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  • Streak Daily Compilation of Questions & Videos – Sep 13, 2021

    Maintaining consistency is one of the biggest issues faced by IAS Aspirants. Streak’s initiative is to help Aspirants in their day-to-day preparation. You can follow the monthly, weekly, and daily timetables and continue this streak until you find yourself on the final list.

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    Daily Study Plan with Answer Writing Challenge || STREAK FREE INITIATIVE FOR UPSC IAS – by Ravi Ranjan

    UPSC PRELIMS-2021 || Current Affairs Based Most Probable Questions on International Relations – by Sukanya Rana

    Q1) Which of the following are military bases of India outside?

    1. Tajikistan
    2. Oman
    3. Djibouti
    4. Madagascar

    Select the correct option:

    a) 1 and 2 only

    b) 1, 2 and 3

    c) 2, 3 and 4

    d) 1, 2 and 4

    Q2) Which of the following is part of IORA?

    1. Comoros
    2. UAE
    3. Papua New Guinea
    4. Kenya
    5. Seychelles

    Options:

    a) 1, 2, 3, 5

    b) 1, 3, 5

    c) 1, 2, 4, 5

    d) All

    Q3) Consider the statements on Indian Ocean Commission:

    1. Member states include Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion and seychelles.
    2. The intergovernmental organization is aimed at social development of the region with help of international organizations like European union.

    Correct statement:

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) 1 and 2

    d) none

    Q4) From north to south, which islands are arranged right from the Indian ocean?

    a) Maldives – Seychelles – Mauritius – Reunion

    b) Maldives – Seychelles – Reunion – Mauritius

    c) Maldives – Mauritius – Seychelles – Reunion

    d) Maldives – Mauritius – Reunion – Seychelles

    Q5) Consider the following statements on regional groups:

    1. Both SAARC and BIMSTEC are 7 member groups in south asia.
    2. Saarc was formed in 1985 whereas bimstec was formed in 1997.
    3. The first summit of SAARC was held in Nepal and that of BIMSTEC was in bangkok.

    Select correct option:

    a) 1 and 2 only

    b) 1, 2 and 3

    c) 2 and 3

    d) None of the above

    UPSC PRELIMS-2021 || Most Probable Questions on Polity – by Santosh Gupta

    Q1) Consider the following statements 

    1. The conditions of service and tenure of office of the election commissioners and the regional commissioners shall be determined by the president. 
    2. They hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier. 
    3. The Constitution has debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.

     Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

    a. 1 and 2 

    b. 2 and 3

    c. 1 and 3 

    d. All of them 

    Q2) Consider the following statements 

    1. The President can remove the chairman or any other member of UPSC on grounds of misbehavior after referring the matter to the Supreme Court. 
    2. The term misbehavior, however, has not been defined in the Constitution and has been left to the discretion of the President. 

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both 1 and 2 

    d. None of them

    Q3) Consider the following statements about Finance Commission 

    1. It is a permanent quasi judicial body constituted by the president of India
    2. The members of the Finance Commission are not eligible for reappointment. 

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both  1 AND 2 

    d. None of them

    Q4)  Which of the following statements regarding CAG of India is/are correct? 

    1. The CAG is appointed by the president of India by a warrant under his hand and seal. 
    2. He holds office for a period of six years or upto the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. 
    3. He holds office during the pleasure of the president as he is appointed by him. 

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 AND 3 only

    c. 1 and 3 only

    d. All of them

    Q5) Consider the following statements 

    1. The Attorney General (AG) is appointed by the president and he must be a person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. 
    2. The term of office of the AG is 5 years. 
    3. He holds office during the pleasure of the president. 

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 3 only

    d. All of them

  • Decoding asset monetisation

    Context

    The National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), a bold initiative was recently announced by the Finance Minister.

     PPP model and issues with it

    • BOT: The PPP was about attracting private parties to build, operate and then transfer ‘greenfield’ or new infrastructure projects under build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession agreements.
    • More risks for the private sector: The winning private bidder had to take not only the operating risk, but also the development and construction risk of the project, such as a toll road, from scratch.
    • Why it was prone to delays?:  It involved the acquisition of land. This process became controversial and was subject to delay.
    • It involved securing environmental and other regulatory approvals. These proved challenging to obtain.
    • Undermining the trust: Compliance with these became a source of friction between the concessioning authority and the concessionaire.
    • All this undermined trust between the public and private parties and led to a huge volume of disputes for which there was no readily available resolution mechanism.

    How NMP is different from PPP?

    • Brownfield assets: The NMP is about leasing out ‘brownfield’ infrastructure assets such as an already operating inter-State toll highway under a toll-operate-transfer (TOT) concession agreement.
    • No land acquisition: In such an arrangement no acquisition of land is involved.
    • No construction risk: Nor does the concessionaire need to take any of the construction risk.
    • It is also certain to attract a different class of private capital.
    • To be successful in the BOT bids required a proven ability to navigate and manage the system.
    • Under the NMP, what will be required is operational experience in running a particular class of infrastructure assets and a strong understanding of the potential cash flows generated over the life of the concession.
    • This is certain to attract the largest global pension funds.

    Way forward

    • Allow flexibility: Given the long tenure of these concession agreements, they must be designed to allow for some flexibility so that each party has the opportunity to deal with unforeseen circumstances (such as climate-related disasters).
    • Performance standards: Contracts must also incorporate clear key performance indicators expected of the private party and clear benchmarks for assets as they are handed over by the government at the start of the concession.
    • Ensure effective implementation: No matter how well a contract is crafted, it still needs to be implemented effectively.
    • No opacity in concessional agreements: Experience shows that there is a tendency for government departments to inject opacity so that they have more power over the concessionaire.
    • To avoid this, it would be useful if the responsibility for administering the concession agreements did not lie directly with the line ministries and/or their agencies.
    • Dispute resolution mechanism: It is vital to put in place a robust dispute resolution mechanism.
    • Institute for contracts: There is a strong case to set up a centralised institution with the skills and responsibility to oversee contract design, bidding and implementation.
    • An institution such as ‘3 PPP India’, first mooted in the 2014 Budget, is needed.
    • Set up tribunal: It would also be advisable to set up an Infrastructure PPP Adjudication Tribunal along the lines of what was recommended by the Kelkar Committee (2015).
    • Start with predictable sectors: The government could start with sectors that offer the greatest cash flow predictability and the least regulatory uncertainty before expanding the experiment.

    Conclusion

    The NMP significantly differs from the PPP model and seeks to avoid its shortcomings through various changes.

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  • What the Q1 GDP numbers say

    Context

    India’s GDP data for Q1 of 2021-22 was released on August 31, 2021. The data revealed the real GDP growth at 20.1% in Q1.

    Making sense of the growth

    • Base effect: Real GDP growth at 20.1% in Q1 of 2021-22 is largely because of the contraction of 24.4% in the corresponding quarter of the first COVID-19 year, that is, 2020-21.
    • The Q1 2021-22 output and GDP growth data reflect a strong base effect since the corresponding levels of Q1 of 2020-21 were significantly adversely impacted by the first wave of COVID-19.
    • Fall in magnitude: The magnitude of real GDP fell short of the corresponding level in 2019-20 by a margin of ₹3.3 lakh crore.
    • Required rate: A growth rate of 32.3% was required in Q1 of 2021-22 for achieving the same level of real GDP as in Q1 of 2019-20.
    • To achieve the annual growth of 9.5% as forecast by both the Reserve Bank of India and the International Monetary Fund for 2021-21, an average growth of 6.8% in the remaining part of the year would be required.
    •  The task would become relatively more demanding in Q3 and Q4 considering that the real GDP growth was positive at 0.5% and 1.6%, respectively, in the corresponding quarters of 2020-21.

    Analysing the demand side

    1) Private consumption growth lagging overall GDP growth

    • Largest segment: The largest segment of GDP viewed from the demand side is private final consumption expenditure (PFCE).
    • Its average share over the last three years (2018-19 to 2020-21) was 56.5%.
    • If PFCE were to reach back the 2019-20 level, it should have grown by 35.5% in this quarter.
    • The recovery in private consumption demand is lagging behind the overall GDP growth.
    • Way forward: Private consumption depends largely on income growth and its distribution.
    • Therefore, it would be useful to focus on further supporting income and employment levels for the MSMEs and informal sectors of the economy which have a higher propensity to consume.

    2) Export and investment: positive outcome in Q1

    • Noticeable positive outcomes in Q1 of 2021-22 came from exports and to some extent, from investment as reflected by gross fixed capital formation (GFCF).
    • Exports grew by 39.1% over a contraction of 21.8% in Q1 of 2020-21.
    • This differential is reflected in a positive growth of 8.7%.
    • Investment: In the case of GFCF, the base effect was quite large.
    • Despite a growth of 55.3% in Q1 of 2021-22, its magnitude was still 17.1% lower than the corresponding level in Q1 of 2019-20.

    3) Contraction in government final consumption

    • The only demand segment which contracted even with reference to Q1 of 2020-21 was government final consumption expenditure (GFCE).
    • This contraction was by a margin of (-) 4.8%.

    Analysing the output side

    1) Key service sectors

    • The key service sector — namely trade, transport, storage grew by 34.3% in Q1 of 2021-22 as compared to a contraction of 48.1% in Q1 of 2020-21.
    • However, relative to its level in Q1 of 2019-20, the output of this large service sector was significantly lower by 30.2% in Q1 of 2021-22.
    • Though public administration, defence and other services showed a growth of 5.8% in Q1 of 2021-22 over Q1 of 2020-21, they actually reflected a contraction of 5.0% as compared to Q1 of 2019-20.

    2) Agriculture

    • The key positive news came from the agricultural sector which showed a growth of 4.5% in Q1 of 2021-22, in continuation of annual growth of 3.6% in 2020-21.
    • Given agriculture’s positive growth in all the quarters of 2020-21, further contribution from this sector to the overall growth may not be expected.
    • Its average weight to the overall output is also low at about 15%.
    •  It is the high weight manufacturing sector and the two substantive service sectors — trade, transport et. al and financial, real estate et al. — which will have to support growth in the remaining part of the year.

    Way forward

    • Government should raise the demand: The Centre’s fiscal deficit in the first four months of 2021-22 amounted to only 21.3% of the budgeted target as compared to the corresponding average level of 90% over the last four years.
    • Clearly, significant policy space is opening up for the government to raise its demand and its contribution to output in the remaining part of the current fiscal year.
    • Dealing with likely third wave: Attempts should be made either to bypass or at least curb the adverse impact of COVID-19’s likely third wave.
    • Vaccination and investment in health infra:  Both the coverage of vaccination and the pace of investment in health infrastructure should be accelerated.
    • As revenues improve, expenditures can be increased.
    • There is no need to reduce the fiscal deficit below the budgeted level of 6.8% of GDP.

    Consider the question “To make up for the loss of output in the last two years India needs to embark on the path of high growth trajectory. Suggest the measure to achieve this objective.”

    Conclusion

    We need a faster rate of growth to make up for the loss of output in the previous two years from the trend rate. We must lay the foundation for faster growth in this year itself.

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  • 13th Sept 2021 | Environment Test 02

    [WpProQuiz 778]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 775]

  • Boost your UPSC Prelims 2021 Score by 25 marks by using these 10 Question-Solving Techniques (Full Lecture inside)

    Boost your UPSC Prelims 2021 Score by 25 marks by using these 10 Question-Solving Techniques (Full Lecture inside)

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  • Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

    13th Sept 2021

     

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    1.Excavations in Kutch shed light on early Harappan custom

    • Archaeological excavations undertaken by a group of researchers have shed light on the custom and burial rituals that were prevalent during the early Harappan phase.
    • The team which camped in Khatiya village of Kutch unearthed several skeletal remains from a cemetery-like burial site where 26 graves out of the nearly 300-odd ones were excavated.

    2.Chalukyan sculpture of Siva found in Andhra Pradesh

    • A rare sculpture of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati dating back to the 7th century was discovered at a Chalukyan temple in Satyavolu village of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.
    • The red sandstone sculpture portrays Lord Siva as the therapeutic physician (Rudra Bhaishajana) — as described in Rigveda — in which he holds a bowl in his left hand, which contains medicine from herbs to revive the ailing horse lying at his feet.
    • Siva was fairly represented in sculptural art of ancient India in many forms right from the Indus Valley civilization to the late medieval period.

    Chalukyan Architecture (5th – 8th CE)

    1. The temples under the Chalukyas are a good example of the Vesara style of architecture.
    2. This is also called the Deccan style or Karnataka Dravida or Chalukyan style. It is a combination of Dravida and Nagara styles.
    3. The building material they used was reddish-golden Sandstone found locally.
    4. The temples had beautiful mural paintings also.
    5. The temples are located on the banks of River Tungabhadra and Malprabaha in Karnataka and Alampur in Andhra Pradesh.
    6. Aihole temples: Ladh Khan temple (Surya Temple), Durga temple, Huchimalligudi temple, Jain temple at Meguti by Ravikirti..
    7. Badami temples: Virupaksha temple and Sangameshwara Temple are in Dravida style. Papanatha temple is in Nagara style.
    8. Pattadakkal: is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are ten temples here – 4 in Nagar style and 6 in Dravida style.

    3.Archaeologists find pre-Columbian mass child sacrifice site in Peru

    • A group of archaeologists has discovered the remains of more than 50 children who were ritually sacrificed by the pre-Columbian Chimu culture on the northern coast of what is now Peru
    • The new sacrifice site was discovered in the Pamapa La Cruz area in Huanchaco, a coastal district of Trujillo, Peru’s third-largest city

    Other similar places

    • In Huanchaquito, the remains of over 140 children and 200 llamas slain some 550 years ago were discovered
    • It reinforces the idea that Huanchaco was a place where massive sacrifices of children were made during the Chimu culture

    Pre-Columbian Chimu culture

    • The Chimú culture was centred on Chimor with the capital city of Chan Chan, a large adobe city in the Moche Valley of present-day Trujillo, Peru
    • The culture arose about 900 AD, succeeding the Moche culture
    • The Chimú people are best known for their distinctive monochromatic pottery and fine metal working of copper, gold, silver, bronze, and tumbaga (copper and gold)
    • The pottery is often in the shape of a creature or has a human figure sitting or standing on a cuboid bottle

    4.India gets its 37th UNESCO World Heritage Site

    • India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
    • The decision was taken at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in Bahrain today.
    • This achievement is especially remarkable in the view of the successive inscription of another Indian city after Ahmedabad last year

    About the Ensembles

    • Together, this architectural ensemble represents the most remarkable collection of Victorian and Art Deco buildings in the world which forms the unique character of this urban setting, unparalleled in the world.
    • The Ensemble consists of 94 buildings primarily of 19th century Victorian Gothic revival and early 20th century Art Deco style of architecture with the Oval Maidan in the centre.
    • The 19th century Victorian buildings form part of the larger Fort precinct situated to the east of the Oval Maidan.
    • These public buildings include the Old Secretariat (1857-74), University Library and Convention Hall (1874-78), the Bombay High Court (1878), the Public Works Department Office (1872), Watson’s Hotel (1869), David Sasoon Library (1870), the Elphinstone College(1888), etc.
    • The Art Deco styled buildings to the west of the Oval Maidan were raised in early 20th century on the newly reclaimed lands at Marine Drive and symbolised the shift in expression to represent contemporary aspirations.

    UNESCO World Heritage Properties in India

    • In the past 5 years alone, India has managed to get inscribed seven of its properties/sites on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
    • India now has overall 37 World Heritage Inscriptions with 29 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01 Mixed sites.
    • While India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of World Heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, it is overall sixth in the world.

    5.Thanjavur Paintings

    Thanjavur Paintings

    • It is a classical South Indian painting style, which was inaugurated from the town of Thanjavur and spread across the adjoining and geographically contiguous old Tamil country.
    • The art form draws its immediate resources and inspiration from way back about 1600 AD, a period when the Nayakas of Thanjavur under the suzerainty of the Vijayanagara Rayas.
    • It is distinguished by its famous gold coating.
    • However, it can safely be surmised that Thanjavur painting, as we know it now, originated in the Maratha court of Thanjavur (1676 – 1855).
    • It has been recognized as a Geographical indication by the Government of India in 2007-08.

    6.Ancient rocks in India give clues to early life

    Cambrian Explosion

    • It refers to the sudden appearance in the fossil record of complex animals with mineralized skeletal remains 541 million years ago.
    • Researchers have found the oldest clue to the mystery of animal life in ancient rocks and oils dating back at least 100 million years before the famous Cambrian explosion of animal fossils.
    • Researchers at the University of California tracked molecular signs of animal life, called biomarkers, as far back as 660-635 million years ago during the Neoproterozoic era.
    • In ancient rocks and oils from India, Oman, Siberia, they found a steroid compound produced only by sponges, which are among the earliest forms of animal life.

    Demosponge

    • A sponge is a member of the phylum Porifera.
    • It is a simple marine animal with many cells, but no mouth, muscles, heart or brain.
    • Demosponges is a class that contains most of the sponges.
    • The sponges in this class make their skeleton from Spongin, a special protein.

    7.Buddhist site museum at Lalitgiri Odisha

    • One of the earliest Buddhist settlements in Odisha, Lalitgiri (Located in Cuttack district), where excavations have yielded ancient seals and inscriptions, has been converted into a museum.

    Lalitgiri Museum

    • Located in Cuttack district, it will be the third site museum of the Bhubaneswar circle of the ASI after Ratnagiri and Udaygiri.
    • The three sites together form the Diamond Triangle of Buddhism in Odisha.
    • The museum complex is spread over 4,750 sq. m. The building and auditorium are built over 1,310 sq. m. The complex has been constructed at a cost of ₹10 crore.

    Historical importance of Lalitgiri

    • Excavations at Lalitgiri have yielded the remains of four monasteries, showing cultural continuity from the post-Mauryan period till the 13th century CE.
    • Tantric Buddhism was practiced at this site.
    • The centre of attraction is a relic casket containing corporal remains found inside the Mahastupta.
    • Huge sculptures of Buddha, architectural fragments of Viharas and Chaityas are arranged period-wise.
    • The central gallery is designed after a Buddha Mandala with a colossal Buddha image at the centre and six Bodhisattva images surrounding it.

    8.Reconstitution of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)

    • The Government has reconstituted the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), New Delhi for a period of three years till 2022.

    Indian Council of Historical Research

    • The ICHR is an autonomous body of the HRD Ministry, which had been established by an Administrative Order of the then Ministry of Education.
    • The body has provided financial assistance to the historians and direction to the research scholars in their multifarious topics of historical research through established historians and scholars of the country.
    • ICHR disburses funds for carrying out research to Indian as well as foreign scholars on their applications for fellowships, grants, and symposia.

    9.The Indian Museum of the Earth (TIME)

    • India has set in motion an ambitious plan to create Indianised version of the world-famous Smithsonian Museum, showcasing Indian subcontinent’s evolutionary history.

    The Indian Museum of the Earth (TIME)

    • This museum will be modelled on the American Museum of Natural History, or the Smithsonian museum in the U.S.
    • The museum, which will be set up as a public-private partnership, would be located somewhere in NCR.
    • Unlike static museums that are commonplace, the proposed Earth museum would be a dynamic place to encourage fossil research, student activity, public outreach besides driving policy decisions.
    • The museum would be having a repository where individual collectors and researchers can submit their life long collection for safekeeping and allowing future generation researchers to study those samples.

    10. Development of Rakhi Garhi Archaeological Site

    Rakhi Garhi

    Rakhi Garhi is being developed as one of the five Identified Iconic Archaeological Sites, informed the Minister of Culture and Tourism.
    The ancient site of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi, located on the right bank of the now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati.
    It is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain in the Hissar district of Haryana.
    Seven mounds are located here.
    The site has yielded various stages of Harappan culture and is by far one of the largest Harappan sites in India.
    The site shows the sequential development of the Indus culture in the now dried up Saraswati basin.

    Major findings at Rakhi Garhi

    • Findings confirm both early and mature Harappan phases and include 4,600-year-old human skeletons, fortification and bricks.
      Digging so far reveals a well-planned city with 1.92 m wide roads, a bit wider than in Kalibangan.
    • The pottery is similar to Kalibangan and Banawali.
      Pits surrounded by walls have been found, which are thought to be for sacrificial or some religious ceremonies.
    • There are brick-lined drains to handle sewage from the houses.
      Terracotta statues, weights, bronze artefacts, comb, copper fish hooks, needles and terracotta seals have also been found.
    • A bronze vessel has been found which is decorated with gold and silver.
    • A granary belonging to the mature Harappan phase has been found here.
    • Fire altars structures were revealed in Rakhigarhi.

    Five Iconic Archaeological Sites

    The government has proposed to develop five archaeological sites as “iconic sites” with onsite museums in Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sivsagar (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu) in the Union Budget 2020-21.

    (1) Rakhigari (Discussed above)

    (2) Hastinapur

    Hastinapur in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh finds mention in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. One of the most significant discoveries made at this site was of the “new ceramic industry”, which was named the Painted Grey Ware, which as per the report represented the relics of the early Indo-Aryans.

    (3) Sivasagar

    In Sivasagar (Assam), excavations at the Karenghar (Talatalghar) complex between 2000 and 2003 led to the discovery of buried structures in the north-western and north-eastern side of the complex. Among the structural remains found at the site were ceramic assemblages including vases, vessels, dishes, and bowls, etc. Terracotta smoking pipes were also found.

    (4) Dholavira

    Dholavira in Gujarat is located in the Khadir island of the Rann of Kutch, and like Rakhigarhi is one of the sites where the remains of the Harappan civilization have been found. It is unique because the remains of a complete water system have been found here.

    (5) Adichnallur

    Adichnallur lies in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The urn-burial site was first brought to light during a “haphazard excavation” by a German archaeologist in 1876. Following this, an Englishman Alexander Rae excavated the site between 1889 and 1905.

    11. 10th century Buddhist Monastery uncovered in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh

    Details of the excavation

    • The findings were significant since the monastery is on the old route to Varanasi, 10 km from Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon.
    • Archaeologists found four statues of the deity Tara in Varad Mudra and six statues of the Buddha in bhumisparsa Mudra
    • So it is a significant finding as deity Tara’s statues mean this was an important centre of the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism.
    • Vajrayana is a form of Tantric Buddhism, which flourished in India from the 6th to 11th century.

    Inscription on Krishnadevaraya’s death discovered

    • The first-ever epigraphical reference to the date of death of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya has been discovered in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka.
    • Krishna Devaraya was the emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire during 1509–1529. He was the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty and is considered to be its greatest ruler.
    • He possessed the largest empire in India after the decline of the Delhi Sultanate.
    • Krishnadevaraya earned the titles Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana (lit, “Lord of the Kannada empire”), Andhra Bhoja (lit, “Andhra Bhoja(Scholar) King”) and Mooru Rayara Ganda (lit, “King of Three Kings”).
    • He became the dominant ruler of the peninsula of India by defeating the Sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate and the Gajapatis of Odisha, and was one of the most powerful Hindu rulers in India.
    • Indeed, when the Mughal Emperor Babur was taking stock of the potentates of north India, Krishnadevaraya was rated the most powerful and had the most extensive empire in the subcontinent.
    • Portuguese travellers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz also visited the Vijayanagara Empire during his reign.

    His literary work

    • The rule of Krishnadevaraya was an age of prolific literature in many languages, although it is also known as a golden age of Telugu literature.
    • He was fluent in many languages like Kannada, Marathi, Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil.
    • Eight Telugu poets were regarded as eight pillars of his literary assembly and known as Ashtadiggajas. He himself composed an epic Telugu poem Amuktamalyada.
    • He took the title of Abhinava-Bhoja and Sakala-Kala-Bhoja (“Bhoja of all the arts”) in honour of Parmara emperor Bhoja who was a polymath, a master of 64 arts and a military genius.

    What does the inscription say?

    • As per the inscription, Krishnadevaraya died on October 17, 1529, Sunday.
    • Incidentally, this day was marked by a lunar eclipse.
    • The inscription also registers the gift of village Honnenahalli in
    • Tumakuru for conducting worship to the god Veeraprasanna Hanumantha of Tumakuru.
    • The Kalahasti inscription refers to the date of Achyutaraya’s (his successor) coronation as October 21, 1529 AD.

    Dickinsonia fossil discovered in Bhimbetka

    Researchers have found the first-ever fossil in India of a Dickinsonia —the Earth’s ‘oldest animal’, dating back 570 million years — on the roof of what’s called the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka.

    Dickinsonia

    • Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
    • The individual Dickinsonia typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval.
    • Its affinities are presently unknown; its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi or even an “extinct kingdom”.
    • The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of Dickinsonia lends support to the idea that Dickinsonia was an animal.

    What are the new findings?

    • Like the awe-inspiring rock shelters themselves, this fossil was discovered by chance.
    • Dickinsonia fossils have shown that they could exceed four feet in length but the one found in Bhimbetka is 17 inches long.
    • Eleven feet above the ground, almost blending with the rock and easily mistaken by laymen for prehistoric rock art, they found imprints of the Dickinsonia.
    • It is believed to be one of the key links between the early, simple organisms and the explosion of life in the Cambrian Period, about 541 million years ago.

    Cambrian Explosion and Dickinsonia

    • The ‘Cambrian Explosion’ is the term given to the period of time in history when complex animals and other macroscopic organisms such as molluscs, worms, arthropods and sponges began to dominate the fossil record.
    • Researchers from Australian found the Dickinsonia fossil since its tissue contained molecules of cholesterol a type of fat that is the hallmark of animal life.

    Sulawesi Cave Paintings

    • The cave painting depicts a wild boar endemic to the Sulawesi island of Indonesia, where the painting was found.
    • The central Indonesian island, which occupies an area of over 174,000 sq. km, is situated between Asia and Australia.
    • It has a long history of human occupation.

    Significance of the painting

    • The archaeologists’ note that the dated painting of the Sulawesi warty pig seems to be the world’s oldest surviving representational image of an animal.
    • The painting was made using red ochre pigment and depicts a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes.
    • These pigs have been hunted by humans for tens of thousands of years and are the most commonly depicted animal in the ice age rock art of the island.
    • It suggests that they have long been used as food and form a “focus of creative thinking and artistic expression” for people of that time.

    Annapurna Idol

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

    Dairy production in the Indus Valley Civilization

    • By analysing residues on ancient pots, researchers show the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, thus throwing fresh light on the rural economy of the civilization.
    • The studies were carried out on 59 shards of pottery from Kotada Bhadli, a small archaeological site in present-day Gujarat.

    A significant outcome of the study

    • The study has found residues in a bowl showing that either heated milk or curd could have been served.
    • There are also remains of a perforated vessel, and similar vessels were used in Europe to make cheese.
    • The Harappans did not just use dairy for their household.
    • The large herd indicates that milk was produced in surplus so that it could be exchanged and there could have been some kind of trade between settlements.
    • This could have given rise to an industrial level of dairy exploitation.

    Sawantwadi Toy

    • Sawantwadi toys refers to hand made works of art made of wood in Sawantwadi a town in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Most of these toys are made in the village of Kolgaon in Sawantwadi taluka.
    • These toys are made from the wood of the Indian Coral tree (Erythrina variegata).
    • Craftsmen who make these toys belong to the Chittari community who came to Sawantwadi from Karwar and Goa.

    Renati Chola Era Inscription

    Who are the Renati Cholas?

    • The Telugu Cholas of Renadu (also called as Renati Cholas) ruled over Renadu region, the present-day Kadapa district.
    • They were originally independent, later forced to the suzerainty of the Eastern Chalukyas.
    • They had the unique honour of using the Telugu language in their inscriptions belonging to the 6th and 8th centuries.
    • The earliest of this family was Nandivarman (500 AD) who claimed descent from the family of Karikala and the Kasyapa gotra.
    • He had three sons Simhavishnu, Sundarananda and Dhananjaya, all of whom were ruling different territories simultaneously.
    • The family seems to have had its origin in Erigal in the Tunmkur district, situated in the border between Pallava and Kadamba regions.

    About the inscription

    • The inscription so found was engraved on a dolomite slab and shale.
      The inscription was written in archaic Telugu which is readable in 25 lines — the first side with eleven lines and the remaining on the other side.
    • It was assigned to the 8th Century A.D. when the region was under the rule of Chola Maharaja of Renadu.
    • The inscription seems to throw light on the record of a gift of six Marttus (a measuring unit) of land gifted to a person Sidyamayu, one of the Brahmins serving the temple at Pidukula village.
    • It says the people who safeguard this inscription for future generations will acquire the status of conducting Aswamedha Yajna and those destroying it will incur sin equivalent to causing death in Varanasi.

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  • Stand-off over North Korea reinforces the hollowness of the doctrine of deterrence

    Context

    The resumption of North Korea’s largest fissile material production reactor, has sparked speculation about its real and symbolic significance.

    Background of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development

    • In 1994, Pyongyang barred IAEA access to the Yongbyon complex amid suspicions that the country was generating plutonium from spent fuel.
    • 1994 Agreed Framework, an executive agreement signed by President Bill Clinton, required Pyongyang to freeze all nuclear activity and allow inspection of its military sites in return for the construction of two light water reactors.
    • The accord broke down in 2002.
    • In June 2008, in order to express its denuclearisation commitment to the U.S. and four other countries, Pyongyang blew up the cooling tower at the Yongbyon complex.
    • A few months in 2008, Pyongyang barred IAEA inspectors access to its reprocessing plant in the Yongbyon complex and eventually expelled them the following April.
    • In November 2010 American scientist Siegfried Hecker confirmed accounts that North Korea had rapidly built a uranium enrichment plant at Yongbyon.

    Why does resumption nuclear reactor matter?

    • The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has underlined that the restart of activity in Yongbyon constitutes a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
    • Reprocessing of fuel: The reactor at the Yongbyon complex has been central to the North Korean reprocessing of spent fuel rods to generate plutonium.
    • Enrichment of fuel: Besides the production of highly enriched uranium for the development of atomic bombs.

    Way forward

    • Negotiations: The Biden administration has adopted a pragmatic path of declaring its readiness to resume negotiations with Pyongyang.
    • UN treaty on complete abolition of nuclear arms: The UN treaty on complete abolition of atomic arms, whose deliberations were boycotted by all nuclear weapons states, is the morally superior alternative.

    Conclusion

    The protracted stand-off over North Korea reinforces the hollowness of the doctrine of deterrence and begs the question whether proliferation can ever be prevented just because nuclear weapons states want to perpetuate their dominance.

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    Back2Basics: IAEA

    • The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.
    • It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
    • The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.
    • The Agency’s genesis was U.S. President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 December 1953.

  • 13th September 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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    [WpProQuiz 777]

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  • National Edible Oil Mission (OP)

    Last week, the government announced the minimum support prices (MSP) of rabi crops for the marketing season 2022-23.

    Key Highlight: Hike for Oilseeds MSPs

    • The MSP for wheat is up by 2 per cent while that of rapeseed-mustard is up by 8.6 per cent.
    • This indicates that the government wants to focus more on edible oils/oilseeds than on wheat.
    • It is important to note that PM recently announced a Rs 11,000-crore National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NEOM-OP), as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

    About NEOM-OP

    • This is a bold step to augment domestic edible oil supplies, given that 60 per cent of the edible oil consumed in the country is imported — more than half of this is palm oil followed by soybean and sunflower.
    • In FY 2020-21, edible oil imports touched $ 11 billion or about Rs 80,000 crore (for 13.5 million tonnes).
    • Despite these imports, edible oil inflation remains very high (July 2021 was 32.5 per cent).
    • Against this backdrop, the move to promote oil palm is a step in the right direction.

    Reasons for oil price hikes

    • Effective duty for rapeseed and cottonseed oils ranges from 38.5 per cent for crude and 49.5 per cent for refined oils.
    • It’s this high import duty, at a time when global edible oil prices have gone up by almost 70 per cent (y-o-y), that has caused high domestic inflation (32.5 per cent) in edible oils.

    Why Oil Palm?

    • It is the only crop that can give up to four tonnes of oil productivity per hectare under good farm practices.
    • But it is a water-guzzling crop, loves humidity (requires 150 mm rainfall every month) and thrives best in areas with temperatures between 20 and 33 degrees Celsius.
    • The National Re-assessment Committee (2020) has identified 28 lakh hectares suitable for oil palm cultivation in the country — the actual area under oil palm cultivation, as of 2020, is only 3.5 lakh hectares.
    • Much of this (34 per cent) is in the Northeastern states, including Assam, followed by Andhra Pradesh (19 per cent) and Telangana (16 per cent).
    • A large potential is thus waiting to be tapped.

    No reasons for farmers to switch

    • The government has a massive procurement programme for wheat, but a very meagre one for rapeseed-mustard even when the prices rule below MSP.
    • This relative incentive structure remains in favour of wheat.
    • So, we doubt if farmers will switch from wheat to mustard in any meaningful manner to bridge the edible oil deficit.

    What can be done to make NEOM-OP more effective?

    The NEOM-OP intends to focus on productivity and area expansion by supporting the farmers in the following ways:

    (A) Financial assistance

    • Input assistance for planting material, additional assistance to cover maintenance/opportunity costs of farmers, with no limits on acreage.
    • Big-budget assistance to industries that plan to set up a five tonnes/hour processing unit.
    • Such a comprehensive assistance package will attract farmers as well as incentivize the industry to work with agriculturists and augment domestic edible oil production.

    (B) Pricing mechanism for OP

    • There will be no MSP, but the FFB price for farmers would be fixed at 14.3 per cent of average landed crude palm oil price of the past five years, adjusted with the wholesale price index.
    • This is the most critical part of the pricing policy and the formula needs to be carefully calibrated.
    • However, the litmus test of pricing will be dovetailing it with the import tariff policy to protect the farmers in case landed prices fall below the cost of production.

    Way forward

    (1) Rationalizing import duties

    • The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP, which recommends MSP) recommended that India should keep an import duty trigger at $800/tonne (say).
    • If the import price falls below $800/tonne, the import tariff needs to go up in countercyclical manner.
    • Thus, import duty needs to be in sync with rational domestic price policy.
    • It is a necessary condition to give a fillip to aatmanirbharta in edible oils.

    (2) Neutral incentive structure

    • But the sufficient condition would be revisiting the existing incentive structure that unduly favours rice, wheat and sugarcane through heavy subsidisation of power, fertilisers and open-ended procurement.
    • The need is to devise a crop-neutral incentive structure where cropping patterns are aligned with demand patterns, and the crops are produced in a globally competitive manner.

    Conclusion

    • There is a huge deficit in edible oil production in the country.
    • Achieving self-sufficiency in edible oil production through the other oilseeds complex would require adding about 45 million hectares under oilseed cultivation.
    • This is not possible without drastically cutting down the area under cereal crops.
    • The best alternative is, therefore, to ensure proper care of palm oil crops, provide good planting material, better irrigation management, fertilizers and other inputs to raise productivity to four tonnes of oil/hectare.

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  • Allahabad HC verdict disqualifying then PM

    The 1975 verdict of Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad high court, disqualifying then PM Indira Gandhi on charges of electoral malpractices was a judgment of “great courage” that “shook” the nation, said CJI in his speech.

    What was the case?

    • It all started with the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, where the Congress (R), which was the newly formed faction of the Congress party floated by Indira Gandhi after her expulsion from the party in 1969, won a landslide victory securing 352 out of the 518 seats in the lower house.
    • An election petition was filed directly before a High Court challenging the election of Indira Gandhi.

    What is an Election Petition?

    • Election Petition has to be filed within 45 days from the date of declaration of the election results.
    • The Representation of People (RP) Act of 1951 lists out the grounds on which the election of a candidate can be called into question.
    • Section 123 of the RP Act lists certain corrupt practices which, if proved successful, can be grounds to declare the election of a candidate void.
    • While hearing an election petition, the High Court being the court of first instance, exercises powers similar to a trial court.
    • Thus, there is cross-examination of witnesses and detailed examination of evidence which is normally employed in trial courts and not High Courts.

    Findings against Gandhi

    • Use of government machinery to set up stage, loudspeakers
    • Use of gazetted officer as an election agent

    A case that led to the promulgation of National Emergency

    The verdict is widely believed to have led to the imposition of Emergency on June 25, 1975.

    • A vacation bench of the Supreme Court allowed a partial stay of the judgment after Gandhi had appealed against the High Court verdict.
    • Then Justice VR Krishna Iyer, said that she could continue as Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha and could attend the House, but could not participate in its proceedings or vote as MP.
    • She also could not draw any remuneration as an MP.
    • Importantly, the apex court allowed her to continue as Prime Minister and allowed her to speak and participate in the proceedings of the House and to draw salary in her capacity as Prime Minister.
    • The order by the apex court, while not completely against Gandhi, did not satisfy her.
    • She wanted a blanket stay on the Allahabad High Court judgment.
    • Since the Supreme Court did not grant her that, National Emergency was proclaimed the very next day, June 25.

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    Back2Basics: National Emergency

    • The Constitution employs the expression ‘proclamation of emergency’ to denote National Emergency under Article 352.
    • Under Article 352, the president can declare a national emergency when the security of India or a part of it is threatened by war or external aggression or armed rebellion.
    • The President can declare a national emergency even before the actual occurrence of war or armed rebellion or external aggression
    • When a national emergency is declared on the grounds of ‘war’ or ‘external aggression’, it is known as ‘External Emergency’.
    • On the other hand, when it is declared on the grounds of ‘armed rebellion’, it is known as ‘Internal Emergency’.
    • The term ‘armed rebellion is inserted from the 44th amendment. Before this term, it was known as an internal disturbance.

     

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