CNA 25 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. GS 1 Related B. GS 2 Related SOCIAL JUSTICE 1. Operation Megh Chakra C. GS 3 Related SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Evolution of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus D. GS 4 Related E. Editorials INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. How will Putin’s mobilisation impact Ukraine? F. Prelims Facts 1. Rohini RH-200 2. Sittanavasal Murals G. Tidbits 1. ‘Abode of the Unicorns’ H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
A. GS 1 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
B. GS 2 Related
Syllabus: Issues related to Women and Children
Mains: Impact of Child Pornogrphy on society
Context: Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) cracks down against child sex abuse material, raids 56 locations across country as part of Operation ‘Megha Chakra’.
Background:
- CBI had launched an exercise code-named “Operation Carbon” in November 2021, searching 76 locations against circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material.
- CBI booked the accused persons under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Information Technology Act, for allegedly being part of the syndicates that uploaded, circulated, sold and viewed such material.
- Later, the CBI requested several countries for information sharing and collection in accordance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) on people responsible for the offense.
- The investigation had revealed more than 50 groups with more than 5,000 offenders including the nationals of about 100 countries, also including Turkey, Poland, Sudan, South Korea, Uganda, Kuwait, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia and Romania.
Operation Megha Chakra:
- Based on the inputs received from the Interpol’s Singapore special unit based on the information received from the authorities in New Zealand, the CBI conducted searches several locations across the country as part of a pan-India drive against the circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material.
- The operation is targeted at cloud storage facilities used by the peddlers to circulate audio-visuals of illicit sexual activities with minors, thus earning the code ‘Megha Chakra’.
- The CBI has registered cases alleging the involvement of a large number of Indian nationals in the online circulation, downloading and transmission of such material using cloud-based storage.
- A preliminary scrutiny of the seized electronic devices allegedly revealed a huge quantity of child pornography material stored in them.
- The operation was one of the CBI-led global operations in recent times for a prompt response to online child sexual exploitation cases with international linkages.
- The official said the operation sought to collate information from various law enforcement agencies in India, engage with the relevant law enforcement agencies globally and coordinate closely through the Interpol channels on the issue.
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM):
- In 2021 alone, more than 29 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation were reported by online platforms to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline.
- In a global compilation of reports of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) found online, India stands on top of the list, with 11.7% of the total reports followed by Pakistan, which contributes 6.8% of all reports.
- Three of the top four countries were in South Asia, raising concerns about the online safety of children in the region.
- Bangladesh comes in fourth with a share of 3.3%.
Laws for Pornography in India:
- After the Supreme Court’s order, the Department of Telecommunication banned several websites containing child pornographic material.
- As per the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2002, it is punishable to show children any pornographic content.
Image Source: India Today
Impact of Pandemic on CSAMs:
- The Covid pandemic and mass lockdown led to an unprecedented rise in screen time. Pedophiles who work online exploited the situation looking for bored children which led to an increase in CSAMs.
- Limited access to community support services, child care and educational personnel who often play a key role in detecting and reporting cases of child sexual exploitation also resulted in the rise in cases.
Ways to keep children safer online:
- Protecting one’s identity by avoiding the sharing of personally-identifying information through social networks and online forums which can lead to unwanted attention and harassment about a sexual assault.
- Report inappropriate images received through text message or online to help law enforcement stop a perpetrator in action.
- The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) urges people to report CSAMs found online across the world annually, on their online platform CyberTipline.
- Using a secure Internet connection.
- Checking privacy settings, such as location services and contact information, when using social media.
- Laying the groundwork for open communication can encourage children to share about any unusual online conversations or activities down the road.
Nut Graf: Child sexual abuse and exploitation has a significant impact on the health and well-being of children and adolescents worldwide. CBI along with agencies across the world are sharing information to combat child pornography by adopting new technologies and methods.
C. GS 3 Related
1. Evolution of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus
Syllabus: Various Diseases-Health related issues
Mains: Threats posed by Novel Viruses
Context: The Lumpy Skin virus has infected over 16 lakh cattle and killed nearly 75000 cattle in 197 districts so far in India.
What is the lumpy skin disease and how does it spread?
- Lumpy skin disease is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the genus capripoxvirus, a part of the poxviridae family (smallpox and monkeypox viruses are also a part of the same family).
- The LSDV shares antigenic similarities with the sheep pox virus (SPPV) and the goat pox virus (GTPV) or is similar in the immune response to those viruses.
- It is not a zoonotic virus. It is a contagious vector-borne disease spread by vectors like mosquitoes, some biting flies, and ticks and usually affects host animals like cows and water buffaloes.
- According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), infected animals shed the virus through oral and nasal secretions which may contaminate common feeding and water troughs. Thus, the disease can either spread through direct contact with the vectors or through contaminated fodder and water.
- Studies have also shown that it can spread through animal semen during artificial insemination.
The evolution of lumpy skin disease virus:
- The disease was first observed in Zambia in 1929, subsequently spreading to most African countries extensively, followed by West Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Central Asia, and more recently spreading to South Asia and China in 2019.
- As per the FAO, the LSD disease is currently endemic in several countries across Africa, parts of West Asia (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic), and Turkey.
- Adaptation of poxviruses are dominated by genomic mutations, deletions and recombinations.
- The virus isolated from 2015 and 2016 was similar to the earlier genomes from 2001.
- By 2018, all field isolates of LSDV in Russia were replaced by viruses bearing genetic signatures of the LSDV vaccine, suggesting that the outbreak of LSD in Russia during 2017-2019 was due to a novel LSDV recombinant variant.
- Recombination events are now well catalogued in poxviruses and mediated by the poxvirus DNA polymerases in cells being co-infected by viruses of same or different genus.
- Recombination of pathogenic and vaccine strains are likely when an infected animal is immunised or infection occurs in the pre-immune phase after vaccination.
Genomes from India:
- The first laboratory confirmed outbreak of LSD in India was subsequently reported in November 2019.
- Sequences of particular genes of the isolated virus from the 2019 outbreak were genetically similar to strains from Kenya.
- However, LSDV from the 2022 outbreak is different from the 2019 version. Genome sequencing by the scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and the State Disease Diagnostic Centre, Jaipur showed that it had “little similarity to global genomes” when compared with genetic sequences from earlier outbreaks of the disease.
- Further, the presence of an additional mutation in two samples from the same animal and the large number of mutations potentially suggests that LSDV may be able to evolve fast within the host.
Nut Graf: Animal and plant health are key to human health, and forms the basis of One Health. There has never been a more pressing need for readiness with more advanced instruments like molecular monitoring and digital technologies to detect and combat developing infections as we transition to industrialised agriculture in the age of climate change.
D. GS 4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Editorials
Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. How will Putin’s mobilisation impact Ukraine?
Syllabus: Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.
Prelims: Important places in news
Mains: Russia- Ukraine confrontation
Context: Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation to aid Russian “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Background:
- The original plan of Russia to make quick territorial gains in Ukraine through a limited war has not been very successful. Though Russia has made substantial territorial gains in the east and south of Ukraine, Russia has had to pay a heavy price in the form of resources and manpower.
- Ukraine’s troops, backed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been able to resist the Russian attack to some extent. They have been able to resist Russian offensive in the east and have been able to repel the Russians from the Kharkiv Oblast through a counter-offensive attack.
- Four Russia-backed breakaway regions in Ukraine — Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and Kherson and Zaporizhzhya in the south — are holding referendums on joining Russia.
Image source: The Hindu
Partial military mobilisation:
- As against a general mobilisation, which includes nationwide conscription, partial military mobilisation means that only those who are currently in the reserves and those who have served in the armed forces and have got military training would be conscripted.
Reasons for the mobilisation:
- The military setback being faced by Russia seems to be the major factor behind the Russian move for partial mobilization.
- Also given that the frontline is now as long as 1,000 km, Russia needs more manpower to hold its position along the frontline in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks. Russia needs troop mobilization to sustain its military gains in Ukraine.
- Also the domestic pressure in Russia by the hardliners to commit more troops and resources to the Ukranian operation seems to be another major reason for the mobilisation efforts.
Mixed signals from Russia:
- Russia seems to be sending mixed signals on its intentions in the Ukrainian conflict.
Threat of escalation:
- The Russian President has threatened the use of nuclear weapons to protect the territorial integrity of Russia. This is a direct threat to Ukraine against attacking Crimea, which Russia had annexed in 2014.
- Also the announcement by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s breakaway regions to hold referendums on joining Russia marks another major escalation by the Russian side in the confrontation. The possibility of Russia recognizing the referendums and annexing these territories threatens to further deteriorate the course of the conflict.
Conciliatory tone:
- The recent speech by the Russian President, positively referring to the Istanbul talks between Russia and Ukraine which dealt with the peace proposals, is an indication that the hope for a negotiated settlement is still on the table.
- Under the Istanbul talks framework, Ukraine had proposed to give up NATO membership bid in return for multilateral security guarantees. It also agreed to discuss the status of Donbas region with Russian President and agreed to a 15-year consultation period for Crimea, during which Ukraine would uphold the status quo vis-à-vis Ukraine.
Way forward:
- Russia, with additional troop mobilisation could turn around the course of the war in its favour. This could lead to Russia going for annexation of the other territories in Ukraine thus shutting the path to peace. If the mobilisation by Russia fails, The Russian President’s position at home would become vulnerable, forcing him to take more drastic measures. So either way, the current phase of the war offers both an opportunity to pursue peace and a slide into dangerous escalation.
- Since the window of opportunity for the peace process will not stay open forever, the relevant stakeholders should cease the opportunity to ensure a speedy end to the confrontation and bring peace to the region.
Nut Graf: The Russian move to order for a partial military mobilisation to aid its “special military operation” in Ukraine marks another major escalation by the Russian side in the confrontation. All efforts should be made to revive and support peace talks between the two sides to ensure a speedy end to the confrontation and bring peace to the region.
F. Prelims Facts
Syllabus: GS03-Science and Technology
Context: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch 200th successful launch of the Rohini RH-200 sounding rocket in a row.
Sounding Rockets:
- Sounding rockets are usually one or two stage solid propellant rockets primarily intended for probing the upper atmospheric regions using rocket-borne instrumentation.
- They also serve as platforms for testing prototypes of new components or subsystems intended for use in launch vehicles and satellites.
- Several scientific missions with national and international participation have been conducted using the Rohini sounding rockets.
- The launch of the first sounding rocket US made ‘Nike Apache’ from Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on November 21, 1963, marked the beginning of the Indian Space Programme.
- Later days saw the launching of two-stage rockets imported from Russia (M-100) and France (Centaure).
- In 1967, ISRO started launching a series of our own sounding rockets named Rohini from TERLS.
- RH-75, with a diameter of 75mm was the first truly Indian sounding rocket, which was followed by RH-100 and RH-125 rockets.
- Currently, operational sounding rockets include three versions namely RH-200, RH-300-Mk-II and RH-560-Mk-III. These cover a payload range of 8 to 100 kg and an apogee range of 80 to 475 km.
Rohini RH-200:
- The first and second stages of RH-200 are powered by solid motors.It uses polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based propellant. The ‘200’ in the name denotes the diameter of the rocket in mm.
- The first RH-200 to use a new propellant based on hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) was successfully flown from the TERLS in September 2020.
- The rocket celebrated its 100th consecutive successful mission on July 15, 2015.
- These small rockets are launched both from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) and the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Syllabus: GS01-Art and Culture
Context: Recently, the Archaeological Survey of India has undertaken several conservation measures of Sittanavasal rock cave temple.
Key Details:
- Sittanavasal Cave is a 2nd-century Tamil Sramaṇa complex of caves in Sittanavasal village in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu, India.
- The monument is a rock-cut monastery or temple. Created by Tamil Sramaṇa, it is called the Arivar Koil.
- The Sittanavasal Cave is listed as one of the Adarsh Smarak Monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Jain temples in Sittanavasal have sculptures and inscriptions in Brahmi and ‘ vattaezhuthu’, from the third century AD.
- Early Tamil inscriptions from the ninth century AD of the Jain monk Ilan-Gautaman, are also present here.
- The design elements in the Arivar Kovil hint at its possible earlier existence as a Saivite shrine.
Murals of Sittanavasal:
- Sittanavasal rock cave temples contain remnants of notable frescoes from the 7th century.
- The artwork on the ceiling of the sanctum and the ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil is an early example of post-Ajanta cave paintings of the fourth to sixth centuries, done using the fresco-secco technique.
- The ceiling paintings show ‘bhavyas’ (exalted souls who work to achieve moksha or spiritual liberation) enjoying themselves in a pool, full of blooming lotuses.
- The most important mural is the exquisite composition, Samava-saran, a lotus tank with a disciple collecting flowers and animals and fish frolicking.
- These beautiful animated figures, with their broad hips, slender waists, and elaborate ornaments, recall the beauty of the Apsara of mythology; their pose and expression suggest rhythm and dynamic movement.
- The pillars of the verandah (added by the Maharaja of Pudukottai at the instance of then Diwan Alexander Tottenham in the 1900s), were brought from Kudumiyanmalai.
- The colours are a mixture of plant dyes and mineral elements such as lime, lamp black, and clay pigments such as ochre for yellow and terre verte for the greyish-green tints.
- This is the only place in Tamil Nadu with Pandya paintings.
- At least three-fourths of the art is already damaged due to unrestricted public access and general exposure to the elements and vandalism.
Ajanta Murals v/s Sittanavasal Murals:
- The Ajanta murals are painted in the tempora style, using the dry technique. A base is prepared on the rough walls and then covered with a coating of lime plaster. Paint is applied on a dry background.
- Sittannavasal murals have been painted with vegetable and mineral dyes that are applied to a thin wet surface of lime plaster. Once the paint dries new paint cannot be applied on it, as in the Ajanta technique.
- At Ajanta, paintings depict mostly Buddhist themes, whereas the Sittanavasal depict Jaina themes.
- Like in Ajanta there are murals of courtesans also.
G. Tidbits
- The Kaziranga National Park in Assam has got a memorial made out of the ash of burnt rhino horns.
- Named “Abode of the Unicorns”, it has three rhino sculptures – an adult male, an adult female and a calf.
- It also has three statues of forest guards, created by using different materials.
- The ash collected from the burning of a stockpile of 2,479 rhino horns, seized from poachers and smugglers and collected from animals that died naturally, was used in the concrete mix to create the lifesize rhinos.
Image Source: The Hindu
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
Q1. Consider the following statements with respect to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): (Level-Medium)
- The Xaxa committee created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, who are less developed among the tribal groups.
- Odisha has the highest number of PVTGs in India
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both
- None
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: b
Explanation:
- Statement 01 is incorrect, PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups. In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, which are less developed among the tribal groups. In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as PVTGs.
- Statement 02 is correct, Odisha has the highest number of PVTGs in India while no PVTGs are found in the states of Punjab and Haryana.
- 13 out of the 75 PVTGs are in Odisha.
Q2. Which amongst the following statements is the best description of Paris Club? (Level-Medium)
- An informal group of creditor nations focussed on dealing with borrower nations that face difficulty in paying back their loans.
- A group of Countries have legally committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
- An alliance of countries with the primary objective to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
- An informal group, comprising 40-odd member states, mostly middle-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent seats.
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: a
Explanation:
- The Paris Club is an informal group of creditor nations whose objective is to find workable solutions to payment problems faced by debtor nations.
- The Paris Club has 22 permanent members.
- The Paris Club stresses the informal nature of its existence. As an informal group, it has no official statutes and no formal inception date, although its first meeting with a debtor nation was in 1956, with Argentina.
- India is an observer state of the Paris Club from 2019.
Q3. With respect to Masala Bonds, which of the following statements is/are correct? (Level-Difficult)
- They are rupee-denominated bonds. It is a debt instrument issued by an Indian entity in foreign markets to raise money
- The first Masala Bonds were issued by World Bank in 2014 to fund an infrastructure project in India
- These bonds can only be issued to a resident of such a country which is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Options:
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Statement 01 is correct, Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated bonds. It is a debt instrument issued by an Indian entity in foreign markets to raise money, in Indian currency, instead of dollars or local denomination.
- In 2019, Kerala became the first Indian state to issue Masala Bonds worth Rs. 2,150 crore on the London Stock Exchange. State-owned Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) had issued the bonds to raise funds in the overseas market.
- Statement 02 is correct, The first Masala Bonds were issued by World Bank in 2014 to fund an infrastructure project in India
- The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment branch of the World Bank issued a 10-year, 10 billion Indian rupee bonds in November 2014 to increase foreign investment in India and mobilise international capital markets to support infrastructure development in the country
- Statement 03 is correct, These bonds can only be issued to a resident of such a country which is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Q4. Consider the following Pairs: (Level-Difficult)
Mission Planet
- Cassini Saturn
- DAVINCI Venus
- Europa Clipper Jupiter
- InSight Mars
How many pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- Only one pair
- Only two pairs
- Only three pairs
- All four pairs
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: d
Explanation:
- Pair 01 is correctly matched, Cassini–Huygens is an unmanned spacecraft sent to the planet Saturn as a part of Cassini mission.
- Pair 02 is correctly matched, the DAVINCI mission is a flyby mission to Venus and explores its harsh atmosphere in 2029.
- It will be the first mission to study Venus by means of both flybys and descent.
- Pair 03 is correctly matched, Europa Clipper is a mission by NASA to conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter’s moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could have conditions suitable for life.
- Pair 04 is correctly matched, The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission is a robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of the planet Mars. The InSight mission is part of NASA’s Discovery Program (1992).
Q5. In the Government of India Act 1919, the functions of Provincial Government were divided into “Reserved” and “Transferred” subjects. Which of the following were treated as “Reserved” subjects? (Level-Difficult) (PYQ-2022)
- Administration of Justice
- Local Self-Government
- Land Revenue
- Police
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2, 3 and 4
- 1, 3 and 4
- 1, 2 and 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-
Answer: c
Explanation:
- The Government of India Act 1919 relaxed the central control over the provinces by demarcating and separating the central and provincial subjects.
- The central and provincial legislatures were authorised to make laws on their respective list of subjects.
- It further divided the provincial subjects into two parts—transferred and reserved.
- The reserved subjects included subjects such as law and order, police, finance, land revenue, irrigation, etc.
- The transferred subjects included subjects such as education, health, local government, industry, agriculture, excise, etc.
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
- In the context of the Sittanavasal murals, discuss the measures to mitigate the irreversible damage to our heritage? (150 words, 10 marks) (GS1; Art and Culture)
- “The Rohini RH-200 rockets were the stepping stone to our space programme”. Elucidate. (150 words, 10 marks) (GS-3; Science and Technology)
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CNA 25 Sep 2022:- Download PDF Here
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