Indian Express’ weekly UPSC news explicit covers some of the most important topics in this week’s news to get you ready for UPSC-CSE.
Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex
Program:
Preliminary examination: History of India and the Indian National Movement.
Main Exam: General Studies I – Indian Culture will cover the most prominent facets of art forms, literature and architecture from antiquity to time.
Why in the news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday evening reviewed the structure of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) site in Lothal, Gujarat via video conference. “There are many of those stories from our history that have been forgotten,” the prime minister said. Lothal is not only a major trading centre of the Indus Valley civilization, but it is also a symbol of India’s maritime strength and prosperity. “
Key things to remember
Where is Lothal?
-Lothal, one of the southernmost places of the Indus Valley civilization, located in the Bhāl region, in the present-day state of Gujarat. It is believed that the port city was built in 2200 BC. pearls, gemstones and ornaments achieve Western Asia and Africa. The meaning of Lothal (a mixture of Lot and thal) in Gujarati is “the mound of the dead”.
By the way, the call of the people of Mohenjo-daro (who are also part of the Indus Valley civilization, present-day Pakistan) is the same in Sindhi.
Indian archaeologists began searching for peoples of the Harappan civilization after 1947 in Gujarat’s Saurashtra. Archaeologist SR Rao led the team that discovered several Harappan sites at the time, adding the port city of Lothal. Lothal between February 1955 and May 1960. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Lothal had the oldest known pier in the world, connecting the city with an ancient course of the Sabarmati River.
– In addition, the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa discovered marine microfossils and gypsum crystals at the site, indicating that seawater once filled the design and that it was definitely a shipyard.
– In future excavations, ASI unearthed a mound, a township, a market and the pier. Next to the excavated spaces is the Archaeological Site Museum, where some of the highest collections of antiquities from the Indus era in India are exhibited.
Heritage value
—Lothal was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in April 2014, and its application is pending on UNESCO’s provisional list. According to the nomination register submitted to UNESCO, “The excavated site of Lothal is the only port city of the Indus Valley civilization. A The city with an upper part of the city and a lower part of the city had on its north side a vertically walled basin, front and outlet channels that was known as a tidal shipyard.
— Satellite photographs show that the riverbed, now dry, would have brought an abundant volume of water at high tide, which would have filled the basin and facilitated the navigation of boats upstream. Remains of stone anchors, seashells, seals hinting at their origin in the Persian Gulf, as well as the design known as an additional warehouse to see how the port works.
—Its heritage value is comparable to that of other ancient port cities of the world, adding Xel Ha (Peru), Ostia (Port of Rome) and Carthage (Port of Tunis) in Italy, Hepu in China, Canopus in Egypt, Gabel (Byblos of the Phoenicians), Jaffa in Israel, Ur in Mesopotamia, Hoi An in Vietnam, according to the archive. Rajkot).
The project
—The task started in March 2022 and is in progress at a cost of Rs 3500 crore. It will feature several cutting-edge features, such as Lothal’s mini recreation, which will recreate Harappa’s architecture and lifestyle through immersive technology; in addition to 4 theme parks: Memorial Theme Park, Marine and Marine Theme Park, Climate Theme Park and Adventure and Entertainment Theme Park.
It will also house the world’s tallest light space museum, 14 galleries showcasing India’s maritime heritage from the time of Harappa to the present, and a coastal states pavilion showcasing the varied maritime heritage of the Indian and UT states.
—The Prime Minister said the Lothal National Maritime Heritage Complex will serve as a hub for India’s maritime history and learning. The NMHC is being developed with the aim of showcasing India’s varied maritime heritage and helping Lothal emerge as a world-class foreign tourist destination.
(source: Lothal, “the oldest pier in the world”, to download a heritage complex: features, of the cession through Divya A)
Food for thought: What can you say about the population of the Indus Valley civilization?
1. MCQ:
Which of the following characterizes/characterizes the population of the Indus civilization?(2013)
Select the declaration(s) of the correct type(s) the codes below.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) None of the above statements are correct
Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022
Program:
Preliminary review: economic and social development
Industry review:
• General Studies II: Problems of poverty and hunger
• General Studies III: Inclusive Expansion and Similar Challenges
Why in the news?
About 415 million other people in India were lifted out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2019-21, and the incidence of poverty rose from 55 percent to just over 16 percent in this period, according to the 2022 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
Key things to remember
Which of the following statements is true?
1. According to the World Bank, anyone living on less than $2. 15 a day is living in extreme poverty.
2. The MPI report is through the World Bank and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.
a) Only 1 b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Program:
Preliminary review: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demography, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main review: General Studies III: Indian economics and planning, resource mobilization, growth, development and employment issues.
Why in the news?
– Hit by emerging global inflation and a stronger dollar, the rupee broke through 83 to close at a new low of 83. 02 against the US dollar on Wednesday amid strong demand for dollars by corporations and oil corporations, raising the specter of an extra in imported inflation.
Opposition parties criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for telling the United States that the fall in the price of the rupee is the result of the strengthening of the dollar.
Key things to remember
is it strengthening?
To take the example of the rupee, a dollar that cost 74. 50 rupees on January 1, currently costs only 82. 30 rupees. The price of the dollar has soared for more than a year now, against almost every single currency in the world.
— Thus, the euro, which at 0. 88 against the dollar on January 1, is now at 1. 02, and the pound sterling, which at 0. 73 against the dollar at the beginning of the year, is now at 0. 89. In the same period, the Australian dollar rose from 1. 37 to 1. 61, and the Japanese yen jumped from 115 to 148 against the dollar.
Why is it strengthening?
“At a very basic level, the U. S. economy is not allowed to do so. The U. S. is doing better than other economies. Despite very high inflation rates, the U. S. hard labor market is still in the midst of the world. UU. se has performed incredibly well and sectors like this have remained resilient. This boosted confidence in the market and countered considerations such as those raised through a slowdown in the housing sector.
Is the Indian rupee better than currencies?
-Yes, it is. While the rupee lost 2. 6% against the dollar in September, crossing the mental thresholds of 81 and 82, it has been one of the strongest currencies in the current environment that has affected, to a greater or lesser degree, all currencies and economies to the fullest.
As a result, the Korean won fell by about 6% compared to September, and sterling lost almost as much. Australia’s fell 4. 8%, and the Swedish krona, Chinese yuan and Philippine peso fell 4. 6%. 4. 1% and 4. 1% respectively.
As discussed earlier, the rupee fell less: 2. 6%. This is comparable to the fall of the euro, which lost 2. 4% in September.
Food for thought: We are witnessing an era of dollar strength and rupee weakness. Do you agree?
3. MCQ:
Which of the following is/are true with respect to inflation?
1. In an inflationary environment, asymmetric value increases inevitably reduce the purchasing power of some consumers, and this erosion of the genuine source of income is the cause of inflation.
2. La inflation can distort the strength over time for recipients and payers of constant interest rates.
a) Only 1 b) Only 2
(c) 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Program:
Preliminary examination: news of national significance.
Main Exam: General Studies II – India and its surroundings
Pakistan is no longer on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list” after 4 years, a progression that has been welcomed across the country.
Key things to remember
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is commonly referred to as the world’s “terrorist financing watchdog,” meaning it is the — and parent — of a foreign regime that ensures that cash flows in the global monetary formula are not misused to fund terrorism. Activities.
— The FATF describes itself as an intergovernmental framework that works to “establish criteria and announce the effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and similar threats to the integrity of the foreign monetary system. “
— The FATF maintains a “grey list” of countries that it closely monitors. Essentially, those are countries that, according to the FATF’s assessment, have failed to prevent cash laundering and terrorist financing worldwide and are on a global watch list for misbehavior.
— Until Friday (October 21), Pakistan is the most vital country on the list. After (along with Nicaragua) it was removed from the list, 23 countries remain under surveillance.
These countries are joined by the Philippines, Syria, Yemen, Uganda, Morocco, Jamaica, Cambodia, Burkina Faso and South Sudan, as well as the tax havens of Barbados, the Cayman Islands and Panama.
What do the grey-list countries intend to do?
— The FATF refers to these countries as “jurisdictions under enhanced supervision. “Basically, those countries will have to comply with certain situations established through the FATF, otherwise they risk being “blacklisted” through the watchdog. Compliance is reviewed periodically through the FATF.
According to the FATF, when a jurisdiction is placed under enhanced surveillance, it means that the country has committed to immediately address known policy deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased scrutiny. “
— Specifically, those jurisdictions “actively work with the FATF to address policy gaps in their anti-money laundering regimes, countering terrorist financing and proliferation financing. “
So Pakistan has done all this to the satisfaction of the FATF?
“Yes,” says the FATF.
— In June 2018, when it was first placed on the grey list, Pakistan committed at the highest political point to “work with the FATF on its AML/CFT regime and address shortcomings in its fight against terrorist financing. “related actions” .
“AML/CFT” is FATF jargon for “Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism. “
— On 21 October, the FATF announced that “Pakistan has improved the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and addressed technical shortcomings in assembling the commitments of its action plans on the strategic gaps known through the FATF in June 2018 and June 2021, the newest of which ended ahead of schedule, covering 34 action themes in total.
Therefore, he said, “Pakistan is no longer an issue of the FATF’s enhanced surveillance process. “
Okay, is that true?
“Technically speaking, in the FATF assessment, Pakistan has fulfilled what it was mandated.
In an official statement, India noted that “as a result of the FATF review, Pakistan was forced to take action against known terrorists, adding those involved in the attacks on the entire foreign network in Mumbai on 26/11. “
However, “it is in the interest of the global that the global remains transparent that Pakistan will have to continue to take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustained measures against terrorism and the financing of terrorism emanating from territories under its control. “
What practice can Pakistan derive from graduation from the FATF list?
—Prior to the FATF meeting, Pakistani Dawn said that “if removed from the [grey] list, Pakistan would necessarily improve its reputation and a record of impeccable aptitude of the foreign terrorist financing network. “
“Research suggests that the grey list has a negative effect on dating countries involved with foreign lenders, adding banks and money establishments that take note of FATF ratings, as well as existing and potential foreign investors in those countries.
“Pakistan’s economy is in dire straits and desperate need of investment. On October 21, just before the FATF announcement, global rating firm Fitch downgraded the country’s sovereign rating from ‘B-‘ to ‘CCC’, following Moody’s, which earlier in the month downgraded Pakistan’s score to ‘Caa1’ from ‘B3’.
Food for thought: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan: what can East do with West?
4. MQQ:
Which of the following statements is true with respect to the FATF?
(a) The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the framework for tracking money laundering and terrorist financing.
(b) The FATF provides a list of countries to be low-tax jurisdictions or tax havens.
(c) The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) established in July 1989 through a Summit of the Group of Seven (G-7) in Paris.
(d) The FATF has lately 37 member jurisdictions and 2 regional organizations.
A novelty about global warming
Program:
Preliminary review: replacement of general problems of environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate, which do require specialization.
Main review: General Studies III: Environmental conservation, pollutants and environmental degradation have an effect on assessment.
Why in the news?
While the world worries about restricting global warming to less than 1. 5 degrees or 2 degrees Celsius, a new one has found that even the current point of average global temperatures, about 1. 1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, is enough to cause catastrophic adjustments in various weather systems.
The study, published recently in the journal Science, warned that thresholds for many of those systems may simply cross at existing degrees of warming, triggering self-sustaining adjustments that can put living things at risk.
The research is an up-to-date assessment of vital climate tipping points, or thresholds beyond which adjustments in Earth’s systems are uncontrollable and irreversible. .
Key things to remember
The discussion about climate tipping issues is new, and several studies over the past 15 years have identified other tipping problems, such as the disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet, spontaneous relief in Amazon forest cover, melting glaciers or permanent softening of ice. Frozen laminar soils in the polar regions involving gigantic amounts of carbon.
“Over the years, researchers have known at least 15 tipping points, correlated with other degrees of temperature rise. The most recent review knew nine global and seven regional tipping points, and reassessed their dynamics and correlation with global warming.
Tipping problems at work
Rising temperatures are causing large-scale adjustments to those weather systems. Melting glaciers, thinning Arctic ice, emerging sea degrees are visual and well-documented adjustments. However, it is still possible, at least in theory, to avoid such adjustments, or even oppose them over time. But once the rollover issues intersect, this option no longer exists. It’s like the moment of dam failure.
— The replacement procedure becomes self-sustaining. It feeds on itself and speeds up the procedure. Worse, it also boosts and speeds up similar procedures.
“The Greenland ice sheet, which is already melting, is a clever example of this process. As it melts, the height of the ice sheet decreases. In the process, more of it is exposed to warmer air. This is because the air is warmer at low altitudes than at maximum altitudes. Exposure to warmer air accelerates the melting process. Once the tipping point is crossed, it becomes a cyclical and self-sufficient formula. The formula is not opposed even if global temperatures prevent them from rising.
“It’s the same for the Amazon forests. These play a very important role in the onset of rains in the region. If deforestation continues unabated, there would be fewer and fewer trees, which would decrease rainfall and cause more stress on the trees. Again, this becomes a self-sustaining process.
—Several regions of the planet remain frozen during the year. These are known as permafrost. Because they have remained in this state for centuries, they involve gigantic amounts of carbon, from plants and animals that have died and decomposed over the years, trapped in them. Permafrost layers are estimated to involve up to 1. 7 trillion tons of carbon, most commonly in the form of carbon dioxide and methane. By comparison, global carbon emissions in one year are on the order of 40 billion tons.
The softening or melting of permafrost layers is already releasing carbon into the atmosphere. This release of carbon adds to the warming, which in turn accelerates the process of softening the permafrost layers. This also has a tipping point beyond which it would be self-sufficient cycle.
New discoveries
“When the discussion about tipping issues arose about two decades ago, most of them were only credible in warming scenarios above five degrees Celsius. But more recent information, which adds that presented through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), suggests that those inclination problems would intersect between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius of temperature increase.
“The most recent study presented evidence suggesting that some of those tipping problems can also be achieved even with existing warming levels. It showed that the current warming of 1. 1 degrees Celsius was at the lower end of temperature levels for at least five tipping problems. This means that those self-perpetuating changes would have already begun. For warming of between 1. 5 and 2 degrees Celsius, six trend problems are “likely” and four “possible,” according to the study.
Policy response
“The findings of this study further magnify voices calling for greater efforts to restrict global warming. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report released earlier this year said global greenhouse fuel emissions will have to peak until 2025 and fall 43% from current levels by 2030, if the 1. 5 degrees Celsius target is to be met. With the existing effort point, the planet is on track to warm more than 2 degrees by the year 2100.
“However, countries must particularly develop the ambition of their climate action in the coming years. On the contrary, it is very likely that progress will only slow down due to the effects of the war in Ukraine on energy supply chains around the world.
(source: Global warming tipping points through Amitabh Sinha)
Food for thought: The challenge is to expand technologies that meet the world’s food and nutritional desires while integrating the imperatives of climate change. Comment.
5. MCQ:
On planet Earth, most of the new water exists in the form of polar ice caps and glaciers. Of the remaining new water, the largest proportion (2013)
(a) is discovered in the environment as moisture and clouds
(b) is in freshwater lakes and rivers
(c) exists as groundwater
(d) exists as soil moisture
MCQ responses: 1 (b), 2 (b), 3 (d), four (b), five (c)
Shilpa Shetty remembers making Revathi cry because she appeared completely made up to play an HIV-positive character in Phir Milenge.