05 Mar 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 05 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Scrub typhus
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. China takes lead in mapping the deep
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Australia, Japan PMs to visit India ahead of Quad summit
2. India slams Pakistan for hosting terrorists designated by UNSC, flays OIC remark on J&K
F. Prelims Facts
1. Influenza A H3N2
2. Bru Tribes
3. Seahorses
G. Tidbits
1. Charaideo Maidams
2. International Atomic Energy Agency
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

2. Bru Tribes

Syllabus: GS01-Indian Society

Prelims: Tribes of India; Refugees

Context: Bru tribal community exercised their franchise in Tripura for the first time in assembly elections in March 2023.

Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis:

  • Bru or Reang is a community indigenous to Northeast India, living mostly in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. In Tripura, they are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
  • Around 5,000 families consisting of around 30,000 Bru-Reang tribes were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura following ethnic tension. 
  • The Union government had been assisting the two-State governments for taking care of the refugees.
  • An agreement was signed between the Union government, the two-State governments and representatives of Bru-Reang refugees in 2018, as a result of which the aid given to these families was increased substantially and 328 families consisting of 1369 individuals returned to Mizoram under the agreement.
  • A large number of people from this community have been living in camps on the boundary of Mizoram and Tripura due to the reluctance of both State governments to allow them to settle in their territory. 
  • During the subsequent revision in the electoral rolls, names of most of the Brus were deleted from the electoral rolls in Mizoram.
  • The people of Tripura were also reluctant to allow Brus to be enrolled as voters in Tripura. They were also denied rations and other State-sponsored facilities.
  • The Bru-Reang agreement was signed between the Government of India, the Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives on January 17, 2020. 
  • The agreement promised Bru tribe all the rights and benefits of social welfare schemes of both the Union government and the State government that normal residents of the State receive.
  • Most of the families have received the land, the ₹1.5 lakh to build a house alongside and the ₹4 lakh as fixed deposit per family. Monthly payment of ₹5,000 per family and the land for cultivation was also promised by the government.

3. Seahorses

Syllabus: GS03-Environment

Prelims: Vulnerable Species; Coromandel Coast

Context: This article discusses the migration pattern of seahorses 

Key Details: 

  • Recent study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa finds that extensive fishing off the Coromandel coast could be forcing the great seahorse to migrate laboriously toward Odisha.
  • Fishing is less intense in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coastline. However, the shallow coastal ecosystem of the eastern Indian State may not be the new comfort zone for Seahorses.
  • The study was based on a specimen of a juvenile great seahorse, or Hippocampus kelloggi.

Seahorses:

  • Seahorses are a type of marine fish that are named for their distinctive head and neck, which resemble those of horses. 
  • There are 46 species of seahorses reported worldwide. The coastal ecosystems of India house nine out of 12 species found in the Indo-Pacific, one of the hotspots of seahorse populations that are distributed across diverse ecosystems such as seagrass, mangroves, macroalgal beds, and coral reefs.
    • These nine species are distributed along the coasts of eight States and five Union Territories from Gujarat to Odisha, apart from Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Seahorses are unique in that the males are the ones that become pregnant and give birth to their young. They are also known for their monogamous mating habits, with some species of seahorses forming lifelong pair bonds.
  • Seahorses are poor swimmers but migrate by rafting- clinging to floating substrata such as macroalgae or plastic debris for dispersal by ocean currents  to new habitats for successful maintenance of their population.

Threats:

  • Seahorses are threatened by habitat destruction, overfishing, and the illegal trade in traditional medicines and souvenirs. Some species of seahorses are considered to be endangered, and conservation efforts are underway to protect them.
  • The population of the great seahorse, which is among the eight species tagged ‘vulnerable’, is declining due to its overexploitation for traditional Chinese medicines and as an ornamental fish, combined with general destructive fishing and fisheries bycatch.

G. Tidbits

1. Charaideo Maidams

  • Assam’s pyramid-like structures known as moidams or moidams have met all the technical requirements of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.
  • Charaideo in eastern Assam has more than 90 moidams, the mound-burial system of the Ahoms who ruled large swathes of the present-day State and beyond for some 600 years until the advent of the British in the 1820s.
  • The nomination of Moidams met all of the technical requirements outlined in the Operational Guidelines concerning completeness check of nominations to the World Heritage List.

Read more on Charaideo Maidams 

2. International Atomic Energy Agency

  • International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Rafael Grossi visited Iran to seek greater cooperation with Iran over its nuclear activities amid the discovery of uranium particles enriched to near weapons-grade level.
  • After a visit by the IAEA chief,  Tehran had agreed to reconnect surveillance cameras at several nuclear sites and increase the pace of inspections.
  • Earlier, IAEA, through a report, had said that uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% — just short of weapons-grade — were found in Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site.

Read more on International Atomic Energy Agency

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Consider the following statements: (Level-Difficult)
  1. Electoral Bond would be a bearer instrument in the nature of a Promissory Note and an interest free banking instrument.
  2. No limit exists on the number of electoral bonds that a person (including corporate entities) can purchase.
  3. The amount of bonds not encashed within the validity period of thirty days shall be deposited by the authorised bank to the Prime Minister Relief Fund (PMRF)

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Statement 01 is correct, Electoral Bond would be a bearer instrument in the nature of a Promissory Note and an interest free banking instrument. A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India will be eligible to purchase the bond. 
  • Statement 02 is correct, Electoral bonds are purchased anonymously by donors and are valid for 15 days from the date of issue. No limit exists on the number of electoral bonds that a person (including corporate entities) can purchase.
  • Statement 03 is incorrect, The amount of bonds not encashed within the validity period of fifteen days shall be deposited by the authorised bank to the Prime Minister Relief Fund (PMRF)
Q2. Which of the following statements is/are correct? (Level-Difficult)
  1. Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act established a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI)
  2. The payments made for compensatory afforestation, net present value and others related to the project will be deposited in the fund. The State Funds will receive 90% of the payments while the National Fund will receive the remaining 10%.

Options:

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

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Statement 01 is incorrect,  Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act established the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India and State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
  • Statement 02 is correct,  The payments made for compensatory afforestation, net present value and others related to the project will be deposited in the fund. As per the rules, 90% of the CAF money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre.
Q3. With respect to POCSO Act, which of the following statements is/are correct? 
(Level-Difficult)
  1. The POCSO Act does not provide for any period of limitation for reporting the child sexual offences.
  2. The act not only punishes the perpetrator of sexual abuse, but also penalises those who have failed to report the offence
  3. POCSO Act prohibits disclosure of the victim’s identity in any form of media.

Options:

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

Answer: d

Explanation: 

  • Statement 01 is correct, The POCSO Act does not provide for any period of limitation for reporting the child sexual offences. 
  • Statement 02 is correct, Mandatory reporting obligation imposed under Section 19 requires every person who suspects or has knowledge of a sexual offence being committed against a child to report it to the local police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. The act not only punishes the perpetrator of sexual abuse, but also penalises those who have failed to report the offence with either imprisonment or a fine or both.
  • Statement 03 is correct,  Section 23 of the POCSO Act prohibits disclosure of the victim’s identity in any form of media, except when permitted by the special courts established under the act.
Q4. Which of the following statements is/are correct? (Level-Medium)
  1. The date of holding the election to the office of the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the President.
  2. Sardar Hukam Singh served as the First Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Options:

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

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Statement 01 is incorrect, The election of Deputy Speaker shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix and the Secretary shall send to every member notice of the date fixed.
  • Statement 02 is incorrect, M. A. Ayyangar  served as the First Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Q5. In the context of the Indian defence, what is ‘Dhruv’?(PYQ-CSE-2008)(Level-Medium)
  1. Aircraft-carrying warship
  2. Missile-carrying Submarine
  3. Advanced light helicopter
  4. Intercontinental ballistic missile
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:  The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. Dhruv entered service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators, with military variants of the helicopter being developed for the Indian Armed Forces, while a variant for civilian/commercial use has also been developed. Military versions in production include transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. What is the significance of deep sea exploration? Examine the progress China and India have made in this regard. (250 words, 15 marks) (GS-2; International Relations)
  2. Evaluate the evolution of QUAD and how the group is relevant for India? (250 words, 15 marks) (GS-2; International Relations)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 05 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

Comments

Leave a Comment

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published.

*

*