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GS Paper: GS3

  • [pib] Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet)

    The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has planned to develop a World-Class Knowledge Resource Centre Network (KRCNet).

    Note the salient features of the KRCNet. UPSC may puzzle you asking which of these is/are not a feature of KRCNet.

    KRCNet Portal

    • KRCs will be connected with each other and integrated into the KRCNet portal.
    • It will be a single point entry to the intellectual world of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
    • The resources and services of the MoES system will be accessible 24X7 through a one-point dynamic, updated and integrated on this portal.

    Salient features of the KRCNet:

    • Establish a Total Quality Management (TQM) system by securing ISO certification for documenting MoES knowledge resources, its maintenance, easy retrieval and dissemination.
    • Collect, collate, analyze, index, store and disseminate the intellectual resources, products and project outputs available in MoES headquarter and its institutes.
    • Develop and maintain an up-to-date meta-data of the print & digital resources available in MoES headquarter and MoES institutes, including MoES services.
    • Provide 24X7 accesses to the subscribed knowledge contents through the KRCNet portal.
    • Application of information-analytical tools & techniques like bibliometrics, scientometrics, big-data analytics, social media analytics etc., for policy formulation, report preparation and information dissemination.
    • Periodically organize training workshops to popularize the usage of electronic journals, databases, digital products, data analytics etc.

  • Information war

    Information war waged against India from across the border needs consideration. Three factors have triggered the war in the realm of information. This article examines the way in which it is perpetrated.

    Factors

    •  Following three triggers are responsible for Pakistan’s information war.
    • 1) The Balakot attack of February 2019.
    • Balakot demolished Pakistan’s presumed nuclear equivalence that guaranteed that India would not retaliate against terrorist attacks
    • 2) The return of the BJP government in the May 2019 elections-which signalled that India would follow aggressive muscular policy.
    • 3) The August 2019 revision of Article 370.
    • The Article 370 decision demolished the centrepiece of Pakistan’s nationalism build on Kashmir.
    • The move also raised apprehensions about India’s plans for Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
    • These developments have forced it to shift the emphasis of its anti-India strategy from fomenting terrorism supported by an information war component to an information war supported by terrorism.

    How the information war is waged

    • The ISI and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) two main instruments for the furtherance of this policy.
    • The ISPR has, over the years, recruited thousands of youth, trained them in the mechanics of social media and used them to project anti-India themes.
    • The core Pakistani objective is to demolish “Brand India” by attacking its key components — an inclusive and secular society, democratic polity, decisive government, a developing economic powerhouse and strong foreign policy.
    • The expectation is that such a strategy would adversely impact India’s secular and democratic credentials, scare foreign investment and lead to questions about its international image.
    • The key platforms for this strategy are Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook.
    • A large number of fake social media accounts, especially on Twitter, have been created.
    • The use of handles with phoney Middle Eastern identities is the latest addition to its bag of tricks.

    Themes of information war

    • Internal developments and dissent in India have been manipulated, packaged and used to develop a narrative damaging India’s social fabric.
    • On J&K, the key themes are: Kashmir is a “disputed territory” awaiting solution under the UN resolutions; India needs to talk to Pakistan to resolve the issue and since India refuses to talk, there must be international intervention, the Indian Army is violating the human rights of Kashmiris.

    Consider the question “Internet has made waging information war easier. Examine the threat posed by the information war to Indian polity. Suggest the measures to contain the threat emanating from the information war.”

    Conclusion

    Even though the Indian polity is strong, such persistent venomous attacks can temporarily damage our social fabric. We must not allow ourselves, wittingly or unwittingly, to fall prey to such machinations to polarise society, even temporarily.

  • In news: Ghazipur Landfill

    The Ghazipur landfill site rises by nearly 10 metres a year and is expected to surpass the height of Qutub Minar and other vertical structures in the country.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2016:

    Q.What can be the impact of excessive/inappropriate use of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture?

    1. Proliferation of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in soil can occur.
    2. Increase in the acidity of soil can take place.
    3. Leaching of nitrate to the ground-water can occur.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    What are Landfills?

    • A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials.
    • Some landfill sites are also used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation and transfer, or for various stages of processing waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling.

    Threats posed by landfills

    Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. Infrastructure disruption, such as damage to access roads by heavy vehicles, may occur amongst others.

    1) Leachate

    • When precipitation falls on open landfills, water percolates through the garbage and becomes contaminated with suspended and dissolved material, forming leachate.
    • If this is not contained it can contaminate groundwater.

    2) Decomposition gases

    • Rotting food and other decaying organic waste create decomposition gases, especially CO2 and CH4 from aerobic and anaerobic decomposition, respectively.
    • Both processes occur simultaneously in different parts of a landfill.

    3) Other threats

    • Poorly run landfills may become nuisances because of vectors such as rats and flies which can spread infectious diseases.
    • The occurrence of such vectors can be mitigated through the use of daily cover.
    • Other potential issues include wildlife disruption due to occupation of habitat and animal health disruption caused by consuming waste from landfills, dust, odour, noise pollution, and reduced local property values.

  • Kashmir saffron gets GI certificate

    The J&K administration has issued the certificate of geographical indication (GI) registration for saffron grown in the Kashmir Valley.

    Must read:

    GI Tags in news for 2020 Prelims

    All time GI tags in news

    Kashmir saffron

    • It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
    • It is a very precious and costly product. Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor.
    • It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
    • It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.
    • Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.

    3 Types

    The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types —

    • ‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing;
    • ‘Mongra Saffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and
    • ‘Guchhi Saffron’, which is the same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas are packed loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined together in a bundle tied with a cloth thread

    Whats’ so special about Kashmir Saffron?

    • The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
    • It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level), which adds to its uniqueness and differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over.

  • Need for open protocols and networks in the realm of internet

    We are familiar with the dominance of some platforms on the internet. That dominance start to create problems. This article discusses the issues with dominance and suggests the solution drawing on the success of UPI.

    Platforms on the internet

    • Platforms are technology layers that leverage the internet to bring together producers, resellers and consumers.
    • Platforms reduce transaction costs by cutting out intermediaries.
    • Amazon started by selling books but became a profitable giant by creating the e-commerce platform called Amazon Marketplace.
    • The most valuable companies today are platforms for search, social interaction, advertising, insurance, travel, real estate, etc.

    Issues with the platforms

    • 1)The promise of the internet was disintermediation, but the process has hit a speed breaker with major platforms taking on the role of mediation. 
    • 2) There may be multiple platforms in the game to start with, but due to network effects and the non-portability/lock-in, only a few monopolies space.
    • 3) Big platforms have tried to create a sort of  cartel in which to trap the customers while fencing off the rest of the internet.
    • 4) The platforms amass data about users which is used to influence user behaviour, which is not limited to guiding the buying decisions.

    So, what is the solution?

    Let’s look at the success story of  the UPI

    • Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is a set of protocols that standardises the language of money transfer.
    • It is an interface: a simple and structured protocol for instructions and a clearinghouse that relays well-formed requests to concerned parties for execution.
    • Once the language is there, a user may choose any app to link their bank account to a UPI ID and make a pay or collect request involving any other bank account.
    • UPI handled 1.3 billion transactions in June 2020, overtaking the aggregate number of transactions of all legacy “platforms”.
    • UPI succeeded because it treated all players, big or small, equally.
    • This allowed third-party innovators to drive adoption by creating solutions that addressed the need of the people.

    Solution: Adopting of open protocols

    • Application Programming Interfaces (or API) are protocols that define the meaning of data exchanged between two computers.
    • Universally accepted API definitions could allow a cabbie to be discovered by any cab aggregator app the rider may choose.
    • In healthcare, it could facilitate finding a doctor, booking an ambulance, taking out insurance, filing a claim, sharing a medical report or purchasing medicines from a pharmacy.

    Advantages of open protocols

    • Open protocols create ecosystems that are non-rivalrous and non-excludable by design.
    • Even smallest of application developers or start-ups can offer low-cost, locally relevant solutions using the protocol.
    • We can address the needs of the diverse business community and achieve much greater penetration for e-commerce than the 10 per cent of today.
    • Open systems have the potential to transform education, food delivery, by enabling entrepreneurs to compete on their quality and reputation alone.
    • Portability from one application to another, privacy and data empowerment will be some of the issues taken care of.
    • We can reduce our dependence on foreign platforms.

    Consider the question “What are APIs? Examine the issues created by the dominant internet platforms and how the adoption of open protocols for API could address the problem?”

    Conclusion

    With such a huge potential in APIs open protocols, the government must bring out the policy for the creation of open protocols and realise the untapped potential it offers.

  • RBI signs $400 mn currency swap facility for Sri Lanka

    The RBI has agreed to a $400 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka till November 2022.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. What are Currency Swaps? Discuss the efficacy of Currency Swap Agreements for liberalizing bilateral trade.

    Why such move by RBI?

    • The RBI’s action follows a recent bilateral ‘technical discussion’ on rescheduling Colombo’s outstanding debt repayment to India.
    • Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the region, India had proposed a virtual meeting to discuss the request. Sri Lanka owes $960 million to India.
    • In turn, Sri Lanka would facilitate, protect and promote a liberal ecosystem for Indian investors.

    What are Currency Swaps?

    • A currency swap, also known as a cross-currency swap, is an off-balance sheet transaction in which two parties exchange principal and interest in different currencies.
    • Currency swaps are used to obtain foreign currency loans at a better interest rate than could be got by borrowing directly in a foreign market.

    How does it work?

    • In a swap arrangement, RBI would provide dollars to a Lankan central bank, which, at the same time, provides the equivalent funds in its currency to the RBI, based on the market exchange rate at the time of the transaction.
    • The parties agree to swap back these quantities of their two currencies at a specified date in the future, which could be the next day or even three months later, using the same exchange rate as in the first transaction.
    • These swap operations carry no exchange rate or other market risks, as transaction terms are set in advance.

    Why does one need dollars?

    • FPIs investors look for safer investments but the current global uncertainty over COVID outbreak has led to a shortfall everywhere in the global markets.
    • This has pulled down foreign exchange reserves of many small and developing countries.
    • This means that the government and the RBI cannot lower their guard on the management of the economy and the external account.

    Benefits of currency swap

    • The absence of an exchange rate risk is the major benefit of such a facility.
    • This facility provides the flexibility to use these reserves at any time in order to maintain an appropriate level of balance of payments or short-term liquidity.
    • Swaps agreements between governments also have supplementary objectives like the promotion of bilateral trade, maintaining the value of foreign exchange reserves with the central bank and ensuring financial stability (protecting the health of the banking system).

  • What is Khazan Farming System?

    The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in low-lying floodplains of Goa is characterized by an estuarine agricultural system called Khazan farming.

    Try this question from our AWE initiative:

    How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (10 Marks)

    Khazan Farming

    • The low-lying floodplains of Goa host an estuarine agricultural system called Khazan farming.
    • This system is a carefully designed topo-hydro-engineered agro-aquacultural ecosystem mainly based on the regulation salinity and tides.

    How does it work?

    • Centuries ago, people in this region reclaimed low-lying brackish coastal floodplains and mangrove forests.
    • They constructed bunds using locally available material to prevent the ingress of saltwater, which killed the halophilic mangroves.
    • To control the flow of tidal waters, they built openings in bunds fitted with one-way gates.
    • These channels would fill in with the oncoming tide and bring with them fish, crab and shrimp, and the gates would automatically shut when the water level was equal on both sides.
    • This prevented the water from overflowing into the fields used to grow paddy and which has a low tolerance to salt.
    • When the tide receded, these gates would open outwards automatically, allowing the water to drain out.
    • During this time, a bag net was set at the gate to catch fish that had entered in earlier.

    Benefits of Khazan

    • Every bit of space was precious and used efficiently — the bunds were used to grow a variety of vegetables.
    • The Khazan system allowed for the farmer and the fisher to harmoniously coexist and was the key to sustaining what is considered Goa’s staple — fish, curry and rice.

    Why is it neglected these days?

    • Today, for various reasons, but primarily due to post-independence agrarian reforms of 1961, these lands largely lie fallow and are in a state of decay.
    • Lack of cultivation and maintenance of the bunds and sluice gates is leading to their breaching and the natural reclamation of these fallow lands by mangroves.
    • Moreover, mangroves are protected by law and it is illegal to cut them.
    • Areas that have these trees growing on them also come under the purview of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ); according to the 2011 notification, the mangrove areas are classified as CRZ I and cannot be developed upon.

    Back2Basics: Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

    • The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is Goa’s smallest protected area — it comprises barely two square kilometres of lush mangrove forests.
    • The sanctuary is located on Chorão, one of Goa’s estuarine islands in the Mandovi river approximately five kilometres from capital Panaji.
    • The sanctuary and its surrounds are home to marsh crocodiles, smooth-coated otter, the unique glossy-marsh snake that feeds on crabs, mud lobsters, sap-sucking sea slugs, among others.

  • Rosalind Franklin: the unsung heroine of DNA

    The famous British scientist and virologist Rosalind Franklin is remembered across the world on her birth centenary who worked to construct the double-helix structure of DNA.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

    DNA/RNA has been an all-time favourite of UPSC!

    Q.‘RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

    1. It is used in developing gene-silencing therapies.
    2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.
    3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.
    4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1, 2 and 4

    (b) 2 and 3

    (c) 1 and 3

    (d) 1 and 4 only

    Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

    • She was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite.
    • Although her works on coal and viruses were appreciated in her lifetime, her contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely recognised posthumously.

    DNA breakthrough

    • In 1952, Raymond Gosling, a graduate student at King’s College London, took a historic X-ray photograph under Franklin’s supervision.
    • Photo 51, as it is called, demonstrates the now-familiar, double-helix structure of DNA.

    Why is she remembered now?

    • The world is currently gripped in a pandemic, and her pioneering research in virology provided a crucial early step in the search for cures, vaccinations and tests.
    • During the Second World War, Franklin carried out research into coal and graphite that proved important for gas-masks, the PPE of that time.
    • It is because of Franklin, her collaborators and successors, that today’s researchers are able to use tools such as DNA sequencing and X-ray crystallography to investigate viruses such as COVID-10.

    Back2Basics: DNA/RNA 

    • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) are perhaps the most important molecules in cell biology, responsible for the storage and reading of genetic information that underpins all life.
    • They are both linear polymers, consisting of sugars, phosphates and bases, but there are some key differences which separate the two.
    • These distinctions enable the two molecules to work together and fulfil their essential roles.
    • DNA encodes all genetic information and is the blueprint from which all biological life is created. And that’s only in the short-term.
    • In the long-term, DNA is a storage device, a biological flash drive that allows the blueprint of life to be passed between generations.
    • RNA functions as the reader that decodes this flash drive. This reading process is multi-step and there are specialized RNAs for each of these steps.

    Three types of RNA

    • Messenger RNA (mRNA) copies portions of genetic code; a process called transcription and transports these copies to ribosomes, which are the cellular factories that facilitate the production of proteins from this code.
    • Transfer RNA (tRNA) is responsible for bringing amino acids, basic protein building blocks, to these protein factories, in response to the coded instructions introduced by the mRNA. This protein-building process is called translation.
    • Finally, Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a component of the ribosome factory itself without which protein production would not occur.

  • Gold and forex reserves cannot finance stimulus

    The article analyses the issues with suggestions like printing of currency and using forex reserves to finance the stimulus. They also lead to an increase in government debts.

    Context

    • Prime Minister announced a stimulus package of ₹20 trillion to fight the economic fallout of the covid pandemic.
    • Since then, several unorthodox ideas have been floated to raise funds for it without straining government finances.
    • Among the suggestions are the printing of currency, and using foreign exchange reserves or household gold.

    Let’s look at entries in the RBI’s balance sheets

    • On the liabilities side of it is the currency in circulation, commercial bank reserves  and government reserves.
    • On the asset side of it is forex reserves, government securities and gold.
    • The balancing item represents the central bank’s equity and accumulated surplus.

    Let’s look at 3 options suggested above and issues with them-

    1) Printing currency

    • Doing this would increase the liabilities of the RBI under “currency in circulation”.
    • But it first needs to acquire assets to offset this increase in liability.
    • These assets could be government securities, forex reserves or gold.
    • Thus, one way for the government to finance its expenditure would be to issue government bonds and ask RBI to print currency with which to subscribe to such bonds.
    • This is known as deficit monetization.
    •  It is important to note that for the central bank to print money, the government would have to issue bonds to it.
    • It will increase government debt.

    2) Monetisation of gold held by household

    • This would first involve the government buying gold from households in exchange for its bonds.
    • Then, the accumulated gold would be bought by RBI from the government with newly printed currency.
    •  In this case, instead of creating new money to acquire government bonds, RBI would be doing the same to acquire gold.
    • This too involves the Centre taking on additional debt.
    •  Moreover, gold monetization schemes in the past have yielded only mild success.

    3) Using RBI’s forex reserves

    • Against every dollar of forex reserves shown by RBI on the asset side, an equivalent rupee amount has already been created on the liability side.
    • This is because whenever RBI acquires foreign currency, it pays for it using the Indian rupee.
    • Thus, no additional currency can be printed against such already-acquired reserves.
    • The only way our forex reserves can be used for generating additional resources is by pledging them to a third party.
    • The pledging of RBI’s assets to raise funds is done only under extreme circumstances, for instance, during the 1991 balance of payments crisis.
    • We are certainly not in a situation that warrants a repeat of an exercise where RBI’s assets, be it gold or forex reserves, have to be mortgaged.

    So, what is the way out?

    • There are only three ways to finance government expenditure: taxes, debt and asset sales.
    • Taxes and asset sales can pitch in a bit towards the stimulus bill.

    Consider the question “Examine the ways in which government can raise the funds to finance the stimulus package and also discuss the issues with each move.”

    Conclusion

    There is no escaping the fact that we are staring at a higher build-up of government debt in the future. When we stop harbouring the notion that we can pay the stimulus bill without any deterioration in government finances, we will be able to see the bitter truth: There is no such thing as a free lunch.

    Read more about the issue here:

    India’s rising Forex Reserves

  • Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN)

    A new credit protocol infrastructure called the OCEN protocol is set to be launched very soon.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. What is Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN)? How it is expected to be a gamechanger in the micro-credit facilitation services in India?

    Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN)

    • OCEN is a credit protocol infrastructure, which will mediate the interactions between loan service providers, usually fintech and mainstream lenders, including all large banks and NBFCs.
    • It is developed by a think tank, Indian Software Products Industry Round Table (iSPIRT).
    • With this, a credit will become more accessible for a large number of entrepreneurs and small businesses in the country.
    • Private equity and venture capital players, angel investors, high net worth individuals and others also could be part of this exercise as investors.

    How will it work?

    • iSpirit is partnering with key leaders such as SBI, HDFC Bank Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd., IDFC First Bank Ltd., Axis Bank Ltd. etc. for this new credit rail.
    • Account Aggregators which will be using these APIs to embed credit offerings in their applications, and will be called ‘Loan Service Providers’, which will play a crucial role in democratizing access to credit, and lowering interest rates for customers.

    Why need OCEN?

    • The cost of lending being too high in India, small value loans becomes very unfeasible.
    • OCEN which seeks to connect lenders to marketplaces and thereby to borrowers is a technology system.
    • If implemented, the technology can democratize lending to micro-enterprises and street vendors in a big way.