25 Apr 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 25th April 2021:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. ASEAN leaders urge junta to end killings
C. GS 3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. Groundwater depletion may reduce winter cropping intensity by 20% in India
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. 384 rescued, 10 bodies recovered after avalanche in Uttarakhand
ECONOMY
1. RBI to issue cybersecurity norms for payment services
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. A space for science, experiments and unity
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
ECONOMY
1. Reforms in the National Pension System
HEALTH
1. Chances of infection after COVID-19 vaccination
F. Prelims Facts
1. Making oxygen
2. Mini black hole
3. China eyes asteroid defence
G. Tidbits
1. Justice N.V. Ramana is CJI
2. Jagan presents National Panchayat Awards
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

Category: DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. 384 rescued, 10 bodies recovered after avalanche in Uttarakhand

Context:

  • Avalanche in Uttarakhand.

Background:

Avalanche:

  • An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
  • Primarily composed of flowing snow and air, large avalanches have the capability to capture and move ice, rocks, and trees.
  • Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earthquakes.

 Details:

  • Notably, the Joshimath–Malari–Girthidobla–Sumna–Rimkhim axis area had experienced heavy rain and snow since the last five days, which is still continuing. This seems to have resulted in the avalanche.
  • The avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) detachment and labour camps north of Joshimath.
  • Ten bodies were recovered and 384 people rescued in the ongoing search and rescue operations. Eight persons are still unaccounted for.

Category: ECONOMY

1. RBI to issue cybersecurity norms for payment services

Context:

Background:

Increasing traction of digital payment system:

  • As digitisation increases in any sphere, payments or otherwise, people would be involved in more and more digital transactions.
  • Digital transactions are bound to gain further traction over the coming years.

Cyber security concerns:

  • There have been a series of data breaches faced by operators including Mobikwik and payment aggregator JusPay.

Governmental efforts:

  • Given the increasing risk posed by cyber frauds, Reserve Bank of India has issued very recently basic guidelines on cyber hygiene and cybersecurity for banks and certain NBFCs.

Details:

  • The RBI would soon also be issuing cybersecurity norms for payment service providers (PSPs).
  • While the standards for fintech-driven payment services providers will be similar to cyber hygiene norms issued recently for banks and non-banking finance companies, the RBI is quite clear that firms will have to do more than observe the minimum standards to ensure safety with respect to digital transactions.

Other concern in payment services segment:

Concentration of segment share:

  • Experts have also raised concerns about the domination of two or three players in the fintech-backed retail payments space.
    • Two apps provide about 70% of third-party services in the UPI system.
  • The concentration of two or three third-party providers in this retail payments space could give rise to competitive weaknesses.

Counterview:

  • Given the fact that the two or big tech companies in the segment are not payment system providers as such, but act as just the front-end of the system and just on board customers and have no control on the entire UPI itself, in that sense, there is not so much a concern on antitrust or monopolistic tendencies.
  • Given the rising popularity of UPI, the government will have to think twice about stepping in and controlling the market share of two or three popular apps because that could actually hurt absorption of this tech in the population.

Conclusion:

  • Over the next decade, the critical challenge for regulators would be to speed up the absorption of fintech without undermining the financial system’s integrity or stability by addressing the issue of cyber security and monopolistic tendencies.

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. A space for science, experiments and unity

Context:

  • Russian space agency Roscosmos’s chief has declared that Russia is ready to build its own space station and launch it by 2030.
  • Further, Russian Deputy Prime minister has also said that Russia would leave the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025.

International Space Station (ISS):

International collaboration:

  • The International Space Station (ISS) is a landmark of international cooperation in the realm of space
  • For over 20 years, it has seen intense collaboration between the NASA (U.S.), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada), and has played host to people from 19 countries since its launch in 1998.
  • Ever since November 2, 2000, the ISS has seen the steady presence of human beings.

Features:

  • The ISS, at a height of about 402 km above the Earth, orbits it 16 times every day, once every 90 minutes. It has a speed of 28,000 km per hour.

Scientific studies:

  • The space station will permit quantum leaps in human research in science, communications, and in metals and lifesaving medicines which could be manufactured only in space.
  • The following studies have been undertaken so far.

Biological:

  • The first experiments on the ISS studied the dynamics of cells under microgravity.
  • Some of the experiments being conducted by the latest expeditions include a study of how muscles work under long-term stay under low-gravity conditions. This experiment observes biochemical properties of muscles under long-term exposure to spaceflight. This can help in developing rehabilitation both on Earth and in Space.

Material:

  • An important experiment mimics the way geckos attach themselves to surfaces, using an adhesive that has been shown to work in space. This can help devise methods for robots to attach themselves to surfaces and then to detach just the way geckos do.

Physics experiments:

  • Some of the early physical sciences experiments related to crystal growth.
  • Current studies involve research into Janus particles, or particles that have two ‘faces’ with distinct properties — one side is hydrophobic, while the other is hydrophilic. Studying these in microgravity reveals the fundamental physics behind microparticle self- assembly and the kinds of colloidal structures that can be fabricated.

Category: HEALTH

1. Chances of infection after COVID-19 vaccination

Context:

  • The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has reported that around two to four of 10,000 people given two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have tested positive for the disease.
    • According to available data, of the 1.7 million people who got a second dose of Covaxin (and thus fully inoculated), 695 tested positive — a rate of 0.04%. Of the 15.7 million who got a second dose of Covishield, 5,014 tested positive, a rate of 0.03%.

Details:

Breakthrough infection:

  • These are infections that occur in people who have been vaccinated.
  • Such cases are not out of the ordinary as the vaccines that have been approved so far the world over are made to protect against disease and not the transmission of the virus.

Reasons for breakthrough infections:

  • Healthcare and frontline workers were getting infected because of their constant high exposure to COVID-19 patients.
  • The other reason could be the highly transmissible new variants.
    • Studies on the AstraZeneca vaccine show that its efficacy is reduced when faced with the U.K. and the South African variant.

Conclusion:

  • Though breakthrough infection has occurred in “a very small number” of people, it does not undermine the effectiveness of vaccination. Vaccination does help protect against disease.
  • While vaccines protect against death and disease, they may not be 100% protective.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Making oxygen

Context:

  • NASA has extracted oxygen from the carbon dioxide present in the thin Martian atmosphere.
  • The Martian atmosphere is about 95% carbon dioxide

Details:

  • The unprecedented extraction of oxygen on Mars, marking the first extraction of a natural resource from the environment of another planet, was achieved by a device called MOXIE aboard Perseverance rover of NASA.
  • MOXIE is short for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment.
  • The device extracted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on Mars and then electrochemically split oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules. The conversion process requires high levels of heat to reach a temperature of approximately 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 Celsius).
  • The device was able to produce about 5 grams of oxygen, equivalent to roughly 10 minutes’ worth of breathing for an astronaut.

Significance:

  • This breakthrough could allow for longer human stays on future manned missions to mars.
  • It would also enable the space agencies to design lighter launch vehicles with lower payload capacities given that future missions could prepare the required oxygen for the return journey in situ on mars.

2. Mini black hole

  • Scientists have discovered what may be the smallest-known black hole in the Milky Way galaxy and the closest to our solar system.
  • Nicknamed ‘Unicorn’ the black hole is roughly three times the mass of the Sun.
  • A luminous red giant star orbits with the black hole in a so-called binary star system named V723 Mon.

3. China eyes asteroid defence

  • China is considering building a defence system against near-earth asteroids, as part of its efforts towards realising its longer term space ambitions.
  • China signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2021 with Russia to set up an international lunar research station.

AIDA:

  • The European space agency has signed a deal with NASA for a joint project looking at how to deflect an asteroid heading for earth.
  • This combined endeavour is known as the Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment, or AIDA for short. Its purpose is to deflect the orbit of the smaller body of the double Didymos asteroids between Earth and Mars through an impact by one spacecraft. Then a second spacecraft will survey the crash site and gather the maximum possible data on the effect of this collision.
    • NASA’s contribution to AIDA, the Double Asteroid Impact Test, or DART spacecraft, is already under construction for launch in summer 2021, to collide with its target at 6.6 km/s in September 2022. Flying along with DART will be an Italian-made miniature CubeSat called LICIACube (Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids) to record the moment of impact.
    • Then will come ESA’s part of AIDA, a mission called Hera which will perform a close-up survey of the post-impact asteroid, acquiring measurements such as the asteroid’s mass and detailed crater shape. Hera will also deploy a pair of CubeSats for close-up asteroid surveys and the very first radar probe of an asteroid.

G. Tidbits

1. Justice N.V. Ramana is CJI

  • Justice N.V. Ramana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India (CJI) by President Ram Nath Kovind.
  • Chief Justice Ramana, in his recent speeches, has focussed on three aspects: ensuring equal access to justice, upholding of civil liberties against human rights violations by the State and the setting up of a National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation to bring the much-needed “uniformity and standardisation” into the court infrastructure.

2. Jagan presents National Panchayat Awards

Context:

  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy presented the recently held National Panchayat Awards-2021.

Details:

  • The National Panchayat Awards are conferred by the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj on the occasion of the National Panchayat Raj Day, 2021.
  • April 24 has been recognised as National Panchayati Raj Day. The annual celebration is done to commemorate the day on which the 73rd Constitutional Amendment was passed in 1992. The act came into effect on April 24, 1993. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had declared the first National Panchayati Raj Day on 24 April in the year 2010.
  • National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated to mark the inception of decentralised power in Indian administration.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following is/are In situ bioremediation techniques?
  1. Bioventing
  2. Biopiles
  3. Biosparging
  4. Bioreactors
  5. Bioaugmentation

Options:

  1. 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
  2. 1, 3 and 5 only
  3. 2, 3 and 4 only
  4. 3, 4 and 5 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Biopiles and Bioreactors represent ex situ bioremediation techniques
Q2. With reference to Detritus Food Chain (DFC), which of the following statements is/are 
correct?
  1. It is made up of decomposers which are heterotrophic organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria.
  2. In a terrestrial ecosystem, a much larger fraction of energy flows through the detritus food chain than through the Grazing Food Chain (GFC)

Options:

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Detritus food chain is the type of food chain that starts with dead organic materials. The dead organic substances are decomposed by microorganisms. The organisms that feed on dead organic matter or detritus, are known as detritivores or decomposers. These detritivores are later eaten by predators. In the detritus food chain, the excreted products by one organism is utilized by another organism.
  • The detritus food chain helps in solving inorganic nutrients.
  • Compared to other kinds of food chains, the detritus food chain has much larger energy flow in a terrestrial ecosystem.
Q3. Consider the following statements with respect to Eutrophication:
  1. As the lake’s fertility increases, plant and animal life burgeons
  2. As silt and organic debris pile up, there is reduction in lake’s temperature

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

  • Eutrophication is the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to plentiful growth of simple plant life. The excessive growth (or bloom) of algae and plankton in a water body are indicators of this process.
  • As silt and organic debris pile up, there is increased warming observed in the lake.
  • As silt and organic debris pile up, the lake grows shallower and warmer, with warm-water organisms supplanting those that thrive in a cold environment

Q4. ‘Evil Quartet’ is related to
  1. Ozone layer depletion
  2. Industrial revolution and its impact on environment
  3. Loss of biodiversity
  4. Oil exploration risks for the marine life
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

The four major causes of loss of biodiversity are

  • Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
  • Over Exploitation
  • Alien species invasions
  • Co-extinctions
Q5. With reference to Ecological Succession, which of the following statements 
is/are correct?
  1. Primary succession is faster than secondary succession.
  2. At any time during primary or secondary succession, a particular seral stage of succession cannot be converted to an earlier stage.
  3. Lichens, fungus are examples of Pioneer species

Options:

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Secondary succession is faster than primary succession.
  • A particular seral stage of succession can be converted to an earlier stage, either naturally or by human intervention.

Q6. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
  1. National parks are given a greater degree of protection, with human activity greatly restricted as compared to wildlife sanctuaries
  2. National Park can be created for a particular species, whereas the Wildlife sanctuary is not primarily focused on a particular species

Options:

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both
  4. None
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

  • Wildlife Sanctuaries can be created for a particular species, whereas the National Parks are not primarily focused on a particular species
Q7. Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is released by
  1. World Economic Forum (WEF)
  2. Climate Action Network (CAN)
  3. Germanwatch
  4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate was approved at the IPCC’s 51st Session in September 2019 in Monaco.
  • This report assessed the latest scientific knowledge about the physical science basis and impacts of climate change on ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems, and the human communities that depend on them. It also evaluated their vulnerabilities and adaptation capacity and determined that the ocean and cryosphere play a critical role in sustaining life.
  • In particular, it shows that the ocean has taken up more than 90% of the heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions and is reducing warming on land. Ocean warming, together with ocean acidification (from carbon dioxide uptake), loss of oxygen, and changes in nutrient supplies is affecting the distribution and abundance of marine life in coastal areas, including in the open ocean and at the seafloor.
  • Glaciers and ice sheets all around the world are losing mass at an increasing rate.
  • This shows that climate change is rapidly changing these two systems which has larger implications for humanity if remains unchecked.
Q8. Consider the following pairs:

       Disease                                                                                Pollutant

  1. Itai-itai                                                                                     cadmium
  2. Minamata                                                                                 Mercury
  3. Pneumoconiosis                                                                        Coal

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

Self-Explanatory

Q9. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
  1. Grasslands rarely receive enough rain to support trees. They do not possess soil nutrients to feed large, grassy expanses.
  2. Taiga is a region of subarctic forest south of the Arctic Circle.
  3. Tundra is the treeless environment of the Arctic Circle.

Options:

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Grasslands rarely receive enough rain to support trees, however they do possess enough soil nutrients to feed large, grassy expanses.

Q10. Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts 
of India? (2013)
  1. Arsenic
  2. Sorbitol
  3. Fluoride
  4. Formaldehyde
  5. Uranium

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. 1 and 3 only
  2. 2, 4 and 5 only
  3. 1, 3 and 5 only
  4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Sorbitol tends to be commonly found in fruits like apples, apricots, avocado, blackberries, cherries, lychee, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and prunes. Sorbitol is also manufactured and used as an artificial sweetener. Consuming sorbitol or other sugar alcohols in large amounts can cause bloating and diarrhea in some people, especially if you’re not used to regularly consuming them.
  • Formaldehyde is a simple chemical compound made of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. All life forms – bacteria, plants, fish, animals and humans – naturally produce formaldehyde as part of cell metabolism. Formaldehyde is formed primarily by the combustion of organic materials and several natural and anthropogenic actions. Secondary formation of formaldehyde happens in the atmosphere through oxidation of natural and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds. Formaldehyde’s production and use in the manufacture of resins, preservatives, disinfectants, and a variety of other chemicals may cause its release into the environment through various waste streams.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. What do you understand by ‘breakthrough infection’? Will vaccines offer lasting protection against Covid-19? Critically Evaluate. (15 Marks, 250 Words)[GS-2,Health]
  2. Discuss the causes of Groundwater depletion and its Socio-economic and Ecological Consequences. Suggest measures to conserve Groundwater. (10 Marks, 150 Words)[GS-3,Environment and Ecology]

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 25th April 2021:- Download PDF Here

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