9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 19th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

• The dire need to talk about 1962

GS Paper 2

• Global Hunger Index: Menace of malnutrition continues to haunt India
• Focus On PhD Quality, Not Publications
• Clean It Up More
• India@75 looking at 100: A young achiever’s dream for Indian education

GS Paper 3

• Draft Telecom Bill enhances unease of doing biz amid regulatory overlaps
• Organic fertiliser: A must for the next green revolution
• The illusion of being faster than light:how a star problem was solved
• How Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has transformed social welfare in India
• The exchange rate will soon have to play a bigger adjustment role

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Tussle in Kerala: Can Governor Khan dismiss a state minister?
• PM reviews work in progress of National Maritime Heritage Complex site at Lothal, Gujarat
• First 11 awardees of WISER programme to promote participation of women in international R&D and industry projects facilitated
• Six new spider species discovered from across the country
• Japan seeks Geographical Indication tag for nihonshu, an alcoholic beverage
• Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study
• Giraffes brought to India 150 years ago from Africa may be a critically endangered species
• Matihani-Sambho bridge: Bihar project gets go-ahead: NHAI alters rules, govt plans bridge over Ganga

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 1

The dire need to talk about 1962

News:  It has been almost 60 years to India-China (Sino-India) war in 1962. The war went for 30 days (October 20 – November 20, 1962).

In this war India’s 1,383 soldiers were killed, 1,047 were wounded, 1,696 went missing and over 400 prisoners of war were captured by China. India lost the war.

What are the main issues linked to Sino-India war of 1962, that requires attention?

Lack of preparedness: The then PM Jawaharlal Nehru had friendly relations with nations around the world including China. This made him believe that China would never attack as it tried to have peaceful relations with India. This misbelieve resulted in lack of preparedness of the Indian Army which further became one of the reasons for the defeat.

Lack of trust on IAF: The strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was not used and was underestimated. According to various reports the use of fighter aircraft would have been a game changer as Chinese air force was operationally handicapped due the high altitude of the airfields.

Hierarchy: The war involved people from politics, bureaucrats and military. This multiple involvement and hierarchical nature of the decision led to insufficient managements of the events from the top to bottom.

Insufficient effort: There were lack of coordination and efforts made from the senior military officers as most of the work was done by the junior grade officers. This caused lack of expertise in the field and led the defeat of India.

GS Paper 2

Global Hunger Index: Menace of malnutrition continues to haunt India

News: The poor ranking of India on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) and the government’s refusal have become almost an annual ritual over the past few years. But the government has to work on reducing malnutrition in India.

About the recent Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022

This year, India ranked lowly at 107 among 121 countries. Last year, India was ranked 101 out of 116 countries, while in 2020 it was slotted at 94th position.

Why did India discount the GHI findings?

What is the menace of malnutrition in India?

India has the world’s largest food distribution system and a slew of nutrition-oriented welfare schemes for supplying highly subsidised or free food to vulnerable sections of the population. But despite that malnutrition is still rampant in the country. This is because,

a) Schemes such as mid-day meal scheme and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana have banished stark hunger, as used to be reflected in starvation deaths in the past, and reduction in the level of undernourishment. But, they did not focus on malnutrition.

b) None of the existing schemes focuses on the basic need for balanced and wholesome food, which alone can alleviate malnutrition or hidden hunger.

c) The prevalence of nutritional deficiencies and the resultant wasting and stunting (impaired growth) of kids are mentioned in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), whose authenticity is unquestionable.

For instance, 1) NFHS-5 have shown that though the level of undernourishment and malnourishment has shown a downward trend over the past few years, it is still a matter of grave concern, 2) The incidence of anaemia among under-five children has escalated from 58.6 per cent to 67 per cent since 2015-16, 3) The proportion of overweight children has surged from 2.1 per cent to 3.4 per cent since 2015-16.

What needs to be done to reduce the menace of malnutrition in India?

The menace of malnutrition should no longer be taken lightly and needs serious corrective action aimed at improving the consumption of diverse and nutritious foods like millet, fruit, vegetables, and protein-rich vegetarian and non-vegetarian products.

Focus On PhD Quality, Not Publications

News: University Grants Commission (UGC) came with PhD regulations in 2016. It prescribed that PhD scholars must publish at least one research paper in a refereed journal before submitting the thesis.

This mandatory publication condition was introduced by UGC because the doctoral thesis screening is not strict enough. However, this mandatory provision has led to the publishing of low quality of journals.

What does the report say?

According to a recent study conducted by UGC for three years (2017-19), only 19% published more than one journal paper. Whereas nearly 75% of the students were forced to publish in journals that are not Scopus-indexed.

There have been instances that humanities students have published less Scopus-indexed journals when compared to other stream. This highlights the problems faced by the students of humanities stream.

Further, the primary aim of PhD work is to make unique contributions to a chosen discipline by creating new knowledge. Publication of a research paper is a complementary effort.

Therefore, primary focus should be on maintaining the quality of the journal.

How quality of PhD can be maintained or improved?

First, there should be proper mentoring of the students by the supervisors. The supervisor should advise the student to take appropriate courses and train in research methodology, teamwork and communication skills.

Second, there is a need for the members of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) to play an active role as the student gets feedback from the committee on maintaining the quality of research work.

Third, there is a need that the external examiners should send their feedback suggesting minor or significant corrections to the thesis.

Moreover, there are efforts also required from the universities.

What are efforts required by the universities in PhD field?

First, universities should strengthen the monitoring process of PhD work at various levels. It will lead to high-quality publications and a well-trained researcher.

Second, universities should train and encourage PhD students to publish, present at conferences and apply for patents.

Moreover, publishing of journal is time consuming. Therefore, making it mandatory to publish a research paper before the submission of the thesis can put extreme pressure on students and force them to publish in low quality journals.

Clean It Up More

News: There are lots of money spent in fighting elections. Political parties often receive funding for elections from different sources.

These sources of funds are mostly anonymous therefore an effort was needed to make the system transparent. This led to the introduction of electoral bonds.

What are electoral bonds?

Electoral bonds were introduced in 2018. It set a limit of Rs 2000 for anonymous cash donations.

Further, electoral bonds in denominations ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 crore can be issued by the State Bank of India to an Indian citizen.

They can further use these bonds in donating the amount to any political party of their choice. More than Rs 10,000 crore worth of bonds have been issued till 2022.

Moreover, as per Solicitor General electoral bonds are the transparent mode of political funding. Therefore, it is impossible for political parties to convert these bonds into black money.

However, the claim of the Solicitor General cannot be relied and there are problems associated with the electoral bonds.

What are the problems with the electoral bonds?

First, these bonds do not improve transparency as the name of the donor is hidden from the public and other political parties.

Second, according to the Association for Democratic Reform, over 90% of the amounts issued are in the Rs 1 crore slab. This amount must have come from the very rich individuals or corporations which is also a concern.

Third, public cannot judge whether these donations were made out of goodwill or there were ill- intentions involved.

Fourth, the Election Commission had also objected to the bonds.

Fifth, these bonds are issued by the public sector bank. Therefore, there are chances that the incumbent government can get the details of the donors donating to the non-incumbent parties which may create problem for the donors.

Moreover, another problem with the electoral bonds is that it provides advantages to incumbent governments/party and the money obtained from electoral bonds is considered white money as it is legal.

How do electoral bonds provide advantages to incumbent parties?

First, those parties using unaccounted cash could come under investigation which will allow the governing party to easily label them corrupt.

Second, the incumbent could use its white money to influence the voters and spend in the campaigns whereas non-incumbent parties may face scrutiny under the investigation agencies for using black money for the campaigns.

Third, elections today are fought on the digital media (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.) using digital campaigns. These social media need white money which provides advantage to the incumbent party.

Fourth, the incumbent parties generally receive more donation due to their popularity or power.

Therefore, the problem with electoral bonds is they make clean payments easier for the incumbent and hard for others. So, there is a need to ensure a level-playing field for non-incumbent parties.

India@75 looking at 100: A young achiever’s dream for Indian education

News: The article discusses the change required in the education system in India.

Education system in India has undergone significant changes with the time. It is expected to further change with the New Education Policy, 2020.

However, there are certain problems present in the higher education system in India and these needs to be addressed.

How higher education system in India can change?

Accessibility: There is a need that education especially at the higher levels should be easily accessible by all strata of the society.

Research: More institutions should be devoted towards research activities. This leads to enhanced learning.

Competition: There is also a need to ease the competition for higher education.

Skill based: Education needs to be skill based as there are many schools that lack experiential learning. This has also been included in the New Education Policy, 2020.

Number of teachers: There should be a greater number of teachers as teachers are very important for the education system.

Self-Reliant: On the part of students, they should understand their own responsibility and become self-reliant. This will stop spoon feeding by teachers.

Gender equality: There is also need to provide equal opportunities to women in all the sectors including education in higher studies.

GS Paper 3

Draft Telecom Bill enhances unease of doing biz amid regulatory overlaps

News: The draft telecommunication Bill was put up for comment last month.

About the salient provisions of the draft telecommunication Bill

What are the concerns associated with the draft telecom bill?

Forces digital companies to re­­port to two ministries: The draft law forces digital companies to re­­port DoT under the telecom min­istry, and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and, in some cases, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B).

More power to the government: The government has assumed under the Bill to intercept any “message” in the interest of the “sovereignty, security, integrity of the country”.

The Bill also vests DoT with the same powers as MeitY, that too without filters. The safeguards implicit in the IT Act are absent in the Bill.

Overlapping jurisdictions

With IT Act: Over-the-top (OTT) services, video and audio services under Section 2 of the draft Bill, are also covered under the IT Act as curated content.

OTT communication services are already regulated as intermediaries under the IT Act. But under the draft Bill, OTT platforms have been incorporated also as ‘telecommunications services. So, OTT platforms now have to report to both ministries — apart from following the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

There is also a duplication of penalties and powers to set standards between the two Acts.

With Cable Act of 1995: The Cable Act of 1995, which falls under the I&B ministry, was formulated to govern the registration and operation of cable networks. However, Direct-to-home services (such as cable operators) have been defined as broadcasting services under tele­com services in the Bill. Both laws have identical provisions for revoking the registration and issuing directions.

So, the duplication of regulation between the proposed telecom Bill and the Cable Act will take place.

Undermine specialised agencies under MeitY: IT, applications and software-related services have, so far, been under MeitY and its specialised bodies such as the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team.

But, the Bill includes aspects of software under the definition of “telecommunications equipment”, which might undermine the position of MeitY’s specialised agencies.

Reduce the power of Telecom Dis­putes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT): The Bill adds uncertainty to TDSAT’s role by intro­d­u­cing an alternative redressal system. The draft em­powers the government to refer any disputes to arbitration, mediation or other processes.

Non-clear definitions: The Bill has not clearly defined what constitutes “broadcasting services”. The definition does not distinguish between carriage and content. By not defining the terms, it is left to the discretion of officers who might want to also control cont­ent.

Reversal of DoT’s earlier decision

About Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications: M2M communications are treated as “communication services” requiring a licence under the bill. But that’s a reversal of DoT’s decision prescribing a registration framework issued through guidelines in 2022.

According to industry estimates, there will be at least 50 million M2M devices in the next five years, and 95% will operate on non-cellular technologies — all of which will be licensed. So, in time, non-cellular technologies such as radio-frequency identification, Bluetooth and near-field communication will also come under the purview of licensing.

About various electronic products: The government exempted various products like mobile devices, smartwatch, smart cameras and PoS machines from the mandatory testing and certi­fication of telecom equipment under the Indian Tele­graph Act.

But now, under the bill, they are included under the definition of telecom equipment. Thus open to testing.

Organic fertiliser: A must for the next green revolution

News- The article explains the current status of the organic fertiliser industry in India and its future potential.

What is the meaning of organic fertiliser?

As per government rules,Organic fertiliser can be categorised into two segments: Bio-fertiliser and organic manure.

Bio-fertilisers are composed of living microorganisms. These are attached to solid or liquid carriers. These microorganisms help in increasing the productivity of soil.

Organic manure is partially decomposed organic matter from biogas plants, compost or vermi-compost.

What is the current status of the organic fertiliser industry?

In India at present, biofertilizer production is just over 110,000 tonnes. 34 million tonnes of organic manure is also produced.

The popularity of organic farming has grown in the domestic market in recent years. The market size for Indian organic packaged food is expected to grow at a rate of 17 per cent and cross Rs 871 million by 2021.

The penetration of organic fertilisers is low. The proportion of organic fertilisers of the overall fertiliser consumption was 0.29 per 0.34 per cent for 2019-20.

What is the potential of biogas plants?

Biogas plants produce biogas as well as organic fertilisers.

As per data of National Solid Waste Association and CPCB, India produces more than 150000 tonnes of municipal solid waste. If we consider organic waste to be 50% of this and collection efficiency of 80%, organic waste generated per day in India is around 65000 tonnes.

Even if half of this is diverted to the biogas industry, the government can reduce import dependence on fossil fuels and fertiliser.

The popularity of organic farming has grown in the domestic market in recent years. The market size for Indian organic packaged food is expected to grow at a rate of 17 per cent and cross Rs 871 million by 2021.

The penetration of organic fertilisers is low. The proportion of organic fertilisers of the overall fertiliser consumption was 0.29 per 0.34 per cent for 2019-20.

What is the SATAT programme?

Under the SATAT programme, more than 5,000 projects have been targeted across the country by the industry.

Bio-compressed natural gas and solid organic manure can be produced in large quantities under the SATAT programme.

It is estimated that 50 million tonnes per annum of solid organic manure / will be generated in India once these projects are installed. It will help the country save $16 billion year-on-year.

The illusion of being faster than light:how a star problem was solved

News- The article explains the new observation by scientists related to merging of neutron stars.

What is the new discovery?

In 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave (LIGO) observatories recorded a signal. It indicated that two massive and dense stellar bodies had merged to form a third body, likely a black hole. From this merger, an unusual jet of matter was observed, which gave an illusion of traveling faster than light.

In a paper published in Nature, the scientists describe measuring the “apparent speed” of the jet to be about seven times the speed of light. They have measured the speed of the relativistic jet to be close to 0.9997c, where “c” is the speed of light.

It clears the doubt around the source of the jet travelling faster then light. These clearly are massive neutron stars merging to give a black hole and throwing off relativistic jets of particles in the process.

What are neutron stars?

Neutron stars are formed when a star reaches the end of its lifetime. They are formed by supernova explosions. They are extremely dense.

What is the phenomenon of illusion created by particles moving at seven times the speed of light?

This happens in cases where a source moves towards us with a velocity that is very close to light’s velocity. This phenomena happens in the case of black holes. It was also known earlier.

The present measurements and observations made with GAIA data amount to measuring the position of an object in the sky.

Normally, if we make these measurements from earth-based telescopes, it would require data from radio telescopes spaced apart by intercontinental distances. This technique is called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and was used in the earlier papers. But the newly measured has better precision than VLBI technique.

What are the impacts of study?

We have learnt that neutron star mergers can result in relative speed very close to light. It is better than the earlier VLBI technique.

It strengthens the hypothesis that such neutron star mergers are responsible for a class of gamma-ray bursts. Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of extreme gamma ray photons that release a huge amount of energy. They come from different galaxies in the universe and are observed here quite frequently.

How Direct Benefit Transfer scheme has transformed social welfare in India

News- The article explains the DBT scheme of Indian government

IMF lauded India’s Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme as a “logistical marvel” that has reached hundreds of millions of people and specifically benefited women, the elderly and farmers.

David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, had also urged other nations to adopt India’s move of targeted cash transfer instead of broad subsidies .

How has the successful implementation of the DBT scheme been achieved?

DBT alone would not have been able to address the size and scale of the programme. An ambitious vision, holistic approach and a multi-pronged strategy enabled the DBT ecosystem to deliver results.

In 2014, the government started its financial inclusion programme in mission-mode. It strived to open bank accounts for all households, expanded Aadhaar to all. It also scaled up the coverage of banking and telecom services.

The Government evolved the Public Finance Management System. It created the Aadhaar Payment Bridge to enable instant money transfers from the government to people’s bank accounts. The Aadhaar-enabled Payment System and Unified Payment Interface further expanded interoperability and private-sector participation.

What has been achieved by the DBT programme?

By 2022, more than 135 crore Aadhaars have been generated, there are 47 crore beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. 6.5 lakh Bank Mitras are delivering branchless banking services. There are more than 120 crore mobile subscribers. It now covers 318 schemes of 53 central ministries.

In rural India, DBT has allowed the government to provide financial assistance effectively to farmers with lower transaction costs. It has been possible through direct transfers for schemes like the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Fasal Bima Yojana. It has boosted the agricultural economy.

In urban India, the PM Awas Yojana and LPG Pahal scheme successfully use DBT to transfer funds to eligible beneficiaries.

Various scholarship schemes and the National Social Assistance Programme use the DBT architecture to provide social security.

DBT under rehabilitation programmes such as the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers have improved the social mobility of all sections of society.

The efficacy and robustness of the DBT network were witnessed during the pandemic. Free rations to nearly 80 crore people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, fund transfers to all women Jan Dhan account holders and support to small vendors under PM-SVANidhi shows its effectiveness.

What is the way forward?

Improve digital and financial literacy.

Robust grievance redressal for DBT

Enhancing awareness and an empowering innovation system.

The exchange rate will soon have to play a bigger adjustment role

News- The article explains the factors behind depreciation of currencies of major economies across the world. It also exp[lains the scenario of India.

The currency of most major economies has depreciated against the dollar in the past year. Only the currencies of Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Peru have appreciated.

What are factors behind the depreciation of currency across major economies?

It depends on four factors- (a) Structure of its trade (b) Its Current Account Deficit (c) Foreign exchange reserves (d) Extent of borrowing in international rather than domestic currencies.

(a) A lot depends upon whether a country is a net exporter or importer of commodities. Countries like Russia, Peru have benefited from high energy prices. While other countries who are net importers of commodities have experienced depreciation in their currencies. India falls in this group.

(b) Countries with current account surplus are not impacted by sudden withdrawal of foreign capital. India has a current account deficit right now.

(c) Countries with high foreign reserves need not be worried about balance of payment shocks due to sudden withdrawal of foreign capital. India has a higher amount of foreign reserves.

(d) Countries with public debt in local currency need not to be worried much. India has borrowed mostly from local investors.

What is the scenario with India? Two factors are in favour of India and two are against it.

India has responded to depreciating Rupee by purchasing foreign exchange reserves. It has preferred to allow the depreciation of Rupee rather than using too much foreign exchange reserves.

India foreign exchange reserves soared to $640 billion in September 2021. This situation has reversed now. It has lost $110 billion in foreign reserves.

India still has adequate foreign reserves. But fall in reserves means that the exchange rate will play a bigger role in the economy.

What are possible options for India?

Looking at imports bills in the future and BoP deficit, India will have to do a careful balancing act.

India has the option of using interest rates to defend Indian Rupee. But we have an inflation targeting regime where interest rates can be only used to manage inflation. ITargeting two policy goals is not ideal option

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Tussle in Kerala: Can Governor Khan dismiss a state minister?

Source: The post is based on the article “Tussle in Kerala: Can Governor Khan dismiss a state minister?” published in Indian Express on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

Kerala Governor who is locked in a standoff with the elected government on a range of issues including appointments to the state-run Kerala University has threatened to sack ministers who “lowered the dignity” of his office.

What role does the Governor play in the parliamentary system?

The position, role, powers and conditions of office of the Governor are described in Articles 153-161 of the Constitution. 

The position of Governor is similar to that of the President at the Union. He is appointed by the President (on the advice of the central government) and, therefore acts as the vital link between the Union and the state governments.

Can a Governor dismiss a Minister?

Article 164(1) deals with the appointment of the Chief Minister and other ministers. 

According to it, the Governor does not have to seek anyone’s advice while appointing the Chief Minister, but he can appoint a minister only on the recommendation of the Chief Minister. 

The Governor has no power to pick anyone he chooses to make a minister. He can appoint a minister only on the advice of the Chief Minister.

Supreme Court on Governor’s powers

In Shamsher Singh versus State of Punjab & Anr. (1974), a seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court affirmed that all functions discharged by the Governor would have to be based on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers except in a few well-known exceptional situations. These situations could arise if the Prime Minister or Chief Minister cease to command the majority in the House, the government loses the majority but refuses to quit office among others.

In Nabam Rebia And Etc. vs Deputy Speaker And Ors (2016), the Supreme Court cited the observations of B R Ambedkar: “The Governor under the Constitution has no function which he can discharge by himself; no functions at all. While he has no functions, he has certain duties to perform, and I think the House will do well to bear in mind this distinction.”

What does the “pleasure” of the Governor mean?

The pleasure of the Governor does not mean the Governor has the right to dismiss the Chief Minister or ministers at will. 

The Governor can have his pleasure as long as the government enjoys a majority in the House. The Governor can withdraw his pleasure only when the government loses the majority but refuses to quit. Then he withdraws the pleasure and dismisses it.

What are the various recommendations about the functioning of Governor?

National Commission To Review the Working of the Constitution (2000): It recommended significant changes in the selection of Governors. It suggested that the Governor of a State should be appointed by the President, after consultation with the Chief Minister of that State.

– Normally the five-year term should be adhered to and removal or transfer of the Governor should be by following a similar procedure as for appointment i.e., after consultation with the Chief Minister of the concerned State.

Sarkaria Commission(1983): It looked into Center-State relations and proposed that the Vice President of India and the Speaker of Lok Sabha should be consulted by the Prime Minister in the selection of Governors.

Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi Committee: It was constituted in 2007 on Centre-state relations. It proposed that a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Vice President, Speaker, and the concerned Chief Minister should choose the Governor.

– It recommended deleting the “Doctrine of Pleasure” from the Constitution but backed the right of the Governor to sanction the prosecution of ministers against the advice of the state government. It also argued for a provision for the impeachment of the Governor by the state legislature.

PM reviews work in progress of National Maritime Heritage Complex site at Lothal, Gujarat

Source: The post is based on the article “PM reviews work in progress of National Maritime Heritage Complex site at Lothal, Gujarat” published in PIB on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has reviewed the work in progress at the site of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, Gujarat.

About National Maritime Heritage Complex(NHMC)

National Maritime Heritage Complex(NHMC) will be developed in Lothal region of Gujarat.

It would be developed as an international tourist destination, where the maritime heritage of India from ancient to modern times would be showcased.

The idea is to create an edutainment (education with entertainment) approach for this destination that would be of great interest to the visitors.

It is going to cover an area of 400 acres, with structures such as Heritage Theme Park, National Maritime Heritage Museum, Lighthouse Museum, Maritime Institute, eco-resorts, and more.

There will also be many pavilions where all coastal states in India and union territories can showcase their artifacts and maritime heritage.

About Lothal

Lothal was one of the prominent cities of the Harappan civilization.

The site is known for the discovery of the oldest man-made dockyard which was connected to an old course of the Sabarmati River. 

Other features include the acropolis, the lower town, the bead factory, the warehouses, and the drainage system. 

The site has been nominated to be enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

First 11 awardees of WISER programme to promote participation of women in international R&D and industry projects facilitated

Source: The post is based on the article “First 11 awardees of WISER programme to promote participation” published in PIB on 18h October 2022.

What is the News?

The first 11 awardees of the Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) programme were felicitated in the presence of the German Ambassador to India & Bhutan and the Vice Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

What is the WISER programme?

Launched in: 2021

Launched by: Indo-German Science & Technology Centre(IGSTC)

Purpose: It is a first-of-its-kind programme to promote women in the field of research and development through lateral entry.

Features: The program will support women scientists holding regular/long-term research positions in academia or research institutes/industry. 

– The involvement in the program will be possible through lateral entry. There is neither requirement for a break-in-career nor any age limit, and it will enable easy participation.

Financial Support: IGSTC is going to support the awardees with a maximum amounting to Rs. 39 Lakh from the Indian side & €48000 from the German side. The WISER program offers 20 awards per year.

Six new spider species discovered from across the country

Source: The post is based on the article “Six new spider species discovered from across the country” published in The Hindu on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

Arachnologists from the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology(CATE) have discovered six new species of spiders from across the country.

What are the new spider species discovered?

Afraflacilla miajlarensis: It was discovered in the Thar desert of Rajasthan. It belongs to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae). It is characterized by white fine hairs on a black head and black horizontal lines on the abdomen. This spider stays among dry leaf blades. 

Afraflacilla kurichiadensis: It was discovered from Wayanad, Kerala. It belongs to the family of jumping spiders (Salticidae). It is characterized by red patches around the eyes and white hairs on the abdomen. The bulged first pair of legs are also a special feature of this species. This spider lives in the moist deciduous forest of Kurichiyad.

Siamspinops garoensis: It was discovered in the Garo hills in Meghalaya. It belongs to the family of flat spiders, Selenopidae. This spider lives in the crevices of rocks on hills and its flat body is suitable for this mode of life. 

Philoponella rostralis: It was discovered in Kottappara hills near Kothamangalam, Kerala. The species lacks a venom gland and belongs to the family of feather- legged spiders (Uloboridae).

Oxyopes peetham: It has been discovered in Thumboormuzhi butterfly garden, near the Athirappilly waterfalls, Kerala. It belongs to the family of spiny-legged spiders (Oxyopidae). It is characterized by a yellowish body.

Oxyopes thumboormuzhiensis: It has been discovered at Calicut University campus, Kerala. It belongs to the family of spiny-legged spiders (Oxyopidae). It aims to signify the locality where the spiders were spotted.

Japan seeks Geographical Indication tag for nihonshu, an alcoholic beverage

Source: The post is based on the article “Japan seeks Geographical Indication tag for nihonshu, an alcoholic beverage” published in The Hindu on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Embassy of Japan, New Delhi has filed an application seeking a Geographical Indication(GI) tag for nihonshu/Japanese sake, an alcoholic beverage. 

This is the first time a product from Japan has filed for a tag at the Geographical Indication Registry in India.

What is Nihonshu/Japanese sake?

Nihonshu is an alcoholic beverage. It is regarded as a special and valuable beverage made from fermenting rice. 

People traditionally drink nihonshu on special occasions, such as festivals, weddings or funerals, but it is also consumed on a daily basis. Thus, it is an integral part of the lifestyle and culture in Japan. 

For making nihonshu three main raw materials – rice, koji-kin (a type of fungal spore) and water – are required. 

The production of nihonshu follows an alcoholic fermentation method called parallel multiple fermentation and involves the raw material treatment, koji making, starter culture-making, mash making, pressing, heat sterilization and bottling.

Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study

Source: The post is based on the article “Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study” published in The Hindu on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

A study carried out by researchers at the Center for Ecological Sciences(CES) and Divecha Centre for Climate Change (DCCC), IISc has revealed that grazing animals hold the key to long-term soil carbon stability.

How do grazing animals help in long-term soil carbon stability in the Himalayas?

Large mammalian herbivores like the Yak and Ibex play a crucial role in stabilizing the pool of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems such as the Spiti region in the Himalayas.

For instance, researchers studied the impact of grazing animals on Himalayan ecosystems in 2005 by establishing fenced plots (where animals were excluded) as well as plots in which animals like yak and ibex grazed.

From one year to the next, they found that soil carbon was found to fluctuate 30-40% more in the fenced plots where animals were absent, compared to the grazed plots where it remained more stable each year. 

A key factor underlying these fluctuations was nitrogen. Depending on the soil conditions, nitrogen can either stabilize or destabilize the carbon pool. However, grazing by herbivores changes their interactions in ways that tip the balance in favour of the former.

Hence, the researchers concluded that experimental removal of grazing by herbivores from such ecosystems was found to increase the fluctuations in the level of soil carbon, which can have unintended negative consequences for the global carbon cycle.

What is the significance of this study?

As grazing ecosystems make up about 40% of the Earth’s land surface, protecting the herbivores that keep the soil carbon stable should remain a key priority for mitigating climate change.

Giraffes brought to India 150 years ago from Africa may be a critically endangered species

Source: The post is based on the article “Giraffes brought to India 150 years ago from Africa may be a critically endangered species” published in The Hindu on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

According to a study, the Giraffes brought to India by Britishers may be a critically endangered species.

About the study

About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of what they thought were a single species of the northern giraffe to India from their other colonial possessions in Africa. 

These now comprise a captive population of 29 individuals of northern giraffes across the country.

A study was recently conducted on these giraffes at Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata. The researchers confirmed that the giraffes in this facility are most likely “critically endangered” Nubian giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) or the endangered Rothschild giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).

What is the significance of this study?

There are different giraffes in captivity in Mysuru, Chennai, Patna, Guwahati and Hyderabad.

As both the Nubian and Rothschild giraffes are listed as ‘critically endangered’ and ‘endangered’ by the IUCN respectively. 

Hence, it is important that the Central Zoo Authority conducts further studies of the giraffes in captivity so that the species are not interbred with each other and the giraffes’ germplasm is preserved.

Note: There is little to no information on where the giraffes brought to India from Africa had been captured, so the only way to identify the species would be through a mitochondrial gene study.

Matihani-Sambho bridge: Bihar project gets go-ahead: NHAI alters rules, govt plans bridge over Ganga

Source: The post is based on the article “Bihar project gets go-ahead: NHAI alters rules, govt plans bridge over Ganga” published in Indian Express on 19th October 2022.

What is the News?

The Government of India has cleared a crucial bridge project on the River Ganga in Begusarai.

About the Matihani-Sambho bridge

The bridge is being built on the River Ganga in Begusarai (Bihar).

It will link the riverine areas of Matihani and Sambho in Begusarai and would also connect NH-31 (Patna-Mokama) and NH-80 (Begusarai-Purnea).

The National Highway Authority of India has made a rare exception to clear the feasibility report of the bridge. As per the rule, within 50 km of a bridge, upstream or downstream, a new bridge cannot be considered. 

But in this case, the shortening of travel distance, potential benefits to the rural economy and upcoming Assembly polls seem to have worked in the project’s favour.

Benefits of the bridge: The bridge would shorten the travel route from North Bihar to South Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and Nepal by at least 70 km.

It would also hold greater importance in terms of the safety of 13 industrial units in Begusarai and Barauni by providing a base and easy access to NDRF teams in times of any industrial disaster.