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GS Paper: GS1

  • In news: National Emblem of India

    A day after the National Emblem cast on top of the under-construction Parliament unveiled, controversy has erupted over its aggressive posture.

    National Emblem of India

    • On 26 January 1950, a representation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka placed above the motto, Satyameva Jayate, was adopted as the State Emblem of India.
    • The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculpture dating back to 280 BCE during the reign of the Maurya Empire.
    • It was originally made of Chunar sandstone.
    • The statue is a three-dimensional emblem showing four lions.

    Features of the emblem

    • The actual Sarnath capital features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolizing power, courage, confidence, and pride, mounted on a circular base.
    • At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its center is a Dharma chakra.
    • The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North,
    • The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South, and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplify the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.
    • Carved from a single block of sandstone, the polished capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law.

    Historical significance

    • One of the Buddha’s names is ‘Shakya Simha’, meaning ‘Lion of the Shakyas’.
    • The Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath was known as the ‘Simhanada’ (Lion roar) of the Buddha.

     

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  • United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP)

    The 2022 edition of the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP) was released.

    Why in news?

    • India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.

    What is the World Population Prospects?

    • The Population Division of the UN has been publishing the WPP in a biennial cycle since 1951.
    • Each revision of the WPP provides a historical time series of population indicators starting in 1950.
    • It does so by taking into account newly released national data to revise estimates of past trends in fertility, mortality or international migration.

    Main takeaways for the global population

    (1) Slow pace of growth

    • The world’s population continues to grow, but the pace of growth is slowing down.
    • The global population is expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.
    • In 2020, the global growth rate fell under 1% per year for the first time since 1950.

    (2) Region-wise differential

    • Rates of population growth vary significantly across countries and regions.
    • More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries- Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
    • Disparate growth rates among the world’s largest countries will re-order their ranking by size.

    (3) Ageing population

    • The population of older persons is increasing both in numbers and as a share of the total.
    • The share of the global population aged 65 years or above is projected to rise from 10% in 2022 to 16% in 2050.
    • The report suggests measures for ageing population by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems and by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems.

    (4) Decline in fertility rate

    • A sustained drop in fertility has led to an increased concentration of the population at working ages (between 25 and 64 years), creating an opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita.
    • This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound opportunity for accelerated economic growth known as the “demographic dividend”.

    (5) International migration

    • This is having important impacts on population trends for some countries.
    • For high-income countries between 2000 and 2020, the contribution of international migration to population growth (net inflow of 80.5 million) exceeded the balance of births over deaths (66.2 million).
    • Over the next few decades, migration will be the sole driver of population growth in high-income countries.
    • In many of these countries, the outflows were due to temporary labour movements, such as for Pakistan (net flow of -16.5 million), India (-3.5 million), Bangladesh (-2.9 million), Nepal (-1.6 million) etc.

    How reliable is the UN projection, and how do they compare with India’s Census?

    • In India, of course, the Registrar General comes out with a population projection based on the Census.
    • The last such projection was released in 2019 and it was based on Census 2011.
    • The Census projection is slightly lower than the UN projection.
    • Still UN projection is widely acknowledged across the world

    What is the significance of India overtaking China?

    • That India would overtake China has been known for a while.
    • Moreover, in the past, when the world population was still at 5-billion or 6-billion levels, there was a concern about overcrowding.
    • Those concerns no longer exist because the global population is already 8 billion and several countries (including India) have achieved a replacement rate of fertility.
    • The concern now is not about the absolute numbers — India’s population is already 1.4 billion and may go up to 1.6 billion before declining.

     

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  • Sannati and Kanaganahalli Buddhist Sites

    Left almost unattended to for 20 years after excavation, the ancient Buddhist site on the bank of Bhima river near Kanaganahalli (forming part of Sannati site) in Kalaburagi district, has finally got some attention.

    About Sannati

    • Sannati is a small village on the banks of the River Bhima in Chittapur Taluka of Kalaburagi (Gulbarga).
    • It came into prominence after the collapse of the roof of the Kali temple in Chandralamba temple complex in 1986.
    • The collapse revealed the historically valuable Ashokan edicts written in Prakrit language and Brahmi script at the foundations of the temple, attracting historians from across India.
    • While the Stupa is believed to be one of the largest of its time.
    • The stone-portrait is considered to be the only surviving image of the Mauryan Emperor which had the inscription ‘Raya Asoko’ in Brahmi on it.

    Significance of Sannati

    • Further revelations led to the discovery of the magnificent Maha Stupa, which had been referred to as Adholoka Maha-Chaitya (The Great Stupa of the Netherworlds) in the inscriptions.
    • More importantly, a sculpture-portrait of Ashoka seated on his throne with his queens was also discovered.
    • Historians believe that the Sannati Ranamandal (war zone) was a fortified area spread over 210 acres, of which only a couple of acres have been excavated so far.

    Try this PYQ:

    In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashokan’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?

    (a) Kanganahalli

    (b) Sanchi

    (c) Shahbazgarhi

    (d) Sohgaura

     

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  • What are Cloudbursts?

    At least eight people have died after a cloudburst occurred at the Amarnath Cave Shrine near Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

    What is a Cloudburst?

    • Cloudbursts are short-duration, intense rainfall events over a small area.
    • According to the IMD, it is a weather phenomenon with unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm/h over a geographical region of approximately 20-30 square km.

    What causes Cloudburst?

    • A study published last year studied the meteorological factors behind the cloudburst over the Kedarnath region.
    • They analysed atmospheric pressure, temperature, rainfall, cloud water content, cloud fraction, cloud particle radius, cloud mixing ratio, total cloud cover, wind speed, wind direction, and relative humidity during the cloudburst, before as well as after the cloudburst.
    • The results showed that during the cloudburst, the relative humidity and cloud cover was at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds.
    • It is expected that because of this situation a high amount of clouds may get condensed at a very rapid rate and result in a cloudburst.

    Impact of climate change

    • Several studies have shown that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts in many cities across the globe.
    • As temperatures increase the atmosphere can hold more and more moisture and this moisture comes down as a short very intense rainfall for a short duration.
    • This results in flash floods in the mountainous areas and urban floods in the cities.
    • Also, there is evidence suggesting that globally short-duration rainfall extremes are going to become more intense and frequent.

    Try this PYQ

    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

     

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  • Derecho: A storm that turned the sky green in the US

    States of Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois in the US were hit by a storm system called a Derecho which turned the skies green.

    What is a Derecho?

    • A derecho is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
    • The name comes from the Spanish word ‘la derecha’ which means ‘straight’.
    • Straight-line storms are those in which thunderstorm winds have no rotation unlike a tornado.
    • Being a warm-weather phenomenon, a derecho generally – not always – occurs during summertime beginning May, with most hitting in June and July.
    • However, they are a rare occurrence as compared to other storm systems like tornadoes or hurricanes.

    Why does the sky turn green during the derecho?

    • Severe thunderstorms result in a ‘green sky’ due to light interacting with the huge amount of water they hold.
    • The big raindrops and hail scatter away all but the blue wavelengths due to which primarily blue light penetrates below the storm cloud.
    • This blue then combines with the red-yellow of the afternoon or the evening sun to produce green.

    Are there different types of derechos?

    They fall into three categories – progressive, serial and hybrid.

    1. Progressive derecho is associated with a short line of thunderstorms that may travel for hundreds of miles along a relatively narrow path. It is a summer phenomenon.
    2. Serial derecho, on the other hand, has an extensive squall line – wide and long – sweeping across a large area. It usually occurs during spring or fall.
    3. Hybrid derecho are that ones have the features of both progressive and serial derechos.

    Where do derechos usually occur?

    • They mostly occur across central and eastern parts of the United States.
    • Derechos have also been documented elsewhere across the world.
    • In 2010, Russia witnessed its first documented derecho.
    • They have also swept through Germany and Finland, and more recently in Bulgaria and Poland.

     

     

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  • Who are the Pasmanda?

    In a political conclave in Hyderabad, PM made a special mention for the Pasmanda muslim community and their social upliftment.

    Who are the Pasmanda Muslims?

    • The word Pasmanda is derived from the Persian language meaning ‘left behind’.
    • The Pasmanda community comprise of Dalits and Backward Muslims who are fighting a different social battle inside the society.
    • This community has its stronghold in Uttar Pradesh where the Pasmandas account for around 75% of the total Muslim population.
    • In fact, 85% of the total population of Muslims in the country is known as Pasmanda.
    • It is believed that the so-called untouchable Hindu converts are categorised as Pasmanda.

    A caste system in minorities

    • The caste system is applicable to Asian Muslims in the same way as it is applicable in the Indian society.
    • Among the South Asian Muslims including those living in India, 15% are considered upper class or upper caste, called Ashraf.
    • The remaining 85% Muslims known as Arzal and Ajlaf are considered to be Dalit and backward. Arzal means degraded.

    Why political parties are focusing on them?

    • If reports are to be believed then the creamy section of the Muslim society looks down upon them.
    • They are backward and oppressed economically, socially and educationally. This oppressed section among Muslims is called Pasmanda in India.

    A social movement in making

    • Actually the Pasmanda movement in India is 100 years old. A Muslim Pasmanda movement had emerged in the second decade of the last century.
    • After this, in the 90s in India, two big organisations were formed in favour of the Pasmanda Muslims.
    • This was the All India United Muslim Front, whose leader was Ejaz Ali.
    • Apart from this, Ali Anwar of Patna founded an organisation named All India Pasmanda Muslim Merej.
    • However, both are termed as non-Islamic by Muslim religious leaders.
    • All the small organisations of Pasmanda Muslims are mostly found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

     

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  • What is the EU’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy?

    Activists have been widely criticizing the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy as a “greenwashing” exercise that puts the European Union’s climate change targets at risk.

    What is the EU Taxonomy?

    • The EU taxonomy is a complex system to classify which parts of the economy may be marketed as sustainable investments.
    • It includes economic activities, as well as detailed environmental criteria that each economic activity must meet to earn a green label.

    Why in news now?

    • Rules for most sectors came into effect this year, covering investments including steel plants, electric cars and building renovations.
    • The rules for gas and nuclear energy, however, have been long delayed amid intense lobbying from governments who disagree on whether the fuels help fight climate change.

    What does it say about gas and nuclear energy?

    • The European Parliament supported that proposal in a vote paving the way for it to become law and apply from 2023.
    • Under the proposal, for a gas-fuelled power plant to be deemed green, it must emit no more than 270 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour, or have average emissions of 550g CO2e/kW over 20 years.
    • It must also commit to switch to low-carbon gases by 2035.
    • Gas and nuclear power plants are classed as transitional activities.

    What’s the taxonomy for?

    • The taxonomy does not ban investments in activities not labelled “green”, but it limits which ones companies and investors can claim are climate-friendly.
    • The EU’s goal to eliminate its net emissions by 2050 will require huge investments, much of it private funding.
    • The rules also aim to stamp out green-washing, where organisations exaggerate their environmental credentials, among so-called eco-friendly investment products.

    Who does it apply to?

    • Providers of financial products – including pension providers – in the EU must disclose which investments comply with the taxonomy’s climate criteria.
    • For each investment, fund or portfolio, they must disclose what share of underlying investments comply with the rules.
    • Large companies and listed firms must also disclose what share of their turnover and capital expenditure complies.
    • That means polluting companies can get recognition for making green investments.
    • For example, if an oil company invested in a wind farm, it could label that expenditure as green.

    What makes a “green” investment?

    The rules classify three types of green investments.

    • First, those that substantially contribute to green goals, for example, wind power farms.
    • Second, those that enable other green activities, for example, facilities that can store renewable electricity or hydrogen.
    • Third, transitional activities that cannot be made fully sustainable, but which have emissions below industry average and do not lock in polluting assets or crowd out greener alternatives.

     

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  • Earthquake in Afghanistan

    Recently a powerful earthquake of magnitude 5.9 on the Richter scale struck a remote town in Afghanistan, killing over a thousand and injuring many more.

    How do earthquakes happen?

    • According to the theory of plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust and upper mantle are made of large rigid plates that can move relative to one another.
    • Slip on faults near the plate boundaries can result in earthquakes.
    • The point inside the Earth where the earthquake rupture starts is called the focus or hypocentre.
    • The point directly above it on the surface of the Earth is the epicentre.

    What are Seismic Waves?

    • Any elastic material when subjected to stress, stretches in a proportional way, until the elastic limit is reached.
    • When the elastic limit is crossed, it breaks.
    • Similarly, the Earth also has an elastic limit and when the stress is higher than this limit, it breaks.
    • Then there is a generation of heat, and energy is released. Since the material is elastic, the energy is released in the form of elastic waves.
    • These propagate to a distance determined by the extent of the impact. These are known as seismic waves.

    Why Earthquake in Afghanistan?

    • Afghanistan is earthquake-prone because it’s located in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, which is part of the Alpide belt — the second most seismically active region in the world after the Pacific Ring of Fire.
    • The Alpide belt runs about 15,000 kilometers, from the southern part of Eurasia through the Himalayas and into the Atlantic.
    • Along with the Hindu Kush, it includes a number of mountain ranges, such as the Alps, Atlas Mountains and the Caucasus Mountains.
    • Additionally, the Earth’s crust is especially lively in Afghanistan because it is where the Arabian, Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
    • The boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates exists near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.

    How are earthquakes measured?

    • Earthquakes are measured by seismographic networks, which are made of seismic stations, each of which measures the shaking of the ground beneath it.
    • In India, the National Seismological Network does this work.
    • It has a history of about 120 years and its sensors can now detect an earthquake within five to ten minutes.

    Issues with Earthquake measurement

    • Everywhere, the wave parameters are measured, not the total energy released.
    • There is a direct relationship between the quantum of energy released and the wave amplitude.
    • The amplitude of the wave is a function of the time period of the wave.
    • It is possible to convert the measured wave amplitude into the energy released for that earthquake.
    • This is what seismologists call the magnitude of the earthquake.

    What is the Richter magnitude scale?

    • This is a measure of the magnitude of an earthquake and was first defined by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology, U.S., in 1935.
    • The magnitude of an earthquake is the logarithm of the amplitude of the waves measured by the seismographs.
    • Richter scale magnitudes are expressed as a whole number and a decimal part, for example 6.3 or 5.2.
    • Since it is a logarithmic scale, an increase of the whole number by one unit signifies a tenfold increase in the amplitude of the wave and a 31-times increase of the energy released.

    How are zones designated?

    • Based on seismicity, intensity of earthquakes experienced, and geological and tectonic qualities of a region, countries are divided into several zones.
    • In India, for example, there are four zones, designated Zone II-Zone V. Among these, Zone V is the most hazardous and Zone II the least hazardous.

    Can we predict Earthquakes?

    • Since parameters of the earthquake are unknown, it is near impossible to predict an earthquake.
    • The problem with earthquakes is that they are heavily dependent on the material property, which varies from place to place.
    • If there are elastic waves propagating through a material, there are two kinds of waves — the primary wave which reaches first, and the second one called the secondary wave, which is more destructive.
    • If it is known that the amount of energy released is extremely high, trains and power grids can be shut down and the damage minimised.
    • This has worked in some locations, but not on a large commercial basis.

    Successful attempts made so far

    • The most successful early warning systems are in Japan.
    • They have several hundreds of thousands recording devices.
    • Responses are sent to a central point where they estimate whether it is large enough to form a tsunami or some other hazard, and precautionary steps are taken.

     

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  • 100 years of Rampa or Manyam Rebellion

    Hundred years ago, in August 1922 the “Rampa Rebellion” or “Manyam Rebellion” took place in the forests of the Godavari Agency in the Madras Presidency.

    Rampa Rebellion

    • The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency.
    • It began in August 1922 and lasted until the capture and killing of Raju in May 1924.
    • Forced labour, embargoes on collecting minor forest produce and bans on tribal agriculture practices led to severe distress among the Koyas in the area.
    • Sitarama Raju did not belong to the tribal community, but understood the restrictions that the British colonial administration placed on the tribal way of life.

    Background of the revolt

    • The Rampa administrative area comprised around 1,800 square km and had a mostly tribal population of approximately 28,000.
    • They had traditionally been able to support their food requirements through the use, in particular, of the podu system, whereby each year some areas of jungle forest were burned to clear land for cultivation.
    • The British Raj authorities had wanted to improve the economic usefulness of lands in Godavari Agency, an area that was noted for the prevalence of malaria and blackwater fever.
    • The traditional cultivation methods were greatly hindered when the authorities took control of the forests, mostly for commercial purposes such as produce for building railways and ships.
    • This was done regardless of the needs of the tribal people.

    Why did people revolt?

    • The tribal people of the forested hills, who now faced starvation had long felt that the legal system favoured the muttadar (estate landowners) and merchants.
    • This had also resulted in the earlier Rampa Rebellion of 1879.
    • Now they objected also to the Raj laws and continued actions that hindered their economic position and meant they had to find alternate livelihood.
    • They objected to attempts at that time to use them as forced labour in the construction of a road in the area.

    Role of Raju

    • Raju was a charismatic sanyasin, believed by many tribal people to possess magical abilities and to have an almost messianic status.
    • He saw the overthrow of colonial rule in terms similar to a millenarian event and he harnessed the discontent of the tribal people to support his anti-colonial zeal.

    Course of revolt

    • Alluri Sitarama Raju, along with 500 tribal people, attacked the police stations of Chintapalli, Krishnadevipeta and Rajavommangi.
    • They walked away with 26 police carbine rifles and 2,500 rounds of ammunition.
    • Legend has it that Alluri himself would forewarn the British officers of an imminent attack and would challenge them to stop him with the superior resources that they had at hand.
    • He was finally captured, tied to a tree and shot dead.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. With reference to the history of India, “Ulgulan” or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following event?

    (a) The Revolt of 1857

    (b) The Mappila Rebellion of 1921

    (c) The Indigo Revolt of 1859-60

    (d) Birsa Munda’s Revolt of 1899-1900

     

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  • Festivals in news: Puri Rath Yatra

    Lakhs of devotees thronged the coastal town of Puri town to witness the annual Rath Yatra with three decorated chariots of sibling deities Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra towed in front of the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple.

    About Jagannath Rath Yatra

    • Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of India.
    • It involves a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath (Vishnu avatar), BalaBhadra (his brother), Subhadra (his sister) and Sudarshana Chakra (his weapon) on a ratha, a wooden deula-shaped chariot.
    • The huge, colourfully decorated chariots, are drawn by hundreds and thousands of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha temple, some two miles away to the North.
    • It attracts over a million Hindu pilgrims who join the procession each year.

    Back2Basics: Puri Temple Architecture

    • Jagannath Temple is a very big temple and covers an area of 37000m2. The height of the outer wall is 6.1m.
    • It is surrounded by a high fortified wall 6.1 m high is known as Meghanada Pacheri.
    • The main portion of the temple is also surrounded by a wall known as Kurma Bheda.
    • The temple is built in Rekha Deula style and has four distinct sectional structures, namely –
    1. Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls)
    2. Mukhashala (Frontal porch)
    3. Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
    4. Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall)

    Try this question from CSP 2019:

    Q.Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of-

    (a) Chalukya (b) Chandela (c) Rashtrakuta (d) Vijayanagara

     

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