Monthly Current Affairs June 2020

Easy to PICK37 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 followed by Mandapam and Keelakarai groups.  The brief coral bleaching event is almost over, and corals have already started recovering.  The water temperature dropped [28.6? C] in early June, which has helped corals restore their zooxanthellae.  It is expected that the bleached corals will completely recover by July-end without facing any mortality, provided the present climatic condition continues.  Reduction in sewage inflow, industrial and human activities and halt in fishing during the lockdown have also assisted in improvement of reef health, resulting in enhanced fish population and faster coral recovery. Maramon Convention Maramon Convention is the Asia’s largest weeklong annual Christian meet. The convention is organized in the vast river bed of Pampa near the Kozhencherry Bridge. The ongoing 123rd convention at Maramon,Pathanamthitta, Kerala began with a call to conserve the river Pampa and the environment.

Easy to PICK38 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Senior Citizen’s Welfare Fund Insurance regulator IRDA has asked all insurers to transfer the deposits of policyholders that have been laying unclaimed for over 10 years to the Senior citizen’s welfare fund. The corpus of the Senior Citizens Welfare Fund comprise of any credit balance in any of the accounts under the small savings like Post Office Saving Schemes, Banks, etc. remaining unclaimed for 7 years from date of declaration as an inoperative account. The nodal Ministry for the administration of the Fund shall be the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Fund shall be utilized for such schemes that are in line with the National Policy on Older Persons and the National Policy on Senior Citizens.

Easy to PICK39 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Land use Change Land use change is a process which transforms an important determinant of a the natural landscape by direct human-induced country’s socioeconomic and ecological land use such as settlements, commercial and health. Given the finite supply of land economic uses and forestry activities. It impacts resource, sustainable use and management the overall environment in terms of greenhouse of land resources is a necessity for the gas emission, land degradation and climate wellbeing of people of a country. change.  Land-use change has broad lines of impact, with a potential for influencing  Land use change promotes zoonoses like economic growth, quality of life, Covid-19 as the interaction and physical management of environmental resources distance between animals and humans get and national food supply. closer.  Land-use change takes place through human activity in several ways. For  Land use change can be a factor in CO2 example, in Indonesia, about 500 sq km (carbon dioxide) atmospheric of forest area are cleared each year, concentration, and is thus a contributor much of which is replaced with oil palm to global climate change. plantations.  Another pattern of changing land use is  It represents almost 25% of total global seen in expanding cities. In many emissions. countries, including India, cities are expanding well beyond their formal  According to the Intergovernmental Panel limits, either along intercity corridors or on Climate Change (IPCC) report on in other directions. The specific patterns climate change and land, agricultural land of urban growth of a city and its periphery for food, animal feed and fibre is behind have implications for poverty, food, water, the land use change. health, jobs and access to services.  Various forces shape these patterns of  According to the United Nations urbanisation, transforming land use from Convention to Combat Desertification agriculture and forests into industry, (UNCCD), the land use change, which residential and commercial buildings and prepares the ground for zoonoses like associated infrastructure and horticulture. Covid-19, should be reversed.  Often the contested spaces of peri-urban areas (outside city limits but not quite Analysis part of the rural hinterland) become The ‘Global Resources Outlook 2019,’ a major sites from which groundwater is global report on the status and trends of pumped and transported to the city, natural resource use and management, was where new industrial zones are released during the fourth session of the UN developed, where urban waste is dumped Environment Assembly (UNEA-4). The report and where vegetables and other high-value shows that we are ploughing through this planet’s crops are grown for nearby urban centres. finite resources as if there is no tomorrow, causing  Interventions like converting agricultural climate change and biodiversity loss along the land for housing or industry, filling up way. By 2010, land-use changes had caused a ponds and building housing complexes on loss of global species of approximately 11 lake beds, etc. impact ecosystem services percent. The report calls for an urgent systemic and climate adaptation. reform of resource use, to go beyond resource efficiency. Introduction  Land is a crucial natural resource and

Easy to PICK40 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  These especially affect the poor who are of area under non-agricultural uses. largely reliant on ecosystems for their This is due to the changing structure of livelihoods. Indian economy, which is increasingly depending on the contribution from Land-use in a region, to a large extent, is industrial and services sectors and influenced by the nature of economic activities expansion of related infrastructural carried out in the region. However, while facilities. Also, an expansion of area under economic activities change over time, land, like both urban and rural settlements has added many other natural resources, is fixed in terms of to the increase. Thus, the area under non- its area. At this stage, one needs to appreciate three agricultural uses is increasing at the types of changes that an economy undergoes, expense of wastelands and agricultural which affect land-use. land. India has undergone major changes within the 2. The increase in the share under economy over the past four or five decades and forest, can be accounted for by increase in this has influenced the land-use changes in the the demarcated area under forest rather country, these changes between 1960- 61 and than an actual increase in the forest cover 2008-09 have been shown in figure. There are in the country. two points that we need to remember before we 3. The trend of current fallow derive some meaning from this figure. Firstly, the fluctuates a great deal over years, percentage shown in the figure has been derived depending on the variability of rainfall with respect to the reporting area. Secondly, since and cropping cycles. The categories that even the reporting area has been relatively have registered a decline are barren and constant over the years, a decline in one category wasteland, culturable wasteland, area usually leads to an increase in some other under pastures and tree crops. The possible category. explanation can be: While some categories have undergone increases, As the pressure on land increased, both from some have registered declines. Share of area under the agricultural and non agricultural sectors, forest, area under non agricultural uses, net sown the wastelands and culturable wastelands have area and current fallow lands have shown an witnessed decline over time. The decline in land increase. The following observations can be under pastures and grazing lands can be explained made about these increases: by pressure from agricultural land. Illegal encroachment due to expansion of cultivation on 1. The rate of increase is the highest in case common pasture lands is largely responsible for this decline. Interaction between Land Use Pattern and Climate Change Land use and land use changes can significantly contribute to overall climate change. Vegetation and soils typically act as a carbon sink, storing carbon dioxide that is absorbed through photosynthesis. When the land is disturbed, the stored carbon dioxide— along with methane and nitrous oxide— is emitted, re-entering the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming. The clearing of land can result in soil degradation, erosion and the leaching of

Easy to PICK41 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 nutrients; which can also possibly reduce its can affect the climate, sometimes significantly. ability to act as a carbon sink. This reduction in Local climates tend to be warmer due to the the ability to store carbon can result in additional increased amount of heat released within a carbon dioxide remaining in the atmosphere, densely populated area. Average temperatures thereby increasing the total amount of greenhouse in city centers can increase even more due to gases. the high density of construction materials such There are two types of land use change: direct as pavement and roofing materials since they anthropogenic (humancaused) changes and tend to absorb, rather than reflect, sunlight. indirect changes. Examples of anthropogenic The phenomenon of higher urban changes include deforestation, reforestation temperatures, compared to lower temperatures in and afforestation, agriculture and the surrounding rural areas, is known as the urban urbanization. Indirect changes include those heat island effect. Forestry and land use practices changes in climate or in carbon dioxide hold considerable potential for counteracting the concentrations that force changes in vegetation. effect of greenhouse gas emissions, helping to A 2002 NASA study argued that human-caused prevent significant climate change. These land surface changes in areas like North America, practices include focusing on planting trees, Europe and Southeast Asia redistribute heat within preserving and properly managing forests and the atmosphere both regionally and globally. On a changing cultivation practices to account for global scale, carbon dioxide emissions from land increased carbon storage in the soil. Such practices use changes represent an estimated 18% of total could make it possible to increase carbon sinks annual emissions; one-third of that from while further reducing the emission of greenhouse developing countries and over 60% from the lesser gases. developing countries. The effect of land use on the climate primarily United Nations Convention to Combat depends on the type of land cover present within Desertification an area. For example, if rainforest is removed Established in 1994, the United Nations and replaced by crops, there will be less Convention to Combat Desertification transpiration (evaporation of water from (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding leaves) leading to warmer temperatures in that international agreement linking environment area. On the other hand, if irrigation is used on and development to sustainable land farmland, more water is transpired and evaporated management. from moist soils, which cools and moistens the atmosphere. The additional transpiration can also  It is the only convention stemming from a affect levels of precipitation and cloudiness in an direct recommendation of the Rio area. Conference’s Agenda 21. In regions with heavy snowfall, reforestation or afforestation would cause the land to reflect less  Focus Areas: The Convention addresses sunlight, resulting in the absorption of more heat specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry on the land. This would, in turn, result in a net sub-humid areas, known as the warming effect despite the removal of carbon drylands, where some of the most dioxide from the atmosphere through the process vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can of photosynthesis during the growing be found. season. Additional reforestation could increase transpiration, leading to more water vapor in  From India, the Ministry of Environment, the air. In the troposphere, water vapor is Forest and Climate Change are the nodal considered to be the biggest greenhouse gas Ministry for this Convention. contributor to global warming. Urbanization is another change in land use that

Easy to PICK42 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Anti-cyclone in North-east Asia New research has revealed a link between an increase in extreme summer heat events in Northeast Asia and the role of anticyclones in the region. Extreme heat events have increased across the world and are responsible for a large number of deaths and harming crops and livestock as well. Nearly half of the magnitude of the 2018 extreme heat event across China and Japan was caused by anomalous anticyclones in Northeast Asia. There are mainly 2 factors which make the extreme heat events more likely to occur over Northeast Asia.  Dynamic (anticyclone) and thermodynamic (mean temperature shifts to warmer states and increasing greenhouse gases) changes in the atmosphere.  Anticyclones similar to those in 2018 became more common and worse in recent decades (1991-2017) than the past (1958- 1990).  The more extreme the heat event, the larger the contribution of the thermodynamic change will be. Anti-Cyclone An anticyclone is a large-scale circulation of winds around high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. It cause clear skies and high temperatures and responsible for settled weather conditions. Fog can also form overnight within a region of higher pressure. It can form within warm core lows such as tropical cyclones, due to descending cool air from the backside of upper troughs such as polar highs, or from large scale sinking such as the subtropical ridge. The evolution of an anticyclone depends upon variables such as its size, intensity, and extent of moist convection, as well as the Coriolis force.

Easy to PICK43 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Tala Maddale, Tulu Yakshagana in Udupi  Tala-Maddale is an ancient form of Tala Maddale.  It is organized by either hobbyists who are performance dialogue or interested in the art at their houses or as a debate performance in Southern India in public event in villages and towns. the Karavali and Malnad regions of Karnataka and Kerala.  The plot and content of the conversation is drawn from popular mythology but the performance mainly consists of an impromptu debate between characters involving sarcasm, puns, philosophy positions and humour.  The main plot is sung from the same oral texts used for the Yakshgana form of dance- drama.  Performers claim that this was a more intellectual rendition of the dance during the monsoon season.  The art form is popular in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Shimoga districts of Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala.  It is a derived form of Yakshagana—a classical dance or musical form of art from the same region.  A typical Tala-Maddale show consists of veteran artists sitting in a circular fashion along with a Bhagavata (the singer, with \"Tala\" or pair of small hand cymbals) and a \"Maddale\" (a type of drum) player.  Artists play the roles of characters in stories, typically, from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other puranas.  Some consider them as a good presentation of oratorial skills.  Artists are normally well versed with the Hindu epics and puranas.  Kannada language is the normal medium of communication.  Tala-Maddale performances are mostly held during the night, the traditional reason being that in ancient times, people finished their work by this time and assembled in temples to watch

Easy to PICK44 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Yakshagana About:  Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form.  Yakshagana literally means the song (gana) of the yaksha (nature spirits).  It developed in Udupi, in the state of Karnataka. It is popular in the Karnataka districts of Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Shimoga .  This folk art is believed to have originated somewhere in between the 10th and 16th century.  Theme: Yakshagana is strongly influenced by the Vaishnava Bhakti movement.  Its stories are mainly drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other Hindu epics. Key Features:  A typical Yakshagana performance consists of background music played by a group of musicians (known as the himmela); and a dance and dialog group (known as the mummela), who together enact poetic epics on stage.  Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Types: 1. The tenkutittu style: It is prevalent in Dakshina Kannada. Tenkutittu is noted for its incredible dance steps; its high flying dance moves; and its extravagant rakshasas (demons). 2. The Badagutittu style: It is prevalent in Uttara Kannada District and places more emphasis on facial expressions, matugarike (dialogues), and dances appropriate for the character depicted in the episode.

Easy to PICK45 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Kodumanal outside the chambers.  This is probably the first time that 10 pots have been found near the cists during excavations in the State.  Previous excavations have revealed that multi-ethnic groups lived at the village, located about 500 metres away from the Noyyal river.  Mr. Ranjith told The Hindu that the findings unearthed so far include an animal skull, possibly of a wolf or a dog; precious stones like beryl, carnelian, quartz, jasper, beads, gold pieces and needles; copper smelting units; the mud walls of a workshop; potteries; and Tamil Brahmi script.  The Kodumanal excavation of 10 pots and bowls, instead of the usual three or four pots, placed outside three-chambered burial cists and inside the cairn-circle, threw light on burial rituals and the concept of afterlife in megalithic culture.  A team from the State Department of Archaeology, Chennai, led by J. Ranjith, Archaeology Officer and Project Director for the Kodumanal excavation, has identified 250 cairn-circles at the village in Erode district.  Earlier excavations revealed that the site served as a trade-cum-industrial centre from 5th century BCE to 1st century BCE.  The rectangular chambered cists, each two metres long and six metres wide, are made of stone slabs, and the entire grave is surrounded by boulders that form a circle.  The grave could be of a village head or the head of the community as the size of two boulders, each facing east and west, are bigger than other boulders.  Believing that the deceased person will get a new life after death, pots and bowls filled with grains were placed

Easy to PICK46 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Megaliths Megaliths 5000 BC in southern India.  While “megalith” is often used to describe  Megaliths are found in almost all parts a single piece of stone, it also can be used to denote one or more rocks hewn in of southern India. a definite shapes for special purposes.  There is also a broad time evolution with  It has been used to describe structures built by people from the megaliths in central India and the upper many parts of the world living in many Indus valley where the oldest megaliths are different periods. found, while those in the east are of much later date. Types of Megalith structures  A large fraction of these is assumed to be 1. Menhir: Menhir is the name used associated with burial or post burial in Western Europe for a single upright rituals, including memorials for those stone erected in prehistoric times; whose remains may or may not be sometimes called a “standing stone”. available. 2. Monolith: Any single standing stone  The case-example is that erected in prehistoric times. Sometimes of Brahmagiri, which was excavated in synonymous with “megalith” and 1975 and helped establish the culture “menhir”; for later periods, the word sequence in south Indian prehistory. monolith is more likely to be used to  However, there is another distinct class describe single stones. of megaliths that do not seem to be 3. Capstone style: Single megaliths placed associated with burials. horizontally, often over burial chambers, In India, megaliths of all kinds are noted; these without the use of support stones. vary from Menhirs, Rock-cut burial, chamber 4. Stone circles: In most languages, stone tomb, dolmens, stone alignment, stone circles and circles are called “cromlechs” (a word in anthropomorphic figures. the Welch language); the word “cromlech” is sometimes used with that meaning in Megalith Sites in India English. 5. Dolmen: A Dolmen is a megalithic form created by placing a large capstone on two or more support stones creating a chamber below, sometimes closed in on one or more sides. Often used as a tomb or burial chamber. 6. Cist: Cist is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Burials are megalithic forms very similar to dolmens in structure. These type of burials were completely underground. There were single- and multiple- chambered cists. Megaliths in India  Megaliths in India are dated before 3000 BC, with recent findings dated back to

Easy to PICK47 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Site Name and District State Types of Structures Nilaskal Hosanagar Karnataka Hire Benkal Thrissur Kerala Karnataka Chamber Tomb: Koppala Hire Benakal Karnataka Karnataka Dolmens: Hire Koppala Kerala Benakal Koppala Maharashtra Hanamsagar Kudakkallu Parambu Thrissur Junapani Nagpur

Easy to PICK48 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Victory Day Parade,2020 INDIAN ARMED FORCES CONTINGENT  The marching contingent taking part in VICTORY DAY PARADE 2020 the Victory Day Parade is led by a major rank officer of the gallant SIKH LIGHT  A Tri-Service contingent of the Indian INFANTRY Regiment. Armed Forces comprising 75 all ranks, led by a colonel rank officer will participate in  The Regiment had fought with valour in the Military Parade at Red Square, the World War-II and has proud distinction Moscow on 24 June 2020, to of earning four Battle Honours and two commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Military Cross amongst other gallantry Victory of the Soviet People in the awards. great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. About the British Indian Armed Forces  The British Indian Armed Forces during World War-II were one of the largest Allied Forces contingents which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the European Theatre against the Axis powers.  These campaign witnessed sacrifice by over 87 thousand Indian servicemen beside 34,354 being wounded.  The Indian Military not only fought on all fronts, but also ensured logistic support along the Southern, Trans-Iranian Lend-Lease route, along which weapons, ammunitions, equipment support and food went to the Soviet Union, Iran and Iraq.  The valour of the Indian soldiers was recognised with the award of over four thousand decorations, which also included award of 18 Victoria and George Cross.  In addition the then Soviet Union appreciated the valour of the Indian Armed forces and by the decree of 23 May 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR signed by Mikhail Kalinin and Alexander Gorkin awarded the prestigious Orders of the Red Star to Subedar Narayan Rao Nikkam and Havildar Gajendra Singh Chand of Royal Indian Army Service Corps.

Easy to PICK49 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Delhi’s minor tremors (Earthquake in the Himalayas) Delhi’s minor tremors to the release of strain energy, which  In the wake of the recent series of tremors in Delhi-NCR, Wadia Institute of have been accumulated as a result Himalayan Geology, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science of northward movement of Indian plate and Technology, has said that such tremors are not unusual in the Delhi-NCR and its collision with the Eurasian plate, region, but indicate that strain energy is built up in the region. through the fault or weak zones.  They have said that since the seismic network is quite good, present micro to  There are so many weak zones and faults minor earthquakes in and around Delhi- NCR could be recorded. in the Delhi-NCR: Delhi-Haridwar  Though our understanding, in terms of when, where and with how much energy ridge, Mahendragarh-Dehradun (or magnitude) an earthquake can occur, is not clear, but the vulnerability of a region subsurface fault, Moradabad fault, can be understood from the past seismicity, calculation of strain budget, Sohna fault, Great boundary fault, Delhi- mapping of active faults etc.  The Delhi-NCR has been identified as Sargodha ridge, Yamuna river the second highest seismic hazard zone (Zone IV). lineament, Ganga river lineament etc.  Sometimes, a vulnerable zone remains quiet, experiences small magnitude  We must understand that the Himalayan earthquakes that do not indicate any bigger earthquake, or receives a sudden jolt by a seismic belt, where the Indian plate big earthquake without any call.  Out of 14 small magnitude collided with the Eurasian plate and earthquakes in the Delhi-NCR, the 29th May Rohtak earthquake had the underthrusted beneath the Himalayan magnitude of 4.6. wedge, accumulates strain energy at the Past earthquakes scenario In Delhi-NCR:  The historical earthquake catalog shows plate boundary due to relative movement that there were strong earthquakes of ~ 6.5 magnitude at Delhi in 1720; 6.8 at of plates against each other causing crustal Mathura in 1803; 5.5 near Mathura in 1842; 6.7 near Bulandshahar in 1956; 6.0 shortening and deformation of rocks. near Faridabad in 1960; 5.8 near Moradabad in 1966 in the Delhi-  These energy can be released through NCR. the weak zones and faults in the form of Why earthquakes happen in Delhi-NCR?  All the earthquakes in Delhi-NCR are due earthquakes ranging from micro (<3.0), minor (3.0-3.9), light (4.0-4.9), moderate (5.0-5.9), strong (6.0-6.9), major (7.0- 7.9) or great (>8.0) earthquake, defined as per the amount of energy released. Impact of Earthquakes in the Himalaya to Delhi-NCR:  The Isoseismals of the 1905 Kangra (7.8), 1934 Bihar-Nepal (8.0), 1950 Assam (8.6), 2005 Muzaffarabad (6.7) and 2015 Nepal (7.8) earthquakes in the Himalayan arc are bounded by the Main Central Thrust (MCT) to the north and the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) to the south.  These earthquakes are the result of slip on a décollement surface i.e. the contact between the under thrusting Indian plate and overlying Himalayan wedge, which extends southward from 16-27 km depth beneath the MCT to its surficial expression as the HFT at a distance of 50-100 km from MCT.

Easy to PICK50 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  The rupture areas due to large structures’ foundations, structures earthquakes show gaps along the anchored to bedrock or stiff soils in Himalayan arc, which have not earthquake-prone areas suffer less experienced great earthquakes for a long damage. time, and are identified as the future  Thus, soil liquefaction studies are to be potential zones for great earthquakes. carried out to know the thickness of soft soils.  Three main seismic gaps have been  Active faults are to be delineated, and identified in the Himalaya: the Assam lifeline structures or other infrastructures Gap between the 1950 Assam earthquake are to be avoided from nearby active faults, and the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake; and to be constructed as per the guiding the Kashmir Gap between the 1905 principles of the Bureau of Indian Kangra earthquake and the 1975 Kinnaur Standard (BIS). earthquake; and the ~700 km long Central  The outcome of recent micro zonation Gap between the 1905 Kangra earthquake studies for Delhi-NCR by IMD should be and the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake. considered for important construction.  The entire NW-NE Himalayan belt lies in the highest seismic potential zone V and IV, where major to great earthquakes can take place. Neighbouring faults and ridges  There are so many faults, ridges, and lineaments transverse to the Himalayan arc, large sediment thickness in the Ganga Alluvium Plains to the north of Delhi-NCR.  Again, the Delhi-NCR is ~200 km away from the Himalayan arc.  Therefore, a major earthquake in the Himalayan seismic belt may also be a threat to Delhi-NCR.  The Garhwal Himalaya, lying in the Central Seismic Gap and north of Delhi-NCR, has experienced the 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake (6.8), 1999 Chamoli earthquake (6.6) and 2017 Rudraprayag earthquake (5.7), and is due for a major to great earthquake. Such a scenario can make a pronounced impact to the north India and Delhi-NCR. Precautions:  The subsurface structures, geometry, and disposition of faults and ridges are to be investigated thoroughly using Geo- scientific studies in and around Delhi and NCR.  Since the soft soils do not support the

Easy to PICK51 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Acharya Shri Mahapragyaji Context The Prime Minister paid tribute to Acharya Shri Mahapragyaji on the occasion of the seer’s birth centenary today. About Shri Mahapragyaji  Acharya Shri Mahapragya(14 June 1920 – 9 May 2010) was the tenth head of the Svetambar Terapanth order of Jainism.  Mahapragya was a saint, yogi, spiritual leader, philosopher, author, orator, and poet.  He began his life of religious reflection and development as a Jain monk at the age of ten.  Mahapragya played a major role in Anuvrat movement launched by his Guru Acharya Tulsi in 1949, and became the acknowledged leader of the movement in 1995.  Acharya Mahapragya formulated the well organized Preksha meditation system in the 1970s, and developed the \"Science of Living\" education system which is a practical approach for the balanced development of a student and his character building.  Acharya Shri has written over 300 books in Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, English on these subjects like spirituality, philosophy, psychology and economics.  “The Family and The Nation” which was written by Mahapragya Ji along with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Ji. Quotes of Shri Mahapragyaji (for Essay) 1. “If you Leave ‘Me and Mine’ in Your Lives, then the Whole World Will Be Yours”. 2. \"Healthy person, healthy society, healthy economy\" 3. 'Soul is my God, sacrifice is my prayer, friendship is my devotion, moderation is my strength, and non-violence is my religion'

Easy to PICK52 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Skeletal remains of a child found in Tamil Nadu’s Keeladi Skeletal remains of a child found in Tamil Nadu’s Keeladi  Skeletal remains of a child were excavated from Konthagai village, part of the sixth phase of ongoing excavations in the ancient site of Keeladi here on Friday.  The skeleton was found buried between two terracotta urns that were also found on the same day. It was 75 cm in height and was found 0.5 m below surface level.  Excavations are currently taking place at Keeladi, Konthagai, Manalur and Agaram villages in Sivaganga district.  Konthagai village, located around 2 km from Keeladi, is believed to be a burial site.  Two other skeletal remains of adults were found at Konthagai during this phase. A total of 15 urns have been found till date.  A gold coin that is said to have been used extensively in the 17th century AD, some shells and pots, have also been found during the excavation, in all four sites. Water worlds  Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa are still interesting as candidates that may support life, because scientists have spotted water plumes bursting from their icy shells.  NASA guesses that more than many exoplanets could be ‘water worlds’.  This includes some members of the Trappist-1 system which is 40 light years away.

Easy to PICK53 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Mussaurus and Protoceratops-Dinosaurs Mussaurus and Protoceratops  These are the earliest dinosaurs.  Their eggs are soft-shelled.  The embryo-containing eggs were leathery on the outside rather than hard and calcified on outside. Juneteenth  Juneteenth also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.  Originating in Texas, it is now celebrated annually on the 19th of June throughout the United States, with varying official recognition.  Specifically, it commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free.  President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation,1865 had officially outlawed slavery in Texas and the other states in rebellion against the Union almost two and a half years earlier.

Easy to PICK54 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 KVIC starts reviving ancient glory of Pokhran potteries Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,  Seeking to restore the lost glory of the Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, West once-most famous pottery of Pokhran, a small town in Jaisalmer district of Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan where India conducted its 1st nuclear test, the Khadi and Village Odisha, Telangana and Bihar. Industries Commission (KVIC) today distributed 80 electric potter wheels to 80  In Rajasthan, more than a dozen districts potter families in Pokhran which has a rich heritage in terracotta products. including Jaipur, Kota, Jhalawar and Sri  Pokhran has over 300 potters’ Ganganagar have been benefited by the families that are engaged with pottery for several decades, but potters started looking program. for other avenues due to heavy drudgery in the work and no market support.  Under the scheme, the KVIC also provides  Apart from the electric wheels, the KVIC equipment like blunger and pug mills for also distributed 8 blunger machines in a group of 10 potters, used for mixing the mixing clay for making pottery products. clay which can produce 800 kg clay in just 8 hours.  The machines have eliminated drudgery  Manually it takes 5 days to prepare 800 kg from the process of pottery making and mud for pottery making. resulted in higher income of potters by 7 to  KVIC has created 350 direct employment in the village. 8 times.  All 80 potters who were given 15 days training by KVIC came up with some exquisite pottery.  This exercise is aligned with the Prime Minister’s call for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and strengthening of potters aimed at creating self-employment while also reviving the dying art of pottery.  The main objective of Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana is to bring back the potters’ community to the mainstream. By providing potters with modern equipment and training, we are trying to reconnect them with the society and revive their art.  Pokhran is one of the aspirational districts identified by the Niti Ayog.  Notably, the KVIC has launched Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana in several remote areas in states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya

Easy to PICK55 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Star Clusters Study showing stars of varied ages can co-exist research student Jayanand Maurya in open clusters, provides clue to stellar observed thousands of stars in three open evolution in the Milky Way Galaxy clusters NGC 381, NGC 2360, and Stars Berkeley 68. The clusters are found to be relatively older, having ages between 446  Stars in our Galaxy are formed from Million years to 1778 million years. the molecular clouds present in the  Other than the stellar evolution, the Galaxy. researchers also studied the dynamical evolution of these clusters for the first  It is believed that the majority of stars in time. our Galaxy are formed in the star  The mass distributions of stars belonging clusters making them important clues to to the clusters have shown the preferential understand the star formation mechanism. distribution of massive stars in the inner part of the clusters while low mass  Open star clusters are a system of stars are found towards outer region of stars bound by gravity in which stars are the clusters. born from the same molecular clouds.  It is believed that some of the very low mass stars have in fact, left their parent  All the stars in a cluster follow clusters and may be roaming as a free the evolutionary sequence as per star like our own Sun. their initial masses at the time of  Their study lent important insight about formation of these stars. the stellar and dynamical evolution of these clusters. Star clusters in Milky way galaxy Their study has been recently published in  Open clusters are also important in 'Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical probing formation and evolution of Milky Society,' a leading journal in the field of Way Galaxy as they are distributed astronomy and astrophysics published by the throughout the Galactic disk. OXFORD University Press in UK.  Astronomers at the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous science institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Govt. of India, have found that stars of varied ages can co-exist in open clusters.  This challenges earlier understanding that stars in an open cluster have the same age.  The scientists measured the light from three poorly studied open clusters NGC 381, NGC 2360, and Berkeley 68 observed using the 1.3-m telescope at Devasthal situated in the lap of the Himalaya for studying the evolution of stars in these clusters.  They found two different stellar evolutionary sequences in the cluster NGC 2360, which has been observed in very few open clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy until now.  The astronomer Dr. Yogesh Joshi and his

Easy to PICK56 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Extreme Helium Stars (EHe) Detection of ?uorine in hot Extreme Helium observed in the cool EHes along-with the Stars solves their evolution mystery cooler classical hydrogen de?cient stars, the RCB variables (R Coronae Borealis  An extreme helium star or EHe is a low- Stars) hinting at close evolutionary mass supergiant that is almost devoid of connection between them. hydrogen, the most common chemical  The scientists explored the relationship of element of the universe. hot EHes (EHes having e?ective temperature ≥ 14000K), with the  There are 21 of them detected so far in our cooler EHes, based on their ?uorine galaxy. abundance and spotted it in the former, thus establishing an evolutionary Mystery of EHe resolved connection across a wide range of e?ective  The origin and evolution of these temperature. Hydrogen deficient objects have been  High-resolution echelle spectra of 10 hot shrouded in mystery. EHes were obtained from Hanle Echelle  Their severe chemical peculiarities Spectrograph (HESP) mounted on the 2- challenge the theory of well-accepted m Himalayan Chandra Telescope at stellar evolution as the observed chemical the Indian Astronomical Observatory composition of these stars do not match (IAO) in Hanle, Ladakh, (remotely with that predicted for low mass evolved operated by IIA) including data from stars. McDonald Observatory, USA, and ESO  A study by the Indian Institute of archives. Astrophysics (IIA) an autonomous  The varied range of observed ?uorine institute of Department of Science and abundance across stars having similar Technology which detected the presence atmospheric parameters points out the of singly ionised ?uorine for the first time difference in the individual star’s in the atmospheres of hot Extreme evolution and the ensuing nucleosynthesis. Helium Stars makes a strong case that  Particularly, the enrichment of ?uorine in the main formation of these objects the atmospheres of carbon-rich EHes and involves a merger of a carbon-oxygen absence of the same in carbon-poor EHes (CO) and a Helium (He) white dwarf. suggest that ?uorine is profusely produced during the merger of a He-CO Evolution of EHe WD resulting in a carbon-rich EHe,  The ?uorine abundances determined from whereas He-He WD merger that results in singly ionized fluorine (F II) lines suggest carbon-poor EHes does not account for a very high enrichment of ?uorine, about a ?uorine overabundance. factor of 100 to 10000 times higher than  The detection of enhanced ?uorine normal stars. abundances in the atmospheres of hot  Clues to evolution of extreme helium stars EHes solves a decade-old mystery about require accurate determinations of their their formation. chemical composition, and the  It ?rmly places hot EHes in an evolutionary peculiarities, if any, become very sequence with cool EHes and other hydrogen- important. deficient stars and zeros in on the evolutionary  Fluorine plays a very crucial role in this scenario, which involves the merger of two regard to determine the actual evolutionary double degenerate white dwarfs (WDs). sequence of these hydrogen de?cient objects.  Severe ?uorine enrichment w.r.t normal stars (of the order of 800 − 8000) was

Easy to PICK57 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Kithiganahalli lake Kithiganahalli lake  Bengaluru  It is being highly polluted.  NGT has imposed fine of Rs.10 lac on Karnataka government.

Easy to PICK58 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Scientists detect ionospheric irregularities Scientists detect ionospheric irregularities eastward electric field occurs during post- during major space weather events that sunset resulting in around 30% increase in influence communication & navigation systems spread F instead of total inhibition during equinox and winter seasons.  The Earth's magnetic field  The PRE is believed to be produced by F lines are nearly horizontal over magnetic region dynamo, where it causes F region equator due to which equatorial of the ionosphere to rise to very high ionosphere is a bed for a variety of plasma altitude due to sudden increase of the instabilities to cause plasma disturbances eastward electric field. and plasma irregularities.  The study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research showed occurrence  These plasma irregularities pose severe of ESF in summer is suppressed by problems to the communication and around 75% due to a partial increase in navigation systems and interfere PRE. with surveillance operations as well as  The researchers observed pre-sunrise disruption in detection and tracking of height enhancement mostly during winter, aircraft, missiles, and satellites. which caused ESF to occur at around 50%, followed by equinox and summer.  A multi-instrument based ionospheric study of space weather storms over India Importance of studying by the Scientists from the Indian Institute thermosphere?ionosphere-magnetosphere of Geomagnetism (IIG) an autonomous interactions institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have found  Understanding that the occurrence of equatorial spread the thermosphere?ionosphere- F (ESF) irregularities and GPS magnetosphere interactions that control scintillations are significantly affected by the electrodynamics behind dynamical the geomagnetic storms depending upon evolution of ionospheric the time of the onset of the geomagnetic irregularities under disturbed periods like storm. geomagnetic storms is most important in developing and maintaining Causes of Geomagnetic storms communication and navigation systems.  The Equatorial Spread-F (ESF) caused due to the F region plasma irregularities is a  Accordingly, the electrodynamics under complex phenomenon encompassing a these major space weather events was wide range of scale sizes of irregularities studied using the chain of a ground-based in electron and ion densities as well as in special type of radar Doppler electric fields. ionosondes along with GPS Receivers  They also produce ionospheric over India for the examination of the scintillations in VHF and GPS receivers equatorial and low latitude ionosphere. when radio wave traverses through the ionosphere.  The coupling of high latitude electric  They have also found that during fields, winds, and traveling ionospheric geomagnetic storms, partial enhancement disturbances (TIDs) on the equatorial and in pre reversal enhancement (PRE) (an low latitude ionosphere were investigated eastward electric field enhancement before during three major space weather events turning the westward near the sunset hours that occurred on 17th March, 23 June, and in the equatorial ionosphere) in the zonal 20 December 2015.

Easy to PICK59 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  These three magnetic storms were strong geomagnetic storms during the complete solar cycle-24 (cycle that the Sun’s magnetic field goes through approximately every 11 years).  The scientists observed remarkable increase of virtual height of the ionosphere to as high as 560 km over magnetic equator with vertical drift of 70 m/sec due to strong eastward direct penetration electric field which caused intense Equatorial spread F (ESF) irregularities in ionosondes and L- band scintillations in the GPS receivers across Indian region on 17th March.  Besides, the scientists also found that enhanced winds during geomagnetic storms can either add or suppress the existing ion densities to produce either positive or negative stormsthat modify the electrodynamics of the ionosphere, thereby influencing navigation and communication that form a crucial part of our lives.

Easy to PICK60 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Jagannath Rath Yatra Jagannath Rath Yatra of ‘Yama’, the god of death has been  Ratha Jatra, also called as Chariot Festival, is a Hindu festival associated nullified in Puri due to the presence of with Lord Jagannath held at Puri, Lord Jagannath. Odisha.  This temple was called the “White  The festival is celebrated on Pagoda” and is a part of Char the 2nd day of Shukla Paksha of Ashadh, the third month, according to the Dham pilgrimages (Badrinath, Dwaraka, traditional Oriya calendar. Puri, Rameswaram).  There are four gates to the temple- Eastern ‘Singhdwara’ which is the main gate with two crouching lions, Southern ‘Ashwadwara’, Western 'Vyaghra Dwara and Northern ‘Hastidwara’. There is a carving of each form at each gate.  In front of the entrance stands the Aruna stambha or sun pillar, which was originally at the Sun Temple in Konark. The Indo-Aryan style prefers a tower with rounded top and curvilinear outline while the tower of the Southern or Dravidian style is usually in a shape of a rectangular truncated Pyramid.  It is a 9 day-long event and marks the return of Lord Krishna to Vrindavan with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (maternal aunt's home) near Saradha Bali, Puri.  During the festival, the three holy chariots carrying idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balaram (Balabhadra) and sister Subhadra are pulled by thousands of devotees from India and abroad. Jagannath Temple  The temple is believed to be constructed in the 12th century by King Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.  Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to the Hindu beliefs, the power

Easy to PICK61 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Blazars Study of optical properties of super-massive angle, and hence in the Doppler factor, black-hole can provide clue to emission caused by either wiggling or helical jets or mechanism from its close vicinity the motion of the most intense emitting Context region on a roughly helical trajectory Through 153 nights, 17 scientists from 9 countries within the jet. in Europe and Asia including researchers from  Variations on intra-day timescales can be Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational explained by the turbulence expected in a Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, an autonomous relativistic plasma jet according to the institution of the Department of Science and study. Technology (DST), Government of India took  In this age of multi-wavelength (MW) 2263 image frames and observed the changes in a time-domain astronomy in which the very high energy gamma-ray emitting blazar transient astronomical sources are of great ‘1ES 0806+524’ using seven optical telescopes in interest due to their rapid change in flux Europe and Asia. and polarization.  Simultaneous MW observation of a Blazar particular transient source on an extended  A blazar is a feeding super-massive period of time is important for black-hole (SMBH) in the heart of a understanding the emission mechanism in distant galaxy that produces a high-energy different electromagnetic (EM) bands. jet viewed face-on from Earth. Blazars are one of the most luminous and energetic objects in the known universe with a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light directed very nearly towards an observer.  Blazars are among one of the most favourite astronomical transient objects because they emit radiation in the complete EM spectrum, and their flux and polarization are highly variable. Study  The team studied in great details 1ES 0806+524’ flux, color, and spectral index variations within a day and long timescales of the blazer and explained the mechanism behind the variations.  They explained the large flares as the result of propagation of a shock in the relativistic jet that accelerates electrons to high energies followed by subsequent cooling.  According to their study, the small amplitude changes can be understood to arise from small variations in the viewing

Easy to PICK62 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Bum La Pass Bum La Pass Actual Control (LAC) is a ceasefire line that separates the Indian-controlled state of The Bum La Pass is a mountain pass located at Jammu and Kashmir from the Chinese- the Indo-China border above 15,200 ft above controlled area known as Aksai Chin. sea level, it is about 37 km away from Tawang  The McMahon Line – It is the in Arunachal Pradesh. The road to Bum La is demarcation line between Tibet and the also a historical route, the People's Liberation North-east region of India proposed by Army of China invaded India during the 1962 British colonial administrator Henry Sino-Indian War. McMahon at the 1914 Shimla Convention In 2006, Bumla pass was re-opened to traders for signed between British and Tibetan the first time in 44 years. Traders from both sides representatives. of the pass were permitted to enter each other's  It is currently the effective boundary territories, in addition to postal workers from each between China and India, although its country. The area includes route taken by the 14th legal status is disputed by the Chinese Dalai Lama when he escaped China and reached government. India to take refuge. It is one of the five officially agreed Border Personnel Meeting points between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army of China for regular consultations and interactions between the two armies to improve relations. Other important pass in Arunachal Pradesh are  Bodmi La  Tulung La  Sela La Border Personnel Meeting points Border Personnel Meeting points are locations along the disputed Sino-Indian border where the armies of both countries hold ceremonial and practical meetings to resolve border issues and improve relations. While border meetings have been held since the 1990s, the first formal Border Personnel Meeting point was established in 2013. There are five meeting points, two in the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh, one in Sikkim, and two in Arunachal Pradesh, they are as follows  Daulet Beg Oldi - Ladakh  Chushul - Ladakh  Natha La - Sikkim  Bum La - Arunachal Pradesh  Kibithu - Arunachal Pradesh International Boundary Lines between India- China  Line of Actual Control (LAC) - Line of

Easy to PICK63 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year  The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the special occasion of Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year.  It is on 23rd June Assam: Ambubachi Mela - Kamakhya temple however, the temple management authorities decided not to include devotees, sadhus in the fair in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic. All entrances to the historic temple have been closed. The annual Ambubachi Mela at the historic Kamakhya temple in Guwahati began. This year, however, the fair is being observed without devotees as only rituals will be performed in the temple till June 25. Kamakhya temple located atop of Nilachal Hills is one of 51 Shakti Peeths in the country. The Ambubachi Mela, an annual fair held at Kamakhya temple, is the celebration of the annual menstruation course of goddess Maa Kamakhya. The mela usually started on June 22 every year at Kamakhya temple. This year,

Easy to PICK64 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Cairn Circles A megalith is a large prehistoric stone that has 1. Dolmenoid cists - Box-shaped stone been used to construct a structure or monument, burial chambers, either alone or together with other stones. Cairn- circles are the prehistoric stone row which is a 2. Capstones - Distinctive mushroom- linear arrangement of parallel megalithic shaped burial chambers (found mainly in standing stones. Kerala) Recently, the State Department of Archaeology, Kodumanal Chennai has identified 250 cairn-circles from the  Kodumanal is a village located in the Kodumanal excavation site in Tamil Nadu. This Erode district in Tamil Nadu. The place is is for the first time that 10 pots and bowls were an important archaeological site. discovered from the site, instead of the usual 3 or  It is located on the northern banks of 4 pots, placed outside three-chambered burial cists Noyyal River, a tributary of the and inside the cairn-circle. Cauvery. The earlier excavations of More numbers and bigger size of boulders Kodumanal revealed that multi-ethnic suggests that the grave could be of a village head groups lived in the village. or the head of the community. Findings from the  It also revealed that the site served as a site also include an animal skull, beads, and trade-cum-industrial centre from 5th copper smelting units, the mud walls of a century BCE to 1st century BCE. workshop, potteries, and Tamil Brahmi script. Other types of megaliths are

Easy to PICK65 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Central Vista Project Central Vista Committee is chaired by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) additional director general (works) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Central Vista proposal of the CPWD is to construct a triangular Parliament building in the 10.5-acre plot adjacent to the existing heritage structure built in the 1920s. The project is estimated to cost ?922 crore. It is a part of the larger revamp of the entire 3-km Central Vista from Rashtrapati Bhavan till India Gate. It includes constructing a new triangular Parliament opposite the existing heritage structure and building a central secretariat for all Ministries. The existing Parliament building as well north and South Blocks are proposed to be re-purposed as museums. The government’s plan was approved by the Central Vista Committee at a meeting on April 23 with the suggestion that the design be “in sync” with the existing Parliament House. Delhi Urban Art Commission It was formed by an Act of Parliament in 1973. It is meant to advise the Centre on matters of preservation, development and maintenance of the aesthetic quality of the capital Delhi’s urban and environmental design. Recently Centre’s proposal to construct a new Parliament building in time for Independence Day 2022 was not approved by the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC).

Easy to PICK66 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Anti Drug Action Plan Recently, on the occasion of International Day  Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking an Addicts (IRCAs): Funded by the annual Anti-Drug Action Plan for 2020-21 for Ministry, IRCAS would reach out to 272 districts was launched by the Ministry of communities to help those affected Social Justice and Empowerment. by drug addiction. The plan includes awareness generation programmes, identification of drug-dependent  Drug-Free India Campaign: The population, focus on treatment facilities ministry also announced the launch of and capacity-building for service-providers to the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, or Drug-Free curb drug abuse and alcoholism. Drug abuse India Campaign which focuses on or substance abuse is the use of illegal drugs community outreach programmmes. (Heroin, Morphine, Opium etc), or the use of prescription drugs for purposes other than those  To step-up the battle against the severe for which they are meant to be used. challenge posed by drug use and alcoholism, the campaign will focus not Imp Points just on institutional support but also on community outreach programmes in Action Plan for 2020-21 the districts identified in coordination.  De-addiction Facilities: These would be Significance set up in the “most affected” 272 districts  Awareness and Sensitisation: Apart from celebrity backed ‘Say No to Drugs’ identified by the Narcotics Control publicity campaigns, national level campaigns are planned across schools and Bureau focussing on building up higher education campuses to sensitise youngsters, parents and schools about the treatment and de-addiction facilities and issue.  Change in the Strategy: It introduces a giving emphasis on reaching the youth and new change in the strategy against drugs. So far, India has been focussed on high risk population. The districts mostly institutions, however the new action plan focuses on work in society at large. belong to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar  Enhanced Funding: Ministry would ramp up greater funding for institutions to curb Pradesh and the North-East. the drug abuse.  Drop-in-Centres for Addicts: The focus Background National Survey on Extent and Pattern of will be on setting up drop-in-centres for Substance Use: The Ministry of Social Justice addicts and also on peer-led community based outreach programmes for high risk populations – particularly the youth. These centres will have provision for screening, assessment and counselling and would provide linkage to treatment and rehabilitation services for drug dependents.

Easy to PICK67 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 and Empowerment, Government of India, right before the First Opium War on the conducted a National Survey on Extent and Chinese Mainland. Pattern of Substance Use in India through the Theme 2020: Better Knowledge for Better National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre Care. (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical It emphasises the need to improve Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi during 2018, the understanding of the world drug which is key to the action plan for 2020-21. It is problem and how better knowledge will foster estimated that about 850,000 Indians inject greater international cooperation for countering its drugs, about 460,000 children and 7.7 impact on health, governance and security. million Indians require help for opioid dependence. As per the survey, the prevalence Conclusion of opioids (a type of drug e.g. Heroin) use in India The action plan aims at addiction-free India by is three times the global average. countering the growing menace especially across colleges and universities. However, there is a need Challenges to Curb the Drug Menace: to design a more targeted campaign against Related Data: The findings of the “Magnitude of drugs and substance abuse. Addiction should not Substance Abuse in India” report 2019, revealed be seen as a character flaw, but as an ailment that the estimated 16 crore alcohol consumers in the any other person could be struggling with. 10-75 years in the country, as many as 19% of Therefore, the stigma associated with drug taking them were dependent on alcohol. needs to be reduced through social awareness and Legally Available Drugs: Such as tobacco is a voluntary processes like medical help by huge problem which is usually seen as a gateway psychologists, as well as strong support from drug which children take just to experiment with. family. Lack of Availability of Rehabilitation Centres: There is a lack of rehabilitation centres. Also, NGOs operating de-addiction centres in the country, have failed to provide the required kind of treatment and therapy. Smuggling of Drugs: Smuggling of drugs through the states like Punjab, Assam and Uttar Pradesh which share the border with neighbouring countries. Global Initiatives The United Nations with the aid of its anti-drug abuse arm, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) spreads awareness, urges governments to avoid stimulating the Narco economy and deal with the Illicit trafficking of drugs in the disguise of legal pharmaceutical businesses. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking History: Also known as ‘World Drug Day’, it is celebrated annually on 26th June since 1987. The day is also meant to commemorate Lin Zexu’s efforts towards the strategic dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong in China

Easy to PICK68 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Anthropause Period Anthropause Period changes. Further, the reduction in human Recently, researchers have coined the activity during the lockdown on both land and sea term ‘anthropause’ to refer to the Covid- has been unparalleled in recent history and 19 induced lockdown period and they will study the effects have been ‘drastic, sudden and its impact on other species. widespread’, making this period more important. Etymology: The shortened form of prefix ‘anthropo-’ (for ‘human’) and ‘pause’. It Conclusion is a more precise term for the lockdown period The pandemic affords an opportunity to build a which is also being referred to as the ‘Great global picture of animal responses by pooling Pause’. It refers specifically to a considerable large numbers of datasets. Such collaborative global slowing of modern human activities and projects can integrate the spatial and temporal notably travel. approaches outlined above, in an attempt to uncover causal relationships. Impact: As a result of the lockdown, nature appears to have changed especially in urban environments. The unprecedented curbs led to reports of unusual animal behaviour and unexpected animals are being spotted more frequently. For example, reported sightings of pumas in downtown Santiago, Chile, of dolphins in untypically calm waters in the harbour of Trieste, Italy, and of jackals in broad daylight in urban parks in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hidden from human view, animals may also start roaming more freely across the world’s oceans, following reductions in vessel traffic and noise- pollution levels. On the other hand, lockdown may have been more difficult and challenging for various urban- dwelling animals such as rats, gulls and monkeys who depend on food provided or discarded by humans. Significance of the Study: Studying this period will provide valuable insights into the relationship between human-wildlife interactions in the 21st century. Expanding human populations continue to transform their environments at unprecedented rates. The linkages of human and animal behaviour can help provide invaluable information, useful in preserving global biodiversity, maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and predicting global zoonoses and environmental

Easy to PICK69 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Black hole merges with unusual compact object Black hole merges with unusual compact object radiated away 0.2 solar masses.  The LIGO Scientific and VIRGO  This is unusual on many counts. For one Collaborations (LSC) have detected an unusual compact object whose mass falls thing, the mass ratio was in between that of a typical black hole approximately 1:9. and a neutron star.  This is the largest disparity in masses that has been observed till now What is a neutron star? between members of the coalescing pair. It a celestial object of very small radius (typically  While at 23.2 solar masses, the primary is 30 km) and very high density, composed clearly a black hole, the calculated mass predominantly of closely packed neutrons. It is of the secondary object puts it in a dubious smaller than a sun but 1.4times denser than spot. It is too light to be a black hole and sun. Neutron stars are thought to form by the too heavy to be a neutron star, as far as gravitational collapse of the remnant of a observations go. massive star after a supernova explosion, provided that the star is insufficiently massive to Topic of discussion produce a black hole.  There is not much information about the lighter object except for the mass. “Due to  The absence of accompanying the mass asymmetry, it becomes very electromagnetic signatures such as difficult to detect any signatures of neutron flashes of light are compatible with both. star ‘tides’ which could have given us insights about the star. So one may be able  This puzzling event was registered by to invoke exotic possibilities,” says Prof. the LIGO and VIRGO detectors on Arun. August 14, 2019. The work has been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.  Since the first ever detection of gravitational wave signals emerging from the coalescing of binary black holes in 2015, the LIGO and VIRGO detectors have detected mergers of pairs of black holes, pairs of neutron stars and black hole-neutron star duo. Inference from signal  Looking at the signal waveform, it appeared that the primary object in this merger had a mass of about 23.2 times that of the Sun and the smaller, secondary object had a mass of about 2.6 times the solar mass.  The pair joined to form a large black hole of mass 25.6 times the Sun’s mass, having

Easy to PICK70 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Indian Ocean Dipole- New phenomenon to emerge When the Indian Ocean’s ancient climate during the Last Glacial Maximum. We patterns return suggest that the Indian Ocean has the capacity to harbour much larger climate  About 19,000-21,000 years ago, ice- variability than observed during the last sheets covered North America and few decades or a century,” writes co- Eurasia, and sea-levels were much author Kaustubh Thirumalai, from the lower, with Adam’s Bridge exposed so Department of Geosciences at the that the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka University of Arizona in an email to The were contiguous. Hindu.  This period, the peak of ice Lessons to learn age conditions, is called the Last Glacial  He explains that there are many lessons to Maximum. be learnt from this cooler period about our warmer future, “even though the Last  Researchers analysed simulations of this Glacial Maximum consisted of vastly past climate and predicted that the ongoing different conditions compared to where the climate change could reawaken an ancient world is headed... For example, global sea- climate pattern of the Indian Ocean. level is rising and glacial ice is melting today whereas the opposite was true for the Similarity with the El Nino Last Glacial Maximum”.  Prof. Thirumalai adds: “As it is, under  They find that this could be similar to present-day conditions, changes in the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño– the El Niño phenomenon of the Pacific Southern Oscillation strongly affect Indian Monsoon variability from year to year. Ocean bringing more frequent and  If the hypothesised ‘equatorial mode’ emerges in the near future, it will devastating floods and drought to pose another source of uncertainty in rainfall prediction and will likely amplify several densely-populated swings in monsoon rainfall.”  The paper adds that it could bring more countries around the Indian Ocean region. frequent droughts to East Africa and southern India and increased  If current warming trends continue, rainfall over Indonesia. this new Indian Ocean El Niño could emerge as early as 2050. The results were published in Science Advances. Study on shells of Foraminifera  By studying microscopic zooplankton called foraminifera, the team had published a paper in 2019 which first found evidence from the past of an Indian Ocean El Niño.  Foraminifera build a calcium carbonate shell, and studying these can tell us about the properties of the water in which they lived.  The team measured multiple individual shells of foraminifera from ocean sediment cores and was able to reconstruct the sea surface temperature conditions of the past.  “In the previous paper, we argued for the existence of an ‘Indian Ocean El Niño’

Easy to PICK71 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The Mapillah uprising The Mapillah uprising The revolt By, Mohammed Ayoob is University Distinguished  The immediate trigger of the uprising Professor Emeritus of International Relations, was the Non-Cooperation Michigan State University Movement launched by the Congress Context in 1920 in tandem with the Khilafat agitation.  With the centenary of the Mapillah  The Malabar Congress, many of whose rebellion of 1921 fast approaching, leaders were Nairs, was the most controversy has erupted over Malayalam active participant in these twin movie projects commemorating what was agitations with several Hindu leaders arguably the greatest challenge to British addressing Khilafat gatherings. rule between the great uprising of 1857  The anti-British sentiment fuelled by and the Quit India movement of 1942. these agitations found fertile ground among the Muslim Mapillahs of south Conflicting narratives Malabar living in economic  The controversy surrounding the Mapillah misery which they blamed in large part on uprising demonstrates that in the case of British rule. most important historical events no single  The British had introduced new tenancy narrative is accepted by all sections of laws that tremendously favoured the society. landlords and instituted a far more exploitative system than before.  There are multiple  The pre-British relations between narratives propounded by people of landlords and tenants were based on a different ideological persuasions. More code that provided the tenants a decent often than not these divergent perspectives share of the produce. are shaped by the proponents’ current  The new laws deprived them of all political projects and their preferred guaranteed rights to the land and visions of their societies’ future. its produce and in effect rendered them landless.  On the one hand, people of secular and  This change created enormous nationalist persuasions see it as a major resentment among the tenants against instance of resistance to British colonial British rule. rule.  The fact that most of the landlords were Namboodiri Brahmins while most of  On the other, people of the Hindutva the tenants were Mapillah persuasion revile it as an example Muslims compounded the problem. of ingrained Muslim hatred against  The Nairs formed an intermediate Hindus. grouping of well-off peasantry with their own economic and social  The rebellion can be understood only if grudges against the Namboodiri one discards ideological blinkers. It is an landlords but largely unsympathetic to excellent example of the veracity of the the economic travails of the Mapillahs. assertion that important historical events always have multiple causes and do not The spark that lit the fire occur in a social, economic, and political vacuum.

Easy to PICK72 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020  The Non-Cooperation Movement combined with the Khilafat agitation provided the spark that lit the fire of Mapillah revolt against the British rulers and their Hindu landlords.  The fiery speeches by Muslim religious leaders that accompanied the Khilafat movement added to the religious fervour of an already desperate peasantry and fuelled their ire against the British and the Hindu landlords leading to the atrocities committed by a segment of the mobilised Mapillahs against Hindus regardless of caste.  Non-partisan analyses of the uprising make clear that multiple factors contributed to the character of the movement.  These included economic distress, anger against foreign rule and the tenancy laws it instituted, and religious zeal.  But above all it was an agrarian revolt that simultaneously took on the garb of anti-colonialism and religious fanaticism.

Easy to PICK73 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 70 Years of Korean War Recently North and South Korea separately Korean People's Army and the Chinese marked the 70th anniversary of the start of the People's Volunteer Army. Korean War. It led to an official ceasefire without a Peace treaty. Thus, the war officially never ended.  The root of the conflict lies in Exchange of Prisoners of war (PoWs). the Japanese occupation of Korea Establishment of Korean Demilitarised Zone between 1910- 1945. (DMZ) – a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula to serve as a buffer zone between North  When Japan was defeated in the Second Korea and South Korea. World War, the Allied forces agreed to The Korean DMZ intersects but does not follow establish a “four-power trusteeship over the 38th parallel north. Korea” at the Yalta Conference (1945). South Korea did not sign the armistice as it refused to accept it.  However, the USSR invaded Korea and However, in December 1991, North and South took control of the north while the south Korea signed a pact agreeing to refrain from remained under the rest of the allies, aggression. mainly the USA. The division of the two regions was along the 38th parallel Current Dynamics north, which still continues to be the  In recent years North Korea has official border dividing the two Koreas. accelerated its nuclear programme by increasing its nuclear stockpile,  In 1948 the Republic of Korea (South withdrawn from the Non-Proliferation Korea) and the Democratic People’s Treaty (NPT) and has tested nuclear Republic of Korea (North Korea) was explosives multiple times. established.  USA has deployed THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) in South  Efforts were made to resolve the conflict Korea to counter increasing missile and unite the Korean peninsula, but with adventurism of North Korea. the advent of the Cold War chances of  North Korea recently demolished the reunification were lost. Inter-Korean Liaison Office in Kaesong, which was established in 2018.  As both tried to enhance their reach, In the absence of formal diplomatic territorially and ideologically, the Korean relations, the building functioned as a de Conflict emerged between the two facto embassy and provided a direct nations. communication channel for the two nations. The Korean War  On 25th June 1950, North Korea, backed by the USSR, launched an attack on South Korea and occupied most of the country.  In response, the United Nations force led by the US retaliated.  In 1951 the US forces led by Douglas MacArthur crossed the 38th parallel and triggered the entry of China in support of North Korea.  To prevent further escalation peace talks began later in 1951.  On 27th July 1953, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed between the United Nations Command, the

Easy to PICK74 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Kharayelakh river Kharayelakh river  It is located near the Arctic at Norlisk(Russia)

Easy to PICK75 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Is this the end of the globalisation era? Globalisation envisages a borderless world or strategies) and costs (such as less national seeks the world as a global village. It may be attributed by the accelerated flow of goods, self-determination), too. A liberal people, capital, information, and energy across borders, often enabled by technological democracy combined with free-market developments. However, isolationism forced by Covid-19 capitalism was the best way to organise pandemic has paused the growth of globalisation in the world. Though the pandemic has hastened society. globalisation’s decline, protectionism has been increasing since the global financial crisis 2008.  Developing-Developed Countries The increased unemployment, growing inequality and anaemic growth in the aftermath of the global Collaboration: The partnership between financial crisis, particularly in the developed world, are the main reasons for the rise of the developed and the developing protectionism all across the globe. In this context, there is a debate all around the countries based on three planks. First was world regarding the sustainability of globalisation in the future. offshoring of manufacturing and low-end Rise of Globalization services jobs to developing countries.  Origin of Modern Globalisation: What today is referred to as globalisation, started Second, developed countries run large trade with the end of the Cold war and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in deficits by acting as the market for the increased 1991. output of developing countries.  Driving Factors: Globalisation was the offshoot of two systems — democracy and Third, developing countries financing the trade capitalism — that emerged victorious at the end of the Cold War. deficit of the developed countries by accumulating o These ideas were transmitted across the world through free trade large foreign exchange reserves. and increased inter-country movement of capital and labour. Pros of Globalisation o The idea that all countries should Access to Goods and Services unequivocally move towards democracy underpinned with  Globalization results in increased trade capitalism was packaged in and standard of living. It heightens policies commonly referred to as competition within the domestic product, the Washington Consensus or neo- capital, and labour markets, as well as liberalism. among countries adopting different trade and investment strategies. It has also  Politics of Globalisation: Politically, it resulted in national capital markets refers to increasing global governance via becoming increasingly integrated. international institutions or growing alignment of national policies. It involves Vehicle of Social Justice both benefits (such as coordinated crisis  Transnational companies investing in installing plants in other countries provide employment for the people in those countries often getting them out of poverty.  The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth, creates jobs,

Easy to PICK76 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 makes companies more competitive, and making the poor poorer. lowers prices for consumers.  The UN Development Program Increases Cultural Awareness  By reducing cross-border distances, reports that the richest 20% of the world's globalisation has increased cross-cultural population consume 86% of the world's understanding and sharing. A neutral resources while the rest 80% consume just globalized society boosts up the rate at 14 percent. which people are exposed to the culture, Malpractices of MNCs attitudes and values of people in other  Multinational corporations (MNCs) are countries. accused of social injustice, unfair working Sharing Technology and Values conditions (including slave labour wages,  It also provides poor countries, through living and working conditions), as well as infusions of foreign capital and lack of concern for the environment, technology, with the chance to develop mismanagement of natural resources, and economically and by spreading prosperity. ecological damage. Decline of Globalisation  Also, Multinational corporations, which The global financial crisis was a turning point, as were previously restricted to commercial it struck at the twin foundations of liberal activities, are increasingly influencing democracy and free-market capitalism. political decisions.  Suppression of liberal democracy: The  Many think there is a threat of corporations malaise of slow economic growth, wealth ruling the world because they are gaining inequality and rising unemployment power, due to globalization. provided a perfect breeding ground for Fail to Contribute Towards Desired Gains political leaders to appeal for nationalism  The argument that globalization has as the solution to political and economic helped people in developing most of the ills. countries out of poverty is somehow controversial. Because the opinions differ o The economic rise of China under as to the quantity and the quality of the jobs an authoritarian regime also raised being offered by globalization. doubts over the efficacy of liberal Contribute Towards Cultural Homogeneity democracy in solving pressing  Globalisation promotes people's tastes to domestic challenges. converge which may lead to more cultural homogeneity.  Perils of neo-liberal doctrine: While the  Due to this, there is a danger of losing free-market ideology has been fighting a precious cultural practices and languages. battle of credibility since it took the  Also, there are threats of cultural invasion maximum blame for the 2008 crisis, free of one country over another. trade policies have now been severely Conclusion impacted due to Covid-19. Given its enormous potential for economic gains, o The pandemic has not only it would be a waste to categorically repudiate the exposed the fragility of highly phenomena of Globalisation. Instead, there is a optimised supply chains that need for better understanding of Globalization's spread across countries but has also effects and the interplay of its economics with shown such inter-country supply other issue areas. chains to be a threat to national security. Cons of Globalisation Increasing Inequality  The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while

Easy to PICK77 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Sankalp Parva: Plantation of Trees The Ministry of Culture is celebrating ‘Sankalp various stakeholders. Parva’ to plant trees from 28th June to 12th July The Jajpur district administration in Odisha has 2020. made plantation a mandatory precondition for The initiative has been taken on the call of granting licenses for eight services including the Prime Minister to plant at least five trees society registration, license for minor minerals, setting up crusher units, purchase of new vehicles, either in office campus or wherever it is issuance of solvency certificate, possible, to ensure a clean and healthy environment of the country. ImpPoints  The Ministry of Culture has recommended planting five trees which represent the herbal heritage of the country.  These trees are: Bargad, Awla, Pepal, Ashok and Bel. These are also medicinal plants.  Other Initiatives Related to Plantation of Trees: o Recently, the government has announced implementation of the Nagar Van (Urban Forest) Scheme which aims to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in the next five years. o The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act was passed in 2016 to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation which till then was managed by Ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non- forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land. The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB - under the Ministry of AYUSH) intends to establish herbal gardens of various types to popularize the usefulness of commonly available and frequently used medicinal plants among the

Easy to PICK78 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 EDITORIAL PLUS

Easy to PICK79 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 The anatomy of anti-black racism Rajeev Bhargava is Professor, CSDS, Delhi different from others — differences that Only a peaceful and sustained movement can are innate and indelible, for one can break the back of this evil, which is neither cease to have what one has institutionalised and hidden inherited nor acquire characteristics Context which one does not already have. Racism has raised its ugly head in full public  The idea of race is deeply problematic. view once again. It was revolting to see an adult Despite many attempts, particularly in gasping for breath, writhing in pain as the knee of the 1930s to demonstrate its scientific the white policeman crushed his neck, and, within minutes, dying — the umpteenth time that a black basis, race or racial classifications have life has been barbarically taken away by police virtually no scientific foundation. brutality in America. Despite the civil war over  If anything, the only conclusion from slavery, and the civil rights movement for available evidence is that the whole of dignity and equality, systemic discrimination humanity has the same lineage, that there and violence against blacks persists. Racism are no races within humans but only one continues unabated. single human ‘race’. Of course, noticing the physical characteristics  Yet, while scientifically speaking, race is a of a person, say the colour of her skin, is not fiction, a large number of people believe in itself racist. Good writers are expected to provide the existence of races. Race is very much a a vivid description of a character’s physical cultural and social reality. features, including skin-colour. This need not  The classification of humans into different imply the idea of race, leave alone racism. For races is a necessary but far from instance, Indian epics describe Krishna as sufficient ingredient of racism which having shyam varna, being the dark-skinned one. depends on two additional, deeply This description has no evaluative connotation. troublesome features. First, a given set Being conscious of the colour of a person, your of biological characteristics is believed to own or that of the other may be pretty innocent. be necessarily related to certain dispositions, traits of character and Idea of race behaviour. Biological descent fixes a However, when specific bodily features (colour, person’s culture and ethics. Our capacity shape of nose, eye, lips) are permanently for reasoning, for ‘civilization’, our clumped together and human beings are propensities towards sexual lasciviousness classified in terms of these distinct biological or ability to make money, can all be read clusters, and if, further, it is believed that these off by examining our face and shared features are inter-generationally body. Second, these racial cultures and transmitted, then we possess the idea of race, i.e. ethical systems are hierarchically a group with a common biological descent. arranged. Those on top are intrinsically superior to those at the bottom.  Every single human being is not only seen What exactly is the Race or Racism? then to be assigned to separate  Racism, then, is a systematic ideology, a biologically-determined groups but also as complex set of beliefs and practices that, born with traits directly inherited from on the presumed basis of biology, biological ancestors. divides humanity into the ‘higher’ us and a lower ‘them’.  Each race is then believed to  It not only sustains a permanent group be fundamentally, permanently hierarchy but deeply stigmatises those

Easy to PICK80 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 designated as inferior. to have an innate streak of savagery, which unless kept down by brute force  This sense of hierarchy provides a motive from time to time, might explode and destroy civilisation. for say, whites to treat blacks in ways that It is this ideology of anti-black racism that was brazenly on show in the 9- minute video clip of would be viewed as cruel or unjust if the merciless, life-extinguishing force used by the police on George Floyd. applied to members of their own group. Some Americans notice and seem shell-shocked by racism only when such violence occurs. Hasn’t  For instance, contact with them is often the civil rights movement been successful in damaging racism, they ask? Is it not difficult regarded as contaminating, polluting. It now to justify any act by explicit reference to race? Is this not good reason to believe that racism will should therefore be avoided or kept to a disappear from America by good laws, education and rational argument? Alas, the very success of minimum. the movement that helped develop a motivated blindness to how open discrimination of blacks  To prevent sexual contamination has been displaced by another system of hidden discrimination. through inter-marriage, the southern A systematic constraint on avenues for improving the quality of life forces their States of America had the severest laws descent into pretty crime, incarceration, stigma attached to imprisonment and the severe sanctioning public lynching. discrimination and exclusion that follows the  How else could the ‘colour line’ be charge of felony. All these, as scholars such as Jane Hill have shown, have made the criminal scrupulously maintained? This explains system produce results as vicious as generated by colour-based slavery and racial segregation. something important. Though colour- For example, in a number of southern States in America, once declared a felon, a person is consciousness should not be problematic disqualified from voting. So, once the criminal justice system labels people of colour as in theory, in reality, an acute awareness of “criminals”, whites have the sanction to engage in all the practices of subordination that they had colour is almost always a symptom of apparently abandoned. The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the racism lurking somewhere unnoticed. world, surpassing those in highly repressive regimes such as China and Iran. The figures Racism distinguishes even inferior races into related to African-Americans are shocking. In several States, they are 10 times more likely to go two kinds: to prison than whites. According to the Death Penalty information Center of the U.S.,  One inferior race is considered so much between 1976-2019, black defendants sentenced to death for killing whites numbered beyond the pale that it cannot be lived 291, while white defendants killing blacks were only 21, a staggering figure close to 14 times with, and must be exterminated. This is more! (For a quick overview, also see the Netflix infamously illustrated by the virulent anti- Semitism in Nazi Germany that led to the final solution, the Holocaust.  The second type of race is fit only to be controlled, subordinated, enslaved. Anti-black racism, our main concern here, is an obvious example. Closer home, some Varna-related ideologies (in the Dharmashastras from 1st ACE onwards) that stigmatised the pratiloma castes, particularly the ‘Chandalas’, function as virtual equivalents of racism as do the now somewhat scarce Christian anti-Judaism or contemporary Islamophobia. An ideology on display Racism naturalises a person’s belief, character and culture. For example,  being uneducated is seen not as socio- economic deprivation but a sign of inherited low IQ;  blacks are predatory and are also seen

Easy to PICK81 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 film, “13th”). Racialised criminal system It is amply clear that the feel-good anti-racism of some Americans that views racism as an aggregate of mistaken beliefs held by individuals that can be dissipated by education and rational argument simply does not work. True, good education helps in dismantling racism but the fact remains that much of it lies hidden within the social structure, in habits, practices and institutions. Vulnerabilities amassed over centuries of anti-black racism leave African- Americans facing multiple, intersecting hurdles to a good life. As mentioned, the current criminal system that awards unfair advantage and privilege to whites, while inflicting unmerited and unjust disadvantages on blacks exemplifies this invisible monster. Only a peaceful movement to end institutionalised racism, with both blacks and white participants, quite like the recent protests after Floyd’s murder, can break the back of this evil. But can such a movement be sustained? Will it be allowed to?

Easy to PICK82 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 Fighting a double pandemic (COVID19 and Domestic Violence) By, Patricia Scotland is the Secretary-General of # In many cases this is because gender roles and the Commonwealth harmful practices, including customs such as early and forced marriage, limit women’s Context access to health services. # Waking up to screams, thuds, angry shouting and the sickening sound of someone crashing into # Women do three times as much unpaid care a wall, a table, a door. This is the cruel reality of work at home compared to men, and make many children and young people across our up 70% of workers in the health and social care Commonwealth. sectors. They are squarely in infection’s path. Gender based violence on increase # During the present COVID-19 pandemic, mass # There is a dangerous escalation in the risk to the school closures are tending to entrench learning millions of people caught in the clutches gaps between girls and boys, and putting many of domestic and gender-based violence. more girls at risk of sexual exploitation, early pregnancy and early or forced marriage. # The crisis has led to an alarming escalation of violence in the home, with women bearing # They also mean that children are unable to the brunt of the frustration and anger. report abuse to a trusted teacher. # In some areas, there have been reports of women # And with restrictions on home visits by being prevented from seeing doctors, and female police and health workers, violence shelters doctors being spat on while testing other women being converted into health facilities, and courts for COVID-19. being forced to close, many victims may find themselves trapped and feeling abandoned. # We are seeing surging numbers of emergency calls to helplines — with rises of anything # Mitigating the devastating impacts of this hidden between 25% and 300%, dramatic increases pandemic of domestic violence requires strong in Internet searches for support for and concerted action. So the Commonwealth those affected by domestic violence, and higher Secretariat is working alongside partner numbers of domestic homicides. These are organisations on measures which will help our 54 extremely disturbing trends, which must not be member countries to stem the rising tide ignored. of gender based violence. Barriers to care # In meetings with counterpart organisations such # Experience teaches us that women tend often to as the Organisation Internationale de la be at a disadvantage during crises, epidemics Francophonie, the Pacific Islands Forum, the and now this pandemic, and that domestic Council of Europe and the Community of violence tends to increase. Spanish Language Countries, we have explored collaboration and mechanisms to ensure that # In West Africa, 60% of total deaths in the women are at the centre of post-COVID-19 2014 Ebola virus outbreak were recovery planning. women. Following the Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand, there was a 53% rise in Health systems link domestic violence. # It is clear, for example, that an important priority is the provision of basic health care to all

Easy to PICK83 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 individuals and communities free of charge at the COVID-19. point of delivery. Way ahead # There is a clear link between weak health # We are increasing our ongoing systems and vulnerabilities to domestic advocacy through a range of initiatives, including violence. So urgent action needs to be taken to creating a strong economic case for addressing ensure that during this COVID-19 pandemic, gender-based violence by identifying the victims of abuse are able to access the health care significant economic costs if we fail to act. they need, including mental health services. # Research from the Commonwealth project, The Financial independence Economic Cost of Violence against Women and # It is also key that post COVID-19 Girls: A Study of the Seychelles, carried out in strategies include dedicated funding and 2019 before the pandemic, shows that gender- support for micro, small and medium sized based violence leads to estimated costs of businesses and the informal sector, which 4.625% of GDP. are predominantly led by women — many of whom need the assurance of financial # We will also hold a virtual follow-up session to independence to escape from dangerous domestic the Women Affairs Ministerial Meeting that was situations. held last September, to set out an action plan to support women and girls during the COVID-19 # I would lay particular emphasis on the crisis, because we simply cannot allow victims of importance at present of creating opportunities domestic abuse and gender-based violence to feel through virtual meetings and seminars for trapped and helpless during this hidden parallel Commonwealth countries to share pandemic. knowledge, resources and experience on how best to navigate through the rapidly evolving processes and circumstances within which we now operate. # Some governments have been able to provide additional resourcing and funding to organisations supporting victims, so they can upscale operations and continue providing services in a safe manner. Other useful innovations such as virtual hearings and legal advice, are allowing survivors to continue to access justice. # Sadly, children living in violent homes not only witness violence but may themselves suffer abuse. # Violence in the home is one of the most pervasive human rights challenges of our time. # So, the Commonwealth collectively stands ready to bring the power of its advocacy and support to the planned UN Declaration on Women and

Easy to PICK84 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 1921 Malabar Rebellion Context “most murderous”. # Malayalam film director Aashiq Abu, on June 22, announced a new film project, # Born in 1866 in a family with relatives involved Variyamkunnan, on Variyamkunnath in one of the Mappila “outbreaks” or “outrages” in Kunhamed Haji, the main protagonist of the the 19th century, he was familiar with the Malabar Rebellion of 1921 who was executed by commemoration of shaheeds (martyrs) who the British. fought against the tyranny of landlords and their helpers, mostly upper caste Hindus in the region. Why does the rebellion still stoke passions? # The Malabar Rebellion (also called the Mappila # There were several such outbreaks in the or Moplah Rebellion by the British) broke out in region during the 19th and early 20th centuries. the southern taluks of Malabar in August 1921. # The main actors of the outbreaks were # By the time the government troops captured individuals on suicide missions. The Khilafat Haji in January 1922, the rebellion had fizzled movement launched in 1919 provided a fresh out. It largely took the shape of guerrilla-type stimulus to the grievances of Mappilas. attacks on janmis (feudal landlords, who were mostly upper caste Hindus) and the police and # Now their sense of local injustice was sought troops. to be linked with the pan-Islamic sentiments created in the aftermath of # Mappilas had been among the collapse of the Ottoman Empire that the victims of oppressive agrarian rendered the Ottoman caliphate irrelevant. relations protected by the British. # Haji was among those in the Malabar region # But the political mobilisation of Muslims in the inspired by the zeal of the agitation. During the region in the aftermath of the launch of rebellion, he led many attacks on the Khilafat agitation and Gandhi’s non- individuals, including Muslims, who had been cooperation struggle served as an opportunity loyal to the British. Some contemporary accounts, for an extremist section to invoke a religious however, deny that he favoured conversion of idiom to express their suffering, while working Hindus. for a change in the oppressive system of administration. What was the impact of the protests? # The rebellion of Mappilas inspired by religious # There were excesses on both sides — rebels and ideology and a conception of an alternative government troops. Incidents of murder, looting system of administration — a Khilafat and forced conversion led many to discredit the government — dealt a blow to the nationalist uprising as a manifestation of religious movement in Malabar. The fanaticism of rebels, bigotry. Moderate Khilafat leaders lamented foregrounded by the British, fostered communal that the rebellion had alienated the Hindu rift and enmity towards the Congress. sympathy. # The exaggerated accounts of the rebellion How did Kunhamed Haji emerge as the leader? engendered a counter campaign in other parts of # Haji, who was one of the three most the country against ‘fanaticism’ of Muslims. important rebel leaders, was the face of the rebellion. British officers viewed him as the # That said, the traumatic experience of the

Easy to PICK85 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 uprising also persuaded educated sections of the Muslim community in Malabar to chalk out ways to save the community from what they saw as a pathetic situation. # The community’s stagnation was attributed to religious orthodoxy and ignorance. The thrust of the post-rebellion Muslim reform movement in Malabar was a rigorous campaign against orthodoxy.

Easy to PICK86 – “UPSC Monthly Magazine\" June - 2020 A new era of accessibility A new era of accessibility: on persons with therapies for their children, with telephone support disabilities in the post-COVID world from therapists or other support workers. By , Shubha Nagesh works with The Latika Roy # However, underlying these efforts to address the Foundation, Dehradun; Sara Rotenberg is a impact of the pandemic at a community level is graduate of Georgetown University and Rhodes the fundamental challenge of accessibility. Scholar-elect based in Toronto. Views are # Persons with disabilities already personal struggle for equitable access to education, Context healthcare, transportation, and economic # During the lockdown, a father, left with no opportunities. The pandemic has further choice but to steal a bicycle, transported his decreased access to these basic services and disabled son from rural Rajasthan to Uttar rights. Pradesh. A professor and wheelchair user in West # The pandemic simultaneously presents Bengal, with no means of transport, has no access an unprecedented challenge and an opportunity to medical care during this period, even in an to change the course of accessibility in low- and emergency. middle-income countries in the post-pandemic # In the wake of the pandemic and the lockdown, world. the already arduous quest for health, safety, and # In low- and middle-income countries that have security for many has been exacerbated by a lack battled pressing challenges (mass migration, of accessibility. concurrent infections like TB, limited health infrastructure, etc.), COVID-19 recovery plans Impact of the crisis include investments in urban planning, health # The pandemic reveals how exacerbated facilities, and social spaces. If accessibility is inequities have become, particularly in low- and considered, these efforts can catalyse the vision of middle-income countries. an inclusive world. # In India, a study, “Locked Down and Left Behind,” documents the plight of persons with Filling the gaps disabilities during this crisis. # To address this growing fissure # Of the 1,067 respondents, 73% are facing between the accessible and non-accessible severe challenges, namely with financial world, the international community will have to stability, access to essential items, close some of the gaps and blunt some of the edges adequate accommodation, and availability of by building accessibility across all sectors. healthcare. # Such efforts must engage people to promote # Second, thousands of families lack access to education and awareness on including persons critical care takers and domestic help, who play with disabilities; implementing accessibility laws crucial roles in caring for a child or family member and regulations; improving physical with a disability. accessibility and universal design; reducing # Finally, there are significant impacts on stigma; and developing the tools for individuals the well-being of persons with disabilities. In and communities to engage meaningfully with particular, social isolation and limited persons with disabilities. access to accessible, adequate sanitation or # Ultimately, one of the key ways to achieve this isolation facilities threaten the health and safety is to begin including and involving persons with of this already vulnerable population. disabilities in decision and policymaking, for # We have seen parents and families taking on COVID-19 recovery and beyond, which can herculean tasks to deliver interventions and ensure representation on the matters that govern their lives.