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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

11th October 2021

 

S. No. Topic Name Prelims/Mains
1.    Lucy Mission of NASA Prelims & Mains
2.    What is Territorial Army Prelims & Mains
3.    All about Terrestrial Water Storage Loss Prelims & Mains
4.    UN says, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment is a Universal Right Prelims & Mains
5.    Athirappilly Hydroelectric Project Prelims Specific
6.    All about Iraq Election Prelims Specific
7.    2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Prelims Specific
8.    2021 Nobel Prize in Peace Prelims Specific

 

  1. Lucy Mission of NASA:

GS III

Topic : Space Awareness

  • Why in the News:
  • NASA has announced the launch of ‘Lucy’ missiles. It will be launched next week.
  • The spacecraft will fly to Earth twice to use the planet’s gravitational force to aid it in its asteroid journey.
  • About the ‘Lucy’ Mission:
  • This is NASA’s first mission to test Jupiter Trojan’s asteroids.
  • They are solar panels.
  • It is estimated that it is more than 12 years long, during which time the spacecraft will visit eight asteroids covering a distance of about 6.3 billion kilometers to deepen the understanding of the “new solar system”.
  • Purpose of equipment:
  • The objective is designed to understand the structure of the various asteroids that are part of Trojan asteroid forces, to determine the quantity and density of objects and to search for and study satellites and rings around Trojan asteroids.
  • What are Trojan Asteroids & why are they called that:
  • These asteroids are believed to be the remnants of the first solar system, and studying them will help scientists understand its origin and evolution, and why it looks the way it does.
  • Trojan asteroids are believed to have been formed from the same material that led to the formation of planets about four billion years ago when the solar system was built.
  1. What is Territorial Army:

GS II

Topic : Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

  • Why in News::
  • The Indian army celebrated the 72nd Day of the Armed Forces on October 9.
  • About the local army:
  • The first Indian Emperor Shri C Rajagopalachari officially opened the Indian Territorial Army on October 9, 1949.
  • It is an organization where volunteers apply for short-term training every year, to be prepared to deal with any situation that arises or to work to protect India.
  • The Territorial Army, also known as the ‘Terriers’, is considered the second line of defense in the aftermath of the Cold War.
  • Eligibility:
  • Any Indian male citizen between the ages of 18 and 42 can apply for and enter the TA service as long as they cancel a written examination, interview, medical examination and required training.
  • Roles and responsibilities:
  • The Territorial Army is part of the Regular Army and its current role is to liberate the Regular Army from stationary activities and to assist public administration in dealing with natural disasters and the maintenance of vital functions in situations where public health is compromised or national security is threatened and provide Regulars Army units where needed.
  • The Territorial Army falls under the Department of Defense.
  • Prelims Hot-Link:
  • About TA.
  • Roles and responsibilities.
  • Source à https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1762413
  1. All about Terrestrial Water Storage Loss:

GS II

Topic : Conservation related issues:

  • Why in the News:
  • Global Water Loss Report (TWS) – 2021 State of Climate Services – recently released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
  • What is groundwater conservation (TWS):
  • TWS is the sum of all groundwater and surface water, i.e. surface water, soil moisture, ice and ice and groundwater.
  • Highlights of the report:
  • Overall, water conservation (TWS) has decreased by 1 cm per year for 20 years (2002-2021).
  • Significant losses occurred in Antarctica and Greenland.
  • Overcrowded areas, and low latitude areas have also experienced TWS losses.
  • India ‘Higher TWS Loss Rate’: India has recorded the highest water loss in the world if Antarctica and Greenland water storage losses are not included.
  • In India, TWS is lost at least 3 cm per year. In some regions, the losses have been more than 4 cm per year as well.
  • The northern part of India has suffered heavy losses in the country.
  • Upcoming challenges:
  • Water resources around the world are under tremendous pressure due to human and environmental pressures.
  • These include population growth, urbanization and reduced access to fresh water.
  • Extreme weather events have also resulted in pressure on water resources available in all sectors and regions.
  • Issues in India:
  • In India, per capita water supply is declining due to population growth.
  • Annual water supply per capita has been steadily declining.
  • It has reduced it to 1,545 cubic meters in 2011, from 1,816 cubic meters in 2001.
  • It is expected to drop to 1,367 cubic meters by 2031, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  • Five of India’s 21 rivers are ‘absolutely water-scarce’ (water availability per person is less than 500 cubic meters).
  • By 2050, six will be completely dehydrated, six will be dehydrated and four will be dehydrated.
  • Government Measures:
  • MGNREGA water conservation.
  • Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
  • National Water Campaign.
  • National Rural Drinking Water Program.
  • INITI Aayog Composite Water Management Index
  • Construction of Jal Shakti Ministry and Jal Jeevan Mission.
  • Prelims Hot-Link:
  • About TWS.
  • About WMO.

Groundwater distribution.

  1. UN says, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment is a Universal Right:

GS III

Topic : Conservation related issues:

  • Why in the News:
  • The United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously voted to recognize the clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right in Geneva, Switzerland
  • Significance:
  • If adopted by all, the right would be the first of its kind in more than 70 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948
  • About the Declaration:
  • The Declaration emphasizes the “right to life, liberty and security of person, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms
  • Environmentalists around the world face frequent physical assaults, arrests, arrests, legal action and anointing campaign.
  • 200 environmentalists have been killed in 2020 alone
  • Background:
  • More than 13,000 civil society organizations and indigenous groups, more than 90,000 children around the world, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and private sector stakeholders had been campaigning incessantl
  • Upcoming challenges
  • The human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment has not been enshrined in any human rights treaty and will still emerge as a cultural right
  • Recognition of rights without due consideration and common sense at the international level whose content creates confusion
  • People do not know what they can legally demand from the State, and the State does not have a clear understanding of the compulsory protection to be paid to that perso
  • Furthermore, human rights decisions are not legally binding, so the recognition of a right in this decision is not binding on States and their obligation
  • Expected outcomes of this recognition
  • Strong environmental laws and policies
  • Improved performance and enforcement
  • Significant public participation in environmental decision-making
  • Reducing environmental injustice
  • A level of play with social and economic rights
  • And better environmental performance
  • Prelims Hot-Link:
  1. Athirappilly Hydroelectric Project:

Prelims Specific Topic:

  • The government of Kerala has suspended the proposed 163-megwatt Athirappilly hydropower project at the mouth of the Chalakudy River in Thrissur district.
  • The Chalakudy River is the Periyar River and originates from the Anamalai region of Tamil Nadu.
  • Why was it abandoned:
  • The decision came amid growing opposition from environmentalists and traditional organizations against biodiverse formation and only one state forest.
  • Key Points:
  • The Kadar community is facing further evictions due to the installation of separate power projects along the banks of the Chalakudy River.
  • Additional Information:
  • Silent Valley was one of India’s earliest ecological movements with extensive participation, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It has forced the Kerala government to abandon the dam project across the Kunthi River, within the lush tropical forests of the Silent Valley in the Palakkad region of Kerala.
  • Madhav Gadgil’s report called the Athirappilly hydel project ‘unpopular’ and dismissed it as nonsense for technical and economic reasons.
  • The Kasturirangan panel simply recommended that the project impact be re-evaluated for environmental reasons.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/kerala-government-abandons-controversial-athirappilly-hydroelectric-project-amid-widespread-protests-79564

  1. All about Iraq Election:

Prelims Specific Topic:

  • Elections are being held early, in response to the major protests that erupted in 2019.
  • This is the first time the election has taken place because of the demands of Iraqi protesters on the streets.
  • Voting also takes place under a new electoral law that divides Iraq into smaller constituencies.
  • A UN Security Council resolution adopted earlier this year authorized an extended team to monitor the election. There will be about 600 international viewers, including 150 United Nations.
  • Iraq is also the first time to introduce biometric cards to voters. To prevent abuse of electronic voter cards, they will be disabled 72 hours after each vote, to avoid double voting.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/polls-open-iraq-general-election-state-tv-2021-10-10/

  1. 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in Literature:

Prelims Specific Topic:

  • Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Zanzibari Arab writer based in the United Kingdom, was named the Nobel Prize winner in Literature this year for his colonial work and refugee life.
  • About him:
  • Gurnah was born in 1948 and grew up on the island of Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean. He was forced to flee to the UK, a former colonial state, in the late 1960s after a revolution in Zanzibar.
  • Gurnah has published ten novels and a few short stories. The theme of the refugee’s disorder applies to all of his work.
  • His works:
  • Memory of Departure, Pilgrims Way from 1988, Dottie (1990), Paradise (1994) etc. Afterlives (2020) is his latest novel.
  • About Zanzibar:
  • It is part of East Africa, a region known as the Swahili coast, which extends from modern-day Somalia to Mozambique on the west coast of the Indian Ocean.
  • About Swahili:
  • For centuries traders from Arabia, Persia and the Indian subcontinent have been mingling with the indigenous peoples of Bantu to promote a new culture and language: Swahili.
  • Tanzania (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), the birthplace of Gurnah, was part of German East Africa in the 19th century. After World War I, it was taken over by the British.
  • Nobel Prize for Literature:
  • It is the Swedish Literary Award presented annually, since 1901, to a writer from any country, according to the will of Swedish businessman Alfred Nobel, “in the field of literature, who has produced the most outstanding work of thought”.
  • Although individual works are sometimes cited as the most significant, the prize is based on the body of the author as a whole.

https://www.businessinsider.com/nobel-prize-literature-winner-2021

  1. 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in Peace:

Prelims Specific Topic:

  • Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia have won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their struggle for freedom of speech in countries where journalists face ongoing attacks, harassment and even murder.
  • Background:

 

  • The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually (among other things) to those who have “accomplished the greatest or most noble act of international relations, the elimination or reduction of stationary forces, and the holding and uplifting of peace conferences.”.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/nobel-peace-prize-to-independent-journalists-who-stood-up-for-freedom-of-expression-7561342/