Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 in which Switzerland has emerged as the world’s most innovative economy for the 12th consecutive year.

• Switzerland remains the world’s leader in innovation for the 12th consecutive year. 
• It leads globally in innovation outputs, and specifically in patents by origin, software spending, high-tech manufacturing and production and export complexity.
• The second position was secured by the United States (US) followed by Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands.

The rankings were based on the areas of 

• Human and capital research, 
• Business sophistication, 
• Infrastructure and 
• Technology outputs among others.

India secured the 40th position in the Global Innovation Index. This is the first time the country entered the top 40. Last year, India was at the 46th position.

India is the innovation leader in the lower middle-income group, and continues to lead the world in ICT services exports and holds top rankings in other indicators, including venture capital receipt value, finance for startups and scaleups, graduates in science and engineering, labour productivity growth and domestic industry diversification.”

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

UNESCO has released a list of 50 exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts of India under the title “Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textile”.

What are the textiles listed in the UNESCO document?

• The UNESCO document lists the histories and legends behind the textiles, describes the complicated and secret processes behind their making, mentions the causes for their dwindling popularity, and provides strategies for their preservation.

Some of the textiles mentioned are: 

• Khes from Panipat, Chamba rumals from Himachal Pradesh, Thigma or wool tie and dye from Ladakh and Awadh Jamdani from Varanasi.
• Ilkal and Lambadi or Banjara embroidery from Karnataka, Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari from Thanjavur, Toda embroidery and Sungadi from Tamil Nadu and Himroo weaves from Hyderabad.
• Kunbi weaves from Goa, Mashru weaves and Patola from Gujarat, Himroo from Maharashtra and Garad-Koirial from West Bengal and Bandha tie and dye weaving from Sambalpur in Odisha.

Significance of this document: 

• This list by UNESCO is significant as one of the major challenges to the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South Asia is the lack of proper inventory and documentation. 

Lists by UNESCO

• The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – Includes cultural practices and expressions that assist to highlight the variety of this heritage and raise awareness of its significance.
• The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding – Is made up of cultural aspects that concerned groups and countries consider vulnerable and in need of immediate protection.

UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

• Aim: Ensuring the better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and creating awareness of their significance.

This list has been classified into five broad domains in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested:

• Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage
• Performing arts
• Social practices, rituals and festive events
• Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
• Traditional craftsmanship

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) celebrated its 18th Formation Day on September 28, 2022, in New Delhi.

• The theme for this year’s Foundation Day was “Volunteerism in Disaster Management”.

What is NDMA?

• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is India’s apex statutory body for disaster management.
• The NDMA was formally constituted on 27th September 2006, by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• The Prime Minister is its chairperson and it has nine other members. One of the nine members is designated as Vice-Chairperson.
• Disaster Management Act also envisaged the creation of State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers and the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMA) headed by the District Collectors/ District Magistrate and co-chaired by Chairpersons of the local bodies.
• The primary responsibility for the management of disaster rests with the State Government concerned. However, the National Policy on Disaster Management puts in place an enabling environment for all i.e., the Centre, state and district.
• India is also a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) that sets targets for disaster management.

How has NDMA evolved?

• NDMA has also gone through the same stages. The Government of India (GOI), in recognition of the importance of Disaster Management as a national priority, set up a High-Powered Committee (HPC) in August 1999 and a National Committee after the Gujarat earthquake, for making recommendations on the preparation of Disaster Management plans and suggesting effective mitigation mechanisms.
• The tenth Five-Year Plan document also had, for the first time, a detailed chapter on Disaster Management. The Twelfth Finance Commission was also mandated to review the financial arrangements for Disaster Management.
• On December 23, 2005, the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act, which envisaged the creation of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by respective Chief Ministers, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India.

What are the functions and responsibilities of NDMA?

NDMA, as the apex body, is mandated to lay down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure a timely and effective response to disasters. Towards this, it has the following responsibilities:

• Lay down policies on disaster management.
• Approve the National Plan.
• Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or Departments of the Government of India in accordance with the National Plan.
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the State Authorities in drawing up the State Plan.
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the different Ministries or Departments of the Government of India for the Purpose of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects.
• Coordinate the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plans for disaster management.
• Recommend provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation.
• Provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determined by the Central Government.
• Take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building for dealing with threatening disaster situations or disasters as it may consider necessary.
• Lay down broad policies and guidelines for the functioning of the National Institute of Disaster Management.

“Volunteerism in Disaster Management”: Apda Mitra Scheme

• The National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA), started a scheme to train community volunteers in disaster response in selected flood-prone districts of India.The scheme was started by NDMA to train community volunteers in disaster response in selected flood-prone districts of India.
• More than 5500 volunteers have been trained under the pilot scheme.
• “Sewa, Samarpan & Paropkar” is the identity of Aapda Mitras.
• Significance: In any disaster, however quick the government machinery may be, volunteers from the affected community are normally the first to act, external help takes time to reach the affected people, and this time lag is very crucial in saving lives and livelihood.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) conducts community awareness programmes for the capacity building of community in disaster management.
• NDRF is also conducting School Safety Programme (SSP) and imparting basic training to school children as well as teachers to evacuate themselves during an earthquake.
• NDMA runs awareness generation campaigns through electronic and print media, including social media, on various disasters, from time to time. These campaigns include Do’s & Don’ts, Audio-Visual films, messages containing preparedness before, during and after disaster events.
• Example of Kerela Floods 2018: A team of 30 volunteers, comprising journalists, lawyers, fishermen and IT workers, managed several operations like supplying food, taking control of the Rescue Operation Centre of the district disaster management authority, handling distress calls and coordinating rescue effort with several choppers through personal contacts in Air Force and NDRF.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

A new catfish species has been discovered in the river Cauvery near Mettur Dam. The edible species has been named Pangasius icaria ( P. icaria) after Indian Council of Agricultural Research that discovered the species. The species belongs to the Pangasius genus.

Catfish

• The genus Pangasius is found in the Gangetic plains but not in peninsular India.
• Through this study, they found that Pangasius specimens from the river Cauvery are different from other species of the genus Pangasius.
• The new species is edible and the locals call it aie keluthi in Tamil.
• Catfish has high commercial value in aquaculture and wild capture fisheries.

Mettur Dam

• The Mettur Dam is one of the largest dams in India and also the largest in Tamil Nadu, located across the river Kaveri where it enters the plains. Built in 1934, it took 9 years to complete.
• The dam receives inflows from its own catchment area, Kabini Dam and Krishna Raja Sagar Dams located in Karnataka.
• There is a park at the base of the dam called Ellis Park maintained by the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department. It provides irrigation and drinking water facilities for more than 12 districts of Tamilnadu and hence is revered as the life and livelihood-giving asset of Tamil Nadu.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Methane emissions will likely increase by 13 per cent by 2030 without the Global Methane Pledge said by the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate by citing an upcoming report by the United Nations Environment Programme during his speech at the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum 2022 being held in Washington, DC. 

The Global Methane Pledge

• It was launched in 2021, aims to keep alive the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal. 
• Over a 100 countries have committed to reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030 from 2020 levels. 
• This reduction could eliminate over 0.2˚C warming by 2050.
• India, which is not a part of the Global Methane Pledge, is among the top five methane emitters globally, according to the International Energy Agency.

Methane

• Methane and short-lived climate pollutants like hydrofluorocarbons stay in the Earth’s atmosphere for a few years, unlike carbon dioxide.
• Their potential to warm the atmosphere could be 80-1,500 times greater.
• Methane has contributed to about one-third of the current anthropogenic greenhouse gas-driven warming, according to an editorial in Nature Geoscience.
• A panel of scientists at the Global Methane, Climate and Clean Air Forum noted that mitigating methane and other short-lived climate pollutants is essential to achieving decarbonisation goals. 
• It will enable further carbon dioxide removal.
• Currently, only 2 per cent of global climate finance goes to methane.
• Global methane emissions in 2030, can be reduced by 57 per cent using available strategies and technologies. This reduction can cause lower global warming by around 0.25°C in 2050 and 0.5°C by the end of the century.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.
• Its global network currently includes over 120 state and non-state partners, and hundreds of local actors carrying out activities across economic sectors.
• It was formed in 2012 by the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, along with the UNEP.
• To support fast action and deliver benefits on several fronts at once: climate, public health, energy efficiency, and food security
• 76 countries are its partner including India.
• To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and hold warming to 1.5˚C. Methane emissions can be reduced by 40% and black carbon by 70% by 2030 (from 2010 levels). Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be virtually eliminated with the potential for a 99.5% reduction by 2050 (from 2010 levels).
• The Coalition’s goal is to reduce short-lived climate pollutants beyond the recommendations made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its special report Global Warming of 1.5°C.

Global Methane Initiative(GMI)

• GMI is an international public-private initiative launched in 2004.
• To achieve a global reduction in anthropogenic methane emission through a partnership among developed and developing countries having economies in transition.
• It is a voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada. India has been one of the members since its inception.
• It is currently hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• It was launched in 2004.
• It is an international public-private initiative that advances cost-effective, near-term methane abatement and recovery and use of methane as a valuable energy source in three sectors: biogas (including agriculture, municipal solid waste, and wastewater), coal mines, and oil and gas systems.

International Energy Agency(IEA)

• It was established in 1974 as an autonomous intergovernmental organization under the OECD framework.
• To ensure reliable, affordable, and clean energy for its member countries and beyond.
• It has four main areas of focus: a) Energy security b) Economic development c) Environmental awareness and d) Engagement worldwide.
• It has 30 member countries and eight association countries. India became an associate member in 2017.
• IEA member countries need to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year’s net imports.
• Secretariat: Paris, France.
• Reports: It releases the 

• World Energy Outlook report
• Global Energy & CO2 Status Report.
• World Energy Statistics.
• World Energy Balances.
• Energy Technology Perspectives.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has become the latest United Nations agency to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

International Solar Alliance

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France in 2015 at UNFCCC CoP 21 Paris, France.
• In March 2018, the first meet of International Solar Alliance was held in New Delhi, India.
• It was conceptualized on the side-lines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
• ISA is partnership of solar resource rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on development of solar energy resource
• It is an intergovernmental body registered with the United Nations under Article 102 of the UN Charter.
• The ISA is open to 121 countries, most of them located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. However, ISA is now considering to open the membership to all countries.
• Mission: Every home no matter how far away, will have a light at home
• The Headquarters is in India with its Interim Secretariat being set up in Gurugram.
• At present, 109 countries are signatories to the ISA Framework Agreement, of which 90 countries have submitted the necessary instruments of ratification to become full members of the ISA.
• The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.

One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG)

• The concept of OSOWOG, which the British have called a green grid, pitches the idea of a transnational solar grid, from which different countries can draw power.
• The OSOWOG idea was first floated by the Indian Prime Minister in 2018 during the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
• The vision behind the OSOWOG mantra is “the Sun never sets” and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time.
• The project has been taken up under the technical assistance programme of the World Bank.
• Aim– By 2050, a single power grid of renewable energy be accessible across continents — with production in one continent and distribution of power in another.
• It has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank.

The 3 Phases of the Plan:

• First Phase: It will entail inter-connectivity within the Asian continent.
• Second Phase: It will add Africa.
• Third Phase: It is about global interconnection.

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

• International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations charged with coordinating and regulating international air travel.
• ICAO was established in 1944 by Convention on International Civil Aviation(Chicago Convention).It is headquartered in Quebec,Canada.
• It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
• ICAO council is composed of 36 states which are elected for a three-year term.
• The council member states are chosen under three headings (a)states of chief importance in air transport (b)states which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for air navigation and (c)states whose designation will ensure that all major areas of the world are represented.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

Bathukamma festival will be celebrated at the India Gate with the Telugu people living in the nation’s capital, prominent personalities and even lady officers under the aegis of the Culture Ministry.

Bathukamma Festival

• Bathukamma festival is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri.
• It comes during the latter half of monsoon, before the onset of winter. It falls two days before Dassera.
• The most abundant of these flowers are – ‘gunuka’ and ‘tangedu’.
• The ‘shilpakka pandlu’ (or ‘sitaphalalu’), custard apples or  ‘poor man’s apple’, are great attraction during this season.
• The word Bathukamma means- ‘Mother Goddess come to life’. 
• The festival represents cultural spirit of Telangana.It is the state festival of Telangana.
• The festival is celebrated to pray to the Goddess for health and achievements of each family. 
• During the festival, flowers arranged and decorated on a big plat in conical shape in seven layers and this arrangement is called as Bathukamma.
• The flowers are carefully arranged row after row in a brass plate (called ‘taambalam’) in circular rows and in alternate colours.
• All the women are dressed colorfully and form a circle around ‘Bathukamma’ and dance before immersing it to the nearest water body.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

In a significant ruling on reproductive rights, the Supreme Court extended the right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy to unmarried and single women, saying it is the “right of every woman to make reproductive choices without undue interference from the State”

Now, all women in the country, regardless of marital status, can undergo an abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy.

Ruling 

• The bench ruling on a plea by an unmarried pregnant woman who had been in a consensual relationship but was denied the right to abortion because she was past the 20-week limit.
• The bench made it clear that provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act cannot be interpreted to deny that right to single women beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Bench Arguments

• The bench ruled pregnancy is the sole prerogative of a woman and the circumstances are unique and may vary for each with regard to economic, cultural or social factors.
• The bench said, were “to be interpreted such that its benefits extended only to married women, it would perpetuate the stereotype and socially held notion that only married women indulge in sexual intercourse, and that consequently, the benefits in law ought to extend only to them”.
• “This artificial distinction between married and single women is not constitutionally sustainable. The benefits in law extend equally to both single and married women,”.
• Article 21 of the Constitution “recognises and protects the right of a woman to undergo termination of pregnancy if her mental or physical health is at stake. 
• Importantly, it is the woman alone who has the right over her body and is the ultimate decision-maker on the question of whether she wants to undergo an abortion.
• Depriving women of autonomy not only over their bodies but also over their lives would be an affront to their dignity.
• Right to bodily autonomy of the pregnant woman will ensure social justice.
• Complicated life circumstances play a part in decision of abortion which only the woman can choose on her own terms without external interference or influence.

Constitutionality

• Article 21 of the Constitution “recognises and protects the right of a woman to undergo termination of pregnancy if her mental or physical health is at stake.
• Article 51A states to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. Depriving women of autonomy not only over their bodies but also over their lives would be an affront to their dignity.

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971

• In 1971, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act was enacted. 
• An Act to provide for the termination of certain pregnancies by registered Medical Practitioners and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• It allowed abortion within 12 weeks of pregnancy requiring the opinion of one doctor and between 12 and 20 weeks requires opinion of two doctors.
• This law has been amended twice since and the 2021 amendment has expanded the scope of the law. 
• The law provides for a set of reasons based on which abortion can be accessed.
• Increased gestation limit: The bill has enhanced the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women. 
• Opinion of professional: Bill has proposed a requirement of the opinion of one doctor for termination of pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and introducing the requirement of opinion of two doctors for termination of pregnancy for 20-24 weeks of gestation.
• Medical board: The composition, functions and other details of the Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
• Identity protection: Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed.

Abortion laws around the world:

• Abortions are illegal in 24 countries –where about 90 million or 5 per cent of women of reproductive age reside.
• Some of these include Senegal, Mauritania, Egypt, Laos, Philippines, Honduras and Poland. In El Salvador, women undergoing abortions have been found guilty of “aggravated homicide”, including miscarriages.
• The Judgment struck down the laws that made abortion illegal in several US States. It ruled that abortion would be allowed up to the point of ‘foetal viability‘, that is, the time after which a foetus can survive outside the womb.The Judgment tried to establish a balance between the Right of Women to ‘bodily autonomy’ vis-a-vis the ‘Right to Life’ of the foetus. (Pro-choice vs Pro-life debate).
• Canada: The court ruled that the restriction to abortion law violated a woman’s right to “life, liberty and security of the person” that was enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• New Zealand decriminalised abortions in 2020, extending the legal period to 20 weeks of pregnancy
• In 2021, in Colombia, the Constitutional court voted to legalise abortion before 24 weeks of pregnancy as a result of efforts from human rights and civil society groups.

Marital Rape

The term marital rape (also referred to as spousal rape) refers to unwanted intercourse by a man on his wife obtained by force, threat of force or physical violence or when she is unable to give consent. The words unwanted intercourse refers to all sorts of penetration (whether anal, vaginal or oral) perpetrated against her will or without her consent.

• The bench also said that the meaning of rape must include marital rape for the purpose of the MTP Act.
• Marital rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one’s spouse without the spouse’s consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and need not involve physical violence.
• Any other interpretation would have the effect of compelling a woman to give birth to and raise a child with a partner who inflicts mental and physical harm upon her.

Section 375: This section provides the definition of rape. Under this, a man is said to commit “rape” who had sexual intercourse with a woman under certain circumstances. This section also specifies the circumstances like against her will, without her consent, etc.

Way forward

• Law must not remain static and its interpretation should keep in mind the changing social context and advance the cause of social justice. The interpretation of the MTP Act and Rules must evolve and consider the social realities of today.
• Transformative constitutionalism promotes and engenders societal change by ensuring that every individual is capable of enjoying the life and liberties guaranteed under the Constitution
• The law must remain cognizant of the fact that changes in society have ushered in significant changes in family structures.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered Buddhist caves and stupas, and Brahmi inscriptions, dating back to the 2nd century.

• Hindu temples from the 9th-11th centuries, and possibly the world’s largest Varaha sculpture also dating to the same period, at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
• 46 new sculptures have come to light in exploration that took place 84 years after the last such effort in 1938.
• The ASI team discovered 26 mostly Buddhist caves dating back to the 2nd and 5th centuries.
• The caves and some of their remains had Chaitya [rounded] doors and stone beds typical of Mahayana Buddhism sites.
• The inscriptions mention sites such as Mathura and Kaushambi, and Pavata, Vejabharada and Sapatanaairikaa. 
• The kings they mention include Bhimsena, Pothasiri and Bhattadeva.
• The Kalachuri dynasty, which spread over parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, is also associated with the earliest Ellora and Elephanta cave monuments.
• Some remains of the Gupta period, such as door jambs and carvings in caves, have also been found.
• The ASI team found 24 inscriptions in Brahmi text, all dating back to the 2nd-5th centuries.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The Sarovaram Biopark in Kozhikode turned colourful during World Tourism Day celebrations organised under the aegis of National Service Scheme (NSS).

• Students painted “gratitude stones” to be distributed among visitors to the park and created colourful ecofriendly signboards in place of plastic signboards. 
• Face art session and flash mob were held as part of the celebrations organised with the theme ‘Rethinking Tourism’ by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in association with the NSS technical cell.
• A Kalaripayattu demonstration by Kadathanad K.P. Chandran Gurukkal Memorial Kalari Sangham marked the Tourism Day celebrations on Kappad Blue Flag Beach
• A marathon was held on the Vadakara beach with 50 students, people’s representatives, and local residents.

Kalaripayattu

• Kalaripayattu is a great and ancient physical, cultural and martial art of Kerala.The martial art originated during the 3nd century BC to the 2nd century AD.
• The word kalari first appears in the Tamil Sangam literature (c. 300 BCE to 300 CE) to describe both a battlefield and combat arena.
• The Kalaripayattu is also considered as one of the oldest fighting systems in existence.
• Kalaripayattu techniques include a combination of steps (Chuvatu) and postures (Vadivu). 
• Chuvatu literally means ‘steps’, the basic steps of the martial arts.Vadivu literally means ‘postures’ or stances are the basic characteristics of Kalaripayattu training.Named after animals,they are usually eight in number.

About NSS:

• National Service scheme is a Central sector scheme implemented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India.
• The scheme was launched in 1969. 
• The scheme aims to develop the personality and character of the student youth through voluntary community service.
• NSS volunteers play an important role in spreading awareness about government initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Mission activities and yoga program.