3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017
insightsonindia.com /2017/03/20/insightsdailycurrentaffairs20march2017/
INSIGHTS 3/21/2017

InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017

Paper3Topic:AwarenessinthefieldsofIT,Space,Computers,robotics,nanotechnology,bio
technologyandissuesrelatingtointellectualpropertyrights.

Telescopeupgradetosniffoutsolarstorms

TheGRAPES3experimentatTIFRsCosmicRayLaboratoryinOotacamundinTamilNaduisgettingupgraded.The
telescopemadenewslastyearwhenitdetectedtheeffectofasolarstormthathittheearthinJune2015.

Keyfacts:

GRAPES3hasanimportantroleinunderstandingthepropagationofstormsfromtheL1pointtoitsimpacton
theEarth.
Theupgradewillplayamajorroleingettingpreciseinformationaboutthepropagationofstormsinthelast
millionmiles(fromtheL1point)oftheirjourneyfromtheSuntotheearth.
Theupgradeddetectorwillhaveanincreasedcoverageoftheskyandimprovedcapacitytodeterminethe
directionofincidentcosmicrays.Thelatterproperty,ofbeingabletodiscernthedirectionofdetected
particles,makesituniqueamongcosmicraydetectorsintheworlditcanalsotomeasuretheintensityofthe
particles.
Sincetheenhancedfacilitycancoverawiderfieldofview(frompresent37%to57%),thechancesofspotting
solarstormswillbehigher.

Background:

Thesunisatadistanceof150millionkilometresfromtheearth,andsatelliteshavebeenplacedatadistanceof
nearly1.5millionkilometres,atthesocalledL1point,wheretheyorbittheSunalongwiththeEarth.Sincecharged
particlesfromasolarstormwillfirstimpactthesatellitesbeforehittingtheearth,theyactasanearlywarningsystem.
Dependingonthespeedofthestorm,itwilltakeabout2040minutestoreachtheearthfromtheL1point.

Needtounderstandsolarstorms:
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

Itisimportanttoknowthetimewhenplasmawillreachtheearth,accurately,sothatpreventiveandprotective
measurescanbeputintoplaceincaseasolarstormweretostriketheearth.

Iftheearthsmagneticfieldweretobeweakenedbyextremesolarstorms,chargedparticleswouldshoweron
totheplanet.Apartfromrenderingelectronicdevicesdefunct,chargedparticlesinanextremesolarstormcan
alsoshortcurrentcarryingoverheadhighvoltagelines,leadingtolargescaletransformersburnoutand
thereby,powerblackouts.
A2008studyconductedbytheU.S.NationalAcademyofSciencesestimatedthatanextremeeventcouldlead
toalossof40%oftransformersintheU.S.,which,inturn,couldtakeyearstorestore.
Theupsideisthatthewaytopreventsuchadisasteriswellunderstood:simplyswitchoffthepowerlineson
beinginformedofanapproachingsolarstorm!Andforthistobepossible,anaccuratedeterminationofthe
timetakenforthesolarstormtotraveltotheearthisneeded,whichiswheretheGRAPES3setupcomesin.

AboutGRAPES3:

TheGRAPES3experiment(orGammaRayAstronomyPeVEnergieSphase3)locatedatOotyinIndiastartedasa
collaborationoftheIndianTataInstituteofFundamentalResearchandtheJapaneseOsakaCityUniversity,andnow
alsoincludestheJapaneseNagoyaWomensUniversity.

GRAPES3isdesignedtostudycosmicrayswithanarrayofairshowerdetectorsandalargeareamuon
detector.
Itaimstoprobeaccelerationofcosmicraysinthefollowingfourastrophysicalsettings.Theseinclude
accelerationofparticlesto,(i)~100MeVinatmosphericelectricfieldsthroughmuons,(ii)~10GeVintheSolar
Systemthroughmuons,(iii)~1PeVinourgalaxy,(iv)~100EeVinthenearbyuniversethroughmeasurement
ofdiffusegammarayflux.
Theobservationsbeganwith217plasticscintillatorsanda560m2areamuondetectorin2000.The
scintillatorsdetectchargedparticlescontainedinextensiveairshowersproducedbyinteractionofhighenergy
cosmicraysintheatmosphere.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper2Topic:IssuesrelatingtodevelopmentandmanagementofSocialSector/Servicesrelatingto
Health,Education,HumanResources.

ThelowdownonIndiasplantoeliminateTBby2025

Attheendof50yearsoftuberculosiscontrolactivities,thediseaseremainsamajorhealthchallengeinIndia.Asper
newestimates,thenumberofnewcaseseveryyearhasrisento2.8millionandmortalityisputat4,80,000each
year.ThesefiguresmaygoupwhenthenationalTBprevalencesurveyisundertakenin201718.Againstthis
backdrop,theMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,initsnationalstrategicplanfortuberculosiselimination(2017
2025),hassetahighlyambitiousgoalofachievingarapiddeclineinburdenofTB,morbidityandmortalitywhile
workingtowardseliminationofTBby2025.

Challengesahead:

ThoughtheRevisedNationalTuberculosisControlProgramme(RNTCP)hastreated10millionpatients,the
rateofdeclinehasbeenslow.
Providinguniversalaccesstoearlydiagnosisandtreatmentandimprovingcasedetectionwerethemaingoals
ofthenationalstrategicplan201217.ButRNTCPfailedonbothcounts,astheJointMonitoringMissionreport
of2015pointedout.
Goingbythecurrentrateofdecline,Indiaisfarfromreachingthe2030SustainableDevelopmentGoals
reducingthenumberofdeathsby90%andTBincidenceby80%comparedwith2015.
ThelatestreportforTBeliminationcallsforreducingTBincidencefrom217per1,00,000in2015to142by
2020and44by2025andreducemortalityfrom32to15by2020and3per1,00,000by2025.
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

Whatsthereinthenewplan:

TheTBcontrolprogrammeplanstodoawaywiththestrategyofwaitingforpatientstowalkintogettestedand
insteadengageindetectingmorecases,bothdrugsensitiveanddrugresistant.Theemphasiswillbeonusinghighly
sensitivediagnostictests,undertakinguniversaltestingfordrugresistantTB,reachingouttoTBpatientsseeking
carefromprivatedoctorsandtargetingpeoplebelongingtohighriskpopulations.

TheotherpriorityistoprovideantiTBtreatmentirrespectiveofwherepatientsseekcarefrom,publicor
privateandensurethattheycompletethetreatment.Forthefirsttime,theTBcontrolprogrammetalksof
havinginplacepatientfriendlysystemstoprovidetreatmentandsocialsupport.
Itseekstomakethedailyregimenuniversalcurrently,thethriceweeklyregimenisfollowedbyRNTCP,and
thedailyregimenhasbeenintroducedonlyinfiveStates.
TherewillbearapidscaleupofshortcourseregimensfordrugresistantTBanddrugsensitivitytesting
guidedtreatment.In2013,IndiaachievedcompletegeographicalcoverageforMDRTB(multidrugresistant
tuberculosis)diagnosisandtreatment93,000peoplewithMDRTBhadbeendiagnosedandputontreatment
till2015.
ItenvisagesacountrywidescaleupofBedaquilineandDelamanid.
Inamarkeddeparture,thereportunderscorestheneedtopreventtheemergenceofTBinsusceptible
populations.OnesuchsegmentisthoseincontactwitharecentlydiagnosedpulmonaryTB.
AcknowledgingthatthebusinessasusualapproachwillnotgettheHealthMinistryanywhereclosetothe
goals,ithasearmarkedcriticalcomponentsthatwillbeaddressedonpriority.Theseincludesending
customisedSMSestoimprovedrugcompliance,incentivisingprivatedoctorstonotifycasesandprovidingfree
medicinestopatientsapproachingtheprivatesector,facilitatingnutritionalsupporttoTBpatients,including
financialsupport,rewardingStatesperformingwellincontrollingTB,andusingmanagementinformation
systemstomonitorallaspectsofTBcontrol.

TheultimateimpactofthisnationalstrategicplanwillbetransformationalimprovementsintheendTBeffortsofIndia.
ItplanstotakeadetecttreatpreventbuildapproachinitswaragainstTB.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper2Topic:Indiaanditsneighbourhoodrelations.

WhyistheWorldBankkeenonresolvingIndusdivide?

AfterherrecentvisittoIndiaandPakistan,WorldBankChiefExecutiveOfficerKristalinaGeorgievareiteratedthatthe
BankwaskeenonresolvingthedisagreementsbetweenthetwonationsovertheinterpretationoftheIndusWaters
Treaty(IWT)followingtheconstructionbyIndiaoftwohydroelectricpowerplants.

Background:

Thoughthetwonationshavehadnofreshconflictoverthesharingofriverwatersformorethanfivedecades,
differencescroppedupafterPakistanopposedtheconstructionoftheKishenganga(330MW)andRatle(850MW)
powerplantsbyIndiaontheJhelumandChenabinJammuandKashmir,overwhichPakistanhasunrestrictedrights
underthetreaty.

WhydidtheBankintervene?

EvenbeforePartition,theIndushadcreatedproblemsamongthestatesofBritishIndia.Theproblemsbecame
internationalafterthecreationoftwonationsasthepoliticalboundarywasdrawnrightacrosstheIndusbasin.The
WorldBank(thenIBRD),underthepresidencyofEugeneBlack,helpedin1952tosettlethedisputebetweenthetwo
nationsonthesharingoftheIndusriverbasinwaters.Hehadsaidtheescalationofthedisputewoulddamagethe
economicdevelopmentoftheIndiansubcontinent.Aftereightyearsofhardnegotiations,PrimeMinisterJawaharlal
NehruandPresidentAyubKhansignedtheIWTonSeptember19,1960.TheBankisalsoasignatorytothetreaty.
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

TheIWTisacomplexinstrument,comprising12articlesandeightannexures.Itsetsforthprovisionsofcooperation
betweenthetwocountriesintheiruseoftherivers,knownasthePermanentIndusCommission(PIC).

Hastherebeenanyviolation?

AccordingtotheIWT,IndiahascontroloverthreeeasternriversoftheIndusbasintheBeas,theRaviandthe
SutlejandPakistanhascontroloverthethreewesternriverstheIndus,theChenabandtheJhelum.Allsix
riversflowfromIndiatoPakistan.Amongotheruses,Indiaispermittedtoconstructpowerfacilitiesontheserivers
subjecttoregulationslaiddowninthetreaty.Indiahadaskedthebankforappointmentofaneutralexpertfollowing
Pakistansobjectionstotwoprojects,whilePakistandemandedtheformationofacourtofarbitration,allegingthat
Indiahadviolatedthetreaty.InDecember2016,theBankannouncedapauseandaskedbothpartiestoresolvethe
issueamicablybytheendofJanuary2017.

WhatstanddidtheBanktake?

IndiawelcomedtheBanksneutralstand,whilePakistansoughtinterventionoftheBankafterbeingunabletofindan
amicablesolutiontothedisputethroughthecommission.GiventhatIndiahasremainedtheBankssinglelargest
borrowersinceitsinceptionwithcumulativeborrowingsfromIBRDandIDAtouching$103billion,thebankdidnot
perhapswanttoupsetit.

Withbuoyancyinforeignexchangereserves,theBankneedsIndiamorethantheotherwayroundandthishas
createdsomeanxietyintheBankcirclesaboutthefuturedirectionoftheirrelationship.

WhyistheBankplayingaroleagain?

ThisisbecauseIndiaandPakistanareimportantpartnersandclientsoftheBank.InSouthAsia,Pakistan($2,280
million)receivedthehighestlendingfromtheBankafterIndia($3,845million)duringthefiscal2016.Moreover,there
arenottoomanyborrowerswithacrediblerecordlikeIndia.

TheBankmaintaineditsaidcouldbeeffectivelyusedifbothnationskeptthepeaceandensuredbettermanagement
ofthewaters,onwhichlakhsoffarmersdepend.Asbothnationshavefailedtoresolvethedisputeamicably,the
BankCEOhasinitiatedadialogue.Changingitsstance,Indiahasagreedtoattendameetingofthecommissionin
Lahorenextweek.Likeinthe1950s,Bankofficialsareagainplayingtheroleofmediator.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper2Topic:IssuesrelatingtodevelopmentandmanagementofSocialSector/Servicesrelatingto
Health,Education,HumanResources.

1.04crhitbyarseniccontaminationinBengal

ArecentreporttabledintheLokSabhastatedthatWestBengalhasthehighestnumberofarsenicaffectedpeoplein
thecountry.

Keyfacts:

Accordingthereport,Bengaltoppedthelistwithmorethan1.04crorearsenicaffectedpersonsasonMarch
4,2017.Biharcomessecondwith16.88lakhpersons,withAssaminthirdspotwith14.48lakhvictims.The
totalnumberofarsenicaffectedpeopleinthecountryisabout1.48crore.
Thereare83blocksineightdistrictsBardhaman,Malda,Hooghly,Howrah,Murshidabad,Nadia,Northand
South24Paraganaswheregroundwaterisaffectedbyarseniccontamination.

Background:
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

AccordingtotheWHOsguidelinesfordrinkingwaterquality(2011),thepermissiblelimitofArsenicingroundwateris
.01mgperlitre.However,inIndiathepermissiblelimitindrinkingwaterhasrecentlybeenrevisedfrom.05mgper
litreto.01mgperlitre.

Arsenicingroundwater:

Arsenicingroundwaterisageogeniccontaminanti.e.causedbynaturalgeologicprocesses.Arseniccontaining
groundwaterinGangaRiverbasinishostedbythesedimentsdepositedbytheriversduringthelateQuaternaryor
Holoceneage(<12thousandyears).Incidenceofhigharsenicingroundwaterreportedfromvariouspartsofthe
country,particularlyintheGangaplainsisaseriousthreattothehealthofhumanbeing.

Overthelastthreedecadesnumerousmeasureshavebeeninitiatedwhichincludesalternatearrangementfor
supplyofarsenicfreewatertotheaffectedpopulaceandprovidingarsenicremovalplants.Arsenic
occurrencesingroundwaterintheseareasishighlysporadicinnatureandallthesourcesintheseareasare
notnecessarilycontaminated.
Technologicaloptionstocombatarsenicmenace,ingroundwater,toensuresupplyofarsenicfreewater,inthe
affectedareascanbeinsituremediationofarsenicfromaquifersystem,exsituremediationofarsenicfrom
tappedgroundwaterbyarsenicremovaltechnologies,useofsurfacewatersourceasanalternativetothe
contaminatedgroundwatersource,tappingalternatesafeaquifersforsupplyofarsenicfreegroundwateror
combinationofabovetechniques.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper2Topic:IssuesrelatingtodevelopmentandmanagementofSocialSector/Servicesrelatingto
Health,Education,HumanResources.

TamilNaduinthecycleofdroughtandfloods

TamilNaduisemergingasaStateofclimateparadoxeswithitsvolatileweatherpatterns.Itsabitterironyforthe
Statethatwitnessedunprecedentedfloodsinitsnorthcoastaldistrictsin2015thatpusheditsnortheastmonsoon
rainfalltoanexcessof52%tonowbeinthegripofaseveredrought.Thedevastatingblowtoagricultureandwater
resourcescamewith2016turningouttobeoneofthedriestyears.

Whythisdrought?

TheStatewashitbytheworstannualrainfallin140yearsasitreceivedjust543mmofrainagainsttheyearly
averageof920mm.Thisisthelowestrecordedafter1876whenTamilNaduregistered534mm,leavinga
shortfallof42%.
WhileaweakLaNinaovertheequatorialPacificthatfollowedayearofstrongElNinoiscitedasoneofthe
reasonsforthedrought,mismanagementofsurfacewaterresources,overexploitationofgroundwaterto
compensateforthelossofresourcesindrywaterbodiesandthelackoftimelypolicieshavepushedtheState
intoadrought.
MeteorologyexpertsnotethatthesouthwestmonsoonrainfalloftencomplementsorcompensatestheStates
rainfallduringthenortheastmonsoon,whichaccountsforamajorshareoftheyearlyrainfall,thoughitmay
nothavethesameimpactasintheneighbouringStates.Lastyearwasparticularlybadforfarmersacrossall
districtsasbothmonsoonsfailedtobringsufficientrain.
PopulationdensityinmanyregionsofTamilNadu,whichishigherthanotherdrierregionslikeRayalaseemain
AndhraPradesh,alsoinfluencestheimpactofdrought.

Concerns:

Thelackofwaterresourcesforcropsisfearedtoleadtoashortfallinpaddycultivation,influxfromother
Statesandahikeinthepricesofessentialcommodities.
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

Expertshaveraisedconcernsoverthefailuretoobtaintargetcropyields,includingtreecrops,owingto
soaringtemperatures.
Droughthasdealtfarmersadoubleblowasthepaddycropfailurewillincreasethefoddercrisis,hitting
livestockproduction.
SeveralpartsoftheStatearealreadyexperiencingacutedrinkingwatershortage.Giventheclimatevariability
inwhichrainfallintensityissettobehigheranddistributionwillbelimitedtoafewdays.

Wayahead:

TheStategovernmentmustchalkoutplanstoaugmentthestoragecapacityofwaterbodiesandprotectwaterways
andencouragefarmerstoadoptcropdiversification,createfarmpondsandusefewerwaterintensivecrops.Unless
theStategovernmentdrawsupalongtermstrategytomanageitsresources,prioritiseagrarianneedsandcomeup
withbettercropinsurancepolicies,TamilNaduwillnotbeabletobreaktheviciouscycleofdroughtsandfloods.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper1Topic:IndianculturewillcoverthesalientaspectsofArtForms,LiteratureandArchitecture
fromancienttomoderntimes.

RevivingAssamsancientink

ByunravellingthesciencebehindAssamsancientherbalinkmahi,researchersareplanningtorecreatethelost
techniquesofmanuscriptwriting.Theysaytheireffortscouldboostheritagetourism.

Background:

MahiwasusedinearlyandmedievalAssamforwritingonsancipat(foliosmadeofthebarkofthesancitree)
manuscripts.SomefoliosweregiftedbyKumarBhaskarBarman,thethenKingofPragjyotishpura(ancientAssam)to
Harshavardhana,anemperorwhorulednorthIndiafrom606to647C.E.,atestimonytotheperiodofuse.

Aboutmahiink:

Thetechniqueinvolvesextractingmahiusingcowurinefromacocktailoffruitpulpandtreebarksuchasharitaki,
amla,bibhitakhiorbhomora,mangoandjamunofteninfusedwiththebloodofeelsorcatfish.Rustfromirontools
ornailswasaddedforanintenseblackhue.

Theenduranceoftheinkisprovenbythestabilityofsancipatmanuscripts.Thekeyfactorforthislonglasting
marriagebetweenmahiandsancipatistheherbalconcoctionsresistancetoaerialoxidationandfungal
attacks.
Themajorphytochemicalconstituentsinmahihavebeenidentifiedasphenolicacids,flavonoidsandtannins
andtheircomplexeswithiron.Thoughthereareseveralrecordedrecipesformahiformulation,one
commonalityexistsforall:theseasonduringwhichitisconcocted.
AnotherinterestingfeatureisthatthepHofmahiremainsneutralbecauseofcowurineandtheabsenceof
acidicingredientslikevinegar.Nostabiliserisusedinmahi.

Sources:thehindu.

Paper3Topic:ScienceandTechnologydevelopmentsandtheirapplicationsandeffectsineveryday
lifeAchievementsofIndiansinscience&technologyindigenizationoftechnologyanddevelopingnew
technology.
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

NewWiFisystemtooffersuperfastconnectivity

ScientistshavedevelopedanewwirelessInternetbasedoninfraredraysthatisreportedly100timesfasterthan
existingWiFinetworks.Alightbasedsystem,alsoknownasLiFi,couldmakewirelessnetworksmuchmore
secure.

Keyfacts:

Thewirelessnetworknotonlyhasahugecapacitymorethan40Gigabitspersecond(Gbit/s)butdoes
awaywiththeneedtoshareWiFiaseverydevicegetsitsownrayoflight.
Thewirelessdatacomesfromafewcentrallightantennas,whichcanbemountedontheceiling,thatare
abletopreciselydirecttheraysoflightsuppliedbyanopticalfibre.
Theantennascontainapairofgratingsthatradiatelightraysofdifferentwavelengthsatdifferentangles
(passivediffractiongratings).
Changingthelightwavelengthsalsochangesthedirectionoftherayoflight.Asafeinfraredwavelengthis
usedthatdoesnotreachtheretinaintheeye.
Ifauseriswalkingaboutandasmartphoneortabletmovesoutofthelightantennasdirection,thenanother
lightantennatakesover.
Thenetworktracksthepreciselocationofeverywirelessdeviceusingitsradiosignaltransmittedinthereturn
direction.
Differentdevicesareassigneddifferentwavelengthsbythesamelightantennaandsodonothavetoshare
capacity.
CurrentWiFiusesradiosignalswithafrequencyof2.5orfivegigahertz.Thenewsystemusesinfraredlight
withwavelengthsof1,500nanometresandhigher.

Sources:thehindu.

3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

Paper1Topic:IndianculturewillcoverthesalientaspectsofArtForms,LiteratureandArchitecture
fromancienttomoderntimes.

MovetogetworldheritagestatusforSankaram

TheBuddhistHeritagesitesatSalihundam(Srikakulamdistrict)andSankaramnearAnakapalleinVisakhapatnam
district,inadditiontoLepakshi(Anantapurdistrict)andtheNagarjunakondaInternationalMuseum(Gunturdistrict)
arelikelytofindaplaceinthelistofUnescoWorldHeritageSites.

Inthisregard,theArchaeologicalSurveyofIndia(ASI)hassoughtaproposalfromitsHyderabadunit,for
sendingittotheUnescoWorldHeritageCentrefortentativelisting.

Salihundam(Srikakulamdistrict)

Keyfacts:

Sankaram,alsoknownasBojjannakonda,wasexcavatedundertheaegisofAlexanderRimin1906.Agold
coinbelongingtotheSamudraguptaperiod,coppercoinsoftheChalukyaking,KubjaVishnuVardhan,coins
ofAndhraSatavahanasandpotterywerediscoveredatthesite.
AninterestingaspectoftheBojjannakondafindsisthattheyfeatureallthethreephasesofBuddhism:
Hinayana,MahayanaandVajrayana.Astairwayleadstoalargedoublestoreyedcaveonahill.The
rectangularcavehasadoorwayandisflankedbydwarapalakasoneitherside.
Thereisarockcutstupa,standingonasquareplatform,atthecentreofthecave.Aseriesofrockcutcaves
andmonolithicstructuresstandingonrockplatformsareseenonthenorthernsideofthehill.
Theuppercavehasarectangulardoorway,flankedbyfiguresoftheBuddhaoneitherside.Theimposing
figuresoftheBuddhainaseatedmeditativepostureandthestupaarethemainattractionsfortouristsat
Bojjannakonda.
TothewestofBojjannakondaisanotherhillock,LingalakondaorLingalametta,whereanumberofmonolithic
andstructuralstupascanbeseen.
ThecavesatBojjannakondaandthoseinTakshasilaaresimilar.ThewordSangramawasinuseat
TakshasilabutwasneverusedinAndhraPradesh.ThesetwofeaturessuggestthatBojjannakondawas
influencedbyBuddhistpracticesinnorthernIndia.
3/21/2017 InsightsDailyCurrentAffairs,20March2017INSIGHTS

Sources:thehindu.

FactsforPrelims

J&KgetsIndiaslongestroadtunnel:

IndiaslongestroadtunnelconnectingChenaniandNashriinJammuandKashmirwillshortlybeopened.
ThisengineeringmarvelisbeingcalledtheTunnelofHopeinKashmir.
ThestructureensuringallweatherconnectivitywillreducethedistancebetweenJammuandKashmirby38
km.
Ithastakennearlysixyearsfortheprojectscompletion,sincetheworkstartedinMay2011inthelower
Himalayanmountainrange.

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