PERIYAR IAS ACADEMY 9-JULY-2018
Topic: Indian
culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature.
WORLD SANSKRIT CONFERENCE
Context: The
2018 World Sanskrit Conference (WSC) is being hosted by the Department of Asian Studies at the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. It is 17th such
conference.
World Sanskrit Conference:
§ The World
Sanskrit Conference is the premier international forum for professional
researchers and educators of the Sanskrit language and its literatures, and of
the history, religion, and cultures of premodern South Asia.
§ It is convened every three years under the auspices of
the International Association of Sanskrit Studies.
About IASS:
§ At the
29th International Congress of Orientalists, held in Paris in 1973,
Sanskritists from various countries endorsed the formation of the International
Association of Sanskrit Studies and drafted its constitution.
§ The main
task of the IASS was agreed to be the organizing of a World Sanskrit Conference at
different venues around the world.
§ The 1972
International Sanskrit Conference in New Delhi was recognised retrospectively
as the First World
Sanskrit Conference.
§ Indologica Taurinensia is
the journal of the IASS.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: WSC and IASS.
§ For Mains:
Significance of WSC.
Sources:
pib.
Paper 2:
Topic: Salient
features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Simultaneous elections
Context: During
recent consultations with the Law Commission of India, as many as nine parties
expressed their reservations while four parties supported holding of
simultaneous elections.
Background:
Simultaneous
elections were held in the country during the first two decades after
Independence up to 1967. Dissolution of certain Assemblies in 1968 and 1969
followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha led to the “disruption of the
conduct of simultaneous elections.
Simultaneous elections: Why is it a good idea?
§ This will
help save public money.
§ It will be
a big relief for political parties that are always in campaign mode.
§ It will
allow political parties to focus more on policy and governance.
Need for simultaneous elections:
To reduce unnecessary expenditures: Elections
are held all the time and continuous polls lead to a lot of expenditure. More
than Rs1,100 crore was spent on the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and the expenditure
had shot up to Rs4,000 crore in 2014.
To reduce the unnecessary use of manpower: Over
a crore government employees, including a large number of teachers, are
involved in the electoral process. Thus, the continuous exercise causes maximum
harm to the education sector.
Security concerns: Security
forces also have to be diverted for the electoral work even as the country’s
enemy keeps plotting against the nation and terrorism remains a strong threat.
Way ahead:
The time
is ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms and a return to the
practice of the early decades after Independence when elections to the Lok
Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously. It is for the Election
Commission to take this exercise forward in consultation with political
parties.
Facts for Prelims:
§ Law Commission of India is
an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. Its major
function is to work for legal reform. Its membership primarily comprises legal
experts, who are entrusted a mandate by the Government.
§ The
Commission is established for a fixed tenure and works as an advisory body to
the Ministry of Law and Justice
§ The first
Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the
Charter Act of 1833. After that, three more Commissions were established in
pre-independent India. The first Law Commission of independent India was
established in 1955 for a three-year term.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Law commission.
§ For Mains:
Simultaneous elections- need, challenges and solutions.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Issues
related to health.
Formalin
Context: Fish
samples in Chennai test positive for formalin. This is the first time samples
of fish in Tamil Nadu have tested positive for formalin.
Formalin- key facts:
§ Formalin
is a toxic, colourless solution that is derived by dissolving formaldehyde gas
in water.
§ It is a
cancer-inducing chemical used to preserve fish is used as a disinfectant. It is
used in the manufacture of pesticides, fertilisers, glue, paper and paint,
among other products.
§ Formalin
causes irritation in the eyes, throat, skin and stomach. In the long run
continued exposure causes harm to the kidneys, liver and can even cause
cancers.
§ Formaldehyde
is a highly reactive, flammable gas, which means it can become a fire hazard
when exposed to flame or heat.
§ Formaldehyde
solutions can be flammable when there are high concentrations of formaldehyde
or methanol.
What’s important?
For
Prelims: Formalin- effects on health.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Indian
Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development.
Currency Derivatives
Context: The
Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX), the country’s largest commodity bourse
in terms of market share, is planning to enter the currency derivatives
segment.
What are currency derivatives?
§ Currency
derivatives are exchange-based futures and options contracts that allow one to
hedge against currency movements.
§ Simply
put, one can use a currency future contract to exchange one currency for an
another at a future date at a price decided on the day of the purchase of the
contract.
§ In India,
one can use such derivative contracts to hedge against currencies like dollar,
euro, U.K. pound and yen. Corporates, especially those with a significant
exposure to imports or exports, use these contracts to hedge against their
exposure to a certain currency.
§ While all
such currency contracts are cash-settled in rupees, the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI), early this year, gave a go-ahead to start cross currency
contracts as well on euro-dollar, pound-dollar and dollar-yen.
Why were such derivatives introduced on exchange
platforms?
Prior to
the introduction of currency derivatives on exchanges, there was only the OTC –
over the counter – market to hedge currency risks and where forward contracts
were negotiated and entered into. It was kind of an opaque and closed market
where mostly banks and financial institutions traded. Exchange-based currency
derivatives segment is a regulated and transparent market that can be used by
small businesses and even individuals to hedge their currency risks.
Facts for Prelims: What is MCX?
§ Multi
Commodity Exchange (MCX) as the name suggests is an exchange like BSE and NSE
where commodities are traded.
§ It is a
platform for commodity traders that facilitate online trading, settlement and
clearing of commodity futures transactions, thereby providing a platform for
risk management (hedging).
§ It was
established in November 2003 under the regulatory framework of FMC (Forward
Markets Commission).
§ In 2016,
the FMC was merged with SEBIand MCX as an exchange falls under the regulatory
purview of SEBI.
What’s important?
For
Prelims: What are Currency derivatives and their features.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Science
and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday
life.
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
Context: Einstein’s
Theory of Relativity Proven to Work Even in Three-star Systems. A study
conducted by scientists proved that the legendary scientist was correct about
gravity even in the most extreme scales.
The experiment:
The
researchers observed gravitational behaviour in a three-star system known as
PSR J0337+1715. The massive system located 4,200 light years away consists of
two white dwarfs and a neutron star, an ideal example of an extreme scale.
After
years of study, the researchers reported finding no detectable difference
indicating no alternative theories of gravity were in motion. The results were
consistent with Einstein’s theory of relativity.
The theory of general relativity:
§ In 1915,
Albert Einstein presented his theory of general relativity, which proposed that
gravity itself was the result of a warping of spacetime by massive objects like
stars and planets.
§ Einstein’s
theory of relativity indicates that all objects fall the same way regardless of
mass or composition.
Things predicted by General relativity include:
§ As light gets closer to the sun, it bends towards the sun twice
as much as classical physics (the system used before general relativity)
predicts.
§ The perihelion of the planet Mercury rotates along its
orbit more than is expected under Newtonian physics. General
relativity accounts for the difference between what is seen and what is
expected without it.
§ Redshift from gravity. When
light moves away from an object with gravity (moving away from the center of
the valley), it is stretched into longer wavelengths. This was confirmed by the
Pound-Rebka experiment.
§ The Shapiro delay. Light
appears to slow down when it passes close to a massive object. This was first
seen in the 1960s by space probes headed towards the planet Venus.
§ Gravitational waves. They
were first observed on 14 September 2015.
Alternatives to Einstein’s general theory of relativity:
Alternatives
to Einstein’s general theory of relativity predict that compact objects with
extremely strong gravity, like neutron stars, fall a little differently than
objects of lesser mass. That difference, these alternate theories predict,
would be due to a compact object’s so-called gravitational binding energy – the
gravitational energy that holds it together.
However,
to date, Einstein’s equations have passed all tests, from careful laboratory
studies to observations of planets in our solar system.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: Theory of general relativity and related predictions.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Awareness in space.
Kepler space telescope
Context: Scientists
at NASA are preparing to download the latest bit of data stored in its
plant-hunting Kepler space telescope as the spacecraft is now running “very
low” on fuel. NASA has placed the spacecraft in a no-fuel-use safe mode to save
the remaining fuel so that data extraction can be completed.
About Kepler telescope:
Launched
in 2009, the Kepler mission is specifically designed to survey our region of
the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in
or near the habitable zone and determine the fraction of the hundreds of
billions of stars in our galaxy that might have such planets.
§ Since the
launch of the observatory in 2009, astronomers have discovered thousands of
extra-solar planets, or exoplanets, through this telescope alone. Most of them
are planets that are ranging between the size of Earth and Neptune (which
itself is four times the size of Earth). Most of these planets were discovered
in a small region of the constellation Cygnus, at which Kepler was pointed for
the first four years of its mission.
§ As of
March 2018, Kepler had found 2,342 confirmed planets; add potential planets,
and its find of exoworlds stands at 4,587.
What’s important?
For
Prelims: Kepler space telescope, habitable zones.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Awareness in space.
RAMA (Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata)
Context: NASA
has announced it would give funds to Made In Space’s project- RAMA
(Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata), for finding ways to turn
asteroids into giant, autonomous spacecrafts, which could fly to outposts in
space.
About RAMA (Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical
Automata):
Project
RAMA, Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata, has been designed to
leverage the advancing trends of additive manufacturing (AM) and in-situ
resource utilization (ISRU).
§ The project
aims to enable asteroid rendezvous missions in which a set of technically
simple robotic processes convert asteroid elements into very basic versions of
spacecraft subsystems (GNC, Propulsion, Avionics).
§ Upon
completion, the asteroid will be a programmed mechanical automata carrying out
a given mission objective; such as relocation to an Earth-Moon liberation point
for human rendezvous.
Significance:
§ This
technique could some day create an affordable and scalable way for NASA to
achieve future roadmap items for exploring the solar system.
§ These
techniques could be beneficial to scientific goals for understanding the solar
system and its formation, as it is estimated that an order of magnitude
increase in NEO targets could be explored for the same mission cost compared to
the SOA.
§ RAMA would
enable this by removing the need to launch all spacecraft subsystems and
instead converting the asteroid material in-situ.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: RAMA Project and its significance.
Sources:
the hindu.
Facts for Prelims:
Civil Aviation Research Organization at Begumpet Airport,
Hyderabad:
§ What?
State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) will set up a Civil Aviation
Research Organisation (CARO).
§ Where?
CARO will be set up at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.
§ Why? CARO
is aimed at “finding indigenous solutions” to meet the challenges posed by the
growing air traffic.
What Is Aphelion?
Context:
On July 6, Earth was at aphelion, officially at its farthest from the sun,
orbiting at a distance of 94,507,803 miles, as opposed to its usual 93 million
miles.
What is
it? Aphelion Day is a special event that takes place once a year. On this date,
the Earth is at its biggest distance from the sun. This point is called the
aphelion. At aphelion, Earth receives about 7% less sun than it does in
January.
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