💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (July Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Type: Prelims Only

  • Ozone Hole filling up now

    ozone

    The ozone ‘hole’, once considered to be the gravest danger to planetary life, is now expected to be completely repaired by 2066, a scientific assessment has suggested.

    What is Ozone and Ozone Layer?

    ozone

    • An ozone molecule consists of three oxygen atoms instead of the usual two (the oxygen we breathe, O2, makes up 21% of the atmosphere).
    • It only exists in the atmosphere in trace quantities (less than 0.001%), but its effects are very important.
    • Ozone molecules are created by the interaction of ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the Sun with O2 molecules.
    • Because UV radiation is more intense at higher altitudes where the air is thinner, it is in the stratosphere where most of the ozone is produced, giving rise to what is called the ‘ozone layer’.
    • The ozone layer, containing over 90% of all atmospheric ozone, extends between about 10 and 40km altitude, peaking at about 25km in Stratosphere.

    Why need Ozone Layer?

    • The ozone layer is very important for life on Earth because it has the property of absorbing the most damaging form of UV radiation, UV-B radiation which has a wavelength of between 280 and 315 nanometres.
    • As UV radiation is absorbed by ozone in the stratosphere, it heats up the surrounding air to produce the stratospheric temperature inversion.

    What is Ozone Hole?

    • Each year for the past few decades during the Southern Hemisphere spring, chemical reactions involving chlorine and bromine cause ozone in the southern polar region to be destroyed rapidly and severely.
    • The Dobson Unit (DU) is the unit of measure for total ozone.
    • The chemicals involved ozone depletion are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs for short), halons, and carbon tetrachloride.
    • They are used for a wide range of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, and making aerosol spray cans.
    • The ozone-depleted region is known as the “ozone hole”.

    Tropical Ozone Hole

    • According to the study, the ozone hole is located at altitudes of 10-25 km over the tropics.
    • This hole is about seven times larger than Antarctica, the study suggested.
    • It also appears across all seasons, unlike that of Antarctica, which is visible only in the spring.
    • The hole has become significant since the 1980s. But it was not discovered until this study.

    What caused an ozone hole in the tropics?

    • Studies suggested another mechanism of ozone depletion: Cosmic rays.
    • Chlorofluorocarbon’s (CFC) role in depleting the ozone layer is well-documented.
    • The tropical stratosphere recorded a low temperature of 190-200 Kelvin (K).
    • This can explain why the tropical ozone hole is constantly formed over the seasons.

    Try this PYQ

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances are used:

    1. In the production of plastic foams
    2. In the production of tubeless tyres
    3. In cleaning certain electronic components
    4. As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 4 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”4vi3n055n3″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here:[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Paigah Tombs of Hyderabad

    paigah

    The necropolis of noblemen dating from the Asaf Jahi era known as Paigah Tombs Complex in Hyderabad is set to be restored with funding by the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

    Who were the Paigahs?

    • Paigah tombs are 200 years old and represent the final resting places of the Paigah Nobles of several generations.
    • During the conquest of the Deccan region by Emperor Aurangzeb, the Paigahs came along with him.
    • The House of Paigah was founded by Shams-ul-Umra I also known as Nawaz Abul Fatah Khan Tegh.
    • Their ties with Nizams were further cemented through matrimonial alliances.
    • They also constructed several palaces in the city and the notable amongst them are the famous Falaknuma Palace, Asman Garh Palace, Khursheed Jah Devdi and Vicar-ul-Umarahi palace.
    • They were believed to be rich than the average Maharajah of the country.

    Paigah Tombs

    • Paigah Tombs are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them.
    • They are among the major wonders of Hyderabad State which known for their architectural excellence as shown in their laid mosaic tiles and craftsmanship work.

    Its architecture

    • These tombs are made out of lime and mortar with beautiful inlaid marble carvings.
    • It consists of marvelous carvings and motifs in floral designs and inlaid marble tile-works.
    • It depicts Indo-Islamic architecture, a mix of both the Asaf Jahi and the Rajputana styles of architecture.
    • There is fabulous stucco (plaster) work, representing the Mughal, Persian and Deccan style too.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • BIS Standards for Digital TV, Type-C USB and Video Surveillance Systems

    bis

    The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published three significant Indian Standards in the area of Electronics.

    Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

    • BIS is the National Standards Body of India working under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
    • It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986.
    • The organization was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies in September 1946.
    • The ISI was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
    • A new Bureau of Indian standard (BIS) Act 2016 has been brought into force with effect from 12 October 2017.
    • The Act establishes the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.

    [A] Digital television receivers

    • BIS has published an Indian Standard IS 18112:2022 Specification for television with built in satellite tuners.
    • TVs manufactured as per this Indian standard would enable reception of Free-To-Air TV and Radio channels just by connecting a dish antenna.
    • This would facilitate transmission of knowledge about government initiatives, schemes, and educational content of Doordarshan and repository of Indian culture programs.
    • At present, TV viewers in the country need to purchase set-top box for viewing various paid and free channels.

    [B] USB Type C receptacles

    • BIS has published Indian standard IS/IEC 62680-1-3:2022 USB Type-C® Cable and Connector Specification.
    • This Indian standard is adoption of existing International standard IEC 62680-1- 3:2022.
    • This standard provides requirements for USB Type-C port, plug and cables for use in various electronic devices like mobile phone, laptop, notebook etc.
    • This standard would provide common charging solutions for the smartphones and other electronic devices sold in the country.
    • This would facilitate in reduction in number of charger per consumer as consumers will no longer need to buy different chargers or generate e-waste.

    [C] Video Surveillance Systems (VSS)

    • BIS, through its technical committee on Alarms and Electronic Security Systems has developed a series of Indian Standard (IS 16910) on Video Surveillance Systems for use in Security Applications.
    • IS 16910 series of Standards is an adoption of the International Standard IEC 62676 series.
    • It provides a detailed outline of all the aspects of a VSS System such as requirements for its components like camera devices, interfaces, system requirements and tests to ascertain the image quality of the camera devices.
    • This will also help in making the surveillance system more secure, robust and cost effective.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Who was Fatima Sheikh (1831-1900)?

    fatima

    Teaching pioneer Fatima Shaikh was recently honoured with a Google Doodle on her birthday.

    Fatima Sheikh

    • Fatima Sheikh was an educator and social reformer, who was a colleague of the social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule.
    • She is widely considered to be India’s first Muslim woman teacher.
    • Fatima Sheikh was the sister of Mian Usman Sheikh, in whose house Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule took up residence.
    • One of the first Muslim women teachers of modern India, she started educating Bahujan children in Phules’ school.

    Association with Phules

    • Under pressure from upper castes, Jyotirao’s father evicted Savitribai and Jyotirao from the family home in the late 1840s.
    • With nowhere else to go, the Phules would find shelter at the house of Mian Usman Sheikh, where they would live till 1856.
    • As many from their own community abandoned them, Fatima Sheikh and her brother stood strongly with the Phules and the mission to educate girls and bahujans.
    • Sheikh met Savitribai Phule while both were enrolled at a teacher training institution run by Cynthia Farrar, an American missionary.
    • She taught at all five schools that the Phules went on to establish and she taught children of all religions and castes.
    • Sheikh took part in the founding of two schools in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1851.

    Determined amidst opposition

    • In Pune, a conservative bastion of culture and tradition, the very act of trying to educate the underprivileged caused uproar.
    • It is said that the two women would often have stones and pieces of dung thrown at them while walking in the streets.
    • Fatima specifically is said to have borne the wrath of both upper-castes and radical orthodox sections.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • What is New Umbrella Entity (NUE) Network?


    umbrella

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is said to have put on hold licensing of the New Umbrella Entity (NUE) network, a fintech institution planned as a rival to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

    Why in news?

    • Six groupings, which included Facebook, Google, Amazon, Flipkart and others, had applied for NUE licences.

    What is New Umbrella Entity (NUE)?

    • NUE is an entity (under the Companies Act 2013) that will manage and operate the new payment system in the retail sector such as ATMs, POS, UPI etc.
    • NUEs will be set up for profit entities that will manage payments in the retail space.
    • These could offer a host of retail payment services, including setting up of ATMs, offering white-label, point of sale terminals, Aadhaar-based payments, remittance services, and develop newer payment methods.
    • They will also manage clearing and settlement systems that could be an alternative to the bank-promoted NPCI.
    • They will be allowed to charge fees for transactions (unlike the existing NPCI).
    • All NUEs will have to be interoperable with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

    Why need NUEs?

    • The NPCI is at the epicentre of the digital payments in the country.
    • RBI has introduced NUEs to end the so-called monopoly of NPCI.
    • The central bank also noted that during the pandemic, with people spending more time at home the usage of e-commerce has increased, and there’s been a significant rise in the incidence of internet fraud, cyber-crimes.

    If NPCI is doing its job well, then why NUE?

    • 48% of all electronic retail payments in the country pass through the NPCI infrastructure.
    • RBI’s concern stems from having the operations of so much of the country’s payment system concentrated in one entity.

    How will NUE aid Consumers?

    • With the introduction of NUEs, options for payment will increase for users.
    • This will result in more competition and eventually help boost transaction volumes for both platforms as e-commerce expands and reaches deeper into India’s unbanked hinterland.
    • In the World Bank’s most recent report on financial inclusion in 2017, some 190 million Indians did not have a bank account and more than half did not make or receive digital payments.
    • Customers who face frequent sever transaction due to server overload currently have few options.
    • In the new regime, they’ll be able to try the other platform.

    What about Data Safety?

    • Compliance as far as data safety and privacy is concerned holds good for all and sundry in the payments and banking space.
    • Every entity involved in payments and settlement have to follow the same set of rules.
    • RBI already have a new set of guidelines on “Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways” .
    • It ensures that neither the authorised Payment Aggregators (PAs) nor the merchants on-boarded by them can store customer card credentials within their database or server to avoid data breaches and potential abuse.

    Will NUEs replace NPCI?

    • NUEs will co-exist with NPCI to strengthen the payment infrastructure network.
    • A robust and resilient infrastructure is needed to ensure the government’s ambitious target of one billion digital transactions per day is achieved.
    • NUEs will not replace but complement NPCI in taking India’s digital payment success story to new heights.
    • By establishing a neutral and independent standards-setting body, we can make sure that the system as a whole in our country evolves in the best traditions of digital infrastructure adopted anywhere in the world.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya

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

    Living Root Bridges

    root

    • A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping.
    • They are common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. Such a bridge is locally called jingkieng jri.
    • They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (Ficus elastic) by the Khasi and Jaintia peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau.
    • Most of the bridges grow on steep slopes of subtropical moist broadleaf forest between 50m and 1150m above sea level.

    Why is it so unique?

    • As long as the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the roots in the bridge can naturally grow thick and strengthen.
    • New roots can grow throughout the tree’s life and must be pruned or manipulated to strengthen the bridge.
    • Once mature some bridges can have as many as 50 or more people crossing, and have a lifespan of up to 150 years.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Superconductivity in Mercury

    mercury

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

    What is a superconductor?

    • A superconductor is defined as a substance that offers no resistance to the electric current when it becomes colder than a critical temperature.
    • Some of the popular examples of superconductors are aluminium, magnesium diboride, niobium, copper oxide, yttrium barium and iron pnictides.

    How mercury becomes superconductor?

    • In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury.
    • He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current.

    How is mercury capable of achieving superconductivity?

    Ans. Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory

    • Scientists classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be explained by the concepts of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory.
    • While scientists have used the BCS theory to explain superconductivity in various materials, they have never fully understood how it operates in mercury — the oldest superconductor.
    • The researchers used state-of-the-art theoretical and computational approaches and found that all physical properties relevant for conventional superconductivity are anomalous in some respect in mercury.

    How BCS explains it?

    • In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs.
    • These Copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature.
    • By including certain factors that physicists had previously side-lined, the group’s calculations led to a clearer picture of how superconductivity emerges in mercury.
    • For example, when the researchers accounted for the relationship between an electron’s spin and momentum, they could explain why mercury has such a low threshold temperature (around –270°C).

    Coulomb repulsion and Mercury

    • Similarly, the group found that one electron in each pair in mercury occupied a higher energy level than the other.
    • This detail reportedly lowered the Coulomb repulsion (like charges repel) between them and nurtured superconductivity.
    • Thus, the group has explained how mercury becomes a superconductor below its threshold temperature.
    • Their methods and findings suggest that we could have missed similar anomalous effects in other materials, leading to previously undiscovered ones that can be exploited for new and better real-world applications.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Ottanthullal Artform of Kerala

    ottanthullal

    A renowned folk artist has expressed his angst over the fading participation of students in Ottanthullal Artform.

    What is Ottanthullal?

    • Ottanthullal (or Thullal, in short) is recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala.
    • It was introduced in the 18th century by the famous Malayalam poet Kunchan Nambiar (1705 – 1770).
    • It is famous for its humour and social satire, and marked by its simplicity as opposed to more complex dance-forms like Kathakali and Koodiyattam.

    Unique features

    • Ottanthullal follows the classical principles of Natyasasthra (a treatise on art compiled in the 2nd century B.C.E).
    • It is enacted into three separate versions
    1. Ottanthullal
    2. Seethankan thullal
    3. Parayan thullal
    • The Ottanthullal is the most popular among the three varieties of Thullal.

    How is it performed?

    • The performance uses elaborate expressions and stories recited in verses to bring important mythological tales and stories to life.
    • The costume and makeup of the performer are similar to that of a Kathakali artist.
    • It is performed at temple festivals and cultural programmes.
    • The performer is supported by a singer who repeats the verses and is accompanied by an orchestra of mridangam or thoppimaddalam (percussions) and cymbals.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Sagol Kangjei: Ancient Polo of Manipur

    sagol kangjei

    It is believed that Sagol Kangjei, the modern-day Polo game originated in Manipur.

    Sagol Kangjei

    • Modern polo is said to have originated from Sagol Kangjei, a sport indigenous to Manipur.
    • In this players ride horses, specifically the Manipur Ponies, which are referenced in records dating back to the 14th century.

    Conserving the breed: Manipur Pony

    • The Manipur Pony is one of five recognised equine breeds of India, and has a powerful cultural significance for Manipuri society.
    • The pony has been indispensable with Manipuri society for its socio-cultural association for centuries.
    • Its antecedents, however, are not clear, as one source stated Tibetan ponies as its ancestors while another source stated its origin to be a cross between Mongolian wild horse & Arabian.
    • The 17th Quinquennial Livestock Census 2003 had recorded 1,898 Manipur Ponies; the number fell to 1,101 in the 19th Quinquennial Livestock Census in 2012.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • What is Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)?

    India’s Services sector reported a sharp growth with Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) surging to 58.5 last month from 56.4 in November 2022.

    Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

    • PMI is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
    • It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
    • It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
    • The PMI is compiled by IHS Markit based on responses to questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers.

    How is the PMI derived?

    • The PMI is derived from a series of qualitative questions.
    • Executives from a reasonably big sample, running into hundreds of firms, are asked whether key indicators such as output, new orders, business expectations and employment were stronger than the month before and are asked to rate them.

    How does one read the PMI?

    • A figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity. Anything below 50 denotes contraction.
    • Higher the difference from this mid-point greater the expansion or contraction. The rate of expansion can also be judged by comparing the PMI with that of the previous month data.
    • If the figure is higher than the previous month’s then the economy is expanding at a faster rate.
    • If it is lower than the previous month then it is growing at a lower rate.

    What are its implications for the economy?

    • The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available.
    • It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.
    • Economists consider the manufacturing growth measured by the PMI as a good indicator of industrial output, for which official statistics are released later.
    • Central banks of many countries also use the index to help make decisions on interest rates.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more