Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• What is behind Manipur’s widespread unrest?

GS Paper 2

GS Paper 3

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

What is behind Manipur’s widespread unrest?

News: The All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) organised a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’. The march was called to protest the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe status. The march was organised by tribals including Nagas, Zomis, and Kukis who comprise around 40% of the state’s population.

About Manipur’s ethnic composition

Manipur Valley comprises about 10% of Manipur’s landmass. This valley is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei who account for more than 64% of the population of the State.

The Manipur hills comprising 90% of the geographical area are inhabited by more than 35% of recognised tribes.

While a majority of the Meiteis are Hindus followed by Muslims. There are 33 recognised tribes, broadly classified into ‘Any Naga tribes’ and ‘Any Kuki tribes’ who are largely Christians.

Note: The Meitei community have 2/3rd of the assembly seats.

What is the reason behind the inclusion of Meriteis as STs?

The Meiteis cite their own historic indigenous tribe status to bolster their ST claim. The Meiteis were recognised as a tribe before the merger of the State with the Union of India in 1949. They argued that the ST status is needed to “preserve” the community and “save the ancestral land, tradition, culture, and language” of the Meiteis.

A representation submitted by the Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM) in 2012 demanded ST status for Meiteis in 2012. The STDCM also said the Meiteis needed constitutional safeguards against outsiders, stating that the community has been kept away from the hills while the tribal people can buy land in the “shrinking” Imphal Valley.

In response, the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry sent a letter to the Manipur government in 2013 seeking specific recommendations along with the latest socio-economic survey and ethnographic report.

The Manipur High Court directed the State government to submit a 10-year-old recommendation to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list. But tribals in the state fear this will erode their access to reservation benefits.

Why are tribal groups against ST status for Meiteis?

This is because a) The Meiteis have a demographic and political advantage besides being more advanced than them, b) The ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out, c) The language of the Meitei people is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and many of them have access to benefits associated with the SC, OBC or EWS status.

GS Paper 2

UAE’s minister of economy writes: UAE-India CEPA promoted a favourable environment for startups to thrive in both countries

News– The article explains the evolving partnership between India and UAE.

What are some important facts about the bilateral relationship between India and UAE?

The relationship is shaped by years old cultural and economic engagement through the Indian Ocean’s network of exchange.

India-UAE relationship is today more than an economic partnership. It shows the deep, fraternal, and strategically important relationship between two countries.

The India-UAE partnership was based on the trade of traditional items. It was strengthened with oil. It found a formal dimension after the creation of the UAE Federation in 1971.

The relationship accelerated in the 1990s after liberalisation. India started exporting to the UAE and markets beyond. Today UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner.

How is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) beneficial for the two countries?

It has generated greater trade volumes and improved mutual access to markets. It has generated a wide range of economic, industrial and investment opportunities.

The UAE-India CEPA has been an incredible success. The volume of non–oil trade reached the $50 billion mark in 2022, with growth of about 10%.

It has generated multiplier effects. It is covering the widest possible range of subjects from digital economy to free trade, among other mutual priorities. It has served as a powerful platform for unprecedented partnerships and multi-sectoral collaboration.

The UAE-India CEPA is unleashing the spirit of entrepreneurship, inspiring innovators and investors. It is encouraging SMEs, startups to make inroads into new markets.

The UAE-India CEPA is also a strategic catalyst in addressing vital developmental challenges. It can tackle issues such as energy and food security, agriculture, and sustainability,

It adds greater importance to the presence of India and the UAE in regional blocs and multi-laterals such as the I2U2 and UFI.

What is the potential of India and UAE relationship?

The UAE looks forward to the opening of the IIT-Delhi campus in Abu Dhabi next year. Positive outcomes are expected from the MoU in academic cooperation signed between Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) and O P Jindal Global University.

In September last year, the UAE and India signed an MoU to establish the Emirati India Cultural Council.

More recently, thAbu Dhabi unveiled its first exhibition of the year — ‘Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema’. This deepening of India-UAE exchange of arts, culture and education indicates mutual trust and shared values.

The UAE-India CEPA and our strong people-to-people relations have created a highly favourable business environment.

It is an opportune moment for India’s dynamic startup ecosystem, its unicorns and innovators, to explore growth and diversification into the Emirati market, and from there to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Indo-Pacific naval strategy

News– The article explains the reason for neglect of maritime diplomacy. It explains the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Indian maritime strategy.

What are the aims of New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific policy?

India is safeguarding the world’s sea lines of communications. India is seen in the role of “net security provider”. There is fighting piracy threats, sea-based terrorism, smuggling, and fishing. It is providing humanitarian aid, disaster relief and search and rescue.

India also has a huge diaspora working and remitting money from the Gulf. In case of emergency, India has evacuated its citizens. India supports its overseas citizens on its own dollar.

India foots its own bill for overseeing the Indian Ocean. In addition, New Delhi currently provides $18 billion dollars in lines of credit for development projects in littoral states.

Why was there a delay in developing India’s maritime diplomacy and Indo-Pacific policy?

New Delhi was preoccupied northwards. New Delhi’s strategic attention remained on China and Pakistan. The four wars fought against these two adversaries reinforced its “continental mindset”.

It was shaped by the historical experience of centuries of invasions from Central Asia. In the 19th century, there was the Great Game. Britain and Russia competed for influence in Central Asia, Asia Minor and to the borders of British India.

This “continental outlook” is deeply entrenched in New Delhi. This is despite the fact that most Central Asian invaders were assimilated into India.

However, sea-borne colonial powers repatriated Indian wealth to Europe, and completely destroyed the small-scale Indian economy. It taught India a valuable lesson about the criticality of maritime power.

Britishers believed that the Indian Navy should limit itself to the defence of the British Commonwealth. This view prevailed because New Delhi’s precarious finances made it dependent upon Britain for warships.

The decision to buy a Royal Navy light aircraft carrier, HMS Hercules Shaped India’s Navy decision making. The INS Vikrant was commissioned in 1961.

In 1962, the year after INS Vikrant was commissioned, China defeated India heavily. That reinforced India’s continental mindset. It led to army and air force modernisation and marginalised the navy.

Its share of the defence budget, which had tripled from 4% in 1950-51, to 12%in 1959-60 was back to 4% after the war.

What is the current outlook of the Indian navy?

During the 1960s and 1970s, New Delhi realized that an economically declining Britain was an inadequate partner. The Soviet Union supplanted the UK as its principal supplier of warships, technology, and design expertise.

American design influence will begin shaping the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers. The first of the two indigenous carriers, INS Vikrant, are based on Russian design. But a second indigenous carrier, INS Vishal, will draw heavily on the US carrier philosophy.

So, the Indian Navy’s Sea control strategy is likely to be based on three aircraft carriers, with two of them operational at any given time.

Each will be at the centre of a carrier battle group drawn from a total fleet of about 175 ships, including about 50 capital warships and about 600 naval aircraft, with about 100 of them based at sea.

Today, the navy has achieved significant headway in heavy engineering skills. The navy learnt the art of integrating diverse weapon systems, onto multi-role warships.

For example, in the Shivalik-class frigates, which began entering service in 2009, the navy integrated Russian Shtil anti-air missiles, Russian Klub anti-ship cruise missiles, the Israeli Barak-1 missile defence system, and the Italian Oto Melara 76-millimetre super rapid gun mount.

As Russia, China vie for upper hand, what SCO means for India

News: The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will meet Friday in Goa.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

Click Here to Read

The main work of the foreign ministers’ meeting is to prepare for the upcoming meeting of the Heads of State Council, or the SCO summit, expected to be held in July.

China and Russia dominate the SCO. Due to which, the SCO is criticized, and different views are often put up.

What are the different views regarding SCO?

The West views the SCO as a club run by China and ally Russia where the two dominant powers are in competition with each other for influence.

Moreover, four of the five Central Asian republics are members of SCO. Russia views these resource-rich republics, that were part of the erstwhile Soviet Union, as its strategic backyard.

However, the influence of China in the Central Asian-5 (C5) countries has grown with the Belt and Road Initiative and Russia has not been able to stop growing Chinese footprint over the region.

Despite this, Russia’s economic influence in the central Asian region is still strong, due to its political, cultural and people-to-people connections.

This power play in central Asia has its impact in the SCO and this is where Russia needs India.

Why is the presence of India in the SCO important for Russia?

Russia sees India’s presence in the SCO as a potential countervailing force to Chinese dominance of Central Asia.

It was Russia which pushed for India’s membership in the group. Due to which, in 2015, India was admitted as an observer along with Iran and Pakistan.

Moreover, the visit of the PM to the central Asian countries in 2015 and India becoming a member of the SCO in 2017 gave India a higher profile in Central Asia.

In post-US Afghanistan, SCO has helped India stay involved in the regional discussion on Taliban rule. SCO has also helped India to improve its ties with Russia given the increasing tensions with China after the Doklam issue.

What are the concerns with India membership in the SCO?

Some experts view the Quad grouping as a counter to the influence that Russia and China seek to project through the SCO, and India’s membership of both as a contradiction.

However, the Quad is India’s diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific and the SCO represents its diplomacy in the Eurasian landmass. It can also be seen as an exercise of true multipolarity.

Further, if the SCO is a bipolar China-Russia platform, it offers several multipolarities within itself as members have options to get the best deal for themselves.

For instance, India was the only country that did not sign a joint statement calling for the strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention in last year’s foreign ministers’ meeting.

What is the way ahead for India?

SCO is described as a “diplomatic battlefield”. Hence, the challenge for India is to use both the SCO and the Quad for its own interests instead of getting trapped in.

GS Paper 3

A boost for science, a wider window to the universe

News- Indian government recently announced $320 million investment in LIGO-India.

What are some facts about LIGO?

LIGO is the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory, a scientific collaboration. It consists of two facilities in the United States, one in the Pacific Northwest at Hanford, Washington, and another near the Gulf of Mexico in Livingston, Louisiana.

LIGO uses lasers to detect ripples in space-time through a method called interferometry. As gravitational waves pass by, they cause space itself to stretch and squeeze. Scientists can measure through changes in the beams of the LIGO lasers.

In 2015, physicists observed the gravitational waves emanating from two merging black holes, 1.3 million light years from earth. It was accomplished by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, known as LIGO

The data LIGO collects have far-reaching implications in many areas of physics. LIGO has provided new clues about merging black holes, the existence of neutron stars and the origin of the universe. It has opened an entirely new way of observing the universe.

What are some facts about LIGO-India?

LIGO-India is a collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory operated by Caltech and MIT. It is funded by the National Science Foundation and India’s RRCAT, the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Department of Atomic Energy.

LIGO-India will create new opportunities in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district. Projects such as LIGO-India can create jobs across the technical workforce.

They open new avenues for scientific talent and inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) leaders.

The construction of LIGO-India is a major milestone for gravitational wave science and for the universal progress of science. The observatory will help to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the cosmos.

Greenwashing, ESG backlash and transitions

News– The article explains the increasing focus on green transition and phasing out of fossil fuels across the world and India.

How is there increasing focus on phasing out of fossil fuels across the world?

In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the first state-wide ban on the use of natural gas in new buildings for heating or cooking this week.

The financial industry is also gradually moving away from fossil fuel financing. Analysis by BloombergNEF shows that the ratio of financing between low carbon energy and fossil fuels should be at least 4:1 by 2030 to meet the 1.5°C climate goal.

Bank financing for energy supply totalled $1.9 trillion in 2021. Of that, $842 billion went to low-carbon energy projects and companies, and $1.038 trillion went to fossil fuels.

The ratio is likely to improve. A host of banks publicly announcing their climate transition plans. Banks that have unveiled plans in 2023 include Citigroup, Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and NatWest Group in the UK. HSBC intends to do so later this year.

How are the measures to phase fossil fuels facing backlash in the US?

There is backlash against as many as 11 large financial institutions that boycott the oil and gas industry in some states of the USA. As per a recent bill, Florida’s public or state-controlled funds can no longer invest their money based on environmental, social and governance factors.

The law broadly directs all Florida pension funds to prioritise returns without considering factors in investment decisions.

Over a dozen states in the US have enacted anti-ESG-related bills or policies, while many have similar proposals in discussion.

What is the way forward for green energy transition in India?

India’s CO2 emission level may rise from 2.7 gigatonnes to 3.9 gigatonnes by 2030.

India’s green transition would require a multi-pronged action plan, the Reserve Bank of India said in its report on currency and finance released earlier this week.

A number of policy actions are required. It comprises a carbon tax of rupee equivalent to $25 per tonne, increasing the share of non-fossil fuel in the energy mix.

There is a need for more production and use of EVs, electric vehicles and green hydrogen, and regulatory measures to incentivise resource allocation for green projects.

What are some regulatory actions taken in India for green transition?

Securities and Exchange Board of India mandates ESG disclosures for the top 1,000 companies.

It has raised concerns about making false, misleading, unsubstantiated, or incomplete claims about the sustainability of a product, service, or business operation.

It asked issuers of green debt to ensure that funds mobilised are used for the stated purpose, and the negative externalities associated with usage of the funds are quantified.

A consultation paper on ESG disclosures, ratings and investing has subsequently been issued.

We shouldn’t let Indian poverty turn into a great eternal mystery

News: There have been many private estimates on poverty in India but there has been no official estimate since 2011-12. Due to which, there is a wide variation in the estimates of poverty by private entities.

What are some of the differences or variations in the private estimates on poverty?

For measuring poverty, except the World Bank, all others use some estimate of consumption expenditure from the National Statistical Office (NSO).

Out of those using consumption expenditure from the NSO, only the poverty estimates by S. Subramanian of 2017-18 is comparable to the 2011-12 official poverty estimates.

As per the estimates, it suggests a rise in poverty level between 2011-12 and 2017-18.

On the other hand, Bhalla uses a modified version of consumption expenditure adjusted to national accounts, which leads them to conclude that poverty has declined.

Like these there are variations in measuring poverty because private estimators are using different data for measuring.

Must Read: There is no debate: There has been a persistent decline in poverty in India

What are other concerns with measuring poverty?

India has been a pioneer in poverty measurement and has a model for several other developing countries. However, this perception has changed because there are no official poverty estimates available after 2011-12.

Moreover, the government conducted consumption expenditure in 2017-18. This was the only comparable data set by which poverty could have been estimated but the survey was discarded without giving any particular reason.

However, the probable reason for discarding might be that it showed a rise in the poverty level.

A similar problem is with the poverty line estimation. Even this has not yet been decided by the government.

However, there is a consumption expenditure survey being undertaken for updating the national accounts and inflation indices.

What is the concern with the consumption expenditure survey?

The methodology that has been adopted in the survey for measuring poverty is new and has not been used elsewhere.

The survey may provide fresh estimates of consumption expenditure. However, the absence of a comparable survey means it won’t help answer what happened to poverty after 2011-12.

Moreover, in such a scenario where comparable data is not available, carrying out a new survey is always preceded by pilot surveys and their results are released for public discussion.

However, there is no information on whether a pilot survey was conducted in this case.

What is the way ahead?

Official poverty estimates and poverty lines from the government have been crucial in highlighting the living conditions of the poor and the effectiveness of government policy.

Poverty estimates were key to designing interventions, allocating resources across states and analysing their effectiveness.

Therefore, the government not conducting a survey is a setback to the scholarly work on the measurement and determinants of poverty and also for policymaking.

Findings of PLFS on FLPR: Bitter-Half Of Working Story

News: According to the recent Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report, female labour force participation rate (FLPR) (current weekly status) has increased from 16% in 2017-18 to 21% in 2021-22, while the unemployment rate has declined from 4% to 2%.

It means around 22. 5 million more women have joined the workforce or are actively seeking work, despite the impact of Covid-19 on women and young girls.

What are some key findings of the recent PLFS on FLPR?

Self-Employed & Unpaid: Women in casual labour and in regular/wage employment have declined by 6% and 4% respectively. On the other hand, the share of self-employed women drastically increased by 10% to stand at 62%.

The majority of self-employed women work as part-time or full-time helpers in their household enterprises and are without pay (60%), while a lower percentage are employers and own-account workers (40%).

Rural vs urban FLPR: Rural women’s workforce participation emerged as the key driver of women’s employment. When compared to pre-pandemic levels, this increased by almost 22% vis-à-vis the 2% for urban women.

Decrease in salary workers: There is a simultaneous decrease in salaried, wage and casual labour work.

Gender-wage inequality has also increased: For the self-employed, men have gone from earning 2. 2 times more than women in 2017-18 to 2. 6 times in 2020-21.

What are the key observations from the PLFS findings on FLPR?

a) Agriculture remains the most ubiquitous employment, b) Increasing feminisation in agriculture. For instance, women’s participation increased from 57% in 2017-18 to 63% in 2021-22, c) There is a high increase in informalisation of women’s work, d) The distribution of women’s labour force has changed since the pandemic, and e) These shifts in FLPR are deeply gendered, underpinned by existing and new Covid-19induced gendered expectations and norms.

Note: Evidence suggests women were hit worse by Covid-19 in terms of loss of jobs, economic distress, and an increased burden of household work, up by as much as 30%, when compared to men.

What should be done to improve quality in FLPR?

–Transition must be made out of low-paying low-productivity roles into work that offers sustainable livelihood.

Structural reforms are required. Such as, a) providing greater access to opportunities in lucrative sectors such as manufacturing, and job roles, and b) supporting women to move up in the agricultural value chain, such as providing market access.

Greater access to gender-responsive opportunities so that women can balance domestic roles with paid work. These include facilitating flexible work, part-time roles, and hyper-local opportunities.

Empower women with skill-sets such as quality and demand-driven technical, vocational skills and soft skills and resources such as safe and affordable transport, mentorship etc so that they can take on more remunerative jobs.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

CORSIA and LTAG: India to join international climate action in civil aviation from 2027

Source: The post is based on the article “India to join international climate action in civil aviation from 2027” published in Business Standard on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has announced that India will start participating in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG) from 2027.

What is CORSIA and LTAG?

Background: The ICAO has been tasked to reduce carbon emissions from international civil aviation as one of its focus areas.

– In order to mitigate carbon emissions from aviation and its impact on climate change, the global body has adopted several key aspirational goals. Among them are: 1) 2% annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2050, 2) carbon neutral growth and 3) net zero by 2050.

– The ICAO has clubbed these goals under CORSIA and LTAG.

About Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation(CORSIA)

CORSIA is the first global market-based measure for any sector and represents a cooperative approach.

It seeks to neutralize international aviation CO2 emissions from 2021 to 2019–2020 levels via offsetting programmes. 

Financial implications due to offsetting have to be borne by individual airlines, depending upon their international operations. 

CORSIA is applicable only to flights originating from one country to another. 

CORSIA will be implemented in three phases, including a pilot and a voluntary phase. The mandatory phase for all ICAO member states would be in force from 2027 to 2035.

Note: India has decided not to participate in the voluntary phases of CORSIA.

About Long-Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG)

The 41st ICAO Assembly adopted a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in support of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.

The LTAG does not attribute specific obligations or commitments in the form of emissions reduction goals to individual States. Instead, it recognizes each State’s special circumstances and respective capabilities.

What is the Washington Declaration?

Source: The post is based on the article “What is the Washington Declaration?” published in The Hindu on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

The South Korean President arrived in the U.S. to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea bilateral relations. A highlight of the visit was the signing of the “Washington Declaration” as a nuclear deterrence strategy.

What is the Washington Declaration?

Signed between: US and South Korea

Purpose: It outlines cooperation towards nuclear deterrence strategy.

Key Features: According to the declaration:

– US nuclear ballistic submarine would be deployed in the Korean peninsula; 

– Nuclear consultative group would be formed to formulate principles of joint response tactics; 

– South Korea would receive Intel from the U.S. regarding nuclear advancements, and the U.S. will strengthen South Korea’s nuclear deterrence capabilities through joint military training programs and an annual intergovernmental simulation. 

– Reaffirmed the non-proliferation Treaty implying that South Korea would not venture into the creation of its own independent nuclear capabilities and would instead focus on deterrence measures through an alliance-based approach.

– The U.S. President will be the only ‘sole authority’ to use the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. in the event of a nuclear confrontation. 

Why is the US not keen on South Korea having a nuclear arsenal?

Firstly, the U.S. was hoping to make North Korea unarm itself. This is an erroneous assumption that it could deter the weapons production of North Korea by extracting South Korea’s nuclear capacity.

Secondly, the Nuclear Posture Review 2022 reflects a shift in the U.S. narrative where it is now concerned about the progressing nuclear capacities of North Korea.

Thirdly, the U.S. wants to control global nuclear arms production. It has been reluctant to allow South Korea to develop their own nuclear arsenal as it would hinder the prolonged efforts of controlling nuclear production in the world. 

What has been the response to this declaration?

China has said that the declaration undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the strategic interests of other countries.

North Korea warned that the declaration would only result in making peace and security in North-East Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger.

The South Korean public is sceptical about U.S. support. A poll by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations reported that 71% of South Koreans want to build their own nuclear weapons. 

India to launch its own heat index next year to quantify heat hazard

Source: The post is based on the article “India to launch its own heat index next year to quantify heat hazard” published in The Hindu on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

India will launch its own composite Heat Index next year to quantify the impact of heat on its population and generate impact-based heatwave alerts for specific locations.

About Heat Index

To be launched by: India Meteorological Department (IMD) 

Aim: To quantify the impact of heat on its population and generate impact-based heatwave alerts for specific locations.

Parameters: The index will take into account parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind and duration of exposure.

Significance: The analysis will help generate heat hazard scores which will be utilized as thresholds to issue impact-based heatwave alerts for specific locations.

About Heat Waves in India

According to IMD data, there was a 24% increase in the number of heat waves during 2010-2019 compared to 2000-2009. However, there is a decreasing trend after 2015.

Between 2000 and 2019, the mortality rate for tropical cyclones decreased by 94% whereas it increased by 62.2% for heat waves.

The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the major climate risk for South Asian countries will be the rising mortality rate due to heat waves.

A moderate increase in average temperatures or a slight increase in the duration of heat waves will lead to a significant increase in the mortality rate in India unless remedial and response measures are taken.

However, heat waves are yet to be notified as a natural disaster at the national level in the country.

India captures the rare Aurora lights on camera for the first time

Source: The post is based on the article “India captures the rare Aurora lights on camera for the first time” published in Livemint on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru has captured a rare occurrence of aurora in Ladakh, India, on camera. This is the first time that such an occurrence has been witnessed in Ladakh.

What are Auroras?

An aurora is a natural phenomenon which is characterized by a display of a natural-coloured (green, red, yellow or white) light in the sky.

Aurora is sometimes referred to as ‘polar light’. It is predominantly seen in regions of high altitudes like the Arctic and Antarctic. 

In the north, the display is called aurora borealis or northern lights. In the south, it is called aurora australis, or southern lights.

What makes Auroras happen?

Auroras are actually caused by the Sun. The Sun sends us more than heat and light; it sends lots of other energy and small particles our way. The protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles, and we don’t even notice them.

But the Sun doesn’t send the same amount of energy all the time. There is a constant streaming solar wind and there are also solar storms. During one kind of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, the Sun burps out a huge bubble of electrified gas that can travel through space at high speeds.

When a solar storm comes toward Earth, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth’s atmosphere.

There, the particles interact with gases in the atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red lights. Nitrogen glows blue and purple.

Do other planets get auroras?

Auroras are not just something that happens on Earth. If a planet has an atmosphere and magnetic field, they probably have auroras. There are displays of auroras on Jupiter and Saturn.

Govt plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants

Source: The post is based on the article “Govt plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants” published in Livemint on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

The Government of India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants apart from those already in the pipeline by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy(NEP).

What is the significance of India’s decision to stop building new coal-fired power plants?

As of January 2023, only 20 countries in the world have more than one coal project planned. 

India and China are the only developing countries that contribute to 80 per cent of all active coal projects. 

But India’s move to stop constructing new coal-fired power plants will make China the only major economy in the world to construct coal-fired power plants.

What is India’s stand on coal projects?

China and India have together been lobbying for freedom for countries to choose a roadmap to cut emissions.

India, whose proposed coal power capacity is the highest after China, had repeatedly refused to set a timeline to phase out coal, citing low per-capita emissions, surging renewable energy capacity and demand for inexpensive fuel sources.

What are the other proposals made under the Draft National Electricity Policy?

The draft also proposes delaying the retirement of old coal-fired plants until energy storage for renewable power becomes financially viable.

Until now, old coal-fired power plants with a cumulative capacity of 13 GW have been earmarked for functioning post-retirement deadlines to meet high power demand.

CA, CS handling client money in PMLA ambit; FinMin notifies rules

Source: The post is based on the article “CA, CS handling client money in PMLA ambit; FinMin notifies rules” published in Business Standard on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

The Union Finance Ministry has notified changes to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

What are the changes brought by the government in the PMLA Act?

The Finance Ministry has brought in practising chartered accountants, company secretaries and cost and work accountants carrying out financial transactions on behalf of their clients into the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

What is the significance of these changes?

The move aims at curbing fraudulent practices by which accountants allegedly help their clients to launder money.

These changes are also expected to aid investigative agencies further in their probe against dubious transactions involving shell companies and money laundering.

What are the concerns raised against these changes under the PMLA Act?

The PMLA Act is very stringent and compliance is very onerous. The conviction rate in PMLA is very low, but the entire process is extremely difficult to go through. 

These professionals are already regulated by professional bodies set up under various Acts of Parliament. Hence, bringing them under the PMLA Act is uncalled for.

New way to track particles in soft colloids using optical tweezers can be applied in targeted drug delivery

Source: The post is based on the article “New way to track particles in soft colloids using optical tweezers can be applied in targeted drug delivery” published in PIB on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

Scientists have found a way to track minute clay particle movements within soft clay colloids using Optical Tweezers.

What are Optical Tweezers?

Optical tweezers are scientific instruments that use a highly focused laser beam to hold and move microscopic and sub-microscopic objects like atoms, nanoparticles and droplets in a manner similar to tweezers. 

In 1987, Arthur Ashkin succeeded in capturing living bacteria without harming them.

Applications: Optical tweezers are used in:

1) biology and medicine (for example to grab and hold a single bacterium, a cell like a blood cell, or a molecule like DNA), 2) nanoengineering and nanochemistry (to study and build materials from single molecules), 3) quantum optics and quantum optomechanics (to study the interaction of single particles with light). 

Nobel Prize in Physics: The development of optical tweezing by Arthur Ashkin was lauded with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.

India, Russia said to suspend talks to settle trade in rupees

Source: The post is based on the article “India, Russia said to suspend talks to settle trade in rupees” published in The Hindu on 5th May 2023

What is the News?

India and Russia have halted efforts to settle bilateral trade in rupees after months of negotiations failed to convince Russia to keep rupees in its coffers.

Why have India-Russia talks to settle trade in rupees halted?

India and Russia have been engaged in talks for a rupee trade settlement mechanism for over a year.

However, reports suggested that months of negotiations had ultimately failed to convince Russia to keep rupees in its chests.

This is because, with a high trade gap in favour of Russia, it believes it will end up with an annual rupee surplus of over $40 billion if such a mechanism is worked out and feels rupee accumulation is ‘not desirable’.

The rupee is also not fully convertible and India’s share of global exports of goods is just about 2%. These factors reduce the necessity for other countries to hold rupees.

What would be the impact of halted India-Russia trade talks in rupees?

This would be a major setback for Indian importers of cheap oil and coal from Russia who were awaiting a rupee payment mechanism to help lower currency conversion costs.