Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Urban Heat Islands
Mains level: Read the attached story
Several parts of the country are reeling under heat wave conditions. Cities, especially, are a lot hotter than rural areas. This is due to a phenomenon called an âurban heat islandâ.
Urban Heat Island
- An urban heat island is a local and temporary phenomenon experienced when certain pockets within a city experience higher heat load than surrounding or neighbouring areas on the same day.
- The variations are mainly due to heat remaining trapped within locations that often resemble concrete jungles.
- The temperature variation can range between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Why are cities hotter than rural areas?
- Green cover: Rural areas have relatively larger green cover in the form of plantations, farmlands, forests and trees as compared to urban spaces.
- Transpiration: Transpiration is a natural way of heat regulation. This is the scientific process of roots absorbing water from the soil, storing it in the leaves and stems of plants, before processing it and releasing it in the form of water vapour.
- Heat-regulation: Urban areas are often developed with high-rise buildings, roads, parking spaces, pavements and transit routes for public transport. As a result, heat regulation is either completely absent or man-made.
- Construction: Cities usually have buildings constructed with glass, bricks, cement and concrete all of which are dark-coloured materials, meaning they attract and absorb higher heat content.
This forms temporary islands within cities where the heat remains trapped.
How can urban heat islands be reduced?
- The main way to cut heat load within urban areas is increasing the green cover; filling open spaces with trees and plants.
- Other ways of heat mitigation include appropriate choice of construction materials, promoting terrace and kitchen gardens, and painting white or light colours on terraces wherever possible to reflect heat.
What has NASA said on urban heat islands in India?
- NASA recently pointed out heat islands in urban parts of Delhi, where temperatures were far higher than nearby agricultural lands.
- It used its Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment (Ecostress) on the International Space Station.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Places associated with Buddha
Mains level: Buddhist architecture
Prime Minister in Lumbini, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, said that his birthplace Vadnagar in Gujaratâs Mehsana district had been a great centre for Buddhist learning centuries ago.
Vadnagarâs ties with Buddhism
- In 2014, the excavation work has brought up Buddhist relics and around 20,000 artefacts, some dating back to the 2nd century.
- Among these are an elliptical structure and a circular stupa along with a square memorial stupa of 2Ă2 metres and 130 centimetres in height with a wall enclosure.
- It is like a platform which has a chamber in the centre that resembles a pradakshina path.
- Further, bowls said to be used by monks have been found during the excavations, which have a terracotta sealing with inscriptions of namassarvagyaya and a face-shaped pendant with tritatva symbol.
- Sacred relics of the Buddha were even found in Devni Mori in Aravalli district of Gujarat.
In travellers record
- Vadnagar is mentioned often in the Puranas and even in the travelogue of the great Chinese traveler, Hiuen Tsang (7th century), as a rich and flourishing town.
- He is believed to have visited the state in 641 AD.
- It adds how some of the names attributed to Vadnagar in history are Chamatkarpur, Anandpur, Snehpur and Vimalpur.
- It also had snippets about other Buddhist heritage sites in Gujarat, such as Junagadh, Kutch and Bharuch.
Back2Basics: Places associated with Buddha
These are three of the few holiest sites in Buddhism:
- Bodh Gaya in Bihar, the site of the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha under a tree and top site in the list of world heritage sites in India.
- Kesaria stupa is a Buddhist stupa in Kesariya, located at a distance of 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Patna, in the Champaran (east) district of Bihar, India. The first construction of the Stupa is dated to the 3rd century BCE. Kesariya Stupa has a circumference of almost 400 feet (120 m) and raises to a height of about 104 feet (32 m).
- Nalanda was a renowned Buddhist University in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India.Buddhist texts describe it as a Mahavihara, a revered Buddhist monastery.
- Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, the site of the first sermon (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta), where Buddha taught about the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
- Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, the site of the Buddha’s parinirvana and home of many famous meditation & prayer offering sites in India.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Focusing on public health engineering
Context
As we confront the public health challenges emerging out of environmental concerns, expanding the scope of public health/environmental engineering science becomes pivotal.
Why does India need a specialised cadre of public health engineers
- Achieving SDGs and growing demand for water consumption: For India to achieve its sustainable development goals of clean water and sanitation and to address the growing demands for water consumption and preservation of both surface water bodies and groundwater resources, it is essential to find and implement innovative ways of treating wastewater.
- Â It is in this context why the specialised cadre of public health engineers, also known as sanitation engineers or environmental engineers, is best suited to provide the growing urban and rural water supply and to manage solid waste and wastewater.
- Limited capacity: The availability of systemic information and programmes focusing on teaching, training, and capacity building for this specialty cadre is currently limited.
- Currently in India, civil engineering incorporates a course or two on environmental engineering for students to learn about wastewater management as a part of their pre-service and in-service training.
- However, the nexus between wastewater and solid waste management and public health issues is not brought out clearly.
- India aims to supply 55 litres of water per person per day by 2024 under its Jal Jeevan Mission to install functional household tap connections.
- The goal of reaching every rural household with functional tap water can be achieved in a sustainable and resilient manner only if the cadre of public health engineers is expanded and strengthened.
- Different from the international trend: In India, public health engineering is executed by the Public Works Department or by health officials. This differs from international trends.
Way forward
- Introducing public health engineering as a two-year structured masterâs degree programme or through diploma programmes for professionals working in this field must be considered to meet the need of increased human resource in this field.
- Interdisciplinary field: Furthermore, public health engineering should be developed as an interdisciplinary field.
- Engineers can significantly contribute to public health in defining what is possible, identifying limitations, and shaping workable solutions with a problem-solving approach.
- Public health engineeringâs combination of engineering and public health skills can also enable contextualised decision-making regarding water management in India.
Conclusion
Diseases cannot be contained unless we provide good quality and adequate quantity of water. Most of the worldâs diseases can be prevented by considering this. Training our young minds towards creating sustainable water management systems would be the first step.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Buddhist circuit
Mains level: Paper 2- Regional cooperation
Context
Recent developments â in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan â underline the geographic imperative that binds India to its neighbours in the Subcontinent.
Need for intensive regional cooperation for managing the new dangers
- Working with the logic of geography has become an unavoidable necessity amidst the deepening regional and global crises accentuated by Russiaâs war in Ukraine.
- As higher oil and food prices trigger inflation and popular unrest across the region, more intensive regional cooperation is one of the tools for managing the new dangers.
Hope for transcending internal divide between India and Sri Lanka
- Indiaâs relations with Sri Lanka underline the importance of continuous tending of political geography.
- Tradition of hosting political exile: India has had a long tradition of hosting political exiles from the region.
- Whether it was the Dalai Lama from Tibet or Prachanda from Nepal, Delhi has welcomed leaders from the neighbourhood taking shelter in India.
- Negative consequences: There is a dangerous flip side to this positive tradition in the Subcontinent.
- India has paid a high price for the decision in the early 1980s to train and arm Sri Lankan Tamil rebels.
- Hope for transcending internal divide: The current crisis in Sri Lanka raised hopes for transcending the internal ethnic divide in the island nation and rebuilding political confidence between Colombo and Delhi.
- Material and financial support to Sri Lanka: Delhiâs unstinting support â both material and financial â for Colombo during this unprecedented economic and political crisis has generated much goodwill in Sri Lanka.
Relations with Nepal and role of cultural ties
- Possibilities in cultural geography: Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs recent visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Nepal, highlights the immense possibilities of cultural geography in reshaping the Subcontinentâs regional relations.
- The idea of a âBuddhist circuitâ connecting the various pilgrimage sites across the India-Nepal border has been around for a long time.
- India and Nepal have come together in developing the Buddhist circuit.
- Religion and culture are deeply interconnected in South Asia.
- Developing all religious pilgrimage sites across the region, and improving the transborder access to them could not only improve tourist revenues of all the South Asian nations, but could also have a calming effect on the troubled political relations
- That China has built a new airport near Lumbini and Modi is avoiding it points to the turbulent triangular dynamic between Delhi, Kathmandu, and Beijing.
- Revitalising the shared cultural geography inevitably involves better management of economic geography.
- Infrastructure development on Indian side: The last few years have seen the Indian government step up on infrastructure development on the Indian side and accelerate transborder transport and energy connectivity in the eastern subcontinent.
Recent trends in India-Pakistan relations
- Cultural ties: Despite their frozen bilateral political relationship, Delhi and Islamabad had agreed to open the Kartarpur corridor at the end of 2019 across their militarised Punjab border.
- There is much more to be done on reconnecting the Subcontinentâs sacred geographies â including the Ramayana trail and Sufi shrines.
- While parts of the region are aligning their policies with the geographic imperative, Pakistan would seem to be an exception.
- Ignoring the geographic imperative: Given the depth of its macro economic crisis and massive inflation, one might have thought Pakistan would want to expand trade ties with India in its own economic interest.
- But Pakistanâs politics are hard-wired against the logic of geography.
- Delhi had little reason to believe that Pakistanâs new government can alter its self-defeating policy towards India.
- But it must continue to bet that the geographic imperative will eventually prevail over Islamabadâs policies.
Conclusion
Realists might want to argue that current trends in the Subcontinent point to Indiaâs growing agency in shaping its neighbourhood and that Pakistan will not forever remain an exception. For Delhi, the policy question is whether India can do something to hasten the inevitable change in Pakistan.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Read the attached story
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the order of a civil court in Varanasi directing a videographic survey of a temple- mosque complex upholding the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
What is the Places of Worship Act?
- The long title describes it as an Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship.
- It holds places of worships as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
When was this law passed?
- The Act was brought in 1991 by the then pseudo-secular government at a time when the Ram temple movement was at its peak.
- Then, communal tensions in India were at peak.
- Parliament determined that independence from colonial rule furnishes a constitutional basis for healing the injustices of the past.
- It sought to provide the confidence to every religious community that their places of worship will be preserved and that their character will not be altered.
What are its provisions?
- Anti-conversion: Section 3 of the Act bars the conversion, in full or part, of a place of worship of any religious denomination into a place of worship of a different religious denomination â or even a different segment of the same religious denomination.
- Holiness of a place: Section 4(1) declares that the religious character of a place of worship âshall continue to be the same as it existedâ on August 15, 1947.
- Litigation: Section 4(2) says any suit or legal proceeding with respect to the conversion of the religious character of any place existing on August 15, 1947, pending before any court, shall abate â and no fresh suit or legal proceedings shall be instituted.
- Exception for Ayodhya: Section 5 stipulates that the Act shall not apply to the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, and to any suit, appeal or proceeding relating to it.
Issues with the law
- The law has been challenged on the ground that it bars judicial review, which is a basic feature of the Constitution.
- It imposes an âarbitrary irrational retrospective cutoff dateâ, and abridges the right to religion of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.
What is the recent controversy?
- The temple-mosque complex in Varanasi clearly shows that the mosque stands over a rundown temple.
- Videography shows the presence of Hindu deities inside the mosque.
- Right-wing propagandists highlight the intention of Aurangzeb behind leaving remnants of the temple to keep reminding communities of their historical fate and to remind coming generations of rulers of their past glory and power.
What did the Supreme Court say in its Ayodhya judgment?
- The constitutional validity of the 1991 Act was not under challenge, nor had it been examined before the Supreme Court Bench that heard the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.
- The Places of Worship Act imposes a non-derogable obligation towards enforcing our commitment to secularism under the Indian Constitution.
- The law is hence a legislative instrument designed to protect the secular features of the Indian polity, which is one of the basic features of the Constitution.
- The Places of Worship Act is a legislative intervention which preserves non-retrogression as an essential feature of our secular values.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Rice fortification
Mains level: Issues with fortified food
A report has flagged issues due to threats posed to anaemic persons over iron over-nutrition created by rice fortification.
Highlights of the report
- No prior education: The activists discovered that neither field functionaries nor beneficiaries had been educated about the potential harms.
- No warnings issued: There were no warning labels despite the food regulatorâs rules on fortified foods.
- No informed choice: The right to informed choices about oneâs food is a basic right. In the case of rice fortification, it is seen that no prior informed consent was ever sought from the recipients.
What are the risks highlighted?
- Thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia and malaria are conditions where there is already excess iron in the body, whereas TB patients are unable to absorb iron.
- Consumption of iron-fortified foods among patients of these diseases can reduce immunity and functionality of organs.
Endemic zones identified
- Jharkhand is an endemic zone of sickle cell disorder and thalassemia, with a prevalence of 8%-10%, which is twice the national average.
- Jharkhand is also an endemic zone for malaria â in 2020, the State ranked third in the country in malaria deaths.
What is Fortification?
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has explicitly defined fortification.
- It involves deliberate increasing of the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health.
Types of food fortification
Food fortification can also be categorized according to the stage of addition:
- Commercial and industrial fortification (wheat flour, cornmeal, cooking oils)
- Biofortification (breeding crops to increase their nutritional value, which can include both conventional selective breeding, and genetic engineering)
- Home fortification (example: vitamin D drops)
How is fortification done for rice?
- Various technologies are available to add micronutrients to regular rice, such as coating, dusting, and âextrusionâ.
- The last mentioned involves the production of fortified rice kernels (FRKs) from a mixture using an âextruderâ machine.
- It is considered to be the best technology for India.
- The fortified rice kernels are blended with regular rice to produce fortified rice.
How does the extrusion technology to produce FRK work?
- Dry rice flour is mixed with a premix of micronutrients, and water is added to this mixture.
- The mixture is passed through a twin-screw extruder with heating zones, which produces kernels similar in shape and size to rice.
- These kernels are dried, cooled, and packaged for use. FRK has a shelf life of at least 12 months.
- As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the shape and size of the fortified rice kernel should âresemble the normal milled rice as closely as possibleâ.
- According to the guidelines, the length and breadth of the grain should be 5 mm and 2.2 mm respectively.
But why does rice have to be fortified in the first place?
- India has very high levels of malnutrition among women and children.
- According to the Food Ministry, every second woman in the country is anaemic and every third child is stunted.
- Fortification of food is considered to be one of the most suitable methods to combat malnutrition.
- Rice is one of Indiaâs staple foods, consumed by about two-thirds of the population. Per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month.
- Therefore, fortifying rice with micronutrients is an option to supplement the diet of the poor.
What are the standards for fortification?
- Under the Ministryâs guidelines, 10 g of FRK must be blended with 1 kg of regular rice.
- According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg of fortified rice will contain the following: iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
- Rice may also be fortified with zinc (10 mg-15 mg), vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), vitamin B-1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), vitamin B-2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), vitamin B-3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and vitamin B-6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.
How can a beneficiary distinguish between fortified rice and regular rice?
- Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags with the logo (â+Fâ) and the line âFortified with Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12â.
Advantages offered
- Health: Fortified staple foods will contain natural or near-natural levels of micro-nutrients, which may not necessarily be the case with supplements.
- Taste: It provides nutrition without any change in the characteristics of food or the course of our meals.
- Nutrition: If consumed on a regular and frequent basis, fortified foods will maintain body stores of nutrients more efficiently and more effectively than will intermittently supplement.
- Economy: The overall costs of fortification are extremely low; the price increase is approximately 1 to 2 percent of the total food value.
- Society: It upholds everyoneâs right to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger
Issues with fortified food
- Against nature: Fortification and enrichment upset natureâs packaging. Our body does not absorb individual nutrients added to processed foods as efficiently compared to nutrients naturally occurring.
- Bioavailability: Supplements added to foods are less bioavailable. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of a nutrient your body is able to absorb and use.
- Immunity issues: They lack immune-boosting substances.
- Over-nutrition: Fortified foods and supplements can pose specific risks for people who are taking prescription medications, including decreased absorption of other micro-nutrients, treatment failure, and increased mortality risk.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: States reorganization
Mains level: Read the attached story
It was on May 16, 1975 that Sikkim became 22nd state of the Union of India.
Why in news?
- While in many modern narratives, the tale of the former kingdom under the Namgyal dynasty acquiring Indian statehood begins in decades close to the 1970s.
- The real story, according to experts, can only be understood by tracing the events back to 1640s when Namgyal rule was first established.
Sikkimâs accession into India: A complete timeline
(1) Attacks during Namgyal Rule
- Beginning with Phuntsog Namgyal, the first chogyal (monarch), the Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim until 1975.
- At one point, the kingdom of Sikkim included the Chumbi valley (part of China now) and Darjeeling.
- In the early 1700s, the region saw a series of conflicts between Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, which resulted in a shrinking of Sikkimâs territorial boundaries.
(2) Under East India Company
- When the British arrived, their expansion plans in the Indian subcontinent included controlling the Himalayan states.
- The kingdom of Nepal, meanwhile, continued with its attempts to expand its territory.
- This resulted in the Anglo-Nepalese war (November, 1814 to March, 1816), also known as the Gorkha war, which was fought between the Gorkhali army and the East India Company.
- Both sides had ambitious expansion plans for the strategically important mountainous north of the Indian subcontinent.
- In 1814, Sikkim allied with the East India Company in the latterâs campaign against Nepal.
- The Company won and restored to Sikkim some of the territories that Nepal had wrested from it in 1780.
(3) Administrative control of British
- A turning point in the history of Sikkim involves with the appointment of John Claude White as Political Officer of Sikkim.
- Sikkim by then was a British Protectorate under the Treaty of Tumlong signed in March, 1861.
- As with most of the Indian subcontinent that the British had under their administrative control, the kingdom of Sikkim, although a protectorate, had little choice in the administration of its own kingdom.
- The Namgyal monarch could not criticise decisions made by the British, but the ruler did complain about this influx of Nepali migrants into the kingdom.
(4) Scenario after 1947
- Three years after Indiaâs Independence in 1947, Sikkim became a protectorate of India.
- In 1950, a treaty was signed between the then Sikkim monarch Tashi Namgyal and Indiaâs then Political Officer in Sikkim, Harishwar Dayal.
- A clause in the treaty read: âSikkim shall continue to be a Protectorate of India and, subject to the provisions of this Treaty, shall enjoy autonomy in regard to its internal affairs.â
(5) Chinese invasion of Tibet
- Chinaâs invasion of Tibet in 1949 and Nepalâs attacks on Sikkim throughout the kingdomâs history were cited as reasons why the kingdom needed the support and protection of a powerful ally.
- Further, the talk of persecution of Tibetans after Chinaâs arrival at the scene generated fear of the possibility of Sikkim suffering a similar fate.
(6) Dalai Lamaâs Arrival
- In March 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet.
- After the Dalai Lama reached Indian borders, he and his entourage settled at the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh.
- A month later, he travelled to Mussoorie, where he met then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to discuss the future of the Tibetan refugees who had travelled with him.
- The repercussions of Indiaâs decision to welcome and give refuge to the Dalai Lama sent a message to some in Sikkim that unlike China, aligning with India would guarantee their protection and security.
- This was the perspective of the ruling elite in Sikkim.
(7) Public discontent against monarchy
- The period between the 1950s and the 1970s marked growing discontent in Sikkim.
- Primarily, there was anger against the monarchy because of growing inequality and feudal control.
- Anti-monarchy protests grew in 1973, following which the royal palace was surrounded by thousands of protesters.
- Indian troops arrived after the monarch was left with no choice but to ask New Delhi to send assistance.
- Finally, a tripartite agreement was signed in the same year between the chogyal, the Indian government, and three major political parties, so that major political reforms could be introduced.
(8) Attempts for constitutional development
- A year later, in 1974, elections were held, where the Sikkim State Congress led by Kazi Lhendup Dorji won, defeating pro-independence parties.
- That year, a new constitution was adopted, which restricted the role of the monarch to a titular post, which Palden Thondup Namgyal bitterly resented.
- In the same year, India upgraded Sikkimâs status from protectorate to âassociated stateâ, allotting to it one seat each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
- Opposed to the move, the monarch attempted to bring international attention to it soon after.
(9) Finally accession into India
- A referendum was held in 1975 where an overwhelming majority voted in favour of abolishing the monarchy and joining India.
- A total 59,637 voted in favour of abolishing the monarchy and joining India, with only 1,496 voting against.
- Sikkimâs new parliament, led by Kazi Lhendup Dorjee, proposed a bill for Sikkim to become an Indian state, which was accepted by the Indian government.
Also try this PYQ:
Q.The latitudes that pass through Sikkim also pass through:
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Punjab
(c) Himachal Pradesh
(d) Jammu & Kashmir
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Repo Rate
Mains level: Inflation targetting by MPC
Earlier this month, the RBI, in a surprise move decided unanimously to raise the âpolicy repo rate by 40 basis points to 4.40%, with immediate effectâ.
What is the Repo Rate?
- The repo rate is one of several direct and indirect instruments that are used by the RBI for implementing monetary policy.
- Specifically, the RBI defines the repo rate as the fixed interest rate at which it provides overnight liquidity to banks against the collateral of government and other approved securities under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF).
- In other words, when banks have short-term requirements for funds, they can place government securities that they hold with the central bank and borrow money against these securities at the repo rate.
- Since this is the rate of interest that the RBI charges commercial banks such as SBI and ICICI Bank when it lends them money, it serves as a key benchmark for the lenders to in turn price the loans they offer to their borrowers.
Why is the repo rate such a crucial monetary tool?
- According to Investopedia, when government central banks repurchase securities from commercial lenders, they do so at a discounted rate that is known as the repo rate.
- The repo rate system allows central banks to control the money supply within economies by increasing or decreasing the availability of funds.
How does the repo rate work?
- Besides the direct loan pricing relationship, the repo rate also functions as a monetary tool by helping to regulate the availability of liquidity or funds in the banking system.
- For instance, when the repo rate is decreased, banks may find an incentive to sell securities back to the government in return for cash.
- This increases the money supply available to the general economy.
- Conversely, when the repo rate is increased, lenders would end up thinking twice before borrowing from the central bank at the repo window thus, reducing the availability of money supply in the economy.
- Since inflation is caused by more money chasing the same quantity of goods and services available in an economy, central banks tend to target regulation of money supply as a means to slow inflation.
What impact can a repo rate change have on inflation?
- Inflation can broadly be: mainly demand driven price gains, or a result of supply side factors.
- This in turn push up the costs of inputs used by producers of goods and providers of services.
- It is thus spurring inflation, or most often caused by a combination of both demand and supply side pressures.
- Changes to the repo rate to influence interest rates and the availability of money supply primarily work only on the demand side.
- It makes credit more expensive and savings more attractive and therefore dissuading consumption.
- However, they do little to address the supply side factors, be it the high price of commodities such as crude oil or metals or imported food items such as edible oils.
Try this PYQ:
Q.If the RBI decides to adopt an expansionist monetary policy, which of the following would it not do?
- Cut and optimize the Statutory Liquidity Ratio
- Increase the Marginal Standing Facility Rate
- Cut the Bank Rate and Repo Rate
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ramgarh Vishdhari TR
Mains level: Tiger Conservation
Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary is now notified as a tiger reserve after a nod by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
Ramgarh Vishdhari TR
- Ramgarh Vishadhri, located mostly in Bundi district and in part in Bhilwara and Kota districts.
- It is also home to the Indian wolf, leopard, striped hyena, chinkara, antelope and foxes among other animals.
- It is now Indiaâs 52nd tiger reserve and Rajasthanâs fourth, after Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra.
- The reserve will be spread in an area of 1,501.89 sq km.
- The area has been called âcriticalâ for the movement of tigers by wildlife experts and conservationists.
- Though the tiger population in Ramgarh itself was not high, it plays an important role in connecting the Ranthambore and Mukundra Tiger Reserves of Rajasthan.
Back2Basics: Tiger Reserves
- The Tiger Reserves of India were set up in 1973 and are governed by Project Tiger, which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
- A National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary that is considered significant for protecting tigers can be additionally designated as a Tiger Reserve.
- A Tiger Reserve consists of a âCoreâ or âCritical Tiger Habitatâ, which is to be managed as an inviolate area, and a âBufferâ or Peripheral area immediately abutting a Core area, which may be accorded a lesser degree of habitat protection.
- This is the typical zonation of a Tiger Reserve.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 19
Mains level: Paper 2- Issues with Section 124A
Context
In a brief order delivered in S.G. Vombatkere vs Union of India, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India effectively suspended the operation of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.
What was the basis for the reconsideration?
- This direction was issued after the Union government filed an affidavit informing the Court that it had decided to re-examine the law.
- The Bench believed that the offer to reconsider the provision, if nothing else, showed that the Government was in broad agreement with the Courtâs prima facie opinion on the matter, that the clause as it stands âis not in tune with the current social milieu, and was intended for a time when this country was under the colonial regimeâ.
 Section 125A and issues with it
- Section 124A defines sedition as any action â âwhether by words, signs, or visible representationâ â which âbrings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in Indiaâ.
- The word âdisaffectionâ, the provision explains, âincludes disloyalty and all feelings of enmityâ.
- The adopted Constitution did not permit a restriction on free speech on the grounds of sedition.Â
- In the 1950s, two different High Courts struck down Section 124A as offensive to freedom.
- But, in 1962, in Kedar Nath Singh vs State of Bihar, a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court reversed these verdicts.
- The Court paid no heed to the debates that informed the Constituent Assembly.
- Instead, it found that Section 124A was defensible as a valid restriction on free speech on grounds of public order.
- However, while upholding the clause, the Court limited its application to âacts involving intention or tendency to create disorder, or disturbance of law and order, or incitement to violenceâ.
- Vague terms: The decision failed to recognise that terms such as âdisaffection towards the governmentâ, which are fundamentally vague.
- Marginalised sections affected: Since then, in its application by law enforcement, the limitations imposed in Kedar Nath Singh have rarely been observed.
- Â As is often the case with abuses of this kind, it is the most marginalised sections of society that have faced the brunt of the harm.
- Reading of fundamental rights changed: Since 1962, when the judgment was handed out, the Supreme Courtâs reading of fundamental rights has undergone a transformative change.
- Time to reconsider Kedar Nath: This altered landscape meant that when fresh challenges were mounted against Section 124A, the time to reconsider Kedar Nath Singh had clearly arrived.Â
- In the long run, the decision in Kedar Nath Singh will require a clear disavowal.
- But in nullifying Section 124A, albeit for the present, the Court has provided provisional relief â allowing those accused of the offence to both seek bail in terms of the order, and to have their trials frozen.
Conclusion
To protect our democracy, we must ensure that the constitutional guarantees to personal liberty and freedom do not go in vain. For that, each of our penal laws must be animated by a concern for equality, justice, and fairness.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 3- Inflation challenge
Context
Inflation has now remained above the RBIâs upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent for four months in a row.
Broad based inflation
- The second-order impact of higher fuel prices is also visible as inflation in transport and communication surged to nearly 11 per cent, from 8 per cent in the previous month.
- The latest data also indicates that inflation is becoming broad-based.Â
- With demand rebounding, the pass-through of higher input costs is also gaining momentum.
- Considering that demand for goods recovered faster than services, goods producers passed on input costs to consumers.
- But as services recover, there will be greater pass-through of prices to consumers in the coming months.
- While there may be a slight moderation, inflation is expected to remain above the RBIâs threshold of 6 per cent in the coming months.
- The Ukraine conflict continues to impact markets for foodgrains and vegetable oils.
- Rising fertiliser prices are likely to push up farmersâ production costs, leading to high food prices.
- While the government has extended price support through higher subsidies, if this will be enough to cool prices needs to be seen.
Inflation targeting by the RBI
- With sticky crude oil prices and continuing supply-side disruptions amplified by the Covid-induced lockdowns in China, the RBI has rightly reverted its focus on inflation targeting.
- This is needed as central banks around the world are pursuing tight monetary policies to counter inflation.
- The US Fed followed its 25 basis points hike by another 50 basis points rise in May.
- These will be followed by hikes of similar magnitude in the coming months.
- In its April policy, the RBI announced the withdrawal of excess liquidity but did not raise the policy rate.
- Rate hikes by RBI: The RBI is now likely to respond with aggressive rate hikes to prevent the price spiral from getting entrenched.
- The continued strength of the dollar index and sharp rupee depreciation in the last few days could impose further pressure on prices through higher imported inflation.
- Withdrawal of liquidity support: In addition to calibrated rate hikes, the RBI needs to fast-track the withdrawal of the ultra-accommodative liquidity support provided during the pandemic.
Implications
- Discretionary spending: Rising inflation will cut back discretionary spending and adversely impact consumption that had only just started picking up.
- Recession concerns: There are concerns about a recession in advanced economies as rising prices have started manifesting in a decline in purchasing power and a fall in consumer sentiments.
- The demand destruction could trigger a moderation in prices.
- Base metals prices have eased from the peak seen in the last few months.
Conclusion
Monetary policy support needs to be accompanied by fiscal support measures. The policy response will have to be tailored to the evolving geopolitical situation and the paths of commodity and food prices while balancing the imperatives of fiscal consolidation.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: CPI
Mains level: Paper 3- Tackling food inflation
Context
Recently, the RBI raised the repo rate by 40 basis points (bps) and the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 bps with a view to tame inflation.
How effective would be the rate hike in taming the inflation?
- High inflation is always an implicit tax on the poor and those who keep their savings in banks.
- Will the increases in the repo rate and CRR control inflation, especially food inflation?
- The RBI has been behind the curve by at least by 4-to 5 months, and its optimism in controlling inflation in the earlier meetings of the Monetary Policy Committee was somewhat misplaced.
- The reason for this is that food prices globally are scaling new peaks as per the FAOâs food price index.
- The disruptions caused by the pandemic and now the Russia-Ukraine war are contributing to this escalation in food prices.
- India cannot remain insulated from this phenomenon.
Opportunities and challenges for India
- Record wheat export:Â For the first time in the history of Indian agriculture, cereal exports have already crossed a record high of 31 million metric tonnes (MMT) at $13 billion (FY22), and the same cereal wonder may be repeated this fiscal (FY23).
- Among cereals, wheat exports have witnessed an unprecedented growth of more than 273 per cent, jumping nearly fourfold from $0.56 billion (or 2 MMT) in FY21 to $2.1 billion (or 7.8 MMT) in FY22.
- Rice exports have crossed 20 MMT in FY22 in a global market of 50 MMT.
- Some of the concerns on the wheat front are genuine, and we need to realise that climate change is already knocking on our doors.
- With every one degree Celsius rise in temperatures, wheat yields are likely to suffer by about 5 MMT, as per earlier IPCC reports.
- This calls for massive investments in agri-R&D to find heat-resistant varieties of wheat and also create models for âclimate-smartâ agriculture. We are way behind the curve on this.
Need for rationalising food subsidy
- India distribute free food to 800 million Indians, with a food subsidy bill that is likely to cross Rs 2.8 lakh crore this fiscal out of the Centreâs net tax revenue of about Rs 20 lakh crore in FY23.
- Reducing coverage: What needs to be done targeting only those below the poverty line for free or subsidised food and charging a reasonable price, say 90 per cent of MSP, from those who are above the poverty line.
- Giving an option to beneficiaries to receive cash in their Jan Dhan accounts (equivalent to MSP plus 20 per cent) in lieu of grains can be considered.
- This is permitted under NFSA and by doing so, he can save on the burgeoning food subsidy bill.
Conclusion
Indian farmers need access to global markets to augment their incomes, and the government must facilitate Indian farmers to develop more efficient export value chains by minimising marketing costs and investing in efficient logistics for exports.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Wheat cultivation in India
Mains level: Distant dream of doubling farmers income
The Union commerce ministry was preparing to send delegations abroad to boost the countryâs wheat exports, when the government abruptly banned its exports on 14 May.
Why did India ban the export of wheat?
- Record retail inflation has punctured Indiaâs export hopes.
- While wheat prices are up nearly 20%, prices of essential food items such as flour have risen nearly 15% last year.
- Prices of other food items that use wheat, like bread and biscuits, have surged, too.
- Heatwaves in the latter part of March, especially in northwest India, impacted the production of foodgrains.
Is India staring at a food shortage?
- Indiaâs grain stocks are well above the buffer levels and the decision to regulate wheat exports was taken largely to check prices and curb hoarding.
- The public distribution system in the country would be run smoothly.
- However, the government has replaced wheat with rice in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana scheme for 2022-23.
- The effort clearly is a response to the reduced availability of wheat.
What has been the global reaction to the ban?
- Agriculture ministers from G7 condemned Indiaâs decision to withhold wheat exports amid a global grain shortage.
- India is the worldâs second-largest wheat producer and was expected to fill the gap created because of the Ukraine war.
- However, wheat exports will be allowed in cases where an irrevocable letter of credit has already been issued.
How will the ban affect Indiaâs neighbors?
- The export control will help India guide wheat trade in a certain direction.
- Even with the ban, there is a window open for neighbouring countries.
- The export will be allowed to other countries âbased on the request of their governments”.
- This window is crucial for Sri Lanka because the country is facing an economic crisis.
- Also, Bangladesh and Nepal have traditionally relied on Indian wheat.
What is the impact on farmers and traders?
- The ban has deprived Indian wheat traders the opportunity to gain from the global grain shortage.
- It may have an unfavorable impact on wheat farmers too.
- Market prices of wheat had soared past the minimum support price (MSP) in recent months.
Issues with the ban
- This ban has impacted the credibility of India as a reliable supplier of anything in global markets.
- It conveys that we donât have any credible export policy as it can turn its back at the drop of a hat.
- More interestingly, it also reflects a deep-rooted consumer bias in Indiaâs trade policies.
- It is this consumer bias that indirectly becomes anti-farmer. This ban deprives farmers from profit-making.
- It only shows the hollowness of agri-trade policies and dreams of doubling agri-exports.
- The export ban also reflects poorly on Indiaâs image in playing its shared global responsibility amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Way forward
- It may be recognised that inflation is a global phenomenon today caused by excessive liquidity injected by central banks and loose fiscal policies around the world.
- Indiaâs wheat export ban will not help tame inflation at home.
- The Government could have announced a bonus of Rs 200-250/quintal on top of MSP to augment its wheat procurement.
- The govt could have calibrated exports by putting some minimum export price (MEP).
Back2Basics:
How the Central and State governments procure Wheat?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
Mains level: Office of the CDS
The Union government is reassessing the concept of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) leading to a delay in the appointment to the post.
The post of CDS has also been lying vacant since the demise of Late. Gen. Bipin Rawat.
Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
- The CDS is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services, and offers seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the Executive.
- On long-term it provides for defence planning and management, including manpower, equipment and strategy, and above all, âjoint manshipâ in operations.
- In most democracies, the CDS is seen as being above inter-Service rivalries and the immediate operational preoccupations of the individual military chiefs.
- The role of the CDS becomes critical in times of conflict.
Duties and Functions of the CDS
The Ministry of Defence has outlined various functions and duties for the post of CDS:
- To head the Department of Military Affairs in Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary.
- To act as the Principal Military Advisor to Raksha Mantri on all Tri-Service matters.
- To function as the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
- To administer the Tri-Service organizations/agencies/commands.
- To be a member of Defence Acquisition Council chaired by Raksha Mantri.
- To function as the Military Advisor to the Nuclear Command Authority.
- To bring about jointness in operation, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance, etc of the three Services.
- To implement Five-Year Defence Capital Acquisition Plan and Two-Year roll-on Annual Acquisition Plans, as a follow up of Integrated Capability Development Plan.
- To bring about reforms in the functioning of three Services with the aim to augment combat capabilities of the Armed Forces by reducing wasteful expenditure.
Why need CDS?
- Tri-services coordination: The creation of the CDS will eventually lead to the formation of tri-service theatre commands intended to create vertical integration of the three forces.
- Single-point military advisory: The CDS will be a single-point military adviser to the government and synergise long term planning, procurements, training and logistics of the three Services.
- Efforts saving: This is expected to save money by avoiding duplication between the Services, at a time of shrinking capital expenditure within the defence budget.
- Military diplomacy: This is today supporting conventional diplomacy. That canât be done by different Services.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: mRNA, RNA granules
Mains level: Not Much
Researchers at IISc Bangalore have identified a protein in yeast cells that dissolves RNA-protein complexes, also known as RNA granules.
What is mRNA?
- Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded RNA (Ribo Nucleic Acid) molecule that is complementary to one of the DNA strands of a gene.
- The mRNA is an RNA version of the gene that leaves the cell nucleus and moves to the cytoplasm where proteins are made.
- During protein synthesis, an organelle called a ribosome moves along the mRNA, reads its base sequence, and uses the genetic code to translate each three-base triplet, or codon, into its corresponding amino acid.
What are RNA granules?
- Inside the cytoplasm of any cell there are structures made of messenger RNA (mRNA) and proteins known as RNA granules.
- Unlike other structures in the cell (such as mitochondria), the RNA granules are not covered and confined by a membrane.
- This makes them highly dynamic in nature, thereby allowing them to constantly exchange components with the surrounding.
- RNA granules are present in the cytoplasm at low numbers under normal conditions but increase in number and size under stressful conditions including diseases.
Why are they unique?
- A defining feature which does not change from one organism to another (conserved) of the RNA granule protein components is the presence of stretches containing repeats of certain amino acids.
- Such stretches are referred to as low complexity regions.
- Repeats of arginine (R), glycine (G) and glycine (G) â known as RGG â are an example of low complexity sequence.
Functions of RNA granules
- Messenger RNAs are converted to proteins (building blocks of the cell) by the process of translation.
- RNA granules determine messenger RNA (mRNA) fate by deciding when and how much protein would be produced from mRNA.
- Protein synthesis is a multi-step and energy-expensive process.
- Therefore, a common strategy used by cells when it encounters unfavorable conditions is to shut down protein production and conserve energy to deal with a stressful situation.
- RNA granules help in the process of shutting down protein production.
- Some RNA granule types (such as Processing bodies or P-bodies) not only regulate protein production but also accomplish degradation and elimination of the mRNAs, which in turn helps in reducing protein production.
What is the recent study?
- Researchers concluded that low complexity sequences which normally promote granule formation, in this case promote the disintegration of RNA granules in yeast cells.
- They observed that the identified protein Sbp1 is specific for dissolving P-bodies and not stress granules which are related RNA granule type also present in the cytoplasm.
Significance of the study
- This study has highlighted the potential of amino acid repeats (RGG) as a therapeutic intervention.
- The study may help analyze the effect of repeat sequences in genetically engineered mice that accumulate insoluble pathological aggregates in brain cells.
- This could possibly help in treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Devasahayam Pillai
Mains level: NA
Pope Francis canonised Devasahayam Pillai as a Catholic Saint during an event in St Peterâs Basilica.
Who was Devasahayam Pillai?
- Devasahayam was born on April 23, 1712 in Nattalam village in Kanyakumari district, and went on to serve in the court of Marthanda Varma of Travancore.
- After meeting a Dutch naval commander at the court, Devasahayam was baptised in 1745, and assumed the name âLazarusâ, meaning âGod is my helpâ.
His works
- While preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences.
- His conversion did not go well with the heads of his native religion.
- False charges of treason and espionage were brought against him and he was divested of his post in the royal administration.
- On January 14, 1752, Devasahayam was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest.
- Since then, he is widely considered a martyr, and his mortal remains were interred inside what is now Saint Francis Xavierâs Cathedral in Kottar, Nagercoil.
Other canonized saints in India
- Of the eleven, Gonsalo Garcia, born in India to Portuguese parents in Mumbai in 1557, is considered to have been the first India-born saint.
- In 2008, Kerala-born Sister Alphonsa was declared as the first woman Catholic saint from India.
- Mother Teresa had a fast track to sainthood when she was canonized in 2016.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Pubic opinion and jurisprudence
Context
On May 5, 2022, the current affairs site politico.com obtained the draft opinion of Justice Samuel Alito, apparently speaking for the majority of the judges of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overruling Roe v Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v Casey (1992). These two previously decided cases enable women in the US to access abortions, albeit with some restrictions.
Background of the US Supreme Court
- SCOTUS was established on March 4, 1789.
- The almost 225-year-old court, founded to interpret the American constitution that was adopted in 1789, has a long history of being an ideologically divided court, hearing deeply contentious political issues.
- Within both the polity and law in the US, no issue is as emotive and divisive as matters related to abortion.
- At present there is the 6-3 divide in the SCOTUS, with the conservatives constituting the majority.
- Paying attention to the public opinion: Conservative judges also frame the regulation of abortion as a state legislative rights issue, giving enormous weight to the apparent public opinion within those states.
Paying attention to the public opinion
- In the draft opinion that was leaked, after being circulated to the other eight judges of SCOTUS, Justice Alito writes âWe hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,â adding, âit is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the peopleâs elected representatives.
- Here is how the issue is initially framed: Legislatures in states must be able to adopt laws on abortion as they see fit.
- The justification offered is in the context of the legitimacy of such laws being made by the will of the people, through their representatives.
- Â Justice Alito clearly sees this an issue for the legislature to decide based on the will of the voters.
Why public opinion is not a legitimate parameter for adjudicating issues of rights
- Against the separation of power: Across jurisdictions, in the constitutional scheme of separation of powers, the executive, legislature and judiciary are expected to play different roles.
- The executive to govern using the rule of law, the legislature to make law and the judiciary to ensure that those laws are in consonance with constitutional values.
- The introduction of public opinion and deference to the legislature as a valid basis for adjudication by constitutional courts leads to extraordinary conclusions.
- The virtue of constitutional courts is that they are expected to be insulated from public opinion.
- In that regard, they are freed from the vagaries of the will of the voters and enjoy the quiet introspection and justification through legal reasoning that the law creates space for.
Conclusion
The notion that constitutional courts should take the will of voters into account is at odds with the understanding of courts elsewhere, like in India.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Not much
Mains level: Paper 2- Delimitation for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly
Context
Fresh delimitation was necessary for Jammu and Kashmir since the State had been divided into two Union Territories and elections could only be held under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Issues with the report of the Delimitation Commission
- The central question of why Jammu has gained six Assembly seats and the Valley only one has been brushed under general remarks on methodology with no explanation of how that methodology was applied.
- Nor does it explain why Jammuâs Muslim-majority seats now comprise less than a quarter of the provinceâs total seats, though Muslims comprise over a third of the provinceâs population.
- The commissionâs recommendations further complicate the issue.
- They propose that the President nominate Pandit migrants to two Assembly seats â why is there no reference to Pandits who remain in the Valley?
- Indeed, the only overarching guideline which the report does describe in some detail is the commissionâs desire to match the boundaries of Assembly and parliamentary constituencies.
- Most of these questions were addressed to the commission during its consultation phase.
- Â By choosing not to do so they lost a valuable opportunity to display transparency and dispel suspicion of bias.
Way forward
- The only hope for a peace process in Jammu and Kashmir is if there is a clean election, statehood is speedily restored, and the new Assembly determines whether or in which form special status is required.Â
- The better option is to hold elections for existing constituencies and let the new assembly approve or query the delimitation report.
- In fact, the commission itself proposed that the report be placed before the legislative assembly, a recommendation that makes sense only if new delimitation comes into force after and not before elections.
- Urgent as elections are, attention to fundamental freedoms is even more important.
Conclusion
The peace process in Jammu and Kashmir needs to address the concerns of the people related to the restoration of statehood, and clean elections.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Article 311
Mains level: Paper 2- Civil Service reforms
Context
A letter war between two sets of retired public officials (civil servants, judges and army officers), concerning the prevailing political and social situation in the country, has been widely reported in the media.
Role of civil service
- It is the police and magistracy, judicial courts and other regulatory agencies â not politicians â which have been authorised and empowered by law to take preventive action against potential troublemakers, enforce the laws relating to criminal, economic and other offences, and maintain public order.
- In mature democracies, self-respecting public officials normally discharge their constitutional and legal responsibilities with honesty, integrity and their own conscience, firmly resisting the dictates of the vested interests.
Deterioration in the standard of civil service
- The deterioration in standards was very visible during the National Emergency declared in 1975.
- The civil services, like other institutions including the judiciary, just caved in; the trend might have accelerated over the years.
- Now, no one even talks of civil service neutrality.
- Earlier, during communal or caste riots, the Administration focused on quelling the disturbances and restoring peace in the affected locality, without ever favouring one group over the other.
- Now, there are allegations of local officers taking sides in a conflict.
- A civil servantâs pliant and submissive behaviour means an end to civil service neutrality and the norms and values that this trait demands, does not seem to bother either the political or bureaucratic leadership.
- Despite the protection and safeguards in Article 311 of the Constitution, politicians could have a civil servant placed in an inconvenient position or even punish him.
Norms and values associated with a civil servant
- Norms: The norms that define neutrality are: independence of thought and action; honest and objective advice; candour and ,âspeaking truth to powerâ.
- Values: Associated with these norms are the personal values that a civil servant cherishes or ought to cherish, namely, self-respect, integrity, professional pride and dignity.
- All these together contribute to the enhancement of the quality of administration that benefits society and the people.
Conclusion
Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment,â wrote B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution and added, âIt has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic.â
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various terms related to Monsoon
Mains level: Read the attached story
The monsoon is slated to make its earliest arrival in 13 years over Kerala, informs the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
What does the âOnset of Monsoonâ mean?
- The onset of the monsoon over Kerala marks the beginning of the four-month, June to September southwest monsoon season over India.
- It brings more than 70 per cent of the countryâs annual rainfall.
- It marks a significant transition in the large-scale atmospheric and ocean circulations in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The IMD announces it only after certain newly defined and measurable parameters, adopted in 2016, are met.
- The onset is a significant day in Indiaâs economic calendar.
How does IMD predict the monsoon?
- Broadly, the IMD checks for the consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, its intensity, and wind speed:
- Rainfall: The IMD declares the onset of the monsoon if at least 60% of 14 designated meteorological stations in Kerala and Lakshadweep record at least 2.5 mm of rain for two consecutive days at any time after May 10.
- Wind field: The depth of westerlies should be upto 600 hectopascal (1 hPa is equal to 1 millibar of pressure) in the area bound by the equator to 10ÂșN latitude, and from longitude 55ÂșE to 80ÂșE. The zonal wind speed over the area bound by 5-10ÂșN latitude and 70-80ÂșE longitude should be of the order of 15-20 knots (28-37 kph) at 925 hPa.
- Heat: The INSAT-derived Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) value (a measure of the energy emitted to space by the Earthâs surface, oceans, and atmosphere) should be below 200 watt per sq m (wm2) in the box confined by 5-10ÂșN latitude and 70-75ÂșE latitude.
- The onset is not officially declared until the prescribed conditions (above) are met.
Factors considered by IMD
- The IMD uses a specialised model that forecasts the arrival dates within a four-day window.
- It uses six predictors:
- Minimum temperatures over northwest India
- Pre-monsoon rainfall peak over south Peninsula
- Outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) over the South China Sea
- Lower tropospheric zonal wind over the southeast Indian Ocean
- Upper tropospheric zonal wind over the east equatorial Indian Ocean, and
- OLR over the southwest Pacific region
Where is the early arrival noticed?
- The monsoonâs arrival over India is marked by rain over south Andaman Sea, which then advances north-westwards across the Bay of Bengal.
- In general, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands start receiving monsoon rainfall between May 15 and May 20 every year.
- And it usually starts raining along the Kerala coast in the last week of May.
Does an early onset foretell a good monsoon?
- No, it does not â just as a delay does not foretell a poor monsoon.
- The onset is just an event that happens during the progress of the monsoon over the Indian subcontinent.
- A delay of a few days, or perhaps the monsoon arriving a few days early, has no bearing on the quality or amount of rainfall, or its regional distribution across the country.
Back2Basics: Long Period Average (LPA)
- The IMD predicts a ânormalâ, âbelow normalâ, or âabove normalâ monsoon in relation to a benchmark âlong period averageâ (LPA).
- The LPA of rainfall is the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given interval (like month or season) average over a long period like 30 years, 50 years, etc.
- LPA refers to the average rainfall recorded from June to September for the entire country, the amount of rain that falls every year varies from region to region and from month to month.
- The IMDâs prediction of a normal monsoon is based on the LPA of the 1971-2020 period, during which India received 87 cm of rain for the entire country on average.
- It has in the past calculated the LPA at 88 cm for the 1961-2010 period, and at 89 cm for the period 1951-2000.
Why LPA is needed?
- The IMD records rainfall data at more than 2,400 locations and 3,500 rain-gauge stations.
- Because annual rainfall can vary greatly not just from region to region and from month to month, but also from year to year within a particular region or month.
- An LPA is needed to smooth out trends so that a reasonably accurate prediction can be made.
- A 50-year LPA covers for large variations in either direction caused by freak years of unusually high or low rainfall, as well as for the periodic drought years.
- It also takes into account the increasingly common extreme weather events caused by climate change.
Range of normal rainfall
The IMD maintains five rainfall distribution categories on an all-India scale. These are:
- Normal or near normal, when the percentage departure of actual rainfall is +/-10% of LPA, that is, between 96-104% of LPA;
- Below normal, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 10% of LPA, that is 90-96% of LPA;
- Above normal, when actual rainfall is 104-110% of LPA;
- Deficient, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 90% of LPA; and
- Excess, when the departure of actual rainfall is more than 110% of LPA.
Also read
Various terms related to Indian Monsoon
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