01-08-2021

01-AUGUST-2021

The Hindu News Analysis – 01st August 2021 – Shankar IAS Academy
S. Page Number*
News Articles
No. C B D H T
1 Past Year Preliminary Questions
2 Vanishing permafrost -na- -na- 10 -na- -na-
3 Autism awareness ride today -na- 5 -na- -na- -na-
4 Is RBI planning a digital currency for India? (FAQ) -na- -na- 11 -na- -na-
5 SEBI urges peers to rethink bond market curbs -na- -na- 13 -na- -na-
6 NGRI studying earth’s magnetic fields -na- -na- -na- -na- 5
7 NFAI acquires over 450 glass slides of Telugu cinema -na- -na- 1 -na- -na-

8 Govt. not keen on Legislative Council polls immediately -na- -na- -na- 4 -na-

9 Ruins of an Indus Valley civilisation site -na- -na- 12 -na- -na-

10 Prelims Practice Questions

@end of the session
11 Mains Practice Questions
*na – Not applicable only for today. *C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

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Previous Year Question – Prelims 2017 Previous Year Question – Prelims 2018
Q. In the context of India, which one of the Q. Economically, one of the results of the
following is the correct relationship British rule in India in the 19th century
between Rights and Duties? was the
(a) Rights are correlative with Duties. (a) Increase in the export of Indian
(b) Rights are personal and hence handicrafts
independent of society and Duties. (b) Growth in the number of Indian
(c) Rights, not Duties, are important for owned factories
the advancement of the personality (c) Commercialization of Indian
of the citizen. agriculture
(d) Duties, not Rights, are important for (d) Rapid increase in the urban
the stability of the State. population

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international
importance.
 General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-
diversity and ClimateChange - that do not require
subject specialization.

Part B—Main Examination

PAPER-III
General Studies- III: Technology, Economic
Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security
and Disaster Management.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and
degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Pg: 10 – Delhi

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Perma-Frost

• permafrost is any ground that remains

completely frozen for at least two years
straight.

Occurrence

• High mountains like Himalayas and Andes

• Earth’s higher latitudes —near the North and

South Poles

• Almost a quarter of the land area in the

Northern Hemisphere alone has permafrost
underneath.

Global Warming and Permafrost

Global
What is permafrost made of ? warming
• Combination of soil, rocks and sand

• Held together by ice

• Soil and ice in permafrost stay frozen

Perma-
all year long frost thaws
• Organic matter

Water and
soil

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Effects of Permafrost thawing

Permafrost thawing
Permafrost Permafrost Permafrost
thawing thawing thawing

Decomposition of
organic matter
Release of Release of age Buildings and
mercury old bacteria and structures on it
(neurotoxin) virus collapses
Release of methane
and other gases

Possibility of land
Harmful to the New disease slides and other
Addition of green environment outbreak natural disasters
house gases

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/autism-awareness-ride-today/article35660941.ece

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

News: Zain Foundation Trust to organise an Paper I
autism awareness ride in collaboration with • Current events of national and international
Special Initiative Riders. importance
• General Science
• Aim
Part B—Main Examination
 To spread awareness about autism PAPER‐III
among the general public. General Studies‐ II: Governance, Constitution,
Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
 To bring social acceptance of autism
• Issues relating to development and management of
among people.
Social Sector/Services relating to Health,
Education, Human Resources.

Autism / Autism spectrum disorder

• Found - All people in all ethnic, racial and
• Kind of development disorder. economic groups.

• Affects - Communication and behaviour of the • Sources - Found to be about 4 times more
affected person. common among boys than among girls.

• Spectrum disorder - It doesn’t follow the same • Autism - Life long disorder.
symptom/pattern.
• Treatment and services - Improve a
• Wide variation - Type and severity of symptoms person’s symptoms and ability to function.
experienced by the affected people.

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Symptoms

• Difficulty - Social communication and

Causes
interaction
• Different factors - Environment, biology
• Restricted interests
and genetic.
• Repetitive behaviors.

• Sleep problems

• Irritability.

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Social communication / interaction behaviours

 Making little or inconsistent eye contact Restrictive / repetitive behaviours

 Tending not to look at or listen to people  Repeating certain behaviors or having
 Rarely sharing enjoyment of objects or activities by unusual behaviors. For example,
pointing or showing things to others repeating words or phrases, a
 Failing to, or being slow to, respond to someone calling behavior called echolalia
their name or to other verbal attempts to gain attention  Having a lasting intense interest in
 Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversation certain topics, such as numbers,
 Often talking at length about a favorite subject without details, or facts
noticing that others are not interested or without giving  Having overly focused interests, such
others a chance to respond as with moving objects or parts of
 Having facial expressions, movements, and gestures that objects
do not match what is being said  Getting upset by slight changes in a
 Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song routine
or flat and robot-like  Being more or less sensitive than
 Having trouble understanding another person’s point of other people to sensory input, such
view or being unable to predict or understand other as light, noise, clothing, or
people’s actions temperature

Positive side of autism. Treatment:

• Possess many strengths. • No complete cure available for this disorder.

• The ability to learn things in detail. • Important - Begin the treatment soon after it
is diagnosed.
• They retain information in the memory
for a longer time period. • Research - Early intervention treatment
services can actually improve a child’s
• They are strong visual and auditory
development.
learners.
• Early intervention services - Help children from
• They generally excel in math, science,
birth upto 3 years to learn important skills.
music or art.

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I
• Current events of national and international importance
• Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political
System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development - Sustainable
Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social
Sector Initiatives, etc.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER‐III
General Studies‐ III: Technology, Economic Development,
Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster
Management
Pg: 11 – Delhi
• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning,
mobilization, of resources, growth, development and
employment.

Digital money or currency

• Any means of payment that exists purely in the electronic

form.

 not tangible - virtual money.

 accounted for and transferred using computers.

• Exchanged using technologies - smartphones, credit cards,

and online cryptocurrency exchanges.

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• Distinct from private virtual/digital currencies – as

they are decentralised but CBDCs are centralised.

• First CBDC – launched by Bahamas - Bahamian Sand

Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
Dollar.
• Represents normal currencies.
Need and advantages
News:
• Increasing demand for digital currencies -
 RBI announced that it will begin manifested by increased use of private
testing its own digital currency. virtual/digital currencies.

• RBI – “A CBDC is the legal tender issued • To avoid risk associated with private virtual/digital
by a central bank in a digital form”. currencies.

 Virtual money, backed and issued by a • CBDCs are sovereign-backed alternatives to private
central bank. currencies:

 Can be easily tracked by authorities.

Risks:
• Dwindling usage of paper currency.
• Fear of people withdrawing money from bank
• cost of printing and distributing cash is
accounts once CBDCs are popular.
higher compared to the cost of issuing
 Affects the amount of loans created by
electronic CBDCs.
banks - deposits are a base for the bank
• CBDCs would potentially enable a more
to provide loans.
real-time and cost-effective
globalization of payment systems.  When the deposits reduce, banks’ ability
for credit creation gets constrained.

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Suggestions

• Reduce the withdrawals:

 Banks may provide higher interest rates

for deposits.

 Banks can impose negative penalties to

prevent the mass withdrawal.

• Set upper limit for the amount of money

that an individual can hold in the form of
CBDCs.

• RBI can inject money into banks.

Pg: 13 – Delhi

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SEBI
• Basic functions
• 1988 – Established as a non-statutory body
- regulate the securities market.  Protect investor’s interest in securities.

• 1992 – Autonomous body  Promote development of the securities

market.
 accorded statutory powers - SEBI Act,
1992.  Regulate securities market.

• Headquarters – Mumbai

Functions of SEBI

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• Triple functions

 Quasi-legislative
• Composition
 Quasi-judicial
 2 members - Ministry of Finance and
 Quasi-executive
Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Appeal - Securities Appellate Tribunal (3-
 1 member - amongst the officials of
member panel)
RBI.
• Second appeal – Supreme court
 Remaining 5 members and Chairman -
• Exercise powers conferred in
appointed by Central Government.
 Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956

 Depositories Act, 1996

 Companies Act, 2013

Terms and conditions of service of

chairman and members

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Source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/ngri-studying-earths-magnetic-fields/article35659605.ece

Council of Scientific & Industrial CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI)

Research (CSIR)
• A constituent research laboratory of the CSIR.
• 1942: Set up as an autonomous body-
• Established in 1961.
under Ministry of Science and
Technology. • Aim: to carry out research in multidisciplinary areas of
the highly complex structure and processes of the Earth
• Largest publicly funded multi-
system.
disciplinary industrial R&D
organization in India. • Enable govt agencies, public and private sector
stakeholders- make informed decisions about use of
• A dynamic network: 37 national
geo-resources sustainably.
laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 3
Innovation Complexes. • Help to improve preparedness and resilience to natural
hazards.
• Provides technological intervention in
many areas: environment, health, • Three main themes: Geodynamics, Earthquake Hazards
drinking water, food, housing, energy and Natural Resources.
etc.

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• Geodynamics: investigating and modelling

fundamental aspects of the Earth system and
processes.

• Earthquake Hazards: features on the surface

and subsurface of crust which may potentially
endanger lives.

 Focus on catastrophes like earthquakes

and landslides etc.

• Natural Resources: implements techniques to

identify primary geo-resources.

 Pillars of human civilization and economic

growth- groundwater, hydrocarbons etc.

Pg: 1 – Delhi

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National Film Archive of India (NFAI)

• Set up in 1964
National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM)
• Was set up as a media unit of the Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting, Government of • Launched in 2017
India
• NFAI as the nodal implementing agency
• Objective : acquiring and preserving Indian
• Objective : To Preserve, Conserve, Digitise
cinematic heritage
and Restore the old films in mission mode
• Includes preservation of film and non-film
material : celluloid, stills, glass slides,
posters, lobby cards, scripts and song
booklets

• HQ : Pune.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telangana-government-not-keen-on-elections-to-council-right-now/article35656763.ece

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Legislative Council
• Vidhan Parishad.

• Upper house of the state assembly.

• Presided by the Chairman and a Deputy Chairman for the

legislative council.

• Present in state legislatures which are bicameral.

• A.P., Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, U.P have

constituted LCs.

• can be created or abolished.
 Procedure established by Constitution
Article 169.
 Parliament has the power to abolish or
create a LC by law when LA of the
concerned state passes a resolution to
that effect with a special majority.
 only such instance, where the procedure
to amend the Constitution is initiated
in the state legislature.
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
169.Abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in States.—
- (1) Notwithstanding anything in article 168, Parliament may
by law provide for the abolition of the Legislative Council
of a State having such a Council or for the creation of
such a Council in a State having no such Council, if the
Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution to
that effect by a majority of the total membership of the
Assembly and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of
the members of the Assembly present and voting.
(2) Any law referred to in clause (1) shall contain such
provisions for the amendment of this Constitution as may
be necessary to give effect to the provisions of the law
and may also contain such supplemental, incidental and
consequential provisions as Parliament may deem
necessary.
(3) No such law as aforesaid shall be deemed to be an
amendment of this Constitution for the purposes of
article 368.

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• Composition.
• Features:
 Maximum strength : one-third of the total strength of
 continuing chamber or permanent
the assembly.
body.
 Size of the council depends on the size of the
 not subject to dissolution. assembly.

 checks the hasty, defective,  minimum strength - 40.

careless and ill-considered  actual strength of a Council is fixed by Parliament.
legislation made by the assembly
 members are indirectly elected - system of
by making provision for revision
proportional representation by means of a single
and thought. transferable vote.

 facilitates representation of  tenure - 6 years.

eminent professionals and experts
 one-third of members retire on the expiration of
who cannot face direct elections. every second year.

 Governor nominates one-sixth  retiring members are eligible for re-election and re-
members of the council. nomination any number of times.

MLCs are chosen in the following manner

• One third are elected by the members of local bodies such as municipalities,
Gram panchayats, Panchayat samitis and district councils.

• One third are elected by the members of Legislative Assembly of the State from
among the persons who are not members of the State Legislative Assembly.

• One sixth are nominated by the Governor from persons having knowledge or
practical experience in fields such as literature, science, arts, the co-operative
movement and social services.

• One twelfth are elected by persons who are graduates of three years' standing
residing in that state.

• One twelfth are elected by teachers who had spent at least three years in
teaching in educational institutions within the state not lower than secondary
schools, including colleges and universities.

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Reference :
28th July 2021

Pg: 12 – Delhi

Previous Year Question – Prelims

Practice Question – Prelims
Q. Consider the following statements:
Q. With reference to National Film Heritage Mission,
1. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) consider the following statements:
is a non-statutory body.
1. It is being implemented under Ministry of
2. It also functions as a quasi-judicial body. Culture
3. Appeals against the decisions of SEBI go 2. The objective is to preserve, conserve, digitize
before the Securities Appellate Tribunal. and restore the old films in mission mode
Which of the statements given above are correct? Which of the statements given above is/are
a) 1 and 2 only correct?
(a) 1 only
b) 2 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
c) 1 and 3 only (c) Both 1 and 2 only
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
d) 1, 2 and 3

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Practice Question- Prelims Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements regarding Q. Consider the following statements:
the Council of Scientific & Industrial
Research (CSIR):
1. The amendment of the Constitution for
creation or abolition of Legislative
1. CSIR is India’s largest publicly funded Council is an amendment of the
industrial R&D organization under the
Constitution for the purposes of Article
Ministry of Science and Technology.
368.
2. CSIR is presided by the Principal Scientific
Adviser to the Government of India. 2. Constitution mandates bicameral
legislature for all the states.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct? Which of the statements given above is/are
(a) 1 only incorrect?
(b) 2 only a) 1 only
b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

.
Practice Question – Mains Practice Question – Mains
GS-III GS – III
Q. Thawing Permafrost is often an under-studied Q. What are Central Bank Digital Currencies
consequence of global warming. In this context
explain perma-frost and the potential (CBDCs)? Discuss the benefits and risks
consequences it can cause. associated with it.
(150 Words, 10 Marks) (150 words, 10 marks)

Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. Despite high rates of autism and increased
encounter with the disorder, the overall
awareness remains low and misinformation
about the disease abounds. Discuss.
(150 words, 10 marks)

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