9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – December 17th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• We are all responsible for the coaching centre-driven anxiety
• Court vacations: What are arguments for and against judges taking breaks?

GS Paper 3

• Lessons in budgeting: Changing Budget tack amid changing realities
• Funding the energy transition: India’s G20 presidency must follow lessons from COP27
• How to ensure that the internet remains accessible to all
• Countering terror: All nations must come together against groups targeting civilians
• Medical manna: Public health must offer incentives to recruit doctors

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Kanheri caves: In a forest in Mumbai, a secret history of Buddhism
• USOF successor to focus on indigenising tech, hiring global bandwidth
• Find ways to counter China’s soft power push: Parliamentary panel to MEA
• Kerala’s five agricultural products get GI Tag
• Lok Sabha clears Bill to include Hattee community in ST list of Himachal Pradesh
• 2,500-year-old puzzle solved by Indian student
• Odd Radio Circles(ORCs): Mysterious Circles of Radio Emission Detected in Space May Come From Supernova Explosions or Massive Black Holes
• Year End Review 2022: Ministry of Communications
• Centre draws flak from Parliamentary panel over state of onion silos
• Year End Review: 2022 – Ministry of Civil Aviation
• What is Agni-5, the long-range nuclear capable missile that India has tested?
• Himalayan Fritillary among 29 new threatened species in India: IUCN

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

We are all responsible for the coaching centre-driven anxiety

News– The article explains the issues related to the coaching industry in India that is expanding at a very fast pace.

What are the reasons for the expansion of the coaching industry?

India represents a hyper-competitive and over-populated society. There is a complete mismatch between the overflow of job aspirants seeking medical or technical education and real opportunities.

For the aspiring middle class this sort of education seems to be the only capital for upward social mobility.

There is scarcity of jobs for those who seek to pursue liberal arts and social sciences.

There exists a nexus between the education mafia and the political class. It taps this anxiety and existential insecurity for spreading the chains of coaching centres and Ed-Tech companies is a big issue.

What is the way forward to reduce dependence on coaching?

Improvement in education– Teachers of educational institutes must regain our agency. They need to articulate critical and life-affirming voices through our innovative pedagogical practices, and open the windows of consciousness of young students.

Schools must assert their confidence through a vibrant culture of engaged pedagogy.

There is a need to question the supremacy of this life-killing standardised tests that serve the purpose of eliminating people rather than finding genuinely inclined students.

Parents responsibility– Parents also need some introspection. They should not interfere or impose their authority on children.

They must realise that  children are not investments — a raw material transformed into a polished product with placement offers. Children’s real happiness lies in experimenting, looking at themselves, and pursuing what they are inclined to.

Political accountability– We must hold the political class accountable for the steady decline of educational institutions and management quota and capitation fee charged by educational institutions.

Court vacations: What are arguments for and against judges taking breaks?

News: Earlier, Union Law Minister criticised the judiciary for taking long vacations even as pending cases rise to record levels every year. In response, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) has recently said that the Supreme Court will not have a vacation bench when it breaks next week for its annual winter vacation.

What are court vacations?

The Indian Supreme Court has the highest caseload among the apex courts around the world and also works the most. In terms of the number of judgments delivered the Indian Supreme Court leads the way.

The Supreme Court has 193 working days a year for its judicial functioning, while the High Courts function for approximately 210 days, and trial courts for 245 days.

The Supreme Court breaks for its annual summer vacation which is typically for seven weeks — it starts at the end of May, and the court reopens in July. The court takes a week-long break each for Dussehra and Diwali, and two weeks at the end of December.

High Courts have the power to structure their calendars according to the service rules.

Note: In the UK, High Courts and Courts of Appeals sit for 185-190 days in a year.

What happens to important cases during court vacations?

The combination of two or three judges, called “vacation benches”, hear important cases when the court is in recess. Cases such as bail, eviction, etc. often find precedence in listing before vacation benches.

What are the arguments in favour of court vacations?

The arguments in support of court vacations are 1) Lawyers and judges profession that demands intellectual rigour and long working hours. So, vacations are much needed for rejuvenation, 2) Judges utilise the vacation to write judgments, 3) Except on rare occasions like family tragedies or health issues, judges do not take leave of absence like other working professionals when the court is in session and 4) Data show that the Supreme Court roughly disposes of the same number of cases as are instituted before it in a calendar year. The issue of pendency relates largely to legacy cases that need to be tackled systemically.

What are the various recommendations to reduce court vacations?

For an ordinary litigant, the vacation means further unavoidable delays in listing cases.

-In 2000, the Justice Malimath Committee, set up to recommend reforms in the criminal justice system, suggested that a) The period of vacation should be reduced by 21 days, keeping in mind the long pendency of cases, and b) The Supreme Court should work for 206 days, and High Courts for 231 days every year.

–230th report of the Law Commission of India in 2009: Justice A R Lakshmanan headed the commission. It recommended that the higher judiciary must be curtailed by at least 10 to 15 days and the court working hours should be extended by at least half an hour.

In 2014, when the pendency of cases hit the 2 crore mark, then CJI R M Lodha suggested keeping the Supreme Court, High Courts, and trial courts open around the year. The proposal did not see the light of day.

GS Paper 3

Lessons in budgeting: Changing Budget tack amid changing realities

News– The article explains the trends of the budget approach by the current finance minister. It also explains the current economic scenario.

What has been the trend of the budget approach by the current finance minister?

There is a change in her approach to budgeting. It had a somewhat adventurous beginning in 2019. Now it is notable for growing realism.

In 2019, tax revenue fell short by a sharp 18.4%, because of economic slowdown and unprecedented cut in corporate tax rates.This year reported a fiscal deficit of 4.6%. It was up significantly from the originally budgeted 3.4%.

The next year GDP shrank due to the full impact of Covid. Corporation tax revenue shrank by 17.8%, while collections from GST dropped by 8.3%. The finance minister decided to end the wholesale fudging of fiscal-deficit numbers that had been going on. Bringing off-balance sheet borrowing into the government’s books doubled the deficit to a record 9.2%.

In her third Budget, Ms Sitharaman signalled that she had realised the folly of budgeting over-reach. She projected only modest revenue numbers for 2021-22. Actual collections overshot the original projections by 13.4%. The year ended with a deficit that was more or less the same as originally projected.

This year is headed for a repeat of that performance. Tax revenue is running well ahead of projections. But on the expenditure side the subsidy outlay increased once again because of the impacts of the Ukraine war and continuous free supply of foodgrains.

What is the current assessment of economic condition and scope for budgeting?

The corporation tax rates now match international benchmarks. Income tax rates are at an optimal level. But the multiplicity of capital gains tax rates remains.This is the same for GST.

Fiscal deficit remains far too high. Bringing it down is a big challenge. Government needs to provide bigger Budgets for defence, education and health care.

India’s Budgets are too small for the demands being made on its governments. So there is really no escape from cutting the subsidies. That should lower the deficit to below 6% of GDP.

The additional outlays needed would therefore need to be financed by fresh revenue, possibly by raising the average GST level simultaneously with a convergence of rates.

Funding the energy transition: India’s G20 presidency must follow lessons from COP27

News– The article explains the issue for funding needed to tackle climate change. It also explains the scope of private capital for climate financing

What is the difference of approach among countries on climate actions?

There remains a rift between developing and developed countries. It is on account of asymmetries between the contribution and the financial responsibility assumed for climate change.

It is estimated that 92% of excess historical emissions are attributable to developed countries. Yet the economic impact of climate change is disproportionately borne by vulnerable developing countries. The 58 vulnerable countries account for 5% of global emissions while the costs incurred are significant.

What are the issues related to climate financing?

UNEP estimates that efforts on climate adaptation would require $160-340 billion by 2030. But, current financial flows are inadequate. Developing countries are  receiving only a third of what is required.

COP27 underscored the need to accelerate finance. In its draft decision, the UN highlighted that it will require a transformation of the financial systems, structures and processes. The recognition is not novel and is self-evident from estimated gaps in finance. The 2009 commitment of $100 billion in transfers remains unmet.

There exist funding mechanisms like Green Climate Fund meant to support adaptation and mitigation. But, there is wide discontent with the pace and extent of access to such facilities. The institutional architecture of multilateral funds has been demonstrably slow to deliver. There is the visible reluctance to contribute among the big economies.

What is the scope of private capital to finance climate actions? As the public finances are not adequate to fight climate change, private capital will be needed. But for private capital flows, a proper regulatory response is needed by the countries.

Even as private capital shifts to the green sectors on account of regulatory action, its accessibility for countries will depend on financial expectations.

We are watching climate actions connected with tax policy. This is evident from the revival of the Financial Transaction Tax in the EU. A general overhaul of tax architecture is inevitable.

What should be the course of action on climate change for India as it assumes the G20 presidency?

Then there have been repeated questions as to why India chooses to use the term “phase down” and its slow response. The question of phasing down coal will be asked repeatedly. The learnings from COP27 must inform the G-20 presidency.

It is also important to remain conscious that dramatic shifts in policy are pursued domestically and not all change is pursued by consensus.

There needs to be better guidance on the pathway to net zero.

The principle of common but differentiated responsibility should not be traded for the promise of finance.

How to ensure that the internet remains accessible to all

News– The article explains the need to ensure a level playing field in the context of evolving technologies in digital space.

Why is there a need for regulating the emerging digital space?

To enable access to the internet, various gateways have come up in the last few decades in the form of telecom service providers, personal computers and smartphones, operating systems.

However, when these gateways enable and restrict access to other gateways or networks, the openness of the internet is threatened. They then shift roles from being a facilitator to a regulator, from being a gateway to a gatekeeper. Hence, the need for a code of conduct or regulation arises to keep the playing field level and accessible to all.

In case of India, example of the enforcement of this code on providers Indian government policy on Net Neutrality. It ensured that we took a democratic stance against Big Tech. Without this policy, we would have seen the internet being partitioned into walled gardens controlled by telcos and Big Tech companies.

What are the issues related to accessibility of emerging digital space?

Digital technologies are evolving at a very fast rate. The code of conduct and regulations can’t catch up with the new gateway providers that are emerging.

The two prominent operating systems, Google and Apple, enjoy a lion’s share of the app store market. They brought in good practices to ensure basic hygiene for smartphone applications, maintained quality benchmarks, and safeguarded the interests of their users.

Various practices of these distribution platforms have come into question lately. These range from restrictions on payment gateways, advertising choices, app policies and various other aspects of an application or business that could be considered discriminatory in both principle and practice.

In March, a report placed before the Competition Commission of India found Google Play Store’s payments policy “unfair and discriminatory”. Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store, are said to be charging up to 30% commission on payments processed.

Google and Apple have garnered unilateral control over the publishing of smartphone applications on their OS. Various smartphone application-dependent businesses and developers continue to remain vulnerable to such internal business policy changes on these platforms.

What are the steps by various governments for regulating digital space?

The European Union has recently enacted the Digital Markets Act. Its regulations aim to keep digital markets innovative and open to competition, through ex-ante regulation. It will prohibit the implementation of the most harmful anti-competitive practices by the largest digital platforms.

The Indian government has taken steps to maintain its sovereignty through the path-breaking and disruptive digital public goods it has created. Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and CoWIN are just a few examples.

What is the way forward?

The need of the hour for the government to devise appropriate regulations to ensure a level playing field and not let the innovating gateways turn into gatekeepers.

Countering terror: All nations must come together against groups targeting civilians

News: Recently, India convened the UNSC special briefing on the ‘Global Counterterrorism Approach’.

What are the key highlights of India’s address on countering terror?

According to India’s External Affairs Minister, four hurdles to better counterterrorism cooperation need immediate attention. These are 1) state support for financing terror; 2) multilateral mechanisms that are opaque and agenda-driven; c) double standards and politicisation of countering terrorism according to where terror groups belong, and 4) the “next frontier” (the use of emerging technologies such as drones and virtual currency by terrorists).

India also mentioned that a P-5 country (China) continues to block the designations of Pakistan-based terrorists from the LeT and the JeM.

India stressed the global countries to unite and accept India’s 1996 proposal, the Comprehensive Convention on International Terror. This will institute global practices on countering terror. But the P-5 countries are polarised over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Note: India also conducted a No Money For Terror conference, and an Interpol conference on countering terror. Pakistan condemned India as India described Pakistan as an “epicentre of terrorism”.

What was Pakistan’s response to India’s argument on countering terror?

The Government should focus on the task at hand, that is “re-invigorating” the global agenda and counter-terrorism architecture by emphasising the need for unity on the issue.

India should garner attention from all countries to provide resources to the battle against terrorists, who continue to threaten civilian populations worldwide.

Medical manna: Public health must offer incentives to recruit doctors

News: There is an increase in undergraduate medical seats from 53,000 in 2014 to 96,000 in 2022 and postgraduate seats from 31,000 seats to 63,000.

About the status of increasing doctor count

Between 2011 and 2021, government medical seats have increased faster, from 18,000 to 48,000 seats, while private seats went from 22,000 to 44,000.

India has 9 active doctors per 10,000 population. India trail China (22), US (26) and UK (30) in this regard. But at our current pace of adding nearly 1 lakh doctors a year, these deficits will be wiped out in 10-20 years.

Graduates from government colleges have bonds mandating rural service for 1-2 years. The increasing doctor count might address India’s problem of too few doctors in rural areas and backward states in future.

What are the concerns associated with increasing doctor count?

All southern states have over 10 UG seats per 10,000 population because they invested early in medical education. Similar numbers in UP and Bengal are 4, Bihar and Jharkhand 2.

As quantity is increasing, ensuring quality medical education will be tougher. So, India should address this interstate variation before it creates further challenges.

What does India need to do with an increased doctor count?

a) With thousands of new doctors, the public health system must grow massively to absorb them into its ranks, b) Government should provide jobs at attractive salaries that can address the issue of doctors preferring cities, and c) India should promote migration of medical graduates from south to north.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Kanheri caves: In a forest in Mumbai, a secret history of Buddhism

Source: The post is based on the article “In a forest in Mumbai, a secret history of Buddhism” published in the Livemint on 17^th November 2022.

What is the News?

Kanheri cave complex is one of the most important historical monuments of western India.

About Kanheri cave complex

Reason for the name: According to the autobiography of Buddhagyanapada, written in ninth century CE, Kanheri means a place that seems to exist like rootless vines entwined up trees (anheri) into the sky (kha).

Made up of: Much like the Sahyadri Range to the east, the hills of Kanheri are  also made up of black basalt.

Significance of Kanheri to Buddhism: Kanheri was the home of a large Buddhist community for over a thousand years. The earliest recorded structures in the complex date to the second century CE, while textual records attest to the continued use of the caves as late as the 12th century.

These caves are like large resorts, with a multitude of caves in the form of small rock villas built for the use of monks and lay practitioners. One can witness religious styles ranging from early Theravada through early and mature Mahayana, and also the beginnings of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Epigraphs: These refers to many royal houses, including the Satavahana kings of the second century CE, all the way to the great ninth-century Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha and his local feudatory, Kapardin II of the Silhara dynasty.

What are some prominent Buddhist architectures in Kanheri caves?

Nearly all caves in Kanheri consist of a large rectangular hall with a recessed room at its head. This is where a large Buddha image is usually found, seated either in the dhyana mudra (meditative posture) in the seated pralamba-padasana pose, and flanked by two Bodhisattvas.

Cave 3: It is a large sculptural gallery with two colossal Buddhas at either end. The standing Buddhas are over 20ft high and are from the sixth century CE. They are in the classic Sarnath style of Gupta-era art.

Cave 41: It has a stunning sculpture of the ekadasamuka Lokeshwara (11-headed Avalokiteshwara, the only one of its kind found in India).

Cave 90: It has a gorgeous sculpture of Avalokiteshwara—flanked by the goddesses Tara and Bhrikuti—in his role as saviour of his supplicants from the eight great fears (ashta-maha-bhaya) of the medieval world.

It bears inscriptions in Pahlavi that record the names of Persian migrants who had visited the caves in the 11th century.

About rock-cut cave sites in Maharashtra

The first rock-cut caves were excavated in Bihar (the Barabar caves and the Nagarjuni caves) during the reign of emperor Ashoka in the Mauryan era.

Maharashtra is the capital of ancient rock-cut architecture in the country. Of the 1,200-odd architectural cave sites excavated in India, a thousand or more are found in the state.

The most well-known caves in Maharashtra are the caves at Ajanta, Ellora and Aurangabad. While these caves were mostly Buddhist, one can find Hindu rock-cut caves at Ellora from the fifth century CE onwards.

The cave architecture reached its apotheosis in the monumental “Kailasa Temple”, or Cave 16, at Ellora.

The trend of rock-cut caves pale out towards the end of the first millennium CE, to be replaced by free-standing stone temples in the Hindu traditions and gigantic stone and wood viharas and temples in the Buddhist traditions.

USOF successor to focus on indigenising tech, hiring global bandwidth

Source: The post is based on the article “USOF successor to focus on indigenising tech, hiring global bandwidth” published in the Business Standard on 17^th November 2022.

What is the News?

The Telecommunication Development Fund is a new avatar of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

About the Telecommunication Development Fund

The Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill,2022 proposes to replace the Universal Service Obligation Fund(USOF) with the Telecommunication Development Fund(TDF).

The fund will shift focus to indigenising telecom technology, hiring international bandwidth, and laying submarine cable lines, among other things.

About USOF

The USOF funds projects that boost mobile, broadband connectivity in rural and remote areas.

It also looked after the comprehensive telecom development plan in the Northeastern states and the government’s flagship BharatNet project.

About the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF)

The fund aims to fund research and development in rural-specific communication technology applications. The government has mandated that 5% of the annual collections of the USOF be allocated to the TTDF starting from 2021-22.

Why are telecom companies opposing the creation of the Telecommunication Development Fund?

Funds for the USOF come from the collection of Universal Access Levy (UAL) from telecom service providers. They have to pay 5% of their adjusted gross revenues annually to the fund.

Telecom companies have repeatedly argued that the government holds onto UAL simply as a source of discretionary funds. For example, a cumulative Rs 1.35 trillion was collected by the government till October end. But the fund has a surplus of Rs 64,774 crore that has not been used so far. Hence, the telecom companies argue against the creation of separate fund.

Find ways to counter China’s soft power push: Parliamentary panel to MEA

Source: The post is based on the article “Find ways to counter China’s soft power push: Parliamentary panel to MEA” published in Economic Times on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has recommended that the ministry of external affairs(MEA) prepare a policy document on India’s soft power projections amid efforts by China to give a mega push to its soft power.

What is Soft Power?

Soft power is the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or payment. A country’s soft power rests on its resources of culture, values and policies. 

What are the problems in India’s Soft Power policy?

Firstly, there is a lack of soft power strategy. Ministry of External Affairs has studied international best practices of countries like the United States, the UK, China and Japan. But is yet to put together a comprehensive statement detailing India’s soft power strategy.

Secondly, securing adequate funding has been a key concern for government agencies. 

– China is estimated to spend about US$ 10 billion a year just on its Confucius Institutes and soft power promotion whereas Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and other agencies put together spend around 300-400 crores. Most of India’s expenditure goes into establishment and administration.

Thirdly, Government organizations face a serious shortage of talent. Bureaucrats were not always the right pick for cultural diplomacy. 

Fourthly, India’s efforts at building soft power have been bedevilled by coordination problems between government agencies. Bodies ranging from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport to the ICCR were conducting separate international outreach activities. 

What are the recommendations given by the Parliamentary Panel to improve India’s soft power?

-The external affairs ministry should prepare a policy document on India’s soft power projections delineating India’s soft power toolbox and the manner in which it is being projected abroad along with a vision statement for the future.

-The government should make concerted efforts to get recognition of Ayurveda as a system of medicine and adopt pharmacopeia of India so that the products can be exported as medicine.

–Revamp the focus, structure and functioning of DD India for its global outreach.

-A system of common tourist passes for entry to multiple heritage sites, as is prevalent in most European countries to streamline the process and avoid long queues at sites.

–Enhanced annual budgetary allocation of ₹500 crores for the ICCR for conducting India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy.

–Creation of a coordination committee consisting of representatives from the ministries of external affairs, culture, youth and sports affairs, AYUSH and science and technology to overcome the lack of coordination among multiple institutions in projecting India’s soft power.

Kerala’s five agricultural products get GI Tag

Source: The post is based on the article “Kerala’s five agricultural products get GI Tag” published in The Hindu on 17th December 2022

What is the News?

Five agricultural products of Kerala have been granted Geographical Indication (GI) status.

Which are the five products from Kerala that have received GI Tag?

Attappady Attukombu Avara

It is a bean cultivated in the Attappady region of Palakkad. It is curved like a goat’s horn as its name indicates.

Characteristics: Its higher anthocyanin content compared to other dolichos beans imparts violet colour in the stem and fruits. 

Benefits: Anthocyanin is helpful against cardiovascular diseases along with its anti-diabetic properties. Other than this, calcium, protein, and fibre content are also high. The higher phenolic content also imparts resistance against pests and diseases making the crop suitable for organic cultivation.

Attappady Thuvara

It is a red gram having seeds with a white coat. Compared to other red grams, its seeds are bigger and have higher seed weights.

It is used as a vegetable and dal. It is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fibre, calcium and magnesium.

Kanthalloor-Vattavada Veluthulli

It is garlic. It is produced in areas from the Kanthalloor-Vattavada area of Devikulam block panchayat in Idukki.

It contains a higher amount of sulphides, flavonoids, and proteins. It is rich in allicin, which is effective against microbial infections, blood sugar, cancer, cholesterol, heart diseases, and damage to blood vessels. The garlic cultivated in this area is also rich in essential oil.

Onattukara Ellu

It is a sesame oil famous for its unique health benefits. It has a relatively higher antioxidant content which helps in fighting the free radicals that destroy the body cells. Also, the high content of unsaturated fat makes it beneficial for heart patients.

Kodungalloor Pottuvellari 

It is a snap melon cultivated in Kodungalloor and parts of Ernakulam. It is consumed as juice and in other forms. 

It is harvested in summer and is excellent for quenching thirst. It contains high amounts of Vitamin C. Compared to other cucurbits, nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, fibre and fat content are also high in this.

Lok Sabha clears Bill to include Hattee community in ST list of Himachal Pradesh

Source: The post is based on the article “Lok Sabha clears Bill to include Hattee community in ST list of Himachal Pradesh” published in The Hindu on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

Lok Sabha has passed the Bill to include the Hattee community in the Trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State.

Further, Rajya Sabha has also passed a Bill which seeks to give the ST status to the Gond community in four districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Who are Hattis?

Click Here to read

Who are Gonds?

Gonds are one of the largest tribal groups in the world.

They are mostly found in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, Bastar district of Chhattisgarh and parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha. 

Gonds are subdivided into four tribes namely Raj Gonds, Madia Gonds, Dhurve Gonds and Khatulwar Gonds. 

Their staple foods are two kinds of millet: kodo and kutki.Rice is mostly consumed during festival feasts. Gonds believe that earth, water and air are ruled by Gods.

2,500-year-old puzzle solved by Indian student

Source: The post is based on the article “2,500-year-old puzzle solved by Indian student” published in The Hindu on 17th December 2022

What is the News?

In his PhD thesis, Cambridge scholar Dr Rishi Rajpopat claims to have solved Sanskrit’s biggest puzzle—a grammar problem found in the ‘Ashtadhyayi’, an ancient text written by the scholar Panini towards the end of the 4th century BC.

What exactly was the problem?

Ashtadhyayi was written more than 2,000 years ago. It is a linguistics text that set the standard for how Sanskrit was meant to be written and spoken. 

It delves deep into the language’s phonetics, syntax and grammar, and also offers a ‘language machine’, where one can feed in the root and suffix of any Sanskrit word and get grammatically correct words and sentences in return.

To ensure this ‘machine’ was accurate, Panini wrote a set of 4,000 rules dictating its logic. But as scholars studied it, they found that two or more of the rules could apply at the same time, causing confusion. 

To resolve this, Panini had provided a ‘meta-rule’ (a rule governing rules), which had historically been interpreted as: ‘In the event of a conflict between two rules of equal strength, the rule that comes later in the serial order of the ‘Ashtadhyayi’ wins’.

However, following this interpretation also did not solve the machine’s problem.

How did Dr Rishi Rajpopat solve this problem?

In his thesis titled ‘In Panini We Trust’, Dr Rajpopat took a simpler approach arguing that the meta-rule has been wrongly interpreted throughout history. What Panini actually meant was that for rules applying to the left and right sides of a word, readers should use the right-hand side rule.

Using this logic, he found that the ‘Ashtadhyayi’ could finally become an accurate ‘language machine’, producing grammatically sound words and sentences almost every time.

The discovery now makes it possible to construct millions of Sanskrit words using Panini’s system—and since his grammar rules were exact and formulaic, they can act as a Sanskrit language algorithm that can be taught to computers.

Odd Radio Circles(ORCs): Mysterious Circles of Radio Emission Detected in Space May Come From Supernova Explosions or Massive Black Holes

Source: The post is based on the article “Mysterious Circles of Radio Emission Detected in Space May Come From Supernova Explosions or Massive Black Holes” published in PIB on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

A new research offers plausible explanations for the Odd Radio Circles(ORCs) detected recently using some of the most sensitive international radio telescopes.

What is Odd Radio Circle(ORC)?

Odd Radio Circle(ORC) is a very large unexplained astronomical object that at radio wavelengths, is highly circular and brighter along its edges.

Characteristics of ORCs: ORCs can only be seen in radio and not in any other form of radiation. 

– Some of these objects could be 1 million light-years across, about 10 times larger than our Milky Way. 

– They are considered mysterious, as these objects could not be explained with any previously known astrophysical phenomena.

Who identified these ORCs?

Astronomers identified these ORCs using the Square Kilometer Array(SKA) in Australia & South Africa, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope(GMRT) in India and  Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands.

What is the origin of these ORCs?

Indian scientists have found that some of these ORCs could be remnants of thermonuclear supernovas triggered by the explosion of a white dwarf star in a binary system heavier than 1.4 times the mass of the Sun.

Year End Review 2022: Ministry of Communications

Source: The post is based on the article “Year End Review 2022: Ministry of Communications” published in PIB on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

The Ministry of Communications has launched several initiatives and schemes in 2022.

What are the schemes and initiatives launched by the Ministry of Communications in 2022?

5G spectrum auction

Indigenous 5G Test Bed

Increase in Telephone Subscription: Total telephone connections have shown a growth of 25.42% from 2014 to 2022. The rural teledensity jumped from 44% in 2014 to 57.91% in 2022.

Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022: These rules will facilitate faster and easier deployment of telegraph infrastructure for enabling speedy 5G roll-out.  

These amended rules incorporate provisions for the usage of street furniture for the installation of small cells and telegraph lines. 

Fees and charges for seeking RoW permissions by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Infrastructure Providers(IP) have also been rationalized to bring uniformity across the country.

Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal: It will enable applicants from Telecom Services Providers (TSPs), Internet Services Providers (ISPs) to apply for Right of Way(RoW) approvals for laying Optical Fiber Cables(OFC) and erecting Telecom infrastructures like Towers to submit their applications to various agencies of State/UT Governments and local bodies.

BharatNet Project 

Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for the North-Eastern Region: Under this scheme, Mobile connectivity on 2G is to be provided by setting up 2004 towers in the uncovered villages and along National Highways of the North-East region.

Submarine OFC connectivity between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands (1869 km) 

PM-WANI

Telecom Technology Development Fund(TTDF) Scheme

Network Readiness Index 2022: India jumped 6 ranks, from 67 in 2021 to 61 in 2022 in the NRI-2022. The NRI score for India also improved from 49.74 in 2021 to 51.19 in 2022. 

Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022 

Launch of Satellite Broadband Services

Cyber Security through Telecom Security Operation Centre (TSOC): Department of Telecommunications has approved a scheme for the installation of Telecom Security Operation Centre(TSOC) with the objective to predict and identify attacks on national telecommunications infrastructure. 

– TSOC is used for identifying the cyber-attacks on telecommunications networks and the machines which are initiating such attacks or under attack.It is used for identifying the presence of blocked applications, malicious communications provided by some applications, etc. 

– It is also the main source for providing inputs to Telecom Computer Security Incident Response Team(Telecom-CSIRT), a framework established by the Department of Telecommunications to protect the national telecom infrastructure.   

Telecom Analytics for Fraud management and Consumer Protection(TAF-COP) portal: It has been developed to help subscribers, check the number of mobile connections working in their name, and take necessary action for regularizing their additional mobile connections if any.

Centre draws flak from Parliamentary panel over state of onion silos

Source: The post is based on the article “Centre draws flak from Parliamentary panel over state of onion silos” published in Down To Earth on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution has submitted a report on the state of Onions supply in India.

Why does the price of onions fluctuate in India?

India needs on average about 13 lakh tonnes of onion every month for domestic consumption. However, the crop is not harvested every calendar month. 

There are three sowing seasons for the onion crop in India – Kharif, late Kharif and Rabi. The share of these three seasons in total onion production is Rabi – 70%, Kharif – 20%, and late Kharif – 10%.

So, the Rabi onion crop is the mainstay of India. Normally, the price of the onion is lower during these months due to greater supply.

It is critical for India to successfully store rabi onions to maintain its market supply during lean months. Additionally, scientific management of onion production in all three seasons is also essential in augmenting regular supply.

However, if the area coverage of the Rabi crop is smaller due to non-availability or limited availability of irrigation water or if the crop is damaged due to hailstorms and pre-monsoon rains, production will be lower as will be the storage. In that case, the prices rise right from August till the next harvest.

What are the observations made by the Parliamentary Panel on Onion Shortage?

Around 51,583 million tonnes (MT) of onion had been damaged due to spoilage in the last three years.

The price of onions mounted too high during the recent months and such damage reflected poor management on the part of the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Onions are still traditionally stored in open-ventilated chawls while the development of modern scientific technology is still in the experimental stage.

Hence, it urged the Department to take due care for proper storage of onions so as to refrain from price fluctuation and to prevent black-marketing. This was also to be done keeping in view the vast procurement of onion (~250,000 MT).

What are the steps the government is taking to address Onion Shortage?

Onions from the buffer are being released in a targeted and calibrated manner to stabilize prices at local as well as national levels.

To develop technologies for the primary processing, storage and valorisation of onion, the Department has initiated a hackathon. The hackathon would cover comprehensive solutions like improvement in the design of Kandha Chawls, pre-harvest care, primary processing such as drying, etc.

Year End Review: 2022 – Ministry of Civil Aviation

Source: The post is based on the article “Year End Review: 2022 – Ministry of Civil Aviation” published in PIB on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched several initiatives and schemes in 2022.

What are the schemes and initiatives launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2022?

Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik)

Operation Ganga

India’s contribution in CORSIA/LTAG resolution by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): India has been concerned about the implications of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) on the developing States. 

The aviation markets in developing states are on a growth trajectory phase and have not flourished yet compared to the aviation market in the developed States. Hence, India wanted to negotiate the baseline in favour of the developing States 

India’s consistent efforts have successfully resulted in Resolutions being passed by the ICAO General Assembly for allowing national time frames to not include any mandatory targets that could lead to punitive measures and to incorporate the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in ICAO’s Long Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG).

India’s re-election to ICAO Council: During the 41st General Assembly of ICAO, India has been re-elected to the ICAO Council (2022-2025) which comprises countries which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation. 

Disinvestment of Air India

Digi Yatra Policy 

Drones: Drone certification scheme has been notified making it easier to obtain type certificates by drone manufacturers.

Drone import policy has been notified banning the import of foreign drones and freeing up the import of drone components.

Drone (Amendment) Rules,2022 abolished the requirement of a drone pilot license.

Drone melas were organised in 12 states across the country to highlight the use cases and the policy reforms.

Aircraft Leasing and Financing: International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) issued a ‘Framework for Aircraft Leases’ to enable the aircraft leasing business in IFSCs in India. 

Krishi Udan -Seamless cost-effective time bound air transportation for ‘Annadata’

Greenfield Airports Policy,2008: It provides guidelines, procedures and conditions for the establishment of new Greenfield Airports in the country. As per Policy, an airport developer, including the State Government willing to establish an airport is required to send a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA) for a 2-stage process i.e. ‘Site Clearance’ followed by ‘In-Principle’ approval. 

What is Agni-5, the long-range nuclear capable missile that India has tested?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is Agni-5, the long-range nuclear capable missile that India has tested?” published in Indian Express on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

India has successfully tested the Agni-5 missile.

What is Agni-5?

Agni-5 is a long-range surface-to-surface nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

Developed by: Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)

Features: It is a three-stage solid-fuelled engine.

– It is a fire-and-forget missile, which cannot be stopped without an interceptor missile.

– It can strike targets at ranges of 5,000 to 5,500 km which puts major cities in China, including the capital Beijing within its range.

Developed under: Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

What was the latest test for?

Agni-5 has been successfully tested multiple times since 2012. This latest test was carried out primarily to validate various new technologies on board the missile. 

At the time of the previous test in October 2021, the Ministry of Defence had highlighted the posture of ‘credible minimum deterrence’ and ‘No First Use’ which are pivotal points of India’s nuclear doctrine, first published in 2003.

This basically means India would never use nuclear weapons first in a conflict situation but only as retaliation, and the arsenal maintained is to only deter the possibility of an attack on India.

About Nuclear Command Authority of India

Strategic Forces Command(SFC) carried out the test. It is a key tri-services formation that manages and administers all the strategic assets and falls under the purview of the Nuclear Command Authority of India.

The Nuclear Command Authority is the sole body which can authorize the use of nuclear weapons. It comprises a Political Council and an Executive Council. 

The Political Council is chaired by the Prime Minister. The Executive Council chaired by the National Security Advisor. The council provides inputs for decision-making by the Nuclear Command Authority and executes the directives given to it by the Political Council.

Himalayan Fritillary among 29 new threatened species in India: IUCN

Source: The post is based on the article “Himalayan Fritillary among 29 new threatened species in India: IUCN” published in Business Standard on 16th December 2022

What is the News?

As per the IUCN Red List unveiled during the COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal (Canada), White-cheeked Dancing Frog, Andaman Smoothhound shark and Yellow Himalayan Fritillary are among 29 new species assessed in India that are under threat.

What are the three species that are under threat according to IUCN?

Dancing Frog (Micrixalus candidus)

IUCN Status: Endangered.

Found in: It is only known from a small range with an extent of occurrence of 167 square kilometers in the Western Ghats of Karnataka..

Threats: They are endangered with extinction due to loss of their habitat, pollution, changes in temperature, diseases, pests, and invasive species among others.

Note: As per reports, 30% of dancing frogs are found to live in regions that are not protected by the government.

Andaman Smoothhound (Mustelus andamanensis) 

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Found in: It is currently only known from the Andaman Sea and is endemic to India

Threats: It is subject to fish pressure across its spatial and depth range. It is taken as a bycatch in industrial and artisanal fisheries with multiple fishing gears including trawl, longline, and gillnet.

Yellow Himalayan Fritillary plant (Fritillaria cirrhosa)

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Geographical distribution: It is mostly found in the Himalayas. It occurs in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

Threats: The species is threatened due to unorganized harvest, over-extraction, unsustainable and premature harvesting of bulbs, coupled with illegal hidden markets.