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Monthly DNA
21 Dec, 2020
53 Min Read
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SENTINELESE
The Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has said that any exploitation of the North Sentinel Island of the Andamans for commercial and strategic gain would spell the death knell for its occupants, the Sentinelese, a most secluded, particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) who reside in complete isolation on the island.
About:
Important Info :
Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI)?
Source: TH
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As close neighbours, India and Nepal share a unique relationship of friendship and cooperation characterized by open borders and deep-rooted people–to–people contacts of kinship and culture. It shares a border with 5 Indian States - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
India – Nepal Trade relations
The previous trade treaty revised in 1996 can be considered a turning point in the trade relations between the two countries. Since 1996, Nepal’s exports to India have grown more than eleven times and bilateral trade more than seven times; the bilateral trade was 29.8% of total external trade of Nepal in years 1995-96 reached 66% in 2012-13.
Indian firms are the biggest investors in Nepal, accounting for about 40% of total approved foreign direct investments.
Cooperation in Water Resources and River Training are one of the most important areas of our bilateral relations and has immense potential. It is estimated that about 250 small and large rivers flow from Nepal to India and constitute an important part of the Ganges river basis. India and Nepal are cooperating in the Arun III Hydroelectric project.
Background
The India–Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms the bedrock of the special relations that exist between India and Nepal. Under the provisions of this Treaty, the Nepalese citizens have enjoyed unparalleled advantages in India, availing facilities and opportunities at par with the Indian citizens. The Treaty has allowed Nepal to overcome the disadvantages of being a land–locked country.
Beginning with the 12–Point Understanding reached between the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists at Delhi in November 2005, the Government of India welcomed the roadmap laid down by the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement of November 2006 towards political stabilization in Nepal through peaceful reconciliation and inclusive democratic processes.
Treaty of Sugauli
The Nepalese kingdom had stretched from the Sutlej river in the west to the Teesta river in the East. However, Nepal lost the Anglo-Nepalese War and the resulting Treaty of Sugauli, 1816 limited Nepal to its present territories.
The Sugauli Treaty stated that Nepal ceded to British the whole of the lowlands between the Rivers Kali and Rapti.
The Kali River is formed by the union of two headwaters : the Kalapani river that originates below the Lipulekh Pass and the Kuthi Yankit river that rises below the Limpiyadhura range. Both the streams have been termed ‘Kali River’ on different occasions.
The valley of Kalapani, with the Lipulekh Pass at the top, forms the Indian route to Kailash–Manasarovar. The Kali River serves as the boundary between Uttarakhand (Kumaon region) and Nepal from Limpiyadhura.
In addition to Mahakali/Sharda (West), Gandak/Narayani (South) and Mechi (East) are two other rivers which demarcate the border between India and Nepal. By 2007, the Nepal-India Technical Level Joint Boundary Working Group agreed on 182 strip maps covering almost 98% of the boundary, except the two disputed areas of Kalapani and Susta.
What is the issue about?
The dispute over the Kalapani area has spanned the last seven decades. Both Nepal and India have recognised it as an outstanding border issue requiring an optimal resolution.
The 1816 Sugauli Treaty between Nepal and British India placed all the territories east of the Kali (Mahakali) river, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh at the northwestern front of Nepal, on its side. The borders of Nepal, India and China intersect in this area.
Over the decades, these rivers have changed courses several times, giving rise to disputes, claims and counterclaims on land.
The Nepal government claims that by taking advantage of Nepal’s negligence in guarding its borders, India has encroached on its borderland.
The former director-general of the Department of Survey of Nepal, claims that maps from 1850 and 1856, prepared by the Survey of India with the participation of Nepali authorities, clearly state that the Mahakal River originates from Limpiyadhura, 16 km northwest of Kalapani, thereby proving that Kalapani belongs to Nepal.
However, India has consistently refused to accept those maps as proof.
Indian officials insist that a map drawn up by the British colonial government in 1875 should be considered instead.
The 1875 map allegedly shows the origin of the Mahakali River to the east of Kalapani. Unlike the maps from 1850 and 1856, the 1875 map does not have Nepal’s certification.
The Lipulekh pass, as well as the Limpayadhura pass (or Limpiya pass), are on Nepal border with Tibet. The Lipulekh Pass links Uttarakhand with China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region. The pass is near the tri-junction of India, Nepal and China. Nepal claims that the Indian army has encroached 372 km2 towards Limpiyadhura from Kalapani since the 1962 Indo-China war. At that time, Nepal, as a friendly neighbour, granted permission to the Indian army to set up a camp in the region. Subsequently, despite several firm requests by Nepal’s prime minister, Nepal has not been able to force India to withdraw its troops from the area.
What did India do? Current relations:
India signed an agreement with China in 2015 to use the Lipu Lekh Pass for trade; Kathmandu immediately protested to both New Delhi and Beijing.
India published a new map that showed Kalapani within its territory in 2019.
India’s defence minister inaugurated a road link to Lipu Lekh amid Covid-19 and an ongoing political crisis in Kathmandu.
Nepal also alleges India has routinely dismissed requests from the Nepal Ambassador for a meet with the Foreign Secretary.
Also, MEA said Kalapani talks could wait until both countries had dealt with the coronavirus pandemic first, which further enraged the Nepali government.
Meanwhile, Mr. Oli’s (Nepal PM) push towards the amendment at exactly the same time as the India-China border stand-off bolstered the belief that he is speaking with confidence borne from Beijing’s backing. The Oli government, which seeks to build its legacy by overturning what it calls “unequal” agreements made by the monarchy, could also cause a security nightmare for India
If Nepal opens up other parts of their long boundary, and reverses old commitments on open and unsecured border posts, the bilateral relationship will worsen benefitting China.
Nepal set to face fresh elections
Source: TH
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GS-Paper-3 Defence system- Indigenous technology (PT-Mains)
Context: The Defence Research and Development Organisation-DRDO are responsible for indigenously developed systems which will lead to higher self-reliance in defence technologies. Recently, the Defence Minister has handed over the Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System, ASTRA Mk-I and Border Surveillance System.
Defence Minister has handed over the Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System (IMSAS), ASTRA Mk-I and Border Surveillance System (BOSS) to the Navy, Air Force and Army respectively. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories have indigenously developed these three systems which will lead to higher self-reliance in defence technologies. The Defence Minister has also given away awards to DRDO scientists for outstanding contributions in various categories.
About
Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System:
ASTRA Mk-I:
Border Surveillance System (BOSS):
It is an all-weather electronic surveillance system successfully designed and developed by Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun. The system has been deployed at Ladakh border area for day and night surveillance and facilitates monitoring and surveillance by automatically detecting the intrusions in harsh high-altitude sub-zero temperature areas with remote operation capability.
**Awards for Outstanding Contributions:
DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018: Awarded to N V Kadam for his contributions for developing control and guidance schemes for missiles.
Source: TH
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An Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 prize. This award is given to spot global change-makers between the ages of 18 and 30 and support their ideas to save the environment.
Seven champions are selected from each global region: Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, West Asia and two from Asia and the Pacific. This prize, launched by UNEP in 2017, is in similar lines to UNEP’s Champions of the Earth prize.
Past News:2018 for UPSC
Winners of the 2018 Champions of the Earth Awards:
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Category |
Laureate(s) |
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1 |
Entrepreneurial Vision |
Cochin International Airport (awarded for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy) |
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2 |
Policy Leadership |
Emmanuel Macron, President of France and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India (awarded for their efforts regarding the International Solar Alliance) |
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3 |
Lifetime achievement award |
Joan Carling |
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4 |
Science and Innovation |
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods |
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5 |
Inspiration and Action |
China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme |
Young Champions of the Earth:
Source: PIB
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This lunar mission of China returned with 2Kg of the fresh rock samples from the moon, which would help us know more about moon’s origins and formation.
The spacecraft landed in Siziwang Banner, China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. These lunar samples were retrieved from a previously unvisited area of the moon known as the Oceanus Procellarum, or Ocean of Storms. Ocean of Storms is a site near the Mons Rumker, which was believed to have been volcanic in ancient times.
Mons Rumker, never sampled before, is geologically younger than the sampling areas of the U.S. and the Soviet missions. These young samples could help widen the spectrum of their analysis to understand the moon's volcanic activity and evolution.
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World Space Mission 1. Luna Programme It was a series of unmanned space mission of the Soviet Union sent to the Moon between 1959 and 1976. It was designed as either an orbiter or lander and accomplished many firsts in space exploration. 2. Project Apollo It was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America using the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launched vehicle conducted between 1961-1972. It was the third US human spaceflight program to fly, preceded by the two-man Project Gemini conceived in 1961 to extend spaceflight capability in support of Apollo. The crew of first space expedition of this mission was Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Collins remained in orbit around the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. 3. The Soviet space programme launched two flyby probes towards Mars in October 1960, dubbed Mars 1960A and Mars 1960B, but both failed to reach Earth orbits. 4. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory made two attempts at reaching Mars. Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 were identical spacecraft designed to carry out the first flybys of Mars. Mariner 4 was launched on 28 November 1964 successfully on the eight-month voyage to red planet. 5. Viking Programme In 1976, the two Viking probes entered orbit about Mars and each released a lander module that made a successful soft landing on the planet’s surface. 6. Phobos Programme It was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. 7. Mars Global Surveyor This mission was the first successful one to the red planet in two decades when it was launched in November 12, 1997. Mars Global Surveyor completed its primary mission on 31 January 2001, and is now in an extended mission phase. 8. Mars Pathfinder This spacecraft landed on July 4, 1997 on the ancient floodplain site called Ares Vallis (the northern hemisphere of the Mars). It carried a tiny remote-controlled rover called Sojourner which travelled a few meters around the landing site, exploring the conditions and sampling rocks around it. 9. Mars Odyssey It is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars which was developed by NASA. It was originally a component of the Mars Surveyor 2001 program, and was named the Mars Surveyor 2001 Orbiter. It was intended to have a companion spacecraft known as Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, but the lander mission was cancelled in May 2000 following the failures of Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander in late 1999. Subsequently, the name 2001 Mars Odyssey was selected for the orbiter as a specific tribute to the vision of space exploration. 10. Mars Express It is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency. It is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was designed and built. This spacecraft consists of the mars Express Orbiter and the lander Beagle 2. 11. Mars Exploration Rovers This was launched by NASA for exploring the planet Mars. It successfully landed in Gusev Crater (believed once to have been a crater) on January 3, 2004. 12. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter It was launched towards the planet to conduct a two-year science survey on 12 August 2005. 13. Venera Mission It was a series of probes which was developed by the USSR for the gathering of data from Venus. It was the first man-made devices- to enter the atmosphere of another planet; to make the soft landing on another planet; to return the images from the planetary surface and to perform high-resolution radar mapping studies of the Venus. 14. Vega program It was a series of unmanned spacecraft Venus missions launched in a cooperative effort among the Soviet Union and Austria, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Federal Republic of Germany in December 1984. 15. Venus Express It is the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency. 16. Magellan Spacecraft It had carried out a mission from 1989-1994, orbiting Venus from 1990-1994. It was named after the 16th century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It was the first planetary spacecraft to be launched by a space shuttle when it was carried aloft by the shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on May 1989. This mission was designated STS-30. 17. Pioneer Programme This was unmanned US space mission for planetary exploration. 18. Mariner program It was a 10-mission program conducted by the American space agency NASA in conjunction with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury. 19. Voyager program It is an American scientific program to study the outer Solar System. 20. Zond program It was a series of Soviet unmanned space program undertaken from 1964 to 1970 for the 3MV planetary probe which was intended to gather information about nearby planets. 20. Dawn Mission It was launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission of studying two of the three known protoplanets of the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres. It was retired on 1 November 2018 and it is currently in an uncontrolled orbit about its second target, the dwarf planet Ceres. 21. Deep Impact It is a NASA space probe designed to study the composition of the interior of the comet Tempel 1. 22. Messenger (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) It was a NASA robotic spacecraft that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015 to study Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. 23. Rosetta It is a European Space Agency-led unmanned space mission launched in 2004 intended to study the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. 24. Hayabusa It is an unmanned space mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to collect a sample of material from a small near Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa (dimension 540 meters by 270 meters by 210 meters) and return the sample to Earth for analysis. 25. NEAR Shoemaker It was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit. 26. Cassini-Huygens It is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moon. 27. Galileo It was unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moon. 28. Suisei (Planet-A) It was Japanese space probe sent to study Comet Halley. It was launched on 18 August 1985 from the Kagoshima Space Centre and had its closest approach (150,000 km) to Halley on March 8, 1986. 29. Discovery program It is a series of lower-cost (as compared to New Frontiers or Flagship Programs), highly focused American scientific space missions that are exploring the Solar System. 30. Chandrayaan Program It was India's first lunar probe launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in October 2008, and operated until August 2009. The prime objective was to conduct scientific experiments using instruments on the spacecraft which would yield data. 31. Mangalyaan Program It is a space probe orbiting Mars since 24 September 2014. It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The primary objective of the mission is to develop the technologies required for designing, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. 32. Chang'e Program It is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The program incorporates lunar orbiters, landers, rovers and sample return spacecraft, launched using Long March rockets. 33. Private Astrobotic Technology Program It is an American privately held company that is developing space robotics technology for planetary missions. It was founded in 2008 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates, with the goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize. |
Source: TH
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The Wildlife Institute of India proposed to put all power transmission lines passing through Great Indian Bustard (GIB) habitat underground. GIB, a bird native to India and Pakistan, is the State Bird of Rajasthan. The largest population is found in Rajasthan.
Quick FACTS
The sanctuaries that shelter or conserve
Protection status of GIB:
Threats include agriculture; energy production & mining; transportation; human intrusions, and invasive and other problematic species.
IUCN Red List
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IUCN As per the latest information from the IUCN Red List 2019:
A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit. The IUCN Red List is based upon precise criteria to evaluate the rate of extinction of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. The IUCN red list provides taxonomic data, conservation status, and distribution information on species that are facing a high risk of global extinction.
Objectives of IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature works to achieve the following goals:
IUCN Red List Users The IUCN Red List provides accurate data on the status of different species on the Earth. This information is used by various departments, institutes, and organizations. The users of the IUCN Red List are given below:
Purpose of the IUCN Red List Data The information cited in the IUCN Red List is used by various organizations in the following ways:
Following are the 9 categories in the IUCN red list:
List of critically endangered species in India as per IUCN Red List 2019 Critically Endangered Mammals
Critically Endangered Birds
Critically Endangered Reptiles
Critically Endangered Fishes
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Source: PIB
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Tropical montane grasslands (TMG) in the Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats have suffered big reductions due to invasions by exotic trees. But researchers have now identified areas suitable for grassland restoration and conservation to reverse the decline.
Source: TH
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User trials of the indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) jointly with private industry are scheduled to be resumed later this month and the trials will be completed by mid-2021.
Source: TH
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The Supreme Court said farmers have a constitutional right to protest as long as their opposition against the three agricultural laws did not slip into violence.
Source: TH
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 6th India-Japan Samvad conference on December 21, 2020, through video conferencing. PM Modi began by thanking the Japanese government for its constant support of the India-Japan Samvad.
He stated that the forum has done great work to ensure promote the ideas and ideals of Lord Buddha, especially among the youth. He said that historically, the light of the Buddha's message spread out from India to many parts of the world.
The Prime Minister proposed the creation of a library of all Buddhist literature and scriptures.
The first India-Japan Samwad Conference was held in 2015 at Bodh Gaya, India. The conference witnessed participation from leading religious leaders, scholars, academicians and political personalities, who exchanged views on conflict avoidance and environmental consciousness.
Key Objectives of the 6th India-Japan Samwad:
1. To encourage dialogue and debate
2. To highlight shared values between India-Japan
3. To carry forward our ancient tradition of spiritual and scholarly exchanges.
Source: PIB
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Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, putting China on course to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since the 1970s.
About the Chang'e-5 probe:
Identified location for the collection of samples:
Source: TH
RADIO BURST IN MILKY WAY NASA recently observed a mix of radio signals and X-rays in the Milky Way. This has never been observed earlier in the galaxy. NASA has also reported the spotting of Fast Radio Bursts. This was detected by the CHIME telescope. What are Fast Radio Bursts?
Mucormycosis Covid-19 has triggered Mucormycosis or black fungus in some patients. Mucormycosis is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of moulds called mucormycetes which exist in the environment. Symptoms include face numbness, one-side nose obstruction, swelling in the
ETHEREUM 2.0 Ethereum is a cryptocurrency. Recently, it was launched in a faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly platform, as the upgraded version called ‘Ethereum 2.0’. What is Ethereum? Ethereum is a decentralised and open-source blockchain platform, whic
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