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Time: 45 min Date: 20-09-2021

Biodiversity & Environment

World Bamboo Day

Syllabus: GS3/ Conservation

In News

● Every year on 18 September the World Bamboo Day is observed across the globe.

About

● Aim: To raise awareness around the world for the conservation and promotion of

the bamboo industry and bamboo plantation.

● Theme:''#PlantBamboo, it is Time To Plant Bamboo''.

● History: The World Bamboo Day was created by Kamesh Salam in the year 2009

at the 8th World Bamboo Congress held in Bangkok.

● The organisation intends to ensure sustainable utilisation of bamboo, as well as

promote traditional uses for economic development of local communities.

Uses of Bamboo

● Used as food, biofuel, furniture, fabrics and so on.

● The most amazing part about bamboos is that they are hardly required to be

replanted.

● Have a versatile potential.

● Bamboo is commonly used for making incense sticks, mats and paper.

Initiatives to Promote Bamboo

● India contributes only 2% of the world's bamboo supply.

● The Central government by amending the Forest Act of 1927, freed private

growers to undertake cultivation of bamboo without any restrictions.

● Import policy has also been modified to ensure the progress of the bamboo

industry in the country.

● National Bamboo Mission (NBM) supports local artisans through locally grown

bamboo species, which will actualise the goal of vocals for local and help increase

the income of farmers, reducing dependency on imports of raw material.

Significance of Bamboo Cultivation

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● Absorbs CO2 and can generate 35% more oxygen than trees.

● It does not require chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and water to grow.

● It improves soil quality.

● Known as the Chinese symbol for strength, bamboo represents growth and

resilience.

● Matures for cultivation in 4-5 years while the hardwood takes 30-80 years.

● Promoting bamboo plantation can help export products across the world thereby

helping the overall economy of the country.

Some facts about Bamboos

● This tree, which comes from the grass family, is known as a poor man’s timber

and green gold.

● It grows fast and requires low maintenance.

● There are 110 different species of bamboo found in North East India.

● Along with its uses, bamboo also has environmental benefits. It can be planted

to reclaim degraded sites and wastelands.

● This tree plays an important role in water and soil conservation.

National Bamboo Mission

● The National Bamboo mission was launched in 2018-19, runs under the mission

for Integrated development of horticulture,which is a 100% centrally sponsored

scheme.

○ Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are those schemes which are

implemented by the state government but sponsored by the central

government.

● Objectives:

○ To promote the growth of the bamboo sector by an area based regionally

differentiated strategy;

○ To increase the coverage of area under bamboo in potential areas,

○ To promote marketing of bamboo and bamboo based handicrafts;

○ To promote, develop and disseminate newer technologies

○ To generate employment opportunities.

Way Forward

● States should promote the local handicrafts, artisans to actualise the goal of Vocal

for Local and help increase the income of farmers, reducing dependency on

imports of raw material.

● The NBM objectives should be taken further to promote”Atmanirbhar Bharat”

by promoting the bamboo farmers and further their livelihood security.

● Setting up separate bamboo mandi/bazaars/rural haats, including promoting

online trade.

Source: IE

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Biodiversity & Environment

Woolly Mammoths Syllabus: GS3/ Conservation

In News

● The United States startup Colossal Biosciences has announced plans to bring woolly mammoths, or animals like them, back from extinction and into the frosty landscape of the Siberian tundra.

About

● Colossal proposes to use CRISPR gene-editing technology to modify Asian

elephant embryos (the mammoth’s closest living relative) so their genomes resemble those of woolly mammoths.

○ CRISPR is the gene-editing tool; Cas9, associated genes, “cuts” DNA.

● Embryos could then theoretically develop into elephant-mammoth hybrids (mammophants).

● Purpose: To release herds of these mammophants into the Arctic, where they will fill the ecological niche mammoths once occupied.

Need & Benefits

● Plug Climate change: Helps in restoring tundra ecosystem, trees, prevent permafrost melting and fertilising grasses with their faeces.

○ Recreate the steppe ecosystem (a large, flat grassland).

○ Otherwise, melting of the Siberian permafrost brings ecological disaster.

○ The woolly mammoth's vast migration patterns were seen as critical to preserving the Arctic region's environmental health.

● Proven Evidence: Example: reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National

Park in the 1990s brings positive changes for flora & fauna.

● Impact modern science: Genomes are an historic record of adaptation to survive billions of years of catastrophes, and changing conditions.

● Future Conservation: Enhance our understanding and ability to conserve

critically endangered species.

(Woolly mammoth migration into and out of North America occurred over thousands of years

over the Beringian land bridge.)

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Mammoth Species

● About: Mammoth is any member of an extinct group of elephants found as fossils

in Pleistocene deposits over every continent except Australia and South

America.

○ The Pleistocene Epoch began 2.6 million years ago.

○ The Holocene Epoch began 11,700 years ago and continues through the

present.)

● Woolly Mammoths: The woolly, Northern, or Siberian mammoth (Mammuthus

primigenius) is by far the best-known of all mammoths.

Concerns Raised

● Disturb the ecosystem: Bringing back extinct species, whose ecological niches

may no longer exist, will upset existing ecosystems.

● Issue of Moral hazards: People start believing extinction is not forever.

● Opportunity costs: No guarantee that engineered mammoths adopt the

behaviours of ancient mammoths.

○ They will likely cost more than saving existing species from extinction.

● Behaviour concerns: They will have no such counterparts to learn from.

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○ For instance, we inherit more than just DNA sequences from our parents.

We inherit epigenetic changes, wherein the environment around us can

affect how those genes are regulated.

○ We also inherit our parents’ microbiome (colonies of gut bacteria), which

plays an important role in our behaviours.

Way Forward

● The opportunity costs of de-extinction should be carefully scrutinised.

● Moving towards increasing extinctions is the status quo, and this status quo is not

worth preserving.

Source: DTE

Biodiversity and Environment

India’s Net-Zero Target

Syllabus :GS 3/Environmental Pollution & Degradation

Context

● The paper titled ‘Getting Net Zero Approach for India at CoP 26’ strongly

advocates that India should declare its ‘net zero’ target year at the 2021 United

Nations Climate Change Conference or CoP 26 starting from October 31 in

Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Major Points

● India could reach a peak around 2035 and get to net-zero sometime between 2065

and 2070 if it caps coal usage in the next 10 years.

● India needs short-term decarbonisation targets along with trajectories for the next

three decades to achieve the net-zero target.

○ The best short term target would be a planned phasing out of coal-based

power generation as India has already adopted expanding renewable

energy capacity to 450 GW by 2030.

● Net-zero target can put India on a green development trajectory, attracting

investment in innovative technologies.

● Arguments against committing to a net-zero target

○ India should reject net-zero targets put out by the West since they are

flawed and inequitable for developing countries.

○ India should seek enhanced emission reduction from the developed world

and finance for the energy transition

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● Implications of phasing out coal

○ Huge revenue loss for poorer Indian states such as Chhattisgarh, Odisha,

Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

○ For states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, close to 15% of the state

revenue comes from the mining sector.

■ These states would lose out on employment, as new employment in

the renewable sector would be created in western and southern India

which has better solar and wind resources.

India and Net Zero Target

● India, as the country with the third-largest emissions, is under pressure to come

up with a higher ambition of cutting CO2 emissions.

● India is working to reduce its emissions, aligned with the goal of less than 2°C

global temperature rise.

● India has committed to reducing the emission intensity of its gross domestic

product by 33-35% by 2030 and having 175-gigawatt renewable energy capacity by 2030 under the Paris Agreement of 2016.

● There is renewed pressure on India to enhance its renewable commitment under

the Paris deal with 450 GW by 2030 and phase out coal.

● But it has not favoured a binding commitment towards carbon neutrality.

■ India has not yet declared its Net-Zero Target

● The contentious issue faced by India is heavy reliance on coal: According to the

International Energy Agency’s India Energy Outlook 2021, coal accounts for close

to 70% of electricity generation.

What is the meaning of Net Zero?

● A state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and

removal of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere is called Net Zero

State; it is also referred to as carbon-neutrality.

● It is done through natural processes as well as futuristic technologies such as

carbon capture and storage.

How is it Different from Gross-Zero?

Gross Zero Net Zero

A state where there are no emissions at

all.

Emissions are compensated by absorption

or removal of equivalent GHGs

Very hard to achieve. Promised by many countries.

More Beneficial for the environment and

ultimate goal.

Less beneficial and may distract the

world as per IPCC report.

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How Net Zero is Achieved?

● By creating carbon sinks by growing forests.

○ Until recently, the Amazon rainforests in South America, which are the

largest tropical forests in the world, were carbon sinks.

■ But eastern parts of these forests have started emitting CO2 instead

of absorbing carbon emissions as a result of significant deforestation.

○ A country may also have negative emissions if the absorption and removal

exceed the actual emissions.

■ Bhutan has negative emissions because it absorbs more than it emits.

How are other big countries pursuing net-zero?

● The net-zero concept has appealed to 130 countries that have either committed

themselves to carbon neutrality by 2050 or are considering that target.

○ The New Zealand government-It passed the Zero Carbon Act in 2019.

■ It committed to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner to meet

its Paris climate accord commitments.

○ UK - In 2019, the UK passed legislation to reduce its net emissions of

GHGs by 100 percent relative to 1990 levels by the year 2050.

○ The USA- The U.S., as the second biggest emitter with large historical

emissions, returned to the Paris Agreement under President Joe Biden

with an ambitious 2050 net-zero plan.

■ Its Department of Energy announced two programmes that are

also expected to boost employment: slashing the current cost of

solar power by 60% and putting up 30 GW of offshore wind power

by 2030.

○ European Union (EU)- “Fit for 55” plan of European Union: The

European Commission has asked all of its 27 member countries to cut

emissions by 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.

● China -As the largest emitter of GHGs, China set a target of becoming

net-zero by the year 2060.

○ Its pledge to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon

neutrality three decades later is among the most high-profile

commitments.

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Why are Net Zero Targets of Less Utility?

● To tackle the challenge by planting more trees, about 1.6 billion hectares of new

forests would be required by 2050.

● The world needs to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from 2010 levels to limit

global warming below 1.5°C.

○ The sharpest cuts should be made by “the biggest emitters.”

● Current Net Zero Targets will only lead to a 1 per cent reduction by 2030.

● It will add extra pressure on already limited land resources.

○ To tackle only energy sector emissions, a land area nearly the size of the

Amazon rainforest is required.

■ It is equivalent to a third of all farmland worldwide.

○ Using only land-based methods may push the food prices up by 80 percent

by 2050.

● Carbon neutrality looks to nascent technology to suck out CO2 from the

atmosphere.

● Youth movements and some scientists call this procrastination since it enables the

fossil fuel industry to continue expanding.

Way Ahead

● Nations should shift towards renewable energy sources.

● Focus on cutting the carbon sources rather than mere mitigation through forest

reserves can help.

● Marine Farming and Blue Economy may help in reducing the pressure on land

resources.

● Getting a stronger economic dividend for the same volume of CO2 emitted by

reforming energy, industry and buildings, and achieving higher energy efficiency

in all sectors can slow emissions.

● India must tap new technologies and business models which are proven but need

policy and regulatory support like

○ new technology frontiers (green hydrogen),

○ new business models (distributed and digitalised services, for distributed

energy, EV charging, cold chains),

○ new construction materials (low-carbon cement, recycled plastic),

○ new opportunities in the circular economy of minerals, municipal waste

and agricultural residue, and

○ new practices for sustainable agriculture and food systems.

● State governments must be part of such a climate plan, and climate governance

institutions must be set up at the national and state levels.

Source:TH

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Science & Technology

Planet Nine

Syllabus: GS 3/Space

In News

● Recently, two astronomers at the California Institute of Technology in the United

States, have plotted the probability distribution function of the orbit of Planet

Nine.

Background

● In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union announced that it had

reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.

○ The decision was based on Pluto’s size and the fact that it resides within a

zone of other similarly-sized objects. Currently, there are five dwarf

planets: Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.

● Scientists have continued their search for new planets and in 2016 Konstantin

Batygin and Michael E. Brown, both from the California Institute of Technology,

published a paper in The Astronomical Journal, stating that they had evidence for

a distant giant planet and nicknamed it Planet Nine.

● The new research provides evidence of a giant planet tracing an unusual,

elongated orbit in the outer solar system.

○ The prediction is based on detailed mathematical modelling and computer

simulations, not direct observation.

● Another study published in 2018 in The Astronomical Journal, on the other hand,

cited fresh evidence for the existence of Planet Nine.

○ It noted that a trans-Neptunian object called 2015 BP519 had an

unusual trajectory because it was affected by Planet Nine’s strong

gravity.

About Planet Nine

● Caltech researchers have found mathematical evidence suggesting there may be a

"Planet X" deep in the solar system.

● This hypothetical Neptune-sized planet orbits the Sun in a highly elongated orbit

far beyond Pluto.

● The predicted orbit is about 20 times farther from the Sun on average than

Neptune (which orbits the Sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). It could

have a mass about 10 times that of Earth

● It would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one

full orbit around the Sun (where Neptune completes an orbit roughly every 165

years).

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Present Status

● Planet X has not yet been discovered, and there is debate in the scientific

community about whether it exists. The prediction in the Jan. 2020 issue of the

Astronomical Journal is based on mathematical modelling.

● The announcement does not mean there is a new planet in our solar system.

○ The existence of this distant world is only theoretical at this point and no

direct observation of the object nicknamed "Planet 9" have been made.

● Astronomers will begin using the world's most powerful telescopes to search for

the object in its predicted orbit.

● Any object that is far away from the Sun will be very faint and hard to detect, but

astronomers calculate that it should be possible to see it using existing

telescopes.

● The team is continuing their studies and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently

under construction in Chile, will further help the hunt for Planet Nine.

○ The observatory will scan the skies night after night and eventually uncover

many things, including Planet Nine,”

Source: IE

Science and Technology

Bias in AI is a key topic of concern

Syllabus: GS3/ Science & Technology, Artificial Intelligence, GS4, Ethics

In News

● UNESCO’s framework for moral AI would have a far-reaching influence on the

complete gamut of AI actions.

○ The facets of AI which will be affected are

■ improvement,

■ software,

■ ethicality,

■ information privateness, and

■ regulation.

○ It is still under consultation and not fully developed.

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What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

● It is a machine which mimics the human brain for learning and accomplishes

different tasks that would have historically required human intelligence.

○ Different technologies like machine learning, pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, self algorithms etc are included in it.

● Example:

○ Sophia: First Humanoid robot to get citizenship like a human.

○ Siri, Alexa and other virtual assistants.

○ Deepfake

○ Self Driving Cars

● It is a complex technology which involves training the machine algorithms with sample data and making it react in a particular way.

○ Different situations create a self learning pattern where the machine starts

to answer the questions which were never answered like a human would

ever do.

Benefits of AI:

● Cut back the human interference in repetitive decision making.

● Better data oriented decisions.

● No problem of labour or skill shortage.

● It has multifaceted application from space to deep ocean exploration to day to

day decision, policy making to security of borders.

UNESCO’s Framework for Moral AI

● It is an evolving framework encompassing all stakeholders and tries to address challenges faced by users due to systematic flaws.

● Aim of this Framework:

○ To have a holistic and evolving framework of values, ideas and actions

○ To inform societies in dealing responsibly, with the recognized and

unknown influence of AI on human beings and society at massive.

○ To provide a moral framework to judge the AI across the world

○ To constructing neutral, non-discriminative and delicate AI platforms

● UNESCO’s framework for moral AI can have a far-reaching influence within the

area of AI like

○ sensitivity to privateness and inclusion;

○ transparency, equity and non-discriminant;

○ accountability by way of participation;

○ mindset change that helps a sustainable AI setting and a correct steadiness

between enterprise development and promotion of human values.

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Need of a Universal Framework for AI Ethics

● Challenge of Biased data for training AI:

○ AI methods, we all know, are in-built and try to mimic human intelligence.

○ The methods are taught by way of sharing monumental information of

previous human actions to be taught from.

○ The major problem is that the data and historic information are studded

with biases and discrimination.

○ It may be catastrophic as humans have certain limited capability but an ill

trained AI can leave a significant impact on worldwide infrastructure.

● Chances of Racial Discrimination:

○ Further, a bias against people of colour was found in AI of a criminal

tracking network, which led to multiple misjudgments and false arrests.

● Gender Bias:

○ Different studies have been found to inherently promote gender bias.

○ So, the AI too may pick up these lines of thinking creating a broken

unreliable system.

● Mode of Consent/ Right to Privacy:

○ With extra data about individuals and sharper algorithms, better

suggestions, therapies and services are possible.

○ But it can also create a moral hazard.

○ Too much data can be used by notorious elements to harm a person or his

integrity and dignity.

○ It is against the much debated right to privacy.

○ Further, shall the pop up on Windows be considered as true consent as most

users without understanding the consequences, choose to give consent

through pop ups.

○ The best example is the Cambridge Analytica Case where the choice of US

Citizens were manipulated using data collected by Facebook.

● Lack of enough Knowledge and Sensitiveness among Developers:

○ It is a major bottleneck as the developers, themselves, know very less about

their products and ethical concerns associated with it.

○ The need is to involve different stakeholders on the development side of AI

rather than only focusing on users.

● Effect on the users of AI:

○ The newer algorithms of Google and Facebook are promoting polarisation

by showing people only what they want to see.

○ It is creating a less tolerant society which lives in its own bubble.

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Solutions/ Way Forward suggested by Ethical Code by UNESCO

● Systematic Method to access the biases and cure them:

○ To eliminate Gender and other biases, a systematic way of the AI

improvement lifecycle needs to be developed.

■ This system should include all dimensions including problems to

prove that it has certainly been taken care of.

○ Accountability and possession need to be well-defined.

■ It will make sure equity and inclusion are adopted proper by way of

the event, validation, and supply of an AI system.

■ Extra importantly, all these components need to be a part of a

regulatory and compliance framework.

○ Information assortment approaches and information distribution need to

be streamlined to keep away from bias.

● Role of Developers and Management:

○ Builders ought to make sure that the scope is neither myopic nor meant to

usher in any intersection disparity.

○ Moreover, the developers and management should retain the general

societal influence of the outcomes in view.

○ The parameters which will play a really key function to make sure equity

and moral finish in the final result are

■ Information collections

■ Data curation and

■ The methodology concerned

● More in depth studies on effect of AI on our life:

○ On this journey, simply consciousness just isn’t sufficient however

recognition, acceptance and addressing of the difficulty is extra vital.

○ The frameworks that assist a holistic inclusion of coders, builders, and

decision-makers must be authorised and promoted.

● Promoting Stakeholder Partnership:

○ Seeing the massive impact of internet giants on a person's behaviour, Search

Engines need to balance between suitable search outputs and unbiased,

conflict free and secular contents.

Conclusion

● Technology needs to serve humanity not the vice versa.

● A technology without ethics will be nothing more than a ticking time bomb.

● There is an urgent need to tackle the moral and ethical issues related to AI through

an universal code of ethics which emcompasses all.

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India and AI

● US India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) initiative

○ It has been launched to scale up the science and technology relationship

between India and the United States.

● Availability of Skilled labours and Entrepreneurs

○ As per Global AI Report 2019, India stood at the 9th position in terms of

the number of the AI specialists working in the field.

○ The US, China and the UK topped the list.

● Introduction in School Curriculum

○ The CBSE has recently added AI as an elective subject for its 9th grade

classes.

○ IIT Hyderabad has launched a full fledged Bachelor of Technology (B

Tech) program in AI.

■ It became the first Indian educational institution to do so.

○ IIIT Hyderabad is another educational institute that introduced popular

executive programs on

■ AI and machine learning and

■ blockchain and distributed ledger technologies.

● Usage in Defence

○ Indian Armed Forces are now venturing into AI and other smart tech

based defence products and technologies.

● Academia and Industry Collaboration

○ IBM’s Blue project is an example.

○ There are many startups in the country which are doing great work in

image analytics, data analytics, predictive intelligence etc.

● Huge potential

○ It is estimated that AI will add 957 billion dollars to India’s GDP by the

year 2035.

○ It will boost India’s annual growth by 1.3% points.

Source: TH

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Internal Security

National Investigation Agency (NIA)

Syllabus: GS3/ Various Security Forces and Agencies and their Mandate.

In News

● According to experts, the NIA should be provided with additional infrastructure

and domain experts to probe terrorism offences more efficiently.

About National Investigation Agency (NIA)

● Origin and history:

○ Over the past several years, India has been the victim of large scale

terrorism sponsored from across the borders.

○ There was a need for setting up of an Agency at the Central level for

investigation of offences related to terrorism and certain other Acts, which

have national ramifications.

○ Several experts and Committees, including the Administrative Reforms

commission in its Report, had made recommendations for establishing such

an Agency.

○ The Government after due consideration and examination of the issues

involved, proposed to enact a legislation to make provisions for

establishment of a National Investigation Agency in a concurrent

jurisdiction framework, with provisions for taking up specific cases under

specific Acts for investigation.

● Statutory body:

○ It was introduced by the then home minister in the wake of the 26/11

Mumbai terrorist attacks and was passed in Parliament with very little

opposition.

○ Accordingly the NIA Act was enacted on 31st December, 2008, and the

National Investigation Agency (NIA) was born.

○ At present, the NIA is functioning as the Central Counter Terrorism Law

Enforcement Agency in India.

○ It is a statutory body working under the administrative control of the

Ministry of Home Affairs.

● Vision:

○ It aims to be a thoroughly professional investigative agency matching the

best international standards.

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○ The NIA aims to set the standards of excellence in counter terrorism and

other national security related investigations at the national level by

developing into a highly trained, partnership oriented workforce.

○ It also aims at creating deterrence for existing and potential terrorist

groups/individuals. It aims to develop as a storehouse of all terrorist

related information.

● Investigation by NIA:

○ Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the

rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or

above.

○ The Bill additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of

Inspector or above, to investigate cases.

○ It is headed by a Director-General, appointed by the Central Government.

● Special Courts:

○ The Central Government for the trial of Scheduled Offences, constitutes one

or more Special Courts under Section 11 and 22 of the NIA Act 2008.

○ Composition: Special Court shall be presided over by a judge to be

appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Chief

Justice of the High Court.

○ The Central Government may, if required, appoint an additional judge or

additional judges to the Special Court, on the recommendation of the Chief

Justice of the High Court.

● NIA (Amendment) Act 2019:

○ It empowers the NIA to probe terror attacks targeting Indians and Indian

interests abroad.

○ Investigation can also be conducted in other offenses such as human

trafficking; circulation of fake currency; manufacture and sale of prohibited

arms; and cyber-terrorism.

○ The law included Section 66-F of the Information Technology Act in the

schedule of the NIA Act, which pertains to cyber terrorism and prescribes

punishment extending to life imprisonment.

Challenges

● Legal provisions:

○ There is no enabling provision in the Indian legal system which empowers

a domain expert to be formally part of the evidence gathering team.

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○ In the absence of such a provision, the prosecution is susceptible to charges

of evidence tampering in case a domain expert is involved by any agency,

as the Criminal Procedure Code authorises only the police to collect

evidence.

● Experts inducement:

○ Domain experts were also essential for efficient handling of the tools

deployed for probing such offences.

○ During the UPA regime, investigating agencies had sent proposals for

inducting experts and for a provision of adequate manpower training from

time to time.

● Cross border probes:

○ Issues involving probes in more than one country require better

experienced and efficient teams. Such team formations require amendment

in the law along with Government’s will to bring the change.

● Police a state list subject:

○ Under schedule VII of the Constitution, the maintenance of public order

and police forces are matters of state list.

○ However, Criminal law forms part of the concurrent list and national

security comes under the domains of the union list.

● Definition of cyber terrorism:

○ India does not have a data protection act and there is no definition of cyber

terrorism.

Way Ahead

● Given that cross-border probe often became necessary in cybercrime cases, the

system of joint probe, by investigators from India and the countries concerned,

should also be adopted.

● The concept of team investigation should be stressed upon. It is prevalent in

many countries. For example, crimes like the ransomware attack on a pipeline

network in the U.S., were investigated there by teams comprising police officers

and experts in the respective fields.

Source: TH

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Facts In News

Art and Culture

Safdarjung Tomb

Syllabus: GS 1/Architecture

In News

● Recently, Safdarjung Tomb has suffered damages owing to the recent rains.

● The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has taken cognisance of the matter and

will begin a repair exercise soon.

About

● The Safdarjung Tomb, designed by an Ethiopian architect marks the last

colossal garden tomb of the Mughals

● It was built in 1753- 54 as the mausoleum of Safdarjung, the viceroy of Awadh

under the Mughal Emperor, Mohammed Shah.

● It is made of marble and sandstone

● It has several smaller pavilions with evocative names like Jangalmahal, (Palace in

the woods), Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) and Badshah Pasand (King's favourite).

● The complex also has a madrasa.

● It is one of the 174 ASI-protected monuments in Delhi.

○ In 2019, it became the third ASI-protected monument in Delhi to be

illuminated, after Red Fort and Purana Qila.

Image Courtesy : Outlook India

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About Safdarjung

● He was a Persian native and a descendant of Qara Yusuf from the Kara Koyunlu

● He was born Muhammad Muqim in Khurasan in 1708 AD.

● In 1722 AD, he relocated to India.

● The ever powerful and resourceful statesman Safdarjung, who proved his mettle

as an able administrator relocated to Delhi where he was made the Wazir ul-

Mamalik-i-Hindustan or Prime Minister of Hindustan

● The Emperor Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Shah bestowed upon him the title of

“Safdarjung”.

● In 1754, he died in Sultanpur near Faizabad.

Source:TH

Defence

HELINA (Helicopter based NAG)

Syllabus:GS 3/Defence

In News

● Recently, Nag Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), HELINA completed all trials.

● The NAG missile is a third-generation anti-tank guided missile, which has top

attack capabilities that can effectively engage and destroy all known enemy tanks

day and night.

About HELINA

● HELINA (Helicopter based NAG) is a third-generation fire and forget class anti-

tank guided missile (ATGM) system mounted on the Advanced Light Helicopter

(ALH).

● The system has all-weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks

with conventional armour as well as explosive reactive armour.

● It can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.

● It is being developed indigenously,

● HELINA Weapon Systems is being inducted into the Indian Army (IA).

○ A variant of the HELINA Weapon System called DHRUVASTRA is

being inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

○ An Air Force version of Dhruvastra was also under development for which

some trials had already been conducted. It would have an Air to Ground

role other than an anti-tank role

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● It has a minimum range of 500 m and a maximum range of 7 km.

Image Courtesy: drdo.gov.in

Source: TH

Indian Economy

Stablecoins

Syllabus:GS 3/Indian Economy

In Context

● Stablecoins might be the most ironically named innovation of the cryptocurrency

era.

What is Stablecoin?

● Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies without volatility. They share a lot of the same

powers as other cryptos, but their value is steady, more like a traditional currency,

i.e. the US Dollar, Indian Rupee, etc.

● Stablecoins achieve their price stability via collateralization (backing) or through

algorithmic mechanisms of buying and selling the reference asset or its

derivatives.

● Stablecoins hold a bundle of assets in reserve, usually short-term securities such

as cash, government debt or commercial paper to promise holders that every $1

they put in will remain worth $1.

● Stablecoins are useful because they allow people to transact more seamlessly in

cryptocurrencies that function as investments, such as Bitcoin.

● They form a bridge between old-world money and new-world crypto.

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Cryptocurrency

● It is a digital currency that can be used in place of conventional money.

● In cryptocurrencies, cryptography is used to secure and verify transactions. It is

also used to control the supply of cryptocurrencies.

● It is supported by a decentralized peer-to-peer network called the blockchain.

● First cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, launched in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto.

Source: IE

Biodiversity & Environment

Sea Cucumber

Tags:GS3/Conservation

In Context

● The Indian Coast Guard seized two tonnes of endangered sea cucumber worth Rs

80 million from Tamil Nadu.

What is a Sea Cucumber?

● Sea cucumbers are an important constituent of the marine ecosystem as they play

an important role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.

● Demand: Sea cucumbers are in high demand in China and Southeast Asia, where

they are consumed as food and used in medicine.

● This endangered species is primarily smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka.

● By excreting inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, they enhance the productivity

of benthic animals - those living on the ocean floor.

● Role in Coral Reef preservation: One of the by-products of the sea cucumber's

digestion of sand is calcium carbonate, a key component of coral reef. To

survive, coral reefs must accumulate calcium carbonate, and thus sea cucumbers

play a vital role in their preservation.

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● Physical characteristics:

○ No limbs or eyes, or blood.

○ There are some 1,250 known species, and many of these animals are shaped

like soft-bodied cucumbers.

○ Sea cucumbers feed on tiny particles like algae, minute aquatic animals,

or waste materials, which they gather in 8 to 30 tube feet.

○ Defensive Adaptations in Sea Cucumber: When threatened, it discharges

sticky threads to ensnare their enemies.

● Usage:

○ Contain high levels of a chemical called fucosylated glycosaminoglycan

in their skin, which people across Asia have been using to treat joint

problems like arthritis for centuries,

○ In Europe, people are using it to treat certain cancers and to reduce blood

clots.

○ Protection

■ Protected under Schedule I under the Wildlife Protection Act

(WPA), 1972 so their trade is banned.

■ The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change imposed

a total ban on harvesting and transporting sea cucumbers in 2001.

■ The ministry has also declared it an endangered species.

■ As per Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), sea cucumbers

of marine environments enjoy the same status as tigers and lions.

World’s first conservation area for sea cucumbers in India

● Lakshadweep has created the world’s first conservation area for sea cucumbers.

● Other than the sea around Lakshadweep islands and Andaman Nicobar islands,

the Gulf of Mannar at the confluence of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal in

Tamil Nadu is also home to sea cucumbers.

Source: PIB

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