UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 24th December 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Sone River

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

Bihar police have arrested 20 sand smugglers and seized 40 sand-laden boats in a major crackdown against illegal sand mining on the Sone River.

About Sone River:

• It is one of the largest southern tributaries of the Gangesafter the Yamuna River. 
• Course:
• Origin: It originates from the Amarkantak highlands in the hills of the Maikala range in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh at an elevation of 640 m. (The Narmada River also originates from Amarkantak, though it flows westward while Sone journeys towards the east).
• The river cuts through the Kaimur Rangeand joins the Ganges above Patna in Bihar after a 487-mile (784-km) course. 
• It flows through the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. 
• The total catchment area of the river system is 70,055 sq.km.
• The Sone valley is geologically almost a continuation of that of the Narmada Riverto the southwest. It is largely forested and sparsely populated.
• The valley is bordered by the Kaimur Range to the north and the Chota Nagpur plateau to the south. 
• The floodplain of the river is narrow and only, 3 to 5 kilometers wide. 
• The river’s flow is seasonal, and the Sone is unimportant for navigation.
• Major Tributaries: The main tributaries of the Sone River are the Rihand Riverand the Koel River. The other tributaries are the Gopad River and the Kanhar River.
• Dehri is the major town situated on the Sone River.

Source: DTE

Evolution of Passports in the Context of ‘Dunki’

Subject: Modern History

Why in News?

A recent Bollywood movie ‘Dunki’ addresses the complex issue of immigration.

• The term “donkey journey” in the title refers to the perilous routes taken by people lacking legal permits or financial means to immigrate.
• The film highlights that the current system of visas and passports is a relatively recent development, dating back about 70 years.

Historical Perspective on Passports

• Early Forms of Passports: Passports, serving as identity proofs and travel permits, have existed in various forms for centuries.
• Biblical Reference: The Book of Nehemiah mentions King Artaxerxes of ancient Persia providing letters for safe passage, akin to modern passports.
• European Documentation: In France and the United Kingdom, systems similar to modern passports were in place well before the French Revolution of 1789.

The French Passport System

• Internal and Overseas Passports: France required internal passports for domestic travel and overseas passports for foreign trips.
• State Control and Regulation: The system was also used to regulate skilled workers and prevent the entry of potential troublemakers.

Emergence of Modern Passports

• Shift in India: Before World War I, India did not issue passports, but the British government introduced mandatory passports under the Defence of India Act (1914 to 1918).
• Global Changes Post-World Wars: The need for secure borders during the World Wars led to a global shift in the perception and use of passports.
• British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act: This 1914 Act in Britain consolidated laws related to citizenship and introduced modern passport features.

Standardization and Regulation

• League of Nations’ Involvement: In 1920, the League of Nations aimed to standardize passport systems, with the British model becoming widely adopted.
• US Immigration Laws and Passports: The US introduced passport laws in the 1920s, coinciding with immigration restrictions from Asia.

Public Reception and Cultural Impact

• Personal Discomfort: In the US and UK, some people found the detailed physical descriptions and identity verification in passports intrusive.
• Media Attention: The requirement for prominent individuals, including President Woodrow Wilson, to have passports garnered significant media interest.

Conclusion

• Beyond Wartime Necessity: Initially intended as a wartime tool, passports have become an integral part of modern citizenship and international travel.
• Continued Evolution: The history of passports, as explored in ‘Dunki’, reflects the ongoing evolution of identity verification and border control in response to global socio-political changes.

Source: The Hindu

GS-II

Lapses in the implementation of PM-DevINE Scheme

Subject: Governance

Why in News?

Only about 10% of the funds under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) have been sanctioned.

About PM-DevINE Scheme

Source: The Hindu

GS-III

Nuclear Fusion

Subject: Science and Technology

Why in News?

Scientists have managed to repeatedly produce nuclear fusion ignition for the first time, marking a major milestone towards achieving near-limitless clean energy at scale.

About Nuclear Fusion:

• It is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy.
• Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma—a hot, charged gas made of positive ions and free-moving electrons with unique properties distinct from solids, liquids, or gases.
• The sun, along with all other stars, is powered by this reaction. 
• What are Tokamaks?
• The devices designated for the task of doing this here on Earth—nuclear fusion reactors — are called tokamaks.
• Tokamaks are often also called 'artificial suns' due to the fact that these doughnut-shaped machines replicate processes that occur in the sun.
• There are currently over 200 tokamaks in operation across the globe, with the scientific milestones achieved in these devices developing a roadmap for the operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, the world's largest fusion experiment under construction in the south of France.
• A commercial tokamak will aim to use the thermal energy of plasma heated by fusion to heat water, create steam, and, in turn, spin a turbine that generates electricity.
• Though fusion can involve a wealth of chemical elements, the nuclear reaction that most tokamaks aim to make viable is the fusion of the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium (with a nucleus of one proton and one neutron) and tritium (one proton and two neutrons). Fusing the atoms of these elements together creates a neutron and a helium nucleus. 
• Advantages of Nuclear Fusion:
• Nuclear Fusion produces more energy than fission does. Fusion could generate four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than fission (used in nuclear power plants) and nearly four million times more energy than burning oil or coal.
• It also doesn’t produce radioactive byproductsthat need to be stored or harmful carbon emissions; it simply produces inert helium and a neutron.
• Unlimited Fuel Supply:  The fuel to make fusion happen is simply heavy hydrogen atoms, which can be found in something that Earth has in abundance: seawater. No mining of uranium is required.
• It is much safer than nuclear fission, since fusion can’t create runaway reactions.

Source: Indian Express

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)

Subject: Environment and Ecology

Why in News?

A watchman working with the irrigation department was trampled to death by elephants in a residential area adjacent to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary recently.

About Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS):

• Location: It is a protected area in the Upper Gangetic plain in Uttar Pradesh and covers an area of 400.6 km2 in the Terai of the Bahraich district. 
• In 1987, it was brought under the purview of the ‘Project Tiger’, and together with the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and the Dudhwa National Park, it forms the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
• It provides strategic connectivity between the tiger habitats of Dudhwa and Kishanpur in India and the Bardia National Park in Nepal.
• Vegetation: Its fragile Terai ecosystem comprises a mosaic of sal and teak forests, lush grasslands, and numerous swamps, and wetlands.
• Flora: It is predominantly Sal Forestwith its associate tree species like Terminalia alata (Asna), Lagerstroemia parviflora (Asidha), Adina cordifonia (Haldu), Mitragyna parpiflora (Faldu), Gamelina arborea (Gahmhar), etc.
• Fauna:
• It is home to a number of endangered species, including the Gharial, tiger, rhino, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal florican, and white-backed and long-billed vultures.
• The Gairwa River, which flows in the KWS area, is declared a sanctuary for Mugger and Gharial. It is also home to rare turtles, freshwater fish, and a host of aquatic life.
• It is among the few places in India where freshwater dolphins, also known as Gangetic dolphins, are found in their natural habitat.

Source: Indian Express

Pantoea Tagorei

Why in News?

Recently, a team of researchers from Kolkata's Visva-Bharati has identified a new species of bacteria which has been named Pantoea Tagorei in homage to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

About Pantoea Tagorei:

• It was discovered from soil samples collected in the Jharia coal mines.
• Characteristics
• It has unique properties beneficial for plant growth.
• It not only solubilizes potassium but also replenishes nitrogen and solubilizes
• The team has conducted experiments by introducing this bacterium to farmers, who have expressed satisfaction with the positive results.
• Significance: This bacteria marks a significant stride toward fostering environmentally friendly agricultural methods.

Key facts about Rabindranath Tagore:

• He was a world-renowned poet, litterateur, philosopherand Asia’s first Nobel laureate.
• He was born in Kolkata on May 7, 1861. 
• He was popularly known as Bard of Bengal,and 
• He introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature, thereby freeing it from traditional models based on classical Sanskrit.
• He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West and vice versa.
• Awards: In 1913he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature
• He was awarded a knighthood in 1915, but he repudiated it in 1919 as a protest against the Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) Massacre.
• Visva Bharati University, which was known as Shantiniketan founded by Rabindranath Tagore.
• Rabindranath Tagore wrote India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
• Tagore’s most notable work of poetry is Gitanjali: Song Offerings, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. 

Source: Economic Times