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Type: Prelims Only

  • Cyber Security – CERTs, Policy, etc

    New online platform maps Pegasus spread

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Cyber Security

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Pegasus

    Mains level: Whatsapp snooping

    An online database about the use of the spyware Pegasus was recently launched by the Forensic Architecture, Amnesty International and the Citizen Lab to document attacks against human rights defenders.

    What is Pegasus?

    • Last year, one of the biggest stories that broke into cyberspace was WhatsApp’s reports that 1,400 of its users were hacked by Pegasus, a spyware tool from Israeli firm NSO Group.
    • All spyware do what the name suggests — they spy on people through their phones.
    • Pegasus works by sending an exploit link, and if the target user clicks on the link, the malware or the code that allows the surveillance is installed on the user’s phone.
    • A presumably newer version of the malware does not even require a target user to click a link.
    • Once Pegasus is installed, the attacker has complete access to the target user’s phone.

    Why is Pegasus dangerous?

    • What makes Pegasus really dangerous is that it spares no aspect of a person’s identity. It makes older techniques of spying seem relatively harmless.
    • It can intercept every call and SMS, read every email and monitor each messaging app.
    • Pegasus can also control the phone’s camera and microphone and has access to the device’s location data.
    • The app advertises that it can carry out “file retrieval”, which means it could access any document that a target might have stored on their phone.

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    Government creates Ministry of Cooperation

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Ministries & Departments Of The Government

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Creation of new ministry

    Mains level: Cooperatives in India

    The Union Government has created a new Ministry of Cooperation with an aim to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country.

    With the creation of the Ministry of Cooperation, there will now be a total of 41 central government ministries. Several of these ministries also have separate departments and organizations under them.

    What defines a Cooperative?

    • A cooperative is “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned enterprise”.
    • Cooperatives are democratically owned by their members, with each member having one vote in electing the board of directors.

    Ministry of Cooperation

    • The ministry has been created for realizing the vision of ‘sahkar se samriddhi’ (through cooperation to prosperity).
    • The NGO Sahakar Bharati, whose founder member Satish Kashinath Marathe is a part-time director on the RBI board, says it was the first to pitch for the creation of a separate ministry for the cooperative sector.
    • It will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country.
    • It will help deepen cooperatives as a true people-based movement reaching up to the grassroots.
    • The ministry will work to streamline processes for ‘ease of doing business’ for cooperatives and enable the development of multi-state cooperatives (MSCS).

    Why need such Ministry?

    • In our country, a Co-operative based economic development model is very relevant where each member works with a spirit of responsibility.
    • This creation has signalled its deep commitment to community-based developmental partnerships.

    Second new ministry created so far

    • The Ministry of Cooperation is the second ministry to be created since 2019 after the Modi government came to power for the second time.
    • Soon after taking charge, the government had created the Jal Shakti ministry.
    • However, it was not altogether new as the Ministry of Cooperation.
    • It was created by integrating two existing ministries dealing with water — Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Drinking Water & Sanitation ministry.

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  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Person in news: Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair

    Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair

    Mains level: Not Much

    A noted filmmaker has recently announced his decision to produce the biopic of Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, an acclaimed lawyer and judge in the Madras High Court and one of the early builders of the Indian National Congress.

    Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair

    • Nair was born in the year 1857 in Mankara village of Malabar’s Palakkad district.
    • He belonged to an aristocratic family and his great grandfather was employed by the East India Company to enforce peace in the Malabar region.
    • His grandfather was employed as the chief officer under the Civilian Divisional Officer.

    His legal career

    • Nair was drawn towards Law while he was completing his graduation from Presidency College in Madras.
    • After completing his degree in Law, he was hired by Sir Horatio Shepherd who later became the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
    • Since his early days as a lawyer, Nair was known for his defiant attitude.
    • He went against a resolution passed by Indian vakils (advocates) of Madras stating that no Indian vakil would work as a junior to an English barrister.
    • His stance on the issue made him so unpopular that he was boycotted by the other vakils, but he refused to let that bother him.

    Legacy

    • Nair was known for being a passionate advocate for social reforms and a firm believer in the self-determination of India.
    • But what really stood out in his long glorious career is a courtroom battle he fought against the Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, Michael O’Dwyer.
    • Nair had accused O’Dwyer in his book, ‘Gandhi and anarchy’ for being responsible for the atrocities at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
    • Consequently, he was fighting against an Englishman, in an English court that was presided over by an English jury.
    • In all senses, the case was bound to make history.
    • When the 1908 Montague-Chelmsford reforms were being discussed, he wrote an article in the Contemporary Review criticizing the English jury for being partial towards Englishmen.
    • This infuriated the Anglo-Indian community who petitioned the Viceroy and the Secretary of State for India objecting to his appointment as high court judge the first time.
    • He was once described by Edwin Montague, the secretary of state for India as an ‘impossible person’.

    Key positions held

    • In 1897 he became the youngest president of the INC in the history of the party till then, and the only Malayali to hold the post ever.
    • By 1908 he was appointed as a permanent judge in the Madras High Court. In 1902 Lord Curzon appointed him a member of the Raleigh University Commission.
    • In 1904 he was appointed as Companion of the Indian Empire by the King-Emperor and in 1912 he was knighted.
    • In 1915 he became part of the Viceroy’s Council, put in charge of the education portfolio.

    Career as judge

    • As a Madras High Court judge, his best-known judgments clearly indicate his commitment to social reforms.
    • In Budasna v Fatima (1914), he passed a radical judgement when he ruled that those who converted to Hinduism cannot be treated as outcasts.
    • In a few other cases, he upheld inter-caste and inter-religious marriages.

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    Arctic’s ‘Last Ice Area’

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Last Ice Area

    Mains level: Climate Change

    A part of the Arctic’s ice called the “Last Ice Area”, located north of Greenland, has melted before expected. Scientists had believed this area was strong enough to withstand global warming.

    What is the Last Ice Area?

    • In an article published in 2015, National Geographic noted that climate projections forecast the total disappearance of summer ice in the Arctic by the year 2040.
    • However, the only place that would be able to withstand a warming climate would be this area of ice called the “Last Ice Area”.
    • But while this piece of ice above northern Canada and Greenland was expected to last the longest time, it is now showing signs of melting.
    • WWF claims that WWF-Canada was the first to call this area the‘ Last Ice Area’.

    Why is the area important?

    • The area is important because it was thought to be able to help ice-dependent species as ice in the surrounding areas melted away.
    • The area is used by polar bears to hunt for seals who use ice to build dens for their offspring.
    • Walruses too, use the surface of the ice for food search.

    When did the area start changing?

    • The first sign of change in LIA was observed in 2018.
    • Further, in August last year, sea ice showed its “vulnerability” to the long-term effects of climate change.
    • The ice in LIA has been thinning gradually over the years much like other parts of the Arctic Ocean.

    What are the reasons that explain the change?

    • About 80 per cent of thinning can be attributed to weather-related factors such as winds that break up and move the ice around.
    • The remaining 20 per cent can be attributed to the longer-term thinning of the ice due to global warming.

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  • Indian Army Updates

    Indian Army Memorial in Italy

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 1:

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Not much

    Mains level: World History: India's contribution in two World Wars

    During his four-day visit to the UK and Italy, the Indian Army Chief will inaugurate the Indian Army Memorial at Cassino in Italy, about 140 km away from Rome.

    What is the memorial about?

    • The memorial commemorates over 3,100 Commonwealth servicemen who took part in the effort to liberate Italy in World War II.
    • Apart from this, 900 Indian soldiers were also commemorated on this memorial.

    What was happening in Italy in WWII?

    • Under Benito Mussolini, Italy had joined Nazi Germany in 1936 and in 1940 it entered WWII (1939-1945) against the Allies.
    • But in 1943, Mussolini was overthrown and instead, Italy declared war on Germany.
    • The invasion of Italy by the Allies coincided with an armistice that was made with the Italians.
    • Even so, the UK’s National Army Museum notes that for two years during WWII, Italy became one of the war’s most “exhausting campaigns” because they were facing a skilled and resolute enemy.

    What was India’s involvement in World War II?

    • In the first half of the 1940s, India was still under British rule and the Indian Army fought in both the world wars.
    • It comprised both Indian and European soldiers.
    • Apart from this, there was the East India Company Army that also recruited both Indian and European soldiers and the British Army, which was also present in India.

    India the largest volunteer

    • Indian Army was the largest volunteer force during WWII, with over 2.5 million (more than 20 lakh) Indians participating.
    • These troops fought the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) as part of the Allies.
    • By 1945, the Allies had won, Italy had been liberated, Adolf Hitler was dead and India was barely a couple of years short of independence.
    • However, while millions of Indians participated, their efforts are not always recognized.

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  • Gravitational Wave Observations

    Black Hole swallows Neutron Star

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Neutron star, Black Holes

    Mains level: Gravitational waves observation

    In an entirely strange phenomenon, astronomers have spotted two neutron stars being swallowed by different black holes.

    What are Black Holes?

    • A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing—no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from it.
    • Neutron stars and black holes are among the most extreme objects in the universe. They are the fossil relics of massive dead stars.
    • When a star that is more than eight times as massive as the Sun runs out of fuel, it undergoes a spectacular explosion called a supernova.
    • What remains can be a neutron star or a black hole.

    There is no upper limit to how massive a black hole can be, but all black holes have two things in common: a point of no return at their surface called an “event horizon”, from which not even light can escape and a point at their centre called a “singularity”, at which the laws of physics as we understand them break down.

    What about Neutron stars?

    • Neutron stars are typically between 1.5 and two times as massive as the Sun but are so dense that all their mass is packed into an object the size of a city.
    • At this density, atoms can no longer sustain their structure and dissolve into a stream of free quarks and gluons: the building blocks of protons and neutrons.

    What is the news observation?

    • Gravitational waves are produced when celestial objects collide and the ensuing energy creates ripples in the fabric of space-time which carry all the way to detectors on Earth.
    • The reverberations from the two celestial objects were picked up using a global network of gravitational wave detectors.

    What makes this strange phenomenon?

    • This is the first time scientists have seen gravitational waves from a neutron star and a black hole.
    • Previous gravitational wave detections have spotted black holes colliding, and neutron stars merging but not one of each.

    Why study this?

    • Neutron star-black hole systems allow us to piece together the evolutionary history of stars.
    • Gravitational-wave astronomers are like stellar fossil-hunters, using the relics of exploded stars to understand how massive stars form, live and die.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.“Event Horizon” is related to (CSP 2018):

    (a) Telescope

    (b) Black hole

    (c) Solar glares

    (d) None of the above

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  • Nobel and other Prizes

    Sainath awarded 2021 Fukuoka Prize

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Fukuoka Prize

    Mains level: Not Much

    Noted journalist P. Sainath has been selected as one of the three recipients of the Fukuoka Prize for 2021.

    Fukuoka Prize

    • The Fukuoka Prize is given annually to distinguished people to foster and increase awareness of Asian cultures, and to create a broad framework of exchange and mutual learning among the Asian people.
    • The Prize was established in 1990 by the city of Fukuoka in Japan and the Fukuoka City International Foundation.
    • The Grand Prize has earlier been awarded to Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, historian Romila Thapar, and sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan. Eleven Indians have received the Fukuoka Prize so far.
    • 115 people from 28 countries and areas have received the Prize in the past 30 years.

    Citation for the award

    • In a statement issued Mr. Sainath was described as a “very deserving recipient of the Grand Prize of Fukuoka Prize”.
    • The Secretariat noted his work for creating a new form of knowledge through his writings and commentaries on rural India and for “promoting civil cooperation”.

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  • Historical and Archaeological Findings in News

    Skull found in China represents a new human species

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Stone age man and his evolution

    Mains level: Not Much

    Scientists have announced that a skull discovered in northeast China represents a newly discovered human species they have named Homo longi, or “Dragon Man”.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.The word ‘Denisovan’ is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to (CSP 2019):

    (a) fossils of a kind of dinosaurs

    (b) an early human species

    (c) a cave system found in North-East India.

    (d) a geological period in the history of Indian subcontinent

    Who is the “Dragon Man”, the latest Chinese discovery?

    • The cranium found in China has been dubbed the “Dragaon Man” or Homo longi, a name that has been derived from the Long Jiang or Dragon River in the Heilongjiang province of China where the city of Harbin is located.
    • The skull was reportedly discovered back in 1933, when a bridge was built over the Songhua River.
    • For thousands of years, the skull remained buried in sediments.
    • Because of the distinctive shape of the skull, which was found almost complete, some members of the team have suggested that it be declared a part of a new species of the genus Homo.
    • Significantly, the size of the skull, which has a considerable brain capacity, is comparable to that of modern humans and Neanderthals.

    Why is this discovery being considered significant?

    • For one, it brings new knowledge about the evolution of Homo sapiens.
    • It might help to bridge the gaps between our ancient ancestors called Homo erectus and us.
    • This knowledge is important because there is very little consensus in the scientific community about how different human species are related, and which species are our immediate ancestors.
    • Smithsonian for instance notes that some palaeontologists believe Homo heidelbergensis to be our immediate ancestors.
    • This species was discovered in 1908, and lived about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago in Europe and possibly China and some parts of Africa.

    Back2Basics: Species of Humans

    • Modern humans are the only human species that exist in the world today.
    • While the exact number of human species is a matter of debate, most scientists believe that there are at least 21 of them.

    As per the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, there are over 21 human species.  Major among these are:

    (1) Sahelanthropus tchadensis

    • Sahelanthropus tchadensis is believed to be the oldest member of the human family tree.
    • It lived about 7-6 million years ago somewhere around present-day Chad in Africa.
    • It had both ape-like and human-like features and was bipedalled, an ability that may have increased its chances of survival.

    (2) Homo erectus

    • Homo erectus lived about 1.89 million-110,000 years ago, in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Africa and Western and East Asia.
    • ‘Turkana Boy’ is the most complete fossil belonging to this species and is dated to be around 1.6 million years old.

    (3) Modern man

    • Homo neanderthalensis lived about 400,000-40,000 years ago and co-existed with Homo sapiens for a few thousand years.
    • They lived in Europe and in southwestern and central Asia.
    • Homo sapiens evolved about 300,000 years ago, and are found worldwide.

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  • Defence Sector – DPP, Missions, Schemes, Security Forces, etc.

    What is a Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST)?

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

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST)

    Mains level: Not Much

    The US Navy Friday carried out a ‘full ship shock trial’ on its newest and most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to ensure its hardness was capable of withstanding battle conditions.

    What is a Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST)?

    • During World War II, American warships suffered severe damage from enemy mines and torpedoes that had actually missed their target, but exploded underwater in close proximity.
    • The US Navy has since worked to improve the shockproofing of their ship systems to minimize damage from such “near miss” explosions.
    • In FSSTs, an underwater explosive charge is set off near an operational ship, and system and component failures are documented.
    • The FSST probes whether the components survive shock in their environment on the ship; it probes the possibilities of system failures, and large components that could not be otherwise tested.

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  • Genetically Modified (GM) crops – cotton, mustards, etc.

    First-ever genetically modified rubber planted in Assam

    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: First-ever genetically modified rubber planted in Assam

    Mains level: Hazards of using GMO crops

    A Rubber Board research farm on the outskirts of Guwahati now sports the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant tailored for the climatic conditions in the Northeast.

    GM rubber

    • The GM rubber has additional copies of the gene MnSOD, or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase, inserted in the plant.
    • The plant was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
    • It is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter — a major factor affecting the growth of young rubber plants in the region.

    Why need GM rubber?

    • Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for the colder conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest producers of rubber in India.
    • Growth of young rubber plants remains suspended during the winter months, which are also characterized by progressive drying of the soil.
    • This is the reason for the long immaturity period of this crop in the region.

    What does MnSOD gene offer?

    • The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold and drought.
    • Laboratory studies conducted at the RRII showed the GM rubber plants overexpressed the MnSOD gene as expected, offering protection to the cells.
    • The plant is thus expected to establish well and grow fast in the region.
    • There was no risk of genes flowing from the GM rubber into any other native species, a concern often raised by environmental groups against GM plants in general.

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