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GS Paper: GS1

  • Melting of the Greenland’s Snow Cover

    Recently the summit of Greenland received rain and not snow. This has sparked fear as scientists are pointing to it as evidence that Greenland is warming rapidly.

    About Greenland

    • Greenland is the world’s largest island located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
    • It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
    • Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers).
    • The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.
    • It has three-quarters of its surface covered with a permanent ice sheet, which is increasingly coming under threat because of climate change.

    Rain at Greenland: The rarest phenomenon

    • At the highest point on Greenland’s ice sheet, the US maintains a Summit Station, a research facility that observes changes occurring over the island as well as in Arctic weather.
    • Researchers observed rain at the normally frigid summit, with the precipitation extending up to Greenland’s southeast coast.
    • The rain, coupled with warm conditions, caused a major melting event at the summit.
    • This led to rapid ice melting running off into the ocean in volumes, thus accelerating global sea-level rise.

    A cause of worry

    • Greenland, which is two-thirds the size of India, already witnessed one of its most severe melting events.
    • It has lost 8.5 billion tons of surface mass in one day– the third such extreme event in the past decade.
    • The UN’s “code red” climate report released last week concluded that the burning of fossil fuels led to Greenland melting in the last 20 years.
    • The rapid melting is also threatening polar bears, which now have to make their way hundreds of kilometers towards Greenland’s interior from the coasts, where they usually find enough food.

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  • Is a caste census desirable?

    With the 2021 Census coming up, several political parties have demanded a nationwide caste census.

    What is Caste Census?

    • Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes.
    • Before that, every Census until 1931 had data on caste.
    • However, in 1941, caste-based data was collected but not published.
    • In the absence of such a census, there is no proper estimate for the population of OBCs, various groups within the OBCs, and others.
    • The Mandal Commission estimated the OBC population at 52%, some other estimates have been based on National Sample Survey data.
    • Some political parties make their own estimates in states and Lok Sabha and Assembly seats during elections.

    Arguments for caste census

    A caste census is not merely geared to the reservation issue.

    • Enumerating the marginalized: A caste census would actually bring to the particular the number of people who are at the margins, or who are deprived, or the kind of occupations they pursue, or the kind of hold that institutions like caste have on them.
    • Data for Policymaking: This information is absolutely necessary for any democratic policymaking.
    • Judicial backing: The courts in India have often emphatically said that it is important to have adequate data with regard to the reservation.
    • Caste offers privilege: Caste is not only a source of disadvantage; it is also a very important source of privilege and advantage in our society.
    • Caste doesn’t marginalize: We need to do away with the idea of caste being applicable to only disadvantaged people, poor people, people who are somehow lacking.
    • Rids away caste rigidities: Counting of caste doesn’t necessarily perpetuate caste or the caste system. Myths of caste elitisms can be debunked through a caste census.

    Arguments against caste census

    • 50% breach: It is argued that a Socio-Economic Caste Census is the only way to make a case to breach the 50% cap on reservation and rationalize the reservation matrix in the country.
    • Rising assertiveness: More the State ignores out caste, the more is the tendency to preserve caste, protect it. This has been observed in many states.
    • Chaos: Data gathering itself is a big problem because it can become very, very invasive. But we need to actually balance it with enabling people and asserting citizen equality.
    • Social friction: Caste identification can lead to friction amongst various classes.

    Breaching the 50% cap

    • Judicial Substantiation: The 50% cap, as introduced by the court, has not really been argued through.
    • Questioning the sacrosanctity: Some feel that nothing sacrosanct about the 50% limit − it can be exceeded, if necessary, but a clear argument should be given for why this is being done.

    Inefficacy of reservations

    • Fractional benefits: The way reservation is practiced has invariably led to elites among castes and communities.
    • Domination: These elites within the castes have tended to exercise their dominance over their very communities and not let them exercise the kind of freedoms, or search for equality, which any democratic polity deserves.
    • Welfare isn’t reservation: The state has helped privileged communities far more, even though this help has not taken the explicit form of programs like reservation.

    Why is a caste census always controversial?

    • Data manipulation: This is a manifestation of the principle that those in power control data and information.
    • Censoring of data: We have had instances where this data has been collected but has not been made public.
    • Relative deprivation: Since a caste census is a necessity, it is not a happy thing, it is not a great achievement, it is just something that the State has to do circumstantially.
    • Vote bank politics: Vested interests of particular state governments in hunt for vote banks are also visible these days.

    SECC has the solution

    • We have got locked into a mindset where we think only those communities which want welfare benefits from the state must be enumerated.
    • Many have argued that a Socio-Economic Caste Census would be the best way to rationalize reservation based on data and make a strong case for breaching this gap.
    • Earlier governments argued that counting caste will perpetuate it.

    Conclusion

    • Favoring one caste becomes a disfavor for others. This is an undeniable fact of Indian society.
    • It seems that the caste census will happen unless something extraordinary happens in our polity.
    • There are also important questions of demands coming up because of mismatches between the numbers that we come out with and the share in resources that different communities have.
    • This is a kind of nightmare that all governments fear. So, they would much rather leave things vague.
    • The Backward Classes are more than 50% of the population. And this dispensation knows that it cannot afford to lose the support of the Backward Classes.

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  • India ratifies Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol

    The Union Cabinet has given its approval for ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for phase down of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by India.

    What is Montreal Protocol?

    • The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international agreement made in 1987.
    • It was designed to stop the production and import of ozone-depleting substances and reduce their concentration in the atmosphere to help protect the earth’s ozone layer.
    • It sits under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

    Objectives

    • The convention was adopted in 1985 and has highlighted the adverse effect of human activity on ozone levels in the stratosphere and the discovery of the ‘ozone hole’.
    • Its objectives are to promote cooperation on the adverse effects of human activities on the ozone layer.
    • It has since undergone nine revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1998 (Australia), 1999 (Beijing) and 2016 (Kigali).

    India and the Protocol

    • India became a Party to the Protocol on 19 June 1992 and since then has ratified the amendments.

    What is the Kigali Amendment?

    • It is an international agreement to gradually reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
    • It is a legally binding agreement designed to create rights and obligations in international law.
    • While HFCs do not deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, they have high global warming potential ranging from 12 to 14,000, which has an adverse impact on climate.

    What are the Ozone Depleting Substances?

    Ozone-depleting substances are chemicals that destroy the earth’s protective ozone layer. They include:

    • chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
    • halons
    • carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
    • methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3)
    • hydro Bromo fluorocarbons (HBFCs)
    • hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
    • methyl bromide (CH3Br)
    • bromochloromethane (CH2BrCl)

    Where are they used?

    The main uses of ozone-depleting substances include:

    • CFCs and HCFCs in refrigerators and air conditioners,
    • HCFCs and halons in fire extinguishers,
    • CFCs and HCFCs in foam,
    • CFCs and HCFCs as aerosol propellants, and
    • Methyl bromide for fumigation of soil, structures and goods to be imported or exported.

    Now answer this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances are used:

    1. In the production of plastic foams
    2. In the production of tubeless tyres
    3. In cleaning certain electronic components
    4. As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (CSP 2012)

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 4 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

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    Why phase them out?

    Implementation strategy and targets:

    • India will complete its phase-down of HFCs in 4 steps from 2032 onwards with a cumulative reduction of 10% in 2032, 20% in 2037, 30% in 2042, and 80% in 2047.

    Major Impact

    • HFCs phasedown is expected to prevent the emission of up to 105 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of GHGs, helping to avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global temperature rise by 2100, while continuing to protect the ozone layer.
    • It will achieve energy efficiency gains^ and carbon dioxide emissions reduction – a “climate co-benefit,”
    • HFCs phrase-down implementation will involve synergies to maximize the economic arid social co-benefits, besides environmental gains.
    • There would be scope for domestic manufacturing of equipment as well as alternative non-HFC and low-global warming potential chemicals to enable the industry to transition to the low global warming potential alternatives as per the agreed HFC phase-down schedule.
    • In addition, there would be opportunities to promote domestic innovation for new generation alternative refrigerants and related technologies.

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  • Water shortage in Colorado River Basin

    The federal government in the US has declared a water shortage for the Colorado river basin due to a historic drought.

    Try this PYQ

    Q. Consider the following pairs

    River – Flows into

    1. Mekong — Andaman Sea
    2. Thames — Irish Sea
    3. Volga — Caspian Sea
    4. Zambezi — Indian Ocean

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?(CSP 2020)

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 only

    (c) 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 4 only

     

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    Colorado River

    • The Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains into the southwestern US and into Mexico.
    • The river is fed by snowmelt from the Rocky and Wasatch mountains and flows a distance of over 2,250 km (river Ganga flows through a distance of roughly 2,500 km) across seven states and into Mexico.
    • The Colorado River Basin is divided into the Upper (Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and northern Arizona) and Lower Basins (parts of Nevada, Arizona, California, southwestern Utah and western New Mexico).
    • In the Lower Basin, the Hoover Dam controls floods and regulates water delivery and storage.
    • Apart from the Hoover dam, there is the Davis Dam, Parker Dam and the Imperial Dam that regulate the release of water from the Hoover Dam.

    Major lakes in its basin

    • Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of volume and was formed in the 1930s by the Hoover Dam in Southern Nevada.
    • Its main source of water is obtained from the Rocky Mountain snowmelt and runoff.
    • The other is Lake Powell, the reservoir created by the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona.

    Reasons for shortage

    • Since the year 2000, this river basin has been experiencing a prolonged drought.
    • This persistent drought has led to a lowering down of the water levels in the basin’s reservoirs to meet the demand over the years.
    • But even with great water storing capacity, over the years the demand for water from the basin has increased whereas supply is restricted.

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  • Person in news: Maharaja Ranjit Singh

    A bronze statue of the first ruler of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was vandalized in Pakistan.

    Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

    • Maharaja Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”, was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.
    • He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye.
    • Prior to his rise, the Punjab region had numerous warring misls (confederacies), twelve of which were under Sikh rulers and one Muslim.
    • Ranjit Singh successfully absorbed and united the Sikh misls and took over other local kingdoms to create the Sikh Empire.
    • He repeatedly defeated invasions by outside armies, particularly those arriving from Afghanistan, and established friendly relations with the British.

    Empirical expansion

    • Ranjit Singh’s trans-regional empire spread over several states. His empire included the former Mughal provinces of Lahore and Multan besides part of Kabul and the entire Peshawar.
    • The boundaries of his state went up to Ladakh — Zorawar Singh, a general from Jammu, had conquered Ladakh in Ranjit Singh’s name — in the northeast.
    • His empire extended till Khyber pass in the northwest, and up to Panjnad in the south where the five rivers of Punjab fell into the Indus.
    • During his regime, Punjab was a land of six rivers, the sixth being the Indus.

    His legacy

    • Ranjit Singh’s reign introduced reforms, modernization, investment into infrastructure, and general prosperity.
    • His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Europeans.
    • His legacy includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance, including the rebuilding of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Bihar, and Hazur Sahib Nanded, Maharashtra under his sponsorship.

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  • Arunachal Pradesh ST List

    The Parliament has passed a bill that seeks to amend the nomenclature of certain tribes from Arunachal Pradesh mentioned in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

    What does the Bill amend?

    • The Bill seeks to modify Part-XVIII of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
    • Part-XVIII lists 16 tribes of Arunachal, in order: Abor, Aka, Apatani, Nyishi, Galong, Khampti, Khowa, Mishmi [Idu, Taroon], Momba, Any Naga tribes, Sherdukpen, Singpho, Hrusso, Tagin, Khamba, and Adi.
    • The Bill corrects the names of tribes spelled incorrectly and adds names of a few tribes that were either named ambiguously or had their parent group named only.

    Why is it significant?

    • Self-identification: It is an essence for much-needed respect for small indigenous communities in the Northeast.
    • Indigenous nomenclature of tribes: This has been a long-standing demand in Arunachal Pradesh for two reasons: for the recognition of individual identity and to do away with the ambiguity as a result of errors in their names.
    • Identity assertion: For long, communities — whether civil society members or student leaders — have demanded that they must be known by their respective names.

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  • Karez System of Irrigation

    The Taliban are set to seize Kabul, but some expert believes they will spare the age-old Karez system of underground aqueducts in the country given its importance.

    What is a Qanat / Karez?

    • This system of underground vertical shafts in a gently sloping tunnel that is built from an upland aquifer to ground level.
    • Some historians and archaeologists have attributed people in the southeast Arabian Peninsula as the first developers. Others, however, ascribe it to the ancient Persians.
    • The Qanat / Karez system, wherever it was developed, soon spread to many Persian, Arab and Turkic lands.
    • It even came to the Indian Subcontinent during the 800-year-old Islamic Period.

    Karez in India

    • The system was brought in the Indian Subcontinent during the Bahamani Sultanate, founded by Alaudin Bahman Shah.
    • It later broke into five other Sultantates: Bijapur, Golconda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar and Berar.
    • The Bahamani Sultanate was Persianate in nature and encouraged many things Persian, among them, the Karez.
    • They was built in the city of Bidar during the reign of Bahamani Sultan Ahmad Shah Wali (1422-1436), who shifted the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar.
    • By the 15th century, Bijapur city had a network of pipelines. Everyone got 24×7 supply of water.
    • It also worked as confidence-building measure between the Sultan and his subjects since the Karez was built the state.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term Araghatta’ refers to:

    (CSP 2016)

    (a) bonded labour

    (b) land grants made to military officers

    (c) waterwheel used in the irrigation of land

    (d) wastel and converted to cultivated land

     

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  • Quality of Life for Elderly Index

    Quality of Life for Elderly Index was released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

    Quality of Life for Elderly Index

    The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness at the request of EAC-PM and it sheds light on an issue often not mentioned- problems faced by the elderly.

    • The report identifies the regional patterns of ageing across the Indian States and assesses the overall ageing situation in India.
    • The report presents a deeper insight into how well India is doing to support the well-being of its ageing population.
    • The Index framework includes four pillars:
    1. Financial Well-being
    2. Social Well-being
    3. Health System and
    4. Income Security
    • It has eight sub-pillars: Economic Empowerment, Educational Attainment & Employment, Social Status, Physical Security, Basic Health, Psychological Wellbeing, Social Security and Enabling Environment.

    Features of the index

    • This index broadens the way we understand the needs and opportunities of the elderly population in India.
    • It goes far beyond the adequacy of pensions and other forms of income support, which, though critical, often narrows policy thinking and debate about the needs of this age group.
    • The index highlights that the best way to improve the lives of the current and future generations of older people is by investing in health, education and employment for young people today.

    Why need such an index?

    • India is often portrayed as a young society, with a consequent demographic dividend.
    • But, as with every country that goes through a fast process of demographic transition, India also has greying cum aging problem.
    • Without a proper diagnostic tool to understand the implications of its ageing population, planning for the elderly can become a challenge for policymakers.

    Key Highlights from the Report:

    • The Health System pillar observes the highest national average, 66.97 at an all-India level, followed by 62.34 in Social Well-being.
    • Financial Well-being observes a score of 44.7, which is lowered by the low performance of 21 States across the Education Attainment & Employment pillar, which showcases scope for improvement
    • States have performed particularly worse in the Income Security pillar because over half of the States have a score below the national average, i.e., 33.03 in Income Security, which is the lowest across all pillars.

    Performance of the states

    • Among all the states, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are top-scoring regions in the aged states and relatively aged states categories.
    • Rajasthan has a score of 54.61 in the aged states category while Himachal Pradesh has a score of 61.04 in relatively aged states.
    • Mizoram has a score of 59.79 among northeastern states while Chandigarh scored 63.78 among the Union Territories.
    • Jammu and Kashmir scored the lowest 46.16 among Union Territories.
    • Arunachal Pradesh, among the northeastern states, scored the lowest score with 46.16.
    • In the aged states and relatively aged states categories, Telangana and Gujarat scored the lowest with 38.19 and 49.00, respectively.

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  • Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)

    According to the IPCC’s Report (AR6), the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is losing its stability.

    What is AMOC?

    • The AMOC is a large system of ocean currents.
    • It is the Atlantic branch of the ocean conveyor belt or Thermohaline circulation (THC), and distributes heat and nutrients throughout the world’s ocean basins.
    • AMOC carries warm surface waters from the tropics towards the Northern Hemisphere, where it cools and sinks.
    • It then returns to the tropics and then to the South Atlantic as a bottom current. From there it is distributed to all ocean basins via the Antarctic circumpolar current.
    • Gulf Stream, a part of the AMOC, is a warm current responsible for mild climate at the Eastern coast of North America as well as Europe.

    What happens if AMOC collapses?

    • Colder Europe: Without a proper AMOC and Gulf Stream, Europe will be very cold.
    • Rainfall decline: Modelling studies have shown that an AMOC shutdown would cool the northern hemisphere and decrease rainfall over Europe.
    • El-Nino trigger: It can also have an effect on the El Nino.
    • Cooling of Atlantic: AMOC collapse could bring about large, markedly different climate responses: a prominent cooling over the northern North Atlantic and neighboring areas.
    • Weaker thermohaline: Freshwater from melting Greenland ice sheets and the Arctic region can make circulation weaker as it is not as dense as salt water and doesn’t sink to the bottom.

    Has the AMOC weakened before?

    • AMOC and THC strength has always been fluctuating, mainly if you look at the late Pleistocene time period (last 1 million years).
    • The extreme glacial stages have seen weaker circulation and slowdown in AMOC, while the glacial terminations have shown a stronger AMOC and circulation.
    • AMOC has been relatively stable until the late 19th century.
    • With the end of the little ice age in about 1850, the ocean currents began to decline, with a second, more drastic decline following since the mid-20th century.

    Why is the AMOC slowing down?

    • Climate models have long predicted that global warming can cause a weakening of the major ocean systems of the world.
    • Last month researchers noted that a part of the Arctic’s ice called “Last Ice Area” has also melted.
    • The freshwater from the melting ice reduces the salinity and density of the water. Now, the water is unable to sink as it used to and weakens the AMOC flow.

    Influence of Indian Ocean

    • Another study suggested that the Indian Ocean may also be helping the slowing down of AMOC.
    • As the Indian Ocean warms faster and faster, it generates additional precipitation.
    • With so much precipitation in the Indian Ocean, there will be less precipitation in the Atlantic Ocean, leading to higher salinity in the waters of the tropical portion of the Atlantic.
    • This saltier water in the Atlantic, as it comes north via AMOC, will get cold much quicker than usual and sink faster.
    • This acts as a jump start for AMOC, intensifying the circulation.

    Now try this:

    Q.With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature (OMT), which of the following statements is/are correct? (CSP 2020)

    1. OMT is measured up to a depth of 26ºC isotherm which is 129 meters in the south-western Indian Ocean during January-March.
    2. OMT collected during January-March can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

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    Back2Basics:  Ocean Currents

  • [pib] Definition of Minority

    The Ministry of Minority Affairs has provided some useful information about various initiatives for minorities.

    A very interesting fact found in the article is that Minorities are identified by the States and not the Centre!

    Defining a minority community

    • The Central has notified minority communities at the national level in consultation with various stakeholders under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Act,
    • The six communities notified as minority communities under Section 2(c) of the NCM Act, 1992 are Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains.
    • Notification of any community-specific to a State as a minority community within a State comes under the purview of the State
    • Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution provide for the protection of interest of minorities which includes linguistic minorities also.

    Who are linguistic minorities?

    • Linguistic Minorities are group or collectivities of individuals residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language or script of their own.
    • The language of the minority group need not be one of the twenty-two languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
    • In other words, linguistic minorities at the State level mean any group or groups of people whose mother tongues are different from the principal language of the State, and at the district and taluka/tehsil levels, different from the principal language of the district or taluka/tehsil concerned.
    • The linguistic minorities are therefore identified by the respective States/UTs.
    • The State/UT wise, broad linguistic profile is available in the 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities(CLM).

    National Commission for Minorities

    • The Government has already enacted the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992 to constitute a National Commission for Minorities.
    • The NCM receives petitions/grievances from the aggrieved persons and the said petitions/grievances being received by Commission.
    • They are dealt with by calling for reports from the concerned authorities under the Union and State Governments.
    • On receipt of the reports, the Commission makes appropriate recommendations to the respective authorities for redressal of the grievances.