UPSC Daily Current Affairs - 15th March 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Mount Merapi volcano

Why in News?

Mount Merapi in Indonesia erupted with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava.

• The eruption had blocked out the sun and blanketed several villages with falling ash.
• No casualties have been reported.
• Merapi is the most active of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and has repeatedly erupted with lava and gas clouds recently.

Geographically,

• Located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
• The youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java.
• Situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is subducting under the Sunda Plate.

About Volcanoes

• A volcano is an opening or rupture in the earth’s surface that allows magma (hot liquid and semi-liquid rock), volcanic ash and gases to escape.
• Movement of molten rock in the mantle, caused by thermal convection currents, coupled with gravitational effects of changes on the earth’s surface (erosion, deposition, even asteroid impact and patterns of post-glacial rebound) drive plate tectonic motion and ultimately volcanism.
• The volcanic eruption could have implications for the local and regional environment like earthquakes, landslides, lahars (mudflows), ash and thunderstorms.

Factors that lead to volcanism:

• Plate Tectonics: The majority of volcanoes occur where two lithospheric plates converge and one overrides the other, forcing it down into the mantle to be reabsorbed.
• Ocean floor spreading: A major site of active volcanism is along the axis of the oceanic ridge system, where the plates move apart on both sides of the ridge and magma wells up from the mantle.
• Weak Earth Surface: Because of high pressure in the earth’s interior, the magma and gases escape with great velocity as the pressure is released through eruptions where opportunity is provided by weak zones along the earth’s surface.
• Faults: Whenever extreme pressure builds in the mantle, along fault lines an eruption is likely to happen next. The earthquakes, for instance, may expose fault zones through which magma may escape.
• Magma crystallization: Decreasing temperatures can cause old magma to crystallize and sink to the bottom of the chamber and this movement can force fresh liquid magma up and out – similar to dropping a brick in a bucket of water.
• A decrease in external pressure: A decrease in external pressure can trigger an eruption as it may minimize the volcano’s ability to hold back by increasing the pressures inside the magma chamber
• Plate movement: Volcanism may occur because of plate movement over a “hot spot” from which magmas can penetrate to the surface. Ex. Islands of Hawaii

After-effects

Climate and ecosystem due to volcanic activity

• The gases and dust particles thrown into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions have influences on climate.
• Volcanoes have also caused global warming over millions of years during times in Earth’s history when extreme amounts of volcanism occurred, releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• Even though volcanoes are in specific places on Earth, their effects can be more widely distributed as gases, dust, and ash get into the atmosphere.
• This is due to the atmospheric circulation patterns, eruptions in the tropics can have an effect on the climate in both hemispheres. Eruptions at mid or high latitudes only have an impact on the hemisphere they are within.

Geology landscapes due to volcanic activity

• Volcanic eruptions can create new landforms, such as volcanic islands and mountains, and deposit layers of ash and lava, which can change the soil composition and fertility.
• Volcanic activity can also create new mineral deposits, such as gold, silver, copper and other metals, which can become an important resource for human civilization.
• These mineral deposits can form in different ways, for example, in the form of veins and lodes, as well as in the form of volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits.
• The volcanic ash and rock fragments can also change the albedo of the region, which can affect the regional climate.
• Volcanic activity can also create geothermal areas, which can be used for power generation and other forms of economic development.
• Additionally, volcanic landscapes often have unique biodiversity, with many endemic species found only in these regions.
• However, volcanic activity can also be hazardous to human settlements and can lead to destructive events such as volcanic eruptions, ashfall, lahars, and volcanic gas emissions. These events can cause significant damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and human health, and can lead to displacement of populations.

Economic development and human settlements

• Volcanic activity and the formation of volcanic landscapes can have both positive and negative impacts on human settlement and economic development. While they can be inhospitable and hazardous to human habitation, they can also provide opportunities for economic development.
• For example, Volcanic ash and rock fragments can be used for construction and road building, and volcanic landscapes often have unique biodiversity which can be utilized for tourism and recreation. Volcanic landscapes can also contain geothermal resources which can be used for power generation and other forms of economic development.
• Volcanic eruptions can cause significant damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and human health, and can lead to displacement of populations. Additionally, the rugged terrain and harsh climate of volcanic landscapes can make it difficult for people to settle in these regions.

Note: The name Merapi is a compound of Sanskrit Meru meaning “mountain” with Javanese “api” which means “fire”. Thus Merapi can be loosely translated as “Mountain of Fire” or “Fire Mountain”.

Source: Indian Express

GS-II

Why in News?

An investigation by The Indian Express, in association with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Finance Uncovered, has found that the catalogue of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, includes at least 77 items with links to Subhash Kapoor, who is serving a 10-year jail term in Tamil Nadu for smuggling antiquities.

What is antiquity?

The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, implemented on April 1, 1976, defined “antiquity” as

• Any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than one hundred years.”
• For “manuscript, record or other document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value”, this duration is “not less than seventy-five years.”

Under section 14(3) of the AATA, “Every person who owns, controls or is in possession of any antiquity” shall register such antiquity before the registering officer “and obtain a certificate in token of such registration.”

• So far, the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, launched in March 2007, has registered 3.52 lakh antiquities among the 16.70 lakh it has documented, to help in “effective check” of illegal activities.
• Government estimates: Around 58 lakh

International Conventions

The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property defined “cultural property” as

• The property designated by countries having “importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science.”
• The illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country’s cultural property.
• After that, in 2000, the General Assembly of the UN and the UN Security Council in 2015 and 2016 also raised concerns on the issue.
• An INTERPOL report in 2019 said that almost 50 years after the UNESCO convention, “the illicit international traffic of cultural items and related offences is sadly increasingly prolific.”

Indian Laws

In India, Item-67 of the Union List, Item-12 of the State List, and Item-40 of the Concurrent List of the Constitution deal with the country’s heritage.

• Before Independence, an Antiquities (Export Control) Act had been passed in April 1947 to ensure that “no antiquity could be exported without license.”
• In 1958, The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was enacted.
• In 1971, Parliament saw an uproar over the theft of a bronze idol from Chamba and some important sandstone idols from other places.

This, along with the UNESCO convention, prompted the government to enact The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (AATA), implemented from April 1, 1976.

• The AATA states, “it shall not be lawful for any person, other than the Central Government or any authority or agency authorised by the Central Government in this behalf, to export any antiquity or art treasure… No person shall, himself or by any other person on his behalf, carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity except under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence.”
• This licence is granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• After the AATA was implemented, the Centre asked traders in antiquities and art objects to declare their possessions of antiquities by June 5, 1976, and individual owners by July 5, 1976.

Provenance of an antiquity includes the list of all owners from the time the object left its maker’s possession to the time it was acquired by the current owner.

How is ownership proved?

• The requesting Party shall furnish, at its expense, the documentation and other evidence necessary to establish its claim for recovery and return.
• The first thing in order to prove the ownership is the complaint (FIR) filed with the police.
• In India, the problem with missing antiquities is that in many cases, there is no FIR. But other proof, like details mentioned by reputed scholars in research papers etc., also work.

Can India bring back antiquities?

There are three categories to take note of:

1. Antiquities taken out of India pre-independence
2. Those which were taken out since independence until March 1976, i.e. before the implementation of AATA
3. Antiquities taken out of the country since April 1976.

For items in the first two categories, requests have to be raised bilaterally or on international fora.

• For instance, the Maharashtra government on November 10, 2022 announced it was working to bring back the sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from London.
• This sword was given to Edward, the Prince of Wales (the later King Edward VII) by Shivaji IV in 1875-76.
• Several antiquities, from Vagdevi of Dhar (MP), to the Kohinoor diamond, to Amaravati marbles to the Sultanganj Buddha to antiquities related to Rani Laxmibai and Tipu Sultan, are currently abroad.

Antiquities in the second and third categories can be retrieved easily by raising an issue bilaterally with proof of ownership and with the help of the UNESCO convention.

Source: Indian Express

Why in News?

NITI Aayog recently launched ATL Sarthi, a comprehensive self-monitoring framework to strengthen the ever-growing ecosystem of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).

About ATL Sarthi:

• ATL Sarthi will enable the Atal Tinkering Labs to be efficient and effective.
• The initiative has four pillars ensuring the performance enhancement of ATLs through regular process improvements like
  • MyATL Dashboard: It is a self-reporting dashboard.
  • Compliance SOPs: For schools to ensure financial and non-financial compliance
  • Cluster-based Approach: On-ground enablement of ATLs in collaboration with relevant local authorities.
  • Performance-Enablement (PE) Matrix: It provides ownership to schools to analyze their performance

What is Atal Innovation Mission?

• It was set up by the Central Government in 2016.
• Objectives:
  • To promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.
  • To provide a platform for and establish collaboration opportunities for various stakeholders.
  • To act as an umbrella structure, encompassing and overseeing the entire innovation ecosystem of the country.
• Implementing Agency: NITI Aayog

What are Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL)?

• It is an initiative to promote creativity and innovation in the minds of school children.
• Under this initiative Children as young as 12 years of age gain access to technological innovation.
• The concepts of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are taught through various tools and equipment of the like.
• Financial aid of Rs. 20 lakh is given to each school.
• This includes a one-time establishment cost of Rs. 10 lakh and the operation cost of Rs. 10 lakh over a period of five years.

Source: PIB

GS-III

Why in News?

The Gujarat government has proposed a second home for Asiatic lions in Gujarat at Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, about 100km away from their present home at Gir National Park.

Key facts about Barda Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Barda Wildlife Sanctuary area falls into two districts, Porbandar and Jamnagar in the state of
• It is characteristically abundant in floral diversity, which consists of a good number of medicinal plants.
• Flora:The area has the maximum floral diversity in the state (650 plant species), Gorad, Babul, Dhav, Rayan, Ber, Jamun, Amli, Dhudhlo, Bamboo 
• Fauna: Leopard, Hyena, Wild boar, wolf, Jackal, blue bull, Rare and endangered spotted eagle and crested hawk eagle etc.

What is Project Lion?

• It envisages landscape ecology-based conservationof the Asiatic Lion in Gujarat by integrating conservation and eco-development. 
• The Project is being implemented in the Gir landscape in Gujaratwhich is the last home of the Asiatic lion.
• Conservation status of Asiatic Lion
  • IUCN: Endangered

Source: Hindustan Times

Promises of Monoclonal antibody tech

Why in News?

Every year, Africa faces over 100 health emergencies, more than any other region in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).As the global health body said, the region is battling several health challenges triggered by outbreaks of communicable diseases, humanitarian crises, climatic shocks, as well as the rising burden of chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Technologies such as Monoclonal antibodies (MAb) can help the continent with disease prevention and control.

Monoclonal Antibody

• Lab-made copies of B cells that mimic the body’s immune system. The aim is to enable the production of proteins that are very specific to the foreign bodies called antigens.
• They’re called monoclonal because they are produced by single clone of the B cells. So, you can have the exact copies of the same protein produced many times over and this way they are called Mab
• MAb can be produced outside the body, but you have to focus on the type since what is produced in our bodies are of different types, hundreds of them. Whatever infection you have, there is an antibody produced in the body, but if we are producing it from outside, it has to be specific.
• MAb are used to address different kinds of diseases, not just infections.
• Cancer is not infection, but you can use monoclonal antibodies against it.
  • To treat cancer, the standard method is chemotherapy — the use of drugs.
  • But those drugs are usually cytotoxic. They kill everything — both the normal cells and the cancer cells.
  • Sometimes, we give radiation; even radiation cannot choose which cells to kill.
  • But MAb can target specific problems and attack those cells
• Autoimmune diseases are not infections, but you can use Mab.
• MAb can be used against infections like malaria or others as they are made to target anything that is interpreted as outside.

Source: DownToEarth

Why in News?

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has extradited 33 fugitives involved in various criminal activities under its ‘Operation Trishul’ in the past one year.

• According to Interpol, Indian agencies are looking for 276 fugitives worldwide.

Operation Trishul

Operation Trishul has been instrumental in bringing fugitive criminals back to India one after the other. Under ‘Operation Trishul’, the CBI uses a three-pronged strategy to nab fugitives. In this, with the help of Interpol, criminals and proceeds of crime located abroad are traced and brought back.

• Strategy I: The investigative agency tracks down a fugitive with the help of Interpol. He must then extradite or extradite the wanted person from the country of his hiding.
• Strategy II: The CBI uses the Interpol Mechanism – STAR Global Focal Point Network, financial crime analysis files and other channels to trace the distribution of proceeds of crime through financial criminals to recover the proceeds of such crime. Can be taken through proper channels.
• Strategy III: To collect criminal intelligence on shell companies, fraudulent transactions, money mules and co-criminals worldwide and dismantle their supporting networks. This may be reported to law enforcement agencies of the concerned country through INTERPOL for appropriate action.

Issues in India

• Lack of Domestic Tracking System: Theoretically there exists a system of tracking criminals worldwide – through Interpol Notices and the sharing of immigration databases of different countries – but there is no coordinated system or database for tracking criminals or wanted persons domestically.
• Criminals remain underground exploiting Indian Police system: In the absence of such domestic tracking system, it is relatively easy for criminals from one police station/jurisdiction to melt into the population in any other area, almost undetected.

About Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018

• Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) became a law on July 31, 2018.
• Objectives:
  • To deter economic offenders from avoiding the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
  • To ensure that fugitive economic offenders return to India to face the action in accordance with law.
• Defining Fugitive economic offender (FEO): FEO is defined as an individual
  • who has committed offences involving an amount of 100 crore rupees or more and
  • has ran away from India to avoid criminal prosecution.
• Special Court: A special court will be established under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender.
• Attachment of property: Special courts can direct the Central government to seize assets of fugitive economic offender including those that are proceeds of the crime.
• Appeal: Appeals against the orders of the special court will lie before the High Court.

The Way Forward

• Nationwide Database: The creation of a nationwide database of wanted persons, which could be accessible for police agencies, the public and others (like passport and immigration authorities).
  • The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems and the National Intelligence Grid are efforts in the right direction, but more integration is desirable.
• National Notice System: A nation-wide system of ‘Wanted Persons Notices’, similar to Interpol Notices, is required, to help track fugitives domestically.
• Dedicated Units: Countries like the U.S. have functional inter-State extradition and fugitive tracking systems; India needs to set up such dedicated ‘fugitive tracking units’.
• Greater Coordination: There needs to be enhanced integration between immigration agencies, State police agencies, Interpol-New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry and central investigation agencies. Intelligence agencies also need to pool in.
• Bilateral Agreements for Sharing Database: India can plug its loophole by sharing its ‘wanted’ database or providing access to it to foreign embassies on a reciprocal basis or through treaties or arrangements. All this will help detect possible plans of criminals to abscond abroad.
• Specialised set up for International Collaboration: The entire gamut of activities pertaining to fugitives, from investigation to extradition, needs to be incorporated into a specialised set-up with an Integrated International Cooperation Division (IICD) at the top.
  • The IICD should have linkages with proposed fugitive tracking units at the State level.
  • This would ensure that requisite expertise and forward-and-backward linkages are created.

Note:

What is a red notice?

A request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

• Not an international arrest warrant.
• Restricted to use by law enforcement agencies.
• At present, globally 7012 public red notices are in circulation in which 211 are Indian nationals, the agency’s data revealed. They include five women.

Source: Hindustan Times

Hyderabad-based Svaya Robotics has developed India’s first indigenous quadruped (four-legged) robot and exoskeleton for the defense sector as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

About India’s first indigenous quadruped robot and exoskeleton:

• The indigenous robots and wearable exoskeletons were developed by Hyderabad-based Svaya Robotics in collaboration with the DRDO Labs,  Research and Development Establishment (R&DE), Pune, and the Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru, as technology demonstrators with their design inputs.
• Both are dual-use robots and have multiple use cases in both Industry and healthcare.
• Quadruped robots:
  • They are four-legged robots that can walk or run on uneven and rough terrains.
  • The robots can carry 25 kg in payload and walk along with the soldier.
  • It is made for navigating in unstructured terrains to provide remote reconnaissance and inspection, which otherwise are not safe for humans to operate in.
• Exoskeleton:
  • It is developed to suit Indian soldiers’ anthropometry and augment soldier strength for walking long distances.
  • These active exoskeletons, when worn by soldiers, can carry heavy loads without expending much effort.

Source: Indian Express