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GS Paper: GS3

  • What are Primordial Black Holes (PBH)?

    A scientist duo from Pune has studied primordial black holes that were born as a result of a tiny bump in the potential energy levels of the universe, at a time when it was expanding rapidly.

    Strange space events are known to be the favourites of UPSC 🙂

    Primordial Black Holes (PBH)

    • PBH are a hypothetical type of black hole that formed soon after the Big Bang
    • It is believed that they are formed as a result of collapsing radiations as opposed to the collapse of massive stars, which is the case of any other black holes.
    • PBH can be massively large as 3000kms or be extremely tiny like nucleus of an atom.

    What did the study conclude?

    • The study has confirmed that this marginal rise in potential energy resulted in birth of several PBHs and also emitted very powerful gravitational waves.
    • Approximately 14 billion years ago before the commencement of the Hot Big Bang phase, the very young universe was found to be active and expanding at a highly accelerated rate.
    • This exponential growth in its size was fuelled by the presence of uniform energy field and density as the universe passed through the Cosmic Inflation phase.
    • According to the scientists, as time passes, this uniform energy prevailing in the Inflation Field wanes out.
    • As a result, the universe resumes its normal decelerating rate.

    Expansion of universe

    • Gravity is normally attractive in nature. The PBH did undergo rapid expansion due to the Inflation field which contrarily possessed repulsive gravity.
    • This pushed the universe to expand at a much faster rate than normal.
    • The universe had expanded to nearly 10^27 times its original size, that too, within just fraction of a second by the time Cosmic Inflation phase concluded.
    • Thereafter, the remnant energy possessed by this gravitational force got converted mainly into photons (light) in addition to protons, electrons, neutrons and other particles.
    • As the universe continued to grow exponentially during the Cosmic Inflation phase, it sent across tiny quantum jitters.
    • These fluctuations, released in a specific fashion, when sufficiently large, slowly give birth to galaxies and stars. Among those that were significantly large, helped form PBHs.

     

  • What is Contact Tracing Technology?

    Global technology giants Apple and Google have announced that they are partnering on developing contact tracing technology to help governments and health authorities tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic.

    What did tech-giants announce?

    • Contact tracing is considered essential for bringing epidemics under control and is expected to help governments in relaxing lockdown orders.
    • The tech companies announced that they would build a comprehensive solution that includes application programming interfaces (APIs) and operating system-level technology to assist in enabling contact tracing.

    What is contact tracing?

    • The WHO defines contact tracing as the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission.
    • Via contact tracing, people who have come into contact with a person carrying a disease are alerted and identified.

    Importance of contact tracing

    • Identifying people at the onset of symptoms and promptly isolating them reduces exposure to other persons, preventing subsequent EVD (Ebola Virus Disease) infections.
    • Additionally, prompt isolation and admission of the symptomatic person to a treatment facility decreases the delay to supportive treatment, which improves the likelihood of survival.

    How will the new technology by Google and Apple work?

    • Google and Apple are the developers of the Android and iOS platforms respectively, which together power most of the world’s smartphones.
    • Both companies will release application programming interfaces (APIs) that would enable interoperability between Android and iOS devices using apps from public health authorities.
    • The official apps will be available for users to download via their respective app stores, as per the press release.
    • When this step is realized, phone-based matching via official apps will help alert people if they have come in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

    Actual working

    • For this to work, COVID-19 patients would have to declare their status to the respective apps voluntarily.
    • Following this, all people whose Android/iOS smartphones were detected nearby such patients, would get notified.
    • This means the user will be notified even if he/she was around a stranger who has tested positive for the disease.

    Issues with contact tracing

    • Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort.
    • The tech giants should look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders.

    Note: How is our Aarogya Setu app different from the technology mentioned in the newscard?

  • How a dollar swap line with US Fed can help in uncertain times?

    India is working with the US to secure a dollar swap line that would help in better management of its external account and provide an extra cushion in the event of an abrupt outflow of funds.

    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.
    • The purpose of a currency swap is to lower exposure to exchange rate risk or reduce the cost of borrowing a foreign currency.

    Why do we need dollars?

    • According to RBI data, 63.7% of India’s foreign currency assets — or $256.17 billion — are held in overseas securities, mainly in the US treasury.
    • While FPIs investors looking for safer investments, the current global uncertainty over COVID outbreak have led to a shortfall in Indian stock markets.
    • This has pulled down India’s foreign exchange reserves.
    • This means that the government and the RBI cannot lower their guard on the management of the economy and the external account.

    How does a swap facility work?

    • In a swap arrangement, the US Fed provides dollars to a foreign central bank, which, at the same time, provides the equivalent funds in its currency to the Fed, 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.

    Benefits of currency swap

    • The absence of an exchange rate risk is the major benefit of such a facility.
    • This facility provides India with the flexibility to use these reserves at any time in order to maintain an appropriate level of balance of payments or short-term liquidity.
    • currency swaps between governments also have supplementary objectives like 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).

    Recent examples

    • India already has a $75 billion bilateral currency swap line with Japan, which has the second-highest dollar reserves after China.
    • The RBI also offers similar swap lines to central banks in the SAARC region within a total corpus of $2 billion.

    Note: Relate all other terminologies related to USD-INR convertiblity viz. Current Account, BoP etc.

  • [pib] Operation Lifeline UDAN

    To ensure a steady supply of essentials, even in the most remote locations, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched ‘Lifeline Udan’.

    Don’t get confused or correlate this with Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Scheme. The name clearly indicates that it is an HADR like operation. Whats HADR? Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

    Op. Lifeline Udan

    • Under this operation, flights are being operated to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country amid the lockdown to support India’s fight against Covid-19.
    • The flights have been operated by Air India, Alliance Air, Indian Air Force, Pawan Hans and private carriers.
    • The cargo compulsorily supplies goods such as regents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits and PPE, masks, gloves and other essential items as applicable by the State and UT Governments.
    • Air India is shouldered to operate dedicated scheduled cargo flights to other countries for transfer of critical medical supplies, as per the requirement.

  • Zoonotic Diseases: Medical Sciences Involved & Preventive Measures

  • Coronavirus – Economic Issues

  • World trade fall mustn’t stoke export pessimism

    Context

    The WTO expects a sharp drop-off in global trade in the wake of Covid-19. But India must not withdraw inwards.

    Prospects of the exports

    • Impact on global trade: The World Trade Organization (WTO) predicts that global trade could fall by 13-32% this year on account of disruptions and all the turmoil.
    • At this point, we cannot even count on a quick recovery after this health emergency is past its peak.
    • A trade revival may have to wait till 2022 or later.
    • Indian exports have been in a slump for a large part of the past decade, and recent reports point to a rash of cancelled orders from abroad (except, notably, for drugs).
    • This, however, should not mean that we slip into export pessimism.
    • Opportunity in the crisis: Instead, a crisis such as this could serve as an opportunity to sharpen our competitive edge that has got blunt over the years.
    • Rupee and reform: This is best done through reforms, though a rupee on the decline vis-à-vis the US dollar should help too.

    Reasons for export orientations

    • The relation between growth and exports: No country is an island unto itself, and nations will continue to exchange goods and services so long as it makes economic sense.
    • Trade partners are usually better off producing what they’re best at, for all users, and buying from the rest what others turn out better—at a lower cost and higher quality.
    • Economies that participate in this game, as the historical record has shown, tend to grow faster.
    • There is another good reason for export orientation.
    • Foreign earnings: India needs foreign earnings, not just for oil imports and suchlike, but also for overall economic stability, given our reliance on foreign capital for growth.
    • In tough times such as these, when we may need to borrow money from abroad to bridge a hugely enlarged fiscal deficit, ensuring a stream of future dollar earnings becomes even more crucial.
    • To enable the issuance of dollar bonds and raise our chances of staging a less painful return to form, we need to get our export act together.

    Way forward to increase exports

    • Structural and policy changes: Export success goes by competitiveness, and for domestic businesses to achieve this, India would need to undertake several structural and policy changes.
    • We could begin with reversing the tariff barriers that have been raised in recent years.
    • Exposure to foreign competitors would force them to turn efficient and perform better.
    • Duties on inputs, especially, need to come down. So do other taxes that hold companies back. Other steps to raise productivity will help, too.
    • Good logistical backup is another big requirement.
    • The low value of rupee: The rupee’s slump is a plus for exporters, since their output is cheaper in dollar terms, but we may need to pursue a policy that does not let our currency’s value get over-inflated by inflows of foreign “hot money” (when they return).
    • Cost of capital: The cost of capital in India needs to be low, too, and this would depend on how well the government manages its finances.
    • India’s annual exports currently form less than 2% of the world’s. We should aim for 5%.

  • A plan for the aftermath

    Context

    Everyone is agreed that the whole world is hurtling towards an unprecedented economic recession. India, already facing a massive slowdown, is going to get hurt perhaps more than the others, because our economic immune system is already weak.

    Three things that we must do in the present situation

    • The first is containing the spread of the virus.
    • Apart from the manpower, medicines, protective equipment for frontline workers and other methods, it will need massive resources to tackle it.
    • Second, the poor are already suffering in more ways than one, including the daily wage earners. They will have to be taken care of, again needing massive resources.
    • Third, economic activity will have to be revived as soon as conditions return to normal or near-normal, for which businesses will have to be helped, again needing massive resources; both in terms of revenue foregone and actual cash outgo.
    • The question, therefore, on everyone’s mind is how much money will be needed for all this and where will it come from?
    • What the government and the RBI have done so far is clearly awfully inadequate. Other countries have done much more. India can be no exception.

    Where will the government will get resources?

    • Partly from market and partly form RBI: Broadly speaking, resources will come partly through market borrowings and partly from the RBI.
    • Manmohan Singh had decided in 1994 that in future the government of India would not monetise its deficit; in other words, would not borrow from the RBI but go to the money market and borrow from there.
    • Borrow from the RBI: In these unprecedented times, we may take leave from that very sound principle, which all governments have followed religiously since then, and borrow from the RBI.
    • What does it mean? This means printing of more currency notes with all its attendant problems including inflation.
    • Government of India will have to take the steps necessary to tackle the after-effects to the extent possible. It must ensure that the supply chains work smoothly.

    How will the money be spent?

    • The Important role of states: The states will have to play a very important role in this, as much of the work will have to be done by them.
    • Responsibility of finance commission: Since the finance commission continues to be in existence and has a clear idea of the state finances, it should be immediately tasked with the responsibility of discussing this matter with the state governments and making its recommendations available within a period of one month.
    • The task force under the finance minister could work out the needs of businesses and the government of India both in the short as well as the medium term.
    • Spending money properly and efficiently: It should not be wasted and each rupee spent creates its own multiplier effect.
    • Our system leaves much to be desired. And the moment it is known that funding is not a constraint, the system can go berserk.
    • We must guard against that and ensure that rules are in place, specially at the field level to ensure the proper use of resources.

    Role of banks, financial institutions and MGNREGA

    • The banks and other financial institutions will have to be provided with resources to help the private sector, especially the agricultural and MSME sectors.
    • In the rural areas, we must ensure that durable assets are created out of the funds made available.
    • The rules governing the MGNREGA scheme should be tweaked to the extent necessary in order to ensure that more material than labour is used wherever necessary.

    Conclusion

    India should and can come out of the present crisis with as little damage as possible if we tackle it together. We cannot control what happens in other countries, but we can surely learn from them and adopt their best practices. We must also play our role in defining the new global order because the world is more intertwined now than ever before.

  • Alternative Market Channel: Bypassing the Farmer Mandis

    The start of the coronavirus pandemic coincided with the peak vegetable harvesting season. As the markets were locked down, there was a threat to the crop in over 100 lakh hectares in the country.

    Alternative Market Channels

    • The alternative market channel works on the principles of decentralisation and direct-to-home delivery.
    • The idea is to create smaller, less congested markets in urban areas with the participation of farmers’ groups and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) so that farmers have direct access to consumers.
    • It is providing a valuable option against the lockdown when efforts to avoid crowding in the wholesale markets are likely to continue.

    Success in Maharashtra

    • Maharashtra is one of a handful of states where FPCs are robust.
    • The model, implemented by the state Agriculture Department and Maharashtra State Agri Marketing Board (MSAMB), requires urban and rural local bodies and other stakeholders to buy into the agricultural marketing chain.

    Innovations in food supply chain management are always a hot topic in mains answers. Talk about decentralization and give examples of a successful implementation and you are all set for a good answer.

    How does it work?

    • The government and MSAMB identify farmer groups and FPCs, and form clusters; local bodies choose the market sites and link the markets for direct delivery to cooperative housing societies.
    • The FPCs and farmers’ groups are allotted space for weekly markets in municipal wards or localities.
    • Some producers group park pick-up trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables at the gates of housing societies.

    Why need such a mechanism?

    • The traffic of both buyers and sellers in these decentralized markets can be controlled more effectively than in wholesale mandis — a key advantage when social distancing is critical.
    • Most FPCs have minimized contact, and have taken to selling pre-packed, customised packets of vegetables.
    • This will likely help create alternative market chains that could continue even after more normal times return.

    Conclusion: A boon for the farmer

    • The practices of rudimentary packing, sorting and branding are being inculcated in farmers, as they pack and send pre-ordered packets to housing societies.
    • With this, a larger numbers of vegetable growers in Maharashtra have got into direct selling to consumers thus bypassing middlemen.

    Also read:

    Is e-NAM portal capable of supporting farmers?

  • Know all about the National Board for Wildlife

    The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) hasn’t met since 2014. Policy decisions and clearances have, meanwhile, come from a standing committee to the dismay of experts.

    This newscard is all about the factoids on National Board for Wildlife. The fact that they haven’t met since 2014 makes it interesting for UPSC to quiz you on its details.

    About National Board for Wildlife

    • The NBWL is constituted by the Central Government under Section 5 A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA).
    • It serves as an apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
    • The board is advisory in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country.

    Composition

    • It is chaired by India’s Prime Minister and its vice-chairman is Minister of Environment.
    • The NBWL has 47 members including the chairperson.
    • Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members.
    • Every new government constitutes a new board, based on the provisions of the WLPA, with the new PM as the chair.

    Functioning

    • The primary function of the NBWL is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests.
    • It has the power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.
    • No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without the approval of the NBWL.

    Working through a Standing Committee

    • The National Board may, at its discretion, constitute a Standing Committee.
    • The Committee shall consist of the MoEFCC in charge as Vice-Chairperson, Member Secretary and not more than ten members to be nominated by the Vice-Chairperson from amongst the members of the National Board.
    • The WLPA mandates that without the approval/recommendation of the NBWL, construction of tourist lodges, alteration of the boundaries of PAs, destruction or diversion of wildlife habitat and de-notification of Tiger Reserves, cannot be done.

    Seeking clearances

    • Several proposals seeking statutory approvals for such projects come up before the Standing Committee.
    • Every proposal requires to be submitted by the State Government in the approved format with complete details (maps, field assessments, alternatives explored…).
    • It must also contain the clear opinion of the officer in charge of a PA, the Chief Wildlife Warden and the State Government in consultation with the State Board for Wildlife.
    • The Standing Committee will then have to consider such proposals in accordance with the provisions of the WLPA.

    Back2Basics: Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

    • WPA provides for the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security.
    • It provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds and plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically-important protected areas in the country.
    • It provides for various types of protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks etc.
    • There are six schedules provided in the WPA for protection of wildlife species which can be concisely summarized as under:
    Schedule I: These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
    Schedule II: Animals under this list are accorded high protection. They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life.
    Schedule III & IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
    Schedule V: This schedule contains animals which can be hunted.
    Schedule VI: This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation.