9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 26th, 2022

Current Affairs Compilations for UPSC IAS Prelims 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• What Pakistan’s removal from FATF grey list signifies
• A medical student writes: What the language debate misses, and why translating MBBS books to Hindi is easier said than done

GS Paper 3

• A renewable energy revolution, rooted in agriculture
• Indian sugarcane fields could yield a flex-fuel bonanza
• Not a pre-election Budget, please!
• A rate-and-rupee strategy could restore India external balances
• Corporate insolvency: Rethinking irregular transactions
• Ending dominance

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• Kantara: What is the controversy over the practice of ‘bhoota kola’ in the Kannada movie?
• Sandalwood Spike disease: ‘Invisible’ disease wreaks havoc on commercial sandalwood cultivation
• ISRO’s heaviest rocket successfully places 36 satellites in orbit
• The heaviness of rockets, why it matters in space flight
• Allmania multiflora: Plant spotted in Palakkad is second species of the genus Allmania, say researchers
• PM launches Rozgar Mela – recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel
• ‘India’s exports to China growing faster than inbound shipments’
• Sukapaika River: Breathing life into a dead river in Odisha
• Five new varieties to expand India’s Basmati platter

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

What Pakistan’s removal from FATF grey list signifies

News: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has recently decided to remove Pakistan from its grey list.

What is FATF?

It checks global money laundering and prevents the misuse of international financial channels and instruments for terrorism and criminal activities.

The US has relied on FATF along with the listing of terrorist in UNSC’s designated terror list in fighting against terrorism since 1998.

However, FATF has been more influential when compared to UNSC’s global terror list.

How FATF has been more influential compared to UNSC?

The UNSC maintains the global terrorist list. The member countries pass the resolution to designate the name of terrorists in the global terrorist list of UNSC.

Once listed in the global list of terrorists the UNSC requires states to implement sanctions against them.

However, this mechanism is not very effective. Although it embarrasses the states that host the terror activities, it does not put pressure on it to comply with the requirements to end terrorism.

Therefore, FATF has been more effective in tackling terrorism and putting Pakistan in the grey list was one such effort towards ending terrorism. Although, the FATF also does not sanction states but being placed on its grey list has other consequences for a country.

How far FATF has been successful in handling Pakistan?

Pakistan was being monitored by FATF from the last two decades as the country saw an increase in the terror activities along with terror funding.

Pakistan was put in the grey list of FATF in 2018. This led Pakistan to comply with the directions of FATF else there were chances of being blacklisted.

The FATF monitoring requirements tightened bank regulations in Pakistan which also affected the citizen of Pakistan.

Further, it also impacted the government’s access to international finances including assistance from multilateral agencies and from private lenders. It has also forced Pakistan to bring down cross-border terror activities.

However, the current decision of removing Pakistan from the grey list has raised the concern for India as terrorist like Masood Azhar and others are still free. Therefore, India needs to fight terrorism diplomatically with the goal of making itself more stable and secure.

A medical student writes: What the language debate misses, and why translating MBBS books to Hindi is easier said than done

News- The article explains the issues related with the recent move of the central government to translate medical books into Hindi language.

What are the arguments in support of translation?

There are countries like China, Japan, Russia and Norway where technical and non-technical languages are the medium of instruction in technical and non-technical courses.

Imparting education in a student’s mother tongue is effective for learning.

What are the issues with translation?

Fifty-two medical colleges, out of the total 170 colleges on mainland China teach in both Chinese and English. Chinese healthcare is also self-sufficient when it comes to research and protocols. Germany has availability of primary resources available in their own language.

We can not compare the status of English with German or Chinese. There are few resources available in Hindi that can provide job opportunities.

English allows dialogue with the rest of the world. The field of medical science is continuously evolving. It requires constant learning from research papers, articles and books. A sound system of translation is needed for it.

There is a need to properly understand the process of translation. The medical terminology remains the same. Only sentences have been translated for easier reading. These books are to be used as bridge books and not as replacements for the English books. They are designed to address the initial problems faced by students.

There is a lack of necessary infrastructure for translation. Professors and teaching staff need to be trained.

There has been no clarity on whether these translations will be incorporated as reading materials. Translating these books only once would not suffice. Newer editions of books require constant updating.

GS Paper 3

A renewable energy revolution, rooted in agriculture

News: A private company has established first bio-energy plant in Sangrur district of Punjab. The plant will produce Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) from paddy straw.

This will eventually provide the solution to stubble burning in Punjab and will convert agricultural waste into useful products.

The government has also taken various steps to tackle stubble burning.

What are the efforts taken by the government to tackle stubble burning?

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had developed a framework for the effective prevention and control of stubble burning.

The framework includes both in-situ and ex-situ crop management.

In-situ management includes mixing paddy straw and stubble in the soil using heavy machinery. This machinery is subsidized and supported by crop residue management (CRM) Scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Ex-situ CRM efforts include the use of paddy straw for biomass power projects and burning in thermal power plants, as feedstock for 2G ethanol plants, feed stock in CBG plants, fuel in industrial boilers, etc.

Further measures are also taken to ban stubble burning, monitor it and generate awareness.

However, the measures have been not enough to tackle the burning issues and crop residue burning is spreading even to rabi crops and the rest of the country.

What were the recommendations of FAO?

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) suggested to develop a crop residue supply chain in Punjab that can allow the collection, storage and final use of rice straw for other productive services.

This would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 9.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent and around 66,000 tonnes of PM2.5.

Further, farmers can expect to earn between ₹550 and ₹1,500 per ton of rice straw sold depending on market conditions.

A techno-economic assessment of energy technologies suggested that rice straw can be cost-effective for producing CBG and pellets.

These pellets can be used in thermal power plants as a substitute of coal and CBG as a transport fuel.

What is the target set under SATAT scheme?

The Government of India has set a 5% CBG production target under Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme. This target can be achieved with 30% of rice straw produced in Panjab.

The plant setup by Verbio India Private Limited in Punjab will use one lakh tonnes of paddy straw produced from approximately 16,000 hectares of paddy fields.

This will reduce up to 1.5 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and also provide employment opportunities in Punjab.

What are the benefits of SATAT scheme?

It will increase local entrepreneurship, increase farmers’ income and reduce open burning of rice straw.

The paddy straw from one acre of crop can yield energy output (CBG) worth more than ₹17,000. It is an extra 30% income for a farmer.

The fermented organic manure from the plant (CBG) will be useful as compost to replenish soils heavily depleted of organic matter and b) reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Therefore, this initiative is an example of a ‘wealth from waste’ approach and circular economy.

Indian sugarcane fields could yield a flex-fuel bonanza

News: The article discusses the benefits of ethanol blending in Brazil and measures that need to be adopted by India for ethanol blending fuel.

Ethanol blended petrol was first used in Brazil after the deployment of flex-fuel technology. Today, around 93% of the vehicles in Brazil are capable of running on ethanol.

What are the benefits of ethanol blending and how has it benefited Brazil?

Ethanol emits between 44% and 52% less greenhouse gas emissions as compared to petrol. So, when it is combined with petrol it significantly reduces the CO2 emissions of a vehicle. Whereas, even new technologies like Electric Vehicles require power for charging batteries, i.e. fossil fuel-based power plants.

The ethanol blending has helped Brazil in reducing contribution of CO2 equivalents into the atmosphere.

Further, ethanol production in Brazil is highly efficient and most facilities use residual waste from the process (bagasse) for power.

In 2020, around 5% of the total power consumption of the country was met by bio-electricity generated from bagasse.

How ethanol is produced in Brazil and what are requirements to produce ethanol?

Brazilian ethanol is produced from sugarcane. It is one of the world’s leading producers of sugar ethanol and one of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane.

The ethanol produced from sugarcane in Brazil has a much higher energy balance than corn-based ethanol produced by the US.

Further, very few other countries can produce sugar ethanol because sugarcane needs to be converted into ethanol within 24 hours of harvesting else it spoils.

Therefore, all sugar ethanol production plants have to be located in the centre of the fields from which they get their raw material.

So, looking at the requirements to produce ethanol, India stands at the position to produce sugar-based ethanol blending.

How India can produce ethanol?

India is a major sugarcane producer like Brazil and it is one of the very few countries in the world that can adapt its fuel supply to incorporate ethanol.

Therefore, India needs to adopt production technique like Brazil and mandate that all internal combustion engine vehicles be redesigned to incorporate flex-fuel technology to use ethanol blended fuel.

This will eventually help India to reduce CO2 emissions and help achieve India to fulfil its environmental targets.

What should be done?

India’s Union minister for transport Nitin Gadkari launched the country’s first flex-fuel car that was capable of running on petrol, ethanol or any mixture of the two. However, ethanol is not a complete solution to the climate challenges of the world but it is a great step towards achieving a sustainable future.

You have missed this point:  [AS1]

as much as EVs are themselves zero emission, as long as the batteries they use are charged using electricity from the power grid, their net carbon impact is still high because a significant proportion of our power plants use fossil fuel for generation.

Not a pre-election Budget, please!

News: The finance Ministry has started preparing the Union Budget for 2023-24. It would be presented on February 1, 2023.

This budget will be a last full Budget of the present government in its second term. Therefore, the budget is expected to be a pre-election budget. It means it may include promises for spending to attract voters.

However, government should not make it a pre-election budget as these spending further increases burden on the government.

Instead, the budget of 2023 should focus on fiscal consolidation.

Why is there a need for fiscal consolidation?

The Union Finance Minister had set for the Centre a fiscal reduction plan to be achieved over a longer period.

Fifteenth Finance Commission has also recommended states to reduce its fiscal deficit.

Accordingly, the Centre’s fiscal deficit is set to be brought down to 4.5 per cent by 2025-26 while the states should bring theirs down to 3 per cent by 2023-24.

As per revised estimated for 2021-22, the combined fiscal deficits of 18 major states would be about 3.4 per cent and is expected to decline to only 3.3 per cent in 2022-23.

Therefore, achieving 3 per cent fiscal deficit target for the states in 2023-24 looks difficult.

The Centre has brought down its fiscal deficit from 9.2 per cent of GDP in 2020-21 to 6.7 per cent in 2021-22 and is likely to bring it down to 6.4 per cent in 2022-23. However, reducing its fiscal deficit to the set target of 4.5 per cent would be difficult if finance ministry treats the budget for 2023-24 as a pre-election exercise.

Further, fiscal consolidation is also necessary to face the emerging global economic challenges, check the rising inflation along with depletion of forex reserves.

Therefore, ensuring financial stability through fiscal consolidation should be the goal rather than achieving higher growth through increased spending.

A rate-and-rupee strategy could restore India external balances

News- The article explains the current macroeconomic scenario in the country. It talks about the policy response to improve the external balances.

What is the situation of external macroeconomics indicators?

Foreign exchange reserves are $533 billion.

The Rupee has weakened by 4.5% against the US Dollar since September.

Trade and current account deficit are widening. CAD is likely to be 5% of GDP in the quarter ending September.

External balances are facing pressures from higher commodity prices, high inflation, monetary policy tightening across the world.

What is the internal economic scenario?

Investment scenario is weak. Some investment indicators are rising. It does not signal rising capital expenditure. It is mostly replacement capital expenditure from the pandemic period.

Saving rates have fallen. It has contributed to widening CAD. Higher public sector borrowing, lower household saving and lower bank deposits are responsible for low saving rates.

What can be the policy repose?

Policy rate hikes– It may check the inflation, incentive saving and discourage the household borrowings. But it could slow down income growth.

Increase public savings– It can lead to expenditure cuts. It will be negative for GDP growth and income.

Currency depreciation– It will make exports more competitive, imports more expensive and lower trade deficit.

A combination of higher interest rates and weaker Rupee is the optimal response. In September RBI moved to a two-pronged strategy of higher rates and weaker Rupee.

But there are challenges to this path. Real deposit rates are negative and trade weighted REER has not weakened since May this year.

Corporate insolvency: Rethinking irregular transactions

News- The article explains the impact of recent SC judgement on insolvency process.

In Anuj Jain Vs Axis Bank Ltd, the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the recovery of 758 acres of land valued at over Rs 5,300 crore  lost through irregular transactions.

Till June this year, 786 applications have been filed to claw back Rs 2,21,104 crore allegedly lost through irregular transactions by firms undergoing the corporate insolvency resolution process.

Which are irregular transactions identified by IBC Code, 2016?

The first set is known as avoidance transactions. It comprises preferential transactions, undervalued transactions and extortionate transactions. The Code mandates the liquidation process to disregard these transactions.

The second set is known as fraudulent transactions. It comprises fraudulent trading or wrongful trading. The Code requires the liquidation process to recover the loss made through these transactions.

How reversing of avoidance transactions may promote the objectives of the Code?

Reversing avoidance transactions may be a key source of additional value in corporate insolvency over and above the existing assets of the firm.

It maximises the value of the assets of the firm. If it is not possible to get away with avoidance transactions with impunity, no one would resort to such opportunistic behaviour. The possibility of the firm getting into stress is minimised.

The code requires resolution plans to consider the order of priority for distribution of liquidation proceeds. If someone resorts to avoidance transactions, a junior stakeholder may take precedence over a senior stakeholder. It creates a disincentive for avoidance transactions.

The insolvency code also makes the directors of the firm liable for the loss to creditors that arise from the time when a director knew or ought to have known that there was no reasonable prospect of avoiding CIRP. It incentivises the firm as well as directors to seek resolution in the early days of stress when the possibility of rescue is higher.

A Sizable amount has been lost by firms through irregular transactions. IBBI newsletter for December 2021 quarter, indicates that firms going through CIRP have lost at least 10% of claims admitted against them through irregular transactions during the lookback period.

Resolution processes are likely to result in liquidations of firms where relatively more value has been lost through irregular transactions. Avoiding irregular transactions will avoid the liquidation  of firms and keep them alive.

Ending dominance

News- Recently, an order was passed by Competition Commission of India against use of anti-competitive practices by Google to maintain its dominance.

What are the main observations of the order?

It imposed a penalty of 1337 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android mobile device market.

It criticised Google for restrictive clauses in its agreement with original equipment manufacturers.

The court observed that through these agreements Google ensured that users continue to use its search services on mobile devices. It is against the competition in the market.

The regulator directed to Google that it can not force original equipment manufacturers to choose from its app for installation on their devices. Installing them can not be a precondition for licensing of its Play Store.

Users can not be restricted from uninstalling its pre-installed apps.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

Kantara: What is the controversy over the practice of ‘bhoota kola’ in the Kannada movie?

Source: The post is based on the article “Kantara: What is the controversy over the practice of ‘bhoota kola’ in the Kannada movie?” published in Indian Express on 26th October 2022

What is the News?

Kannada film Kantara is being appreciated from all corners for its visual storytelling as well as compelling music and performances. However, the movie has also garnered controversies regarding the cultural practice of Bhoota Kola depicted in the movie.

What is Bhoota Kola?

Bhoota Kola is an annual folk ritual of Tulu-speaking people in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka where local spirits or deities are worshiped

Performance: Bhootada Kola is performed by a trained person who is believed to have temporarily become a god himself. 

The performer displays an aggressive outlook, dances fiercely and performs multiple rituals. 

This performer is feared and respected in the community and is believed to give answers to people’s problems on behalf of god. Drums and music give company to the dancing and pooja rituals.

Popular Bhootas: Panjurli, Bobbarya, Pilipoota, Kalkuda, Kalburti, Pilichamundi, Koti Chennaya are some of the popular gods (Bhootas) worshipped as part of Bhootada Kola.

Influence: Bhootada Kola is said to have some influence from Yakshagana, a more popular and widely performed folk dance in coastal Karnataka. Some of the Bhootada Kola rituals also involve walking on a bed of hot coal.

Sandalwood Spike disease: ‘Invisible’ disease wreaks havoc on commercial sandalwood cultivation

Source: The post is based on the article “Invisible disease wreaks havoc on commercial sandalwood cultivation” published in PIB on 25th October 2022

What is the News?

A study has shown that Sandalwood Spike Disease(SSD) is posing a severe threat on the Commercial Cultivation of Sandalwood.

What is Sandalwood Spike disease?

Sandalwood Spike disease is a major infectious disease of Sandalwood trees.

Transmission: The disease can transmit through seeds of infected trees through the presence of disease-causing bacteria called Phytoplasma.

Note: Phytoplasmas are bacterial parasites of plant tissues — which are transmitted by insect vectors and involved in plant-to-plant transmission.

Origin: The disease was first reported in Kodagu, Karnataka in 1899. More than a million sandalwood trees were removed in the Kodagu and Mysore region between 1903 and 1916.

Treatment: There is no cure as of now for the disease. Hence, presently, there is no option but to cut down and remove the infected tree to prevent the spread of the disease.

Concerns: About 1% to 5% of sandalwood trees are lost every year due to the disease. Scientists warn that it could wipe out the entire natural Sandalwood population if measures are not taken to prevent its spread.

Measures taken: To combat the Sandalwood Spike disease, the Institute of Wood Science and Technology(IWST), Bangalore has joined hands with the Pune-based National Centre for Cell Sciences for a three-year study.

– This study has recommended accreditation of commercial production of sandalwood seedlings through testing to ensure that the plants are free from SSD. It has also called for a paradigm shift in policies handling sandalwood seedlings.

ISRO’s heaviest rocket successfully places 36 satellites in orbit

Source: The post is based on the article “ISRO’s heaviest rocket successfully places 36 satellites in orbit” published in The Hindu on 25th October 2022

What is the News?

Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has successfully completed the LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 mission, placing 36 satellites into the intended orbit.

What is the LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 mission?

LVM3-M2 is the dedicated commercial satellite mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

This mission is being undertaken as part of the commercial arrangement entered into between NSIL and OneWeb Ltd.

As part of this mission 36 OneWeb Gen-1 satellites meant for global connectivity needs have been launched into Low Earth Orbit.

Significance of the mission: The mission assumes significance as this was LVM3’s maiden commercial mission and also NSIL’s first with the LVM3 vehicle.

– The mission also has the heaviest payload with 36 satellites of OneWeb, becoming the first Indian rocket with a payload of 5,796 kg.

What is OneWeb?

OneWeb is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments, businesses and communities. It is implementing a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites. 

India’s Bharti Enterprises serves as a major investor and shareholder in OneWeb.

The heaviness of rockets, why it matters in space flight

Source: The post is based on the article “The heaviness of rockets, why it matters in space flight” published in Indian Express on 26th October 2022

What is the News?

ISRO has crossed an important milestone with the successful launch of the LVM3 M2/OneWeb India-1 mission. 

The LVM3 rocket carried almost 6 tonnes of payload into lower-earth orbit, the most that any ISRO mission has delivered into space till date. 

India’s Rockets

India currently has three operational launch vehicles: 

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV: It has been the most commonly used having carried as many as 53 successful missions since 1993. Only two flights of PSLV have failed.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle or GSLV Mk-II: It has been used in 14 missions, of which four have ended in failures, most recently in 2021. 

Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3: It has been flown five times, including the Chandrayaan 2 mission.

In addition, ISRO has been working on a reusable launch vehicle(RLV). Unlike other rockets, the RLV would not end up in space as waste. Instead, it can be brought back and refurbished for use multiple times.

About Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM 3 (previously called as GSLV MK III)

Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM 3) is a three-stage launch vehicle consisting of two solid propellants S200 strap-ons on its sides and a core stage comprising the L110 liquid stage and C25 cryogenic stage.

LMV3 rocket has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes. It can carry up to 8 tonnes of payloads to lower earth orbits(LEO). To the geostationary transfer orbits (GTO), it can carry a payload of about 4 tonnes. 

Note: The Ariane 5 rockets of Europe which was frequently used by ISRO for its heavy payloads has a lift-off mass of 780 tonnes and can carry 20-tonne payloads to lower earth orbits and 10 tonnes to GTO.

– The Falcon Heavy rockets from SpaceX, supposed to be the most powerful modern launch vehicles, weigh over 1,400 tonnes at launch time and can carry payloads weighing only about 60 tonnes.

What are the constraints of launch vehicles?

Tyranny of the rocket equation– The size of a launch vehicle is dictated by 1) The destination in space it is headed towards, 2) The kind of fuel mix that is being used (solid, liquid, cryogenic) and 3) The size of the payload.

– The choice of any two of these variables places severe restrictions on the flexibility of the third, which is popularly referred to as the “tyranny of the rocket equation”.

Gravity till LEO– Most of a rocket’s energy is burnt in travelling to the lower earth orbit because the force of gravity is the strongest here.

The gravity of the destination – If a space mission is headed towards any celestial body, more energy would be expended compared to simply attaining a space orbit.

What innovations can be used to overcome constraints?

The rockets can make multiple trips, carrying components of larger structures that can be assembled in space, similar to the International Space Station being built.

The other is the possibility of the use of resources available in situ on the Moon and Mars.

Allmania multiflora: Plant spotted in Palakkad is second species of the genus Allmania, say researchers

Source: The post is based on the article “Plant spotted in Palakkad is second species of the genus Allmania, say researchers” published in The Hindu on 25th October 2022

What is the News?

A new species of the plant named Allmania multiflora has been identified in Palakkad, Kerala.

What is Allmania multiflora?

Allmania multiflora is a herb plant with branches arising from the base.

Genus: It belongs to the genus Allmania. It is only the second species of this genus discovered to date.

– Note: The first species, Allmania nodiflora was originally published under the genus Celosia as Celosia nodiflora in 1753. Specimens found in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) were first described as Allmania nodiflora in 1834.

Features: Allmania multiflora has been so named for having a higher number of florets within an inflorescence.

The stem of this plant is red to violet at the base and green above.

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.

Threats: It could be accidentally exploited by local people as a vegetable. Its habitat, the granite hillocks, too faced various forms of threats today.

PM launches Rozgar Mela – recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel

Source: The post is based on the article “PM launches Rozgar Mela – recruitment drive for 10 lakh personnel” published in PIB on 26th October 2022

What is the News?

The Prime Minister has launched the Rozgar Mela. 

What is Rozgar Mela?

Rozgar Mela is a recruitment drive to hire 10 lakh personnel. 

Under this recruitment drive, all Ministries and Departments are working towards filling up existing vacancies against sanctioned posts in Mission Mode.

The new recruits will join 38 Ministries/Departments of the Government of India. The appointees will join the government at various levels viz. Group – A, Group – B (Gazetted), Group – B (Non-Gazetted) and Group – C.  

The posts on which appointments are being made include Central Armed Force Personnel, Sub Inspector, Constable, and Income Tax Inspectors among others.

‘India’s exports to China growing faster than inbound shipments’

Source: The post is based on the article “India’s exports to China growing faster than inbound shipments” published in The Hindu on 26th October 2022

What is the News?

India’s trade equation with China has been improving in recent years with outbound shipments rising faster than imports.

India’s Trade with China

China is one of India’s large trading partners. The trade between the two countries has grown 59% from about $72 billion in 2014-15 to hit $115.4 billion in 2021-22.

Exports: From $11.9 billion in 2014-15, India’s exports to China had risen 78.1% to $21.25 billion in 2021-22.

Imports: The imports from China stood at $94.16 billion in 2021-22 which is a 55.8% rise over the $60.4 billion recorded in 2014-15.

Import Products from India: Intermediate goods account for more than a third of India’s imports from China while capital goods constitute another 19.3%.

– The major items of import from China are electronic components, computer hardware and peripherals, telecom instruments, organic chemicals, industrial machinery for dairy, residual chemicals and allied products, electronic instruments, bulk drugs and intermediates.

What is the reason for India’s dependence on Chinese goods?

It can be attributed largely to 1) gap between the domestic production and demand in India and 2) China being a manufacturing hub and having price competitiveness due to economies of scale and subsidies provided by its government to Chinese industry.

What are the measures taken by India to limit Chinese imports to India?

The production-linked incentive schemes for different sectors will help reduce the dependence on such imports over time. Moreover, technical regulations framed for products such as toys, electronics, chemicals and fertilizers will help check substandard imports.

Sukapaika River: Breathing life into a dead river in Odisha

Source: The post is based on the article “Breathing life into a dead river in Odisha” published in The Hindu on 25th October 2022

What is the News?

The Sukapaika River which stopped flowing 70 years ago is set to be rejuvenated as the Odisha government has started working on its revival plan following a recent direction from the National Green Tribunal(NGT).

What is the Sukapaika River?

Sukapaika is one of the several distributaries of the mighty Mahanadi river in Odisha.

The river originated from Mahanadi river near Ayatpur village in Cuttack. It flowed 27.50 km before meeting the Mahanadi again at Bankala. 

When it was flowing freely, Sukapaika river acted as a source of drinking water, irrigation and other livelihood opportunities to over 425 villages under 26-gram panchayats.

Why has the river dried up?

In the 1950s, the Odisha government closed the Sukapaika river mouth enabling the development of the Taladanda Canal System, a major canal of the State. 

This led to the river dying a painful death and the process was aggravated by agricultural encroachments that had sprung up on the riverbanks.

Five new varieties to expand India’s Basmati platter

Source: The post is based on the article “Five new varieties to expand India’s Basmati platter” published in The Hindu on 25th October 2022

What is the News?

Five new varieties of seeds of Basmati rice were developed by a group of scientists led by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute(IARI) Director. These varieties are all set to bring revolutionary changes in the way Basmati rice is cultivated in the country.

About Basmati Rice

Basmati Rice is a long-grained, aromatic rice that has been cultivated in Indo-Gangetic plains at the foothills of the Himalayas. 

In modern India, this region is spread over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. 

Around 75% of the export of Basmati Rice is to West Asian countries.

As the area of cultivation increased, these basmati rice varieties have become susceptible to two major diseases — bacterial leaf blight (BLB) and blast (leaf and collar) diseases caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

What has been developed now?

Five new varieties of Basmati rice have been developed by a group of scientists led by the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) Director Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh.

Three of these five varieties can resist two common diseases of paddy (one bacterial and one fungal). 

The other two varieties can save 35% of water as the method of Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) can be used to raise them. These two seeds are also resistant to herbicides helping the farmers control weeds more efficiently.