09-08-2020

09-AUGUST-2020
© Shankar IAS Academy

The Hindu News Analysis – 09th August 2020 – Shankar IAS Academy
Page Number*
S.
News Articles
No.
C B D H T

1 Kodagu landslip: body of one victim recovered 8 1 6 - 6

2 Ammonium nitrate to be moved out of city soon 1 - - - -

3 Kerala crash toll hits 18, probe begins 1, 8 1, 6 1, 6 1, 6 1, 6

4 How can ‘tabletop’ airports be safer? (FAQ) 14 12 12 12 12

5 Kozhikode tragedy brings back Mangaluru crash memories - 5 - - -

6 Artefacts from microlithic and iron age found 4 - - - -

7 ‘Lockdown has hit nutritional services’ 10 8 8 8 8

8 Prelims Practice Questions @ end of the video

© Shankar IAS Academy *C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance.
 Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic
Geography of India and the World.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-II
General Studies-I : Indian Heritage and Culture, History and
Geography of the World and Society.
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes,
Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features
and their location-changes in critical geographical features
(including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and
the effects of such changes.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio
diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation,
environmental impact assessment.
Pg: 8 – C; 1 – B; 6 – D, T; • Disaster and disaster management.
© Shankar IAS Academy

Landslides

• Mass movements of rock, debris or earth down

a slope.

 Mass movements transfer the mass of rock

debris down the slopes under the direct
influence of gravity.

• Often take place, in conjunction with

earthquakes, floods and volcanoes.

• A major concern in hilly terrain

• Quite rapid and perceptible movements.

© Shankar IAS Academy

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• Size and shape of the detached mass depends on

 nature of discontinuities in the rock

 degree of weathering

 steepness of the slope.

• Landslides category - depending upon the type of Source: www.tulane.edu

movement of materials.

 Slump - slipping of one or several units of

rock debris with a backward rotation with
respect to the slope over which the mass
movement takes place.

© Shankar IAS Academy Source: ncert.nic.in/

 Debris slide - Rapid rolling or sliding of

earth debris without backward rotation of
mass.

 Debris fall - Nearly a free fall of earth

debris from a vertical or overhanging face.

 Rockslide - Sliding of individual rock masses

down the bedding, joint or fault surfaces.

 Rock fall - Free falling of rock blocks over

any steep slope keeping itself away from the
slope - occur from the superficial layers of
the rock face.

© Shankar IAS Academy Source: www.tulane.edu

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Scenario in India • Nilgiris and Western Ghats - not as frequent

- relatively tectonically stable and mostly made
• Himalayas - very frequently of hard rocks.

 Tectonically active  Many slopes are steeper with almost

vertical cliffs and escarpments.
 Mostly made up of sedimentary rocks and
unconsolidated and semi-consolidated deposits.  Mechanical weathering because of
temperature changes is pronounced.
 Slopes are very steep.
 Heavy amounts of rainfall over short periods.

© Shankar IAS Academy

Disaster mitigation measures

• Hazard mapping locate areas prone to

landslides - such areas can be avoided for
building settlements.

Source: ndma.gov.in

© Shankar IAS Academy

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• Construction of retention wall to stop land • Increase in the vegetation cover is an

from slipping effective way to arrest landslide.

• The surface drainage control works are

implemented to control the movement of
landslide along with rain water and spring
flows.

Courtesy:
Brockman
Engineering
Contractors, Inc.

Source: web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses © Shankar IAS Academy Sourced from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-ba0126e.pdf

© Shankar IAS Academy

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance.
 Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political
System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc
 General Science
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity,
Social Justice and International relations
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
• Government policies and interventions for development in
various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development,
Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster
Management
• Science and Technology- developments and their
Pg: 1 – C; applications and effects in everyday life.
© Shankar IAS Academy

Ammonium Nitrate • Not an explosive by itself.

• Pure ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) - white,  Classified as an oxidising agent Class 5
water-soluble, crystalline substance with a
(Division 5.1) - United Nations
melting point of 170°C. classification for Dangerous Goods
• India (UN1942).

• Uses:
THE AMMONIUM NITRATE RULES, 2012
 An ingredient for manufacturing
2. Definitions.
anaesthetic gases, fertilizers, cold packs,
(b) "Ammonium Nitrate" means the compound having
the chemical formula NH4 NO3 and includes any etc.
mixture or compound having more than 45 per cent
Ammonium Nitrate by weight including emulsions,
 One of the base ingredients for
suspensions, melts or gels (with or without manufacturing commercial explosives.
inorganic nitrates) but excluding emulsion or slurry
explosives and non explosives emulsion matrix and • Other ingredients like fuel/combustible
fertilizers from which the Ammonium Nitrate material have to be added to make it an
cannot be extracted by any physical or chemical explosive - need initiators like detonators to
process;
explode.
© Shankar IAS Academy

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• Ammonium Nitrate has been declared as an

• Concerned district authorities (Commissioner or
explosive and defined under the Ammonium
District Magistrate) are responsible for
Nitrate Rules, 2012.
ensuring security of Ammonium Nitrate
• Its manufacture, conversion, import, export, consignment in factories, storage depots and
transport and possession for sale/use - in transit.
requires a licence.
• Health hazards
 Issued by Petroleum & Explosives Safety
 An irritant in case of skin or eye contact.
Organization (PESO) under Ammonium
Nitrate Rules, 2012.  Prolonged exposure - skin burns and
ulcerations
 Issued for a maximum of 5 years
 Over-exposure by inhalation - respiratory
 Licence for import and export is valid for
irritation.
1 year - renewable.

© Shankar IAS Academy

Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation

(PESO)

• Formerly - Department of Explosives established • Entrusted with the administration of acts and
in 1898. rules framed under the Acts.

• Headed by the Chief Controller of Explosives  Explosives Act, 1884

with the headquarters at Nagpur.
 Petroleum Act, 1934
• Under Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce.  Inflammable Substances Act, 1952 and the
Rules.
• Nodal agency to look after safety requirements
of the Explosives and Petroleum Sectors.

• Objective - to ensure safety and security of

public and property from fire and explosion.

© Shankar IAS Academy

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© Shankar IAS Academy Pgs: 1, 8 – C; Pgs: 1, 6 – B, D, H, T;

Pg: 5 – B;

© Shankar IAS Academy

Pgs: 14 – C; 12 – B, D, H, T;

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Table top Airport

Part A—Preliminary Examination
Paper I - (200 marks) • Airport located or built on top of a plateau or
 Current events of national and international importance. hilly surface.
 Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System,
• One or both ends of the runway will be adjacent
Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Part B—Main Examination to a steep cliff which drops into a deep gorge.
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social
Justice and International relations
• Government policies and interventions for development in
various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
• Important International institutions, agencies and foratheir
structure, mandate.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio
diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
• Disaster and disaster management. Source: Kozhikode Airport, Google Maps

© Shankar IAS Academy

• There is no such term as a ‘tabletop airport’

in any International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) technical document.

• India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation

(DGCA) – use it for highlighting on safety
measures during operations to these runways.

• Some of India’s tabletop airports include

 Lengpui (Mizoram).

 Shimla and Kullu (Himachal Pradesh).

 Pakyong (Sikkim).

 Mangaluru (Karnataka).

 Kozhikode and Kannur (Kerala).

© Shankar IAS Academy

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• Optical illusion like ‘black hole effect’.

 It is an inherent risk of night visual

Dangers posed by Table Top Airports: approaches.

• Runway overshoots.  Black hole conditions exist on dark nights

(usually with no moon or starlight), when there
 Occur often on non-‘tabletop’ runways - are no ground lights between the aircraft and
aircraft has a much better probability of the runway threshold.
surviving.
 Sometimes called the featureless terrain illusion.

 Tabletop runway - an overrun by even a  Fools pilots into thinking they are higher than
few metre can turn catastrophic. they actually are, causing them to fly
dangerously low approaches.

• Example of tabletop runway accident

 Mangaluru airport accident 2010 - Air India

Express flight, overran the runway while
landing - went down a steep embankment -
caught fire.
© Shankar IAS Academy

Safety measures taken by the aviation sector

in infrastructure and operations.
• ICAO document 9981 for airports - guideline for
• ICAO - for every runway, there should be Runway compatibility study of the operation of larger
End Safety Area (RESA). aircraft in a comparatively smaller aerodrome.

 An area adjacent to the end of the runway.  Recommendations on aerodrome infrastructure

and its ground handling capabilities, and
 They are a formal means to limit the airplane characteristics.
consequences when aeroplanes overrun the end
of a runway during a landing or a rejected  Taken in to consideration by the government
take off, or undershoot the intended landing before giving the aircrafts a ‘no objection
runway. certificate’ for operation.

 Tabletop airport operations - RESA of 90m is

mandatory, while 240m is recommendatory.

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• Precautions taken by pilots during landing:

• Pilot training
 Starts landing operation only after getting a
 Usually, no specific trainings for operating on
clearance from ATC and when visibility is
‘table top’ runways.
within the minima.
 Airlines conduct route checks for short runways.
 The pilot must have a clear visibility of the
 Crew Resource Management is a mandatory environment both at the altitude of Decision
training, following the recommendations made Height (DH) and at Minimum Descent Altitude
after the Mangaluru crash - classroom and (MDA).
simulator training.
 DH is a point normally around 200 ft in case
 Simulator training to explain various types of of instrument landing system(ILS).
optical illusions.
- Precision approach in landing.
 Monsoon training - training for landing in low  MDA is another point in case of a
visibility, heavy rain and winds. non-precision approach.
 DGCA has mandated a Monsoon Minimum - Specified altitude below which descent
Equipment List as far as aircraft operations must not be made without the required
are concerned. visual reference.

Recommendations after Mangalore Crash

• Avoidance of downward slope in the overshoot

area, particularly on ‘tabletop’ runways. Way forward
• Need for a ground arresting system for aircraft • Government should allow only narrow body
or Engineered Materials Arresting System(EMAS) aircraft to land on table top runways

A specially installed surface which quickly • Ensure all runway condition standards are
stops any aircraft that moves onto it. enforced.

 Maintained at almost all airfields of Indian • Pilots should be given approach and landing
Air Force. accident training.

• Visual reference system to alert the pilot on the • Government should be transparent and safety-
remaining distance to be covered while landing. oriented and not concentrate only on

• Advised on location of the ATC tower, approach commercial interests.

and area radars

• Role of the Rescue and Fire Fighting service

etc.

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News

• Artefacts and stone tools discovered in

Madurai belong to the microlithic age and iron
age.

• Human history is divided into three main

periods - Stone Age, Bonze Age and Iron Age.

 Unique for their subsistence economy or ways

of acquiring food, social organisation, mode
of disposing of the dead, art, and other
aspects of life.

• Stone Age - divided into three periods

 Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age

 Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age

Pg: 4 – C;
 Neolithic or New Stone Age.

Palaeolithic/Old Stone Age • Microliths

• Extends from 2 million years ago to 12,000  Non-geometric forms - rectangular blunted
years ago. back blades and points

• Divided into Lower, Middle and Upper  Geometric forms - crescents, triangles and
Palaeolithic trapezes.

• Covers 99% of human history. • Microliths - too small to be used as tools

individually - used as components of tools and
Mesolithic/Middle Stone Age
weapons by being hafted in bone, wood or
• Shorter period than Palaeolithic. reed handles and shafts.

• India - began about 12,000 years ago till • Mesolithic people also used a variety of non-
10,000 years ago. microlithic tools made on flakes, cores and
blades.
• Technological hall mark - tiny stone tools or
‘microliths’.  Comprised choppers, scrapers, notched flakes,
borers and points.

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• Technological innovations - bow and arrow for Early Iron Age in India
hunting, grinders and hammer stones for grinding
and pulverising plant foods. • Period of beginning of iron technology, its
production and widespread use along the
• Created a large volume of art in the form of
subcontinent.
paintings and engravings.
• Initially, the emergence of Iron in India was
ascribed to 7th to 6th century BC.

Neolithic/New Stone Age  Now marked to the early part of the second
millennium BC.
• From about 10,000 years ago.

Cup and Ring marks

• A prehistoric art form that is found on rocks

across the world.

• A roughly circular hollow in the rock surface,

often surrounded by one or more concentric rings.

Source: www.ancientpages.com

Source: www.atlasobscura.com/places/ballochmyle-cup-and-ring-marks

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News

• Opinion of UNICEF India’s Chief on

India’s Nutrition Security.

 There is an impending risk of

increased hunger and malnutrition
in the country due to
COVlD-19 pandemic.

Pg: 10 – C; 8 – B, D, H, T;

Where NRCs should be established

Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC)
• According to National Health Mission, states
• A unit in a health facility where children with should prioritize the establishment of NRCs in
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are admitted
‘High Need Areas’
and managed.
 Tribal districts, and High Focus Districts
• Children with SAM with medical complications identified under National Rural Health Mission.
are referred by frontline workers - ASHA and
Anganwadi workers.  Districts with high under-five mortality.

• To improve health condition - medical and  Districts with high under-nutrition rates.
nutritional therapeutic care is provided during • Established at Medical College Hospitals and
stay. District Hospitals.
• Once discharged from the NRC, the child  Sub-District Hospitals and Community Health
continues to be in the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres can be considered where facilities
program till s/he attains the defined discharge are geared to manage paediatric
criteria from the program. emergencies and complications in children
with SAM.

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Staff of NRCs:

• A medical officer will be in charge of NRC.

• A nutrition counsellor.

• A nurse.

• A cook cum care taker.

• An attendant.

• A medical social worker.

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Practice Question - Prelims

Practice Question – Prelims
Q1.Which among the following play a major role
with reference to landslides in the Western Q2.Consider the following statements regarding
Ghats? Mesolithic Age:
1. High tectonic activity 1. Mesolithic Age was a much shorter period
than Palaeolithic.
2. The region is mostly made up of
sedimentary rocks, and unconsolidated 2. Mesolithic people used a variety of
and semi-consolidated deposits. non-microlithic tools.

3. Steeper slopes with almost vertical cliffs 3. Rocks discovered from some of the
and escarpments. Mesolithic sites in India had ‘cup and ring’
marks.
Select the correct answer from the codes
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
given below:
(a) 1 only
a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
d) 2 and 3 only
© Shankar IAS Academy

Practice Question – Prelims

Practice Question – Prelims
Q4.Consider the following statements regarding
Q3.Consider the following statements with Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3):
reference to International Civil Aviation
1. It is a water-soluble substance.
Organization.
2. Pure Ammonium Nitrate is not an explosive
1. It is a specialized agency of United
by itself.
Nations.
3. The Petroleum & Explosives Safety
2. It manages the administration and
Organization (PESO) under Ministry of
governance of Chicago Convention.
Chemicals and Fertilizers, issues licence for
Which of the statements given above is/are manufacturing, transportation and
incorrect? possession of Ammonium Nitrate.
(a) 1 only Which of the above statements are correct?
(b) 2 only
(a) 1 and 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
© Shankar IAS Academy

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q5.Consider the following statements with
reference to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre
(NRC). Practice Question – Prelims
1. It is a unit in a health facility where children 09-08-2020
with Severe Acute Malnutrition are admitted
and managed. Answers
2. Children are provided with both medical and Q1. Option - c
nutritional therapeutic care during their NRC
Q2. Option - d
stay.
Q3. Option - d
3. It is mandatory to establish NRCs in all
Community Health Centres in India. Q4. Option - a
Which of the statements given above is/are Q5. Option - b
correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3 © Shankar IAS Academy

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