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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Monthly DNA

10 Dec, 2023

24 Min Read

India Art, Architecture, and Design Biennale

GS-I : Art and Culture Art and Culture

Recently, the 1st edition of IAADB was held at the Red Fort.

  • It is a celebration of our country’s diverse heritage and vibrant culture and it will serve as an introduction to the Cultural Space at Delhi.

Aim – To institutionalise a flagship Global Cultural Initiative in India like the International Biennales at Venice, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Sharjah, among others.

Cultural spaces are being built in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Varanasi to enrich these cities culturally.

7 Exhibition themes – Doors of India, Gardens of India, Baolis (step-wells) of India, Temples of India, Architectural Wonders of Independent India, Indigenous Design and Women in Architecture and Design.

  • They are designed in both physical and digital forms.

Exhibition curated by

    • The National Gallery of Modern Art
    • The National Council of Science Museums
    • Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
    • Lalit Kala Akademi
    • Council of Architecture
    • The outreach department of the Ministry of Education

Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design - A special gallery to provide a platform to promote rare crafts of India which was curated by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.

  • It will pave way for cultural economy by empowering artisan communities with new designs and innovations.

Samunnati – It is a student biennale at Lalit Kala Akademi, to showcase their work and interact with peers & professionals within the architecture community.

Source:

Advocates Amendment Bill, 2023

GS-II : Governance Policies and Programmes

Recently, Advocate amendment bill 2023 was passed in Lok Sabha which amends the Advocates Act 1961 and Legal Practitioners Act 1879.

What is Legal Practitioners Act 1879?

Aim- To consolidate and amend the law relating to Legal Practitioners in certain provinces.

Application- The Act initially extended to areas in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Orissa, and Delhi.

  • Any state government could, by notification in the Official Gazette, extend it to their States.

Legal practitioner- Section 2 of the 1879 Act defined the term “legal practitioner” to include advocates, vakils, or attorneys of any High Court.

Tout- It also introduced a new definition of the term “tout”.

A tout is someone who procures clients for a legal practitioner in exchange for payment. The definition also included people who frequented civil or criminal courts, revenue offices, railway stations, etc. for such procurement purposes.

What is Advocates Act 1961?

Aim- To create a single class of legal practitioners known as “advocates.”

All India Bar Council- It established the council consisting of the Attorney General of India, the Solicitor General of India, and one representative from each State Bar Council, elected by its members.

Bar Council of India- It empowers the body to make rules on matters such as legal education, professional conduct, legal aid, and recognition of foreign qualifications.

Advocates- It defines an advocate as a person who is enrolled in any State Bar Council and who is entitled to practice law before any court or authority in India.

Tout provisions-The Act repealed a majority of the 1879 Act but left behind provisions relating to its extent, definitions, and powers to frame and publish lists of touts.

Why there is a need to amend the bill?

Aim-

    • To amend the Advocates Act, 1961 and
    • To repeal obsolete provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879.

Tout as offence- The bill seeks to make the offence of touting as punishable and empowers judges to publish a list of offenders.

Efficiency- It is amended to reduce the number of superfluous enactments in the statute book and repeal all obsolete laws.

Productiveness- To keep in line with the government’s policy of repealing all obsolete laws or pre-independence Acts that have lost their utility,

Ethical regulation- The bill aims to ensure the regulation of legal profession and protect the interests of advocates and public.

Consultation-The bill provides provision to consult with the Bar Council of India on the reguilation of legal profession.

What are the key provisions of the bill?

  • Touts- The Bill provides that every High Court, district judge, sessions judge, district magistrate, and revenue officer (not below the rank of a district collector) may frame and publish lists of touts.
  • Conduct inquiry- The authorities empowered to frame and publish the list of touts may order subordinate courts to hold an inquiry into the conduct of persons alleged or suspected to be touts.
  • Publish the list- If proven to be a tout, such person’s name will be included in the list of touts that will be published by the authority and hung in every court.
  • Exclusion- The court or judge may exclude from the premises of the Court any person whose name is included in the list of touts.
  • No person will be included in such lists without getting an opportunity of showing cause against his inclusion.
  • Penalty- Any person who acts as a tout while his name is included in the list of touts will be punished with
    • Imprisonment up to 3 months,
    • Fine up to Rs 500, or both.
  • Illegal practise- The bill inserts a new provision in Section 45 of the Advocates Act, 1961, which prescribes 6 months of imprisonment for persons illegally practising in courts and before other authorities.

Source:

Santiago Network

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Climate Change

The draft text on the Santiago Network has been adopted by the Parties and sent to the Conference of the Parties (COP) of UNFCCC at COP28 in UAE.

  • It is a collaborative framework established as part of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage(WIM) under the UNFCCC.
  • Aim - To connect vulnerable developing countries with technical support and resources to effectively address and manage loss and damage caused by climate change.
  • Genesis
    • At COP19,2013 (Warsaw, Poland) – Proposal to establish
    • At COP25, 2019 (Madrid, Spain) – Establishment
    • At COP26, 2021 (Glassgow, UK) – Decision on functions
    • At COP27, 2022 (Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt) – Adopted terms of references and established advisory body
  • Function – To contribute for the effective implementation of the functions of the Warsaw international mechanism.
  • Hosts - The United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and United Nations Office for Project Services have been selected as hosts.

Santiago is the capital of Chile.

Source:

Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Renewable Energy

International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for government to commit to tripling global renewable capacity by 2030 ahead of COP 28, but some key players have not signed the pledge.

Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge

  • Led by- US, European Union and UAE.
  • Aim- To achieve net zero emission by mid-century (2050).
  • Coal phase-out- The pledge calls for “the phase down of unabated coal power” and an end to the financing of new coal-fired power plants.
  • It is seen as a crucial step to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as agreed in the Paris Agreement.
  • Target-
    • To triple worldwide installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 GW.
    • To double global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements to more than 4% by 2030.
  • Signed- At COP 28 in Dubai.
  • Major non-signatory countries- India and China
  • According to IEA projections, the global share of renewables in power generation is anticipated to jump from 28% in 2021 to 80 % by 2050, while coal’s contribution will dwindle to 3%.
  • Primary renewable energy sources with their share in global power generation-
    • Hydroelectric- 16.1 %
    • Wind- 5.6%
    • Solar-3.8%

What are the challenges of increasing renewables energy?

  • Hydroelectric power- Large dams are difficult to construct due to environmental and regulatory issues.
  • Unrealistic goal-Around 57% of hydroelectric power is of renewable energy, but tripling its capacity by 2030 is unlikely.
  • Solar power- It is limited by daylight hours, land availability, environmental impacts, and import dependence.
  • High cost-Solar panels also need efficient and costly storage solutions to match peak demand and overcome intermittency.
  • Import dependency- Amy countries depend on China for solar panels or raw materials, it increases the import costs.
  • Wind energy -It is affected by weather conditions, site availability, and material emissions.
  • Structural issues- Wind turbines also face the problem of intermittency and require backup or storage solutions to provide stable power.
  • To triple renewable energy by 2030 the solar and wind output must increase by at least 5 times.
  • Issues with fossil fuel- The COP 28 pledge does not specify reducing fossil fuels, which cause over 80% of greenhouse emissions. The US and other countries still subsidize and use fossil fuels extensively.
  • Fund deficit- The transition to renewables requires massive investments, which can burden poorer countries and affect their budgets for essential services.

Despite the challenges, renewable energy capacity has more than doubled globally in the past decade, with costs declining significantly. By 2035, renewable electricity generation is expected to surpass fossil fuel production.

What is India’s stand with respect renewable energy?

  • India’s status- India is the 3rd largest energy consuming country in the world.
  • As per Renewables 2022 Global Status Report, India stands
    • 4th globally in renewable energy installed capacity
    • 4th in wind power capacity
    • 4th in solar power capacity
  • India has already achieved its target of 40% installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuels.
  • Renewable energy target- India has set an enhanced target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030, which is the world’s largest expansion plan in renewable energy.
  • Carbon neutrality-India has also pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
  • Tripling renewables proposal- India didn’t sign the pledge as a report has found that India would need an investment of about 293 billion dollars to triple its renewable energy installed capacity by 2030.
  • Reliance on coal- India is not comfortable with the coal phase out target as it need to focus on poverty reduction and economic growth, hence it did not sign the pledge.

Steps taken by India to promote Renewable Energy

  • National Green Hydrogen Mission- It focuses on direct and indirect employment, import substitution, and R&D for higher efficiency in renewable energy technologies.
  • PM KUSUM scheme-It is aimed at ensuring energy security for farmers in India, along with honouring India’s commitment to increase the share of installed capacity of electric power from non-fossil-fuel sources to 40% by 2030 as part of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
  • Investment- India allows up to 100% Foreign Direct Investment under the automatic route for renewable energy generation and distribution project.
  • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) - Scheme for high efficiency solar aims to enhance India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports in the solar sector.
  • Green Energy Corridors- It is established to create intra-state transmission system for renewable energy projects.
  • International Solar Alliance- It is a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions with an aim of One Sun, One World, One Grid.
  • Green carbon credits-It is proposed by India to create carbon sinks through people’s participation.

India has 424 GW of power generation capacity which includes around 180 GW from non-fossil fuels and another 88 GW is in the works, the minister said. The country has a target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Source: pib

Coastline Erosion

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Conservation

Recently, Union Minister cited that over one-third of India’s coastline is vulnerable to erosion as per the study of National Centre for Coastal Research.

What are the key highlights of the study about India’s coastline?

As much as 32% of India’s coastline underwent sea erosion and 27% of it expanded between 1990 and 2018

  • Coastal erosion- It has been noticed in 9 States and 2 Union Territories.
  • - The report states that the west coast has relatively been stable with erosion in minor pockets like Kerala. In the west, 48% of the coastline is stable, whereas only 28% of the eastern coast has been deemed stable.

Goa and Maharashtra have the most stable coastlines in the country.

  • Accretion- States such as Odisha (51%) and Andhra Pradesh (42%) recorded the maximum gain (The coast is growing) owing to coastline changes.

What is coastal erosion?

  • Shoreline retreat- It is the loss of coastal lands due to the net removal of sediments or bedrock from the shoreline.
  • Types-

Hydraulic action - This type of erosion is more effective in areas where the rock has many cracks or joints, such as limestone or chalk.

  • It can also create features such as blowholes, geysers, and sea caves.

Abrasion- It is also known as corrosion or sandpapering. It can create smooth and polished surfaces on the rock, such as wave-cut platforms.

  • It can also erode softer rocks faster than harder ones, creating differential erosion2.

Attrition- This type reduces the size and shape of the rock fragments carried by the waves.

  • It can also increase the efficiency of abrasion, as smaller and rounder particles can act as more effective tools for erosion.

Solution- It is also known as corrosion or dissolution. It depends on the chemical composition of the rock and the water.

  • Some rocks, such as limestone and chalk, are more soluble than others, such as granite and basalt.
  • It can create features such as karst landscapes, sinkholes, and stalactites.

Factors causing coastal erosion?

Factors

About

Waves

  • It is due to the powerful waves generated by wind and tides erode the coastline over time.
  • The intensity of wave action depends on factors such as coastal geomorphology, wind patterns, and sea currents.

Sea level rise

  • Rising sea levels due to global warming and climate change contribute to coastal erosion.
  • As sea levels rise, waves reach farther inland, leading to erosion of coastal land.

Sediment loss

  • Natural processes like coastal currents and longshore drift can cause the loss of sediment along the coastline.
  • This reduces the availability of sediment to replenish eroded areas.

Human interference

  • Improper coastal infrastructure development, sand mining, construction of harbours, and coastal pollution, can accelerate coastal erosion.
  • These activities disrupt natural sediment movement and alter coastal processes.

What are the effects of coastal erosion?

  • Land loss- It can have severe implications for coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Valuable agricultural land, residential areas, and tourist destinations can be negatively affected.
  • Climate refugees- Erosion can force communities to relocate as their homes and livelihoods are threatened.
  • Coastal flooding-As erosion removes natural barriers, such as sand dunes and vegetation, coastal areas become more vulnerable to flooding during storms and high tides.
  • Biodiversity loss-Coastal erosion affects coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, coral reefs, and dune systems.
  • Economic Impact- It can damage or destroy coastal infrastructure, including roads, buildings, and ports.
  • Loss of revenue- It can impact beach tourism and reduced land productivity can also impact local economies.

What are the India's initiatives for coastal management?

Indian coast is about 7500 km long and characterized by varied landforms and ecosystems.

  • Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)- It is a study and a planning initiative under World Bank, with the first phase for Enhancing Coastal Ocean Resource Efficiency (ENCORE)
  • Society of Integrated Coastal Management- It launches the ICZM under four components.
    • National Coastal Management Program
    • ICZM- West Bengal
    • ICZM- Orissa
    • ICZM- Gujarat
  • National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management- It is set up in Chennai to undertake studies and research in the area of Coastal Zone Management including coastal resources and environment.
  • National Action Plan on Climate Change- It outlines a strategy that aims to enable the country to adapt to climate change and enhance the ecological sustainability of our development path.
  • Coastal Regulation Zone- It is notified by the Ministry of Environment under the ambit of Environment Protection Act 1986, sets guidelines to strike balance between economic growth and environmental conservation.

National Centre for Coastal Research

  • Ministry - Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • Origin - In 1998, the Project Directorate ‘Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM-PD)’ was developed in Chennai.
  • In 2018, ICMAM-PD was designated as the NCCR.
  • Objective-
    • To develop and improve the country's capabilities in addressing the challenging problems prevailing in the coastal zone.
    • To offer scientific and technical support to coastal communities for integrated and sustainable use of resources towards the socio-economic benefit of the society
  • Multi-disciplinary research-Marine Pollutions, Coastal processes and Hazards, Coastal Habitats and Ecosystem and Capacity Building and Training.
  • Technical support- It provides support to the coastal states and stakeholders for sustainable coastal management.

Source:

Build for Bharat Initiative

GS-II : Government policies and interventions Government Schemes & Programmes

  • Announced by - Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) with Google Cloud India, Antler in India, Paytm, Protean and Startup India.

Aim- To tackle diverse challenges in digital commerce, promoting industry innovation to develop practical solutions in this space.

Source:

4E Wave movement

GS-II : Government policies and interventions Government Schemes & Programmes

  • The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy has launched 4E Wave Movement recently.
  • It is a Student-Led National Movement for Energy Conservation in Jammu & Kashmir.

Aim -To promote sustainable practices and instil a sense of responsibility in individuals and communities to save energy.

Source:

Youth for Unnati and Vikas with AI (YUVAi)

GS-III : S&T Artificial Intelligence

  • YUVAi is a national program that aims to teach AI skills to students in grades 8–12.

The program is a collaboration between the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Intel.

Source:

Zhuque-2 rocket

GS-III : S&T International S&T initiative

  • The Zhuque-2 (ZQ-2) is a Chinese medium-sized, 1st methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit.
  • The rocket can carry a payload of up to 1.5 metric tons into a 500-kilometre-orbit.
  • The rocket is powered by liquid oxygen and liquid methane.

It was launched by China-based private space technology firm LandSpace.

Source:

“Operation Storm Makers II”

GS-II : International Relations International issues

  • Operation Storm Makers II was a global operation by Interpol that targeted human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
  • The operation targeted criminal networks that exploit migrants for cyber fraud.

The operation involved law enforcement agencies in 27 countries across Asia and other regions.

Source:

Electroporation

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Animals

  • A recent study found that electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae, which is known as electroporation, a gene delivery technique.
  • Electroporation is a technique that uses an electrical field to increase the permeability of cell membranes.
  • This allows larger molecules, such as DNA, drugs, and chemicals, to enter the cell.

Source:

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