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Type: Prelims Only

  • Indian Missile Program Updates

    Prithvi-II Missile successfully test-fired

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Various Security Forces, Agencies & Their Mandates

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Prithvi-II Missile

    Mains level: Not Much

    Successfully test-fire of indigenously developed, nuclear-capable Prithvi-II Missile was recently held.

    Prithvi-II Missile

    • The Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile has a strike range of 350 km.
    • It is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.
    • It was inducted into the armory of Indian defence forces in 2003.
    • It is a nine-metre-tall, single-stage liquid-fuelled missile.
    • The state-of-the-art missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvering trajectory to hit its target.
    • It is the first missile to have been developed by the DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

    Other variants of Prithvi

    • The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing three variants for use by the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
    • The initial project framework of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program outlines the variants in the following manner:
    1. Prithvi I (SS-150) – Army version, 150 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg
    2. Prithvi II (SS-250) – Air Force version, 350 km range with a payload of 500 kg
    3. Prithvi III (SS-350) – Naval version, 350 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg

    Significance of the test-fire

    • Developed as a battlefield missile, it can carry a nuclear warhead in its role as a tactical nuclear weapon.
    • This is the second such test fire of nuclear capable highly manoeuvrable missile in weeks.

     

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  • Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

    ASI Act to be made more flexible

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), AMSAR Act

    Mains level: Not Much

    Union Culture Minister said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was working on an amendment to make the law that provides for the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites “more flexible and people-friendly”.

    What is the news?

    • The ASI is working to amend Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act 1958.
    • It particularly seeks to change the current 100-metre prohibited area around protected monuments to site-specific limits.

    What is the AMASR Act?

    • The AMASR Act provides for the preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
    • It also provides for the regulation of archaeological excavations and for the protection of sculptures, carvings and other like objects.
    • The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions under the provisions of this act.
    • The rules stipulate that area in the vicinity of the monument, within 100 metres is prohibited area.
    • The area within 200 meters of the monument is regulated category. Any repair or modifications of buildings in this area requires prior permission.

    About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

    • The ASI is an attached office of the Ministry of Culture.
    • It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham who also became its first Director-General.
    • Under the provisions of the AMASR Act of 1958, the ASI administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
    • These can include everything from temples, mosques, churches, tombs, and cemeteries to palaces, forts, step-wells, and rock-cut caves.
    • The Survey also maintains ancient mounds and other similar sites which represent the remains of ancient habitation.
    • The ASI is headed by a Director-General who is assisted by an Additional Director General, two Joint Directors General, and 17 Directors.

     

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  • Judicial Reforms

    Back in news: Article 142 of the Constitution

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Article 142

    Mains level: Read the attached story

    The Supreme Court has crafted a victory for a disabled student by using its special powers under Article 142 to declare the successful completion of her Master of Designs course from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

    What is Article 142?

    Article 142 titled ‘Enforcement of decrees and orders of the Supreme Court and orders as to discovery, etc.’ has two clauses:

    [1] Article 142(1)

    • The Supreme Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.
    • Any decree so passed or order so made shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India.
    • It may be in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made, in such manner as the President may by order prescribe.

    [2] Article 142(2)

    • The Supreme Court shall have all and every power to make any order for the purpose of securing the attendance of any person, the discovery or production of any documents, or the investigation or punishment of any contempt of itself.

    Important instances when Article 142 was invoked

    • Bhopal Gas tragedy case: The SC awarded a compensation of $470 million to the victims and held that “prohibitions or limitations or provisions contained in ordinary laws cannot, ipso facto, act as prohibitions or limitations on the constitutional powers under Article 142.”
    • Babri Masjid demolition case: The Supreme Court ordered framing of a scheme by the Centre for formation of trust to construct Ram Mandir at the Masjid demolition site in Ayodhya.
    • Liquor sale ban case: The Supreme Court banned liquor shops within a distance of 500 metres from National as well as State highways in order to prevent drunken driving.
    • Ex-PM Assassin case: In the case of Perarivalan, the Supreme Court invoked Article 142(1) under which it was empowered to pass any order necessary to do complete justice in any matter pending before it.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

    Q.With reference to the Constitution of India, prohibitions or limitations or provisions contained in ordinary laws cannot act as prohibitions or limitations on the constitutional powers under Article 142. It could mean which one of the following?

     

    (a) The decisions taken by the Election Commission of India while discharging its duties cannot be challenged in any court of law.

    (b) The Supreme Court of India is not constrained in the exercise of its powers by laws made by the Parliament.

    (c) In the event of grave financial crisis in the country, the President of India can declare Financial Emergency without the counsel from the Cabinet.

    (d) State Legislatures cannot make laws on certain matters without the concurrence of Union Legislature.

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

    Managing Type 1 Diabetes

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Diabetes , its types

    Mains level: Not Much

    Last week, the Indian Council of Medical Research (IMCR) released guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and management for type-1 diabetes.

    Why such move?

    • India is considered the diabetes capital of the world, and the pandemic disproportionately affected those living with the disease.
    • Type 1 or childhood diabetes, however, is less talked about, although it can turn fatal without proper insulin therapy.
    • Type 1 diabetes is rarer than type 2. Only 2% of all hospital cases of diabetes in the country are type 1.

    What is Diabetes?

    • Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.
    • Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream.
    • When your blood sugar goes up, it signals your pancreas to release insulin.

    What is Type 1 Diabetes?

    • Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the pancreas completely stops producing insulin.
    • Insulin is the hormone responsible for controlling the level of glucose in blood by increasing or decreasing absorption to the liver, fat, and other cells of the body.
    • This is unlike type 2 diabetes — which accounts for over 90% of all diabetes cases in the country — where the body’s insulin production either goes down or the cells become resistant to the insulin.

    How lethal diabetes is?

    • Type 1 diabetes is predominantly diagnosed in children and adolescents.
    • Although the prevalence is less, it is much more severe than type 2.
    • Unlike type 2 diabetes where the body produces some insulin and which can be managed using various pills, if a person with type 1 diabetes stops taking their insulin, they die within weeks.

    How rare is it?

    • There are over 10 lakh children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in the world, with India accounting for the highest number.
    • Of the 2.5 lakh people living with type 1 diabetes in India, 90,000 to 1 lakh are under the age of 14 years.
    • For context, the total number of people in India living with diabetes was 7.7 crore in 2019.
    • Among individuals who develop diabetes under the age of 25 years, 25.3% have type 2.

    Who is at risk of type 1 diabetes?

    • The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, but it is thought to be an auto-immune condition where the body’s immune system destroys the islets cells on the pancreas that produce insulin.
    • Genetic factors play a role in determining whether a person will get type-1 diabetes.
    • The risk of the disease in a child is 3% when the mother has it, 5% when the father has it, and 8% when a sibling has it.
    • The presence of certain genes is also strongly associated with the disease.

     

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  • Innovations in Sciences, IT, Computers, Robotics and Nanotechnology

    What is Web 5.0?

    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: Web and its evolution

    Mains level: Not Much

    Former Twitter CEO recently announced his vision for a new decentralized web platform that is being called Web 5.0 and is being built with an aim to return “ownership of data and identity to individuals”.

    Various versions of Web

    • Web 1.0 was the first generation of the global digital communications network. It is often referred to as the “read-only” Internet made of static web-pages that only allowed for passive engagement.
    • Web 2.0 was the “read and write” Internet. Users were now able to communicate with servers and other users leading to the creation of the social web. This is the World Wide Web that we use today.
    • Web 3.0 is an evolving term that is used to refer to the next generation of Internet – a “read-write-execute” web – with decentralization as its bedrock. It leverages the blockchain technology and will be driven by Artificial Intelligence and machine learning.
    • Web 4.0 is not really a new version, but is a alternate version of what we already have. Web needed to adapt to its mobile surroundings. Web 4.0 connects all devices in the real and virtual world in real-time.

    What is Web 5.0?

    • Web 5.0 is aimed at building an extra decentralized web that puts you in control of your data and identity.
    • Simply put, Web 5.0 is Web 2.0 plus Web 3.0 that will allow users to ‘own their identity’ on the Internet and ‘control their data’.
    • Both Web 3.0 and Web 5.0 envision an Internet without threat of censorship – from governments or big tech, and without fear of significant outages.

    What are the use cases for Web 5.0?

    There can be two use cases for how Web 5.0 will change things in the future.

    1. Control of identity: A digital wallet that securely manages user identity, data, and authorizations for external apps and connections.
    2. Control over own data: Say, we can grant any music app access to settings and preferences, enabling the app to take our personalized music experience across different music apps.

    Try this question from CSP 2022:

    With reference to Web 3.0, consider the following statements:

    1. Web 3.0 technology enables people to control their own data.
    2. In Web 3.0 world, there can be blockchain based social networks.,
    3. Web 3.0 is operated by users collectively rather than a corporation.

    Which of the statements given above are correct?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    E-Vidhan System for Paperless Legislation

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Parliament & State Legislatures

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)

    Mains level: Parliamentary efficiency

    A delegation of MLAs from Gujarat visited the UP Legislative Assembly to learn about the novel e-Vidhan system for paperless proceedings that has been recently adopted by the UP state assembly.

    E-Vidhan System

    • The National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is a system for digitising the legislative bodies of all Indian states and the Parliament through a single platform.
    • It includes a website and a mobile app.
    • The house proceedings, starred/unstarred questions and answers, committee reports etc. will be available on the portal.
    • Nagaland became the first state to implement NeVA, in March this year.

    Significance of NeVA

    • There has been a shift towards digitisation in recent years by the government.
    • NeVA aims for streamlining information related to various state assemblies, and to eliminate the use of paper in day-to-day functioning.
    • PM Modi mentioned the idea of “One Nation One Legislative Platform” in November 2021.
    • A digital platform not only gives the necessary technological boost to our parliamentary system, but also connects all the democratic units of the country.

    Has this been done elsewhere?

    • Himachal Pradesh’s Legislative Assembly implemented the pilot project of NeVA in 2014, where touch-screen devices replaced paper at the tables of the MLAs.
    • Though both Houses of Parliament have not gone fully digital yet, governments world over are heading towards embracing the digital mode.
    • In December last year, the Government of Dubai became the world’s first government to go 100 percent paperless.
    • It announced all procedures were completely digitised.
    • This, as per a government statement, would cut expenditure by USD 350 million and also save 14-million-man-hours.

    What are the challenges?

    • Access to devices and reliable internet and electricity was an issue particularly for legislators representing rural constituencies.
    • Lack of training and heightened concerns over security are some more recent issues in the road to digitization.

     

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  • Waste Management – SWM Rules, EWM Rules, etc

    Microplastics found in Antarctica

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Microplastics pollution

    Mains level: Not Much

    Scientists have found microplastics — plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice — in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time.

    What are Microplastics?

    • Microplastics are tiny bits of various types of plastic found in the environment.
    • The name is used to differentiate them from “macroplastics” such as bottles and bags made of plastic.
    • There is no universal agreement on the size of microplastics. It defines microplastic as less than 5mm in length.
    • However, for the purposes of this study, since the authors were interested in measuring the quantities of plastic that can cross the membranes and diffuse into the body via the bloodstream.
    • Hence they agreed on an upper limit on the size of the particles as 0.0007 millimetre.

    Why in news?

    • Researchers have found microplastics in the snow samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

    Threats posed by Microplastics

    • Microplastics has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of ice.
    • They limit growth, reproduction, and general biological functions in organisms, as well as humans.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    1. Why is there a great concern about the ‘microbeads’ that are released into environment?

    (a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems.

    (b) They are considered to cause skin cancer in children.

    (c) They are small enough to be absorbed by crop plants in irrigated fields.

    (d) They are often found to be used as food adulterants.

    Post your answers here.

    Back2Basics: Ross Ice Shelf

    • Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica roughly the size of France.
    • It is several hundred metres thick.
    • The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres long, and between 15 and 50 metres (50 and 160 ft) high above the water surface.
    • Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface.
    • Most of Ross Ice Shelf is in the Ross Dependency claimed by New Zealand.
    • It floats in, and covers, a large southern portion of the Ross Sea and the entire Roosevelt Island located in the east of the Ross Sea.

     

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  • Nuclear Energy

    What is TVS-2M Nuclear Fuel?

    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: TVS-2M Nuclear Fuel

    Mains level: Not Much

    Russia has supplied the first batches of more reliable and cost-efficient nuclear fuel over the existing one, the TVS-2M nuclear fuel, to India for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP).

    What is TVS-2M Nuclear Fuel?

    • The TVS-2M FAs contain gadolinium-oxide which is mixed with U-235 enrichments.
    • The core does not contain BARs (Burnable Absorbers Rods).

    How are they prepared?

    • Once the uranium is enriched, it is ready to be converted into nuclear fuel.
    • At a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, the UF6, in solid form, is heated to gaseous form, and then the UF6 gas is chemically processed to form uranium dioxide (UO2) powder.
    • The powder is then compressed and formed into small ceramic fuel pellets.
    • The pellets are stacked and sealed into long metal tubes that are about 1 centimetre in diameter to form fuel rods.
    • The fuel rods are then bundled together to make up a fuel assembly.
    • Depending on the reactor type, each fuel assembly has about 179 to 264 fuel rods.
    • A typical reactor core holds 121 to 193 fuel assemblies.

    Benefits offered

    • TVS-2M fuel assemblies have a number of advantages making them more reliable and cost-efficient.
    • The new fuel has increased uranium capacity – one TVS-2M assembly contains 7.6% more fuel material as compared to UTVS.
    • Besides, the special feature of the Kudankulam fuel in particular is the new generation anti-debris filter ADF-2, efficiently protecting fuel assemblies.
    • Once the new TVS-2 M fuel is used in the next refuelling, the reactor will start operations with an 18-month fuel cycle.
    • It means the reactor, which has to be stopped for every 12 months for removing the spent fuel and inserting the fresh fuel bundles and allied maintenance, will have to be stopped for every 18 months.

    Back2Basics: India-Russia Energy Cooperation

    • The Soviet Union supplied India with nuclear reactors and fuel when India was denied technologies and was hit with sanctions from the West for its refusal to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
    • In 1988, the Soviet Union agreed, allegedly without an official deal, to build two nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu.  The deal was made official in 1992.
    • In 2000, Russia and India signed another secret MoU, to cooperate on “peaceful uses” of nuclear energy, and for Russia to supply India with low-enriched uranium fuel for the Tarapur reactor in Maharashtra.
    • In 2009, the two countries entered into a major nuclear deal, with Russia agreeing to install four nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, and one in West Bengal.
    • Two units at Kudankulam are currently operational, and the third and fourth units are being prepared for installation.
    • Russia is also aiding with the ongoing construction of the fifth and sixth units.

     

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  • Police Reforms – SC directives, NPC, other committees reports

    What is National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)?

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: NATGRID

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has curtailed the tenure of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and moved him to the Border Security Force (BSF).

    What is NATGRID?

    • NATGRID is an intelligence-sharing network that collates data from the standalone databases of the various agencies and ministries of the Indian government.
    • It is a counter terrorism measure that collects and collates a host of information from government databases including tax and bank account details, credit/debit card transactions, visa and immigration records and itineraries of rail and air travel.
    • It will also have access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), a database that links crime information, including First Information Reports, across 14,000 police stations in India.
    • As of 2019, NATGRID is headed by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ashish Gupta.

    Its establishment

    • The 26/11 terrorist siege in Mumbai back in 2008 exposed the deficiency that security agencies had no mechanism to look for vital information on a real-time basis.

    Access to NATGRID

    • Prominent federal agencies of the country have been authorized to access the NATGRID database.
    • They are the:
    1. Central Bureau of Investigation
    2. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
    3. Enforcement Directorate
    4. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
    5. Central Board of Direct Taxes (for the Income Tax Department)
    6. Cabinet Secretariat
    7. Intelligence Bureau
    8. Directorate General of GST Intelligence
    9. Narcotics Control Bureau
    10. Financial Intelligence Unit, and
    11. National Investigation Agency

    Future prospects

    • According to the first phase plan, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with the NATGRID, while in later phases, about 950 additional organizations will be brought on board.
    • In the following years, more than 1,000 organizations will be further integrated into the NATGRID.
    • These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, and telecommunications.

     

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    Presidential polls scheduled for July 18

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Election of the President

    Mains level: Read the attached story

    The presidential polls are expected to be held in July to decide on the successor of President Ram Nath Kovind, who will complete his term on July 24, 2022.

    The President of India

    • The President of India is recognised as the first citizen of the country and the head of the state.
    • The elected President of India is a part of the Union Executive along with several other members of the parliament including the Prime Minister, Attorney-General of India and the Vice – president.

    Electing the President

    • The provisions of the election of the President are laid down in Article 54 of the Constitution of India.
    • The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Act 1952 led to the establishment of this Constitutional provision.

    Qualifications to become the President of India

    The qualification of be the President of India are given below:

    • He/ She must be an Indian citizen
    • A person must have completed the age of 35.
    • A person must be qualified for election as a member of the House of the People.
    • Must not hold a government (central or state) office of profit
    • A person is eligible for election as President if he/she is holding the office of President or Vice-President.

    Actual course of election

    • The President of India is elected indirectly by an Electoral College following the system of proportional representation utilizing a single transferable vote system and secret ballots.
    • MPs and MLAs vote based on parity and uniformity values.

    Electoral College composition-

    (1) Legislative Assemblies of the States:

    • According to the provision of Article 333, every state’s Legislative Assembly must consist of not less than 60 members but not more than 500 members.

    (2) Council of States:

    • 12 members are nominated by the President of India based on skills or knowledge in literature, arts, science, and social service to act as the members of the Council of States.
    • In total, 238 represent act as representatives from both the States and Union Territories.

    (2) House of the People:

    • The composition of the House of People consists of 530 members (no exceeding) from the state territorial constituencies.
    • They are elected through direct election.
    • The President further elects 20 more members (no exceeding) from the Union Territories.

    Uniformity in the scale of representation of states

    To maintain the proportionality between the values of the votes, the following formula is used:

    Value of vote of an MLA= total no. of the population of the particular state/ number of elected MLAs of that state divided by 1000.

    Single vote system-

    • During the presidential election, one voter can cast only one vote.
    • While the MLAs vote may vary state to state, the MPs vote always remain constant.

    MPs and MLAs vote balance-

    • The number of the total value of the MPs votes must equal the total value of the MLAs to maintain the State and the Union balance.

    Quotas:

    • The candidate reaching the winning quota or exceeding it is the winner.
    • The formula sued is ‘Winning quota total number of poll/ no.of seats + 1’.

    Voters’ preference:

    • During the presidential election, the voter casts his vote in favor of his first preferred candidate.
    • However, in case the first preference candidate does not touch the winning quota, the vote automatically goes to the second preference.
    • The first preferred candidate with the lowest vote is eliminated and the votes in his/her favor are transferred to the remaining candidates.

    Why need Proportional representation?

    • The President of India is elected through proportional representation using the means of the single transferable vote (Article 55(3)).
    • It allows the independent candidates and minority parties to have the chance of representation.
    • It allows the practice of coalition with many voters under one government.
    • This system ensures that candidates who are elected don’t represent the majority of the electorate’s opinion.

    Why is President indirectly elected?

    If Presidents were to be elected directly, it would become very complicated.

    • It would, in fact, be a disaster because the public doesn’t have the absolute clarity of how the president-ship runs or if the candidate fits the profile of a president.
    • Another reason why the direct election system isn’t favorable is that the candidate running for the president’s profile will have to campaign around the country with the aid of a political party.
    • And, this will result in a massive political instability.
    • Moreover, it would be difficult and impossible for the government to hand out election machinery (given the vast population of India).
    • This will cost the government financially, and may end up affecting the economy as well.
    • The indirect election system is a respectable system for the First Man of India (rightly deserving).
    • The system/method of indirect electing of the president also allows the states to maintain neutrality and minimize hostility.

     

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