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GS Paper: GS1

  • India’s Population with Disabilities

    December 3 is marked by the UN as International Day of Persons with Disabilities in a bid to promote a more inclusive and accessible world for the differently-abled and to raise awareness for their rights.

    Try this question from our AWE initiative:

    What are the legal provisions and policy initiatives in India for the welfare of persons with disabilities? What are the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in India? 10 marks

    Disability in India

    • About 2.2% of India’s population lives with some kind of physical or mental disability, as per the National Statistics Office report on disability released last year.

    How are the disabled identified?

    • Until the 2011 census, there were questions on seven kinds of disabilities in the questionnaire.
    • This list of disabilities was expanded to 21 when the Rights of People with Disabilities was introduced in 2016.
    • Accordingly, the 2019 report included questions to identify people with temporary loss of ability as well as neurological and blood disorders in addition.
    • The earlier definition included mental retardation and permanent inability to move, speak, hear and see.
    • Significantly, the revised definition recognizes deformities and injuries of acid attack victims as disabilities, entitling them to various relief measures.

    Who are disabled and in what way?

    • Rural men had the highest prevalence of disability in India, according to the NSO report.
    • A higher proportion of men were disabled in India compared with women, and disability was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
    • Inability to move without assistance was the most common disability. More men experienced locomotor disability than women.
    • These numbers were self-reported. In other words, the respondents were asked if they experienced any difficulty in performing tasks like moving, talking, etc.

    Are these measures in line with those from other surveys?

    • The 2011 census estimated that the number of people with disabilities in India is close to 2.68 crore (or 2.2% of the population) — that is more than the entire population of Australia.
    • This number was based on the older definition of disability, yet the proportion of disabled people in the population is not different from the 2019 NSO report, which used the expanded definition of disability.
    • Other metrics for evaluating disability have provided different estimates.
    • A group of doctors from AIIMS found that alternate questionnaires like the Rapid Assessment of Disability have resulted in a prevalence ranging from 1.6%-43.3%.

    How can the range be so wide?

    • The proportion of population facing disability becomes bigger as one move from a narrow definition to a broader one.
    • For instance, if one defines disability as the difficulty in accessing public services for all kinds of reasons, even social or economic, then the proportion goes up.

    Why is it important to map disabled people?

    • Like other disadvantaged groups, the disabled in India are entitled to some benefits, ranging from reservation in educational institutes to concessions on railway tickets.
    • To claim these benefits, they have to furnish certificates as proof of disability.
    • At the macro level, data on the prevalence and type of disability is useful while making allocations for welfare schemes.

  • Right to Marriage is a Fundamental Right

    An individual’s right to marry a person of his or her choice is a fundamental right that cannot be denied on the basis of caste or religion by anybody, re-iterated the Karnataka High Court.

    Discuss the various ethical and rights issues involved in interfaith marriages.

    Right to Marriage

    • The right to marry is a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
    • The right to marriage is also stated under Human Rights Charter within the meaning of the right to start a family.
    • The right to marry is a universal right and it is available to everyone irrespective of their gender.
    • Various courts across the country have also interpreted the right to marry as an integral part of the right to life under Article 21.
    • A forced marriage is illegal in different personal laws on marriage in India, with the right to marry recognized under the Hindu laws as well as Muslim laws.

    Other laws that lay down a person’s right to marry in India are:

    1. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
    2. The Guardians and Wards Act, 1890
    3. The Majority Act, 1875
    4. The Family Courts Act, 1984
    5. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005

    Back2Basics: Scope of Article 21

    • Article 21, considered the heart and soul of the Constitution, states, ‘No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.

    It has a much more profound meaning that signifies the:

    • Right to live with human dignity
    • Right to livelihood
    • Right to health
    • Right to pollution-free air
    • Right to live a quality life
    • Right to go abroad
    • Right to privacy
    • Right against delayed execution,

    And anything and everything that fulfils the criteria for a dignified life.

  • In new: Annapurna Idol

    PM has announced that an ancient idol of the goddess Annapurna, stolen from India about a century ago, is being brought back from Canada.

    Must revise: Gandhara and Mathura school of Art

    [Static Revision] Chapter 6 | Post Mauryan Period (200BC to 300AD)

    Annapurna Idol

    • Annapurna, also spelt Annapoorna, is the goddess of food.
    • This 18th-century idol, carved in the Benares was stolen from a temple of Varanasi and smuggled out around 100 years ago somewhere around 1913.
    • Now is part of the University of Regina, Canada’s collection at the MacKenzie Art Gallery.
    • The idol holds a bowl of kheer in one hand and a spoon in the other.

  • Gender Advancement through Transforming Institutions (GATI) Initiative

    One of the focuses of the new Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, currently being drafted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is to increase the participation of women in science.

    Connect the dots:

    Women in STEM presents a dismal picture of gender equality in India.

    GATI

    • The DST is incorporating a system of grading institutes depending on the enrolment of women and the advancement of the careers of women faculty and scientists.
    • It will be called GATI (Gender Advancement through Transforming Institutions).
    • The concept borrows from a programme started by the UK in 2005 called the Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network), which is now being adopted by many countries.
    • The DST will soon launch a pilot, which the British Council has helped it develop.

    Why need such initiative?

    • India is ranked 108 out of 149 countries in the 2018 Global Gender Gap report.
    • According to DST figures, in 2015-16, the share of women involved in scientific research and development was 14.71% — after it had actually increased from 13% in 2000-2001 to 29% in 2014-15.
    • The DST has also found that women are either not promoted, or very often drop out mid-career to attend to their families.

    What is Athena SWAN?

    • The Athena SWAN Charter is an evaluation and accreditation programme in the UK enhancing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
    • Participating research organisations and academic institutions are required to analyse data on gender equity and develop action plans for improvement.
    • Signatories commit to addressing various issues such as –
    1. Unequal gender representation;
    2. Tackling the gender pay gap;
    3. Removing the obstacles faced by women in career development and progression;
    4. Discriminatory treatment often experienced by trans people;
    5. Gender balance of committees and zero tolerance for bullying and sexual harassment.

    Way ahead

    • To get as many institutions as possible to sign up, the DST will need to manoeuvre around government red tape as most universities, barring the IITs and NITs, are run and funded by the government as well.
    • This means that these institutions don’t have direct control over institutional policies, recruitment and promotions.
    • The DST has tied up with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), under the UGC, aiming to push gender equity through them.

  • Sea sparkle: Bloom of Noctiluca Scintillans

    The blooms of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle” are being witnessed along the coasts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

    A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time find their way into the prelims. Note this down.

    Noctiluca Scintillans

    • Scintillans is a bioluminescent specie that brightens the seawater during the night.
    • It grazes on other micro-organisms such as larvae, fish eggs, and diatoms. But the unicellular phytoplankton that lives inside it can photosynthesize, turning sunlight into energy.
    • They help their host cell survive even when food was scarce.
    • Thus, N. Scintillans acts as both a plant and an animal

    Threats posed

    • According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.
    • While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishes.
    • The toxic blooms of N. Scintillans were linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills.
    • Though the species does not produce a toxin, it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into the surrounding waters, possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
    • They have displaced microscopic algae called diatoms, which form the basis of the marine food chain. This has deprived food for the planktivorous fish.

    Back2Basics: Bioluminescence

    • It is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
    • Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence. A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light.
    • It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
    • Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species.

  • Western Disturbances and winters in North

    For the past few days, Chandigarh and its neighbouring states have been experiencing unusually cold days although the night temperatures are normal.

    Try this PYQ:

    Consider the following statements:

    1. The winds which blow between 30°N and 60°S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
    2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in the North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Temperature anomaly in North

    • Meteorological officials have attributed the trend to the cloud cover in the region which was absent until a few days ago.
    • It is the result of a western disturbance, which has brought about a spell of precipitation in the northwest Himalaya.

    Role of clouds

    • During the day, clouds obstruct the heat from the sun from reaching the surface of the earth, reflecting some of it back into space.
    • This lowers the temperature. Cold winds blowing down from snow-bound areas in the mountains also contribute to the cooling effect.
    • At night, however, clouds act like blankets – they help retain some of the heat energy radiated back by the earth’s surface.
    • Overcast weather at night, thus, increases greenhouse warming.

    What are western disturbances?

    • In northern India, winter rains and clouds are generally caused by moisture-bearing wind systems called western disturbances.
    • They originate and gather moisture over the Mediterranean region and flow eastwards towards the Indian subcontinent.
    • When some of these winds run into mountains of the northwest Himalaya, they are forced upward.
    • At higher altitudes, the temperatures drop and water vapour gets condensed. This leads to cloud formation and eventually rain and snow.

    Other factors for severe winters in North

    • In north India, the huge temperature difference between summers and winters is due to its continentality (distance from seas and oceans).
    • Air from oceans moderates the temperature as it moves onshore, but this effect is missing in continental interiors.
    • As a result, north India has greater seasonal differences as compared to peninsular India.
    • Temperature also reduces rapidly with altitude, and thus, the Himalayan region is colder still.

  • Why has the Northeast Monsoon remained deficient this year?

    Rainfall over the Southern peninsular region has been deficient so far due to prevailing La Nina conditions according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino?

    1. La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
    2. El Nino has an adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    What is the Northeast monsoon?

    • India receives rainfall during two seasons.
    • About 75 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall is received from the Southwest monsoon between June and September.
    • The Northeast monsoon, on the other hand, occurs from October to December and is a comparatively small-scale monsoon, which is confined to the Southern peninsula.
    • After the complete withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from the country takes place by mid-October, the wind pattern rapidly changes from the south-westerly to the north-easterly direction.
    • Also called the winter monsoon, the rainfall associated with the Northeast monsoon is important for almost entire South India.

    Why it is important?

    • Tamil Nadu records about 48 per cent (447.4 mm) of its annual rainfall (943.7 mm) during these months, making it the key factor for undertaking agricultural activities and reservoir management in the state.
    • Some South Asian countries such as Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar also record rainfall from October to December.

    Why there are distortions?

    • The majority of districts in Tamil Nadu remain highly rain-deficient up this time.
    • The period after the Southwest monsoon season, from October to December, is the peak time for cyclonic activity in the North Indian Ocean region — covering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
    • The winds associated with the formation of low-pressure systems, depressions, or cyclones influence this monsoon, and therefore, the rainfall.
    • Officials at IMD have linked it to the prevailing La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean.

    La Nina  link with the NE monsoon

    • While La Niña conditions enhance the rainfall associated with the Southwest monsoon, it has a negative impact on rainfall associated with the Northeast monsoon.
    • During La Niña years, the synoptic systems — low pressure or cyclones — formed in the Bay of Bengal remain significantly to the north of their normal position.
    • Besides, instead of moving westwards, these systems recurve. As they lie to the north of their normal position, not much rainfall occurs over southern regions like Tamil Nadu.

    Back2Basics: El Nino and La Nina

    • While El Niño (Spanish for ‘little boy’), the more common expression, is the abnormal surface warming observed along the eastern and central regions of the Pacific Ocean (the region between Peru and Papua New Guinea).
    • The La Niña (Spanish for ‘little girl’) is an abnormal cooling of these surface waters.
    • Together, the El Niño and La Niña phenomena are termed as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
    • These are large-scale ocean phenomena which influence the global weather — winds, temperature and rainfall. They have the ability to trigger extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hot and cold conditions, globally.
    • Each cycle can last anywhere between 9 to 12 months, at times extendable to 18 months — and re-occur after every three to five years.
    • Meteorologists record the sea surface temperatures for four different regions, known as Niño regions, along this equatorial belt.
    • Depending on the temperatures, they forecast either as an El Niño, an ENSO neutral phase, or a La Niña.

  • [pib] Who was Lachit Borphukan?

    The Prime Minister has paid tribute to Lachit Borphukan on Lachit Diwas.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.What was the immediate cause for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade and fight the Third Battle of Panipat:

    (a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore

    (b) The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg khan invited him to invade Punjab

    (c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal (Gujrat Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur)

    (d) He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab upto borders of Delhi to his kingdom

    Who was Lachit Borphukan?

    • The year was 1671 and the decisive Battle of Saraighat was fought on the raging waters of the Brahmaputra.
    • On one side was Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s army headed by Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) and on the other was the Ahom General Lachit Borphukan.
    • He was a commander in the Ahom kingdom, located in present-day Assam.
    • Ram Singh failed to make any advance against the Assamese army during the first phase of the war.
    • Lachit Borphukan emerged victorious in the war and the Mughals were forced to retreat from Guwahati.

    Lachit Diwas

    • On 24 November each year, Lachit Divas is celebrated statewide in Assam to commemorate the heroism of Lachit Borphukan.
    • On this day, Borphukan has defeated the Mughal army on the banks of the Brahmaputra in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
    • The best passing out cadet of National Defence Academy has conferred the Lachit gold medal every year since 1999 commemorating his valour.

  • Cyclone Nivar to make landfall in TN

    A developing cyclonic disturbance in the Bay of Bengal is expected to become a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ and make landfall in Tamil Nadu.

    Cyclone Nivar

    • The IMD has forecasted the development of a cyclone in the Southwest region of the Bay of Bengal, off Tamil Nadu coast.
    • It has said that it will strengthen into a cyclone. Once intensified, it would acquire its name ‘Nivar’, proposed by Iran.
    • After cyclone Gaja in 2018, this will be the second cyclone to cross Tamil Nadu in the last two years.

    Try this PYQ:

    In the South Atlantic and South-Eastern Pacific regions in tropical latitudes, cyclone does not originate. What is the reason?

    (a) Sea surface temperatures are low

    (b) Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone seldom occurs

    (c) Coriolis force is too weak

    (d) Absence of land in those regions

    Tropical Cyclone

    • A Tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
    • Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters. The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 meters, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
    • This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
    • Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
    • During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
    • Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea which adds to its heft.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] Tropical Cyclones and India

  • Places in news: Mount Vesuvius

    The Italian Culture Ministry announced the discovery of well-preserved remains of two men, who perished during the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian Territory.
    2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
    3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

    Mount Vesuvius

    • Located in southern Italy near the coastal city of Naples, the 4,203-ft (1,281 metres) tall Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe.
    • Vesuvius has been classified as a complex volcano (also called a compound volcano), one that consists of a complex of two or more vents.
    • It typically has explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows –– defined as a high-density mix of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas.
    • It has erupted more than 50 times and is considered among the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to its proximity to Naples and surrounding towns.
    • Its last serious eruption, lasting two weeks, was in 1944 during World War II, which left 26 Italian civilians dead and around 12,000 displaced.

    The eruption of 79 AD

    • In 79 AD, the Roman Empire-era sister cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed and buried during a catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius.
    • It was a catastrophic event that destroyed the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and killed around 16,000 people.
    • Pompeii, 8 km away from Vesuvius, served as a resort town on the Bay of Naples for Rome’s elite citizens, consisting of villas, cafes, marketplaces and a 20,000-seat arena.
    • In 63 AD, a major earthquake rattled the city, serving as a warning for the eruption to come. However, few residents bothered to abandon the region, known for its volatility.