Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• The colonial past is still relevant
• Indus Valley Civilisation differs from others as inequality levels were far lower

GS Paper 2

• State Of Head Governors have been seen as partisan for decades. They should be accountable to Centre, state & Rajya Sabha

GS Paper 3

• Tested but tired, this force could be in distress
• Will the national champions model of infrastructure development work?
• The end of hyper-globalization should yield a better alternative
• Fraternity, prosperity and polarisation
• Non-essential curbs – Policy focus must shift from imports to exports

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Pi Day 2023: History And Significance Of This Mathematical Constant
• Only 22% of candidates trained under PMKVY found a job, shows data
• Mission Sahbhagita to enable a society ownership approach for participatory conservation and wise use of Wetlands
• National Institute of Ocean Technology to set up green, self-powered desalination plant in Lakshadweep
• EC’s proposal on allowing e-postal ballot for overseas Indian voters under discussion: Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha
• US Senate resolution for underlining backing India on McMahon Line: What is the McMahon Line?
• Svaya Robotics develops 1st indigenous quadruped robot, exoskeleton in India
• DRDO-developed technology behind critical drug approved by DCGI for radiological and nuclear emergencies

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

The colonial past is still relevant

News– Colonialism remains a relevant factor in understanding the problems and the dangers of the present world.

What are the challenges related to colonialism in modern times?

The residual problems from the end of the earlier era of colonization remain unresolved. The conflicts in western Sahara, Jammu and Kashmir, Cyprus and Palestine are legacies of colonialism.  The factors responsible for these events in the colonial era have the potential to reignite conflicts. The war between Ethiopia and Eritrea was due to undefined colonial borders.

Intellectual history of colonialism– It is the cause of more recent conflicts. For example – the Belgian classification of Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda and Burundi continues to haunt the region of the African Great Lakes.

The British invention of “martial races” in India is another example. Colonial rulers promoted the policy of “divide and rule”. It promoted political divisions between Hindus and Muslims that led to the tragedy of Partition.

Colonial-era distinctions: Such colonial era distinctions were accompanied by an unequal distribution of the resources of the state within colonial society. For example, Belgian colonialists favoured Tutsis. It led to Hutu rejecting them as foreign supporters.

In the present such example, Sinhalese were against privileges enjoyed by the Tamils in the colonial era in Sri Lanka. It prompted the discriminatory policies after Independence and the Tamil revolt.

Mixed colonial history– It is also a potential source of danger. When a state has more than one colonial past, its future is vulnerable.

Ethnicity or language hardly seem to be a factor in the secessions of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Rather, it was different colonial experiences that separated them from the rest of their ethnic compatriots.

A similar example is Yugoslavia, made up of regions that had been under different empires. A Part of the country had been under Austro-­Hungarian rule for 800 years. Other regions were under Ottoman suzerainty. in 1991, a war erupted between these 2 regions in the country.

Border issues– Boundaries drawn in colonial times still create enormous problems of national unity, especially in Africa. Civil conflict along ethnic or regional lines can arise when the challenge of nation­ building within colonial drawn boundaries becomes insurmountable.

colonial powers drew national boundaries in an arbitrary way. Older tribal and clan loyalties in Africa were destroyed by the boundaries drawn by the west.  Civil wars happen when local leaders challenge a “national” leader whose nationalism fails to resonate across his country.

Crisis of governance– State failure in the wake of colonialism is another evident source of conflict. It is a by­product of the newly independent state’s inability to govern.

The crisis of governance in many African countries is cause for concern in world affairs today. The collapse of effective central governments in Sierra Leone and South Sudan, Liberia and Somalia can lead to alarming possibilities.

Underdevelopment in post colonial societies is itself a cause of conflict. The uneven development of infrastructure in a poor country for the benefit of the colonialists has led to uneven distribution of resources. It leads to increasing fissures in a society between neglected regions” and better served regions.

Advancing underdevelopment in many countries of the South has created conditions of desperate poverty, ecological collapse and rootless, unemployed populations. These are beyond the control of  state systems.

Indus Valley Civilisation differs from others as inequality levels were far lower

News: The article explains the similarities and differences amongst the ancient civilizations.

What were the similarities and differences amongst the ancient civilizations?

The big cities in the ancient civilizations grew in places that could support large populations such as where there were plenty of good soil and lots of water to support the people.

Population densities grew in the early cities of the Indus Valley, the Nile, Mesopotamia, and the civilizations around the Yellow River in China because the climatic conditions of those cities provided food to people.

Due to which, people in these civilizations lived close to each other. However, living close to each other also caused disease to spread amongst the large number of people.

Urban settlements of these civilizations later shifted towards property rights; writing systems; social and economic hierarchies and more.

However, the Indus Valley Civilisation differs from others because inequality levels were far lower than other civilizations. This was because the Indus, unlike the other rivers, changed its course often.

This changed the structure of the society of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Must Read: Indus valley Civilization: Important aspects and new developments

GS Paper 2

State Of Head Governors have been seen as partisan for decades. They should be accountable to Centre, state & Rajya Sabha

News: The Supreme Court has questioned the Maharashtra governor’s rationale in calling for a trust vote that led to the resignation of the Chief Minister.

What was the issue about?

What are the various friction points between governor and state governments?

-The biggest issues against the governors are they are not giving assent to bills passed by assemblies. In some cases, governors are delaying assent to bills which directly affect governance in the states. For instance, the Telangana government recently moved to SC as their Governor has not signed seven bills and has not cleared the state budget.

-The SC is hearing a Punjab CM vs governor case. In that, the SC has said that the levels of discourse should not degenerate into a “race to the bottom”.

-Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Bengal have all protested governors’ using their office in a manner that’s seen as slowing down or meddling in state government function.

-The other friction point include governors’ refusal to convene assembly sessions, and vice-chancellor appointments.

What should be done to reduce friction points between governor and state governments?

Governors have been perceived to be following the Centre’s writ, whichever the party in the Centre. To correct this, governors should be made accountable to not just the Centre but also the state and Rajya Sabha.

GS Paper 3

Tested but tired, this force could be in distress

News– On Pulwama day, former personnel of CRPF and their families turned up in large numbers in different parts of the country. They demand the old pension scheme to serving members of the fraternity.

The old pension scheme was stopped for personnel joining service after December 31, 2003.

Why is there an increasing burden on paramilitary forces?

The internal security situation has not improved significantly in left-wing extremism areas and terrorism-affected Kashmir. The deinduction of the Indian Army has taken place. The void was filled mainly by the CRPF.

The huge and continuous deployment of the regular army creates adverse attention from the international press.

What are the challenges faced by paramilitary forces?

The central government has been compelled to entrust a number of assignments. It is becoming riskier to these forces, especially to the CRPF.

Personnel of these forces are tasked with carrying out hard duties. Their schedule is overstretched without any rest or respite. As a consequence, training becomes compromised. It is reflected in their operational capabilities. This makes them vulnerable to attacks by anti-national forces.

There have been higher casualty rates suffered by the paramilitary.

These forces can maintain the optimum level of performance needed only if the training and the morale of their personnel are taken care of.

The government does not provide them benefits enjoyed by the army. They don’t enjoy pension benefits, and service facilities such as the Canteen Stores Department.

Will the national champions model of infrastructure development work?

News– Infrastructure is understood as an important necessity in modern times. But, providing functional and efficient infrastructure has always been a struggle for developing economies.

How is infrastructure perceived in emerging economies?

Infrastructure in emerging economies is considered a magic bullet. It works as a national aspiration, a barometer of national progress, a mechanism for job creation, a vehicle for crowding in private investment.

What are the constraints in infrastructure building?

It needs to be built to a minimum scale, which makes it expensive.

It often has a public good component. The social value of infrastructure is higher than its private value to individual users. Hence, private investors tend to find such investments relatively unprofitable.

The traditional approach to financing infrastructure has relied on tax revenues or government borrowing. But poorer economies generate less tax revenue. It limits infrastructure investment.

The poor infrastructure due to limited investment reduces returns to private investment which further affects the growth of the economy.

Attempting to break the cycle by increasing public borrowing domestically tends to crowd out private investment.

What has been the approach towards infrastructure financing in India?

India introduced the PPP model in early 2000s. It incentivised private sector participation by providing targeted subsidies for infrastructure investments. Government facilitated the acquisitions of land and primary commodities, and access to credit from public sector banks for infrastructure projects.

The PPP model ended in creation of non-performing assets with public sector banks, private sector bankruptcies, accusations of widespread corruption, and a change in government in 2014.

The NDA government modified the PPP approach. It assigned the bulk of the infrastructure provisioning for roads, ports, airports, energy, and communications to a few chosen industrial houses.

This is the “national champions” model. The government picks a few large conglomerates to implement its development priorities.

What are the new aspects of the “national champions” model?

First, infrastructure projects take a long time before they start generating returns. The returns are also low. To incentivise their investment, infrastructure firms need to be given control over existing projects with strong cash flows. It helps them to maintain profitability.

Second, the public association of the champions with the government’s national development policy generates a competitive advantage for the champions. It helps them in getting domestic and foreign contracts. This too guarantees some stable cash flow.

Third, access to some cash-rich projects allows these national champions to borrow from external credit markets by using these entities as collateral. This lowers the cost of finance of the other projects. It also frees up domestic savings for private investment.

What are the problems associated with the “national champions” model?

First, there is direct association of these conglomerates with government policies. It creates the potential for markets and regulators to treat them as too big to fail. This opens the door to market hysteria, and spillovers of sectoral problems into systemic shocks.

Second, it encourages market concentration. This can often be bad for efficiency and productivity at the economy-wide level.

Third, these projects take a long time to generate large cash flows. The state needs  to provide the champions with access to additional cash flows. The country can turn into industrial oligarchy.

Fourth, it can generate the perception of an uneven playing field in terms of market access and selective regulatory forbearance. It can become a significant deterrent for foreign investors.

The end of hyper-globalization should yield a better alternative

News: There are different narratives in the global economic system. The article discusses those narratives and provides alternatives to it.

What was the global economic narrative until the late 19th century?

The global economy till the late 19th century was self-adjusting, self-equilibrating system in which stability was best achieved if governments did not interfere. This global economic narrative was referred to as the gold standard.

It was thought that free capital movement, free trade and better macro-economic policies would achieve the best results for the world economy and countries alike.

However, the gold standard collapsed and the Great Depression made this narrative false. After the collapse, the global economic narrative changed towards the Bretton Woods regime.

What was the Bretton Woods economic narrative?

The Bretton Woods regime emerged after World War II. It relied on Keynesian macroeconomic management to stabilize the global economy and gave the state a much more prominent role.

The regime believed that only a strong welfare state could provide social insurance and support the market economy.

This system altered the relationship between domestic and global interests. It made the world to focus on achieving the goals of full domestic employment and establishing equitable societies. 

However, other than this narrative, the narrative of neoliberal hyper-globalization became dominant in the 1990s.

What is Neoliberal Hyper-Globalization?

This narrative believes in free flow of finance and in many ways, it similar to the gold-standard narrative of self-adjusting markets.

It emphasized the role of the government in enforcing specific rules that made the world safe for large corporations and big banks.

It believed to end international conflict and strengthen democratic forces around the world, especially in communist countries such as China.

It also believed that goals of social equity, environmental protection and national security could be achieved through policy instruments that did not interfere with free trade and finance.

However, the Hyper-globalization narrative failed since the global crisis of 2008 because it could not overcome its inherent contradictions. Hence, the world might look for alternatives.

What can be the alternatives to Hyper-globalization narrative?

Productivism: It emphasizes the role of governments in addressing inequality, public health and the clean-energy transition. It emphasizes domestic political priorities along with supporting an open world economy.

Hyper-realism: It emphasizes the geopolitical rivalry between the US and China and applies a zero-sum logic to economic relations between major powers. This framework views economic inter-dependence not as a source of mutual gain but as a weapon to harm the global economic system.

What can be the way ahead?

It is anticipated that governments would move towards more protectionist approach, encouraging industrial policies for advanced manufacturing and more green measures that support domestic goods.

However, hyper-realist narrative would prevail if a country looks at the geopolitical aims. But this would endanger global economic stability.

Hence, it would be better to correct the wrongs of hyper-globalization and establish a better global order based on a vision of shared prosperity.

Fraternity, prosperity and polarisation

News– Recently, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan questioned the higher allocation to poorer states like UP and Bihar

What is horizontal devolution of taxes?

Finance Commissions recommend both the vertical devolution and the horizontal devolution of taxes. 

Horizontal devolution is the share that each state gets. It is decided by a formula. The largest weight in this formula is given to what is called the “income distance” parameter.

It is essentially the inverse of the per capita income of a state. Thus, the lower the per capita income, the more the state gets.

This parameter has had between 48 and 60% weight in all Finance Commission recommendations since 1991.

The horizontal devolution is, therefore, massively redistributive. No state has objected to it.

What is the reasoning provided in favour of more allocation of resources to poorer states?

The most taxes on income and consumption could not apportion to the places where they were collected. A film made in Mumbai could be taxed in Karnataka. A multinational declaring profits in Bombay would be earning its income from sales across India.

Are the arguments in favour of more resources allocation to poorer states still valid?

These arguments are still relevant, but the situation is changing. Today Uttar Pradesh is poorer than Nepal, and Tamil Nadu almost as rich as Indonesia in terms of per capita income.

This means that the consumption and income tax bases are much larger in some states. If inequality between regions increases, it is more difficult to convince people that the tax base should be viewed as a singular entity.

The inequalities between rich and poor states are manifest in almost every economic dimension. Incomes, assets and discretionary purchasing power are higher in the richer states.

The overwhelming majority of foreign investment comes to the richer states. They have better healthcare, higher levels of literacy and better public services than the poorer states.

What are the reasons for the poor economic condition of northern states?

There exists a political faultline in northern states. The northern states have for long seen a politics of polarisation, unlike in the southern states.

Caste and majoritarian religious mobilization are the political agenda in northern states. This has been the central discourse used to contest and win elections.

Economic welfare, prosperity are not the issues of the elections. There is no pressure to achieve these objectives.

Muslim baiting, calling fellow citizens anti-national, using coercive power to jail, punish and suppress dissenting voices is used to justify polarisation.

What is the end result of polarisation politics?

No one has a monopoly on polarisation and divisive politics. When these things are promoted, they acquire politically competitive overtones. The entire political settlement impacts due to this.

The questioning of Article 1 of the Constitution, the perception of imposition of Hindi on southern states, the insistence on a singular national discourse and monoculture will all foster conflict and further polarisation in different dimensions.

Polarisation extracts a terrible price. Economic stagnation is only the initial result. The fraternity that is at the core of India’s successful existence will be impacted.

Non-essential curbs – Policy focus must shift from imports to exports

News: The expanding trade deficit has prompted the government to curb imports.

About India’s trade deficit

Merchandise exports: The global economic slowdown has impacted India’s merchandise exports. The exports contracted 8.8% in February compared to the same period last year. Merchandise imports also contracted by 8.2% in February. The merchandise trade deficit also increased.

Service exports: However, sustained growth in services exports has helped narrow the overall (merchandise and services) trade deficit.

Current account deficit (CAD): According to experts, the current account deficit will remain around 2.5% of the gross domestic product this fiscal year. This will pose challenges in financing.

Overall balance of payments: The flow of foreign direct investment has slowed. Foreign portfolio investors are also continually selling their stakes.

About government policy on curbing imports

The government has been working on reducing imports for several years and has raised tariffs along with other barriers. The government would now be issuing fresh quality-control orders to curb imports.

The government is also working on strategies to contain “non-essential imports”. The idea broadly is import substitution.

Why government’s plan of curbing imports is wrong?

Curbs do not provide immediate macroeconomic stability: India has sufficient foreign-exchange reserves. This will help to overcome near-term challenges and maintain stability on the external front.

Previous efforts have not yielded enough results: All efforts so far have not led to any meaningful decline in imports. For instance, India has tried such measures for decades before liberalization.

Issues with classifications in a market economy: It is hard to determine non-essential imports in a functioning market economy. This will only lead to higher costs and affect the overall competitiveness of the economy. Further, the approach also opens the scope for lobbying.

Import does not mean it is bad: It is normal for a market economy to import goods and services in areas where it has domestic capabilities. For example, corporations are importing services from Indian firms not necessarily because of a lack of capability. They are doing so because the outcome is more efficient.

What should be done to improve macroeconomic stability instead of curbing imports?

Instead of focusing on imports, Indian policymakers have to spend more time and energy on exports. This is because sustained export growth will address the current account deficit and also increase private investments and job creation. Thus, leading to higher sustainable economic growth.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Pi Day 2023: History And Significance Of This Mathematical Constant

Source: The post is based on the article “Pi Day 2023: History And Significance Of This Mathematical Constant” published in NDTV on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

Pi Day was recently celebrated worldwide to recognize the mathematical constant, Pi.

What is Pi Day?

International Day of Mathematics, or Pi Day, is celebrated on March 14 every year to recognize the mathematical constant, Pi.

The day is celebrated by mathematics enthusiasts and educators worldwide to recognize and appreciate the significance of mathematics in our lives.

Why March 14?

The approximate value of Pi is 3.14. The date, when written in the format of month/day (3/14), matches the first three digits of the mathematical constant. 

Origin: The first Pi Day was celebrated in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

– UNESCO marked Pi Day as the ‘International Day of Mathematics’ during its general conference in 2019.

– Mathematician and physicist Albert Einstein, known for the “General Theory Of Relativity,” was born on Pi Day in 1879.

What is Pi?

Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. 

It is an infinitely long, irrational number, and its exact value cannot be known. Pi is roughly equal to 3.14 or 22/7.

The value of Pi was first calculated by a mathematician named Archimedes of Syracuse. It was later accepted by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol of Pi in 1737.

Only 22% of candidates trained under PMKVY found a job, shows data

Source: The post is based on the article “Only 22% of candidates trained under PMKVY found a job, shows data” published in NDTV on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

The Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has informed the Lok Sabha about Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana(PMKVY).

What is Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana(PMKVY)?

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PMKVY 4.0: It will be launched soon. It will emphasize on-job training, industry partnership, and alignment of courses with the needs of the industry.

– The scheme will cover new-age courses for Industry 4.0 like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT, 3D printing, drones and soft skills.

What does the Economic Survey say on PMKVY?

​​The Economic Survey 2022-23 noted that PMKVY has provided training to shramiks (migrant labourers) affected by Covid-19. 

This component covered 116 districts of 6 states, viz., Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. 

As on October 31, 2022, 1.3 lakh migrants have been trained/oriented.

What are the issues faced by the scheme?

Low Placement: Only 22.2% of certified candidates were placed under all versions of PMKVY.

– The top states and union territories in terms of placement include Ladakh (57%), Mizoram (41%), Punjab (39%), Sikkim (38%) and Puducherry (34%).

Poor State Performance: The reasons for poor state performance include differing payment processes, delays in releasing funds and operational impediments.

Mission Sahbhagita to enable a society ownership approach for participatory conservation and wise use of Wetlands

Source: The post is based on the article “Mission Sahbhagita to enable a society ownership approach for participatory conservation and wise use of Wetlands” published in PIB on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has informed Lok Sabha about the steps taken for the conservation of wetlands.

What are the steps taken by the government for the conservation of wetlands?

Wetlands authorities have been constituted in States/UTs through Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 for notification, conservation and management of wetlands.

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems(NPCA): It is a Centrally Sponsored scheme. It is a conservation programme for the management of identified wetlands (including lakes) in the country on cost sharing basis between the Central Government and respective State Governments / Union Territories. 

– The scheme covers various activities such as interception, diversion and treatment of wastewater, shoreline protection, lakefront development, in-situ cleaning i.e. desilting & de-weeding, stormwater management, bioremediation, catchment area treatment, lake beautification etc.

Mission Sahbhagita: It is an important step towards participatory conservation and wise use of wetlands to enable a society ownership approach with communities leading at the forefront. 

Save Wetlands Campaign

Wetlands of India Portal: The portal is a dynamic knowledge repository for wetlands – one of the world’s most productive ecosystems. 

– The portal has been developed under the Indo-German project on “Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection” (2018-2023). 

National Institute of Ocean Technology to set up green, self-powered desalination plant in Lakshadweep

Source: The post is based on the article “National Institute of Ocean Technology to set up green, self-powered desalination plant in Lakshadweep” published in The Hindu on 17th March 2023

What is the News?

Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has set up Low-temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plants in Lakshadweep.

What is Low-temperature thermal desalination(LTTD)?

LTTD is a desalination technique for the conversion of seawater to potable water.

This technique works on the principle that water in the ocean 1,000 or 2,000 feet below is about 4º C to 8º C colder than surface water. So, salty surface water is collected in a tank and subject to high pressure (via an external power source). 

This pressured water vapourises and is trapped in tubes or a chamber. Cold water plumbed from the ocean depths is passed over these tubes and the vapour condenses into fresh water and the resulting salt is diverted away.

What is NIOT planning to do now?

Currently, the desalination plants, each of which provides at least 100,000 litres of potable water every day, are powered by diesel generator sets.

The need for diesel power to reduce the water pressure means that the process is not fossil-fuel-free.

Also, diesel is a precious commodity in the islands as it has to be shipped from the mainland critical for powering the electric grid.

NIOT is now working at making this process free of emissions.

EC’s proposal on allowing e-postal ballot for overseas Indian voters under discussion: Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha

Source: The post is based on the article “EC’s proposal on allowing e-postal ballot for overseas Indian voters under discussion: Law Minister tells Rajya Sabha” published in The Hindu on 17th March 2023

What is the News?

The Minister of Law and Justice has informed that the Election Commission’s proposal to facilitate Electronically-Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) for overseas Indian voters is under discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs.

What is an Electronically-Transmitted Postal Ballot System(ETPBS)?

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What are the measures taken to facilitate ETPBS for Overseas Indian Voters?

On the recommendation of the Election Commission, the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed by the Lok Sabha in August 2018. The Bill sought to enable overseas electors to cast their vote either in person or by proxy.

However, the bill lapsed when the 16th Lok Sabha was dissolved as it was pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Is the Postal Ballot system a viable means of voting?

The ETPBS method allowed for greater turnout among service voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

With the increasing mobility of citizens across countries for reasons related to work, the postal ballot method has been recognised as a means to allow overseas voters to exercise their right, subject to certain conditions normally related to the time spent abroad or the work carried out abroad.

Hence, a postal ballot mechanism that allows for proper authentication of the ballot at designated consular/embassy offices and an effective postal system should ease this process for NRIs.

US Senate resolution for underlining backing India on McMahon Line: What is the McMahon Line?

Source: The post is based on the article “US Senate resolution for underlining backing India on McMahon Line: What is the McMahon Line?” published in NDTV on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

Two United States Senators have introduced a resolution in the upper chamber of Congress reiterating that the US recognises the McMahon Line as the international boundary between China and India in Arunachal Pradesh.

The resolution reaffirms India’s well-known and established position that Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls ‘South Tibet’, is an integral part of India.

What is the McMahon Line?

The McMahon Line serves as the de facto boundary between China and India in the Eastern Sector. 

It specifically represents the boundary between Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, from Bhutan in the west to Myanmar in the east.

China has historically disputed the boundary and claims the state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).

What are the circumstances where McMahon Line was drawn?

The McMahon Line was drawn during the Simla Convention of 1914, officially described as the Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet. 

The convention defines the boundary between Tibet and China proper and that between Tibet and British India (with the latter coming to be known as the McMahon Line).

What has the status of the McMahon line been since 1914?

There were disputes regarding the McMahon line from the very beginning after the communists took power in 1949. They pulled China out of all international agreements and the so-called “unequal treaties” that had been imposed on it during its “century of humiliation”, and demanded a renegotiation of all its borders.

During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, China was able to quickly overpower India and make deep inroads into Indian territory across the McMahon Line. However, its forces retreated to pre-war positions after the unilateral ceasefire was announced.

Svaya Robotics develops 1st indigenous quadruped robot, exoskeleton in India

Source: The post is based on the article “Svaya Robotics develops 1st indigenous quadruped robot, exoskeleton in India” published in The New Indian Express on 15th March 2023

What is the News?

Hyderabad-based Svaya Robotics has developed India’s first indigenous quadruped (four-legged) robot and exoskeleton for the defence sector.

Note: India currently imports these robots from the US and Switzerland to help strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.

What are Quadruped robots?

Quadruped robots are four-legged robots which can walk or run on uneven and rough terrains. 

For example, in Leh, where soldiers have to navigate through unfavourable conditions, these robots can be used. 

These are also useful in recognising terrorist activities and other unsafe locations and capturing the visuals which can be monitored from any part of the country.

The robots developed can carry 25 kg in payload and walk along with the soldier. These robots can also be used in nuclear plants and other industries as well.

What are exoskeletons?

Exoskeletons are wearable devices that work in tandem with the user. The opposite of an exoskeleton device would be an autonomous robot that works instead of the operator.

Exoskeletons are placed on the user’s body and act as amplifiers that augment, reinforce or restore human performance. The opposite would be a mechanical prosthetic, such as a robotic arm or leg that replaces the original body part.

Why have exoskeletons been developed?

It is developed to suit Indian soldiers’ anthropometry and augment soldier strength for walking long distances.

These active exoskeletons, when worn by soldiers, can carry heavy loads without expending much effort.

DRDO-developed technology behind critical drug approved by DCGI for radiological and nuclear emergencies

Source: The post is based on the article “DRDO-developed technology behind critical drug approved by DCGI for radiological and nuclear emergencies” published in The Hindu on 16th March 2023

What is the News?

The Defence Ministry has announced that the Prussian blue insoluble formulations drug has been granted approval by the Drugs Controller General of India(DCGI).

What is a Prussian blue insoluble formulation drug?

It is one of the critical medicines listed by the World Health Organisation(WHO) for radiological and nuclear emergencies.  

It is used to treat the symptoms of Cesium or Thallium Contamination. 

The drug was developed under the Technology Development Fund(TDF).

The drug has been developed based on the technology of the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi, a laboratory of the DRDO.

What is Technology Development Fund(TDF)?

Click Here to read