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Type: Prelims Only

  • International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

    In news: James Webb Space Telescope

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: James Webb Space Telescope, Jupiter

    Mains level: Not Much

    The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s latest and most powerful telescope, has captured new images of our solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, presenting it in a never before seen light.

    What is so special about snapping Jupiter?

    • The photographs have captured a new view of the planet, presenting in detail its massive storms, colourful auroras, faint rings and two small moons — Amalthea and Adrastea.
    • While most of us are familiar with the yellow and reddish-brown gas giant.
    • The JSWT’s Near-Infrared Camera, with its specialized infrared filters, has shown Jupiter encompassed in blue, green, white, yellow and orange hues.
    • Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot, a storm so big that it could swallow Earth, appeared bright white in the image, since it was reflecting a lot of sunlight.
    • The brightness here indicates high altitude — so the Great Red Spot has high-altitude hazes, as does the equatorial region.
    • The numerous bright white ‘spots’ and ‘streaks’ are likely very high-altitude cloud tops of condensed convective storms.

    About James Webb Space Telescope

    • JWST is a space telescope jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
    • It is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission.
    • It will conduct a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including:
    1. Observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe such as the formation of the first galaxies
    2. Detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets

    How is it different from other telescopes?

    • JWST is much more powerful and has the ability to look in the infrared spectrum, which will allow it to peer through much deeper into the universe, and see through obstructions such as gas clouds.
    • As electromagnetic waves travel for long distances, they lose energy, resulting in an increase in their wavelength.
    • An ultraviolet wave, for example, can slowly move into the visible light spectrum and the infrared spectrum, and further weaken to microwaves or radio waves, as it loses energy.
    • Hubble was designed to look mainly into the ultraviolet and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
    • JWST is primarily an infrared telescope, the first of its kind.

    Special features of JWST

    (1) Time machine in space

    • Powerful space telescopes, like JWST or the Hubble Telescope, are often called time machines because of their ability to view very faraway objects.
    • The light coming from those objects, stars or galaxies, which is captured by these telescopes, began its journey millions of years earlier.
    • Essentially, what these telescopes see are images of these stars or galaxies as they were millions of years ago.
    • The more distant the planet or star, the farther back in time are the telescopes able to see.

    (2) Farthest from Earth

    • JWST will also be positioned much deeper into space, about a million miles from Earth, at a spot known as L2.
    • It is one of the five points, known as Lagrange’s points, in any revolving two-body system like Earth and Sun, where the gravitational forces of the two large bodies cancel each other out.
    • Objects placed at these positions are relatively stable and require minimal external energy to keep them there. L2 is a position directly behind Earth in the line joining the Sun and the Earth.
    • It would be shielded from the Sun by the Earth as it goes around the Sun, in sync with the Earth.

    (3) Engineering marvel

    • JWST has one large mirror, with a diameter of 21 feet (the height of a typical two-storey building), that will capture the infra-red light coming in from the deep universe while facing away from the Sun.
    • It will be shielded by a five-layer, tennis court-sized, kite-shaped sunscreen that is designed to block the heat from Sun and ensure the extremely cool temperatures that the instruments are built to operate at.
    • Temperatures on the sun-facing side can get as high as 110°C, while the other side would be maintained at –200° to –230°C.
    • The extremely cold temperatures are needed to detect the extremely faint heat signals from distant galaxies.
    • The mirror as well as the sunscreen is so large they could not have fit into any rocket. They have been built as foldable items and would be unravelled in space.

     

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  • Road and Highway Safety – National Road Safety Policy, Good Samaritans, etc.

    Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) cameras for toll collection

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR)

    Mains level: Toll collection models in India

    In light of congestion at toll plazas, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is now moving ahead with a plan to replace toll plazas with cameras that could read number plates, also known as Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) cameras.

    ANPR cameras

    • The plan is to remove toll plazas on national highways and instead rely on ANPR cameras, which will read vehicle number plates and automatically deduct toll from the linked bank accounts of vehicle owners.
    • The model is simple: Entry and exit of toll roads will have cameras capable of reading number plates, and toll will be deducted based on these cameras.

    Can all number plates be read by the cameras?

    • Not all number plates in India can be read, and only those that have come after 2019 will be registered by the cameras.
    • The government, in 2019, had come up with a rule mandating passenger vehicles to have company-fitted number plates, and only these number plates can be read by cameras.
    • The government plans to come up with a scheme to replace older number plates.
    • A pilot of this scheme is underway and legal amendments to facilitate this transition are also being moved to penalise vehicle owners who skip toll plazas and do not pay.

    Current model for toll collection: FASTags

    • Currently, about 97 per cent of the total toll collection of nearly Rs 40,000 crore happens though FASTags — the remaining 3 per cent pay higher than normal toll rates for not using FASTags.
    • With FASTags, it takes about 47 seconds per vehicle to cross a toll plaza.
    • There’s a marked throughput enhancement – more than 260 vehicles can be processed per hour via electronic toll collection lane as compared to 112 vehicles per hour via manual toll collection lane, according to government data.
    • While FASTags have eased traffic at toll plazas across the country, congestion is still reported as there are toll gates that need to be crossed after authentication.

    Why such move?

    • Congestion at toll plazas on national highways continues to impact commuters despite 97 per cent of tolling happening through FASTags.
    • Apart from ANPR helping to ease congestion, the government is also looking at GPS technology as one of the options for toll collection.

    Are there issues with ANPR?

    • The success of ANPR cameras will depend on creating an ecosystem that is in sync with the requirements of the camera.
    • The biggest problem being faced during the trials is when things are written on number plates, beyond the nine digit registration number, such as ‘Govt of India/Delhi’ etc.
    • Another problem that ANPR cameras face is in reading number plates on trucks, as most of the time they are hidden or soiled etc.
    • A pilot on a key expressway has found that about 10 per cent of vehicles with such number plates are being missed by the ANPR cameras.

    Back2Basics: What is ‘FASTag’?

    • As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since 1st December 2017, the FASTag had been made mandatory for all registered new four-wheelers and is being supplied by the Vehicle Manufacturer or their dealers.
    • It has been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag.
    • For National Permit Vehicles, the fitment of FASTag was mandated since 1st October 2019.
    • FASTags are stickers that are affixed to the windscreen of vehicles and use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to enable digital, contactless payment of tolls without having to stop at toll gates.
    • The tags are linked to bank accounts and other payment methods.
    • As a car crosses a toll plaza, the amount is automatically deducted, and a notification is sent to the registered mobile phone number.

    How does it work?

    • The device employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.
    • It is affixed on the windscreen, so the vehicle can drive through plazas without stopping.
    • RFID technology is similar to that used in transport access-control systems, like Metro smart card.
    • If the tag is linked to a prepaid account like a wallet or a debit/credit card, then owners need to recharge/top up the tag.
    • If it is linked to a savings account, then money will get deducted automatically after the balance goes below a pre-defined threshold.
    • Once a vehicle crosses the toll, the owner will get an SMS alert on the deduction. In that, it is like a prepaid e-wallet.

     

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  • Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

    Artforms in news: Yakshagana dance

    Prelims Only | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Yakshagana

    Mains level: Not Much

    This newscard is an excerpt of the original article published in TH.

    What is Yakshagana?

    • Yakshagana is a traditional theater, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala.
    • It emerged in the Vijayanagara Empire and was performed by Jakkula Varu.
    • It combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form.
    • Towards the south from Dakshina Kannada to Kasaragod of Tulu Nadu region, the form of Yakshagana is called as ‘Thenku thittu’ and towards north from Udupi up to Uttara Kannada it’s called as ‘Badaga Thittu‘.
    • It is sometimes simply called “Aata” or āṭa (meaning “the play”). Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
    • Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indic traditions.

    Try this question from CSP 2017:

    Q.With reference to Manipuri Sankirtana, consider the following statements:

    1. It is a song and dance performance.
    2. Cymbals are the only musical instruments used in the performance.
    3. It is performed to narrate the life and deeds of Lord Krishna.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1, 2 and 3.

    (b) 1 and 3 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1 only

     

    Post your answers here.

     

     

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  • Indian Missile Program Updates

    Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM)

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Indigenization Of Technology

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: VL-SRSAM

    Mains level: Short range missiles development

    The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy has successfully flight-tested the indigenously developed Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

    What is Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM) ?

    • VL-SRSAM has been designed and developed jointly by three facilities of the DRDO for deployment of Indian Naval warships.
    • The missile has the capability of neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.
    • The tactic of sea skimming is used by various anti-ship missiles and some fighter jets to avoid being detected by the radars onboard warships.
    • For this, these assets fly as close as possible to sea surface and thus are difficult to detect and neutralise.

    Features of VL-SRSAM

    • The missile has been designed to strike at the high-speed airborne targets at the range of 40 to 50 km and at an altitude of around 15 km.
    • Its design is based on Astra missile which is a Beyond Visual Range Air to Air missile.
    • Two key features of the VL-SRSAM are cruciform wings and thrust vectoring.
    • The cruciform wings are four small wings arranged like a cross on four sides and give the projective a stable aerodynamic posture.
    • The thrust vectoring is an ability to change the direction of the thrust from its engine control the angular velocity and the attitude of the missile.
    • VL-SRSAM is a canisterised system, which means it is stored and operated from specially designed compartments.
    • In the canister, the inside environment is controlled, thus making its transport and storage easier and improving the shelf life of weapons

    Strategic significance of the missile

    • The launch was conducted from a vertical launcher against an electronic target at a very low altitude.
    • The flight path of the vehicle along with health parameters was monitored using a number of tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur.
    • The successful testing of these systems was crucial for future launches of the missile from Indian Naval Ships.

     

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  • Zoonotic Diseases: Medical Sciences Involved & Preventive Measures

    Tomato Flu cases found in India

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Tomato Flu

    Mains level: Not Much

    With cases of tomato flu reported from at least four states — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Odisha — the Union Health Ministry has issued a set of guidelines on prevention, testing, and treatment of the infection.

    Researchers believe that it is a different clinical presentation of hand-foot-and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by a group of enteroviruses (viruses transmitted through the intestine).

    What is Tomato Flu?

    • Tomato flu or tomato fever is characterized by fever, joint pain, and red, tomato-like rashes usually seen in children below the age of five years.
    • This is accompanied by other symptoms of viral fevers such as diarrhoea, dehydration, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue.
    • This was thought to be an aftereffect of dengue and chikungunya that is commonly seen in Kerala.
    • However, researchers now believe that it is HFMD caused by enteroviruses like Coxsackievirus A-6 and A-16.

    Is it very uncommon?

    • Tomato flu could be an after-effect of chikungunya or dengue fever in children rather than a viral infection.
    • It could also be a new variant of the viral hand, foot, and mouth disease, a common infectious disease targeting mostly children aged 1–5 years and immunocompromised adults.
    • HFMD is not a new infection, we have read about it in our textbooks. It is reported from time to time across the country, but it is not very common.

    Why is the infection spreading now?

    • There actually are more cases or because we are more vigilant about viral infections and testing after Covid-19.
    • Since the disease is self-limiting, doctors do not usually test for it.
    • There are so many viral infections in children, but we cannot — and there is no need to — test for each and every one of it.

    Which pathogen is causing it now? And how is the clinical presentation different?

    • The current HFMD cases are mainly caused by Coxsackievirus A-6 and A-16.
    • Another pathogen — Enterovirus71 — that also causes the disease is not very prevalent now, according to her.
    • This is good because the pathogen was known to lead to severe neurologic symptoms, including fatal encephalitis (brain inflammation).
    • In almost all cases, say 99.9% cases, the disease is self-limiting.
    • But, in a small number of cases it can lead to CNS (central nervous system) complications.

    Is there a treatment for the infection?

    • There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for the disease.
    • Those with the infection are treated symptomatically, such as prescription of paracetamol for fever.

    How can the infection be prevented?

    • As it happens mainly in children, the Centre’s advisory focuses on preventions in these age groups.
    • As per the advisory, anyone suspected to have the infection should remain in isolation for five to seven days after the onset of the symptoms.
    • It states that children must be educated about the infection and asked not to hug or touch other children with fever or rashes.
    • The children should be encouraged to maintain hygiene, stop thumb or finger sucking, and use a handkerchief for a running nose, the advisory states.

     

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  • RBI Notifications

    Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC): the Digital Rupee

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

    Mains level: Prospects and challenges to CBDC

    Reports have said the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) digital rupee — the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) — may be introduced in phases beginning with wholesale businesses in the current financial year.

    What is Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)?

    • CBDC is a central bank issued digital currency which is backed by some kind of assets in the form of either gold, currency reserves, bonds and other assets, recognised by the central banks as a monetary asset.
    • The present concept of CBDCs was directly inspired by Bitcoin, but a CBDC is different from virtual currency and cryptocurrency.
    • Cryptocurrencies are not issued by a state and lack the legal tender status declared by the government.

    What is Currency chest?

    Currency in India is managed by Currency chest. Currency chest is a place where the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stocks the money meant for banks and ATMs. These chests are usually situated on the premises of different banks but administrated by the RBI.

    Why India needs a digital rupee?

    • Online transactions: India is a leader in digital payments, but cash remains dominant for small-value transactions.
    • High currency in circulation: India has a fairly high currency-to-GDP ratio.
    • Cost of currency management: An official digital currency would reduce the cost of currency management while enabling real-time payments without any inter-bank settlement.

    Why is CBDC preferred over Cryptocurrency?

    • Sovereign guarantee: Cryptocurrencies pose risks to consumers.  They do not have any sovereign guarantee and hence are not legal tender.
    • Market volatility: Their speculative nature also makes them highly volatile.  For instance, the value of Bitcoin fell from USD 20,000 in December 2017 to USD 3,800 in November 2018.
    • Risk in security: A user loses access to their cryptocurrency if they lose their private key (unlike traditional digital banking accounts, this password cannot be reset).
    • Malware threats: In some cases, these private keys are stored by technical service providers (cryptocurrency exchanges or wallets), which are prone to malware or hacking.
    • Money laundering: Cryptocurrencies are more vulnerable to criminal activity and money laundering.  They provide greater anonymity than other payment methods since the public keys engaging in a transaction cannot be directly linked to an individual.
    • Regulatory bypass: A central bank cannot regulate the supply of cryptocurrencies in the economy.  This could pose a risk to the financial stability of the country if their use becomes widespread.
    • Power consumption: Since validating transactions is energy-intensive, it may have adverse consequences for the country’s energy security (the total electricity use of bitcoin mining, in 2018, was equivalent to that of mid-sized economies such as Switzerland).

    Features of CBDC

    • High-security instrument: CBDC is a high-security digital instrument; like paper banknotes, it is a means of payment, a unit of account, and a store of value.
    • Uniquely identifiable: And like paper currency, each unit is uniquely identifiable to prevent counterfeit.
    • Liability of central bank: It is a liability of the central bank just as physical currency is.
    • Transferability: It’s a digital bearer instrument that can be stored, transferred, and transmitted by all kinds of digital payment systems and services.

    Key benefits offered

    • Faster system: CBDC can definitely increase the transmission of money from central banks to commercial banks and end customers much faster than the present system.
    • Financial inclusion: Specific use cases, like financial inclusion, can also be covered by CBDC that can benefit millions of citizens who need money and are currently unbanked or banked with limited banking services
    • Monetary policy facilitation: The move to bring out a CBDC could significantly improve monetary policy development in India.
    • Making of a regional currency: In the cross border payments domain, India can take a lead by leveraging digital Rupee especially in countries such as Bhutan, Saudia Arabia and Singapore where NPCI has existing arrangements.

    Others:

    • It is efficient than printing notes (cost of printing, transporting, and storing paper currency)
    • It reduces the risk of transactions
    • It makes tax collection transparent
    • Prevents money laundering

    Issues involved with CBDC

    • Innovation with centralization: The approach of bringing a sovereign digital currency stands in stark contrast to the idea of decentralization.
    • Liability on RBI:  when bank customers wish to convert their deposits into digital rupee, the RBI will have to take these liabilities from the books of banks and onto its own balance sheet.
    • Inflationary risk: Central banks would indulge in issuing more digital currencies which could potentially trigger higher inflation.
    • User adoption: User adoption could also pose a major setback for the smooth roll out of the CBDC in India. The main challenges would always be user adoption and security.
    • Reduced savings: Many, including various central bankers, fear that people may begin withdrawing money from their bank accounts as digital currencies issued by Central banks become more popular.
    • Volatility: the risk is higher and there is more price volatility and lesser acceptance as a money instrument globally, unless the trust factor and investor protection factors change.

    Way forward

    • The launch of CBDCs may not be a smooth affair and still requires more clarity in India. There are still a lot of misconceptions about the concept of digital currency in the country.
    • The effectiveness of CBDCs will depend on aspects such as privacy design and programmability.
    • There is a huge opportunity for India to take a lead globally via a large-scale rollout and adoption of digital currencies.

     

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  • Urban Floods

    What are Cloudbursts? Why are they rising across India?

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Cloudburst

    Mains level: Flash floods and cloudbursts

    Over 20 people have been killed in destruction caused by cloudbursts and flash floods in different parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the last three days.

    What are Cloudbursts?

    • A cloudburst is a localised but intense rainfall activity.
    • Short spells of very heavy rainfall over a small geographical area can cause widespread destruction, especially in hilly regions where this phenomenon is the most common.
    • Not all instances of very heavy rainfall, however, are cloudbursts.
    • A cloudburst has a very specific definition: Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10-km area is classified as a cloudburst event.
    • By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half-hour period over the same area would also be categorized as a cloudburst.

    How is it different from normal rainfall?

    • To put this in perspective, in a normal year, India, as a whole, receives about 116 cm of rainfall over the entire year.
    • This means if the entire rainfall everywhere in India during a year was spread evenly over its area, the total accumulated water would be 116 cm high.
    • There are, of course, huge geographical variations in rainfall within the country, and some areas receive over 10 times more than that amount in a year.
    • But on average, any place in India can be expected to receive about 116 cm of rain in a year.
    • During a cloudburst event, a place receives about 10% of this annual rainfall within an hour.

    How common are cloudbursts?

    • Cloudbursts are not uncommon events, particularly during the monsoon months.
    • Most of these happen in the Himalayan states where the local topology, wind systems, and temperature gradients between the lower and upper atmosphere facilitate the occurrence of such events.
    • However, not every event that is described as a cloudburst is actually, by definition, a cloudburst.
    • That is because these events are highly localized.
    • They take place in very small areas which are often devoid of rainfall measuring instruments.

    Why are they so destructive?

    • The consequences of these events, however, are not confined to small areas.
    • Because of the nature of terrain, the heavy rainfall events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive destruction downstream.
    • This is the reason why every sudden downpour that leads to destruction of life and property in the hilly areas gets described as a “cloudburst”, irrespective of whether the amount of rainfall meets the defining criteria.
    • At the same time, it is also possible that actual cloudburst events in remote locations aren’t recorded.

    Can cloudbursts be forecasted?

    • The India Meteorological Department forecasts rainfall events well in advance, but it does not predict the quantum of rainfall — in fact, no meteorological agency does.
    • The forecasts can be about light, heavy, or very heavy rainfall, but weather scientists do not have the capability to predict exactly how much rain is likely to fall at any given place.
    • Additionally, the forecasts are for a relatively large geographical area, usually a region, a state, a meteorological sub-division, or at best a district.
    • As they zoom in over smaller areas, the forecasts get more and more uncertain.
    • Theoretically, it is not impossible to forecast rainfall over a very small area as well, but it requires a very dense network of weather instruments and computing capabilities that seem unfeasible with current technologies.
    • As a result, specific cloudburst events cannot be forecast. No forecast ever mentions a possibility of a cloudburst.
    • But there are warnings for heavy to very heavy rainfall events, and these are routinely forecast four to five days in advance.
    • Possibility of extremely heavy rainfall, which could result in cloudburst kind of situations, are forecast six to 12 hours in advance.

    Are cloudburst incidents increasing?

    • There is no long-term trend that suggests that cloudbursts, as defined by the IMD, are rising.
    • What is well established, however, is that incidents of extreme rainfall, as also other extreme weather events, are increasing — not just in India but across the world.
    • While the overall amount of rainfall in India has not changed substantially, an increasing proportion of rainfall is happening in a short span of time.
    • That means that the wet spells are very wet, and are interspersed with prolonged dry spells even in the rainy season.
    • This kind of pattern, attributed to climate change, does suggest that cloudburst events might also be on the rise.

     

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  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Pandurang Khankhoje: Ghadarite revolutionary and a hero of Mexico

    Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Pandurang Khankhoje

    Mains level: Ghadr party

    Lok Sabha Speaker, who is currently in Canada for the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, will travel to Mexico where he will unveil statues of Swami Vivekananda and Maharashtra-born freedom fighter and agriculturalist Pandurang Khankhoje.

    Who was Pandurang Khankhoje (1883-1967)?

    • Born in Wardha, Maharashtra, in the late 19th century, Pandurang Khankhoje came in contact with other revolutionaries early on.
    • As a student, Khankhoje was an ardent admirer of the French Revolution and of the American War of Independence.
    • Closer to home, the Hindu reformer Swami Dayanand and his Arya Samaj movement, which called for a spirit of reform and social change, became the hero to a young student group led by Khankhoje.

    Revolutionary activities abroad

    • Khankhoje decided to go abroad for further training in revolutionary methods and militaristic strategy.
    • At this time, the British government’s suspicions of him were also growing due to his anti-government activities.
    • Before leaving, he visited Bal Gangadhar Tilak, by whom he was inspired.
    • Tilak advised him to go to Japan, which was itself a strong, anti-West Asian imperialistic force then.
    • After spending time with nationalists from Japan and China, Khankhoje eventually moved to the US, where he enrolled in college as a student of agriculture.

    Participation in the Indian independence movement

    • Khankhoje was one of the founding members of the Ghadar Party, established by Indians living abroad in 1914, mostly belonging to Punjab.
    • Its aim was to lead a revolutionary fight against the British in India.
    • While in the US, Khankhoje met Lala Har Dayal, an Indian intellectual teaching at Stanford University.
    • Har Dayal had begun a propaganda campaign, publishing a newspaper that featured patriotic songs and articles in the vernacular languages of India.
    • This was the seed from which the Ghadar Party would emerge.

    How did Khankhoje reach Mexico?

    • At the military academy, Khankhoje met many people from Mexico.
    • The Mexican Revolution of 1910 had led to the overthrow of the dictatorial regime, and this inspired Khankhoje.
    • He also reached out to Indians working on farms in the US with the aim of discussing the idea of Indian independence with them.
    • Along with the Indian workers, militant action was planned by Khankhoje in India, but the outbreak of the First World War halted these plans.
    • He then reached out to Bhikaji Cama in Paris, and met with Vladimir Lenin in Russia among other leaders, seeking support for the Indian cause.

    Association with Mexico

    • As he was facing possible deportation from Europe and could not go to India, he sought shelter in Mexico.
    • Soon, in part due to his prior friendship with Mexican revolutionaries, he was appointed a professor at the National School of Agriculture in Chapingo, near Mexico City.
    • He researched corn, wheat, pulses and rubber, developing frost and drought-resistant varieties, and was part of efforts to bring in the Green Revolution in Mexico.
    • Later on, the American agronomist Dr Norman Borlaug, called the Father of the Green Revolution in India, brought the Mexican wheat variety to Punjab.
    • Khankhoje was revered as an agricultural scientist in Mexico.

    Return to India

    • Both Pandurang and Jean returned to India after 1947.
    • His application for visa was initially rejected by the Indian government due to the ban by the British Indian Government, but was eventually overturned.
    • He settled in Nagpur and subsequently embarked on a political career.
    • Pandurang Khankhoje died on 22 January 1967.

    Back2Basics: Ghadar Party

    Founder: Sohan Singh Bhakna, 15 July 1913

    • The Ghadar Movement was an early 20th century, international political movement founded by expatriate Indians to overthrow British rule in India.
    • Earlier activists had established a ‘Swadesh Sevak Home’ in Vancouver and a ‘United India House’ in Seattle to carry out revolutionary activities. Finally, in 1913, the Ghadr was founded.
    • The Ghadar Party, originally known as the Pacific Coast Hindustan Association, was founded on July 15, 1913 in the US by Lala Har Dayal, Sant Baba Wasakha Singh Dadehar, Baba Jawala Singh, Santokh Singh, and Sohan Singh Bhakna.
    • The Ghadar party drew a sizable following among Indian expatriates in the United States, Canada, East Africa, and Asia.
    • It fought against colonialism from 1914 to 1917, with the support of Imperial Germany and the Ottoman Empire, both of which were Central Powers opposed to the British.
    • The party was organized around the weekly newspaper The Ghadar, which featured the masthead caption: Angrezi Raj Ka Dushman (an enemy of British rule); “Wanted brave soldiers to stir up rebellion in India,” the Ghadar declared.

     

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  • Roads, Highways, Cargo, Air-Cargo and Logistics infrastructure – Bharatmala, LEEP, SetuBharatam, etc.

    ‘Kerala Savari’: India’s first online taxi service as a public option

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Government Scheme/Policies

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Kerala Savari

    Mains level: Cab aggregators malpractices and their regulation in India

    Kerala has soft launched ‘Kerala Savari’, the country’s first online taxi service owned by a State government, to ensure fair and decent service to passengers along with fair remuneration to auto-taxi workers.

    What is Kerala Savari?

    • Operated by the Motor Workers Welfare Board under the aegis of the Labour Department, the Kerala Savari ensures safe travel for the public at ‘government approved fares’ without any ‘surge pricing’.
    • The ‘Kerala Savari’ app would be made available to the public on online platforms shortly as it is under the scrutiny of Google now.

    Why such initiative?

    • The alleged unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights by private app-based cab aggregators have come as a major concern for governments.
    • Recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had issued notices to cab aggregators Ola and Uber for unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights which include:
    1. Charging exorbitant fares during peak hours
    2. Unprofessional behaviour from the part of drivers
    3. Lack of proper response from customer support, and
    4. Undue levy of cancellation charges despite the cab driver refusing to accept the ride booked by the passenger etc.
    • It is against this backdrop that the Kerala government has decided to come up with an app-based platform to offer auto-taxi service for the public.

    What are the main attractions of ‘Kerala Savari’?

    • There will be no fluctuation in fares on Kerala Savari irrespective of day or night or rain.
    • But Kerala Savari only 8% service charge in addition to the rate set by the government, whereas the private cab aggregators charge up to 20 to 30% service charge.

    What are the security-related features of ‘Kerala Savari’?

    • Kerala Savari is claimed as a safe and reliable online service for women, children, and senior citizens.
    • This consideration has been given importance in app designing and driver registration.
    • A police clearance certificate is mandatory for drivers joining the scheme apart from the required proper training.
    • A panic button system has been introduced in the app.
    • It has also been decided to install GPS in vehicles at a subsidised rate.

    Will the new government initiative end the monopoly of private cab aggregators?

    • Kerala has over five lakh autorickshaws and one lakh cabs.
    • The State government plans to bring all auto-taxi workers engaged in the sector under the new platform.
    • Since smartphone literacy is high in Kerala, the State is hopeful of bringing them under the scheme in a short span of time.
    • In addition, the Kerala government has also decided to provide fuel, insurance, and tyre subsidies for vehicle owners in the future and has already initiated talks with major companies in this regard.
    • After the evaluation of the first phase of the project in Thiruvananthapuram, it will be extended to the entire State in a phased manner.
    • Kerala Savari is expected to reach Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kannur municipal limits within a month.
    Regulation of Cab Aggregators in India

    • The Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 seeks to regulate Cab aggregators in India
    • It’s the first time cab aggregators have got statutory recognition as “digital intermediaries” or “transport aggregators”.
    • They are now defined as marketplaces that can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for moving from one place to another.
    • The Centre will issue broad guidelines from time to time and the states will rely on them to frame their own rules to regulate the industry.
    • The aggregators will also have to comply with the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
    • This means they will have to follow rules on storing data safely to protect the identity of users.

     

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  • Disasters and Disaster Management – Sendai Framework, Floods, Cyclones, etc.

    Tigray Crisis in Ethiopia

    Prelims Only | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Tigray Crisis

    Mains level: Not Much

    The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), described the Tigray crisis region as the “worst humanitarian disaster on earth”.

    What is the news?

    • Ethiopia has been on the brink of a civil war.
    • On Nov 4 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared war on the country’s Tigray region.
    • The Tigray region is ruled by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
    • The war was declared in response to the TPLF’s attack on a federal military base in Tigray.

    Tigray Crisis: A backgrounder

    • The animosity between Tigrayans and Eritrea goes back to the Ethiopian-Eritrean war that occurred between 1998 and 2000.
    • It occurred approximately two decades ago was extremely brutal and resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers.
    • The roots of this crisis can be traced to Ethiopia’s system of government. Since 1994, Ethiopia has had a federal system in which different ethnic groups control the affairs of 10 regions.
    • The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) – was influential in setting up this system.
    • It was the leader of a four-party coalition that governed Ethiopia from 1991, when a military regime was ousted from power.
    • Under the coalition, Ethiopia became more prosperous and stable, but concerns were routinely raised about human rights and the level of democracy.

    How did it escalate into a crisis?

    • Eventually, discontent morphed into protest, leading to a government reshuffle that saw Mr Abiy appointed PM.
    • Abiy liberalized politics, set up a new party (the Prosperity Party), and removed key Tigrayan government leaders accused of corruption and repression.
    • Meanwhile, Abiy ended a long-standing territorial dispute with neighbouring Eritrea, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.
    • These moves won Abiy popular acclaim, but caused unease among critics in Tigray.
    • Tigray’s leaders see Abiy’s reforms as an attempt to centralize power and destroy Ethiopia’s federal system.

    How bad is the humanitarian situation?

    • Tigray and its neighbouring regions are facing starvation.
    • There is an absence of medical facilities, no access to their own money due to shut-down banking services, ethnic and physical violence, and raids at the hands of warring forces.
    • The government declared a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds but in an effort to break the TPLF in June last year, imposed a blockade on Tigray.
    • This made it impossible to deliver humanitarian, economic, and medical assistance to Tigrayans.

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Ethiopian Crisis and the Geopolitics

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