UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 29th December 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Context

The Janardana Temple in Kerala, the Haveli of Agah Khan in Agra and Gonpa complex in Ladakh are among the 14 ancient sites which have been declared protected by the Archaeological Survey of India over the last three years.

• The list of these monuments and sites has been declared protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 was shared by Culture Minister in the Rajya Sabha.
• The other monuments and sites in the List Includes
  • The temple complex of Navratnagarh in Jharkhand’s Gumla district.
  • The group of monuments in Bolangir, Odisha.
  • Vishnu Temple in Pithorgarh, Uttarakhand.
  • Trilochannath Temple in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Udhampur are the sites which have been declared protected.
  • The Baori and surrounding archaeological remains in Neemrana Rajasthan.
  • Archaeological remains in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The archaeological sites and remains of Ashwamedh Yagna.
  • Village Virbhadra in Dehradun
  • Rangdum Monastery in Kargil, Ladakh.
  • Hathi Khana’ in Agra.
• Also, the government has provided ₹15,622 lakhs over the last three years as grant to Zonal Cultural Committees to strengthen the micro-culture in the country.
• Out of which, ₹5,881.46 lakh has been allotted in the year 2021-22.

About Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958:

• The Act was introduced in 1958 for safeguarding the cultural heritage of the country.
• The main objective of the act is to protect ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.
• The act also regulates the archaeological excavations and the protection of sculptures, carvings and other like objects.
• The Act prohibits construction in ‘prohibited areas’, an area of 100 meters around protected monuments.
• The central government can extend the prohibited area beyond 100 meters.
• The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the provisions of the act.

About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and National Monuments Authority (NMA):

Archaeological Survey of India

• It is a premier organization under the Ministry of Culture, for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.
• It regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
• It also regulates the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.
• It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham– the first Director-General of ASI.
• Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.

National Monuments Authority

• National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India has been setup as per provisions of The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains AMASR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 which was enacted in March, 2010.
• Several functions have been assigned to the NMA for the protection and preservation of monuments and sites through management of the prohibited and regulated area around the centrally protected monuments.
• The Act provides for NMA to be constituted with a Chairperson and up to 5 Whole Time and 5 Part Time Members each and a Member Secretary.
• DG ASI is an ex officio Member.

About Zonal Cultural Centres:

• The Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) were set up in the mid-80s to develop the cultures of various regions and also to set up mechanisms for preservation and promotion of various elements of India’s rich cultural heritage as autonomous bodies.
• The ZCCs were required to concentrate on the folk arts, dance and music.
• The mandate behind setting up the ZCCs was to bind the nation culturally while retaining the individuality of the regions that comprise them.
• The Seven Zonal Cultural Centres are-
  • North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), Patiala.
  • Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Kolkata.
  • West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC), Udaipur.
  • North Central Zone Cultural Centre (NCZCC), Prayagraj.
  • North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Dimapur.
  • South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC), Nagpur.
  • South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), Thanjavur.

Significance of AMASR Act:

• When a monument is declared protected under the AMASR Act then the maintenance of the monument is taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Construction activities in and around the monument or site are regulated and no construction is permitted without prior permission of concerned authorities.
• The area extending to 200 meters around the monument in all directions is called a regulated area.
• As per the AMSAR (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 construction is prohibited within a 100-meter periphery of a protected area.

Issues associated with heritage conservation in India:

• Lack of a concrete policy on archaeological exploration and excavation: Recently a CAG report categorically noted that there was no national policy on archaeological exploration and excavation which seems to be true for antiquities as well.
• Lacks required resources and crunch of funds for ASI:
  • The ASI has estimated about 58 lakh plus antiquities all over India, but there is no database or inventory in its possession.
  • The budget of ASI, the primary institutional guardian of monuments is reduced by 200 crores in 2021-22 whose total budget stood at about ₹ 1200 crores.
  • Also the budget for exploration and excavations is less than 1 per cent of total budget which was supposed to be 5% as informed to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
• Lack of synergy between the different conservation agencies
  • The National Culture Fund, which allows individuals and corporate groups to fund conservation, has utilized only 14 percent of its funds because of the lack of coordination with the ASI.
  • The National Monuments Authority who implements heritage by-laws and site plans for each monument has notified only 31 monuments and about 210 are in finalization state which is a fraction of the 3,693 monuments on the list of Centrally Protected Monuments.
• Faulty government policies: The Union government is pushing to amend the AMASAR act which will drastically reduce the prohibited and regulatory area around monuments.
  • This will minimize the security net around monuments which would endanger them.

Suggestive measures and way forward:

• There is a need to create infrastructure such as databases or inventory of protected sites, CCTV cameras installation, proper lighting etc. to provide a fillip to heritage site conservation.
• The ASI needs an overhaul in its functioning in line with the modern heritage conservation techniques and it should come up with more stringent regulations, criteria etc.
• There should be a quick reboot to the conservation methodology of ASI.

Thus, Strengthening conservation institutions through enhancing their financial and human resources rather than amending the laws which will weaken the heritage conservation framework of the country is need of the hour.

Source: The Hindu

Context

President of India lays the Foundation Stone for the Development of Pilgrimage Infrastructure at Ramappa Temple.

About:

• Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana.
• The medieval Deccan Ramappa Temple which dates back to 1213 AD, was built by the patronage of the Kakatiya ruler Kakati Ganapathi Deva under the authority of his Chief Commander Rudra Samani.
• The temple got its name Ramappa because of its chief sculptor Ramappa. Ramappa Temple is probably the only temple in India that is named after the architect.
• In 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana".
• Architectural features:
  • Earthquake-proof: Made out of clay mixed with acacia wood, chaff and myrobalan fruit (a family of amla), the bricks used in building the gopuram of the temple are light enough to float on water. Using this technique has made the temple light, meaning, in case of a natural event like an earthquake, the probability of it collapsing would be very low.
  • Sandbox technique: The temple construction was done using the sandbox technique. This is a technique where the foundation pit is filled with a mixture of sand-lime, jaggery and black myrobalan fruit. This mix acts as a cushion in case of earthquakes. 
  • The temple’s many carved pillars are positioned in such a way that when the sunlight hits these pillars. One of the pillars has a Lord Krishna carved into it. When gently hit, the pillar produces musical notes.

Source: Indian Express

GS-II

'Stay Safe Online' campaign and Digital Innovation Alliance

Context

 As part of India’s G20 presidency, the Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Communications and Railways has launched the “Stay Safe Online” campaign and the “G20 Digital Innovation Alliance” (G20-DIA).

About Stay Safe Online Campaign

• The objective of the ‘Stay Safe Online Campaign’ is to raise awareness among citizens to stay safe in the online world due to the widespread use of social media platforms and the rapid adoption of digital payments.
• This campaign will make citizens of all age groups, especially children, students, women, senior citizens, specially-abled, teachers, faculty, officials of Central/State Governments, etc. aware of the cyber risk and ways to deal with it.
• The campaign will be carried out in English, Hindi and local languages to reach a wider audience.
• The campaign involves the dissemination of multilingual awareness content in the form of infographics, cartoon stories, puzzles, short videos, etc. and amplifying the same through extensive use of the MyGov website ( https://www.mygov.in/staysafeonline ) and prominent social media platforms.
• Besides this, various publicity, promotion and outreach activities would be carried out throughout the year through print, electronics & social media to reinforce the stay safe online message.
• In addition, collaboration and involvement of key stakeholders viz. Union Ministries / Departments, industry associations/partners, NGOs, civil society organizations, etc. would be sought for wider outreach of the campaign.

About G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA)

• The objective of the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA) is to identify, recognize, and enable the adoption of innovative and impactful digital technologies developed by start-ups, from G20 nations as well as the invited non-member nations, which can address the needs of humanity in the critically important sectors of Agri-tech, Health-tech, Ed-tech, Fin-tech, Secured Digital Infrastructure, and Circular Economy.
• Start-up products in the aforementioned six themes enabled through Digital Public Goods Infrastructure can create a global population-scale impact and reduce the digital divide and enable sustainable, and inclusive techno-socio-economic development.
• The G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20–DIA) summit which will be held in Bangalore on the side-lines of the Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) meeting will be a multi-day program where top nominated start-ups from each of the theme areas from all of the G20 countries and the non-member invited countries will showcase their solutions to the global community of investors, mentors, corporates, and other government stakeholders.
• The engagement of innovators, entrepreneurs, start-ups, corporations, investors, mentors, and other ecosystem stakeholders will lead to the speedy acceptance of the platform that India plans to offer through the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA).
• The G20-DIA Summit will bring together the key players in the innovation ecosystem from both G20 member countries and the invited non-member countries

Source: PIB

Context

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently released recommendations on ‘Spectrum Requirements of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for Train Control System for RRTS Corridors’

About:

What is NCRTC ?

• The NCRTC is a joint partnership institution between the Central Government and the participating states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and the NCT of Delhi.
• It works under the administrative control of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Objective: It is mandated for implementing the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project across the NCR of India, ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access.
• Institutional Setup:
  • NCRTC was formally incorporated on 21st August, 2013 as a Company under the Company Act, 1956.
  • As a joint partnership project between the Center and the States, NCRTC would have one nominated Director each from the participating States, and four nominee Directors from the Government of India.
  • The Secretary (UD) is the ex-officio Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director, a nominee of MoUD. NCRTC also has the flexibility of forming separate subsidiary companies for implementing specific projects.

Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS)

• National capital region (NCR) is a multi-state region with the National Capital as its centre. This region, spread over an area of about 35,000 km2, comprises the entire National Capital territory of Delhi and some parts of the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), in order to enhance the connectivity within the NCR, has proposed to connect urban, industrial (SEZs/industrial parks), regional and sub-regional centers through a fast rail based Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).
• The objective of this system is to reduce dependence of commuters on road based transportation.

Source: Indian Express

GS -III

Context

Neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease in Telangana.

Neem:

• Neem is a member of the mahogany family, Meliaceae
• Neem trees are attractive broad-leaved evergreens that can grow up to 30 m tall and 2.5 m in girth.
• The roots penetrate the soil deeply
• When injured, they produce suckers – This suckering tends to be especially prolific in dry localities.
• It is grown from the southern tip of Kerala to the Himalayan hills, in tropical to subtropical regions, in semiarid to wet tropical regions, and from sea level to about 700 m elevation.
• Neem trees are strong can take considerable abuse.
• They can easily withstands pollarding (repeated lopping at heights above about 1.5 m)
• Neem shows antibacterial, antifungal, and other versatile properties
• But neem trees are sometimes hit by insect and fundal infestation

Dieback disease:

• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages
• It causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae.
• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.
• The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

Control measures:

• The twigs affected by the disease should be cut and a blend of fungicide and insecticide can be sprayed after their removal.
• Alternatively, a pit should be dug around an affected tree, and water mixed with fungicide and an insecticide should be poured into it.
• However, the efforts to treat the affected trees should be taken up as a cluster either in a village or in a residential locality in urban areas as the fungus is airborne.
• Even if treatment is carried out for one tree, the fungus spores from a nearby tree can affect the treated plant again.
• Spraying chemicals on big trees is a difficult task as it may hit insects like butterflies and also pollute water bodies nearby.

Source: The hindu

The European Space Agency has announced that the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission will be celebrated at an event in Toulouse, France, on 20 January next year.

About:

• Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will be Europe’s first dedicated robotic mission to Jupiter. Juice is due to reach the planet in July 2031 after performing an incredible flight path through the Solar System.
• The mission will enter into orbit around Jupiter and perform numerous flybys of its large icy moons: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
• After four years of moon flybys, Juice will then enter into orbit around Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System — becoming the first spacecraft ever to reach orbit around the moon of another planet.
• The icy moons of Jupiter are interesting as they are all believed to host oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces. Europa, in particular, is regarded as one of the most likely abodes in the Solar System for extra-terrestrial life.
• Juice will be equipped with ten scientific instruments including ice-penetrating radar to study the internal oceans. This use of radar is a practical first step in mapping the sub-surface oceans, paving the way for more exotic future missions involving submersible vehicles — some of which have already been put forward

Source: The Hindu

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, Tel Aviv University and Columbia University are studying a rare genetic brain disease called “GNB1 Encephalopathy” and trying to develop a drug to treat it effectively.

GNB1 Encephalopathy

• It is a kind of brain disease or neurological disorder which affects individuals in the foetus stage.
• With less than 100 documented cases worldwide
• Children born with GNB1 mutation experience delayed physical and mental development, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy (abnormal brain activity), movement problems, muscle hypotonia or hypertonia.
• A potassium channel called G-protein gated Inwardly Rectifying K+ (GIRK) channel (present in brain, heart and endocrine glands) function is affected significantly.
• As I80T mutation is the most prevalent variant in GNB1 encephalopathy patients.

How it occurs:

• A single nucleotide mutation in the GNB1 gene that makes one of the G-proteins, the “Gβ1 protein,” causes Encephalopathy.
• Every cell in the human body has a wide variety of signalling molecules and pathways that help in communicating with other cells and within itself.
• The major signalling mechanism used by cells is ‘G-Protein Coupled Receptor’ (GPCR) signalling.
• GPCR is a receptor that receives a signal (e.g. a hormone, light, neurotransmitter) from the outside of the cell and transduces it to the inside of the cell.
• GPCR is present in the cell membrane and has a G-protein (αβγ) attached to it from inside the cell.
• G-proteins are the immediate downstream molecules that relay the signal received by the GPCR.
• These G-proteins are present in every cell, and any malfunction will cause disease.

Treatment:

• As the developmental issues start at the fetal stage, gene therapy is the most plausible option to alleviate the effects of the mutation.
• Whole genome sequencing, the elucidation of the full genetic analysis of the baby, can be very helpful in early diagnosis of the disease.
• Epilepsy can be treated using specific drugs to increase the patient’s quality of life.
• To treat epilepsy, specific targets have to be identified.
• Most epilepsies are caused due to altered ion channel function.
• Ion channels are proteins that underlie the electrical activity of neurons and heart cells.

Source: The hindu