Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Monsoon deficit goes down to 37%

News

• India’s monsoon rainfall deficit has improved to 37% after a deficit of 43% until last week.
• Three-fourths of India’s 36 meteorological divisions continue to post deficient rains, according to an update by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Moreover, several parts of India that are struck by water shortages continue to reel under such deficits.

Beyond News

• The southwest monsoon “further advanced” into parts of central Arabian Sea, Konkan, most parts of Madhya Maharashtra, remaining parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, some regions of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
• The IMD has forecast a ‘normal’ monsoon for 2019. This means India is expected to get 96% of the 89 cm rainfall average between June and September.
• Currently, the eastern branch of the monsoon that enters mainland India via the Bay of Bengal is performing better than the branch that advances northward, along India’s western coast, from Kerala.
• Several parts of northeastern India and even parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh have received monsoon rains due to a low pressure system in the Bay of Bengal.
• According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), 80% of the country’s 91 major reservoirs have below-normal storage and 11 reservoirs have no water at all.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Union Cabinet clears fresh DNA profiling bill

News

• The Union Cabinet cleared a DNA profiling bill, which seeks to control the use of DNA technology for establishing the identity of a person.

Beyond News

• The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in January, but lapsed as it could not be cleared in the Rajya Sabha due to lack of support from the Opposition.
• Now, after the Cabinet’s nod, a fresh bill will be brought in Parliament.
• The legislation seeks to establish a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks.
• The bill envisages that every data bank will maintain indices like the crime scene index, suspects’ or undertrials’ index, offenders’ index, missing persons’ index and the unknown deceased persons’ index.
• The legislation also seeks to establish a DNA Regulatory Board. Every laboratory that analyses DNA samples to establish the identity of an individual, has to be accredited by the board.
• Under the bill, a written consent by individuals is required to collect DNA samples from them. Consent is not required for offences with punishment of more than seven years of imprisonment or death.

Government approves Motor Bill; steep penalties for traffic offences proposed

News

• The government approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill that proposes hefty penalties for violation of traffic norms including up to ₹10,000 fine for not providing way to emergency vehicles and ₹10,000 for driving despite disqualification.

Beyond News

• It provides steep penalties for violation of various traffic norms,” the source said.
• In the area of road safety, stricter provisions have been proposed for offences such as juvenile driving, driving without licence, rash driving, drunk driving, over-speeding and overloading.
• The Bill proposes ₹10,000 fine for not providing way to emergency vehicles and ₹10,000 for driving despite disqualification. Aggregators violating driving licences will be fined up to ₹1 lakh, as per the provisions in the Bill.
• The proposals are based on the recommendations of Transport Ministers from 18 States, which were vetted by the Standing Committee of Parliament.
• The Bill includes penalties in the range of ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 for over-speeding.
• As per the Bill, driving without insurance will be punishable with ₹2,000 fine, while driving without helmets will attract ₹1,000 fine and 3-month suspension of licence.
• The provisions also include that guardian/owner will be deemed to be guilty in case of road offence by juveniles while registration of the vehicle will be cancelled.
• As per the new provisions “guardian/owner shall be deemed to be guilty and there will be a penalty of ₹25,000 with three years imprisonment and cancellation of registration of the Motor Vehicle”.
• Traffic violations also would now attract a penalty of ₹500 in place of ₹100 earlier, while disobedience of orders of authorities will attract a minimum penalty of ₹2,000 in place of ₹500 earlier.
• Penalty for unauthorised use of vehicles without licence has been proposed at ₹5,000 while those driving without licence will have to shell out the same amount and those found driving despite disqualification would be fined ₹10,000.
• Penalty for dangerous driving would be increased to ₹5,000 from ₹1,000, while drunk driving under the proposed new law would attract a fine of ₹10,000.
• Those not wearing seat belts would attract ₹1,000 fine and those found not wearing helmets while driving two-wheelers would be charged a penalty of ₹1,000 while their licences will be disqualified for three months.
• The driving training process has also been strengthened under the proposed law. To help the road accident victims, good Samaritan guidelines have been incorporated in the Bill.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Rare supernova explosion ‘gifted’ Earth with gold, platinum: Study

News

• An overlooked star explosion far away in space may have given the Earth the gift of precious heavy elements such as gold and platinum, a study claims.
• The research overturns our understanding of how heavy elements appeared on our planet.

Findings

• According to the research, some 80 per cent of the heavy elements in the universe likely formed in collapsars.
• Collapsars are a rare but heavy element-rich form of supernova explosion from the gravitational collapse of old, massive stars typically 30 times as weighty as our Sun.
• Heavy elements found on Earth and elsewhere in the universe from long-ago explosions range from gold and platinum, to uranium and plutonium used in nuclear reactors, to more exotic chemical elements such as neodymium found in consumer items such as electronics.

Scientists decode genome of ‘miracle plant’

News

• Scientists have decoded the genetic make-up of Arogyapacha (Trichopus zeylanicus), a highly potent medicinal plant endemic to the Agasthya hills.

Beyond News

• This ‘miracle plant’ is known for its traditional use by the Kani tribal community to combat fatigue.
• Studies have also proved its varied spectrum of pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumour, anti-ulcer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic.
• The lack of a reference genome that hindered extensive research on Arogyapacha prompted the researchers to sequence the whole genome.
• The genome and annotation data will be a valuable resource to expedite research on Arogyapacha, particularly its secondary metabolism, genetic breeding, and comparative studies.

Passports with advanced security features soon

News

• The government is on its way to integrate all the diplomatic missions and posts into the Passport Seva Project shortly.
• India would soon deliver passport booklets with advanced security features.

Beyond News

• India at present had 505 Passport Seva Kendras of which 412 were Post Office Passport Seva Kendras.
• India was on its way to deliver passport booklets with advance security features being produced at the India Security Press, Nashik. They would have chips installed for security.

Mt Everest turning into a pile of discarded tents, human waste

News

• The record number of climbers crowding the world’s highest mountain this season has left a government cleanup crew grappling with how to clear away everything from abandoned tents to human waste that threatens drinking water.

Beyond News

• Budget expedition companies charge as little as $30,000 per climber. Everest has so much garbage depleted oxygen cylinders, food packaging, rope that climbers use the trash as a kind of signpost.
• But this year’s haul from an estimated 700 climbers, guides and porters on the mountain has been a shock to the ethnic Sherpas who worked on the cleanup drive this spring.
• Moreover, the tents are littering South Col, or Camp 4, which, at 8,000 metres (26,240 feet), is the highest campsite on Everest, just below the summit. The high winds at that elevation have scattered the tents and trash everywhere.
• Estimated 30 tents had been left on South Col, and as much as 5,000 kg of trash. Bringing it down is a herculean task when any misstep could be fatal.

Device to trap ocean plastic waste relaunches

News

• A floating device designed to catch plastic waste has been redeployed in a second attempt to clean up an island of trash swirling in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii.

Beyond News

• Fitted with solar-powered lights, cameras, sensors and satellite antennas, the device intends to communicate its position at all times, allowing a support vessel to fish out the collected plastic every few months and transport it to dry land.
• The plastic barrier with a tapered 10-foot-deep (3-meter-deep) screen is intended to act like a coastline, trapping some of the 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic that scientists estimate are swirling in the patch while allowing marine life to safely swim beneath it.

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