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GS Paper: GS1

  • New geometrical lines discovered in Thar Desert

    Using satellite observations and field visits, two independent researchers from France have identified eight sites around Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert, that show linear features resembling geoglyphs.

    What are geoglyphs?

    • Geoglyphs are large, un-explained geometrical patterns on land usually proposed to be man-made features.
    • The largest concentration of geoglyphs is reported from southern Peru, covering an area of about 1,000 square km.
    • A new paper published notes that the identified geoglyphs in the Thar Desert cover an area of about 6 square km.

    Boha Geoglyphs in Thar

    • The authors’ main area of interest was Boha, a small village 40 km to the north of Jaisalmer where they noticed a series of concentric and linear features.
    • They named these features Boha geoglyphs and suggested that the features could be at least 150 years old.
    • It is however conceivable that they were built at the beginning of the British colonial period, in the middle of the 19th century.

    How are they patterned?

    • The Boha geoglyphs are clearly manmade as the main unit is a giant spiral, but they have been eroded due to the cars running over the lines lately.
    • So, they are clearly not formed by weathering or another natural phenomenon.”
    • The observed features might have been formed naturally, but degraded over time due to both natural and human-related causes.

    Degraded over time

    • The rocky terrain is home to a typical weathering feature, especially over the iron-rich sandstone and shale beds.
    • Here, extreme aridity and high temperature lead to slow geochemical translocation of minerals for centuries, such that the heavier minerals like iron and manganese move away from the lighter minerals.
    • This lead to the gradual formation of alternate bands of harder and softer mineral concentrations.
    • With time the areas with softer materials get slowly eroded, while the harder ones stand out, producing the typical concentric or box-like geometric features.

  • Anti-hail guns to mitigate hailstorms crop damage

    To help out horticulturists who face crop damage due to hailstorms, the Himachal Pradesh government will be testing the use of indigenously developed ‘anti-hail guns’.

    What are anti-hail guns?

    • An anti-hail gun is a machine that generates shock waves to disrupt the growth of hailstones in clouds, according to its makers.
    • It comprises a tall, fixed structure somewhat resembling an inverted tower, several metres high, with a long and narrow cone opening towards the sky.
    • The gun is “fired” by feeding an explosive mixture of acetylene gas and air into its lower chamber, which releases a shock wave (waves that travel faster than the speed of sound, such as those produced by supersonic aircraft).
    • These shock waves supposedly stop water droplets in clouds from turning into hailstones, so that they fall simply as raindrops.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the

    1. meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
    2. lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
    3. violent upward movement of air and water particles

    Select the correct option using the codes given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) None of the above

    How do they ‘prevent’ a hailstorm?

    • It is this hail formation process that the shock waves from anti-hail guns try to disrupt in a radius of 500 meters, so that the water droplets fall down before they can be lifted by the updrafts.
    • The machine is repeatedly fired every few seconds during an approaching thunderstorm.
    • However, the effectiveness of anti-hail guns has remained a contentious issue.

    How do Hailstorms occur?

    • Hail is produced by cumulonimbus clouds, which are generally large and dark and may cause thunder and lightning.
    • In such clouds, winds can blow up the water droplets to heights where they freeze into ice.
    • The frozen droplets begin to fall but are soon pushed back up by the winds and more droplets freeze onto them, resulting in multiple layers of ice on the hailstones.
    • This fall and rise is repeated several times, till the hailstones become too heavy and fall down.

  • [pib] SAGE (Senior-care Ageing Growth Engine) Initiative

    The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly persons.

    SAGE Initiative

    • The SAGE will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups.
    • The start-ups will be selected on the basis of innovative products and services.
    • Their products should be able to provide across sectors such as health, housing, care centers, apart from technological access linked to finances, food and wealth management, and legal guidance.
    • The start-ups who have applied will be selected by an independent screening committee of experts.
    • A fund of upto Rs.1 crore as one-time equity will be granted to each selected start-up.

    Why need such initiative?

    • India’s elderly population is on the rise as per surveys.
    • The share of elders, as a percentage of the total population in the country, is expected to increase from around 7.5% in 2001 to almost 12.5% by 2026, and surpass 19.5% by 2050.
    • There is an urgent need to create a more robust eldercare ecosystem in India, especially in the post-COVID phase.

  • Places in news: Pandav Leni Complex

    The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found three more caves in the Trirashmi Buddhist cave complex, also known as Pandav Leni, near Nashik, Maharashtra.

    Answer this PYQ first, in the comment box:

    Q.There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of Ajanta caves. Where is the other surviving example of Gupta paintings?

    (a) Bagh caves

    (b) Ellora caves

    (c) Lomas Rishi cave

    (d) Nasik caves

    Pandav Leni Complex

    • The Pandav Leni Complex or Nasik Caves are a group of 23 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
    • Also called Trirashmi Buddhist caves, this complex was first documented in 1823 by Captain James Delamaine and is now an ASI- protected site.
    • Though additional sculptures were added up to about the 6th century, it is a major landmark of changes in Buddhist devotional practices.
    • Most of the caves are viharas except for Cave 18 which is a chaitya of the 1st century BCE.
    • The style of some of the elaborate pillars or columns, for example in caves 3 and 10, is an important example of the development of the form.
    • The “Pandavleni” name sometimes given to the Nasik Caves has nothing to do with the characters Pandavas, characters in the Mahabharata epic.
    • Other caves in the area are Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Patan Cave, and Bedse Caves.

  • International Nitrogen Initiative (INI)

    The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the main focus of the eighth triennial conference of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) being held virtually this week.

    International Nitrogen Initiative

    • INI is an international program, set up in 2003 under the sponsorship of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) and from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP).
    • The key aims of the INI are to:
    1. optimize nitrogen’s beneficial role in sustainable food production, and
    2. minimize nitrogen’s negative effects on human health and the environment resulting from food and energy production.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Which of the following adds/add nitrogen to the soil?

    1. Excretion of Urea by animals
    2. Burning of coal by man
    3. Death of vegetation

    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

    Why nitrogen?

    • Reactive nitrogen compounds like NOx, ammonia and the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide impact air, water and soil quality, health, biodiversity and climate change, among others.
    • These compounds are lost from fertilizers, manures, and sewage as well as from fuel burning in transport and industry.
    • Assessing and managing them sustainably will be crucial to achieving the 17 UN SDGs targeted for 2030.

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Nitrogen Pollution in India

    Back2Basics: Nitrogen Pollution

    • While nitrogen is the dominant gas in the atmosphere, it is inert and doesn’t react.
    • However, when it is released as part of compounds from agriculture, sewage and biological waste, nitrogen is considered reactive.
    • It may be polluting and even exert a potent greenhouse gas effect.
    • Nitrous oxide (N2O) is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide but isn’t as prevalent in the atmosphere.
    • Other than air pollution, nitrogen is also linked to the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of rivers and seas, ozone depletion, health, economy, and livelihoods.
    • Nitrogen pollution is caused, for example, by emissions from chemical fertilizers, livestock manure and burning fossil fuels.
    • Gases such as ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) contribute to poor air quality and can aggravate respiratory and heart conditions, leading to millions of premature deaths across the world.
    • Nitrate from chemical fertilizers, manure, and industry pollute the rivers and seas, posing a health risk for humans, fish, coral, and plant life.

  • China to allow couples for third child

    China will for the first time allow couples to have a third child in a further relaxation of family planning rules five years after a “two-child policy” largely failed to boost birth rates.

    Do you think that the One-Child Policy would be effective for population control in India?

    What was the One-Child Policy?

    • China embarked upon its one-child policy in 1980 when the Communist Party was concerned that the country’s growing population, which at the time was approaching one billion, would impede economic progress.
    • The policy was implemented more effectively in urban areas.
    • It was enforced through several means, including incentivizing families financially to have one child, making contraceptives widely available, and imposing sanctions against those who violated the policy.

    How well did the policy fare?

    • Chinese authorities have long hailed the policy as a success, claiming that it helped the country avert severe food and water shortages by preventing up to 40 crore people from being born.
    • However, the policy was also a source of discontent, as the state used brutal tactics such as forced abortions and sterilizations.
    • It also met criticism and remained controversial for violating human rights, and for being unfair to poorer Chinese since the richer ones could afford to pay economic sanctions if they violated the policy.
    • Additionally, China’s rulers have been accused of enforcing reproductive limits as a tool for social control.
    • The Uighur Muslim ethnic minority, for example, has been forced to have fewer children to restrict the growth of their population.

    Demographic changes due to the policy

    • Due to the policy, while the birth rate fell, the sex ratio became skewed towards males.
    • This happened because of a traditional preference for male children in the country, due to which abortion of female fetuses rose and so did the number of girls who were placed in orphanages or abandoned.
    • Experts have also blamed the policy for making China’s population age faster than other countries, impacting the country’s growth potential.
    • It is also suggested that because of the long-lingering impact of the policy, China would be unable to reap the full benefits of its economic growth and will need other ways to support it.

    Skeptics of the new move

    • Experts say relaxing limits on reproductive rights alone cannot go a long way in averting an unwanted demographic shift.
    • The main factors behind fewer children being born, they say, are rising costs of living, education, and supporting aging parents.
    • The problem is made worse by the country’s pervasive culture of long working hours.
    • There has also been a cultural shift during the decades in which the one-child policy remained in force, with many couples believing that one child is enough, and some expressing no interest in having children.

  • Monsoon onset over Kerala delayed: IMD

    • The monsoon’s arrival over Kerala has been delayed to June 3, according to an update by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
    • Private weather forecast agency, Skymet, however, said that the monsoon had arrived.
    • This was because two of the three criteria — as defined by the IMD — had been met.
    • Currently, IMD’s own data indicated that except for the OLR, the other criteria were met. Thus, there is an element of subjectivity in arrival.

    What are those criterias defined by IMD?

    1. Rain-bearing westerlies being at a minimum depth and speed;
    2. At least 60% of the available 14 stations in Kerala and coastal Karnataka, reporting rainfall of 2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days after May 10;
    3. A certain degree of clouding, indicated by a parameter called ‘outgoing long wave radiation’ (OLR), being below 200 W/square meter.

    What is meant by ‘Outgoing Long Wave Radiation’ (OLR)?

    • Outgoing Long-wave Radiation (OLR) is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths from 3–100 μm emitted from Earth and its atmosphere out to space in the form of thermal radiation.
    • It is also referred to as up-welling long-wave radiation and terrestrial long-wave flux, among others.
    • The flux of energy transported by outgoing long-wave radiation is measured in W/m.
    • In the Earth’s climate system, long-wave radiation involves processes of absorption, scattering, and emissions from atmospheric gases, aerosols, clouds and the surface.
    • Over 99% of outgoing long-wave radiation has wavelengths between 4 μm and 100 μm, in the thermal infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

    Factors responsible for south-west monsoon formation:

    1. Intense heating of Tibetan plateau during summer months.
    2. Permanent high pressure cell in the South Indian Ocean (east to north-east of Madagascar in summer).

    Factors that influence the onset of south-west monsoons:

    1. Above points +
    2. Subtropical Jet Stream (STJ).
    3. Tropical Easterly Jet (African Easterly Jet).
    4. Inter Tropical Convergence Zone.

    Factors that influence the intensity of south-west monsoons:

    1. Strengths of Low pressure over Tibet and high pressure over southern Indian Ocean.
    2. Somali Jet (Findlater Jet).
    3. Somali Current (Findlater Current).
    4. Indian Ocean branch of Walker Cell.
    5. Indian Ocean Dipole.

    Factors responsible for north-east monsoon formation:

    1. Formation and strengthening of high pressure cells over Tibetan plateau and Siberian Plateau in winter.
    2. Westward migration and subsequent weakening of high pressure cell in the Southern Indian Ocean.
    3. Migration of ITCZ to the south of India.

  • ‘Bell of Faith’ launched by Kerala for senior citizens

    The ‘Bell of Faith’ scheme will now be implemented for senior citizens staying alone in villages. Scheme to cover 250 houses in city in the first phase.

    What is the ‘Bell of Faith’ scheme all about?

    • It is a safety project conceived under Kerala’s Community Policing Scheme.
    • It will help elderly citizens attract the attention of their neighbours using a loud, remote-controlled alarm in emergencies.
    • It has been under implementation in Kerala since 2018.
    • A welfare fund of ₹3.5 crore sanctioned by the State government would be used for the initiative that gives preference to those staying alone in their houses.
    • In the first phase, around 250 houses selected by the local Janamaithri scheme coordinators will be covered under the scheme

    Significance of the Project:

    • It sets an example for community participation to ensure the well-being and safety of the elderly.
    • It can be of great support for the aged during the COVID-19 pandemic as many live in fear for their health.
    • The electronic bells, installed free of cost with wireless control mechanism, will help senior citizens in quickly seeking the support of neighbours during emergencies.

  • Statehood Day of Goa

    On 18 December 1961, the Indian government took military action against the Portuguese rule in Goa culminating in the liberation of Goa and its merger with the Indian Union.

    About Goa

    • Goa is located on the southwestern coast of India within the region known as the Konkan, and geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats.
    • Capital: Panji.
    • Official Language: Konkani which is one of the 22 languages from the Eight Schedule.
    • Borders: It is surrounded by Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast.

    History:

    • Portugal conquered Goa in 1510 and made it a colony.
    • In 1950, the Indian government, in a bid to start diplomatic measures to free Goa, asked the Portuguese government to start negotiations for the independence of Goa. However, Portugal refused.
    • The Goan movement was supported by Indian independence leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia and Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
    • Dadra and Nagar Haveli was annexed by India in 1954 with the support of the United Front of Goans, the Azad Gomantak Dal and the National Movement Liberation Organisation.
    • The commander of the Indian forces was Major-General K.P. Candeth. The operation for Goa liberation was codenamed “Operation Vijay”.
    • After the fall of Goa, Portugal terminated all diplomatic relations with India and only in 1974 Portugal recognise Goa as a part of India and resume diplomatic relations.
    • The USSR had steadfastly supported India in this matter and also vetoed a resolution condemning the Indian invasion in the UN Security Council.

    Geography:

    • The highest point of Goa is Sonsogor.
    • Goa’s seven major rivers are the Zuari, Mandovi, Terekhol, Chapora, Galgibag, Kumbarjua canal, Talpona and the Sal.
    • Most of Goa’s soil cover is made up of laterites.

  • Cost and complications of transplanting a tree

    The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) wants to transplant over 1,800 trees which are inside what used to be the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) complex, as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

    Transplantation of trees

    • The transplantation of trees is a complex and delicate process whose outcome cannot be predicted.
    • A tree cannot be transplanted by simply uprooting it and placing it in a pit dug elsewhere. The process involves multiple steps and requires significant expertise.

    How it is done?

    • First, the soil around the tree is dug up to isolate the roots. The big branches are lopped off, leaving only small shoots for regeneration. This is done to make transportation of the tree to the new location easier.
    • The root system is covered with wet gunny bags to protect the roots and to keep the tree hydrated.
    • The tree has to be first sent to a nursery to acclimatize to a new kind of soil, and to regenerate.
    • Once new shoots start sprouting, the tree is lowered into a pit created in its new spot.

    What factors determine the success of a transplant?

    • Even after all steps are meticulously followed, a lot depends on luck. The survival rate of a transplanted tree is about 50%.
    • Not all trees can be transplanted. While peepal, ficus, semal and sheesham are tolerant to transplantation, trees such as dak, palash, arjun, shahtoot and jhilmil are not.

    (1) Roots

    • Any tree that has a tap root system cannot be transplanted, as the root goes deep into the soil, and it is not possible to isolate it without damage.

    (2) Size

    • Transplanting any tree with a trunk girth of more than 80-90 cm is not advisable as the tree cannot bear the shock, and will eventually die.

    (3) Age

    • That effectively means that big, old trees cannot, in most cases, be removed to another location.

    (4) Soil

    • It is important to consider soil type before transplantation.
    • A tree growing on, say, the Delhi Ridge will not easily acclimatize to the soil in the Yamuna floodplain, as the two ecosystems are entirely different.

    How expensive is transplantation?

    • The cost of transplanting an average-sized tree might come to around Rs 1 lakh, which included post-transplantation care.
    • For larger trees, the cost could go up to Rs 3 lakh.
    • Private and voluntary organizations, however, claim that the cost is between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 per tree.