UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 5th January 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

Recently, the Prime Minister of India has paid tributes to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary.

About QUEEN VELU NACHIAR (3 January 1730 – 25 December 1796):

• She was the first queen to fight against the British colonial power in India.
• She is known by Tamils as Veeramangai.
• She was the princess of Ramanathapuram and the only child of Raja Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Rani Sakandhimuthal of the Ramnad kingdom.
• She was trained in war to match weapons usage, martial arts like Valari, Silambam (fighting using a stick), horse riding, and archery.
• She was a scholar in many languages and she had proficiency with languages like French, English and Urdu.
• She married the king of Sivagangai, with whom she had a daughter.
• She succeeded her husband in 1780 and She granted powers to the Marudu brothers to administer the country in 1780.
  • She died a few years later, on 25 December 1796.

Source: NewsOnAir

Context

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has applauded as Capt Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post, post completion of arduous training, at the highest battlefield of the world Siachen.

The Siachen glacier:

• It is the highest battleground on Earth. Troops are deployed at elevations of up to 6,700 metres (22,000 feet) at minus 60 degrees C.
• India occupied Siachen glacier under Operation Meghdoot in 1984.
• Siachen Glacier, piedmont glacier located in the Karakoram Range.
• It lies in the heavily glaciated Himalayan region known as the “Third Pole,” because mountain glaciers in this region contain more fresh water than is found anywhere else on Earth except for the polar ice caps.
• The Siachen Glacier lies between the Saltoro Ridge, a subrange of the Karakorams, to the west and the main Karakoram Range to the east.
• It is 75 km (47 miles) long, which makes it the second longest nonpolar glacier in the world, after Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
• The Siachen Glacier is positioned from northwest to southeast.
• It originates at the base of the Indira Col West, a col (low point) on the Indira Ridge, at an altitude of 6,115 metres (20,062 feet), and it descends to an altitude of 3,570 metres (11,713 feet).
• On its left flank are three tributary glaciers: Teram Shehr, North Terong, and South Terong.
• On its right flank are tributary glaciers: Zingrulma, Gyongla, Lolofond
• Nubra River originates from Siachen glacier.
• The name Siachen refers to a land with an abundance of roses.

Significance:

• The Siachen region is strategically important for India because it separates Pakistan from China.
• It also enables India to monitor the Gilgit and Baltistan regions of Pakistan.
• Effects of climate change are being felt as well, as faster-melting snows made living near the ice more hazardous.
• In addition, the presence of both countries’ military forces led to the dumping of large quantities of nonbiodegradable waste on and near the glacier, and that waste in turn passed as pollution into the Nubra, Shyok, and Indus rivers.
• Moreover, the troops’ presence posed a threat to indigenous wildlife, including the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), the Siberian, or Asiatic, ibex (Capra sibirica), and the snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia).

Source: PIB

GS-II

Passport as a fundamental right under article 21

Context

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court slammed the Passport Office, Srinagar, for not considering the application of the mother of PDP chief.

Earlier interpretation of article 21 and Judicial pronouncements:

• The Supreme Court of India significantly broadened the interpretation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, a historic judgement.
  • It overruled K. Gopalan v. State of Madras, which had implied the exclusiveness of fundamental rights, and established a relationship between Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution (known as the ‘golden triangle’ or ‘trinity’).
• It held that  a law depriving a person of ‘personal liberty’ must not violate any of them.
• The decision also held that a procedure under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be arbitrary, unfair, oppressive, or unreasonable.
• Recently the Delhi High Court also observed that every citizen has a fundamental right to go abroad and have a passport issued in his name.
• In Poulami Basu vs The Government of India:
  • A Single Bench of Karnataka HC has held that, right to travel abroad is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Source:  Indian Express

Context

On January 2, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a high-powered committee chaired by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai for the Union Territory of Ladakh.

About the high-power Ladakh committee:

• The committee will discuss measures to:
  • protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and strategic importance;
  • ensure protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh;
  • strategise inclusive development and discuss issues related to the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Councils of Leh and Kargil.
• Why was the committee formed?
  • After the unique status of the formerly-existing State of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was read down by Parliament on August 5, 2019, civil society organisations in Ladakh have been calling for the protection of land, resources, and jobs for the previous three years.
• What is the sixth schedule?
  • The sixth schedule under Article 244 of the Constitution protects the autonomy of tribal populations through creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health and agriculture.
  • As of now ten autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
  • As per the 2011 Census, the total population of Ladakh was 2,74,289, and nearly 80% of them are tribals.

Source: The Hindu

GS-III

Context

Recently Ethiopia has released the first edition of an atlas to map Tsetse and Trypanosomosis affecting livestock in the country and the vector behind it.

About ATT:

• Also known as nagana or nagana pest, Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT), is a protozoan parasitic disease of vertebrate animals.
• It affects cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, horses, pigs, dogs and other species.
• The disease is caused by the protozoan parasites Trypanosoma congolense, Trypanosoma vivax and, to a lesser extent, Trypanosoma brucei brucei which are all mainly transmitted by tsetse flies.
• Distribution: From the southern edge of the Sahara desert to Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique in the South.
• Impact: Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT) is estimated to kill 3 million cattle annually.
  • Losses directly attributed to trypanosomosis from reduced meat and milk production, and the cost of treatment and vector control, are estimated to be USD $1.2 billion.
  • Losses in agricultural gross domestic product for all tsetse-infested lands was estimated to be USD4.75 billion per annum.
• Epidemiology: Most trypanosomes develop for one to a few weeks in tsetse flies (Glossina spp.), which act as biological vectors.
  • The parasites are transmitted to the host animal in saliva when a fly bites the host.
  • Trypanosomes can also be spread by fomites such as surgical instruments and mechanical vectors like biting flies including horse flies—especially T. vivax.
• Trypanosomes infect the blood of the host causing fever, weakness, lethargy and anaemia, which lead to weight loss and a reduction in fertility and milk production.
• Control: AAT can be controlled by reducing tsetse fly populations with traps and insecticides.
  • Animals can be given antiparasitic drugs prophylactically in areas with a high population of trypanosome-infected tsetse flies.
  • No vaccine is available to prevent trypanosomiasis.

Source:  DownToEarth

Context

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space will be inaugurating the ‘National Genome Editing and Training Centre (NGETC)’ and ‘International Conference on Food and Nutritional Security-2023 (iFANS-2023)’ at NABI, Mohali.

NGETC:

• NGETC is a one-roof state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a national platform to cater to the regional needs to adapt different genome editing methods, including CRISPR-Cas mediated genome modification.
• In the current climatic scenario, improving crops for better nutrition and tolerance to the changing environmental condition is a significant challenge.
• Genome editing could be a promising technology that Indian research could adapt to offer the desired tailor-made traits in crops.
• NABI has shown ability and can expand the genome editing tools to vast arrays of crops, including Banana, Rice, Wheat, Tomato, Maize and Millets.

The International Conference on Food and Nutritional Security:

• iFANS-2023 will be jointly organized by the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Centre for Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB), National Institute of Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), and International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) at NABI, Mohali.
• The conference envisages bringing together international experts and young researchers in the areas of agriculture  , food, and nutrition biotechnology, and genome editing.
• The theme of the conference is pertinent to inspire young students and researchers considering the fact that food and nutrition security is a global demand.
• Advanced biotechnology tool such as genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9 has potential to achieve these goals in a sustainable manner.

National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI):

• Aim
• Food and nutritional security for all through agri-food biotechnology research and innovation.
• To be a centre of excellence and provide leadership in agri-food biotechnology research
• Improving nutritional quality and availability of affordable agri-food and food products through innovations.
• It is the first Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, established in India in 2010.
• The institute is part of agri-food cluster in the “Knowledge City” of Mohali (Punjab) along with its neighbouring institutes.
• Activities undertaken at NABI:
• Agricultural Biotechnology,
• Food and Nutritional Biotechnology,
• Human Resource Development,
• Meeting and Courses and
• Technology Transfer and Outreach.

Source: PIB

Context

NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for Development of Renewable Energy based Power Projects to tap Business opportunities in RE and supply of 400 MW round the clock renewable power for requirements of HPCL.

• This MoU marks the first step for NGEL and HPCL to collaborate and cooperate in the field of development of Renewable Energy projects which shall help HPCL in meeting its Clean Energy Commitments.

NTPC:

• NTPC is India’s largest energy conglomerate with roots planted way back in 1975 to accelerate power development in India.
• NTPC became a Maharatna company in May 2010.
• NTPC is ranked No. 2 Independent Power Producer(IPP) in Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company rankings.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL)

• It is an Indian oil and gas refining company headquartered in Mumbai
• It was incorporated in 1974 after the takeover and merger of erstwhile Esso Standard and Lube India Limited
• In 2019, the company became a Maharatna PSU
• Since 2018, ONGC has owned a majority stake in the company
• The company is ranked 367th on the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s biggest corporations as of 2016.

Maharatna Companies

• Maharatna Scheme was introduced for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), in 2010, in order to empower mega CPSEs to expand their operations and emerge as global giants.
• The objective of the scheme is to delegate enhanced powers to the Boards of identified large-sized Navratna CPSEs so as to facilitate expansion of their operations, both in domestic as well as global markets.
• Following 10 CPSEs have been identified as Maharatnas:
• BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRICALS LTD.
• BHARAT PETROLEUM CORP.LTD.
• COAL INDIA LTD.
• GAIL (INDIA) LTD.
• HINDUSTAN PETROLEUM CORP.LTD.
• INDIAN OIL CORP.LTD.
• NTPC LTD.
• OIL & NATURAL GAS CORP.LTD.
• POWER GRID CORP.OF INDIA LTD.
• STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA LTD.
• Eligibility Criteria for grant of Maharatna status
• Having Navratna status
• Listed on the Indian stock exchange, with a minimum prescribed public shareholding under SEBI regulations
• An average annual turnover of more than 20,000 crore during the last three years
• An average annual net worth of more than 10,000 crore during the last three years
• An average annual net profit of more than 2,500 crore during the last 3 years
• Significant global presence or international operations

Source: PIB