WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Prime Minister has unveiled a 12-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath (Uttarakhand).

About: 

• Known as Adi Shankara, born 11th May 788 AD, at Kaladi near Kochi, Kerala.
  • Took Samadhi at the age of 33, at Kedar tirth.
• He was a devotee of Shiva.
• Propounded the Doctrine of Advaita (Monism) and wrote many commentaries on the Vedic canon (Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita) in Sanskrit.
• He was opposed to Buddhist philosophers.

Major Work:

• Brahmasutrabhasya (Bhashya or commentary on the Brahma Sutra).
• Bhajagovinda Stotra.
• Nirvana Shatakam.
• Prakaran Granths.

Other Contributions:

• Was responsible for reviving Hinduism in India to a great extent when Buddhism was gaining popularity.
• Established four Mathas in the four corners of India at Shingeri, Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath– for the propagation of Sanathana Dharma.

Advaita Vedanta:

• It articulates a philosophical position of radical nondualism, a revisionary worldview that derives from the ancient Upanishadic texts.
• According to Advaita Vedantins, the Upanishads reveal a fundamental principle of nonduality termed ‘brahman’, which is the reality of all things.
• Advaitins understand brahman as transcending individuality and empirical plurality. They seek to establish that the essential core of one’s self (atman) is brahman.
• The fundamental thrust of Advaita Vedanta is that the at man is pure non-intentional consciousness.
  • It is one without a second, nondual, infinite existence, and numerically identical with brahman.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2021.

• The National Sports Awards of India comprise six different awards given to sportspersons of India by the Central Government.

About:        

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
  • Formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, it is the highest award bestowed to a sportsperson in India and was instituted in the year 1991-1992.
  • It is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of the previous four years.
  • It comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
• Arjuna Award:
  • It was instituted in 1961 by the Government of India to recognise outstanding achievements in national sports events.
  • It is given for good performance over a period of the previous four years and showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
  • The award carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll of honour.
• Dronacharya Award:
  • It wasinstituted in 1985 by the Government of India to recognise excellence in sports coaching.
  • It is given to coaches for doing outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabling sportspersons to excel in International events.
  • It carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statue of Dronacharya and a scroll of honour.
• Dhyan Chand Award:
  • It was institutedin the year 2002 and comprises a Dhyan Chand statuette, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, a certificate and a ceremonial dress.
  • It is given to honour sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their performance and continue to contribute to promotion of sports events after their retirement.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy:
  • It was instituted in the year 1956-1957.
  • It is for university-level sports performances.
  • It is given to a university for “top performance in the inter-university tournaments” over the period of the last one year.
• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar:
  • It was instituted in the year 2009
  • It is given to corporate entities (both in private and public sector), sports control boards, NGOs including sports bodies at the State and National level who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.

Government Initiatives for Sports Development:

• Khelo India Scheme.
• National Sports Development Fund.
• The National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) Scheme.
• Sports Authority of India Training Centres Scheme (STC).
• Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, it is claimed that Molnupiravir, an oral drug, can cut the risk of hospitalisation in Covid-19 patients by half, in phase 3 trials.

• In India, the Optimus Group recently announced the results of phase 3 clinical trials, which found 91.5% of patients given the drug tested RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) negative.

Molnupiravir:

• It belongs to a class of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs called nucleoside analogues.
  • They act by interfering with the function of viral RNA (Ribonucleic Acids) polymerases – which are enzymes that make new viral RNA in infected cells.
  • RNA is a polymer of ribonucleotides and an important biological macromolecule that is present in all biological cells.
    • It is principally involved in the synthesis of proteins, carrying the messenger instructions from Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which itself contains the genetic instructions required for the development and maintenance of life.
  • It works by causing viruses to make errors when copying their own RNA, introducing mutations that inhibit replication.
    • It was initially invented as a drug for the influenza virus.

Mechanism:

• These drugs work by preventing the process of replication of the virus inside human cells.
  • A virus is a biological agent that can self-replicate inside a host cell. The infected cells by viruses may produce thousands of new copies of the original virus at an extraordinary rate.
• It alters critical enzymes that were necessary to the virus for replicating in the human body cells.

As of now, the Emergency Use Authorization is awaited for the drug but currently, it can be administered as a pill in a 5-day regimen.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, new research has found that the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Cervarix) reduces the risk of Cervical Cancer significantly in women.

• The results are important because the vaccine was introduced in the 2000s and studies confirming that it is effective against cancer have come up only recently.

Findings:

• The Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reduced cervical cancer cases by 87% among women in the U.K. who received the vaccine when they were 12 or 13 years old.
• It reduced the risk by 34% in women who were aged 16-18 years when they were offered the jab.
• Over a period of 11 years (since 2006), the vaccine prevented around 450 cervical cancers and around 17,200 cases of precancerous conditions.

Cervical Cancer:

• It is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix – the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.
• Various strains of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) play a role in causing most cervical cancer.

• When exposed to HPV, the body’s immune system typically prevents the virus from doing harm. In a small percentage of people, however, the virus survives for years, contributing to the process that causes some cervical cells to become cancer cells.
• The HPV vaccine (Cervarix) protects against two of the cancer-causing strains, which are HPV 16 and 18.

Human papillomavirus:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.
• There are more than 100 types of HPV.
  • More than 40 types of HPV are spread through direct sexual contact.
  • Out of these 40, two cause genital warts, while about a dozen of HPV cause different types of cancer including cervical, anal, oropharyngeal, penile, vulvar and vaginal.

Types of HPV Vaccines:

• Quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil): It protects against four types of HPV (HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11). The latter two strains cause genital warts.
• Bivalent vaccine (Cervarix): It protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.
• Non valent vaccine (Gardasil 9): It protects against nine strains of HPV.
  • These vaccines prevent cervical cancer in women and girls who have not yet been exposed to the virus.

Indian Scenario:

• India is home to 16-17% of the world’s population, globally 27% of total cervical cancer cases are from here.
• Further, in India about 77% cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV 16 and 18.
• In India, bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines were licensed in 2008 and a non valent vaccine was licensed in 2018.
• Officially, the HPV vaccine has not been recommended for boys and males in India.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, an ambitious declaration was initiated by the United Kingdom to “halt deforestation” and land degradation by 2030.

• It is being referred to as the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use.
• India did not sign this, as it objected to “trade” being interlinked to climate change and forest issues in the agreement.

About the Declaration:

• Integrated Approach: The declaration recognises that to meet our land use, climate, biodiversity and sustainable development goals, both globally and nationally will require transformative further action in the interconnected areas:
  • Sustainable production and consumption.
  • Infrastructure development; trade; finance and investment.
  • Support for smallholders, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, who depend on forests for their livelihoods and have a key role in their stewardship.
  • To help achieve a balance between anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and removal by sinks; to adapt to climate change, and to maintain other ecosystem services.
• Signatories: The declaration has over 105 signatories including the UK, US, Russia and China.
  • These countries represent 75% of global trade and 85% of global forests in key commodities that can threaten forests – such as palm oil, cocoa and soya.
  • They have also committed USD 12 billion in public funds from 2021-25.
• Commitment to Multilateral Agreement:It reaffirmed respective commitments to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Sustainable Development Goals; and other relevant initiatives.

Major Highlights of the Declaration:

• Conservation: Conserve forests and other terrestrial ecosystems and accelerate their restoration.
• Sustainable Development: Facilitate trade and development policies, internationally and domestically, that promote sustainable development, and sustainable commodity production and consumption.
• Building Resilience: Reduce vulnerability, build resilience and enhance rural livelihoods, including through empowering local communities.
• Recognising Indigenous Rights: The development of profitable, sustainable agriculture, and recognition of the multiple values of forests, while recognising the rights of Indigenous.
• Financial Commitments: Reaffirm international financial commitments and significantly increase finance and investment from a wide variety of public and private sources.

India’s Stand:

• India, Argentina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and South Africa are the only G20 countries that did not sign the declaration. The declaration interlinks trade to climate change and forest issues. Trade falls under the World Trade Organization and should not be brought under climate change declarations.
• India and others had asked the word “trade” to be removed, but the demand was not accepted. Therefore they didn’t sign the declaration.
  • The issue of deforestation in India is a hotly contested one. The government has repeatedly said that the tree cover and forest cover in India have increased over the past few years.
  • However, environmentalists have long pointed out that the government is busy diluting existing environmental protections to open them up for mining and other infrastructure projects that will alter the forests, wildlife, and the people living around it forever.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.

• The PCA framework enables supervisory intervention of RBI over Banks at an appropriate time and ensures effective market discipline.

 Revised Framework:

• Applicability:
  • The framework applies to all banks operating in India, including foreign banks operating through branches or subsidiaries based on breach of risk thresholds of identified indicators.
  • However, payments banks and small finance banks (SFBs) have been removed from the list of lenders where prompt corrective action can be initiated.
    • The new provisions will be effective from January 2022.
  • Monitored Areas:
    • Capital, Asset Quality and Capital-To-Risk Weighted Assets Ratio(CRAR), NPA ratio, Tier I Leverage Ratio, will be the key areas for monitoring in the revised framework.
    • However, the revised framework excludes return on assets as a parameter that may trigger action under the framework.
  • Invocation of PCA:
    • The breach of any risk threshold may result in the invocation of the PCA. Stressed banks may not be allowed to expand credit/investment portfolios.
      • However, they are allowed to invest in government securities/other high-quality liquid investments.
    • In the case of a default on the part of a bank in meeting the obligations to its depositors, possible resolution processes may be resorted to without reference to the PCA matrix.
  • RBI’s Powers:
    • In governance-related actions, the RBI can supersede the board under Section 36ACA of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
    • Amendment to Section 45 of the BR Act enables the Reserve Bank to reconstruct or amalgamate a bank, with or without implementing a moratorium, with the approval of the Central government.
    • The RBI, as part of its mandatory and discretionary actions, may also impose appropriate restrictions on capital expenditure, other than for technological upgradation within Board approved limits, under the revised PCA.
  • Withdrawal of PCA Restrictions:
    • Withdrawal of restrictions imposed will be considered if no breaches in risk thresholds in any of the parameters are observed as per four continuous quarterly financial statements.

Prompt Corrective Action:

• Background: PCA is a framework under which banks with weak financial metrics are put under watch by the RBI.
  • The RBI introduced the PCA framework in 2002 as a structured early-intervention mechanism for banks that become undercapitalised due to poor asset quality, or vulnerable due to loss of profitability.
  • The framework was reviewed in 2017 based on the recommendations of the working group of the Financial Stability and Development Council on Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions in India and the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.
• Objective: The objective of the PCA framework is to enable supervisory intervention at an appropriate time and require the supervised entity to initiate and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, so as to restore its financial health.
  • It aims to check the problem of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in the Indian banking sector.
  • It is intended to help alert the regulator as well as investors and depositors if a bank is heading for trouble.
  • The idea is to head off problems before they attain crisis proportions.
• Audited Annual Financial Results: A bank will generally be placed under the PCA framework based on the audited annual financial results and the ongoing supervisory assessment made by the RBI.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The central government is preparing to give a fresh push to the establishment of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS) on the lines of the central civil services.

About:       

• The AIJS is a reform push to centralise the recruitment of judges at the level of additional district judges and district judges for all states.
• In the same way that the Union Public Service Commission conducts a central recruitment process and assigns successful candidates to cadres, judges of the lower judiciary are proposed to be recruited centrally and assigned to states.

Previous Proposals:

• The AIJS was first proposed by the 14^threport of the Law Commission in 1958.
  • A statutory or constitutional body such as the UPSC to conduct a standard, centralised exam to recruit and train judges was discussed.
• The idea was proposed again in the Law Commission Report of 1978, which discussed delays and arrears of cases in the lower courts.
• In 2006, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 15^thReport backed the idea of a pan-Indian judicial service, and also prepared a draft Bill.

Supreme Court’s Stand:

• In 1992, the Supreme Court (SC) in All India Judges’ Association v. The Union of Indiadirected the Centre to set up an AIJS.
• In a 1993 review of the judgment, however, the court left the Centre at liberty to take the initiative on the issue.
• In 2017, the SC took suo motu cognizance of the issue of appointment of district judges, and mooted a Central Selection Mechanism.
  • Senior advocate Arvind Datar, who was appointed amicus curiae (friend of the court) by the court, circulated a concept note to all states in which he recommended conducting a common examination instead of separate state exams.
  • Based on the merit list, High Courts would then hold interviews and appoint judges. Datar submitted that this would not change the constitutional framework or take away the powers of the states or High Courts.

Benefits of AIJS:

• Efficient Judiciary: It will ensure an efficient subordinate judiciary, to address structural issues such as varying pay and remuneration across states, to fill vacancies faster, and to ensure standard training across states.
• Ease of Doing Business: The government has targeted the reform of lower judiciary in its effort to improve India’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, as efficient dispute resolution is one of the key indices in determining the rank.
• Addressing Judges To Population Ratio: A Law Commission report (1987) recommended that India should have 50 judges per million population as against 10.50 judges (then).
  • Now, the figure has crossed 20 judges in terms of the sanctioned strength, but it’s nothing compared to the US or the UK — 107 and 51 judges per million people, respectively.
• Higher Representation of Marginalised Sections of Society: According to the Government, the AIJS to be an ideal solution for equal representation of the marginalised and deprived sections of society.
• Attracting Talent Pool: The government believes that if such a service comes up, it would help create a pool of talented people who could later become a part of the higher judiciary
• Bottoms-Up Approach: The bottoms-up approach in the recruitment would also address issues like corruption and nepotism in the lower judiciary.

Criticism:

• Encroaching States Power: A centralised recruitment process is seen as an affront to federalism and an encroachment on the powers of states granted by the Constitution.
• Wont Address Unique Issues: This is the main contention of several states, which have also argued that central recruitment would not be able to address the unique concerns that individual states may have.
  • Language and representation, for example, are key concerns highlighted by states.
  • Judicial business is conducted in regional languages, which could be affected by central recruitment.
• Not Good For Local Reservation: Also, reservations based on caste, and even for rural candidates or linguistic minorities in the state, could be diluted in a central test.
• Against Separation of Powers: The opposition is also based on the constitutional concept of the separation of powers. A central test could give the executive a foot in the door for the appointment of district judges, and dilute the say that High Courts have in the process.
• Wont Address Structural Issues: The creation of AIJS will not address the structural issues plaguing the lower judiciary.
  • The issue of different scales of pay and remuneration has been addressed by the SC in the 1993 All India Judges Association caseby bringing in uniformity across states.
  • Experts argue that increasing pay across the board and ensuring that a fraction of High Court judges are picked from the lower judiciary, may help better than a central exam to attract quality talent.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Global Methane Pledge was launched on November 2, 2021, at the ongoing UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

About:

• As of now, more than 90 countries have signed this pledge.
• Global Methane Pledge is an effort led by the United States and the European Union, jointly.
• This pledge is significant because Methane is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas present in the atmosphere.

About Global Methane Pledge

The Global Methane Pledge was first announced in September 2021 by the US and EU. It is an agreement to reduce global methane emissions. This pledge was announced with the aim of reducing methane emissions by 30 per cent by the year 2030, as compared to 2020 levels.

How Methane contributes to global temperature?

As per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, methane accounts for around half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net increase in global average temperature as compared to pre-industrial era. As per UN, 25 percent of the warming is because of methane.

About methane

Methane is a greenhouse gas and a component of natural gas. Its presence in the atmosphere increases the temperature on Earth. Methane comes from human as well as natural sources. Human sources of methane comprise of oil & natural gas systems, landfills, coal mining, agricultural activities, wastewater treatment, and industrial processes. Human sources accounts for 60 percent of the global methane emissions, among which Oil & gas sectors are the largest contributor.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Recently, the first ship of the four Project-15B state-of-the-art stealth guided-missile destroyers i.e. ‘Y 12704 (Visakhapatnam)’, was delivered to the Navy.

• The ship is constructed using indigenous steel DMR 249A and is amongst the largest destroyers constructed in India.

 India’s Destroyer Construction Programme:

• India’s indigenous Destroyer construction programme commenced in the late 1990s with the three Delhi class (P-15 class) warships and this was followed by three Kolkata class (P-15A) destroyers commissioned a decade later.
• Presently, under the P-15B (Visakhapatnam Class), a total of four warships are planned (Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, Surat).
• The Destroyers come next only to an Aircraft Carrier (INS Vikramaditya) in terms of their reach and endurance.

Project-15B:

• Four Guided missile Destroyers of Project 15B (P 15B) are under construction at M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. The contract for construction of these four ships was signed in 2011.
• These ships are amongst the most technologically advanced Guided Missile Destroyers of the world, with state-of-the-art weapon/sensor package, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation.

Features of the P-15B Ships:

• These ships are equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM).
• The ship has several indigenous weapons systems like medium range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAMs), indigenous torpedo tube launchers, anti-submarine indigenous rocket launchers and 76-mm super rapid gun mount.

Other Three Ships of Project 15B:

• The second ship of P15B, Mormugao was launched in 2016, and is being readied for harbour trials.
• The third ship (Imphal) was launched in 2019, and is at an advanced stage of outfitting.
• The fourth ship (Surat) is under block erection and will be launched within this current financial year (2022) .

Role of P-15B:

• The Indian Navy’s responsibilities to safeguard a large coastline of 7516 Kms and about 1100 offshore islands along with 2.01 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) have been enhanced in the present geopolitical scenario.
• Destroyers like the P-15B class shall play an important role in the larger oceans of the Indo-Pacific, making the Indian Navy a potent force.
• The guided missile Destroyers are deployed for various responsibilities like escort duties with the Carrier Battle Group to protect the Naval fleet against any air, surface and underwater threats.

Other Recent Projects:

• Project 75 (I): It envisages indigenous construction of submarines equipped with the state-of-the-art Air Independent Propulsion system at an estimated cost of Rs. 43,000 crore.
• Project 75: It is a programme by the Indian Navy that entails building six Scorpene-Class attack submarines. The programme has been undertaken with transfer of technology from French company Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ on November 2, 2021, for improving the viability of solar power.

About:

• On the occasion, he also announced that India’s space agency, ISRO will provide a calculator to the world soon, that can measure the solar energy potential of any region.
• ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ (OSOWOG) solution will be used to tackle the challenge of solar power.
• Earth’s atmosphere receives enough sunlight in one hour, that can be used to power the electricity needed of every human on earth for a year.
• However, solar energy is only available during the day. Another challenge is that it is dependent on weather conditions.

About OSOWOG

This project is about setting a ‘trans-national electricity grid to supply solar power across the world. The vision behind OSOWOG is ‘The Sun Never Sets’. It is a constant at some geographical location, across the globe, at any given point of time. This is the most ambitious schemes undertaken by India and is significant in terms economic benefits. It has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank. This plan will also leverage the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Three Phases of the OSOWOG

• First Phase: It will involve interconnectivity within the Asian continent.
• Second Phase: Africa will be added.
• Third Phase: It will involve global interconnection.

Significance of OSOWOG

• OSOWOG project will help all the participating countries in attracting investments in renewable energy sources. It will also help in utilizing finances, skills and technology.
• It will lead to lesser project costs, higher efficiencies and increased asset utilization across all the participating entities.
• Economic benefits arising out of the project will result into poverty alleviation. It will also support in mitigating water & sanitation, food and other socio-economic challenges.