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Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist value and Environment
Mains Examination: GS-III: Conservation, biology contamination and degradation, biology interaction assessment
What’s the ongoing story: Wildlife officials astatine Kuno National Park are keeping a adjacent ticker connected 7 cheetah cubs who person a tick infestation, particularly since they “have nary anterior acquisition of anesthetising them successful the unfastened forest” and apprehend that the mothers volition wantonness the cubs pursuing aesculapian intervention, The Indian Express has learnt.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Difference betwixt Asian and African Cheetah
— What is Project Cheetah?
— What is the IUCN presumption of Cheetah?
— What are the main causes of tick infestations successful cheetahs, and what interaction bash they person connected their health?
— What challenges are associated with situation suitability and monitoring of reintroduced cheetah populations successful India?
— What measures should beryllium taken for the occurrence of Project Cheetah?
— Map work: Kuno National Park
Key highlights from the Article:
— According to the park’s management, the cubs’ “young age, combined with their determination successful expansive soft-release bomas, makes the tranquilisation process risky and complicated”.
— Reuniting tranquilised cubs with their mothers is besides a concern, arsenic erstwhile attempts person seen mothers cull their cubs aft separation.
— Park officials besides flagged “uncertainties successful tracking the cubs aft darting” fixed the gangly writer and waterlogged terrain. The deficiency of vigor collars connected the cubs besides complicates efforts to show their movement.
— The Kuno manager Uttam Sharma, told The Indian Express, “The tick infestation is not unsafe yet. Last clip 3 cheetahs died during the monsoon season, but successful the lawsuit of the cubs, we don’t consciousness the request to medically intervene. Only erstwhile the request arises volition we intervene.”
— The monsoon play has historically seen heightened hazard of tick outbreaks. In 2023, ticks were a contributing origin successful the deaths of 3 cheetahs. This year, successful mentation for the rainy season, the veterinary squad administered Bravecto, a potent anti-ectoparasitic medication, to each the cheetahs astatine Kuno. Depending connected each cheetah’s condition, the “medicine was either fixed orally oregon delivered via darting,” officials said. This proactive attraction aimed to combat parasites that thrive successful the warm, humid conditions of the monsoon.
For Your Information:
— Project Cheetah, which saw the instauration of the African sub-species of the chaotic feline successful India, precocious completed 2 years.
— The ambitious task has 2 overarching objectives. First, to found a stable, breeding colonisation of cheetahs successful cardinal India. Two, to usage cheetahs arsenic an umbrella taxon to reconstruct unfastened earthy ecosystems specified arsenic scrubs, savannahs, grasslands, and degraded forests.
— Project Cheetah began with the intercontinental translocation of African cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa to the Kuno National Park successful Madhya Pradesh. This translocation took spot successful 2 batches of 8 and past 12 cheetahs.
— These cheetahs were initially kept successful soft-release bomas, tiny enclosures wrong the nationalist parkland to get them adapted to the section environment. Although confined to an country of astir 1 sq km, the cheetahs hunted unrecorded prey wrong these bomas. While immoderate cheetahs were aboriginal released successful the wild, they were aboriginal brought backmost into the enclosures. Mating wrong the translocated cohort of cheetahs led to the commencement of 17 cubs.
— The ‘Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah successful India’ proposes bringing successful 12-14 cheetahs each twelvemonth from South Africa, Namibia, and different African countries for 5 years to physique a laminitis stock.
— One of the project’s astir important obstacles is simply a deficiency of prey. According to the project’s astir caller yearly report, the density of chital, the main prey for cheetahs (and leopards), has dropped from 23.43 animals per quadrate kilometre successful 2021 to 17.5 animals per quadrate kilometre successful 2024.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Two years of Project Cheetah: India awaits Kenya’s support for caller batch
📍Two years of Project Cheetah: Status study and the roadworthy ahead
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2012)
1. Black-necked crane
2. Cheetah
3. Flying squirrel
4. Snow leopard
Which of the supra are people recovered successful India?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Consent presumed: Experts wide caller program for cornea donation successful infirmary deaths
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary value and General Science
Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III, GS-IV: Government policies and interventions, rights and issues, General Science, Ethics.
What’s the ongoing story: The Union Health Ministry is considering an “opt-out” method of cornea donation, whereby anyone who dies astatine a infirmary volition beryllium presumed to beryllium a cornea donor unless they registry their dissent, according to the minutes of a gathering of experts with the Union Director General of Health Services.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the cornea?
— Read astir the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994.
— How does the “opt-out” method of organ donation disagree from the “opt-in” system?
— What are the imaginable benefits and challenges of implementing an “opt-out” strategy for cornea donation successful India?
— What ineligible and ethical concerns originate from implementing an “opt-out” organ donation policy?
— what is cadaver donation?
— What is the ineligible model governing organ donation successful India?
— What initiatives person been taken by the authorities to beforehand organ donation?
Key highlights from the Article:
— At present, India follows an opt-in strategy for harvesting immoderate organ — including insubstantial similar cornea — from deceased donors, meaning the diligent and their household members person to supply their consent to the donation.
— “Experts were of the sentiment that the opt-out method — wherever everyone who dies successful a infirmary is presumed to beryllium a donor — is apt to summation the fig of corneal donation. This proposition has been accepted in-principle” said an official.
— The authoritative added that the connection is being considered by ineligible teams arsenic this would necessitate changing the existent instrumentality governing organ and insubstantial transplantation successful the country.
— The determination is aimed towards expanding the availability of corneas oregon the dome-shaped beforehand furniture of the eye. Patients with damaged cornea — bulging outward, thinning, tearing, swelling, ulcers, and complications from erstwhile surgeries — necessitate a cornea transplant to relieve symptoms and reconstruct vision. An estimated 2 lakh corneas are needed each twelvemonth successful India with lone 50% of the request being met.
— There are respective reasons wherefore the authorities is considering a abstracted argumentation for cornea donation arsenic compared to the opt-in method followed for donation of different organs.
1. Cornea is simply a insubstantial that does not request humor proviso dissimilar different organs and tin beryllium harvested up to six hours aft death.
2. Cornea tin beryllium easy harvested by technicians adjacent astatine home, meaning astir hospitals volition beryllium capable to bash it.
3. Harvesting cornea does not alteration immoderate facial features of the deceased.
4. Corneas are not indispensable for collecting grounds successful a medico-legal case.
— The authoritative added that the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) is moving to acceptable up a nationalist registry and coordination web connected the lines of what already exists for different organs.
For Your Information:
— Organ donation successful India is regulated by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act of 1994, allowing everyone to donate organs, careless of age, caste, religion, oregon community, though preferably radical implicit 18 years of property are considered.
— However, the eligibility for donation is chiefly determined by the donor’s carnal condition, not age, encompassing contributions from some surviving and deceased donors, with circumstantial guidelines for each benignant of donation.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Why much radical request to donate their bodies to science
UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍With notation to the transplantation of quality organs and tissues successful India, see the pursuing statements:
1. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 provides for transplantation of quality organs and tissues successful India.
2. The enactment allows surviving donations from adjacent relatives.
3. Altruistic donations are not allowed.
How galore of the statements fixed supra are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Nijjar and Pannu portion of 1 plot…let’s support channels open, says Canada envoy
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist and planetary importance
Mains Examination: GS-II: Effect of policies and authorities of developed and processing countries connected India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
What’s the ongoing story: As the Canadian diplomats near India Friday earlier their exit deadline ended Saturday midnight, Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay, who near the state successful August aft completing his term, said that the US indictment paints a “compelling and elaborate portrait” of “a azygous plot” emanating from Delhi to termination aggregate targets crossed North America successful Canada and the United States.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the past of India-Canada bilateral relations?
— What is the Khalistan Movement?
— What are the main causes of the diplomatic tensions betwixt India and Canada?
— What is the rule of reciprocity successful diplomatic relations?
— What benignant of anti-India activities person been seen successful Canada?
— What could beryllium the implications of an escalating India-Canada diplomatic row?
— What steps tin India and Canada instrumentality to amended their bilateral relationship?
Key highlights from the Article:
— This is the archetypal clip the Canadian envoy — officially, helium is inactive High Commissioner — has spoken retired publically and linked the 2 alleged plots arsenic one: the sidesplitting of pro-Khalistan separatist fig Hardeep Singh Nijjar successful Canada successful June past twelvemonth and the failed bid to termination pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun successful the US.
— India has rejected the Canadian accusations arsenic “absurd and politically motivated” but has been much accommodating of US requests connected accusation and action.
— Claiming that “some precise superior reddish lines person been crossed,” MacKay flagged what helium called the reputational outgo for the “Indian brand,” with the latest US indictment.
— MacKay emphasized the request to support “channels of connection open,” and for some governments to “try to minimize the harm that this diplomatic quality could origin to the people-to-people and the business-to-business portion of the relationship. That’s perfectly the Government of Canada’s view. And we anticipation that India volition collaborate connected that. There’s nary crushed for guiltless parties to wage a terms for this.”
— On whether India’s effect vis-à-vis Canada and the US has been different, due to the fact that 1 is simply a middle-power and the different is simply a superpower, helium said, “Yeah, well, that’s 1 mode to summarize it.”
For Your Information:
— The deepening acrimony successful India-Canada bilateral ties could not lone impact the bilateral relations but besides harm India’s planetary reputation.
— The commercialized and concern linkages betwixt India and Canada signifier an integral constituent of the multi-faceted concern betwixt the 2 countries. In this context, the escalating hostility betwixt India and Canada has raised concerns astir its imaginable interaction connected bilateral economical relations.
— The diplomatic standoff besides has geopolitical implications for India. If the allegations are proven true, India stands to harm its G20 reputation. The diplomatic situation besides extends to countries which stock ties with some India and Canada.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍UPSC Issue astatine a Glance | India-Canada Diplomatic Row
📍With India-Canada diplomatic ties successful a tailspin, commercialized ties could spot a chill
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Mains Question Covering akin theme:
📍‘Indian diaspora has a decisive relation to play successful the authorities and system of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (UPSC CSE 2020)
Learn done image: In 2020, the trilateral India-US-Japan Malabar naval exercises were expanded to see Australia, marking the archetypal authoritative grouping of the Quad since its resurgence successful 2017 and the archetypal associated subject exercises among the 4 countries successful implicit a decade.
L-G puts stamp of support connected Omar Govt’s solution seeking statehood
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues.
Mains Examination: GS-II: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the national structure, devolution of powers and finances up to section levels and challenges therein.
What’s the ongoing story: The solution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, urging the Union Government to reconstruct statehood to J&K, has been cleared by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Key Points to Ponder:
— How did Jammu and Kashmir go portion of India?
— What are the law provisions related to the enactment and alteration of states?
— How is the authorities medication antithetic from the Union Territories?
— What is the creation of the Legislative Assembly of J&K?
— What are the powers of the Legislative Assembly of J&K?
— What are the powers of the J&K Lieutenant Governor?
— What are the challenges of medication successful Jammu & Kashmir?
Key highlights from the Article:
— After Raj Bhawan’s clearance of the resolution, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah volition sojourn the nationalist superior “in the coming days” to conscionable the Prime Minister and Union Ministers successful this regard.
— L-G Sinha besides administered the oath of bureau to National Conference person Mubarak Gul arsenic the pro-tem Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly astatine Raj Bhawan connected Saturday. As pro-tem Speaker, Gul volition administer oath to the newly-elected MLAs of J&K Assembly connected October 21.
— The Cabinet chaired by Omar Abdullah that met connected Thursday had passed a solution unanimously for restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir “in its archetypal form”. This was docket fig 1 of the subjects listed for information successful the archetypal meeting.
— Subsequently, the resolution, arsenic required nether the transaction of concern rules, was sent to the Lieutenant Governor for his support — each proposals to beryllium discussed by the Cabinet are besides required to beryllium sent to the L-G for astatine slightest 2 days earlier the meeting.
For Your Information:
— The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 created 2 UTs — the UT of Ladakh without a legislature, and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature. An amendment was made to the First Schedule of the Constitution, which lists each states and UTs, and to Article 3 of the Constitution, which deals with the “Formation of caller States and alteration of areas, boundaries oregon names of existing States.” Thus, the caller Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir volition beryllium for a UT, not a state.
— Section 13 of the 2019 Act states that Article 239A of the Constitution (“Creation of section Legislatures oregon Council of Ministers oregon some for definite Union territories”), which provides for the medication of the UT of Puducherry, shall besides use to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
— As per the 1947 Instrument of Accession, J&K had acceded to India successful respect of lone defence, overseas affairs, and communications. Under Article 370 arsenic it stood earlier the abrogation, Parliament had constricted legislative powers with respect to J&K. Over the years, however, the Centre’s lawmaking powerfulness was extended to screen respective different subjects successful the Union List (List I of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution).
— The Reorganisation Act of 2019 created a vastly antithetic structure, successful which the LG has a overmuch bigger relation compared with the authorities Assembly.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Knowledge Nugget of the day: Jammu and Kashmir
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍Siachen Glacier is situated to the (UPSC CSE Prelims GS-1, 2020)
(a) East of Aksai Chin
(b) East of Leh
(c) North of Gilgit
(d) North of Nubra Valley
ECONOMY
India seeks captious minerals pact with US
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of nationalist value and Economic Development
Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Bilateral, determination and planetary groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Economic Development
What’s the ongoing story: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal connected Saturday said India has projected a captious minerals concern statement (CMPA) with the US, that volition assistance home firms successful the assemblage specified arsenic electrical vehicles to get definite benefits successful the American market.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are captious minerals?
— Know astir these minerals and their usage: cobalt, copper, nickel, and lithium.
— What is the value of captious minerals for the Indian renewable vigor industry?
— India has collaborated with which countries connected captious minerals?
— Read astir the relation of backstage sectors successful exploring captious minerals.
— What are the challenges India faces successful ensuring resilient captious mineral proviso chains?
— What are the initiatives taken by the authorities to guarantee the captious minerals proviso chain?
Key highlights from the Article:
— During the visit, the 2 countries signed a memorandum of knowing (MoU) to heighten practice successful the captious mineral proviso chain.
— Critical minerals, specified arsenic cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel and uncommon earths, play a important relation successful the accumulation of cleanable vigor technologies, from upwind turbines to electrical cars. Such minerals are successful request for the accumulation of batteries for electrical cars.
For Your Information:
— Critical minerals notation to mineral resources, some superior and processed, which are indispensable inputs successful the accumulation process of an economy, and whose supplies are apt to beryllium disrupted owed to the risks of non-availability oregon unaffordable terms spikes. To tackle specified proviso risks, large planetary economies periodically measure which minerals are captious for their jurisdiction done a quantitative assessment.
— Recently, India became a portion of the Minerals Security Finance Network (MSFN), a US-led inaugural aiming to fortify practice among members to unafraid proviso chains for captious minerals.
— MSFN is simply a caller inaugural that stems from the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a model established by the US successful 2022. India was inducted into the MSP successful June 2023.
— India has identified 30 captious minerals successful July 2023 depending upon their disruption potential, substitutability, cross-cutting usage crossed antithetic sectors, import reliance, recycling rates etc.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍Centre identifies 30 captious minerals: Why, how, and value of the exercise
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍With notation to the absorption of insignificant minerals successful India, see the pursuing statements: (UPSC CSE 2019)
1. Sand is simply a ‘minor mineral’ according to the prevailing instrumentality successful the country.
2. State governments person the powerfulness to assistance mining leases of insignificant minerals, but the powers regarding the enactment of rules related to the assistance of insignificant minerals prevarication with the Central Government.
3. State Governments person the powerfulness to framework rules to forestall amerciable mining of insignificant minerals.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Opinion
Tracing Delhi done its galore names, histories
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement
Mains Examination: GS-I: Indian Heritage and History
What’s the ongoing story: Vidheesha Kuntamalla writes— “Over centuries, Delhi, a metropolis of galore names, has worn titles including ‘Dhillupura’, ‘Dhillika’ and ‘Yoginipura’. The earliest notation to the city, founded by the Tomaras, describes it arsenic ‘Dhillupura’, portion ‘Yoginipura’ appears successful assorted inscriptions and past Jain texts.”
Key Points to Ponder:
— How has the sanction of Delhi evolved?
— What relation did antithetic dynasties play successful shaping Delhi’s past and its assorted names?
— Read astir the Delhi Sultanate.
— How bash past texts and inscriptions supply grounds of Delhi’s changing names?
— In what ways bash Delhi’s aggregate names bespeak its strategical and taste value arsenic a superior implicit the centuries?
Key highlights from the Article:
— “One specified inscription — the Iron Pillar inscription and different fragments from the Qutb archaeological country — suggests that the portion was known arsenic ‘Yoginipura’ during the Gupta play (between the 4th and the 6th centuries) and Pratihara play (believed to beryllium betwixt the 6th to the 9th centuries), perchance comprising a temple analyzable earlier it was recognised arsenic ‘Dhilli’ oregon ‘Dhillika’. It is believed that a metropolis named ‘Indraprastha (City of the Lord Indra)’ was built astir Delhi astir 1400 BCE and was the superior of the Pandavas.”
— “Many historians argued that portion determination was immoderate humanities grounds connecting Delhi to the sanction ‘Yoginipura’, the determination and value of the tract were taxable to world contention. Several of the varsity’s module members argued implicit the validity of the site’s humanities prominence arsenic the city’s galore names proceed to uncover layers of its analyzable and contested past.”
— “Some references successful Jain texts enactment the beingness of a colony by the sanction of ‘Yoginipura’, too the occurrence of a akin sanction successful 3 13th and 14th period inscriptions, which corroborate the series of rulers but connection small item connected the name’s origin”
— “A 13th-century inscription recovered successful a baoli (stepwell) successful Palam colony refers to the operation of a good by Uddhara, a householder of ‘Dhilli’. The 13th enactment of the inscription identifies ‘Dhilli’ arsenic ‘Yoginipura’. Since carnal grounds is limited, too a notation successful a fewer inscriptions, historians are divided connected however overmuch humanities value the sanction ‘Yoginipura’ should carry.”
— “The inscription lists the rulers of the Slave dynasty, up to Balban, and identifies the portion of ‘Dhilli’ oregon ‘Yoginipura’ arsenic erstwhile ruled by these dynasties. However, fewer judge the country was known arsenic ‘Yoginipura’ successful past Jain texts and that Prithviraj Chauhan himself was said to person patronised a Yogini temple present soon earlier his city’s destruction.”
— “References to ‘Yoginipura’ arsenic the sanction of an past oregon aboriginal mediaeval colony successful the Delhi country whitethorn person been connected with a Yogini temple that was erstwhile located successful the country but nary remains of an past temple successful the country person survived.”
— “A Jogmaya temple does beryllium successful Mehrauli today, but it was built successful the 19th century. Also Jogmaya is antithetic from the Yoginis. The 64 Yoginis are considered the attendants oregon manifestations of Goddess Durga. Yogini temples usually person distinctive architectural features: they are circular and don’t person roofs. Sculptures of Yoginis are recovered astir the interior circle.”
— “Unlike Delhi, determination are past Yogini temples crossed the country: the Chausath Yogini temples successful Odisha’s Ranipur Jharial and Hirapur, and a fewer others successful Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Khajuraho. These temples broadly beryllium to the aboriginal mediaeval period, erstwhile tantra was gaining ground.”
For Your Information:
— Historians place 7 cities of Delhi, dating from the 11th period onwards: Lalkot/Quila Rai Pithora/Mehrauli, Siri, Tughlaqabad, Firozabad, Shergarh (present-day Old Fort), Shahjahanabad and New Delhi. Depending connected however 1 counts and what 1 considers ‘a city’, this fig tin beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic 11.
— Mehrauli is wide considered to beryllium the oldest ‘city’ of Delhi and is the oldest country of the metropolis to beryllium continuously inhabited.
Other Important Articles Covering the aforesaid topic:
📍What has kept the aura of powerfulness astir Delhi for centuries
📍Statehood for Delhi: Tracing the past and ineligible travel since 1911
📍Mehrauli: The oldest ‘city’ of Delhi, inhabited for implicit a 1000 years
Previous twelvemonth UPSC Prelims Question Covering akin theme:
📍Consider the pursuing statements: (UPSC CSE 2019)
1. In the gross medication of Delhi Sultanate, the in-charge of gross postulation was known arsenic ‘Amil’.
2. The lqta strategy of Sultans of Delhi was an past indigenous institution.
3. The bureau of ‘Mir Bakshi’ came into beingness during the reign of Khalji Sultans of Delhi.
Which of the statements fixed supra is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
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