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Type: Prelims Only

  • Environmental Performance Index (EPI), 2022

    India has objected to a report, called the EPI, 2022, that places the country last (along with Nigeria) on a list of 180 countries on managing climate change, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality.

    Environmental Performance Index

    • The report is prepared by researchers at the Yale and Columbia universities.
    • It provides a data-driven summary of the state of sustainability around the world.
    • Using 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories, the EPI ranks 180 countries on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality.
    • These indicators provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy targets.
    • The EPI offers a scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance and provides practical guidance for countries that aspire to move toward a sustainable future.

    Why the report is inherently biased?

    • The US placed itself at the 20th spot of the 22 wealthy democracies in the global west and 43rd overall.
    • The relatively low ranking has put all blame on the rollback policies during the Trump administration.
    • It goes on to preach that developing countries do not have to sacrifice sustainability for economic security.

  • Understanding SEBI Rules on Passive Funds

    The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently issued a circular on passive funds covering matters related to transparency, liquidity and operational aspects of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds.

    What are Passive Funds?

    • A passive fund is an investment vehicle that tracks a market index, or a specific market segment, to determine what to invest in.
    • Unlike with an active fund, the fund manager does not decide what securities the fund takes on.
    • This normally makes passive funds cheaper to invest in than active funds, which require the fund manager to spend time researching and analysing opportunities to invest in.
    • Tracker funds, such as ETFs (exchange traded funds) and index funds fall under the banner of passive funds.

    What is a passive ELSS scheme?

    • Passive funds mimic an underlying index. By contrast active funds are actively managed by fund managers.
    • The SEBI has now introduced a passive equity-linked saving schemes (ELSS) category, which will give taxpayers another investment option to avail of tax benefits.
    • According to the circular, the passive ELSS scheme will be based on any index comprising equity shares from the top 250 companies in terms of market capitalization.
    • Beginning 1 July, a fund house will be able to either have an active ELSS scheme or a passive ELSS scheme, but not both.

    What are the norms for debt ETFs?

    • Passive debt funds are now divided into three categories:
    1. Corporate debt funds with exposure to corporate bonds
    2. G-Sec funds investing in government securities, and
    3. Hybrid funds where allocation is a combination of corporate bonds and government securities
    • Currently, debt funds in the passive category invest only in AAA-rated instruments.
    • The Sebi circular introduces norms for each debt fund category, including portfolio exposure limits to each sector, the issuer (based on rating) and group.
    • Application of these provisions should help mitigate concentration risk in debt ETFs/ index funds.

    What about tracking error?

    • As per Sebi’s circular, passive funds must disclose ‘tracking error’ and ‘tracking difference’ in their monthly fact sheets.
    • These metrics indicate how different the performance of the fund is compared to its underlying index—an effort to keep investors better informed.
    • The circular specifies limits for tracking error and tracking difference, which passive funds must follow.

    What is the mandate on disclosing NAVs?

    • Because of poor liquidity for ETFs in the secondary market in India, ETF prices could differ widely from the net asset value (NAV) of the fund.
    • The NAV of the fund represents the value of the underlying asset of the ETF.
    • The Sebi circular mandates disclosure of NAV (indicative) on a continuous basis throughout the day on the stock exchange.
    • While the practice is already in existence, Sebi rules institutionalize it.
    • Checking the NAV can help one avoid making a transaction at a significant premium or discount.

    Can one execute ETF transactions directly?

    • Investors can buy or sell units of ETFs only on stock exchanges.
    • But, large buy or sell transactions can also be directly placed with the fund house.
    • Sebi now says orders greater than ₹25 crore alone can be placed for redemption or subscription directly with the asset management company (AMC).

     

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  • Festivals in news: Mela Kheerbhawani

    Kashmiri Hindus, locally known as Pandits, will celebrate the Zyestha Ashtami at the Mata Kheerbhawani temple at Tulmulla in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.

    Kheerbhawani Temple

    • The temple is dedicated to the goddess Ragnya Devi.
    • The festival, known as Mela Kheerbhawani, is the largest gathering of Hindus in Kashmir after the annual Amarnath Yatra.
    • Situated 30 km from Srinagar city, it is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Kashmiri Hindus.
    • The temple gets its name from kheer, or milk and rice pudding that pilgrims pour into the spring inside the temple complex as an offering to the goddess.
    • Hundreds of local Muslims, too, traditionally join the celebrations.

    Legend of the festival

    • Legend has it that the water of the temple’s spring changes colour from white to red and black.
    • The colour of the water is said to predict the impending future.
    • If it changes to black, it is seen as inauspicious or an impending disaster.
    • Kashmiri Pandits say that the water had turned black before they were forced to flee Kashmir during the militancy of 1990.

     

    Tap to read more about:

    Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Traditions- Communities

    1. Chaliha Sahib Festival- Sindhis
    2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra- Gonds
    3. Wari-Warkari- Santhals

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3

    (c) 1 and 3

    (d) None of the above

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”v159hy69b5″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • Sant Kabir: the extraordinary poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement

    President Kovind inaugurated the Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre Swadesh Darshan Yojana and paid tribute to the Bhakti saint, Kabir at Maghar, his resting place in Uttar Pradesh.

    Kabir and the Bhakti Movement

    • The Bhakti movement, which began in the 7th century in South India, had begun to spread across north India in the 14th and the 15th centuries.
    • The movement was characterized by popular poet-saints who sang devotional songs to God in vernacular languages.
    • Most of the preaching were meant for abolishing the Varna system and promoting Hindu-Muslim unity.
    • They emphasized an intense emotional attachment with God.

    Who was Sant Kabir?

    • One school within the Bhakti movement was the Nirguni tradition and Sant Kabir was a prominent member of it.
    • In this tradition, God was understood to be a universal and formless being.
    • Many of the saints of the Bhakti movement came from the ranks of the lower to middle artisanal classes.
    • Kabir was an alleged ‘low caste’ weaver (Julaha), Raidas was a leather worker and Dadu a cotton carder.
    • Their radical dissent against orthodoxy and rejection of caste made these poet-saints extremely popular among the masses and their ideology of egalitarianism spread across India.

    His life

    • He was born in Varanasi and lived between the years 1398 and 1448, or till the year 1518 according to popular belief.
    • He was from a community of ‘lower caste’ weavers of the Julaha caste, a group that had recently converted to Islam.
    • He learned the art of weaving, likely studied meditative and devotional practices under the guidance of a Hindu guru and grew to become an eminent teacher and poet-singer.
    • Kabir’s beliefs were deeply radical, and he was known for his intense and outspoken voice which he used to attack the dominant religions and entrenched caste systems of the time.
    • He composed his verses orally and is generally assumed to be illiterate.

    His literary works

    • Kabir’s compositions can be classified into three literary forms – dohas (short two liners), ramanas (rhymed 4 liners), sung compositions of varying length, known as padas (verses) and sabdas (words).
    • There are myriad legendary accounts on the other hand, for which there exists less of a factual historical basis.

    Kabir’s critique of religion and caste

    • Kabir is in modern times portrayed as a figure that synthesized Islam and Hinduism.
    • While he did borrow elements from different traditions, he very forcefully proclaimed his independence from them.
    • He did not only target the rituals and practices of both Hinduism and Islam, but also dismissed the sacred authority of their religious books, the Vedas and the Quran.
    • He even combined Allah and Ram in his poems.
    • He sought to eradicate caste distinctions and attempted to create an egalitarian society, by stressing the notion that a Bhakt (devotee) was neither a Brahmin nor an ‘untouchable’ but just a Bhakt.

    Kabir’s legacy

    • Kabir’s own humble origins and his radical message of egalitarianism fostered a community of his followers called the Kabir Panth.
    • A sect in northern and central India, many of their members are from the Dalit community.
    • All regard Kabir as their guru and treat the Bijak as their holy scripture.
    • The Bijak contains works attributed to Kabir and is argued by historians to have been written in the 17th century.
    • Several of Kabir’s verses and songs form a vital part of the Guru Granth Sahib.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1.Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.

    2.Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”tgyb8v05uq” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • Ancient sculptures recovered from Australia, US

    Ten antiquities (sculptures) retrieved from Australia and the United States were handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu.

    Some of the returned antiquities, and how they had gone missing:

    (1) Dvarapala:

    • Retrieved in 2020 from Australia, this stone sculpture belongs to the Vijayanagar dynasty dating to the 15th-16th century.
    • He is holding a gada in one hand and has another leg raised up to the level of his knee.
    • The sculpture was burgled from Moondreeswaramudayar Temple, Tiruneveli in1994.

    (2) Nataraja:

    • Retrieved in 2021 from the US, this image of Nataraja, a depiction of Shiva, in his divine cosmic dance form, is in tribhanga posture, standing on the lotus pedestal.
    • It is dateable to the 11th-12th century. Possibly, ananda tandava or the Dance of Bliss is portrayed here.
    • The sculpture was burgled from the strong room of Punnainallur Arulmigu Mariyamman Temple, Thanjavur, in 2018.

    (3) Kankalamurti:

    • Retrieved in 2021 from the US, Kankalamurti is depicted as a fearsome aspect of Lord Shiva and Bhairava.
    • The sculpture is four-armed, holding ayudhas such as damaru and trishula in the upper hands and a bowl and a trefoil shaped object, as a treat for the playful fawn, in the lower right hand.
    • The idol is dateable to the 12th-13th century, and was stolen from Narasinganadhar Swamy Temple, Tirunelveli in 1985.

    (4) Nandikeshvara:

    • Retrieved in 2021 from the US, this bronze image of Nandikeshvara is dateable to the 13th century.
    • It is shown standing in tribhanga posture with folded arms, holding an axe and a fawn in the upper arms, with his forearms in namaskara mudra.
    • This sculpture was stolen from Narasinganadhar Swamy Temple, Tirunelveli, in 1985.

    (5) Four-armed Vishnu:

    • Retrieved in 2021 from the US, dateable to the 11th century, and belonging to the later Chola period.
    • The sculpture has Lord Vishnu standing on a padma pedestal holding attributes such as shankha and chakra in two hands; while the lower right hand is in abhaya mudra.
    • It was stolen from Arulmigu Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Ariyalur, in 2008.

    (6) Goddess Parvati:

    • Retrieved in 2021 from the US, the image depicts a Chola-period sculpture dateable to the 11th century.
    • She is shown holding a lotus in the left hand whereas the right is hanging down near her kati.
    • This sculpture was also stolen from Arulmigu Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Ariyalur in 2008.

    (7) Standing child Sambandar:

    • Retrieved in 2022 from Australia. Sambandar, the popular 7th-century child saint, is one of the Muvar, the three principal saints of South India.
    • The sculpture is dateable to the 11th century.
    • The legend goes that after receiving a bowl of milk from Goddess Uma, the infant Sambandar devoted his life to composing hymns in praise of Lord Shiva.
    • The sculpture displays the saint’s childlike quality, while also empowering him with the maturity and authority of a spiritual leader.
    • It was stolen from Sayavaneeswarar Temple, Nagapattinam, between 1965 and 1975.

     

     

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  • What are Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs)?

    The CBI is in the process of sending requests to several countries seeking information under the MLATs about those involved in the online sexual abuse of minors and circulation of child pornographic material on social media platforms.

    What are MLATs?

    • The MLATs in criminal matters are the bilateral treaties entered between the countries for providing international cooperation and assistance.
    • These agreements allow for the exchange of evidence and information in criminal and related matters between the signing countries.

    Benefits of Treaty

    • It enhances the effectiveness of participating countries in the investigation and prosecution of crime, through cooperation and mutual legal assistance.
    • It will provide a broad legal framework for tracing, restrain and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime as well as the funds meant to finance terrorist acts.
    • It will be instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in the modus operandi of organized criminals and terrorists.
    • These in turn can be used to fine-tune policy decisions in the field of internal security.

    Enforcing MLATs in India

    • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal Ministry and the Central authority for seeking and providing mutual legal assistance in criminal law matters.
    • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) may be involved in this process when such requests are routed through diplomatic channels by these Ministries.
    • Section 105 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) speaks of reciprocal arrangements to be made by the Centre with the Foreign Governments

     

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  • Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong Space Station

    Three Chinese astronauts floated into the country’s new Tiangong space station for a three-month mission.

    Tiangong Space Station

    • Tiangong means “Heavenly Palace”.
    • It was 10.4 metres long and 3.35 metres wide at its widest point, and weighed 8.6 metric tonnes.
    • It was launched on September 15, 2016 and, in late 2016, hosted two Chinese astronauts for 30 days in what was China’s longest manned space mission so far.
    • The recently decommissioned space lab followed the Tiangong-1, China’s first space station, which crashed into the southern Pacific Ocean on April 1, 2018 after Chinese scientists lost control of the spacecraft.
    • China had launched Tiangong-1 in 2011 as proof-of-concept of technologies for future stations.
    • The Tiangong will be fully operational by the end of 2022.

    Features of this Space Station

    • The significant feature of Tiangong is its two robotic arms.
    • The US has previously expressed concern over its ability to grab objects including satellites from space.
    • The 10-meter-long arm was in action previously seen in action successfully grabbing and moving a 20 tonne Tianzhou-2 cargo ship in a test.
    • One of the noteworthy tasks for the Shenzhou-14 crew is to test and operate the large and small
    • The small arm is quite flexible and can perform operations with greater precision.

     

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  • What are eVTOL Aircrafts?

    The Union Civil Aviation Ministry is exploring the possibility of inviting manufacturers of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to set up base in India.

    What is eVTOL?

    • EVTOL aircraft is one that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically.
    • Most eVTOLs also use what is called as distributed electric propulsion technology which means integrating a complex propulsion system with the airframe.
    • There are multiple motors for various functions; to increase efficiency; and to also ensure safety.
    • It works on electric propulsion based on progress in motor, battery, fuel cell and electronic controller technologies.
    • It is also fuelled by the need for new vehicle technology that ensures urban air mobility (UAM).

    Features of eVTOL

    • eVTOL is emerging as a runway independent technological solution” for the globe’s transportation needs.
    • There are an estimated 250 eVTOL concepts or more being fine-tuned to bring alive the concept of UAM.
    • Some of these include the use of multi-rotors, fixed-wing and tilt-wing concepts backed by sensors, cameras and even radar.
    • The key word here is “autonomous connectivity”. Some of these are in various test phases.
    • In short, eVTOLs have been likened to “a third wave in an aerial revolution”; the first being the advent of commercial flying, and the second, the age of helicopters.

    What are the developments in powering eVTOLs?

    • The roles eVTOLs adopt depends on battery technology and the limits of onboard electric power.
    • Power is required during the key phases of flight such as take-off, landing and flight (especially in high wind conditions).
    • There is a “Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) technology” using minute amounts of carbon-14 nuclear waste encased in layered industrial diamonds to create self-charging batteries.
    • There are some industry experts who are questioning the use of only batteries and are looking at hybrid technologies such as hydrogen cells and batteries depending on the flight mission.

    What are the challenges?

    • As the technology so far is a mix of unpiloted and piloted aircraft, the areas in focus include “crash prevention systems”.
    • There are also issues such as ensuring safety in case of power plant or rotor failure.
    • Aircraft protection from cyberattacks is another area of focus.
    • A third area is in navigation and flight safety and the use of technology when operating in difficult terrain, unsafe operating environments, and also bad weather.

     

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  • What is D2M Technology?

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and India’s public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati are exploring ‘direct-to-mobile’ (D2M) broadcasting.

    What is D2M Technology?

    • The technology is based on the convergence of broadband and broadcast, using which mobile phones can receive terrestrial digital TV.
    • It would be similar to how people listen to FM radio on their phones, where a receiver within the phone can tap into radio frequencies.
    • Using D2M, multimedia content can also be beamed to phones directly.

    Benefits of D2M

    • It allows broadcasting video and other forms of multimedia content directly to mobile phones, without needing an active internet connection.
    • It promises to improve consumption of broadband and utilisation of spectrum.

    Why need D2M?

    • The idea behind the technology is that it can possibly be used to directly broadcast content related to citizen-centric information.
    • It can be further used to counter fake news, issue emergency alerts and offer assistance in disaster management, among other things.
    • Apart from that, it can be used to broadcast live news, sports etc. on mobile phones.
    • More so, the content should stream without any buffering whatsoever while not consuming any internet data.

    What could be the consumer and business impact of this?

    • For consumers, a technology like this would mean that they would be able to access multimedia content from Video on Demand (VoD) or Over The Top (OTT) content platforms.
    • This will be without having to exhaust their mobile data, and more importantly, at a nominal rate.
    • The technology will also allow people from rural areas, with limited or no internet access, to watch video content.
    • For businesses, one of the key benefits of the technology is that it can enable telecom service providers to offload video traffic from their mobile network onto the broadcast network.
    • It thus helps them to decongest valuable mobile spectrum.
    • This will also improve usage of mobile spectrum and free up bandwidth which will help reduce call drops, increase data speeds etc.

    What is the government doing to facilitate D2M technology?

    • The DoT has set up a committee to study the feasibility of a spectrum band for offering broadcast services directly to users’ smartphones.
    • Band 526-582 MHz is envisaged to work in coordination with both mobile and broadcast services.
    • DoT has set up a committee to study this band.
    • At the moment, this band is used by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting across the country for TV transmitters.

    What are the possible challenges to the technology’s rollout?

    • Bringing key stakeholders like mobile operators onboard will be the biggest challenge in launching D2M technology on a wide scale.
    • A mass roll out of the technology will entail changes in infrastructure and some regulatory changes.

     

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  • What are PM Shri Schools?

    Union Education Ministry is planning to set up “PM Shri Schools”.

    PM Shri Schools

    • PM Shri Schools will be the laboratory of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
    • They will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future.

    Likely features of these schools

    • It could imbibe 5+3+3+4 (to replace the 10+2 schooling system) approach of NEP covering pre-school to secondary, emphasis on ECCE, teacher training & adult education.
    • There will be an integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in mother tongue which are steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century.
    • Since the NEP 2020 also increases the span of the Right to Education Act, it will now cover ages 3 to 18.

    Explained: 5+3+3+4 Schooling System

    • As per the new school education system of 5+3+3+4 outlined in NEP 2020, children will spend 5 years in the Foundational stage, 3 years in the Preparatory stage, 3 years in the Middle stage, and 4 years in the Secondary stage.
    • The division of stages has been made in line with the kind of cognitive development stages that a child goes through early childhood, school years, and secondary stage.
    • Here is the age-wise breakdown of the different levels of the new school education system:

    (1) 5 years of Foundational stage:

    For ages: 3 to 8, For classes: Anganwadi/pre-school, class 1, class 2

    • The foundational stage of education as per the national education policy will comprise 3 years or preschool or anganwadi education followed by two years of primary classes (classes 1 and 2).
    • This stage will focus on teaching in play-based or activity-based methods and on the development of language skills.

    (2) 3 years of Preparatory stage:

    For ages: 8 to 11, For classes: 3 to 5

    • The focus in the preparatory stage will remain on language development and numeracy skills.
    • Here, the method of teaching and learning would be play and activity-based, and also include classroom interactions and the element of discovery.

    (3) 3 years of Middle stage:

    For ages: 11 to 14, For classes: 6 to 8

    • As per NEP 2020, this stage of school education will focus on critical learning objectives, which is a big shift from the rote learning methods used in our education system for years.
    • This stage will work on experiential learning in the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences and humanities.

    (4) 4 years of Secondary stage:

    For ages: 14 to 18, For classes: 9 to 12

    • This stage will cover two phases classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12.
    • The main change in these classes is the shift to a multidisciplinary system where students will have access to a variety of subject combinations that they can choose as per their skills and interest areas instead of being strictly divided into Arts, Science and Commerce categories.
    • This stage will again push for greater critical thinking and flexibility in the thought process.

     

     

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