We are now at that point in the cycle where all central banks — the RBI, the US Fed, the European Central Bank, Bank of England and others — have begun to signal, a process of normalisation from the unprecedented loose monetary policy stimulus post the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.
Recovery momentum
Surveys and data prints are now signalling that the recovery momentum in the first half of 2021 is decelerating in many countries, although the direction and momentum may vary.
The RBI Governor notes that “the external environment, which had been supportive of aggregate demand over the past few months, may lose momentum for a variety of reasons”.
China — its policy and economy — is the most salient risk for a sustained global recovery.
The Chinese authorities’ seeming determination to push ahead with structural reforms, de-carbonising initiatives, and curbs on real estate appear designed to sacrifice some short-term growth for medium-term efficiencies, and reduce financial risks and inequality.
Inflation in almost all major economies continues to remain high.
The US Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) survey measure of core inflation is running over 4 per cent.
The story is similar in Europe.
Assessing India’s growth recovery
India’s growth–inflation dynamics are also becoming favourable, but are still subject to multiple risks.
In assessing India’s growth recovery, a risk of the global economy going into “stagflation”, going by US signals seems to be that if at all, it is likely to be mild.
The recovery of economic activity continues, although the high-frequency indicators we track suggest that the momentum observed in July and August has moderated.
Electricity consumption growth is also down from August levels, but part of this can be explained by both cooler, rainy weather, as well as coal shortage related cutbacks in many electricity-intensive manufacturing.
The residential real estate is reportedly doing exceptionally well, with low-interest rates on home loans, cuts in stamp duty and registration charges, and indeed behavioural shifts towards own home ownerships with hybrid and work from home shifts.
Even the commercial real estate sector is reviving.
The Union government also has large unspent cash balances, which can be judiciously deployed to boost both capex and consumption.
The overall inflation trajectory suggests a gradual glide path towards the 4 per cent target by March 2023 or a bit beyond.
There are risks of overshooting this forecast trajectory, despite a benign outlook on food prices.
This emanates from global metals, minerals, crude oil prices, and from supply bottlenecks persisting till well into 2022.
Conclusion
In summary, the growth–inflation signals remain mixed. Multiple episodes of global spillovers in the past couple of decades have taught us that imminent normalisation will have implications for all emerging markets.
Civil Services Examination result 2020 was released on 24th September 2021. Civilsdaily is proud to announce its toppers. In 2020, we took 50 Students for Mains exclusive one-to-one mentorship program and 80% got interview calls with 50% making it to the final list.
Even Toppers of Civil services examination 2020 were impressed by the quality of questions from the Mains Test and Mentorship provided:
A personal note by Karishma Nair, AIR 14 (2020)
Quora Review by Pranav Vijayvergiya, AIR 65 (2020)
A talk with Vaibhav Rawat, AIR 25 (2020)A talk by P Srija, AIR 20(2020)
Here’s a look at some questions from our FLT Tests:
FLT 1 PAPER 1
Q. While there are several theories about why the Indus Valley Civilisation declined, climate change appears to be the most likely scenario. Discuss in what way the decline of IVC could be related to climate change aspects of that time. Draw an analogy of how past experiences can prove to be lessons to our future generations.
Model Answers:
More than 4,000 years ago, the Indus Valley Civilisation thrived in the Indus river valley of what is now modern Pakistan and north-western India. They built sophisticated cities, invented sewage systems, and even engaged in long-distance trade. However, by 1800 BCE, this advanced culture had abandoned their cities, moving instead to smaller villages in the Himalayan foothills.
Various causes have been suggested for the decline of the civilization which includes:
Aryan invasion theory- Very little evidence.
Decreasing fertility- Due to increasing salinity of soil
Sudden subsistence or uplift of land- Causing floods
Tectonic disturbances- caused earthquakes
Climate change- Most accepted theory. A new study titled ‘Neoglacial climate anomalies and the Harappan metamorphosis also supports this.
Climate change and decline of IVC:
Wetter winter monsoon- Between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, strong winter monsoons were characterised by early neoglacial anomalies (ENA) that are characterised by changes in wind and precipitation patterns that are evident across the eastern Northern Hemisphere and tropics. This may have led to urban Harappan society turning into a rural one, as inhabitants migrated from a summer flood-deficient river valley to the Himalayan plains.
Decline in the winter monsoon- This could have played a role in the demise of the rural late Harappans.
Shift in temperatures and weather patterns- This caused summer monsoon rains to gradually dry up, making agriculture difficult or impossible near Harappan cities.
Neo-glaciation- A general cooling, occurred between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago. Records for the last 4,500 years generally indicate that temperatures were lower than the Holocene thermal maximum.
Less predictable floods in the Indus and tributary rivers- This affected the Indus people who depended a lot on inundation agriculture.
Changing character of the Indian monsoon- Affected atmospheric temperatures and the flow of rivers originating in the Himalayas. Both the changing temperature and the changes in river flow would have influenced the crops that were grown in the region.
Drying up of Ghaggar-Hakra- The probable course of the Saraswati river, dried at the same time.
The Indus story is important today because it provides us with a vivid example of what climate change could do to people. Some analogous examples observable in modern times are:
Migration due to climate change– The study provides a powerful lesson for today as the migration out of Syria, Venezuela and African countries has some roots in climate change.
Sea level rise- The sea level is rising at a rate of 12 mm per year in the western Pacific and has already submerged eight islands.This can lead to huge migrations from the low-lying regions or from hurricane-prone regions in the southern U.S.
South Asia- Increasing temperatures, more frequent cyclones, flooding of river systems fed by melting glaciers, and other extreme weather events along with rapid economic growth and urbanization are accelerating and magnifying the impact and drivers of climate change
The Harappans could cope with the change by migrating but owing to the existing rigid political boundaries with the increasing tendency of protectionism, this option is nearly closed in today’s global scenario which ultimately can cause political and social convulsion. Multilateral institutions, development agencies, and international law must do far more to resolve the impending crisis in line with the sustainable development goals.
FLT 2 PAPER 2
Q. Involving local communities along with the welfare of women can prevent malnutrition in the country effectively. Elaborate.
Model Answer:
While India’s malnutrition rates have improved over the recent years, the country is still facing a Triple burden of Malnutrition i.e. undernutrition, Hidden hunger, and Child overweight. In Global Hunger Index 2021 India ranked 101 among 116 countries under the Serious Level category, whereas the report of the WHO positioned India as the world’s third most obese nation after the USA and China.
The Core Strength of a nation is vested in the capabilities of its people. Malnutrition inflicts the very human resources base, severely limiting the socio-economic development of a nation. In this regard involvement of the local community along with the empowerment of women becomes essential in tackling the issue of malnutrition.
Role of Local Community in preventing Malnutrition:
Ensuring accountability and Avoiding Leakages- using methods like surveys, social audits, local community’s checks both inclusion and exclusion errors and ensure accountability and better targeting thus improving the delivery of food and nutrition. Eg. ‘Collective Action for Nutrition’ (CAN) social audit program in Odisha.
Making Govt. interventions culturally adaptable– involvement local community build trust and cooperation that ensures various Govt. interventions are culturally appropriate and holistic in terms of design and implementation thus making it easier to adapt in fighting against Malnutrition. Example- fish, egg, and dry fruits in mid-day meal program of states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Lakshadweep.
Checking discrimination: There is a correlation between discrimination based on gender, caste or religion and poor nutrition. With participation and active sensitization of the local community, such discrimination can be checked which in turn helps in fighting malnutrition.
Acting as Role Model: Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) recommended by both WHO and UNICEF, has shown positive results in the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra that led to rapid reduction of malnutrition among children between 2015-16 (NFHS-4) to 2019-20 (NFHS-5). it has the potential to be scaled up anywhere in India.
Support system: This collective action by communities imparts a sense of psychosocial well-being, self-efficacy and confidence to the group members along with the creation of a protective environment that helps in fighting malnutrition. Eg. the Proliferation of various community kitchens was conceived, organized, and run by the people in various states to tackle food security crisis during the lockdown.
Promotion of nutritional behavior: Synergy between the local community and various govt. departments can help in making the public aware of nutritional behavior.
Eg. SAAMAR (Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction) campaign to tackle malnutrition in the state of Jharkhand.
Welfare of women and Malnutrition
Mother’s Literacy: Mothers empowered with knowledge and a facilitative environment, as the decision-maker in the house they can ensure proper dietary diversity, breastfeeding immunization and other interventions which is crucial for reducing malnutrition.
Ending gender discrimination- female members of the household tend to be treated as inferior and receive a relatively lower share of nutrition. Women end up eating the last and the least. Undernourished mothers give birth to an undernourished baby thus perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of under nutrition. To break this circle, the welfare of women is imperative.
Empowered women farmers can help fight malnutrition- Given financial support and choice in crop selection. A report of CARE India suggested that women farmers preferred crops that would contribute to household dietary diversity while promoting food and nutrition security rather than being more inclined towards cash crops.
Political empowerment- Role of women Sarpanchs in states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh showed that Women in leadership positions tend to take up issues related to health and hygiene on priority hence fighting rather effectively with menace like Malnutrition.
In the fight against Malnutrition India needs a change of perspective where malnutrition is seen as a social issue rather than as a health problem. An integrated approach involving all the stakeholders along with the robust framework of service delivery can help India to achieve the aim of the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
Mains Guidance Plus is a wholesome package for UPSC Aspirants. The aim behind this program is not just to provide students with Model tests, but to cover multiple needs of students. From Mentorship to current affairs, the program has all the necessary elements needed for mains 2021.
PROGRAM INCLUSION:
Sectional Tests: 8 sectional tests to cover your static portions in detail. The scope will spread over your core subjects like History, economics, and polity, etc.
Full-length tests: 12 FLTs to help you practice for the final Mains examination. These FLTs are patterned on UPSC Examination and have medium to high-quality questions. They will surely boost your preparation and test your analytical skills.
One on One Mentorship: After every test, a call with a mentor will be arranged and you can clear your doubts on the paper. This is important as with your mentor you can discuss your weakness and strategize for the next paper.
Quality Enrichment Program Notes: QEP is an intensive and holistic program for IAS Mains 2021 GS papers. We aim to cover up to 250 most relevant issues with a 360-degree view, covering all dimensions of each and every topic. Not only you’ll learn and analyze these issues but will also understand how to utilize them via Daily Answer Writing and Mains Test Series.
Mains Super 50 is a program apt for those aspirants whose focus lies on clearing Mains 2021. Those Students who have been practicing some answer writing and want to directly start with FLTs should opt for this. This program also has complete mentorship support.
PROGRAM INCLUSION:
Full-length tests: 12 FLTs to help you practice for the final Mains examination. These FLTs are patterned on UPSC Examination and have medium to high-quality questions. They will surely boost your preparation and test your analytical skills.
One on One Mentorship: After every test, a call with a mentor will be arranged and you can clear your doubts on the paper. This is important as with your mentor you can discuss your weakness and strategize for the next paper.
Weekly Zoom Call with Sukanya Ma’am: These calls will focus on paper discussion and students can as well raise their queries.
Mentorship is a forte of Civilsdaily and once you experience it, you will believe it. Mains Guidance Mini is a program focused on mentorship-based improvement. You can appear in any Test series, we will provide you the mentorship on that paper.
PROGRAM INCLUSION:
10 Test Discussion: You can discuss 10 FLTs in which you have appeared recently. These tests can be from any institute. Just mail to us and we will provide you the guidance.
One on One Mentorship: After submitting a test, a call with a mentor will be arranged and you can clear your doubts on the paper. This is important as with your mentor you can discuss your weakness and strategize for the next paper.
When the bench of the Chief Justice of India passed an order appointing a committee in the Pegasus matter, it served the interest of every Indian.
What led to the appointment of committee by the Supreme Court
Pegasus has allegedly been used against politicians and individuals across the globe, including against politicians, journalists and other private individuals in India.
The issue rocked Parliament, but the government was not willing to share any information pertaining to the software or its use, citing national security as a reason.
The alleged victims of the software turned to the Supreme Court, and prayed for setting up of an independent enquiry.
The government, on being called upon by the Supreme Court, cited national security, contending that any information it let out would become a matter of public debate, which could be used by terror groups to hamper national security.
Its unrelenting stand left the court with no option but to take a call on whether to blindly accept the government’s refusal to share no information whatsoever, or lean in favour of a citizen’s right to privacy, a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution.
The Supreme Court chose the latter course.
Balancing the fundamental rights nad judicial review with national security
The Supreme Court has observed that “the state cannot get a free pass every time the spectre of national security is raised”.
It goes on to say that national security “cannot be the bugbear that the judiciary shies away from, by virtue of its mere mentioning. Although this court should be circumspect in encroaching upon the domain of national security, no omnibus prohibition can be called for against judicial review”.
GS-1 Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times.
GS-2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
GS-3 Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
GS-4 Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.
You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.
Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.
If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis
If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.
We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.
*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*.
PM Modi has proposed a five-fold strategy called the ‘Panchamrita’ for India to play its part in helping the world get closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the global climate meeting in Glasgow.
What is Panchamrita?
‘Panchamrita’ is a traditional method of mixing five natural foods — milk, ghee, curd, honey and jaggery. These are used in Hindu and Jain worship rituals. It is also used as a technique in Ayurveda.
The PM euphemistically termed his scheme as ‘Panchamrita’ meaning the ‘five ambrosia’.
Under Panchamrita’, India will:
Get its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030
Meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements till 2030 with renewable energy
Reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030
Reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030
Achieve net zero by 2070
Key takeaways of PM’s speech
(a) Commitment for climate action
India consists of 17 per cent of the world’s population but contribute only five per cent of emissions.
Yet, it has left no stone unturned in doing our bit to fight climate change.
At Paris, India was making promises not to the world but to itself and 1.3 billion Indians, PM said.
(b) Climate finance
The 2015 Paris CoP where the Paris Agreement was signed was not a summit but a sentiment.
The promises made till now on climate finance were useless.
When we all are increasing our ambitions on climate action, the world’s ambition could not stay the same on climate finance as was agreed at the time of Paris.
(c) India’s track record
India was fourth as far as installed renewable energy capacity was concerned.
The Indian Railways has pledged to make itself net-zero by 2030. This will result in an annual 60 million tonnes reduction in emissions.
India initiated the International Solar Alliance for solar energy.
It has also set up the coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure for climate adaptation.
The Union Environment Minister has delivered the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries at the UN Climate Change Conference underway at Glasgow.
Who are the BASIC Countries?
The BASIC countries (also Basic countries or BASIC) are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
It was formed by an agreement on 28 November 2009.
The four committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations.
This emerging geopolitical alliance, initiated and led by China, then brokered the final Copenhagen Accord with the United States.
What is the Copenhagen Accord?
The Copenhagen Accord is a document signed at COP 15 to the UNFCCC on 18 December 2009.
The Accord states that global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).
It does not specify what the baseline is for these temperature targets (e.g., relative to pre-industrial or 1990 temperatures).
In January 2010, the Accord was described merely as a political agreement and not legally binding, as is argued by the US and Europe.
It is not legally binding and does not commit countries to agree to a binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose round ended in 2012.
According to the UNFCCC, these targets are relative to pre-industrial temperatures.
The Jal Shakti Ministry has released a guide for the safe rescue and release of stranded Ganges River Dolphins.
Gangetic Dolphin
The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
The species, whose global population is estimated at 4,000, are (nearly 80%) found in the Indian subcontinent.
It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
It is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world.
Only three species of freshwater dolphins are remaining on the earth after the functional extinction of the Chinese river Dolphin (Baiji) in 2006.
Conservation status
The GRDs have been designated the National Aquatic Animal of India since 2010.
It is listed as:
Endangered under IUCN Red List
Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972)
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
About the guidelines
The document has been prepared by the Turtle Survival Alliance, India Program and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department (EFCCD), Uttar Pradesh.
The guide has been drawn from years of experience of the organization while rescuing 25 Ganges River Dolphins (GRDs) stranded in irrigation canals.
Various threats
They often accidentally enter canal channels in northern India and are often entrapped, and die as they are unable to swim up against the gradient.
They are eventually harassed by the locals.
Opportunistic poaching for meat and oil in certain pockets of the country is another big threat.
Prelims Super-25 Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santhosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time.
Do you want to practice medium to tough test series regularly? Before attending a test do you want to revise the right notes with integrated current affairs? And, after a test do you want an experienced mentor to discuss your answers and motivate you?
If yes, then this is the right program for you! The registrations are open for all UPSC 2022 aspirants.
Is Prelims the Toughest Exam of UPSC-CSE?
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) and Swati Sharma (AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he had cleared Mains and Interview in one shot!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept based questions.
Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative marking. One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones.
Our Super 25 Prelims Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts.
This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
How do Students find Santhosh Sir’s Mentorship?
Santhosh sir has always been more than a guide. He has always walked with aspirants in their UPSC journey than ahead of them. Whenever our students were demotivated, this is how Santhosh sir lifted their spirits —
Testimonials by students who successfully cleared UPSC 2021 Prelims —
The program has three pillars and every aspirant who enrolls for Smash 2022 Prelims has access to all of them.
Pillar-1
Prelims Tests:
40 (12 Basic + 6 Advanced + 10 CA tests + 8 Full tests + 4 CSAT)
Sl No.
SUBJECT
NO. OF TESTS
1
Polity
3
2
Modern History
2
3
Economy
2
4
Geography
3
5
Environment
3
6
Science & Technology
1
7
Ancient and Medieval India
2
8
Economic Survey
1
9
Schemes and India Year Book
1
10
Current Affairs
10
11
CSAT
4
12
Full Length Test
8
Pillar-2
Value Additions Notes and Classes by Santosh Gupta Sir
Polity
Santhosh Gupta sir will conduct two sessions covering all the Polity Fundamentals, a session analyzing past year papers, another session on important current affairs related to polity this year and will discuss your test solutions.
History
Santhosh Gupta sir will conduct a session on Sectoral Developments in Modern History, a session analyzing past year papers and test discussion.
Economy
There will be sessions on economic survey, trend analysis, discussion of most important economic current affairs, past year paper analysis and economy final test discussion.
Geography
Santhosh sir will conduct sessions on the most difficult aspects like Geography Mapping, Economic Geography and Indian Agriculture.
Environment
Santhosh Gupta sir will cover sessions on Environment innovatively. Key concepts like vegetation and biome, Indian wildlife, conventions and protocols, national parks and sanctuaries, agriculture and sustainable development and environment current affairs will be covered.
Science & Technology
This year’s prelims paper questioned on the basic concepts of science. Keeping this in mind, Santhosh Gupta sir will conduct 2 sessions on One basic concepts and current affairs of science and technology.
Other Value Additions
1. Decimate Prelims-2022 Content: 2 years of current affairs notes for all topics + Videos
2. Civilsdaily Current Affairs Magazines for 1 year
3. Civilsdaily compilations of Yojna, Kurukshetra, PRS and RS TV.
4. Civilsdaily Budget And Economic Survey Summary.
Pillar-3
Santhosh Gupta sir’s mentorship programme will have these special features for aspirants.
1. Monthly zoom session by Santosh Gupta for doubt clearance and continuous improvement.
2. 1-1 mentor calls after tests.
3. Habitat/Whatsapp support from mentors.
4. Frequent sessions with toppers for support and guidance.
If you have any doubts regarding the program, pleasefill the formfor a call back.
Aspirants who don’t want the full program can opt for Smash Prelims-2022: Mini version. This will not have value added notes. Prelims tests + individual mentorship + monthly zoom sessions by Santosh Gupta sir will be available for this plan.
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace – the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) established ‘The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences’ in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
Let us learn more about the Nobel Prize laureates in 2021 here and what is their contribution to society.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2021
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded one half jointly to Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and the other half to Giorgio Parisi“for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems.”
This is the first time climate scientists (Manabe and Hasselmann) have been awarded the Physics Nobel. Last year, the award was given for the research into black holes.
Three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics for work that is essential to understanding how the Earth’s climate is changing, pinpointing the effect of human behaviour on those changes and ultimately predicting the impact of global warming.
Who are the laureates?
The winners were Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann of Germany, and Giorgio Parisi from Italy.
In 2015, at a UK-based climate-focused online publication sought to identify the three most influential climate change research papers ever published.
The paper that received the most votes was one by Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald way back in 1967.
These reports for the first time, had described the impact of carbon dioxide and water vapour on global warming.
Citation for their Climate Model
Manabe is a senior meteorologist and climatologist at Princeton University.
In the 1960s, he led ground-breaking research into how increased levels of carbon dioxide lead to higher temperatures on the surface of the Earth.
This laid the foundation for the development of current climate models.
Hasselmann is a German physicist and oceanographer who greatly advanced public understanding of climate change through the creation of a model that links climate and chaotic weather systems.
Parisi has focused on quantum field theory and complex systems.
Why it is a significant feat?
This is the first-time climate scientists have been awarded the Physics Nobel.
The IPCC had won the Peace Nobel in 2007, an acknowledgement of its efforts in creating awareness for the fight against climate change.
A Chemistry Nobel was also awarded to Paul Crutzen in 1995, for his work on the ozone layer, is considered the only other time someone from atmospheric sciences has won this honour.
The recognition of Manabe and Hasselmann, therefore, is being seen as an acknowledgement of the importance that climate science holds in today’s world.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David MacMillan for their development of a precise new tool for molecular construction: organocatalysis.
This has had a great impact on pharmaceutical research, and has made chemistry greener.
Last year, the honour went to Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer Doudna, for developing the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 – DNA snipping “scissors”.
What are Catalysts?
When two or more compounds react to form new compounds, the process is often aided by other chemicals that do not change themselves but help speed up the reaction.
These catalysts have been known at least since the middle of the 19th century, and are used in virtually every chemical process these days.
Till around 2000, only two kinds of chemicals were known to act as effective catalysts: metals, mainly heavier metals; and enzymes, naturally occurring heavy molecules that facilitate all life-supporting biochemical processes.
Both these sets of catalysts had limitations.
Issues with conventional catalysts
Heavier metals are expensive, difficult to mine, and toxic to humans and the environment.
Despite the best processes, traces remained in the end product; this posed problems in situations where compounds of very high purity were required, like in the manufacture of medicines.
Also, metals required an environment free of water and oxygen, which was difficult to ensure on an industrial scale.
Enzymes on the other hand, work best when water is used as a medium for the chemical reaction.
But that is not an environment suitable for all kinds of chemical reactions.
Nobel invention: Organo-catalysis
List and MacMillan, the both, started experimenting with simple organic compounds.
Organic compounds are mostly naturally occurring substances, built around a framework of carbon atoms and usually containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or phosphorus.
Life-supporting chemicals like proteins, which are long chains of amino acids (carbon compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen) are organic.
Enzymes are also proteins, and therefore, organic compounds.
List and MacMillan started working with individual amino acids in enzymes — and struck gold.
What is asymmetric catalysis?
Substances can have exactly the same chemical composition and molecular formula; yet differ widely in their properties. They are known as isomers.
One type of isomers are those that differ in the way individual atoms are oriented in three-dimensional space.
Two molecules could be exactly the same, except that they are mirror images of each other, like our hands.
For simplicity, scientists often refer to these molecules as left-handed or right-handed.
This simple difference can sometimes have enormous consequences because it allows the molecules to bind in different locations when they interact with other molecules.
The end product in a chemical reaction is usually a mixture of left-handed and right-handed molecules.
List and MacMillan discovered that by using a natural compound like an amino acid as a catalyst, they were obtaining only one specific mirror image of the end-product.
This was later named asymmetric catalysis.
Significance of their discovery
The new catalysts, derived from naturally occurring chemicals, were greener and cheaper and ensured that the end product of the chemical reaction was of a specific variety.
The end product need not go through a purification process to yield the desired type of compound.
The discovery being awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 has taken molecular construction to an entirely new level.
Its uses include research into new pharmaceuticals and it has also helped make chemistry greener.
Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences 2021
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded in one half to Canadian-born David Card and the other half jointly to Israeli-American Joshua D Angrist and Dutch-American Guido W Imbens.
David Card has been awarded for his empirical contributions tolabor economics. Joshua D Angrist and Guido W Imbens won the award “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.”
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats”.
Unlike the other Nobel prizes, the economics award wasn’t established in the will of Alfred Nobel but by the Swedish central bank in his memory in 1968.
What makes this year’s award special?
This is the first time the economic prize has been divided in this fashion with one half going to one awardee and other half divided across two awardees.
In the past, prize money was divided equally between the awardees even if the prize was for different topics as is the case this time around.
It may appear that the Nobel Prize has been given for two different contributions, but there is a common theme: “natural experiments.”
What are Natural Experiments?
Economists are often interested in causal questions such as the impact of education on incomes, impact of COVID-19 on poverty and so on.
They are also interested is understanding the direction of causality.
Economists have used two kinds of experiments to study these causality and direction of causality questions: random experiments and natural experiments.
(I) Random experiments
Under randomized experiments, the researchers allocate say medicines to a treatment group and compare the effect of the medicine with the control group which is not given the medicine.
In 2019, the Nobel Committee gave awards to three scholars for their contribution to the field of randomized experiments.
However, one cannot randomize experiments to study issues such as why certain people and regions are more unequal or have fewer educational opportunities and so on.
(II) Natural experiments
In natural experiments, economists study a policy change or a historical event and try to determine the cause and effect relationship to explain these developments.
The trio used such natural experiments to make some landmark contributions to economic development.
Natural experiments are more difficult for two reasons. The first is to identify what will serve as a natural experiment.
Second, in a random experiment, the researcher knows and controls the treatment and control groups which allows them to study the cause and effect of medicine.
But in natural experiments, such clear differentiation is not possible because people choose their groups on their own and even move between the two groups.
Despite the limitations, the researchers could use the natural setting to answer some big policy questions.
Natural experiments conducted by David Card
One question of interest for policymakers is to understand the impact of higher minimum wages on employment.
Earlier studies showed that increasing minimum wages leads to lower unemployment.
Economists were also not sure of the direction of causation between minimum wages and employment.
Say a slowdown in the economy leads to higher unemployment amid lower income groups.
This could lead to lower income groups demanding higher minimum wages. In such a case, it is higher unemployment which leads higher minimum wages.
Contribution of Angrist and Imbens
Angrist and Imbens showed how natural experiments can be used to identify cause and effect precisely.
We have discussed above how natural experiments make it difficult to separate control and treatment groups. This makes it difficult to establish causal relations.
In the 1990s, the duo developed a methodology – Local Average Treatment Effect (or LATE) – which uses a two-step process to help grapple with these problems of natural experiments.
Say, one is interested in finding the impact of an additional year of schooling on the incomes of people.
By using the LATE approach, they showed that effect on income of an additional year of education is around 9%.
While it may not be possible to determine individuals in the group, one can estimate the size of the impact.
What is the importance of the award today?
Earlier it was difficult to identify natural experiments and even if one identified them, it was difficult to generate data from these experiments.
With increased digitalization and dissemination of archival records, it has not just become easier to identify natural experiments but also get data.
Economists have been using natural experiments to help us understand the impact of past policies.
As the 2020 pandemic struck, economists used the natural experiments approach extensively to analyze how previous pandemics impacted different regions and tried to draw policy lessons.
India context
The methodology date back to the early and mid-90s and they have already had a tremendous influence on the research undertaken in several developing countries such as India.
For instance, in India, too, it is commonly held that higher minimum wages will be counterproductive for workers.
It is noteworthy that last year, in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdowns, several states, including UP, had summarily suspended several labour laws.
This included the ones regulating minimum wages, arguing that such a move will boost employment.
The main learning is that minimum wages can be increased in India without worrying about reducing employment.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021
Recently, two United States-based scientists, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.
Their discoveries have unlocked one of the secrets of nature by explaining the molecular basis for sensing heat, cold and mechanical force, which is fundamental for our ability to feel, interpret and interact with our internal and external environment.
They have focused their work on the field of somatosensation, that is the ability of specialized organs such as eyes, ears and skin to see, hear and feel.
Who are the Laureates?
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, working independently in the United States, made a series of discoveries in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They figured out the touch detectors in our body and the mechanism through which they communicate with the nervous system to identify and respond to a particular touch.
What did they discover?
They discovered the molecular sensors in the human body that are sensitive to heat, and to mechanical pressure, and make us “feel” hot or cold, or the touch of a sharp object on our skin.
In 1997, Dr. Julius and his team published a paper in Nature detailing how capsaicin, or the chemical compound in chili peppers, causes the burning sensation.
They created a library of DNA fragments to understand the corresponding genes and finally discovered a new capsaicin receptor and named it TRPV1.
This discovery paved the way for the identification of many other temperature-sensing receptors.
They identified another new receptor called TRPM8, a receptor that is activated by cold. It is specifically expressed in a subset of pain-and-temperature-sensing neurons.
They identified a single gene PIEZO2, which when silenced made the cells insensitive to the poking. They named this new mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1.
How do they work?
The human ability to sense heat or cold and pressure is not very different from the working of the many detectors that we are familiar with.
When something hot, or cold, touches the body, the heat receptors enable the passage of some specific chemicals, like calcium ions, through the membrane of nerve cells.
It’s like a gate that opens up on a very specific request. The entry of the chemical inside the cell causes a small change in electrical voltage, which is picked up by the nervous system.
There is a whole spectrum of receptors that are sensitive to different ranges of temperature.
When there is more heat, more channels open up to allow the flow of ions, and the brain is able to perceive higher temperatures.
Therapeutic implications
Breakthroughs in physiology have often resulted in an improvement in the ability to fight diseases and disorders. This one is no different.
There are receptors that make us feel pain. If these receptors can suppress, or made less effective, the person had felt less pain.
Chronic pain is present is a number of illnesses and disorders. Earlier, the experience of pain was a mystery.
But as we understand these receptors more and more, it is possible that we gain the ability to regulate them in such a way that the pain is minimized.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2021
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Recently, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.
In 2020, the award was given to the World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations (UN) agency.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is convinced that freedom of expression and freedom of information are crucial prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict.
The 2021 peace prize laureates are representative of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions.
Maria Ressa:
She is an investigative journalist; in 2012 she co-founded Rappler, a digital media platform for investigative journalism, which she continues to head.
Rappler has focused critical attention on President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime’s controversial, murderous anti-drug campaign.
In the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, the Philippines ranked 138 of 180 nations (India was ranked lower, at 142).
She has also authored Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda’s Newest Center, and From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism.
Short biographies of Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 – AFP / AFP
Dmitry Muratov:
Muratov has for decades defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging conditions.
Russia has ranked 150 in the 2021 World Freedom Index.
He along with around 50 colleagues started Novaya Gazeta (Newspaper) in 1993, as one of its founders. He has served as the newspaper’s editor-in-chief since 1995.
Committee to Protect Journalists, a US-based non-profit, had felicitated Muratov as one of its International Press Freedom awardees in 2007.
Six of Muratov’s colleagues have been killed since the newspaper started, which has often faced harassment, threats, violence and murder from its opponents.
Despite the killings and threats, editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent policy.
What is the significance?
Free, independent and fact-based journalism serves to protect against abuse of power, lies and war propaganda.
Without freedom of expression and freedom of the press, it will be difficult to successfully promote fraternity between nations, disarmament and a better world order to succeed in our time.
World Food Programme
The WFP is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger and food security.
Founded in 1961, it is headquartered in Rome and has offices in 80 countries.
In addition to emergency food aid, WFP focuses on relief and rehabilitation, development aid, and special operations, such as making food systems more resilient against climate change and political instability.
It is an executive member of the United Nations Development Group, which collectively aims to fulfil the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and has prioritized achieving SDG 2 for “zero hunger” by 2030.
The blame cannot be placed on the doors of any one entity or ministry for the shortage of coal.
Ministries linked with coal shortage issue
The Ministry of Coal and Coal India must certainly accept that they slipped up somewhere — whether in managing the production process, planning supplies or leaving vacant crucial leadership positions.
The Ministry of Power/NTPC should also accept responsibility as they allowed coal inventories to fall below the recommended minimum in an effort to better manage their working capital.
But they can claim they had no other option because the state government electricity distribution companies do not pay their dues on time or fully.
The discoms will point a finger at their political bosses, who compel them to sell electricity to residential and agricultural sector consumers at subsidised tariffs.
Structural issues
There is no one public body at the central or state government level with executive oversight, responsibility and accountability for the entirety of the coal value chain.
This is a lacuna that afflicts the entire energy sector.
It will need to be filled to not only prevent a recurrence of another coal crisis but also for the country to realise its “green” ambition.
The word “energy” is not part of the political or administrative lexicon.
At least not formally. As a result, there is no energy strategy with the imprimatur of executive authority.
The NITI Aayog may well challenge this statement.
For they have produced an energy strategy.
Suggestions
Energy act: The government should pass an Act (possibly) captioned “The Energy Responsibility and Security Act.”
This Act should elevate the significance of energy by granting it constitutional sanctity; it should embed in law, India’s responsibility to provide citizens access to secure, affordable and clean energy.
The law should lay out measurable metrics for monitoring the progress towards the achievement of energy independence, energy security, energy efficiency and “green” energy.
Ministry of energy: Towards the fulfillment of this mandate, the government should redesign the existing architecture of decision-making for energy.
Preference would be for the creation of an omnibus Ministry of Energy to oversee the currently siloed verticals of the ministries of petroleum, coal, renewables and power.
The department would have a narrower remit than the other energy departments but by virtue of its location within the PMO, it would, de facto, be the most powerful executive body with ultimate responsibility for navigating the “green transition”.
Benefits
It is important to stress the positive impact the above redesign will have on investor sentiment.
Several corporates have signaled their intent to invest mega bucks in clean energy.
Reliance has committed $10 billion, Adani $ 70 billion over 10 years; Tata Power, ReNew Power and Acme Solar have also placed their stakes in the ground.
Conclusion
Energy sector will be immensely benefited if the current fragmented and opaque regulatory, fiscal and commercial systems and processes were replaced by a transparent and single-point executive decision-making body for energy.
