Daily Current Affairs 25 October 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

 Current Affairs Of Today 

1) Dairy production in the Indus Valley Civilisation 

• The year 2020 marks 100 years of discovery of Indus Valley Civilisation, and a new study has shown that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE. 
• By analyzing residues on ancient pots, researchers show the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, thus throwing fresh light on the rural economy of the civilization. The studies were carried out on 59 shards of pottery from Kotada Bhadli, a small archeological site in present­day Gujarat.
• When we talk about Harappans, we always refer to metropolitan cities and the big towns. But we have no idea of the parallel economy — agro­pastoral or rural. We know they had great urban planning, trading systems, jewelry making. But we don't have any idea how the common masters were living during the Harappan times, their lifestyle, and how they were contributing to the larger network
• The team used molecular analysis techniques to study the residues from ancient pottery. Pots are porous. So as soon as we put any liquid form of food, it will absorb it. The pot preserves the molecules of food such as fats and proteins. Using techniques like C16 and C18 analysis we can identify the source of lipids
• Traces were seen in cooking vessels indicating that milk may have been boiled and consumed. Researchers also found residues in a bowl showing that either heated milk or curd could have been served. There are also remains of a perforated vessel, and similar vessels were used in Europe to make cheese. So it is possible that they were further processing milk into different forms.
• The team was also able to show which type of animals were being used for dairy production. They studied the tooth enamel from fossils of cattle, water buffalo, goat and sheep found in the area. Cows and water buffalo were found to consume millets, while sheep and goats ate nearby grass and leaves. A preliminary study suggested that most of the cattle and water­buffalo died at an older age, suggesting they could have been raised for milk, whereas the majority of goat/sheep died when they were young, indicating they could have been used for meat.
• The Harappans did not just use dairy for their household. The large herd indicates that milk was produced in surplus so that it could be exchanged and there could have been some kind of trade between settlements. This could have given rise to an industrial level of dairy exploitation
• The most fascinating thing about the Indus Valley Civilisation is that it is faceless — there is no king, no bureaucratic organizations, but there are these very close regional interactions between settlements, a symbiotic relationship of giving and take that helped the civilization survive for so long

Source: The Hindu

2) Study on Himalayan Brown Bear

• A recent study on the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) has predicted a significant reduction in suitable habitat and biological corridors of the species due to climate change, prompting scientists to suggest adaptive spatial planning of the protected area network in the western Himalayas for conserving the species.
• The Himalayan brown bear is one of the largest carnivores in the highlands of the Himalayas. The study
• carried out in the western Himalayas by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) predicted a massive decline of 73% of the bear’s habitat by the year 2050.
• These losses in habitat will also result in loss of habitats from 13 protected areas (PAs), and eight of them will become completely uninhabitable by the year 2050, followed by loss of connectivity in the majority of PAs. Furthermore, simulation suggests a significant qualitative decline in remaining habitats of the species within the protected areas of the landscape
• In such a situation when the protected areas in the Himalayan region lose their effectiveness and representativeness, there is a need to adopt preemptive spatial planning of PAs in the Himalayan region for the long­term viability of the species
• The suitable habitats were mapped outside the PAs and are closely placed to PAs; such areas may be prioritized to bring them into the PA network or enhanced protection
• Scientists have taken the Himalayan brown bear as an example because it is a top carnivore of the high-altitude Himalayan region. The elevation gradient in which the brown bear is distributed is most vulnerable to global warming as this elevation belt is getting warmer faster than other elevation zones of the Himalayas
• Such studies are very crucial as the habitat of such species is highly vulnerable to climate and unless we plan in advance, we cannot sustain its population in future

Source: The Hindu

3) Birth Anniversary of APJ Abdul Kalam

• Recently, the Union Education Minister has launched the Kalam Program for Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness Campaign (KAPILA) on the occasion of the 89th birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
• He was born on 15th October 1931.

KAPILA:

• Under this campaign, students pursuing education in higher educational institutions will get information about the correct system of the application process for patenting their invention.
• Students in higher education institutions of the country are innovating constantly under the guidance of their teachers but they are not aware of the system of filing its patent.
• Through this campaign, students will be able to get benefits from their inventions by patenting them.
• For India to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024-25, students and scientists have to be more aware of protecting intellectual property (IP).
• The program will facilitate the colleges and institutions to encourage more and more students to file patents and everyone engaged in research and development must apply to preserve and safeguard their inventions.

Patents in India:

• Patent: It is the granting of a property right by a sovereign authority to an inventor.
• This grant provides the inventor exclusive rights to the patented process, design, or invention for a designated period in exchange for a comprehensive disclosure of the invention.
• Legislation: Patent filing in India is governed by the Patents Act, 1970.
• Latest Updates: In June 2020, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) jointly initiated the formulation of a new national Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).
• Patent Data: Between 2005-06 and 2017-18, a total of 5,10,000 patent applications were filed in India out of which nearly three-quarters were filed by foreign entities or individuals.
• In other words, in these 13 years, just 24% of patent claims came from Indians.
• Global Ranking: According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), India stands at the 7th position on the number of patents filed.
• China tops the list, followed by the USA and Japan.

Other Announcements:

• The Institution Innovation Council annual report (IIC 2.0) was also presented and the launch of IIC 3.0 was announced.
• IIC was established by the Ministry of Education in 2018.
• IIC envisions promoting innovation in young students by encouraging, inspiring, and nurturing them to work with new innovative ideas through periodic activities related to innovation and entrepreneurship.
• So far, IICs have been established in about 1700 higher educational institutions and will be established in 5000 higher educational institutions under IIC 3.0.
• It was decided to celebrate the week of 15th-23rd October as 'Intellectual Property Literacy Week'.
• During the week, several activities were organized to create online awareness about the system and the importance of the process of applying for a patent.

Source: PIB

4) International Snow Leopard Day

• International Snow Leopard Day is observed on 23rd October.
• Aim: To raise awareness on conservation and protection of snow leopards.

Background:

• International Snow Leopard Day came into being on 23rd October 2013, with the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration by 12 countries on the conservation of snow leopards.
• The 12 countries included India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) was also launched on the same day to address high-mountain development issues using conservation of the snow leopard as a flagship.

Snow Leopard

• Top Predator: The Snow Leopard (also known as Ghost of the mountains) acts as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
• Habitation: The Snow Leopard lives at high altitudes in the steep mountains of Central and Southern Asia, and in an extremely cold climate.
• They inhabit the higher Himalayan and trans-Himalayan landscape in the states/union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• India is a unique country to have a good presence of 5 big cats, including Snow Leopard. The other 4 are Lion, Tiger, Common Leopard, and Clouded Leopard.
• Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.
• Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.
• Threat: Factors that have contributed to the decline in the snow leopard populations include, reduction in prey populations, illegal poaching, and increased human population infiltration into the species habitat, and illegal trade of wildlife parts and products among others.
• Protection:
• IUCN Red List- Vulnerable
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)- Appendix I
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)- Appendix I
• Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction.
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972- Schedule I
• Schedule I provides absolute protection and offenses under this have the highest penalties.
• Conservation Efforts Launched by India:
• HimalSanrakshak: It is a community volunteer program, to protect snow leopards, launched on 23rd October 2020.
• In 2019, First National Protocol was also launched on Snow Leopard Population Assessment which has been very useful for monitoring populations.
• SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on conservation of high altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem.
• This project is now operational in four snow leopard range states, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.
• Snow Leopard is in the list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery program of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change.
• Snow Leopard conservation breeding program is undertaken at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal.

Source: PIB

5) Seagrass

Recently, the restoration process of seagrasses has been taken up by Tamil Nadu in the Gulf of Mannar.

Seagrasses:

• These are flowering plants that grow submerged in shallow marine waters like bays and lagoons.
• These have tiny flowers and strap-like or oval leaves.

Evolution:

• Terrestrial plants evolved about 850 million years ago from a group of green algae and seagrasses evolved from terrestrial plants that recolonized the ocean 70-100 million years ago.
• Food Production:
• Like terrestrial plants, seagrasses also require sunlight for photosynthesis from which these manufacture their own food and release oxygen.

Reproduction:

• Sexual Reproduction Method: The pollen from the flower of the male plant is transferred to the ovary of the female flower through this method.
• This is known as submarine pollination. Most species undergo this process and complete their life cycle underwater.
• Asexual Reproduction Method: Seagrasses can also reproduce asexually by branching off at their rhizomes (modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes).
• Because of this character, they can recover after being cut by grazers or disturbed by storms.

Order and Species:

• 60 species are belonging to four families in the order Alismatales.
• Some of the important seagrasses are Sea Cow Grass (Cymodocea serrulata), Thready Seagrass (Cymodocea rotundata), Needle Seagrass (Syringodium isoetifolium), Flat-tipped Seagrass (Halodule uninervis), etc.

Habitat:

• Though seagrasses inhabit all types of substrates (layers) from mud to rock, the lush green seagrass beds are found extensively in muddy and sandy substrates.
• These occur all along with the coastal areas of India and are abundant in the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.

Significance:

• Seagrasses are considered ‘Ecosystem Engineers’ as they are known for providing many ecosystem services and are also called ‘the lungs of the sea’ as they release oxygen into the water through photosynthesis.
• Sequesters up to 11% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean even though they occupy only 0.1% of the ocean floor and absorb 83 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere annually.
• Seagrasses can capture carbon from the atmosphere up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.
• Help maintain water quality by trapping fine sediments and suspended particles in the water column and increase water clarity.
• Filter nutrients are released from land-based industries before they reach sensitive habitats like coral reefs.
• Prevent soil erosion as the extensive vertical and horizontal root systems of seagrasses stabilize the sea bottom.
• Provide food as well as habitat for fishes, octopuses, shrimp, blue crabs, oysters, etc.
• Endangered marine organisms like dugong (Sea Cow), green turtle, etc, graze directly on seagrass leaves.
• Bottle-nosed dolphins feed on the organisms that live in seagrass areas.
• Detritus (natural waste) of decomposed dead seagrass supplies food for worms, sea cucumbers, crabs, etc.
• After decomposition, it releases nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus which are absorbed by seagrasses and phytoplankton.
• Protect juvenile and small adult fish from large predators and also protect worms, crabs, starfishes, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, etc, from strong currents.
• Provide ideal nursery sites for important commercial marine life like squids and cuttlefish.

Threats:

• Seagrass beds are facing a decline all over the world at the rate of 2-5% annually.
• Around 30,000 square kilometers of seagrass has been lost during recent decades at a global level.
• These face natural disturbances like grazing, storms, ice-scouring (abrasion and erosion of seabeds by glaciers.), and desiccation (extreme dryness).
• Human disturbances like eutrophication, mechanical destruction of habitat, overfishing, the release of nutrients, coastal engineering construction, pollution, etc are destructive for them.

Source: Down To Earth

6) SVAMITVA- Digitization of land records

 Importance of the SVAMITVA scheme in agriculture and non-farm rural activities.

What is the SVAMITVA scheme?

• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments, and Survey of India.

Aim

• To provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India for setting the boundaries of the rural lands and also provides the record of the right to village household owners.
• It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) and prepares GIS-based maps for each village.

Implementation

• The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years – from 2020 to 2024.
• After physical verification and dispute resolution, property cards or Sampatti patrak will be made available on digital platforms or as hard copies to the village household owners.

Technology used

• The Survey of India will use technology for topographical mapping, including satellite imageries and drone platforms.

What are the advantages of digital mapping?

Digital mapping will help raise rural productivity and incomes in various ways-

• Smoother implication– The digitization of agricultural land records has contributed to the smooth implementation of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana, and Rythu Bandhu.
• Tax collection– The database will help in the determination of property tax, which would accrue to the Gram Panchayats directly in states where they are empowered to collect such taxes.
• The scheme will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights.
• Digitization of personal identity and agriculture land, and now a residential property in rural areas through SVAMITVA, will facilitate transparent transactions in land parcels
• Non-farm related activity– This will benefit from the clear title and the removal of land supply constraints. Clear title records, accompanied by the legalization of land leasing, will improve their access to credit, insurance, and support services.
• Enhances Liquidity of assets– The cards will help increase the liquidity of land parcels in the market and increase the financial credit availability to the village.
• Creation of better GPDPs– The scheme will enable the creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), using the maps created under this program.

Source: The Hindu

7) India’s innovation potential and initiatives

Recognizing the innovation potential of India, the government is putting in place a framework of collaboration, simplification, and regulation to lift the innovative ecosystem of India.

What is the realistic potential of India’s Innovation ecosystem?

• The Indian innovation system is very multifaceted in terms of user segments and income gaps. However, the central government is trying to boost innovation in the country through several schemes.
• Innovation in India is being planned around the triangle of collaboration, facilitation, and responsible regulation. It is advanced by cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• India is the fastest-growing country in terms of Internet usage, with over 700 million users and the number projected to rise to 974 million by 2025.
• The JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) trinity has 404 million Jan Dhan bank accounts with 1.2 billion Aadhaar and 1.2 billion mobile subscribers.
• There is a potential to add over $957 billion to India’s GDP by 2035 with artificial intelligence (AI).
• The realistic potential of technology for India echoes in the ‘Amara law’ named after Roy Amara, a Stanford computer scientist, who said that “People tend to overestimate the impact of a new technology in the short run, but to underestimate it in the long run.”

What are the Initiatives of the Government of India to boost innovation?

Recently, the Indian government organized two events to boost innovation:

• Vaishvik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) summit: Numerous overseas Indian-origin academicians and Indians participated to form ideas on innovative solutions to several challenges.
• Responsible AI for Social Empowerment (RAISE) 2020 summit: It grants a course to efficiently use AI for social empowerment, inclusion, and transformation in key sectors such as health care, agriculture, finance, education, and smart mobility.
• Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scholarships: Attract youth talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool for the Science & Technology system.
• Ramanujan Fellowship: It is meant for brilliant Indian scientists from outside India to take up scientific research positions in India.
• Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN) scheme: Providing avenues to women scientists and technologists for capacity building.
• Smart India Hackathons (SIH): To provide students a platform to solve some of the pressing problems of society.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM): To promote innovation and entrepreneurship across India.
• Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) scheme: Largest early-stage biotech funding program in India. Aims to encourage researchers to take biotechnology closer to the market through a start-up.
• Future Skills PRIME(Programme for Reskilling/Upskilling of IT Manpower for Employability) capacity building platform
• Triad of Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences(STARS), Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), and Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS): Common objective is to boost India specific research in social and pure sciences.
• National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems: Aims to catalyze translational research across Al, IoT or the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Big Data Analytics, Robotics, Quantum Computing, Data Science.
• The Reserve Bank of India, Securities, and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India allow for regulatory sandboxes for channeling new ideas.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently introduced recommendations for regulating cloud services in India, suggesting a light-touch regulation in collaboration with industry, balancing commercial freedom and principles adherence.

What are the steps to be taken?

• Increase R&D spending: Government should frame a policy to increase total GERD (Gross domestic expenditure on R&D) to 2% of India’s GDP.

Global partners

• hips in innovation: Global innovation partnerships need to be strengthened by enhancing public-private partnership mechanisms and increased public funds should be earmarked for joint industrial R&D projects.
• Idea-to-market challenge:  Government needs to create special funds to help Indian innovations to advance their start-ups during difficult times.

Source: The Hindu

8) Offset Policy in Defence

• Recently, the government diluted the “offset” policy in defense procurement, based on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’s report tabled in Parliament last month.
• As of 2019, the Defence Ministry had signed 52 offset contracts worth $12 billion via Indian offset partners, or domestic firms.

Findings of the CAG report?

• Between 2007 and 2018, the government reportedly signed 46 offset contracts, However, the realized investments were merely 8%.
• Also, technology transfer agreements in the offset clause were not implemented, failing to accomplish the stated policy objective.
• The government has not put in place an automatic monitoring system for offset contracts, as initially promised.

What is an offset policy? And how is it expected to boost domestic capabilities?

• Initiated in 2005, on the recommendations of the Vijay Kelkar Committee.
• The offset clause has a requirement of
• Sourcing 30% of the value of the contract domestically.
• Indigenization of production in specified time limit and
• Training Indian professionals in high-tech skills, for promoting domestic R&D.
• In simplest terms, the offset is an obligation by an international player to boost India’s domestic defense industry if India is buying defense equipment from it.

What changes were made in the offset policy?

• After the dilution, the offset clause will not apply to bilateral deals or deals with a single (monopoly) seller or Intergovernmental agreement.
• For example, the deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets, was an intergovernmental agreement .so, the sellers are not obliged to fulfill the offset clause.

Why it is a concern?

• Most defense deals are bilateral or a single supplier deal, the dilution means practically giving up the offset clause that deters India’s prospects for boosting defense production and technological self-reliance
• It will be a Setback for augmenting domestic capabilities or for realizing the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• Government defends its decision by stating that, the offset clause results in the higher (upfront) cost of the agreement. But in the long run, it reduces costs by indigenization of production and the potential technology spill-overs for the domestic industry.

How the Offset policy performed in Aerospace? ( Case study—Success of Offset policy)

• The offset policy was introduced in 2005, for contracts valued at ₹300 crores or more where 30% of it will result in offsets implemented through Indian offset partners.
• According to the United Nations Comtrade Database, the exports via the offsets increased by a whopping 544% in 2007, compared to the previous year. Also, by 2014 exports increased to $6.7 billion from a mere $62.5 million in 2005.
• It enabled India to join the league of the world’s top 10 aerospace exporters.
• Later in 2016, the offset clause was relaxed, the threshold for the policy was raised from ₹300 crore to ₹2000 crore which resulted in lower exports.

Source: The Hindu