These represent just one per cent of the global ocean area.
    • But they comprise at least 15 per cent of global blue carbon assests.

    Try this question from CSP 2021:

    Q. What is blue carbon?

    (a) Carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems

    (b) Carbon sequestered in forest biomass and agricultural soils

    (c) Carbon contained in petroleum and natural gas

    (d) Carbon present in atmosphere

     

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    Carbon capacity of Sundarbans

    • The Sundarbans National Park has stores of 60 million tonnes of carbon (Mt C).
    • The other four sites besides the Sundarbans National Park in India are:
    1. Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans (110 Mt C)
    2. Great Barrier Reef in Australia (502 Mt C)
    3. Everglades National Park in the US (400 Mt C) and
    4. Banc d’Arguin National Park in Mauritania (110 Mt C)

    About Sundarbans

    • Sundarbans is the largest delta and mangrove forest in the world.
    • The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq km, comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq km is home to about 96 Royal Bengal Tigers (2020) is also a world heritage site and a Ramsar Site.
    • The Indian Sunderbans is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.
    • Other major rivers flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.

    Worrying scenario

    • The researchers found that 10 of 257 forests emitted more carbon than they captured between 2001 and 2020.
    • The reasons for included clearance of land for agriculture, the increasing scale and severity of wildfires due to drought as well as extreme weather phenomena.
    • The 10 sites are:
    1. Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia)
    2. Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
    3. Yosemite National Park (US)
    4. Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (Canada, US)
    5. Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (South Africa)
    6. Kinabalu Park (Malaysia)
    7. Uvs Nuur Basin (Russian Federation, Mongolia)
    8. Grand Canyon National Park (US)
    9. Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia)
    10. Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Dominica)

    (Try mapping these sites)

    Back2Basics: Types of Carbon

    • Brown Carbon: It is brown smoke released by the combustion of organic matter.
    • Black Carbon: It is also a greenhouse gas and causes more pollution than Brown Carbon. The particles leftover from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (soot and dust). It has a greater effect on radiation transmission.
    • Green Carbon: Carbon incorporated into plant biomass and the soils below. Green carbon is carbon removed by photosynthesis and stored in the plants and soil of natural ecosystems.
    • Blue Carbon: Blue Carbon refers to coastal, aquatic and marine carbon sinks held by the indicative vegetation, marine organism and sediments.

     

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  • Unified Database of Birth and Death

    The Centre has proposed amendments to a 1969 law that will enable it to “maintain the database of registered birth and deaths at the national level”.

    Registration of Births and Deaths Act (RBD), 1969

    • The registration of births, deaths and stillbirths are compulsory under the provisions of RBD Act in all parts of the Country.
    • The normal period of 21 days (from the date of occurrence) has been prescribed for reporting the birth, death and stillbirth events.

    Why need amendment?

    • The database may be used to update the Population Register and the electoral register, and Aadhaar, ration card, passport and driving licence databases after the amendment.
    • Presently, the registration of births and deaths is done by the local registrar appointed by States.

    What are the proposed amendments?

    Ans. Unified Database of Birth and Death

    • It is proposed that the Chief Registrar (appointed by the States) would maintain a unified database at the State level.
    • It would then integrate it with the data at the “national level,” maintained by the Registrar General of India (RGI).
    • The amendments will imply that the Centre will be a parallel repository of data.

    Significance of the database

    • It would help update:
    1. Population Register prepared under the Citizenship Act, 1955;
    2. Electoral registers or electoral rolls prepared under the Representation of the People Act, 1951
    3. Aadhaar database prepared under the Aadhaar Act, 2016;
    4. Ration card database prepared under the National Food Security Act, 2013;
    5. Passport database prepared under the Passport Act; and
    6. Driving licence database under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, and
    7. Other databases at the national level are subject to provisons of Section 17 (1) of the RBD Act, 1969

     

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  • Meghalaya to give land rights to men

    Matrilineal Meghalaya is set to break the tradition of share of parental property to the khatduh, which means the youngest daughter in the Khasi language.

    Matrilineal Society of Meghalaya

    • The matrilineal tradition which the Khasi and other subgroups practice in Meghalaya is unique within India.
    • Khasi are an ancient tribe said to be the largest surviving matrilineal culture in the world.
    • Matrilineal principles among the Khasi are emphasised in myths, legends, and origin narratives.

    Their evolution

    • Khasi kings embarking on wars left the responsibility of running the family to women and thus their role in society became very deep rooted and respected.
    • Reference to Nari Rajya (female kingdom; or land of matriarchy) in the epic Mahabharata likely correlates with the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and Meghalaya’s present-day matrilineal culture.

    Property rights

    • The youngest daughter of the family, the Ka Khadduh, inherits all ancestral property.
    • After marriage, husbands live in the mother-in-law’s home.
    • The mother’s surname is taken by children.
    • When no daughters are born to a couple, they adopt a daughter and pass their rights to property to her.
    • The birth of a girl is celebrated while the birth of a son is simply accepted.
    • There is no social stigma attributed to a woman remarrying or giving birth out of wedlock as the “Khasi Social Custom Lineage Act” gives security to them.
    • Care of children is the responsibility of mothers or mothers-in-law.

    Matrilineal, not matriarchal

    • While society is matrilineal, it is not matriarchal. In past monarchies of the state, the son of the youngest sister of the king inherited the throne.
    • Even now in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly or village councils or panchayats the representation of women in politics is minimal.

    Issues with the system

    • Some Khasi men perceive themselves to be accorded a secondary status.
    • They have established societies to protect equal rights for men.
    • They express that Khasi men don’t have any security, they don’t own land, they don’t run the family business and, at the same time, they are almost good for nothing.

     

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  • [pib] Ramappa – Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple

    The Union Minister for Culture, Tourism has unveiled the UNESCO World Heritage Listing plaque at Ramappa – Kakatiya Rudreshwara Temple in Palampet.

    Rudreswara Temple

    • The Rudreswara temple was constructed in 1213 AD during the reign of the Kakatiya Empire by Recharla Rudra, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva.
    • It is also known as the Ramappa temple, after the sculptor who executed the work in the temple for 40 years.
    • The main temple is flanked by the collapsed structures of the Kateshwarayya and Kameshwarayya temples in Palampet, about 220 km from Hyderabad.
    • An inscription dates the temple to 1135 Samvat-Saka on the eighth day of Magha (January 12, 1214).
    • It is India’s 39th UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Total 40 in number after Dholavira).

    Its architecture

    • The temple complexes of Kakatiyas have a distinct style, technology, and decoration exhibiting the influence of the Kakatiyan sculptor.
    • The temple stands on a 6 feet high star-shaped platform with walls, pillars, and ceilings adorned with intricate carvings that attest to the unique skill of the Kakatiyan sculptors.
    • The foundation is built with the “sandbox technique”, the flooring is granite, and the pillars are basalt.
    • The lower part of the temple is red sandstone while the white gopuram is built with light bricks that reportedly float on water.
    • European merchants and travelers were mesmerized by the beauty of the temple and one such traveler had remarked that the temple was the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan”.

    Surviving through ages

    • According to the temple priest, some of the iconography on the temple was damaged during the invasion of Malik Kafur in 1310.
    • Treasure hunters vandalized the rest.
    • But the biggest test for the temple was an earthquake in the 17th century (one of the biggest was that of 7.7-8.2-magnitude on June 16, 1819).

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom? (CSP 2017)

    (a) Kakinada

    (b) Motupalli

    (c) Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam)

    (d) Nelluru

     

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    Back2Basics: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

    • A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area, selected by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of significance, which is legally protected by international treaties.
    • The sites are judged to be important for the collective and preservative interests of humanity.
    • To be selected, a WHS must be an already-classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area).
    • It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
    • The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence.
    • The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly.

    UNESCO World Heritage Committee

    • The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
    • It monitors the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund, and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
    • It is composed of 21 states parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term.
    • India is NOT a member of this Committee.

     

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