UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 18th November 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Uda Devi: A Dalit freedom fighter

Context

On November 16, events to commemorate the martyrdom of Uda Devi, a freedom fighter from the Pasi community, were held at various places in Uttar Pradesh.

Who was Uda Devi?

• Uda Devi is remembered not only for her stories of valour but also for her skill as a leader who managed to mobilise people — especially Dalit women — to take up arms against the British.
• Born in Ujirao, Lucknow, she was part of the royal guard of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh.
• Her husband, Makka Pasi, worked as a foot soldier in the army of Awadh’s Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.
• Hazrat Mahal’s palace had several women belonging to marginalised communities, and their occupation was mostly to take care of the needs of the royalty.
• Some of them, who showed promise, were also trained as warriors. Uda Devi was one of them.

Her legend

• Amid the revolt of 1857, on June 10, at Chinhat near Ismailganj, a battle was fought between the army of Lucknow and the British troops led by Henry Lawrence, in which Makka Pasi lost his life.
• The death of her husband spurred Uda Devi on to take up a more active role in the mutiny.
• On November 16, 1857, Uda Devi was among the soldiers who clashed with the British regiment stationed near the Gomti River.
• Although not much of the fight has been documented in history, it is said that Uda Devi killed at least three dozen British soldiers from atop a tree before she could be spotted.

Source: Indian Express

Context

In his address to the Indian diaspora in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit, PM Modi mentioned the annual Baliyatra on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack, which celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia.

Baliyatra

• Baliyatra/ Balijatra, literally ‘voyage to Bali’, is one of India’s largest open-air fairs.
• It is organised every year to commemorate the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga (today’s Odisha) and Bali and other South and Southeast Asian regions.

Origins of the festival

• The origins of the festival, which begins on Kartik Purnima (full moon night in the month of Kartik) can be traced back more than 1,000 years.
• The Bay of Bengal region had several ports, and sadhavas (traders) traditionally began their voyage across the sea on this auspicious day, when the winds were favourable for the boats, known as boita, to sail.
• The traders would set sail to distant lands of Bali, as well as Java (at the time of the voyage known as “Yawadvipa”), Sumatra, Borneo (all in Indonesia), and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) for trade and cultural expansion.
• According to historians, popular items of trade between Kalinga and Southeast Asia included pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, silk, camphor, gold, and jewellery.
• Even today, thousands of people across Odisha sail decorative miniature boats made of banana stems, paper, or thermocol to celebrate boita bandana, or the worshipping of the boats.

Source: The Hindu

Context

• At the G20 summit in Bali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted world leaders a range of artworks, representing India’s diversity.
• During his address, PM Modi also mentioned Baliyatra, one of the country’s largest open-air fairs that commemorates the 2,000-year-old maritime and cultural links between ancient Kalinga and Southeast Asia. 

• Miniature paintings from Kangra (Himachal Pradesh)
  • The art originated in a small hill state ‘Guler’ in the first half of the 18th century when a family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal Style of painting sought shelter at the court of Raja Dalip Singh of Guler.
  • This style reached its zenith during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch who was a great patron of Kangra art.
  • The central idea behind Kangra paintings is often the immersive love story of Radha and Krishna.
  • Today, the Kangra art form is a serene celebration of life and its simplicity, using naturalistic colours.
• Gujarat’s Mata ni Pachedi
  • It is a handmade textile of Gujarat meant to be an offering in the temple shrines which house the Mother Goddess.
  • Mata Ni Pachedi was crafted by the nomadic community of Waghris as homage to various incarnations of the Goddess.
  • It is said that in this form of art, the goddess forms the central figure in the design, flanked by other elements of her story.
• Patan Patola scarf from Gujarat
  • This ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century.
  • The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and design on both sides.
  • This peculiar quality has its origins in an intricate and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing, known as ‘bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
• Agate bowl from Gujarat
  • Agate, a semi-precious stone, is found in underground mines of Rajpipla and Ratanpur in riverbeds, and extracted to produce a variety of ornamental objects.
  • The art of turning the stone into a range of products has been passed down through generation of artisans since the Indus Valley civilization days and is currently practiced by Artisans of Khambat.
  • The healing powers attributed to agate stones have sustained the use of agate over centuries.
• Pithora from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat
  • These paintings are made by the Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat.
  • These painting are depiction of the cave art that tribals used to make reflecting the social, cultural and mythological life and beliefs of those tribals.
  • These paintings bear a striking resemblance the Aboriginal dot painting from the indigenous communities of Australia.
• Kinnauri shawl from Himachal Pradesh
  • These shawls are made using the extra-weft technique of weaving.
  • Every element of the design woven uses the knotting method — where the weft is inserted by hand and to lock the design, producing the lift in the pattern formed.
• Kanal brass set from Himachal Pradesh
  • It is used on ceremonial occasions, such as the processions of village deities.
  • It is also used to welcome the leaders of the Himachal Pradesh.
  • This traditional musical instrument is now increasingly used as a decor object and is manufactured in Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.

Baliyatra

• In his address to the Indian diaspora in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit, PM Modi mentioned the annual Baliyatra on the banks of the Mahanadi in Cuttack.
• This yatra celebrates the ancient trade relations between India and Indonesia.
  • This year’s Baliyatra, which concluded recently, also found a place in the Guinness World Records for achieving an impressive feat of origami, the creation of beautiful paper sculptures.

Source: Indian Express

GS -II

Context

A court in Saket, New Delhi, has allowed Delhi Police to conduct a narco test on a psychopath accused of raping and killing his live-in partner.

What is a Narco Test?

• In a ‘narco’ or narcoanalysis test, a drug called sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the accused.
• This transports the accused to a hypnotic or sedated state, in which their imagination is neutralised.
• In this hypnotic state, the accused is understood as being incapable of lying, and is expected to divulge information that is true.
• Sodium pentothal or sodium thiopental is a fast-acting, short duration anaesthetic, which is used in larger doses to sedate patients during surgery.
• It belongs to the barbiturate class of drugs that act on the central nervous system as depressants.

History of its use

• Because the drug is believed to weaken the subject’s resolve to lie, it is sometimes referred to as a “truth serum”.
• It is said to have been used by intelligence operatives during World War II.

Reasons to use such tests

• In recent decades, investigating agencies have sought to employ these tests in investigation, which are sometimes seen as being a “softer alternative” to torture or “third degree” to extract the truth from suspects.
• However, neither method has been proven scientifically to have a 100% success rate, and remain contentious in the medical field as well.

Restrictions on these tests

• No self-incrimination: The Bench took into consideration international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.
• Consent of the accused: In ‘Selvi & Ors vs. State of Karnataka & Anr’ (2010), a Supreme Court Bench comprising then CJI ruled that no lie detector tests should be administered “except on the basis of consent of the accused”. The subject’s consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate, the court said.
• Legal assistance to such convicts: Those who volunteer must have access to a lawyer, and have the physical, emotional, and legal implications of the test explained to them by police and the lawyer.
• Guidelines at place: It said that the ‘Guidelines for the Administration of Polygraph Test on an Accused’ published by the National Human Rights Commission in 2000, must be strictly followed.

Can the results of these tests be considered as “confessions”?

• Not a confession: Because those in a drugged-induced state cannot exercise a choice in answering questions that are put to them.
• Assumed as evidence: However, any information or material subsequently discovered with the help of such a voluntarily-taken test can be admitted as evidence.
• Supports investigation: It reveals the location of, say, a physical piece of evidence (which is often something like a murder weapon) in the course of the test.

Source: The Hindu

Context

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali.

India-UK Bilateral Relation

Background

• The bilateral relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2004.
• During the May 2021 virtual summit between the PMs of both the countries, an ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ was adopted.
  • This roadmap will pave a way to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’.
• India was identified as a priority relationship for the UK in the 2021 Integrated Review and was invited by the UK as a guest to last year’s G7 in Carbis Bay.

Economic engagements

• Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP)
  • During the May 2021 virtual summit, India and UK launched an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP).
  • This was launched to unleash the trade potential between these two countries.
  • It has set an ambitious target of more than doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
• Trade
  • During the FY 2021-22 (Apr-Jan) total trade in goods (merchandise) was USD 14.4 billion.
  • Of this, India’s export to the UK was $ 8.5billion while India’s import from UK was $ 5.9 billion.
  • During the FY 2020-21, total trade in service were £8.8 billion. It comprised of India’s export of £5.6 billion and India’s import of services from the UK of £3.2 billion
  • UK is India’s 17th largest trading partner during the period of FY 2021-2022(Apr-Jan).
  • In January 2022, India and the UK formally launched negotiations for an ambitious free trade agreement (FTA).
    • The FTA aims to double the bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.
• Investment
  • India invested in 99 projects and created 4,830 new jobs in the UK to retain the position of second-largest source of FDI after the US in 2020.
  • On the other hand, UK is the 6th largest inward investor in India after Mauritius, Singapore, USA, Netherlands, Japan.
  • It has a cumulative equity investment of US $ 31.6 million (April 2000- December 2021), accounting for around 6% of all FDI into India.

Defence

• During the 2015 visit of PM Modi to UK, a new Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP) was pledged by leaders of both the countries.
• In October 2020, India and the UK reached the final stages of agreeing on a key defence logistics pact which will help in reciprocal use of airfields, bases, spares and supplies.
  • After the pact, India can access ports and military bases from the Garrisons in the Gulf to Keeling Island in the South Indian Ocean and strategic military locations such as Busan and Okinawa.
  • India will also be able to access Naval facilities in the Atlantic

Cultural Linkages

• 2017 was celebrated as the India-UK year of Culture to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.
• Indian PM describes the connection between people of both the countries as a ‘living bridge’.
• In August 2020, Britain announced its decision to mint a coin to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi.

Source: The Hindu

Context

India is often referred to as the ‘Diabetes Capital of the World as it accounts for 17%percent of the total number of diabetes patients in the world. There are currently close to 80 million people with diabetes in India and this number is expected to increase to 135 million by 2045. World Diabetes day is observed on 14 November.

What is Diabetes?

• Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how our body turns food into energy.
• Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body has high sugar levels for prolonged periods of time.
• The lack of insulin causes a form of diabetes.
  • Type-I Diabetes: It is a medical condition that is caused due to insufficient production and secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). This reaction stops your body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have type 1
  • Type-2 diabetes: With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2.

Type-2 diabetes in brief

• Long term Condition: It is long-term (chronic) condition which results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstreams and poor response of insulin. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems. Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. It is a defective response of Insulin
• More common in adults: Type 2 is more common in older adults, but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.
• Slow signs and symptoms: Signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop slowly. Symptoms include, Increased thirst, Frequent urination, Increased hunger, Unintended weight loss, Fatigue, Blurred vision, Slow-healing sores, Frequent infections etc. It develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults (but more and more in children, teens, and young adults).
• Cure for Type-2: There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but losing weight, eating well and exercising can help you manage the disease. If diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage your blood sugar, you may also need diabetes medications or insulin therapy.

What is insulin?

• Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas.
• Insulin regulates the movement of sugar into your cells.
• Blood glucose levels tightly controlled by insulin.
• When the blood glucose elevates (for example, after eating food), insulin is released from the pancreas to normalize the glucose level

The prevalence of diabetes in India

• People living with Diabetes in India: There are an estimated 77 million people with diabetes in India. Which means one in every 10 adults in India has diabetes. Half of those who have high blood sugar levels are unaware. Even among those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, only half of them have their blood sugar level under control.
• Rapid increase in younger population: According ICMR report, the prevalence of diabetes in India has increased by 64 percent over the quarter-century. prevalence among the younger population has also increased above 10%.
• Children impacting more: Worryingly, in India, a large number of children are also impacted by diabetes. Children are developing obesity and metabolic syndrome early because of the change in diets to more processed and fast foods.
• Projected Estimation: About 98 million Indians could have diabetes by 2030, these projections come from the International Diabetes Federation and the Global Burden of Disease project.
• Children impacting more: Worryingly, in India, a large number of children are also impacted by diabetes. Children are developing obesity and metabolic syndrome early because of the change in diets to more processed and fast foods.

Why Indians are more prone to diabetes?

• Lifestyle changes: The current exponential rise of diabetes in India is mainly attributed to lifestyle changes. The rapid change in dietary patterns, physical inactivity, and increased body weight, especially the accumulation of abdominal fat, are some of the primary reasons for increased prevalence.
• Ethnically more prone: Ethnically, Indians seem to be more prone to diabetes as compared to the Caucasians, although the precise mechanisms are not well known. we Indians have a greater degree of insulin resistance which means our cells do not respond to the hormone insulin. And when compared to Europeans, our blood insulin levels also tend to rise higher and more persistently when we eat carbohydrates.
• Greater genetic predisposition: The epidemic increase in diabetes in India along with various studies on migrant and native Indians clearly indicate that Indians have an increased predilection to diabetes which could well be due to a greater genetic predisposition to diabetes in Indians.
• Decrease in traditional diets: At the same time, the increased ‘westernization’, especially in the metros and the larger cities, has led to a drastic change in our dietary pattens. Indian diets have always been carbohydrate-heavy and now the reliance on refined sugars, processed food in the form of quick bites and fuss-free cooking and trans fatty acids are creating havoc.
• Mechanization of day-to-day work: With the increasing availability of machines to do our work, there’s also a substantial drop in day-to-day activities.
• Consumption of high calorie food and lack of physical activities: Obesity, especially central obesity and increased visceral fat due to physical inactivity, and consumption of a high-calorie/high-fat and high sugar diets, thus become major contributing factors.
• Rapid urbanization: Currently, India is undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition with increased urbanization. The current urbanization rate is 35% compared to 15% in the 1950’s and this could have major implications on the present and future disease patterns in India with particular reference to diabetes and coronary artery disease.
• Rural-urban migration: The rural migration to urban areas and associated stress plays a significant role in lifestyle change.

Ways to manage Increasing Diabetes in India

• Aggressive Screening procedures: Indians need an upstream approach or prioritizing protection of the population as a whole, beginning with women and children. This can be done with aggressive screening procedures. “Anybody above 18, with a clear-cut risk like family history, weight issues and young women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) should be tested. All Indians above 30 should be screened.
• Timely diagnosis and right management: Medical experts feel that timely detection and right management can go a long way in helping patients lead a normal life.
• Diet discipline for children: For children, Doctors recommends a serious diet discipline. “Only healthy meals are the option that remains. Tutor the tastebuds of the young and stop their access to fast foods. There can be supportive policy measures making healthy fruits and vegetables accessible in a cost-effective manner to all instead of plain carbs. The mid-day meal or tiffin needs to be looked at thoughtfully and to make it healthy.
• Promoting physical activities: “The overall decline in physical activity has had devastating impacts on our metabolism,” while agreeing with the 30-minute a day exercise and activity schedule, sounds a note of caution. The recent scientific evidence suggests even five minutes of walk after any meal provides some protection.
• Adopting healthy Lifestyle: Though a chronic medical condition, Diabetes can be curbed at the initial level by introducing lifestyle changes. Experts suggests, reduce stress; sleep on time and for minimum of seven hours, maintaining ideal body weight, regular physical activity stop smoking, stopping/ minimum alcohol intake and get early treatment for any pre-existing or co-morbid health condition such as hypertension.
• Regular check-ups: Regular visits to the doctor are important to assess sugar control and assessment/ prevention of complications related to the disease.

Conclusion

With the country having the highest number of diabetic patients in the world, the sugar disease is posing an enormous health problem to our country today. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet on diabetes, an estimated 3.4 million deaths are caused due to high blood sugar in the world.

Source: Indian Express

GS -III

Context

According to a global threat assessment report presented at a convention of the conservation agencies in Panama City, the seizure of rhino horns by weight has increased after 2017 despite a reduction in poaching.

About:

• A comprehensive analysis titled ‘Executive Summary of the Rhino Horn Trafficking as a Form of Transnational Organised Crime (2012-2021): 2022 Global Threat Assessment’, was presented at the meeting of the Conference of Parties organised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• Supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) prepared the document on the rhino horn trafficking during the decade from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021.
• The threat assessment was compiled from the analysis of 674 rhino horn seizure incidents that had occurred globally during this decade, in addition to seven years of criminal intelligence and findings from the WJC investigations into the rhino horn trafficking, conducted since 2015.
• The report said six countries and territories have dominated the rhino horn trafficking routes from the source to the destination locations although more than 50 countries and territories were implicated in the transnational crime.
• These countries were South Africa, Mozambique, Malaysia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Vietnam, and China.
• Prolific Vietnamese and Chinese criminal networks are driving the racket throughout the supply chain.
  • Vietnam is a highly significant transit and distribution area for products ultimately bound for China.

The Greater One-horned Rhinoceros:

• The greater one-horned rhino (or “Indian rhino”) is the largest of the rhino species
• It is identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds.
• This species of rhino is commonly found in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and in Assam, India.
• Protection Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

It is one of the five species of Rhinos. The other four species are:

• White rhino: It is native to northern and southern Africa
• Black rhino: It is native to eastern and southern Africa
• Javan rhino: It is also known as Sunda rhino or lesser one-horned rhino
• Sumatran rhino: Critically Endangered species of rhino

Source: The Hindu

Context

The wildfires pose threat to subarctic boreal forest. In the boreal forest, the most prevalent type of fire is a crown fire, which spreads quickly from treetop to treetop.

About:

• The boreal forest (or “taiga”) is the world’s largest land biome.
• Boreal Ecozone:
  • It principally spans 8 countries:
  • Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
• Definition:
  • Boreal forests are defined as forests growing in high-latitude environments where freezing temperatures occur for 6 to 8 months and in which trees are capable of reaching a minimum height of 5 m and a canopy cover of 10%.
• It is typically comprised of coniferous tree species such as pine, spruce and fir with some broadleaf species such as poplar and birch.
• The circumboreal belt of forest represents about 30% of the global forest area, contains more surface freshwater than any other biome.
• The forest -- named for Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind -- covers 10 percent of the world's land surface and has a decisive impact on the globe's northern oceans and overall climate.
• The boreal forest is second only to the Amazon in terms of its vital role in ensuring the future of the planet.
• The boreal forest holds twice as much carbon as all tropical forests combined, and also helps purify a massive amount of freshwater.

Threats:

• increasing forest fires,
• the melting of permafrost,
• intensifying insect infestations and
• warming temperatures.

Drunken trees:

• They are tilted sideways due to melting permafrost.
• Eventually, the soil will completely erode away from the roots, and the trees will tumble.
• This buckling and sinking is because of the degradation of the permafrost, ground that has remained frozen for at least two years in a row.

Source: The Hindu