Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Nilgiri Tahr
Mains level: Not Much
The Tamil Nadu government launched an initiative for the conservation of the Nilgiri Tahr, the State animal.
Nilgiri Tahr
IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered
Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972: Schedule I
- It is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India.
- It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
- The Nilgiri tahr inhabits the open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats montane rain forests eco-region.
- At elevations from 1,200 to 2,600 metres (3,900 to 8,500 ft), the forests open into grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted forests, locally known as sholas.
- Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population of this Tahr.
- It is estimated that there are 3,122 Nilgiri Tahrs in the wild. It has become locally extinct in around 14% of its traditional shola forest-grassland habitat.
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Nilgiri Tahr Conservation Project
- Under The Nilgiri Tahr project, TN government plans to develop a better understanding of the Nilgiri Tahr population through-
- Surveys and radio telemetry studies;
- Reintroduce the Tahrs to their historical habitat;
- Address proximate threats; and
- Increase public awareness of the species.
- The project is to be implemented from 2022 to 2027.
- Furthermore, October 7 will be celebrated as ‘Niligiri Tahr Day’ in honour of E.R.C. Davidar, who was responsible for pioneering one of the first studies of the species in 1975.
Historic significance of Nilgiri Tahr
- There are multiple references to the Nilgiri Tahr in Tamil Sangam literature dating back to 2,000 years.
- The late Mesolithic (10,000-4,000 BC) paintings highlight the significance of the Tahr in folklore, culture and life.
- It was designated as the State animal in recognition of its ecological and cultural significance.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian Rhino
Mains level: Not Much
Assam CM announced that no rhinos were poached in the state in 2022.
Indian Rhinoceros
- The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is found only in the Brahmaputra valley, parts of North Bengal, and parts of southern Nepal.
- It has a single black horn that can grow up to 60 cm, and a tough, grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives the animal its characteristic armour-plated look.
- It is listed as Vulnerable (better than endangered, worse than near threatened) in the IUCN Red List; it was earlier placed in the endangered category.
- It is listed as a Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Why are Rhinos poached for horns?
- Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
- In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol.
- Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down.
Flourishing population
- According to the WWF, there are around 3,700 Indian rhinos in the wild today.
- Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) alone has 2,613 animals, according to a census carried out in March 2022.
- There are more than 250 other rhinos in the Orang, Pobitora, and Manas parks.
- The WWF says the “recovery of the greater one-horned rhino is among the greatest conservation success stories in Asia”.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Consider the following statements:
- Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
- Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
- One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Battle of Bhima Koregaon
Mains level: Not Much
The 205th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle was recently celebrated in all harmony at the Ranstambh (victory pillar) in Perne village in Pune.
Battle of Bhima-Koregaon
- The 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon, one of the last battles of the Third Anglo-Maratha War culminated in the Peshwa’s defeat.
- It was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India Company (BEIC) and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon at the banks of River Bhima.
- A 28,000-strong force led by Peshwa Baji Rao II while on their way to attack the company-held Pune were unexpectedly met by an 800-strong Company force of which 500 belonged to the Dalit community.
- The battle was part of the Third Anglo Maratha war, a series of battles that culminated in the defeat of the Peshwa rule and subsequent rule of the BEIC in nearly all of Western, Central, and Southern India.
Role of Mahar Community
- Back in the seventeenth century, the community was particularly valued by the ruler Shivaji, under whom Maratha caste identities were far more fluid.
- The value of the Mahars for military recruitment under Shivaji was noted by the social reformer Jyotirao Phule.
- The Mahars were not only beneficiaries of the attempt at caste unity under Shivaji but were in fact valued for their martial skills, bravery, and loyalty.
Mahars during Maratha Empire
- The position occupied by the Mahars under Shivaji, however, was short-lived and under later Peshwa rulers, their status deteriorated.
- The Peshwas were infamous for their Brahmin orthodoxy and their persecution of the untouchables.
- The Mahars were forbidden to move about in public spaces and punished atrociously for disrespecting caste regulations.
- Stories of Peshwa atrocities against the Mahars suggest that they were made to tie brooms behind their backs to wipe out their footprints and pots on their necks to collect their spit.
Why is the battle significant?
- The battle resulted in losses to the Maratha Empire, then under Peshwa rule, and control over most of western, central, and southern India by the British East India Company.
- The battle has been seen as a symbol of Dalit pride because a large number of soldiers in the Company forces were the Mahar Dalits, the same oppressed community to which Babasaheb Ambedkar belonged.
- After centuries of inhumane treatment, this battle was the first time that Mahars had been included in a battle in which they won.
Dr. Ambedkar’s association
- It was Babasaheb Ambedkar’s visit to the site on January 1, 1927, that revitalized the memory of the battle for the Dalit community.
- He led to its commemoration in the form of a victory pillar, besides creating the discourse of Dalit valor against Peshwa ‘oppression’ of Dalits.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Madan Mohan Malviya
Mains level: Not Much
An archive on the principal founder of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), ‘Mahamana’ Madan Mohan Malaviya was recently unveiled.
Who was Madan Mohan Malaviya?
- Malaviya was born on 25th December, 1861 in Allahabad.
- He was a great Indian educationist and freedom fighter, distinguished from others for his significant role in Indian independence and his support of Hindu nationalism.
- At the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which he founded in 1916, he served as Vice-Chancellor from 1919 to 1938.
- The University has around 12,000 students all across the field such as the arts, sciences, engineering and technology.
Political affiliations
- Malaviya rose up the ranks, and became president four times — in 1909 (Lahore), in 1918 (Delhi), in 1930 (Delhi), and in 1932 (Calcutta).
- He was part of the Congress for almost 50 years.
- He was one of the early leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha, and helped found it in 1906.
- He was a social reformer and a successful legislator, serving as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council for 11 years (1909–20).
- In the freedom struggle, he was midway between the Liberals and the Nationalists, the Moderates and the Extremists, as the followers of Gokhale and Tilak were respectively called.
- In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Salt Satyagraha and the Civil Disobedience Movement, he participated in it and courted arrest.
Literary associations
- He remained the Hindustan Times’ Chairman from 1924 to 1946.
- He was involved with magazines including the-
- Hindi language weekly, the Abhyudaya (1907)
- English-language daily the Leader of Allahabad (1909) and
- Hindi dailies Aaj
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Boson, Satyendranath Bose
Mains level: Not Much
Born on January 1, 1894, Bose collaborated with Einstein to develop what we now know as the Bose-Einstein statistics. We take a look at the Indian physicist’s illustrious legacy and stellar achievements.
Satyendra Nath Bose
- Born on January 1, 1894, Bose grew up and studied in Kolkata, where he solidified his position as an exemplary academician.
- His father, an accountant in the Executive Engineering Department of the East Indian Railways, gave him an arithmetic problem to solve every day before going to work, encouraging Bose’s interest in mathematics.
- By the age of 15, he began pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at the Presidency College, and later finished his MSc in Mixed Mathematics in 1915.
Career as researchers
- These were tough times for Indian researchers as World War I had broken out and, European scientific journals came to India quite infrequently.
- Not only this, most of the research papers weren’t available in English and both Bose and Saha had to learn scientific terms in German and French languages to read published works.
- However, the new skill came in handy for them in 1919, when they published English translations of Albert Einstein’s special and general relativity papers.
- Two years later, Bose was appointed to the position of Reader in Physics at the University of Dhaka. It was here that he made his most significant contributions to physics.
Association with Einstein
- Bose wrote a letter to Albert Einstein in 1924 about his breakthrough in quantum mechanics.
- He claimed that he had derived Planck’s law for black body radiation (which refers to the spectrum of light emitted by any hot object) without any reference to classical electrodynamics.
- Impressed by Bose’s findings, Einstein not only arranged for the publication of the paper but also translated it into German.
- This recognition catapulted Bose to fame and glory.
Breakthrough in the invention of Boson
- He went on to work with Einstein and together they developed what is now known as the Bose-Einstein statistics.
- Today, in honour of his legacy, any particle that obeys the Bose-Einstein statistics is called a boson.
- On his 129th birth anniversary, we take a look at the Indian physicist’s illustrious legacy and stellar achievements.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Small Savings Schemes
Mains level: NA
The Central government raised interest rates on eight of the 12 small savings schemes by 20 to 110 basis points for the January to March 2023 quarter.
Small Savings Schemes
- Small Savings Schemes are a set of savings instruments managed by the central government with an aim to encourage citizens to save regularly irrespective of their age.
- They are popular as they provide returns higher than bank fixed deposits, sovereign guarantee and tax benefits.
How are they managed?
- Since 2016, the Finance Ministry has been reviewing the interest rates on small savings schemes on a quarterly basis.
- All deposits received under various schemes are pooled in the National Small Savings Fund.
- The money in the fund is used by the Centre to finance its fiscal deficit.
What are the different saving schemes?
The schemes can be grouped under three heads –
- Post office deposits
- Savings certificates and
- Social security schemes
(1) Post Office Deposits
- Under this we have the savings deposit, recurring deposit and time deposits with 1, 2, 3 and 5 year maturities and the monthly income account.
- The savings account currently pays an interest of 4% per annum and can be opened individually or jointly with an initial investment of Rs 500.
- The recurring deposit that pays 5.8% a year compounded quarterly matures after 60 months from the date of opening.
- It allows investors to save on a monthly basis with a minimum deposit of Rs 100 per month.
- Investments under the 5-year time deposit up to Rs 1.5 lakh further qualifies for benefit under section 80C of Income Tax Act.
(2) Savings Certificates
- Under this, we have the National Savings Certificate and the Kisan Vikas Patra.
- The National Savings Certificate pays interest at a rate of 6.8% per annum upon maturity after 5 years. The interest that is earned is reinvested into the scheme every year automatically.
- The NSC also qualifies for tax saving under Section 80C of the income tax act.
- The Kisan Vikas Patra, which is open to everyone, doubles your one-time investment at the end of 124 months signifying a return of 6.9% compounded annually.
- The minimum investment amount is Rs 1000 while there is no upper limit.
(3) Social security schemes
- In the third head of social security schemes, there is Public Provident Fund, Sukanya Samriddhi Account and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.
- Public Provident Fund
- The Public Provident Fund is a popular saving option for long term goals like retirement.
- It pays 7.1% a year and qualifies for tax benefit under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
- Upon maturity of the account after 15 years, it can be extended indefinitely in blocks of 5 years.
- The accumulated amount and interest earned are exempt from tax at the time of withdrawal.
- Sukanya Samriddhi Account
- The Sukanya Samriddhi Account was launched in 2015 under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign exclusively for a girl child.
- The account can be opened in the name of a girl child below the age of 10 years.
- The scheme guarantees a return of 7.6% per annum and is eligible for tax benefit under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
- The tenure of the deposit is 21 years from the date of opening of the account and a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh can be invested in a year.
- Senior Citizen Savings Account
- And finally, the 5-year Senior Citizen Savings Account can be opened by anyone who is over 60 years to age.
- It carries an interest of 7.4% per annum payable quarterly and qualifies for Section 80C tax benefit.
- These time-tested and safe modes of investments don’t offer quick returns, but are safer when compared to market-linked schemes.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: INC
Mains level: INC and freedom struggle
A political party recently marked the 138th foundation day of Indian National Congress (INC) on December 28.
How the INC was founded?
- The INC came into being on December 28, 1885.
- The English bureaucrat Allan Octavian Hume is credited as the founder of the organisation.
- On that day, 72 social reformers, journalists and lawyers congregated for the first session of the INC at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay.
- Stated objectives of INC included-
- First, the fusion into one national whole of all the different elements that constitute the population of India.
- Second, the gradual regeneration along all lines, spiritual, moral, social, and political, of the nation thus evolved; and
- Third, the consolidation, of, the union between England and India.
Real motive behind: ‘Safety Valve’ Theory
- At that point, the aim of this group was not to demand independence from the ongoing colonial rule but to influence the policies of the British government in favour of Indians.
- Its objective is often described as providing a “safety valve” as the time, through which Indians could air out their grievances and frustration.
- As Mr. Hume explained, the: Congress organization was ‘only one outcome of the labours of a body of cultured men, mostly Indians, who hound themselves together to labour silently for the good of India.’
Transformation towards freedom movement
Ans. Famous for 3P’s: Prayers, Protest and Petitions
- The party’s work continued, to shift the colonial administrators’ attitudes and policies on the rights and powers allowed to Indians.
- The members frequently protested issues of British colonialism, such as the Bengal famine and the drain of wealth from India.
- However, these protests were at this point usually limited to prayers, petitions and protests, including writing letters to the authorities.
- As the British rule continued, there grew differences in what the party’s functioning should be like.
Strength of INC
- Diverse participation: One of the biggest strengths of the party, which helped it appeal to a broad section of Indian society, was having members who held different ideological positions.
- Pan-India organization: Its popularity grew across every corner of India.
Early criticism of INC
- Non-effective: Hume and the party were criticised, by the British for attempting to change the existing systems that favoured them and by some Indians for not achieving significant results.
- Elite-organization: The party largely consisted of educated, upper-class people who were likely to have studied abroad.
Splits and reconvening
- In Surat in 1906, the divisions between the ‘moderates’ led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendranath Banerjea, and the ‘extremists’ led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak came to the fore and there was a split.
- While Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai wanted the Congress to boycott the visit of the Prince of Wales in protest against the Bengal Partition a year prior, the moderates opposed any such move.
- But by 1915, the Bombay session saw these two groups coming together again as one.
- The pattern of splits and eventual cohesion continued well after Indian independence, even after the party came to completely dominate successive general elections under PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
Important sessions of INC
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Year |
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Session |
President |
Importance |
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1885 |
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Bombay |
W C Banerjee |
First session |
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1888 |
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Allahabad |
George Yule |
First English President of INC |
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1896 |
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Calcutta |
Rahimtullah M. Sayani |
National song ‘Vande Mataram’ sung for the first time |
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1906 |
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Calcutta |
Dadabhai Naoroji |
Dadabhai Naoroji coined the term Swaraj. |
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1907 |
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Surat |
Rash Behari Ghosh |
Party splits into extremists and moderates |
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1911 |
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Calcutta |
Bishan Narayan Dar |
National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ sung for the first time |
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1916 |
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Lucknow |
Ambica Charan Mazumdar |
Reunion of Congress and Lucknow Pact, Joint session with the Muslim league |
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1917 |
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Calcutta |
Annie Besant |
First Woman President of the INC |
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1919 |
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Amritsar |
Motilal Nehru |
Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre took place |
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1924 |
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Belgaum |
M K Gandhi |
Only session where MK Gandhi was the President |
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1925 |
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Kanpur |
Sarojini Naidu |
First Indian Woman President of INC |
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1927 |
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Madras |
M A Ansari |
Independence Resolution was put forward |
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1928 |
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Calcutta Session, |
Motilal Nehru |
All India Youth Congress formed |
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1929 |
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Lahore |
Jawaharlal Nehru |
Poorna Swaraj Resolution @ 26th January, Civil Disobedience Movement launched |
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1931
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Karachi |
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |
A resolution on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Progress was passed. Gandhi-Irwin pact was endorsed and Gandhiji was nominated to represent INC in the second round table conference |
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1936 |
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Lucknow |
Jawaharlal Nehru |
Idea of Socialism was imbibed |
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1938 |
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Haripura |
Subhas Chandra Bose |
National Planning Committee set up under Nehru, Haripura Resolution passed, which demanded Poorna Swaraj, including the princely states as well. |
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1940 |
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Ramgarh |
Abul Kalam Azad |
He was the longest-serving President of INC during British rule.
Quit India Movement started in 1942 |
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1946 |
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Meerut |
J.B. Kripalani |
Last session before Indian independence |
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Try this PYQ:
Q.Consider the following statements
- The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
- The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Globular Cluster, Omega Centurari
Mains level: Not Much
Astronomers and scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) while studying the Omega Centauri have found that hot stars and white dwarfs emitted less ultraviolet radiation than expected.
Omega Centauri
- It is the most massive globular cluster system in our galaxy.
- It was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677 and as globular star cluster orbiting Milky Way galaxy by John Herschel in 1830s.
- It contains approximately 10 million stars and is about 16,000 light-years away.
- It also includes stars of a variety of ages, whereas other globular clusters contain stars from only one generation.
- It is the largest and brightest globular cluster in the Milky Way.
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What is a globular cluster?
- A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars.
- Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centres.
- They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member stars.
- They orbit mostly in the extended stellar halos surrounding most spiral galaxies.
How are they formed?
- No one knows precisely how globular clusters formed. Or what role, if any, they played in the development of galaxies.
- We know globular clusters are the oldest, largest and most massive type of star cluster. And globular clusters contain the oldest stars.
- Their age is determined by their almost complete lack of what astronomers call metals, the heavier elements forged in star interiors.
Our Milky Way has over 150 globular clusters
- Our own Milky Way has over 150 globular clusters, with perhaps more, hidden by galactic dust.
- The Andromeda galaxy (M31), our neighboring spiral galaxy, appears to have around 300 globular clusters.
Difference between a globular cluster and an open cluster
- Globular clusters are big, symmetric and old. They can reach 300 light-years in diameter and contain 10 million stars. On the other hand, open star clusters, contains sibling stars, scattered through the disk of our galaxy and presumably other galaxies.
- Globular star cluster are very symmetrical in shape, and are densest toward their centers. Open star clusters are irregular in shape and loosely grouped together.
- Globular clusters orbit in the halo of our galaxy. Plus, center around the galaxy’s core and expanding above and below the galactic disk. Open star clusters tend to orbit within the disk.
- Globular star clusters contain million of stars. Yet some globular clusters, like Omega Centauri, contain millions of stars. Open star clusters contain only hundreds of stars.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Ahilyabai Holkar
Mains level: Read the attached story
There has been a proposal from the district administration to rename the Western Maharashtra city of Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, after the 18th century Malwa queen, Ahilyabai Holkar.
History of Ahmednagar
- Ahmednagar lies in the Western region of Maharashtra.
- It has been a part of some prominent kingdoms, starting from 240 B.C. when the vicinity is mentioned in the reference to the Mauryan Emperor Ashok.
- The Rashtrakuta Dynasty, the Western Chalukyas, and then the Delhi Sultanate ruled over the region in the Medieval period.
- In the last case, the rule was not direct, and a revolt by Afghan soldier Alladin Hasan Gangu led to the establishment of the Bahmani kingdom in the Deccan.
- After some time, Ahmednagar (then known as Nizamshahi) became one of the five independent kingdoms to emerge from that empire.
How did the city of Ahmednagar first get its name?
- In 1486, Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah became the Bahmani Sultanate’s Prime Minister.
- He fought back an attempt by the king to dislodge him from power, and defeated the army of the Bahamani kingdom near Ahmednagar in May 1490.
- Finally, in 1494 he laid the foundation of a city close to where he defeated the army, on the left bank of Sina river, and named it after himself: Ahmednagar.
Who was Ahilyabai Holkar?
- Born in Chondi village of Ahmednagar to the village head Mankoji Shinde, on May 31, 1725, Ahilyabai was one of the few women rulers of Medieval India.
- While the education of girls and women was rare at that time, Mankoji insisted on it for his daughter.
- When she was eight years old, Malhar Rao Holkar, the army commander to Peshwa Bajirao, is believed to have spotted her at a temple service in Chondi.
- Impressed by her devotion and character, he decided to get his son, Khande Rao, married to her.
- Ahilyabai took control of Malwa after her husband’s death in the Battle of Kumbher against the king of Bharatpur in 1754.
Her Administration
- She brought about two important changes in the administration, both divergences from the traditions of her era.
- She vested the military power in Tukoji Holkar, a confidante of her father-in-law though not related.
- She separated the state’s revenue from the personal use of the ruling family. Her personal expenses were met from inherited wealth and the land holdings she had.
Role in demolished temple re-construction
- From Gangotri to Rameshwaram, and from Dwarka to Gaya, she spent money on rebuilding temples destroyed under the Mughal rule.
- The most significant one, however, is the current Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
- Destroyed by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb to build the Gyaanvapi mosque, the temple was restored in its current form by Ahilyabai in the year 1780, 111 years after its destruction.
- The Somnath temple, witness to the regular destruction by a host of aggressors over the centuries, was restored in 1783 by all the Maratha confederates, with a significant contributions from Ahilyabai.
- With temples and rest areas in Kedarnath, Srisailam, Omkareshwar and Ujjain, Ahilyabai contributed to the improvement of facilities at other holy sites hosting Jyotirlingas too.
Conclusion
- Ahilyabai died in the year 1795 at the age of 70.
- Her legacy is not documented in a structured way in history textbooks or popular references either.
- Part of the problem is the general absence of any non-Mughal, non-British narratives in contemporary Indian history books.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Vibrant Village Programme
Mains level: Not Much
Union Home Minister said that borders can be permanently secured only when border villages are populated by patriotic citizens who are concerned for the country, asking the border-guarding forces to use the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP) for the same.
Vibrant Village Programme
- The program aims to improve infrastructure in villages along India’s border with China.
- Infrastructure will be improved in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Under the programme, residential and tourist centres will be constructed.
- It will also provide for improvement in road connectivity and development of decentralized renewable energy sources.
- Apart from that, direct access of Doordarshan and education related channels will be provided. Support will be provided for livelihood.
Key focus areas
- It focuses on livelihood generation, road connectivity, housing, rural infrastructure, renewable energy, television and broadband connections.
- This objective will be met by strengthening infrastructure across villages located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Need for such scheme
- The programme is a counter to China’s model villages but the name has been carefully chosen so as to not cause any consternation in the neighbouring country.
- China has established new villages along the LAC in the past few years, particularly across the Arunachal Pradesh border.
- While China has been settling new residents in border areas, villages on the Indian side of the frontier have seen unprecedented out-migration.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Social Stock Exchange
Mains level: Read the attached story
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE India) received an in-principle approval from the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to set-up Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment.
What is Social Stock Exchange (SSE)?
- SSE is a novel idea in India, and a stock exchange of this kind is intended to benefit the private and non-profit sectors by directing more capital to them.
- During her Budget speech for the fiscal year 2019–20, Finance Minister first proposed the concept of SSE.
- The Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 was then invoked by the government, which subsequently published a gazette notification announcing a new security as “zero coupon zero principal”.
- The SSE will function as a distinct division of the current stock exchanges under the new regulations.
Who can list on SSE?
- The SSE will be a distinct division of the current stock exchanges under the new regulations.
- Not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) and for-profit social enterprises with social intent and impact as their primary goal will be eligible to participate in the SSE.
- Additionally, such an intent should be shown by its emphasis on social goals that are appropriate for under-served or less privileged populations or areas.
- The social enterprises will have to engage in a social activity out of 16 broad activities listed by the regulator.
The eligible activities include-
- Eradicating hunger poverty, malnutrition and inequality
- Promoting healthcare, supporting education, employability and livelihoods
- Gender equality empowerment of women and LGBTQIA communities
- Supporting incubators of social enterprise
Who are not eligible?
- Corporate foundations, political or religious organisations or activities, professional or trade associations, infrastructure companies, and housing companies, with the exception of affordable housing, will not be eligible to be identified as social enterprises.
- According to SEBI’s framework, minimum issue size of ₹1 crore and a minimum application size for subscription of ₹2 lakh are currently required for SSE.
Minimum requirements for sustenance
- NPO needs to be registered as a charitable trust and should be registered for at least three years, must have spent at least ₹50 lakh annually in the past financial year.
- They should have received a funding of at least ₹10 lakh in the past financial year.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: City Finance Ranking
Mains level: Not Much
The Centre launched City Finance Rankings 2022 and City Beauty Competition aimed at incentivising urban local bodies for improving cities’ public infrastructure and strengthening them on basis of key financial parameters.
What is City Finance Rankings?
- It aims to evaluate, recognise, and reward urban local bodies on the basis of their strength across key financial parameters.
- City Finance Rankings aim to motivate city and state officials and decision makers, to implement municipal finance reforms.
- The participating urban local bodies will be evaluated on 15 indicators across three key municipal finance assessment parameters like resource mobilisation, expenditure performance, and fiscal governance.
- The cities will be ranked at the national level on the basis of their scores under any one of the following four population categories:
- Above 40 lakh
- Between 10-40 lakh
- 1 lakh to 10 lakh and
- Less than one lakh
- The top three cities in each population category will be recognised and rewarded at the national level as well as within each state and state cluster
About City Beauty Competition
- Wards and public places of cities would be judged against the five broad pillars (i) accessibility (ii) amenities (iii) activities (iv) aesthetics and (v) ecology.
- It would felicitate most beautiful wards and beautiful public places at the city level.
- It aims to encourage and recognise the transformational efforts made by cities and wards in India to create beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
Mains level: Modernization of railways
The Ministry of Railways, as part of its station redevelopment drive, has formulated Amrit Bharat Station Scheme to modernize over 1,000 small stations over the coming years.
Amrit Bharat Station Scheme
- Under this, stations will be equipped with facilities inspired by the mega-upgradation of marquee stations such as New Delhi and Ahmedabad, albeit at a lower cost.
- Key features of these proposed stations include provisions for roof top plazas, longer platforms, ballast-less tracks, and 5G connectivity.
- The scheme will subsume all previous redevelopment projects where work is yet to begin.
Implementation strategy
- The model envisages low-cost redevelopment of stations which can be executed timely.
- Zonal railways have been given the responsibility of selecting stations, which will then be approved by a committee of senior railway officials.
- Plans and consequent budgets will only be approved on the basis of factors such as footfall and inputs from stakeholders.
Facilities Planned under this Scheme
- Provision for Roof Plaza to be created in future
- Free Wi-Fi, space for 5G mobile towers
- Smooth access by widening of roads, removal of unwanted structures, properly designed signages, dedicated pedestrian pathways, well-planned parking areas, improved lighting etc.
- High level platforms (760-840 mm) at all stations with a length of 600 metres
- Special amenities for the disabled
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Read the attached story
Mains level: NA
2023 is set to be another busy year. Here are five of the most exciting missions to watch out for.
(1) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
- In April, the European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice), in what will be Europe’s first dedicated robotic mission to Jupiter.
- Juice is due to reach the planet in July 2031 after performing an incredible flight path through the Solar System.
- The mission will enter into orbit around Jupiter and perform numerous flybys of its large icy moons: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
- After four years of moon flybys, Juice will then enter into orbit around Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System — becoming the first spacecraft ever to reach orbit around the moon of another planet.
- The icy moons of Jupiter are interesting as they are all believed to host oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces.
- Europa, in particular, is regarded as one of the most likely abodes in the Solar System for extra-terrestrial life.
(2) SpaceX Starship
- Starship will be the largest spacecraft capable of carrying humans from Earth to destinations in space (the International Space Station is larger, but it was assembled in space).
- It will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever to fly, capable of lifting 100 tonnes of cargo to low Earth orbit.
- Starship is the collective name for a two-component system consisting of the Starship spacecraft (which carries the crew and cargo) and the Super Heavy rocket.
- The rocket component will lift Starship to some 65km altitude before separating and returning to Earth in a controlled landing.
- The upper Starship component will then use its own engines to push itself the rest of the way to orbit.
(3) dearMoon Project
- The long-awaited dearMoon project, which will take members of the public on a six-day trip around the Moon and back, is due for launch on Starship and was originally planned for 2023.
- It will be the first true deep space tourism launch.
- This mission will mark a big change in the way we think about space, as previously only astronauts picked using incredibly stringent criteria have been able to go into deep space.
- The success or failure of the dearMoon mission could affect whether deep space tourism becomes the next big thing, or it is relegated back to being a pipe-dream.
(4) OSIRIS-REx returning Earth
- The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security — Regolith Explorer, mercifully more commonly known as OSIRIS-REx, is a NASA mission to near-Earth asteroid Bennu.
- A key goal of this robotic mission was to acquire samples of Bennu and return them to Earth for analysis.
- OSIRIS-REx is now fast returning to Earth with up to a kilogram of precious asteroid samples stored aboard.
- If all goes well, the capsule will detach from the spacecraft, enter the Earth’s atmosphere and parachute to a soft landing in the deserts of Utah.
- Asteroid sample return has only been achieved once before, by the Japanese Space Agency’s Hayabusa 2 mission in 2020.
- Bennu is an approximately diamond-shaped world just half a kilometre in size, but has many interesting characteristics.
- Some of the minerals detected within it have been altered by water, implying that Bennu’s ancient parent body possessed liquid water.
- It also has an abundance of precious metals, including gold and platinum.
- It is however classed as a potentially hazardous object with a (very) small possibility of Earth impact in the next century.
(5) India’s private space launch
- Skyroot Aerospace, which successfully launched its Vikram-S rocket in November 2022, is soon to become the first private Indian company to launch a satellite.
- The rocket itself reached 90km in altitude, a distance that would need to be improved upon to get a constellation of satellites into orbit.
- Skyroot’s first satellite launch is planned for 2023, with a goal of undercutting the cost of private space launch rivals by producing its 3D-printed rockets in a matter of days.
- If successful, this could also provide a route for cheaper launches of scientific missions, enabling a faster rate of research.
Conclusion
- With many bold advances and launches due in 2023, we are entering a new phase akin to the “Golden era” of space launches in the 1960s and ’70s.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Naegleria fowleri
Mains level: Not Much
South Korea reported its first case of infection from Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”.
What is Naegleria fowleri (Amoeba)?
- Amoeba is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods.
- Naegleria is an amoeba, a single-celled organism, and only one of its species, called Naegleria fowleri, can infect humans.
- It was first discovered in Australia in 1965 and is commonly found in warm freshwater bodies, such as hot springs, rivers and lakes.
- So far, Naegleria fowleri has been found in all continents and declared as the cause of PAM in over 16 countries, including India.
How does it infect humans?
- The amoeba enters the human body through the nose and then travels up to the brain.
- This can usually happen when someone goes for a swim, or dive or even when they dip their head in a freshwater body.
- In some cases, it was found that people got infected when they cleaned their nostrils with contaminated water/ vapour/ or aerosol droplets.
- Once Naegleria fowleri goes to the brain, it destroys brain tissues and causes a dangerous infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
What are the symptoms of PAM?
- The CDC says the first signs of PAM start showing within one to 12 days after the infection.
- In the initial stages, they might be similar to symptoms of meningitis, which are headache, nausea and fever.
- In the later stages, one can suffer from a stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, and even coma.
- The infection spreads rapidly and on average causes death within about five days.
How its spread is linked to climate change?
- With the rising global temperatures, the chances of getting Naegleria fowleri infection will go up as the amoeba mainly thrives in warm freshwater bodies.
- The organism best grows in high temperatures up to 46°C and sometimes can survive at even higher temperatures.
- Various recent studies have found that excess atmospheric carbon dioxide has led to an increase in the temperature of lakes and rivers.
- These conditions provide a more favourable environment for the amoeba to grow.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Pralay Missile
Mains level: Tactical weapons and their battle significance
The Defence Ministry has decided to deploy indigenously developed surface-to-surface ‘Pralay’ ballistic missiles near India’s borders with China and Pakistan.
What are Tactical Missiles?
- Generally, short-range missiles are termed tactical while long-range missiles are termed strategic.
- A missile which is used to destroy tactical targets of enemy like bunkers, mortar position, artillery position etc. is tactical missile.
- Battlefield missiles are tactical while long-range missiles targeting bigger targets like cities are termed strategic.
- Features of these missiles include-
- Versatile range: Tactical missiles fills the gap between long range rockets and short range ballistic missiles , and have range mainly about 100 to 200 kms .
- Very high precision and accuracy: These missiles are highly accurate, and can destroy small steady and moving targets with high accuracy.
About ‘Pralay’ Missile
- Pralay is a Hindi word which means “apocalypse” or “to cause great destruction” or “damage”.
- The Pralay missile project was sanctioned in 2015 and is a derivative of the Prahaar missile programme, which was first tested in 2011.
- Developed by the DRDO, the ‘Pralay’ ballistic missile is a canisterised tactical, surface-to-surface, and short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) for battlefield use.
- It can hit targets from a distance of 150 to 500 km and is extremely difficult to intercept by enemy interceptor missiles.
- Pralay is powered by a solid fuel rocket motor and is a high explosive preformed fragmentation warhead that weighs somewhere between 350 kg to 700 kg.
- It also accounts for its Penetration-Cum-Blast (PCB) and Runaway Denial Penetration Submunitions (RDPS).
Unique features of Pralay
- Precise targeting: The missile is designed to destroy enemy radar, communication installations, command centres and airfields.
- Quasi Ballistic Trajectory: It means the object takes a low curved path after being shot.
- Stealth features: Pralay has the ability to evade any anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptors by performing mid-air manoeuvres by using a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle.
- Destruction capability: When a high-explosive warhead, like the one Pralay missile is equipped with, explodes, its pieces are thrown at a high speed which can inflict heavy damage.
What makes Pralay lethal?
- The Indian missile can be compared to China’s Dong Feng 12 and the Russian Iskander missile that has been used in the ongoing war with Ukraine.
- The US Army is in the process of increasing the range of a similar short-range ballistic missile called the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
- What makes Pralay deadly is that it is a quasi-ballistic weapon, which means that while it has a low trajectory and is largely ballistic, it can manoeuvre in flight.
- Unlike intercontinental ballistic missiles that exit the Earth’s atmosphere, short-range ballistic missiles stay within it.
What lies ahead?
- Pralay, along with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, will form the crux of India’s planned Rocket Force — a concept that was envisaged by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the late General Bipin Rawat.
- Only conventional missiles would come under the planned Rocket Force as and when it’s ready, while nuclear weapons would continue to be under the ambit of the Strategic Forces Command.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Geoglyphs
Mains level: Prehistoric Rock Art
Experts and conservationists have raised concerns over the proposed location for a mega oil refinery in Barsu village of Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.
What are geoglyphs?
- Geoglyphs are a form of prehistoric rock art, created on the surface of laterite plateaus.
- They are made by removing a part of the rock surface through an incision, picking, carving or abrading.
- They can be in the form of rock paintings, etchings, cup marks and ring marks.
Ratnagiri’s geoglyphs
- Clusters of geoglyphs are spread across the Konkan coastline in Maharashtra and Goa, spanning around 900 km.
- Porous laterite rock, which lends itself to such carving, is found on a large scale across the entire region.
- Ratnagiri district has more than 1,500 pieces of such art, also called “Katal shilpa,” spread across 70 sites.
- The figures depicted in the geoglyphs include humans and animals such as deer, elephant, tiger, monkey, wild boar, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, cattle, pig, rabbit, and monkey.
- Moreover, they also include a high number of reptilian and amphibian creatures such as tortoises and alligators, aquatic animals such as sharks and sting rays, and birds like peacocks.
Why are they significant?
- Tourism potential: Ratnagiri’s prehistoric sites are among three Indian attractions that may soon become World Heritage Sites. The other two include Jingkieng Jri, the living root bridge in Meghalaya, and Sri Veerabhadra Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Lepakshi.
- Evolution of art: The geoglyph clusters also are examples of advanced artistic skills, showing the evolution of techniques of etching and scooping in rock art.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PRASAD Scheme
Mains level: Religious tourism development
President of India inaugurated ‘PRASAD’ project at the tourism facilitation centre in the pilgrim town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.
About Srisailam
- The temple at Srisailam is the ancient and sacred place of South India.
- The presiding deity of the place is Brahmaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy in natural stone formations in the shape of Lingam.
- It is listed as one of the twelve Jyotirlingams existing in the country.
Development with PRASAD scheme
- The pilgrim town will get a pilgrim complex, amenities centres, an amphitheatre, sound and light show, digital intervention, parking areas among others.
- There is total outlay of ₹48.03 crore under the PRASAD project.
Back2Basics: PRASAD Scheme
- PRASAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).
- It is 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Tourism Ministry.
- Provisions under the scheme include-
- Tourism Promotion and Tourist Ecosystem
- Vocational Training for Tourists and Hospitality Business
- Hunar se Rozgar tak (HSRT) and earn while you learn programs
- Improving Tourist Infrastructure
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Bomb Cyclone
Mains level: Not Much
Bomb cyclone continued to unleash havoc as the death toll due to weather-related incidents in the United States mounted to 34 and has left millions without power.
What is Bomb Cyclone?
- A bomb cyclone is a large, intense mid-latitude storm that has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation.
- It becomes a bomb when its central pressure decreases very quickly—by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
- When a cyclone “bombs,” or undergoes bombogenesis, this tells us that it has access to the optimal ingredients for strengthening, such as high amounts of heat, moisture and rising air.
Why is it called a bomb?
- Most cyclones don’t intensify rapidly in this way.
- Bomb cyclones put forecasters on high alert, because they can produce significant harmful impacts.
Its etymology
- The word “bombogenesis” is a combination of cyclogenesis, which describes the formation of a cyclone or storm, and bomb, which is, well, pretty self-explanatory.
- This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters.
- The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.
How does it occur?
- Over the warmer ocean, heat and moisture are abundant.
- But as cool continental air moves overhead and creates a large difference in temperature, the lower atmosphere becomes unstable and buoyant.
- Air rises, cools and condenses, forming clouds and precipitation.
Where does it occur the most?
- The US coast is one of the regions where bombogenesis is most common.
- That’s because storms in the mid-latitudes – a temperate zone north of the tropics that includes the entire continental US – draw their energy from large temperature contrasts.
- Along the US East Coast during winter, there’s a naturally potent thermal contrast between the cool land and the warm Gulf Stream current.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Orans, Sacred grooves
Mains level: Not Much
Oran Bachao Yatras are taking place in Rajasthan for the protection of orans or sacred groves facing the threat of destruction due to the land being allotted for renewable energy infrastructure and high-tension power lines.
What are Orans?
- Orans are Community Conserved Areas protected for their sacred values.
- They include woodlots, pastures, orchards, sacred groves, and habitats usually centered around sources of water such as natural springs, rivulets, or artificially constructed ponds.
- Additionally, there is usually a shrine dedicated to a local deity at the heart of an Oran.
- Their traditional boundaries are based on landmarks or geographical milestones established by indigenous and agro-pastoral communities associated with them.
- Orans are usually defined by a strong community-territory relationship and a well-functioning governance system.
Reasons for the Yatra
- Named after local deities and medieval warriors, orans hold religious and social significance as small forest patches in the middle of the mighty Thar desert.
- Orans also form the natural habitat for India’s most critically endangered bird, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, which is also the State bird of Rajasthan.
- GIBs have died during the last few years because of collision with power lines, making this the most significant threat to the majestic birds.
Back2Basics: Sacred Grooves
- Sacred groves of India are forest fragments of varying sizes, which are communally protected, and which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community.
- It usually consists of a dense cover of vegetation including climbers, herbs, shrubs and trees, with the presence of a village deity and is mostly situated near a perennial water source.
- Sacred groves are considered to be symbols of the primitive practice of nature worship and support nature conservation to a great extent.
- The introduction of the protected area category community reserves under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 has introduced legislation for providing government protection to community-held lands, which could include sacred groves.
Historical references
- Indian sacred groves are often associated with temples, monasteries, shrines, pilgrimage sites, or with burial grounds.
- Historically, sacred groves find their mentions in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, from sacred tree groves in Hinduism to sacred deer parks in Buddhism for example.
- Sacred groves may be loosely used to refer to natural habitat protected on religious grounds.
- Other historical references to sacred groves can be obtained in Vrukshayurveda an ancient treatise, ancient classics such as Kalidasa’s Vikramuurvashiiya.
- There has been a growing interest in creating green patches such as Nakshatravana
Regulation of activities in Sacred Grooves
- Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within these patches.
- Other forms of forest usage like honey collection and deadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis.
- NGOs work with local villagers to protect such groves.
- Traditionally, and in some cases even today, members of the community take turns to protect the grove.
Threats to such grooves
- Threats to the groves include urbanization, and over-exploitation of resources.
- While many of the groves are looked upon as abode of Hindu deities, in the recent past a number of them have been partially cleared for construction of shrines and temples.
Total grooves in India
- Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings.
- Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000.
- They are called by different names in different states:
- Sarna in Bihar
- Dev Van in Himachal Pradesh
- Devarakadu in Karnataka
- Kavu in Kerala
- Dev in Madhya Pradesh
- Devarahati or Devarai in Maharashtra
- Lai Umang in Maharashtra
- Law Kyntang or Asong Khosi in Meghalaya
- Kovil Kadu or Sarpa Kavu in Tamil Nadu
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