Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Maldives and India signed a cyber security agreement with India as both sides affirmed bilateral will to strengthen ties to take on “transnational crimes and terrorism” in the Indian Ocean region.

• India gifts naval vessel and vehicles for Maldives National Defence Force.
• Both sides exchanged agreements covering areas like women and child development, disaster management, cyber security and infrastructure development.
• To strengthen Maldivian maritime capacity, India has announced the gifting of a second landing assault craft to the Maldives National Defence Force.

Significance of India-Maldives bilateral relationships

• India’s Neighborhood First Policy: India announced a financial assistance package of $1.4 billion for the Maldives in the form of budgetary support, currency swap agreements and concessional lines of credit to fulfill socio-economic development programmes.
• Connectivity: The two nations emphasized connectivity through the establishment of enabling infrastructure that would promote the exchange of goods and services, information, ideas, culture and people.
• Direct Cargo Ferry Service: It will be run between India and Maldives.
• Bilateral relations: Maldivian students attend educational institutions in India and patients come to India for healthcare, aided by a liberal visa-free regime extended by India.
• Quotas for Supply of Essential Commodities: Given the geographical limitations imposed on the Maldives, India has exempted the nation from export curbs on essential commodities.
• Financial Aid: At the peak of the continuing COVID-19 disruption, a financial aid of 250 million USD will be provided to Maldives by India.

History

• Operation Cactus: In 1988, in response to a request from the Maldives, India activated Operation Cactus to deploy its military and ensure regime continuity in Male.
• Disaster Management: The Government of India has provided large-scale assistance to the Maldives in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and during the 2014 Male water crisis.

Challenges

• Political Instability: India’s major concern has been the impact of political instability in the neighbourhood on its security and development.
• Radicalisation: In the past decade or so, the number of Maldivians drawn towards terrorist groups like the Islamic State (IS) and Pakistan-based madrassas and jihadist groups has been increasing.
• This gives rise to the possibility of Pakistan based terror groups using remote Maldivian islands as a launch pad for terror attacks against India and Indian interests.
• China Angle: China’s strategic footprint in India’s neighbourhood has increased. The Maldives has emerged as an important ‘pearl’ in China’s “String of Pearls” construct in South Asia.
• Given the uncertain dynamics of Sino-Indian relations, China’s strategic presence in the Maldives remains a concern.
• Also, the Maldives have started using the China card to bargain with India.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

CLCuD is a viral disease which affects the overall growth of the cotton plant and hits its yield. 

• Leaves of infected cotton curl both upward and downward.
• The whitefly attacks have led to the spread of cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD)
• CLCuD is a viral disease that affects the overall growth of the cotton plant and hits its yield. Leaves of infected cotton curl both upward and downward. 
• When whiteflies attack the crop, the CLCuD is expected because they transmit the virus further.
• During the survey, cotton farmers informed that they have done two or three sprays to control the white flies.
• Farmers also indicated that they have sown CLCuD-resistant hybrids and even after that the attack of the virus is prevalent.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

• Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, kickstarting the process of appointment of the next Chief Justice of India.
• Besides the CJI, the collegium includes Justices U U Lalit, D Y Chandrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abdul Nazeer.
• As per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the document governing the process of appointment of judges and appointment of the CJI, the Law Minister asks the outgoing Chief Justice of India to recommend the next CJI.
• the CJI should be “the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office.” 
• Although the MoP says that the CJI’s views must be sought “at the appropriate time” and does not specify a timeline for the process.
• Justice Lalit, who is the seniormost judge of the Supreme Court is next in line to be appointed the CJI. 

Constitution on appointment of CJI

• The Constitution of India does not have any specific provision for criteria and procedure for appointing the CJI.
• Article 124(1) and the 2008 amendment of the Indian Constitution states that there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India and no. of judges as prescribed by Parliament.
• Initially, the prescribed no. of judges was 7 excluding CJI. Now the no. is 34 judges including the CJI.
• The closest mention is in Article 126. It deals with the appointment of an acting CJI.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

• The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, was passed in Rajya Sabha.
• The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha on April 5, 2022.
• The 2005 Act prohibits unlawful activities (such as manufacturing, transport, or transfer) related to weapons of mass destruction, and their means of delivery.
• Weapons of mass destruction are biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons. 

Prohibition on financing certain activities: 

• The Bill bars persons from financing any prohibited activity related to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.   
• To prevent persons from financing such activities, the central government may freeze, seize or attach their funds, financial assets, or economic resources (whether owned, held, or controlled directly or indirectly).  
• It may also prohibit persons from making finances or related services available for the benefit of other persons in relation to any activity which is prohibited.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Kerala government has opposed the new set of proposed amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

• The amendments are a breach of States’ rights as minerals come under the purview of States.
• The proposed amendments as anti-Constitutional and added that the proposals may lead to improper handling of strategically important minerals such as uranium by select private companies. 
• The main objection is against the sixth item in the note for consultation sent to the State governments that will empower the Centre to auction some minerals from the list of atomic minerals.
• Kerala strongly opposes the proposed amendment as State governments are the owners of the mines and minerals located within the territory of the State concerned, and under Entry 23 of List II of the Constitution and the Constitutional right of the State under Article 246(3), State Assemblies can make laws on such minerals.
• Any loss or leakage of the Monazite (being the primary source of thorium) and Rare Earth (occurring in association with Beach Sand Minerals) due to mineral processing would be significant loss affecting national security.
• Private monopoly companies should not be allowed to handle precious and strategically important minerals and the earlier stand of the Centre should not be changed.

Ownership of Mineral

• The State Governments are the owners of minerals located within the boundary of the State concerned, under the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and Mineral Concession Rules, 1960.
• However, for minerals specified in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 approval of the Central Government is necessary.
• The Central Government is the owner of the minerals underlying the ocean within the territorial waters or the Exclusive Economic Zone of India.
• Schedule I contains minerals such as coal and lignite, minerals of the “rare earths” group containing Uranium and Thorium.

Atomic Minerals

• Uranium and Thorium are the main atomic minerals.
• Other atomic minerals are beryllium, lithium and zirconium.

Thorium

• Thorium is a chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90.
• It is one of only two significantly radioactive elements that still occur naturally in large quantities.
• Thorium is estimated to be about three to four times more abundant than uranium in the Earth’s crust, and is chiefly refined from monazite sands.
• Monazite is a widely scattered on the Kerala Coast
• Thorium is predicted to be able to replace uranium as nuclear fuel in nuclear reactors.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uses an ICE (a petrol/diesel engine) and one or more electric motors to run. It is powered by the electric motor alone, which uses energy stored in batteries, by the ICE, or both.

What is a hybrid electric vehicle?

• A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uses an ICE (a petrol/diesel engine) and one or more electric motors to run. 
• It is powered by the electric motor alone, which uses energy stored in batteries, by the ICE, or both. 
• The power train of the HEV is more complex than a regular ICE-powered car as it has EV components and a conventional ICE. 
• That means a typical HEV will have a low-voltage auxiliary battery, a traction battery pack to store electricity for the electric motor, an electric generator, an AC/DC converter, a power electronics controller, a thermal system to maintain working temperature, an ICE, a fuel tank, a fuel filler, a transmission and an exhaust system.

How do HEV Powertrains work?

• HEV powertrains are designed to power cars in a series, parallel or series-parallel (power split) methods. 
• A series HEV uses only the electric motor to drive the wheels, while the ICE powers the generator, which in turn recharges the battery. 
• A parallel HEV, based on the driving condition, uses the best power source to power the vehicle. It will alternate between the electric motor and the ICE to keep the car moving.
• A series-parallel HEV offers a combination of both models and allows to split power, wherein power is routed from the ICE alone or from the battery to the electric motor to drive the vehicle. 
• Moreover, in all three designs, the battery is charged through regenerative braking technology.

How does regenerative braking work?

• A regenerative braking system (RBS) used in automotive applications has several advantages like better braking efficiency in stop-and-go traffic which enhances fuel economy and also helps in reducing carbon emissions.
• RBS also helps in energy optimisation resulting in minimum energy wastage.
• A kinetic system can recover the energy lost during braking and then use this energy to recharge the high-voltage battery of the vehicle. 

What are the different types of HEVs?

• The HEVs can be categorised into micro, mild and full hybrid vehicles, based on the degree of hybridisation.
• A Full HEV will have a larger battery and a more powerful electric motor compared with a mild HEV.
• Mild HEV cannot drive using only the electric motor and uses the battery at traffic lights or in stop-and-go traffic to support the ICE.
• Micro hybrids do not offer electric torque assistance as they lack an electric motor, but they have an idle stop-start system and energy management functions. 
• There are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that are just like full HEVs, but they can be charged using a wall outlet, as they have an onboard charger and a charging port. 
• PHEVs generally use the electric motor until the battery is almost drained, and then automatically switch to the ICE.

What are the main advantages of using hybrid technology?

• Fuel efficiency is a major factor for most people considering buying a car. 
• Most vehicles with hybrid technology offer better fuel efficiency, more power, and minimum emissions. 
• The design of hybrid vehicles for reduced engine size and car weight as compared to ICE vehicles, translates into increased mileage to favour the demand for these vehicles. 
• Moreover, with the increase in total power and torque, HEVs can deliver instant torque and provide high torque even at low speeds.

What are some challenges of hybrid technology?

• In a price-sensitive market like India, one of the major challenges for HEVs is the high vehicle cost. 
• Battery, a vital component of an HEV, increases the cost of the vehicle, making it pricier than vehicles powered only by an ICE. 
• The RBS also adds to the higher cost of an HEV.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

A week after about 500 pigs were culled in Kerala’s Wayanad district to prevent the spread of African swine fever detected there.

• African swine fever(ASF) is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs which is responsible for serious economic and production losses.
• It is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family, which also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros.

It is transmitted among pigs through:

• Direct contact with infected domestic or wild swines
• Indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated substances or
• Contaminated material such as food waste, feed, or garbage or through biological vectors such as ticks.
• It is not a danger to human health, but it has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy.
• There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.
• The virus is highly resistant in the environment, meaning that it can survive on clothes, boots, wheels, and other materials.
• It can also survive in various pork products, such as ham, sausages or bacon.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Pieces of space junk from the Chinese Long March rocket crashed down to Earth lighting up the night sky with its fiery re-entry over the Pacific and Indian ocean.

Uncontrolled Re-entry

• When a rocket is launched, its discarded booster stages re-enter the atmosphere soon after lift-off. Then, they harmlessly fall into the ocean as a standard practice.
• However, in this case, a large part of the rocket went into orbit along with the section of the under-construction space station that it was carrying.
• While in orbit, this vehicle kept rubbing against the air at the top of the atmosphere and the resulting friction caused it to start losing altitude.
• This resulted in the Long March 5B rocket’s uncontrolled re-entry back to the Earth inevitable.
• Gigantic remnants from China’s Long March 5B rockets’ core stage are known to make such fiery, out-of-control descents back to earth.
• But China’s 5B series does not use a second engine and pushes right into orbit.

Crashes Happened Earlier

• In March 2021, a SpaceX rocket stage made an uncontrolled landing on a farm in the US. But this happened due to a malfunction in the engine tasked to bring it down and not by choice.

Space Liability Convention of 1972 

• The Space Liability Convention of 1972 defines responsibility in case a space object causes harm.
• The treaty says that a launching State shall be absolutely liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space objects on the surface of the earth or to aircraft, and liable for damage due to its faults in space.
• The Convention also provides for procedures for the settlement of claims for damages.
• However, there is no law against space junk crashing back to earth.
• In April this year, suspected debris from a Chinese rocket was found in two Maharashtra villages.
• In 1979, re-entry of NASA’s 76-ton Skylab had scattered debris over uninhabited parts of Australia, and the space agency was fined $400 for littering by a local government.
• The only settlement using the Liability Convention was between the erstwhile Soviet Union and Canada over debris of Soviet Cosmos 954 falling in a barren region.
• Canada was paid CAD 3 million in accordance with international law for cleaning up the mess

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Recently, two 40-ft containers of wood laminate sheets from Russia’s Astrakhan port crossed the Caspian Sea and eventually reach Nhava Shiva port in Mumbai. The journey signalled the launch of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

• It is a 7,200-km multi-modal transport corridor that combines road, rail and maritime routes connecting Russia and India via Central Asia and Iran. The corridor is expected to consolidate the emerging Eurasian Free Trade Area.
• The legal framework for the INSTC is provided by a trilateral agreement signed by India, Iran and Russia at the Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in 2000.

The International North-South Transport Corridor(INSTC):

• INSTC was first proposed in 2000 to improve connectivity between Russia, Central Asian states, and India.
• It is a 7,200-km-long multi-modal connectivity project to establish transport networks (ship, rail, and road route). It will be used for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe, and Central Asia. It will cut costs and time in moving cargo.
• Members: It includes 13 countries namely India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Oman, Syria, and Ukraine.
• Dry runs of two routes were conducted in 2014 to identify and address key bottlenecks. The two routes were:
• The first was Mumbai to Baku via Bandar Abbas and
• The second was Mumbai to Astrakhan via Bandar Abbas, Tehran, and Bandar Anzali.
• However, the project has been slow to take off. Despite a renewed focus on INSTC by India and Russia, work was again hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• India’s investment in the INSTC is exemplified by its involvement in Iran’s Chabahar port and the construction of a 500-km Chabahar-Zahedan railway line.
• Once completed, this infrastructure will allow India access to Afghanistan and central Asia, a prospect strengthened by the Taliban government’s support for the project.
• A special economic zone around Chabahar will offer Indian companies the opportunity to set up a range of industries.
• Lines of credit will be extended to Iran by Exim Bank.

Significance of INSTC:

• Increase in Bilateral Trade: It has been predicted that improved transport connectivity will increase bilateral trade volumes between Russia, Central Asia, Iran, and India.
• Shorter and Cheaper Route: As per the study by the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India, INSTC route is 30% cheaper and 40% shorter than the current traditional route.
• INSTC has economic and strategic relevance to India due to China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road Initiative. Hence, the proposed INSTC trade corridor could help India secure its interests in Central Asia and beyond.
• Integration with Ashgabat Agreement: The INSTC can integrate with the Ashgabat agreement.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Donations through electoral bonds to political parties have gone up by Rs 389.5 crore to Rs 10,246 crore in the 21st sale of the financial instruments since they were launched in 2018.

As per the provisions of the EB Scheme, only the political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and have secured not less than 1 per cent of the votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, are eligible to receive electoral bonds.

The Electoral Bonds

• The Electoral Bonds are the non-interest-bearing financial instruments. 
• These Electoral bonds allow eligible donors to pay eligible political parties using banks as an intermediary. 
• The Electoral Bonds aim to ensure transparency in the funding of political parties.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) issues electoral bonds in the months of January, April, July, and October.
• The electoral bonds are available in denominations from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore.
• The donors can buy electoral bonds and transfer them into the accounts of the political parties as a donation. The name of the donor is kept confidential.
• Political parties will create a specific account. This account will be verified by the ECI. The political parties will encash the electoral bonds only in this verified account.
• The bonds will remain valid for 15 days. Within that time, the political parties have to encash the electoral bond in the designated accounts.

Need for Electoral Bonds

• These bonds are aimed to reduce anonymous cash donations made to political parties.
• The Electoral bonds encourage political donations of clean money.