Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

With fears of a nuclear disaster at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant growing, the European Union has decided to pre-emptively supply 5.5 million anti-radiation pills to be distributed among residents in the vicinity.

What is a radiation emergency?

• These are unplanned or accidental events that create radio-nuclear hazard to humans and the environment. 
• Such situations involve radiation exposure from a radioactive source and require prompt intervention to mitigate the threat. 
• Dealing with such an emergency also involves the use of anti-radiation tablets.

What are anti-radiation pills?

• Potassium iodide (KI) tablets, or anti-radiation pills, are known to provide some protection in cases of radiation exposure. 
• They contain non-radioactive iodine and can help block absorption, and subsequent concentration, of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland.

How do these pills work?

• After a radiation leak, radioactive iodine floats through the air and then contaminates food, water and soil.
• While radioactive iodine deposited during external exposure can be removed using warm water and soap, according to the World Health Organisation, the bigger risk is inhaling it.
• “Internal exposure, or irradiation, occurs when radioactive iodine enters the body and accumulates in the thyroid gland.
• The thyroid gland, which uses iodine to produce hormones to regulate the body’s metabolism, has no way of telling radioactive from non-radioactive iodine.
• Potassium iodide (KI) tablets rely on this to achieve ‘thyroid blocking’. KI pills taken a few hours before or soon after radiation exposure ensure that non-radioactive iodine in the medicine is absorbed quickly to make the thyroid “full”.
• “Because KI contains so much non-radioactive iodine, the thyroid becomes full and cannot absorb any more iodine – either stable or radioactive – for the next 24 hours.
• But KI pills are preventive only and cannot reverse any damage done by radiation to the thyroid gland. 
• Once thyroid gland absorbs radioactive iodine, those exposed are at a high risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Is the method fool-proof?

• Anti-radiation pills do not provide 100% protection. “The effectiveness of KI also depends on how much radioactive iodine gets into the body and how quickly it is absorbed in the body.
• Also, the pills are not meant for everybody. They are recommended for people under 40 years of age. 
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also advised to take them. While it can protect the thyroid against radioactive iodine, it cannot protect other organs against radiation contamination.

Substitutes for KI?

The US Food and Drug Administration advises against using salt or iodine supplements as they do not contain enough iodine to trigger thyroid blocking.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has been under Russian control since early March, but an escalation of the conflict in the town this month, including shelling and mortar attacks, some of which damaged parts of the nuclear station, has raised the spectre of nuclear disaster.

A team of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the plant, after Russia agreed to their visit.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• The International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) is widely known as the world’s Atoms for Peace and Development.It was established as an autonomous organization in 1957.
• It seems to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
• It is headquartered in Vienna,Austria.
• Though established as an autonomous organisation,the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council.
• The IAEA and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.

Objectives and Function

• The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

• IAEA seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
• It reports annually to the United Nation General Assembly.
• When necessary, the IAEA also reports to the UN Security Council in regards to instances of members’ non-compliance with safeguards and security obligations.
• In 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for a safe and peaceful world.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) for the welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities.

Who are Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)

• The DNTs, NTs, SNTs are one of the most deprived and economically weaker communities in India. 
• The policies of the colonial government affected lives and livelihood adversely. 
• The misery of these communities began with the enactment of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during British rule.
• They were branded as criminals under various colonial acts. 
• This has led to the forcible alienation from their traditional occupations and habitations. 
• They remained hunter-gatherers and pastoral/peripatetic.
• Even after the Independence, they have not benefitted much from the planned development of over seven decades. 
• They were deprived of state support like the SCs/STs.
• After decades of facing horrors of this racial Act, they were denotified by the Government of independent India on August 31, 1952.
• While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC, ST or OBC categories.

What is the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED)?

• To economically empower De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities. 
• The scheme will be for a period of 5 years starting Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The scheme has been formulated for families having income from all sources of Rs.2.50 lakh or less per annum and not availing any such benefits from similar Scheme of Centre Government or the State Government.
• The Government also decided to create an umbrella scheme for empowerment of these communities and accordingly, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs, SNTs &NTs (SEED) has been formulated with four components that affect their livelihood.

The four component of the SEED scheme are:

• Educational empowerment- Free coaching to students from these communities for Civil Services, entry to professional courses like medicine, engineering, MBA, etc.
• Health Insurance through PMJAY of National Health Authority.
• Livelihoods to support income generation, and
• Housing (through PMAY/IAY)

Components of the Scheme:

• To provide coaching of good quality for DNT/NT/SNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.
• To provide health insurance to DNT/NT/SNT Communities.
• To facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions.
• To provide financial assistance for construction of houses to members of the DNT/NT/SNT Communities.
• The scheme will be implemented through a portal that has been developed by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. Portal comprises of two modules:
• One for registration of applicants with details of his family, income, Aadhaar & bank details, occupation, caste certificate, etc.Upon completing the registration, the applicant will be assigned a unique ID(UID) number.
• Second part consists of a scheme component for which the applicant wants to seek benefit with his UID.
• The other implementing agencies of the scheme are Ministry of Rural Development, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and National Health Authority (NHA).

Many commissions and committees constituted since Independence have referred to the problems of these communities.

• The Criminal Tribes Inquiry Committee, 1947 constituted in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh).
• Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Committee in 1949 (it was based on the report of this committee the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed),
• Kaka Kalelkar Commission (also called first OBC Commission) constituted in 1953.
• The B P Mandal Commission constituted in 1980 also made some recommendations on the issue.
• The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), 2002 held that DNTs have been wrongly stigmatised as crime prone and subjected to high handed treatment as well as exploitation by the representatives of law and order and general society.
• The NCRWC was established under the chairmanship of Justice M N Venkatachaliah.
• The National Idate Commission was constituted in 2015 under the chairmanship of Shri Bhiku Ramji Idate.
• Based on the recommendation of this commission, the Government of India set up the Development and Welfare Board for DNTs, SNTs &NTs (DWBDNCs) in 2019.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

An uncommon phenomenon, La Ninã conditions prevailing over the equatorial Pacific Ocean since September 2020 has entered the third year. There are only six instances of La Ninã lasting for more than two years since 1950s , data with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) show.

• La Nina is when the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) along the central and equatorial Pacific Ocean are colder than normal, which, favour the Indian summer monsoon. 
• However, La Nina years are also infamous for frequent and intense hurricanes and cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

Impacts of La Nina

• La Nina tends to lead to milder winters in Northern Europe and colder winters in southern/western Europe leading to snow in the Mediterranean region.
• It is continental North America where most of these conditions are felt.
• La Nina causes drought in the South American countries of Peru and Ecuador.
• It usually has a positive impact on the fishing industry of western South America.
• In the western Pacific, La Nina increases the potential for landfall in those areas most vulnerable to their effects, and especially into continental Asia and China.
• It also leads to heavy floods in Australia and high temperatures in Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, off the Somalian coast and a comparatively better monsoon rains in India.

El Nino

• The phrase “El Niño” refers to the Christ Child and was coined by fishermen along the coasts of Ecuador and Peru to describe the warming of the central and eastern pacific
• In a normal year, a surface low pressure develops in the region of northern Australia and Indonesia and a high-pressure system over the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean move strongly from east to west.
• The easterly flow of the trade winds carries warm surface waters westward, bringing convective storms (thunderstorms) to Indonesia and coastal Australia. Along the coast of Peru, cold bottom cold nutrient rich water wells up to the surface to replace the warm water that is pulled to the west.

El Nino impacts monsoon rainfall in across the globe

• El Nino impacts ocean temperatures, the speed and strength of ocean currents, the health of coastal fisheries, and local weather from Australia to South America and beyond.
• Rainfall increases drastically in South America, contributing to coastal flooding and erosion.

El Nino impacts monsoon rainfall in India

• El Nino and Indian monsoons are inversely related.
• The most prominent droughts in India – six of them – since 1871 have been El Nino droughts, including the recent ones in 2002 and 2009
• However, not all El Nino years led to a drought in India. For instance, 1997/98 was a strong El Nino year but there was no drought.
• On the other hand, a moderate El Nino in 2002 resulted in one of the worst droughts.
• El Nino directly impacts India’s agrarian economy as it tends to lower the production of summer crops such as rice, sugarcane, cotton, and oilseeds.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Negotiations involving 168 countries, including the European Union, to agree on a UN treaty for protecting oceans failed. When the latest round of talks began two weeks ago in New York, it was hoped that an agreement would be arrived at for the conserving marine life at the ‘high seas’ which lie outside the exclusive jurisdiction of different countries.

In June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had declared an “ocean emergency” at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, citing threats to the world’s ocean.

What is the proposed UN High Seas treaty?

• Also referred to as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean’, the treaty to deal with Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction has been under discussion for several years.
• The proposed treaty concerns the ocean existing beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones that lie from the coast of a country to about 200 nautical miles or 370 km into the sea, till where it has special rights for exploration.Waters beyond that are known as open seas or high seas.
• The treaty was to be negotiated under the United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982 which governs the rights of countries regarding marine resources.
• Some aspects of negotiations included establishing marine protected areas to put limits on certain activities, environmental impact assessments or clearances for sustainability of works, financial support to countries and sharing other scientific knowledge. 
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature has said binding agreements are needed for this treaty to be effective.

How are the world’s oceans regulated as of now?

• Some treaties, along with the UNCLOS, regulate the conduct of actors on the high seas. 
• The UNCLOS led to the establishment of territorial sea boundaries 22 km offshore, deciding the region up to which countries could claim full sovereign territorial rights, as well as the 200 nautical miles EEZ limit. 
• It also created the International Seabed Authority and other conflict-resolution mechanisms.
• But a treaty dedicated to protecting ocean health does not exist as of now. 
• Conversely, every country has the right to access open seas, resulting in large-scale drilling and trawling operations for catching fish and other animals for commercial purposes.

What are the risks of countries failing to reach an agreement?

• Ninety per cent of global warming is occurring in the ocean.
• The effects of ocean warming include sea level rise due to thermal expansion, coral bleaching, accelerated melting of Earth’s major ice sheets, intensified hurricanes, and changes in ocean health and biochemistry.
• Excessive fishing has increased manifold over the years, and a third of species such as sharks and rays are at the risk of extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
• Despite acknowledging these threats, members failed to agree on how to deal with these threats.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is aimed at exploring the Moon with the specific objective of getting human beings back on the lunar surface and possibly beyond to Mars and elsewhere.

The launch of a keenly awaited space mission that is being seen as the start of a new age in space exploration had to be put off after engineers were unable to resolve a problem involving inadequate flow of liquid hydrogen to one of the rocket’s four engines.

Back to the Moon

• It has been 50 years since the six Apollo human moon landings between 1969 and 1972. There has been huge progress in space exploration since then. 
• Spacecraft have now gone beyond the solar system, exploratory missions have probed Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, more than 500 astronauts have travelled to space and back, and permanent space laboratories like the International Space Station (ISS) have been set up.

Artemis 1

• Artemis 1 is all about laying the foundations for more complex and ambitious missions.
• It is carrying several payloads in the form of small satellites called CubeSats, each of which is equipped with instruments meant for specific investigations and experiments.
• Then there are biology experiments, investigating the behaviour of small organisms like fungi and algae in outer space, and the effect of radiation, especially the reaction on their genes.
• The Orion spacecraft, which is specifically designed to carry astronauts into deep space on future missions, will have three dummy ‘passengers’ mannequins made of material that mimic human bones, skin, and soft tissue.
• These would be equipped with a host of sensors to record the various impacts of deep space atmosphere on the human body.
• The rocket that is being used for the Artemis missions, called Space Launch System, or SLS, is the most powerful ever built.
• The giant, 98-metre-tall rocket, weighing 2,500 tonnes, can help the Orion spacecraft achieve speeds of over 36,000 km per hour, and take it directly to the Moon.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

To expedite the roll out of 5G, telecom operators in the country will leverage street furniture such as poles, advertisement hoardings and bus shelters for deploying low power base stations called ‘Small Cells’ that will help bring the network closer to the consumers.

Small Cells are needed for deploying 5G as opposed to earlier generations such as 4G, because of the frequency. The higher the frequency, the lower the wavelength, which means that the distance they travel is less.

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has also issued a consultation paper on the Use of street furniture for small cell and aerial fiber deployment, wherein it states that Small Cells will play a critical role in success of 5G as these are needed to exploit features of 5G such as low latency (minimal delay times), ultra-high speeds, and massive connection densities.
• Small Cells are low-powered radio access nodes or base stations that have a coverage range from a few metres to a few hundred metres.
• They are portable, easy to deploy and help provide localised coverage. 
• As per the TRAI paper, Small Cells provide coverage for very short distances and therefore they are installed in a large number even more than 200 per sq. km for good geographical coverage to provide highly reliable and high-capacity broadband.

Small Cells

• Small cell is an umbrella term used to describe a miniature radio access point (AP) or wireless network base station with a low radio frequency (RF) power output, footprint, and range.
• These are low-powered radio access nodes or base stations that have a coverage range from a few metres to a few hundred metres.
• They are portable, easy to deploy and help provide localised coverage.
• Small Cells provide coverage for very short distances and therefore they are installed in a large number for good geographical coverage to provide highly reliable and high-capacity broadband.
• Considering the present situation, the fifth-generation (5G) small cell is poised to usher in an era of innovation on a massive scale, ensuring significantly improved signal penetration and superior coverage.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Supreme Court referred to a three-judge Bench a series of petitions seeking a judicial direction that political parties who make “wild” promises of largesse should also reveal in their poll manifestos where they will get the money to pay for them.

The 2013 Balaji judgment states that election manifesto promises do not amount to ‘corrupt practice’ under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act. 

The reference is a shift from the court’s own stand in the S. Subramaniam Balaji vs Tamil Nadu judgment of 2013.

What happened?

• In the Balaji case judgment, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court had held that making promises in election manifestos do not amount to a ‘corrupt practice’ under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act (RP).
• However, the Supreme Court is now worried that freebies promised by political parties to win elections could bleed the public exchequer dry. 
• The Court said that parties who form the government riding the wave created by their pre-poll promises of “free gifts” are bleeding the State finances dry by actually trying to fulfil their outlandish promises using public money.
• The Supreme Court has therefore decided to revisit the Balaji verdict.

What triggered the Balaji case?

• The course of events started in 2006, during the run-up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. 
• Few political parties released their election manifesto announcing a scheme of free distribution of colour television sets (CTVs) grinders, mixies, electric fans, laptop computers, four gram gold thalis, etc.
• Balaji, a resident of Tamil Nadu, challenged the schemes in the Madras High Court stating that the expenditure to be incurred by the State from the exchequer was “unauthorised, impermissible and ultra vires the constitutional mandates”.

How did the case play out?

• He argued that the promises of free distribution of non-essential commodities in an election manifesto amounts to electoral bribe under Section 123 of the RP Act. 
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has a duty to examine expenditures even before they are deployed. 
• Money can be taken out of the Consolidated Fund of the State only for “public purposes”. 
• The distribution of goods to certain sections of people was violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.

The State of Tamilnadu’s Arguments

• In response, the State of Tamil Nadu countered that promises of political parties do not constitute corrupt practice. 
• Political parties are not the State and ‘freebies’ is a nebulous term which has no legal status. 
• The promises implemented by the party after forming the government is an obligation under the Directives Principles of State Policy. 
• The State is only doing its duty to promote the welfare of its people.
• The promises are implemented by framing various schemes/guidelines/eligibility criteria etc. as well as with the approval of the legislature. 
• Thus, it cannot be construed as a waste of public money or be prohibited by any statute or scheme.

The Court’s Judgment

• The court’s judgment held that promises by a political party cannot constitute a ‘corrupt practice’ on its part. 
• It would be “misleading” to construe that all promises in the election manifesto would amount to corrupt practice. 
• The manifesto of a political party is a statement of its policy. 
• The question of implementing the manifesto arises only if the political party forms a government. 
• It is the promise of a future government and not of an individual candidate. 
• However, the court agreed that freebies create an “uneven playing field”. 
• It had asked the Election Commission of India to consult political parties and issue guidelines on the election manifesto and make it a part of the Model Code of Conduct.

Why is the Court’s move to review the Balaji judgment significant?

• In its order, the court foresees that “freebies may create a situation wherein the State government cannot provide basic amenities due to lack of funds and the State is pushed towards imminent bankruptcy”. 
• The court said it wants a transparent debate before the three-judge Bench on whether an “enforceable” judicial order can stop political parties from promising and distributing ‘irrational freebies’. 
• The case is unique as the Supreme Court is exploring whether judicial parameters can be set on a purely political act of promising freebies.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

India reiterated support for international negotiations regarding a territorial matter between Argentina and the United Kingdom in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. 

• Falkland Islands, also called Malvinas Islands or Spanish Islas Malvinas, internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• It lies about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan.
• The capital and major town is Stanley, on East Falkland, there are also several scattered small settlements as well as a Royal Air Force base that is located at Mount Pleasant.

History of the Falkland Islands

• In 1820 the Argentina Government, which had declared its independence from Spain in 1816, proclaimed its sovereignty over the Falklands.
• In early 1833, a British force expelled the few remaining Argentine officials from the island without firing a shot. In 1841, a British civilian lieutenant governor was appointed for the Falklands, and by 1885 a British community of some 1,800 people on the islands was self-supporting.
• Argentina regularly protested Britain’s occupation of the islands.
• After World War II (1939-45) the issue of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands shifted to the United Nations (UN) when, in 1964, the islands’ status was debated by the UN committee on decolonization.
• In 1965, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution inviting Britain and Argentina to hold discussions to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.
• These protracted discussions were still proceeding in February 1982, but in April Argentina’s military government invaded the Falklands.
• This act started the Falkland Islands War, which ended 10 weeks later with the surrender of the Argentine forces at Stanley to British troops who had forcibly reoccupied the islands.
• Although Britain and Argentina reestablished full diplomatic relations in 1990, the issue of sovereignty remained a point of contention.
• In the early 21st century Britain continued to maintain some 2,000 troops on the islands.
• In a referendum held in March 2013, islanders voted nearly unanimously to remain a British overseas territory.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 4

Indian Army is prioritising the procurement of the indigenous Indian light tank named ‘Zorawar’, for deployment in the mountains.

• It will have equal firepower as the present tank, including missile firing. 
• The power to weight ratio will make it very agile.Realising the protracted threat along the northern borders with China and the induction of the enemy’s technologically “state-of-art” tanks, the Indian Army is pushing for “Project Zorawar”.
• Zorawar will be the name of the Light Tanks which have been envisaged to be manufactured indigenously.
• Zorawar will be designed to operate from High Altitude Area, the marginal terrain to the Island territories and will be highly transportable for rapid deployment to meet any operational situation.
• Zorawar will have niche technologies to include Artificial Intelligence, Drone integration, Active Protection System, High Degree of Situational Awareness.
• Zorawar Singh Kahluria was the famed military general of Dogra King Gulab Singh and was adept at mountain warfare. New tanks will be named after him.
• Missile-firing capability, counter-drone apparatus, warning system and a power-to-weight ratio will make the tanks “very agile”.
• The light tanks will help the Army overcome the limitations of medium battle tanks and equip the force for all contingencies in high altitude area, marginal terrain and island territories besides its utilisation in the plains, semi-deserts and deserts.

In addition to the light tank, the Army will induct niche technologies such as loitering munitions, anti-drone capabilities and next generation Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities