Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- Sentinel Island
- S-400
- Positive pay system
- Postal voting for NRI
- Why Elephants and tigers did not go extinct in India
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Sentinel Island
Context : The Andaman administration had asked AnSI to come up with a policy document. According to the policy document any exploitation of the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans for commercial and strategic gain would spell the death knell for its occupants, the Sentinelese, a most secluded, particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) who reside in complete isolation on the island, the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has said.
Key observation
- In a policy document, which comes almost two years after American national John Allen Chau was allegedly killed by the Sentinelese on the island, the AnSI says the “right of the people to the island is non-negotiable”.
- These rights are unassailable, non-negotiable and uninfringeable. The prime duty of the state is to protect these rights as eternal and sacrosanct. Therefore, their island should not be eyed for any commercial or strategic gain, for if it were to happen, it surely would be a death knell for its occupants
- Along with maintaining the territorial integrity of the North Sentinel Island, the document also calls for building a knowledge bank on the Sentinelese. Since ‘on-the-spot study’ is not possible for the tribal community, anthropologists suggest the ‘study of a culture from distance.
About Sentinelese
- The Sentinelese, a negrito tribe who live on the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans, have not faced incursions and remain hostile to outsiders.
- The inhabitants are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as linguistic similarities, researchers say.
- Based on carbon dating of kitchen middens by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese presence was confirmed in the islands to 2,000 years ago. Genome studies indicate that the Andaman tribes could have been on the islands even 30,000 years ago.
- The Sentinelese, with a population of about 50 to 100 on the North Sentinel Island, are not only among the most isolated of nearly 70 PVTGs across the country, but also among the five in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which include the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa, and the Shompens.
Protection
- The Govt. of India issued the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956 to declare the traditional areas occupied by the tribes as reserves, and prohibited entry of all persons except those with authorisation. Photographing or filming the tribe members is also an offence.
- The rules were amended later to enhance penalties. But restricted area permits were relaxed for some islands recently.
Outside Contact
- The Sentinelese have been fiercely hostile to outside contact. But in 1991 they accepted some coconuts from a team of Indian anthropologists and administrators.
- Some researchers argue that the Sentinelese have been mostly left alone even from colonial times, unlike other tribes such as the Onges, Jarawas and Great Andamanese, because the land they occupy has little commercial attraction.
2 . Postal voting for NRI
Context : Election Commission of India (ECI) wrote to the Law Ministry, proposing to extend the facility of postal ballots to (eligible) overseas, non-resident Indians (NRIs) for the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in 2021.
About the Proposal
- The ECI proposed amending the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, in order to allow the facility.
- The postal ballots will be sent to NRIs electronically and they will send these ballots after choosing their candidate via post. This partially electronic facility is now available for service voters (being a member of the armed Forces of the Union; or a member of a force to which provisions of the Army Act, 1950 (46 of 1950), have been made applicable whether with or without modification; a member of an Armed Police Force of a State, and serving outside that State; or a person who is employed under the Government of India, in a post outside India).and is being sought to be extended to overseas NRI voters.
- The Law Ministry is yet to respond to the proposal.
How can overseas voters currently vote in Indian elections?
- Prior to 2010, an Indian citizen who is an eligible voter and was residing abroad for more than six months owing to employment, education or otherwise, would not have been able to vote in elections. This was because the NRI’s name was deleted from electoral rolls if he or she stayed outside the country for more than six months at a stretch.
- After the passing of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, eligible NRIs who had stayed abroad beyond six months have been enabled to vote, but only in person at the polling station where they have been enrolled as an overseas elector.
- In the case of overseas voters, their address mentioned in the passport is taken as the place of ordinary residence and chosen as the constituency for the overseas voter to enrol in.
- Now the ECI has approached the government to permit NRIs to vote via postal ballots similar to a system that is already used by service voters (the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System, or ETPBS).
What is ETPBS and how does it function?
- The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was amended in 2016 to allow service voters to use the ETPBS. Under this system, postal ballots are sent electronically to registered service voters.
- The service voter can then download the ETPB (along with a declaration form and covers), register their mandate on the ballot and send it to the returning officer of the constituency via ordinary mail.
- The post will include an attested declaration form (after being signed by the voter in the presence of an appointed senior officer who will attest it). The postal ballot must reach the returning officer by 8 a.m. on the day of the counting of results.
- The ECI now proposes to extend this facility to overseas voters as well.
- For this to commence, the Law Ministry has to amend the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 (just as it was done for service voters).
- In the case of NRI voters, those seeking to vote through ETPBS will have to inform the returning officer at least five days after notification of the election. The returning officer will then send the ballot electronically via the ETPBS. The NRI voter can then register her/his mandate on the ballot printout and send it back with an attested declaration in a process similar to the service voter. Except in this case, the senior officer would be appointed by the Indian diplomatic or consular representative in the resident country of the NRI.
- The ECI has not specified whether the voter should send in the ballot through ordinary post to the returning officer or drop it off at the Indian consular office/embassy, which will then send the consolidated envelopes constituency-wise to the returning officers.
Are postal ballots a viable means of voting?
- The ETPBS method allowed for greater turnout among service voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
- With increasing mobility of citizens across countries for reasons related to work, the postal ballot method has been recognised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (an intergovernmental organisation that works to support democratic processes and institutions) as a means to allow overseas voters to exercise their right, subject to certain conditions normally related to the time spent abroad or the work carried out abroad.
- Postal ballots were proven to be a secure and easy ways of registering the mandate in the presidential elections in the United States recently with many voters preferring to use this method due to the COVID-19 social distancing norms.
- A postal ballot mechanism that allows for proper authentication of the ballot at designated consular/embassy offices and an effective postal system should ease this process for NRIs, but the rules must be clearly framed for eligibility on the basis of time spent away from the country.
3 . Positive Pay System
Context : On January 1, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will introduce the ‘Positive Pay System’ for cheque transactions above Rs 50,000 in a bid to enhance safety and eliminate frauds.
What is the Positive Pay System for cheque transactions?
- The concept of Positive Pay involves a process of reconfirming key details of large-value cheques. Under this process, the issuer of the cheque submits electronically, through channels like SMS, mobile app, Internet banking and ATM, certain minimum details of that cheque (like date, name of the beneficiary, or payee and amount) to the drawee bank, details of which are cross-checked with the presented cheque by Cheque Truncation System (CTS).
- Any discrepancy is flagged by CTS to the drawee bank and presenting bank, who then take redressal measures.
What type of cheques will come under Positive Pay?
- Banks will enable the new system for all account holders issuing cheques for amounts of Rs 50,000 and above. While availing of this facility is at the discretion of the account holder, banks may consider making it mandatory in case of cheques for amounts of Rs 5,00,000 and above.
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will develop the facility of Positive Pay in CTS, and make it available to participant banks.
What will be the new dispute redressal mechanism?
- Only those cheques that are compliant with the new system will be accepted under the dispute resolution mechanism at the CTS grids. Member banks may implement similar arrangements for cheques cleared or collected outside CTS as well.
- The RBI has already told banks to create adequate awareness among their customers on features of the Positive Pay System through SMS alerts, displays in branches, ATMs, as well as through their websites and Internet banking. The Positive Pay System will be implemented from January 1, 2021.
What will be the share of Positive Pay in overall cheque transactions?
- The new measure will cover approximately 20 per cent and 80 per cent of total cheques issued in the country by volume and value, respectively. The Cheque Truncation System (CTS) for clearing cheques is operational pan-India, and presently covers 2 per cent and 15 per cent of total retail payments in terms of volume and value respectively.
- The average value of a cheque cleared in CTS presently is Rs 82,000. The CTS-2010 standard specifying minimum security features on cheque leaves acts as a deterrent against cheque frauds, while standardisation of field placements on cheque forms enables straight-through-processing by use of optical or image character recognition technology.
Why is the new system being implemented?
- The RBI says the Positive Pay system is to augment customer safety in cheque payments and reduce instances of fraud occurring on account of tampering of cheque leaves. Banks had recently witnessed a rise in frauds involving high-value cheques. The RBI announced the introduction of Positive Pay System for CTS on August 6.
4 . Challenges in vaccinating people with comorbidities
Context : The operational guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination issued recently by the union health ministry has once again identified the four high-risk groups — healthcare workers, frontline workers, persons over 50 years of age, and persons younger than 50 years with comorbidities — that would receive COVID vaccine on priority.
Challenges
- National database
- Unlike in other groups, national databases of people with comorbidities are not available. However, though not comprehensive, since 2010, State governments have been conducting population-based district level screening to detect non-communicable diseases under the National Program for the Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) guidelines.
- Also, as part of the Ayushman Bharat initiative, States have been carrying out universal screening of people aged over 30 years. State governments have been asked to refer to the screening data for non-communicable diseases to identify individuals with comorbidities for COVID vaccination.
- Priority – Considering a range of comorbidities that increases the risk of disease severity, people with which comorbidity should be given more priority for vaccination? “The evidence available is insufficient to indicate the degree of severity amongst the comorbidities.
- Multiple comorbidities Each comorbidity increases vulnerability. However, in case of shortage of vaccines, multimorbidity should be given first preference
- Database problems : People below 50 years who have been newly diagnosed with comorbidities should not be counted as high-risk for vaccination on priority. Even the union government’s guidance to States is to use the existing database of comorbidities to vaccinate people. Since the database is not comprehensive, relying solely on that can be problematic.
- Health inequality : Poor people and those living in rural areas very often are unaware of their disease status. Any policy that excludes people with newly diagnosed disease will inevitably affect the poor. Only a few people qualify for consideration based on documentation of their comorbidities. This will unduly favour the rich and educated who keep documentation and thereby further exacerbate health inequity.
- Males over females : Another ethical challenge revolves around gender. Males have been found to be at a greater risk of progressing to severe disease and even dying compared with females. Should males with comorbidities then be prioritised over females with comorbidities
5 . Why Elephants and tigers did not go extinct in India
Context : Most of the megafauna of South Asia and Africa were resilient to the arrival of modern humans and the region still has large land mammals such as elephants, tigers, and rhinos. A team led by Advait Jukar from Yale University set out to investigate why these big mammals are still seen in India when they disappeared from the Americas.
Key reasons according to the study
- Co-Evolution – Co-evolution – the fact that native animals learn to adapt to a new predator played an important role. These animals evolved techniques to avoid people
- Environmental factors – The extinct species were large, slow reproducing species, and they go extinct when the climate is fluctuating. Environmental change can stress populations out, especially populations of animals that don’t reproduce quickly. Elephants have a two-year pregnancy and it takes about six years between calving events. Hippos, when they’re stressed out, don’t breed well
- Local extinction : India was also home to ostriches (Struthio camelus) humans may have been the reason for their local extinction. Ostriches are depicted in cave art and have a lot of evidence of people using ostrich eggshells for ornamentation by making beads. Humans probably used eggs for food. humans may be driving the extinction of the mammals that fought and survived. “So most of the animals which survived, had a fairly large geographic range. But today, these animals are being restricted to small pockets and in fragmented populations, a lot of interbreeding happens making the populations weaker. And with increased human pressure, it’s just a matter of time before they start going extinct.
6 . Facts for Prelims
Why do leaves die off in autumn?
- Known as leaf senescence, this process prepares the trees for the coming winter.
- In a study published last month in the journal Science, researchers have now demonstrated that trees have a self-regulating mechanism that limits the photosynthesis period or the productive period. This increased photosynthesis in spring and summer could be leading to earlier senescence.
- The analyses suggested that seasonal photosynthesis, autumn temperatures, and day length were the key
- Several other factors, such as atmospheric CO2 concentrations, summer temperatures, light levels, and precipitation also appear to influence senescence, but only indirectly through affecting photosynthesis.
- The team arrived at the conclusion by studying six European deciduous tree species over the last six decades. They found a strong effect of photosynthesis on senescence. In years with increased photosynthesis in spring and summer, leaf senescence began earlier, with each 10% increase in photosynthetic activity advancing leaf senescence by eight days.
Himalayan trillium
- The Himalayan trillium (Trillium govanianum), a common herb of the Himalayas
- It was declared ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last week.
- Found in temperate and sub-alpine zones of the Himalayas, at an altitude from 2,400-4,000 metres above sea level, the existence of the plant has been traced across India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- In India, it is found in four states only- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand. Often called Nagchatri, in local areas this herb grows to a height of 15-20 cm.
- In recent years, the plant has become one of the most traded commercial plants of the Himalayan region, due to its high medicinal quality.
- It has been used in traditional medicine to cure diseases like dysentery, wounds, skin boils, inflammation, sepsis, as well as menstrual and sexual disorders.
- Recent experiments have shown that the rhizome of the herb is a source of steroidal saponins and can be used as an anti-cancer and anti-aging agent.
- There are several factors threatening the survival of the plant such as over-exploitation, long life cycle – slow to reach reproductive maturity – and poor capacity for seed dispersal. The highly specific habitat requirement, high trade value, and increasing market demand are all causing its decline
Pink, white & red balls difference
- According to the Marylebone Cricket Club, guardians of the laws of cricket, any international and First Class ball has to weigh between 156 grams and 162 grams. There is no difference in weight in either red, white or pink ball.
- But the colour of the seam varies: white seam for the red ball, dark green for white and black for pink.
- Difference between the Kookaburra, SG and Dukes pink balls in the way they are stitched and behave : Dukes and SG are hand-stitched in all six rows of the seam. Only two rows of a Kookaburra ball are hand-stitched, while the four outer rows are machine-stitched. The Dukes and SG balls tend to swing more than Kookaburra.
S-400 Air defence system
- S-400 (NATO name SA-21 Growler) is considered one of the world’s most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track and neutralise a range of incoming objects spanning aircraft, missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over very long ranges.
- It is especially suited to take down strategic aerial platforms like bombers, mid-air refuellers, reconnaissance aircraft and Advanced Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS).
- Given their capabilities, the S-400 has emerged as one of the most controversial arms exports of Russia and a major point of contention between Washington and Moscow.
- According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) missile defence project, development of the S-400 began in 1993 and eventually the testing of the system started in 1999. Designed by Almaz-Antey Central Design Bureau, the S-400 is a successor to the S-300 system and entered operational service in 2007. In 2015, it was deployed in Syria by Russia to protect its military assets and has also been deployed in Crimea.
- The S-400 is fully mobile and each system has a 3D phased array acquisition radar, which can track around 300 targets up to 600 km, a command-and-control centre, automatic tracking and targeting systems, launchers and support vehicles. Each system has four different types to missiles for up to 40 km, 120 km, 250 km and a maximum range of 400 km and up to 30km altitude. The different ranges and varying altitudes create a layered air defence net. An S-400 battalion has eight missile launchers, typically with four missiles each.