InstaLinks : help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically
Table of Contents:
GS Paper 1:
1. What is the science behind volcanic eruptions?
GS Paper 3:
1. Digital rupee pilot project launching: what is it and how will it work?
2. Niti Aayog proposes decarbonizing industrial emissions
Facts for Prelims:
1. Fujiwhara Effect
2. Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India
3. Tribal Development Report 2022
4. Great Barrier Reef
5. Ransomware
6. WHO will now call monkeypox – ‘mpox’
7. New drought-resilient wheat gene
What is the science behind volcanic eruptions?
GS Paper 1
Syllabus: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc.
Source: Indian Express
Direction: This is a static portion. Just go through the article to understand volcanoes. Revise your notes too.
Context: Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano erupted after 38 years spewing ash and debris.
Why do volcanoes erupt?
Chambers, which have the potential to cause volcanic eruptions, are found at a relatively shallow depth, between six to ten km under the surface. As magma builds up in these chambers, it forces its way up through cracks and fissures in Earth’s crust. This is what we call a volcanic eruption. The magma that surfaces on the Earth’s crust is referred to as lava.
Why are some volcanic eruptions explosive and some not?
- Runny magma makes for less explosive volcanic eruptions that typically are less dangerous. Since the magma is runny, gasses are able to escape, leading to a steady but relatively gentle flow of lava out of the mouth of the volcano. The eruption at Mauna Loa is of this kind.
- If magma is thick and sticky, it makes it harder for gasses to escape consistently. This leads to a build-up of pressure until a breaking point is reached. At this time, the gasses escape violently, all at once, causing an explosion. Lava blasts into the air, breaking apart into pieces called tephra. Mount Vesuvius, which obliterated the city of Pompeii, is an example of an explosive volcano.
Insta Links:
Mains Link:
Qn. Elucidate the process of volcano formation and its types. Also, mention a few examples of the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in recent times and their impact on the regional environment. (250Words)
Practice Question:
Consider the following statements:
-
- The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
- Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
- The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
(d) 1 and 3
Solution: A
Barren Island is located in the Andaman Sea, about 140 km from Port Blair. Barren Island volcano is the only active volcano located in the Indian territory, Andaman Islands.
Digital rupee pilot project launching: what is it and how will it work?
GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Indian Economy and related issues
Source: IE
Direction: The article helps to understand about digital currency or CBDC, its advantages, and the working of the retail digital rupee.
Context: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the launch of India’s much-awaited Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a sort of official cryptocurrency, for retail users from December 1.
About CBDC:
- CBDC is the legal tender issued by a central bank in digital form. This means, it is the same as a fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency, but different in its form.
- The RBI has often expressed worries about private cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ether) being used for money laundering, terror financing, and tax evasion.
- The introduction of its own CBDC has been viewed as a means of bridging the benefits and risks of digital currency.
Advantages of the e-rupee:
- Reduces operational costs involved in physical cash management
- Foster financial inclusion
- Improve transparency in money flows and could help reduce currency substitution (a country uses a foreign currency in addition to/ instead of, its own)
- Brings resilience, efficiency (to the settlement system), and innovation (in cross-border payments space) in the payments system
- Provide the public with the same benefits as private virtual currencies offer, but without the risks.
The launch of retail digital rupee:
- A pilot project: The launch (Dec 1) is the first phase of a pilot project that will cover select locations and banks in a closed user group (CUG) comprising participating customers and merchants.
- The pilot will test the robustness of the entire process of digital rupee creation, distribution and retail usage in real-time.
- About the retail digital rupee: It will be potentially available for use by all – the private sector, non-financial consumers, and businesses, and will provide safe-secure payment and settlement, as it will be the direct liability of the central bank.
- Working: The e₹-R would be in the form of a digital token (legal tender) and will be issued in the same denominations as paper currency and coins, and will be distributed through intermediaries, i.e., banks.
- Users will be able to transact with e₹-R through a digital wallet offered by the participating banks and stored on mobile phones and devices.
- Transactions can be both person-to-person (P2P) and person to merchant (P2M).
- Unlike cash, it will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of money, like deposits with banks.
- Other type (wholesale): Earlier (Nov 1), the RBI launched the digital rupee for the wholesale segment to settle secondary market transactions in government securities.
Global examples:
- As of July 2022, there were nearly 100 digital currencies by various global central banks in R&D stages and two fully launched – the eNaira in Nigeria and the Bahamian sand dollar.
- Countries have different motives for exploring and issuing CBDCs, but the Bahamas issued them to serve unbanked and under-banked populations.
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
Q. While the intent of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and the expected benefits are well understood, it is important to identify innovative methods and compelling use cases that will make CBDC as attractive as cash, if not more. Discuss.
Prelims Links:
Recently the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) indicated that it will soon commence limited pilot launches of e-rupee, or Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Consider the following statements in this context:
-
- E-rupee is the same as a fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency.
- It can be accepted as a medium of payment, legal tender and a safe store of value.
- The digital rupee would appear as an asset on a central bank’s balance sheet.
Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?
- a) 1, 2
- b) 2 only
- c) 2, 3
- d) 1, 3
Solution: a)
E-rupee is the same as a fiat currency and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency. Only its form is different. It can be accepted as a medium of payment, legal tender and a safe store of value. The digital rupee would appear as a liability on a central bank’s balance sheet.
Niti Aayog proposes decarbonizing industrial emissions
GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Science and Technology – Developments and their Applications
Source: TH
Direction: CCUS is a promising technology to address climate change challenges. The article highlights the role of CCUS, challenges, and suggestions to reap the maximum benefits of CCUS.
Context: NITI Aayog recently released a report on the policy framework of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) – a technology for decarbonizing carbon dioxide (CO2) from high-polluting sectors.
About Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS):
Highlights of the report:
- Background:
- India’s per capita CO2 emissions were approximately 9 tonnes per year, which was less than 40% of the global average and almost one-fourth of China’s.
- Steel, cement, oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, and fertilisers industries are crucial to the country’s goal of halving CO2 emissions by 2050.
- As a result, a long-term sustainable strategy for decarbonizing sectors responsible for 70% of emissions is required, particularly for India’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.
- Role to be played by CCUS:
- The CCUS technology would aid in the promotion of a low-carbon-hydrogen economy and the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere.
- CCUS could enable the development of clean products (green methanol, green ammonia) while utilising abundant coal resources, lowering imports, and leading to an economically self-sufficient India.
- CCUS also plays a significant role in supporting sunrise sectors like coal gasification and India’s budding hydrogen economy.
- The key challenge: To reduce the cost of the mechanisms to implement the technology.
- Carbon capture, for example, needs the development of molecules capable of binding CO2 in the exhaust gas, which is costly.
- Suggestions:
- The emphasis should be on R&D, particularly on cutting-edge technologies.
- To put in place a policy framework that will encourage the development of sustainable and viable markets for CCUS projects.
- The policy should focus on financing and funding mechanisms, sufficient incentives (carbon credits) to promote the private sector, etc.
- Over time, the policy should shift to carbon taxes in order to achieve India’s net-zero goals by 2070.
Insta Links:
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES
Mains Links:
Q. What are carbon capture utilisation technologies? Discuss how India can adapt them and tread the path of cleaner energy systems. (250 words)
Facts for Prelims
Fujiwhara Effect
Source: DTE
Context: Recently two cyclones Hinnamnor and another tropical storm called Gardo showcased a classic example of what is known as the Fujiwhara Effect.
About Fujiwhara Effect:
The Fujiwhara Effect is any interaction between tropical storms formed around the same time in the same ocean region with their centers or eyes at a distance of less than 1,400 km, with an intensity that could vary between a depression (wind speed under 63 km per hour) and a super typhoon (wind speed over 209 km per hour).
The Fujiwhara effect was identified by Sakuhei Fujiwhara, a Japanese meteorologist whose first paper recognizing the Fujiwhara cases was published in 1921. The first known instance of the effect was in 1964 in the western Pacific Ocean when typhoons Marie and Kathy merged.
Issues:
- The occurrence of the Fujiwhara Effect makes cyclones more unpredictable due to their rapid intensification, carrying of more rain, and newer ways of moving over warming oceans.
- There is no comprehensive data on the observed cases of the Fujiwhara Effect.
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India
Source: TH
Context: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had cancelled permissions granted to an NGO to conduct house-to-house surveys to help create awareness about the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme.
Background: The NGO has been accused of collecting personal information from the public, under the guise of spreading awareness.
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India:
- Such mass collection of data is violative of the fundamental right to privacy as defined in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (retd.) vs Union of India.
- The judgement formally recognised the right to privacy as being a fundamental right stemming from the right to life and personal liberty, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Tribal Development Report 2022
Source: DTE
Context: India’s tribal communities form 8.6 percent of the country’s population according to the 2011 Census. However, they are at the bottom of the country’s development pyramid even after 75 years of independence, according to a new report.
The Tribal Development Report 2022, launched by the Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF) in two volumes, claims to be the first of its kind since 1947.
Key Highlight:
The report stated that indigenous communities of India have been pushed farther away from alluvial plains and fertile river basins into the harshest ecological regions of the country like hills, forests, and drylands.
The goal is to inform stakeholders, including key policymakers, practitioners, activists, and academics, to help understand the scope of tribal issues.
Great Barrier Reef
Source: IE
Context: A UN panel recommended that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef be designated as a world heritage site “in danger”.
Background:
- After losing half of its corals since 1995 (due to climate change and ocean warming), the Great Barrier Reef has been added to a list of World Heritage sites that could be listed as in-danger.
- The reef is under threat from frequent bleaching events, including the first this year amid a La Nina phenomena, which normally brings colder temperatures.
- Bleaching occurs when the water temperature rises too high, leading corals to expel the colourful algae that live in their tissues and turn white.
- According to UNESCO, the reef’s capacity to recover from climate change impacts is significantly weakened.
About the Great Barrier Reef:
- It is the world’s largest coral reef system created by billions of small animals called coral polyps.
- It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and this world’s largest single structure built by living creatures is visible from space.
- It supports a diverse range of life and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981.
Ransomware
Source: TH
Context: The services at the AIIMS in the national capital were affected for the 7th consecutive day, after the hospital’s server was subjected to a ransomware attack.
Top 6 Ransomware Attacks in India:
- Telangana and AP Power Utilities Hacked
- UHBVN Ransomware Attack: Where the hackers gained access to the computer systems of the power company.
- WannaCry: India was the third worst-hit nation (after US, France) by WannaCry ransomware, affecting more than 2 lakh computer systems, banks in India.
- Mirai Botnet Malware Attack: This botnet malware took over the internet, targeting home routers and IoT devices.
- Petya: This halted work at one of the terminals of India’s largest seaport causing serious consequences for the country’s exports.
- BSNL Malware Attack
WHO will now call monkeypox – ‘mpox’
Source: Indian Express
Context: The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it would start using the term “mpox” for monkeypox as the name was racist and stigmatizing
About Monkeypox:
Monkeypox, which was named in 1970 because the virus that causes the disease was first discovered in captive monkeys in 1958, does not have much to do with monkeys. The most likely reservoir for the virus, which has circulated for several years in a few central African countries after jumping to humans through zoonosis in the bush, are rodents.
The WHO said that assigning names to new and, in some cases, existing diseases is the responsibility of the global body under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the WHO Family of International Health Related Classifications through a consultative process which includes WHO Member States.
New drought-resilient wheat gene
Source: DTE
Context: Scientists at the John Innes Centre, in collaboration with an international team of researchers, discovered the new ‘reduced height’ or a semi-dwarf gene called Rht13.
Reduced height gene means that seeds can be planted deeper in the soil, giving access to moisture, without the adverse effect on seedling emergence seen with existing wheat varieties.
Issues with earlier dwarf seeds:
The dwarf seeds introduced during Green Revolution – had significant disadvantage of not working in drought-like conditions. When these varieties are planted deeper to access moisture in water-limited environments, they can fail to reach the surface of the soil.
The benefit of new gene:
- The newly discovered gene overcomes this problem of seedling emergence because the gene acts in tissues higher up in the wheat stem.
- So, the dwarfing mechanism only takes effect once the seedling has fully emerged. This gives farmers a significant advantage when planting deeper in dry conditions.
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