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Type: Prelims Only

  • Tuberculosis Elimination Strategy

    BCG vaccine: 100 years and counting

    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: BCG, TB and other respiratory diseases

    Mains level: Not Much

    The first use of BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin), the vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) in humans have been completed for 100 years.

    What is TB?

    • TB is a very ancient disease and has been documented to have existed in Egypt as early as 3000 BC.
    • It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family consisting of about 200 members.
    • Some of these cause diseases like TB and leprosy in humans and others infect a wide range of animals. Mycobacteria are also widely dispersed in the environment.
    • In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).

    Yet not eliminated

    • Other historically dreaded diseases like smallpox, leprosy, plague, and cholera have been either eradicated or controlled to a large extent due to advances in science and technology.
    • However, TB continues to be a major public health problem in the world.
    • According to the WHO’s Global TB Report, 10 million people developed TB in 2019 with 1.4 million deaths. India accounts for 27% of these cases.

    BCG Vaccine for TB

    • BCG was developed by two Frenchmen, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin, by modifying a strain of Mycobacterium Bovis (that causes TB in cattle) till it lost its capacity to cause disease while retaining its property to stimulate the immune system.
    • It was first used in humans in 1921.
    • Currently, BCG is the only licensed vaccine available for the prevention of TB.
    • It is the world’s most widely used vaccine with about 120 million doses every year and has an excellent safety record.

    BCG in India

    • In India, BCG was first introduced on a limited scale in 1948 and became a part of the National TB Control Programme in 1962.
    • India is committed to eliminating TB as a public health problem by 2025.

    Effectiveness of BCG

    • One intriguing fact about BCG is that it works well in some geographic locations and not so well in others.
    • Generally, the farther a country is from the equator, the higher is the efficacy.
    • In children, BCG provides strong protection against severe forms of TB.
    • This protective effect appears to wane with age and is far more variable in adolescents and adults, ranging from 0–80%.
    • In addition to its primary use as a vaccine against TB, BCG also protects against respiratory and bacterial infections of newborns and other mycobacterial diseases like leprosy and Buruli’s ulcer.
    • It is also used as an immunotherapy agent in cancer of the urinary bladder and malignant melanoma.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    What is the importance of using pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in India? (CSP 2020)

    1. These vaccines are effective against pneumonia as well as meningitis and sepsis.
    2. Dependence on antibiotics that are not effective against drug-resistant bacteria can be reduced.
    3. These vaccines have no side effects and cause no allergic reactions

    Select the correct answer using the given code below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 1 and 2 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

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  • Global Geological And Climatic Events

    Hurricane Ida makes landfall in US

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Geographical Features & Their Location

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Hurricane (Tropical Cycolnes)

    Mains level: Impact of frequent cyclonic landfalls

    Hurricane Ida has made landfall in Louisiana, US as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.

    What is a Hurricane?

    • A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
    • And a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean; in the south Pacific or the Indian Ocean, comparable storms are referred to simply as “tropical cyclones” or “severe cyclonic storms”.

    What are Tropical Cyclones?

    A Tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.

    • Cyclones are formed over slightly warm ocean waters. The temperature of the top layer of the sea, up to a depth of about 60 meters, need to be at least 28°C to support the formation of a cyclone.
    • This explains why the April-May and October-December periods are conducive for cyclones.
    • Then, the low level of air above the waters needs to have an ‘anticlockwise’ rotation (in the northern hemisphere; clockwise in the southern hemisphere).
    • During these periods, there is an ITCZ in the Bay of Bengal whose southern boundary experiences winds from west to east, while the northern boundary has winds flowing east to west.
    • Once formed, cyclones in this area usually move northwest. As it travels over the sea, the cyclone gathers more moist air from the warm sea which adds to its heft.

    Try this question from CSP 2020:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. Jet Streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
    2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
    3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10 degree Celsius lesser than that of the surroundings.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

     

    Post your answers here.

    Destruction caused

    • Strong Winds: Cyclones are known to cause severe damage to infrastructure through high-speed winds.
    • Torrential rains and inland flooding: Torrential rainfall (more than 30 cm/hour) associated with cyclones is another major cause of damages. Unabated rain gives rise to unprecedented floods.
    • Storm Surge: A Storm surge can be defined as an abnormal rise of sea level near the coast caused by a severe tropical cyclone.

    Some (unexpected) benefits

    Although Tropical cyclones are known for the destruction they cause, when they strike they also bestow certain benefits to the climatic conditions of that area such as

    • Relieve drought conditions
    • Carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it towards temperate latitudes
    • Maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide

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    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Tropical Cyclones and India

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  • Wetland Conservation

    Places in news: Pantanal Wetlands

    India MappingPrelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Pantanal Wetlands

    Mains level: Not Much

    Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetlands is facing a severe crisis due to wildfires and climate change.

    Pantanal Wetlands

    • The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world’s largest tropical wetland area, and the world’s largest flooded grasslands.
    • It is located mostly within the Brazilian and extends to some portions of Bolivia and Paraguay.
    • It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometer.
    • Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species.

    Risks faced

    • Unlike the Amazon rainforest, vegetation in the Pantanal has evolved to coexist with fire — many plant species there require the heat from fires to germinate.
    • Often caused by lightning strikes, those natural fires spring up at the end of the dry season, but the surrounding floodplains prevent them from spreading.
    • What’s different now is the drought, contributing further to the unusually dry conditions and exacerbating the fire risk.

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  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Making of the Modern City of Kolkata

    Prelims Only | Trivia | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Kolkata City

    Mains level: Urban development of colonial period

    A 2003 judgment by the Calcutta High Court generates discussion of the city’s age, its date of founding, and Job Charnock, whom many credits for having “found” the city of Calcutta.

    Calcutta: Who founded the city?

    Nobody.

    • A place then called Kalikatah was an important religious centre due to the existence of the Kali temple in the adjacent village of Kalighat.
    • The first literary reference to the site is found in Bipradas Pipilai’s magnum opus Manasa Mangala which dates back to 1495.
    • Abul Fazl’s Ain-I-Akbari dating 1596 also mentions the place.
    • The Sabarna Roy Choudhury family was granted the Jagirdari of Kalikatah by Emperor Jehangir in 1608.

    Who was Job Charnock?

    • Job Charnock (1630–1693) was an English administrator with the East India Company.
    • He was once regarded as the founder of the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
    • However, this view is challenged, and in 2003 the Calcutta High Court declared that he ought not to be regarded as the founder.
    • Charnock was entrusted with procuring the Company’s saltpetre and appointed to the centre of the trade, Patna in Bihar in1659.

    Beginning of Urbanization

    • The establishment of the Government House in 1767 and the Lottery Commission in 1817 were the other important developments in the city’s history that gave its urban landscape more defined contours.
    • This commission was entirely responsible for the setting up of the city’s roads, streets and lanes.
    • Some markers of urban settlements include planned roads, water supply and transport.
    • The establishment of these in the early 19th century was responsible for making Calcutta the great city that it eventually became.

    Significance of Kolkata

    One of the most significant developments that gave the city a semblance of urban formation occurred in 1756 when the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah lay siege to Calcutta.

    • This was in retaliation for the British East India Company engaging in unauthorized development of the structure that is now known as Fort William.
    • The East India Company was defeated in a decisive battle, making them realise the vulnerability of the fort.
    • Post 1757 the fort was remade and fortified with enhanced protection, the construction was exceptionally well done.
    • It was really this attack on Fort William, a bastion of the British and other Europeans living there, that changed the map of Calcutta.
    • The Europeans who used to primarily lived inside the fort—the European merchants, the administrators etc—started moving out.
    • They knew that if there was an attack, there was infrastructure to save them. That was European Calcutta, what we call ‘White Town’.

    Hey! We won’t let you move away without answering this PYQ:

    Wellesley established the Fort William College at Calcutta because (CSP 2020):

    (a) He was asked by the board of directors at London to do so

    (b) He wanted to revive interest in oriental learning in India

    (c) He wanted to provide William Carey and his associates with employment

    (d) He wanted to train British civilians for administrative purposes in India.

     

    Post your answers here:

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  • Swachh Bharat Mission

    SUJALAM Campaign

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: SUJALAM Campaign

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Ministry of Jal Shakti began ‘SUJALAM’, a ‘100 days campaign’ to create more and more ODF Plus villages by undertaking wastewater management at the village level.

    SUJALAM Campaign

    The key activities that will be organized in the villages under this campaign include:

    • Organizing Community consultations, Khuli Baithaks and Gram Sabha meetings to analyze the current situation
    • Pass resolution to maintain ODF sustainability and achieve a needed number of soak pits to manage the greywater
    • Develop a 100 days’ plan to undertake sustainability and soak pit construction-related activities
    • Construct a requisite number of soak pits
    • Retrofit toilets where needed through IEC and community mobilization and
    • Ensure all newly emerging Households in the village have access to toilets

    Objectives of the campaign

    • The effort of the campaign would be directed towards achieving the ODF plus status for villages across the country in an accelerated manner in a short time.
    • The campaign will not only build desired infrastructure soak pit for management of greywater in villages but will also aid in sustainable management of water bodies.
    • The disposal of wastewater and clogging of water bodies in the villages or on the outskirts of the villages remain one of the major problems.
    • The Campaign would help in the management of the wastewater and in turn, would help to revive the water bodies.

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

    Saroop of the Sikh Holy Book

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Sri Guru Granth Sahib

    Mains level: Not Much

    A union minister has received one of the Saroops of the holy Guru Granth Sahib flown in from Afghanistan.

    What is Saroop?

    • Saroop is a physical copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, also called Bir in Punjabi.
    • Every Bir has 1,430 pages, which are referred to as Ang. The verses on every page remain the same.
    • The Sikhs consider the Saroop of Guru Granth Sahib a living guru and treat it with utmost respect.
    • They believe that all the 10 Gurus were the same spirit in different bodies, and the Guru Granth Sahib is their eternal physical and spiritual form.

    Compilation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib

    • It was the fifth Sikh master, Guru Arjan Dev, who compiled the first Bir of the Guru Granth Sahib in 1604, and installed it at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
    • Later, the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, added verses penned by the ninth master, his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, and compiled the Bir for the second and last time.
    • It was in 1708 that Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib the living Guru of the Sikhs.
    • Guru Granth Sahib is a compendium of hymns written by six Sikh gurus,15 saints, including Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ravidas, Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Namdev, 11 Bhatts (balladeers) and four Sikhs.
    • The verses are composed in 31 ragas.

    What does the act of carrying the saroop on one’s head signify?

    • The installation and transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct called rehat maryada.
    • As a mark of respect, the Bir of the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot.
    • Whenever a devout sees the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib passing by, s/he removes her shoes and bows.
    • A ceremonial whisk is waved high over the Guru Granth Sahib either on the move or while reading from it.
    • Gurdwaras have a separate resting place for the Saroop, called ‘Sukh Asan Sthan’ or ‘Sachkhand’ where the Guru rests at night.
    • This takes place at the end of the day when the holy book is ceremoniously shut and rested. In the morning, the saroop is again installed in a ceremony called ‘prakash’.
    • Many tourists specially come to watch the prakash and sukha asan ceremony of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple.

    Where are copies of the Guru Granth Sahib published?

    • There was a tradition among Punjabis, both Sikhs and Hindus, to copy the Guru Granth Sahib by hand and produce multiple copies.
    • The Udasi and Nirmla sects also played a role in making handwritten copies of the Birs until the British introduced the printing press.
    • Nowadays, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has the sole rights to publish the Birs of the Guru Granth Sahib, and this is done at Amritsar.

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    Try answering this PYQ:

    Consider the following Bhakti Saints:

    1. Dadu Dayal
    2. Guru Nanak
    3. Tyagaraja

    Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over? (CSP 2018)

    (a) 1 and 3

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3

    (d) 1 and 2

     

    Post your answers here:

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  • Tiger Conservation Efforts – Project Tiger, etc.

    Places in news: Corbett Tiger Reserve

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Jim Corbett NP, NTCA

    Mains level: Tiger Conservation

    The Delhi High Court has asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to consider as a representation a petition to stop the alleged illegal construction of bridges and walls within the tiger breeding habitat of the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

    Jim Corbett National Park

    • Jim Corbett NP is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger.
    • It is located in Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and was named after hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett.
    • The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
    • It has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics.
    • Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, peepal, rohini and mango trees.
    • Forest covers almost 73% of the park, while 10% of the area consists of grasslands.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under “Critical Tiger Habitat” ? (CSP 2020)

    (a) Corbett

    (b) Ranthambore

    (c) Nagarjunasagar- Srisailam

    (d) Sunderbans

     

    Post your answers here:

    Back2Basics: National Tiger Conservation Authority

    • The NTCA was established in December 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India.
    • The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was amended in 2006 to provide for constituting NTCA responsible for the implementation of the Project Tiger plan to protect endangered tigers.
    • It works for the reorganized management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.
    • A program for protection called, ‘Tiger Protection Program’ (popularly known as Project Tiger) was started in 1973, by the GOI in co-operation with WWF.

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  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Person in news: Sree Narayana Guru

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Sree Narayana Guru

    Mains level: SNDP Movement

    The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Sree Narayana Guru on his Jayanti.

    Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928)

    • Narayana Guru was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India.
    • He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual enlightenment and social equality.

    His legacy:

    Temple Entry

    • He was in the forefront of the movement for universal temple entry and against the societal ills like the social discrimination of untouchables.
    • He gave the famous slogan “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All”.
    • In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Aruvippuram which was against the caste-based restrictions of the time.
    • In one temple he consecrated at Kalavancode, he kept mirrors instead of idols. This symbolised his message that the divine was within each individual.

    Untouchability

    • The social protest of Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25) was an agitation by the lower caste against untouchability in Hindu society of Travancore.
    • He taught equality but felt the inequalities should not be exploited to carry out conversions and therefore generate strife in society.

    Philosophy

    • Sree Narayana Guru became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by Adi Shankara.

    Answer this PYQ:

    Q.Which one of the following pairs does not form part of the six systems of Indian Philosophy?

    (a) Mimamsa and Vedanta

    (b) Nyaya and Vaisheshika

    (c) Lokayata and Kapalika

    (d) Sankhya and Yoga

     

    Post your answers here.

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  • Renewable Energy – Wind, Tidal, Geothermal, etc.

    [pib] Simhadri PV Project: Largest floating Solar Project in the country

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: India's largest solar PV Project

    Mains level: Renewable Energy in India

    The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has commissioned the largest floating solar PV project of 25MW on the reservoir of its Simhadri thermal station in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

    Simhadri PV Project

    • The 2000MW coal-based Simhadri Station is the first power project to implement an open sea intake from the Bay of Bengal which has been functional for more than 20 years.
    • This is the first solar project to be set up under the flexibilization scheme of coal-powered plant, notified in 2018.
    • The floating solar installation which has a unique anchoring design is spread over 75 acres in an RW reservoir.
    • This floating solar project has the potential to generate electricity from more than 1 lakh solar PV modules.
    • This would not only help to light around 7,000 households but also ensure at least 46,000 tons of CO2e are kept at arm’s length every year during the lifespan of this project.
    • The project is also expected to save 1,364 million litres of water per annum. This would be adequate to meet the yearly water requirements of 6,700 households.

    Other important facts you must know

    • As of May 2021, India has 95.7 GW of renewable energy capacity, and represents ~ 25% of the overall installed power capacity.
    • The government plans to establish renewable energy capacity of 523 GW (including 73 GW from Hydro) by 2030.
    • India was the world’s 3rd largest renewable energy producer with 38% (136 GW out of 373 GW) of total installed energy capacity in 2020 from renewable sources.
    • Tamil Nadu has the highest installed solar power capacity in India. Kamuthi Solar Power Project near Madurai is the world’s second-largest solar park.

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    Back2Basics: NTPC

    • NTPC is an Indian statutory corporation engaged in the generation of electricity and allied activities.
    • It is incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Power.
    • NTPC’s core function is the generation and distribution of electricity to State Electricity Boards in India.
    • It is the largest power company in India with an electric power generating capacity of 62,086 MW.
    • It has also ventured into oil and gas exploration and coal mining activities.
    • In May 2010, NTPC was conferred Maharatna status by GoI, one of the only four companies to be awarded this status.

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  • AYUSH – Indian Medicine System

    Colourful molecules of turmeric

    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: Turmeric

    Mains level: NA

    Researchers have come forward with some interesting findings on Turmeric.

    Turmeric

    • Turmeric has about 3% of the active component molecule called curcumin, a polyphenol diketone (and not a steroid).
    • Researchers point out that there is another molecule in turmeric called piperine, which is an alkaloid, responsible for the pungency of pepper that we use every day in our cooking, along with turmeric.
    • Piperine enhances curcumin absorption in the body. It gives turmeric its multivariate healing and protective power.

    Benefits of turmeric consumption

    • Turmeric has been known for over 4,000 years in the Indian subcontinent, West Asia, Burma, Indonesia and China, and is used as an essential part of our daily food – what the colonials called curry powder.
    • It has also been known as a medicine for ages, and to have anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
    • Herbal medicine experts have used turmeric to treat painful symptoms of arthritis, joint stiffness, and joint pain.
    • They have also claimed that turmeric helps cure acute kidney injuries. Some of these claims need to be checked using controlled trials.

    Against COVID-19

    • Most recently, an exciting study has recently been published by a group in Mumbai which shows that turmeric aids in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
    • The researchers did a trial of about 40 COVID-19 patients and found that turmeric could substantially reduce morbidity and mortality.

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