DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam –19th June 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: Brazil’s Pantanal wetland is ablaze, with fires in June breaking historical records for that month.

Background:-

• Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research (INPE) has detected 733 fires in the Pantanal biome so far this month, with the previous record for fires in Pantanal for June being 435 registered in 2005.

About PANTANAL WETLAND

• Situated in the heart of South America, the Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland.
• At 42 million acres, the Pantanal covers an area slightly larger than England and sprawls across three countries—Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. About 80 percent of the Pantanal is in Brazil.
• While not as globally familiar as the Amazon to the north, the Pantanal is one of the most biologically rich environments on the planet with more than 4,700 plant and animal species.
• In fact, the Pantanal contains South America’s highest concentration of some wildlife species, including the jaguar and caiman.
• From October to March, floodwaters fill the Pantanal like a giant reservoir and drain out slowly between April and September, providing ideal aquatic habitat, nutrient renewal, and flood control for millions of people downstream.
• The Pantanal also contains a hub of economic activity, ranging from cattle ranching to soy production to tourism. The economic activities of the states within the Pantanal contributed more than $70 billion to their respective economies in 2015.
• This wetland also provides an array of irreplaceable benefits that help the region’s economic development and environment, including river flow for boats to navigate, groundwater recharge, and regulation of floodwaters for millions of people.

Source: CNN

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Since Lai Ching-te assumed office as Taiwan’s president, his tenure has faced a rocky start, marked by China’s belligerent reaction to his pro-independence stance. China has now shifted to a ‘grey-zone’ warfare strategy to consistently undermine Taiwan.

Background:

• Experts from the US and Europe have characterised certain Russian actions also as examples of grey zone warfare.

Key Takeaways

• Grey zone warfare generally means a middle, unclear space that exists between direct conflict and peace in international relations.
• A multitude of activities fall into the category grey zone warfare — from nefarious economic activities, influence operations, and cyberattacks to mercenary operations, assassinations, and disinformation campaigns. Experts also include economic actions such as debt traps and economic sanctions under grey zone.

What grey zone warfare looks like: examples –

• Experts from the US and Europe have characterised certain Russian and Chinese actions of late as examples of grey zone warfare. It includes the Chinese military’s presence in the South China Sea.
• The Philippines is one of the countries which has challenged China’s claims in south china sea. In December 2023, it termed the presence of more than 135 Chinese maritime militia vessels near a disputed reef as “illegal”.
• It accused China of firing water cannons at its boats and ramming into others, while the Chinese coast guard blamed the Philippines for hitting Chinese boats.
• Another example can befound in a recent Reuters report, which said, “Taiwan has complained for four years of stepped-up Chinese military action, such as fighters regularly flying over the strait as part of a ‘grey zone’ strategy to wear down Taiwan with activities that stop short of a full-blown conflict.”
• US has also engaged in grey zone tactics . These include its economic sanctions against China and imposition of duties on Chinese imports to the US, along with maritime reconnaissance.

Why is grey zone warfare seen as a separate category of action?

• Firstly, the challenges that grey zone warfare poses differ from those of an open conflict. Here, action is often covert or indirect, meaning a country’s response needs to be appropriate in terms of its scale.
• China might have other aims in mind.I ts actions could be designed to bait the other party into escalation, which would thus free Chinese forces to respond in kind – and the use of force would then be legitimised as a form of self-defence or response in kind to what the other party does.
• Other reasons for engaging in such tactics include the projection of strength, and to normalise disputed territorial claims by repeatedly marking a presence in those regions.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – Environment

Context: A new study released has reported the first significant decrease in atmospheric concentrations of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), potent ozone-depleting substances (ODS). HCFC emissions peaked in 2021, earlier than the anticipated year of 2026, and are now on a downward trend.

Background:

• This important milestone demonstrates the benefits of the Montreal Protocol for mitigating climate change and stratospheric ozone layer loss.

About MONTREAL PROTOCOL

• The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.
• It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force on 1 January 1989.
• Since then, it has undergone nine revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1999 (Beijing) and 2016 (Kigali).
• Due to its widespread adoption and implementation, it has been hailed as an example of successful international co-operation. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol”.
• The ozone treaty has been ratified by 198 parties (197 states and the European Union), making them the first universally ratified treaties in United Nations history.
• This truly universal treaty has also been remarkable in the expedience of the policy-making process at the global scale, where only 14 years lapsed between a basic scientific research discovery (1973) and the international agreement signed (1985 and 1987).
• The treaty is structured around several groups of halogenated hydrocarbons that deplete stratospheric ozone.
• All of the ozone depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contain either chlorine or bromine (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer).
• Some ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) are not yet controlled by the Montreal Protocol, including nitrous oxide (N2O).
• For each group of ODSs, the treaty provides a timetable on which the production of those substances must be reduced and eventually eliminated.

Source: Weather

Syllabus

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Over 300 residents of a 15-tower residential building at Kochi, reported vomiting and diarrhoea in a suspected case of E-coli contamination in drinking water.

Background:

• There are also allegations that the apartment association may have delayed public awareness by suppressing initial findings of E-coli contamination in water samples.

About E-coli :

• E-coli, or Escherichia coli, is a type of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of people and animals.
• While most strains are harmless, some can cause serious food poisoning and infection.
• Most strains are part of the normal microbiota of the gut and are harmless or even beneficial to humans (although these strains tend to be less studied than the pathogenic ones). For example, some strains of E. coli benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2 or by preventing the colonization of the intestine by pathogenic bacteria.
• These mutually beneficial relationships between E. coli and humans are a type of mutualistic biological relationship — where both the humans and the E. coli are benefitting each other.
• There are harmful strains of E. coli that causes illness if you accidentally ingest them. But the E. coli that usually live in your gut can also get in places they’re not supposed to be (like your urinary tract). This causes an E. coli infection there.
• The most familiar strains of E. coli that make one sick are those producing a toxin called Shiga.
• E-coli can lead to diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.
• It’s often spread through contaminated food or water, or through contact with animals or persons.
• Treatment for E-coli infection typically focuses on relieving symptoms and preventing dehydration, as most cases resolve on their own without the need for antibiotics.

Source: NDTV

Syllabus

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: A recent report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) analysed data on snow persistence from 2003 to 2024 and found it to be significantly lower than normal in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) this year.

Background:

• The 2024 trend follows a pattern of decreasing amounts and persistence of snow across the HKH. Snow persistence is the fraction of time that snow remains on the ground.

About HINDU KUSH HIMALAYA (HKH)

• FiThe Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is often referred to as the Third Pole due to its extensive snow and ice cover.
• It spans across eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• It stretches over 3,500 kilometers.
• The HKH range is known for its rugged terrain and towering peaks, including several of the world’s highest mountains, such as Mount Everest and K2.
• The region covers approximately 4.2 million square kilometers, providing a diverse range of ecosystems from subtropical forests at lower elevations to alpine meadows and permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations.
• It is the source of ten large Asian river systems – the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra (Yarlungtsanpo), Irrawaddy, Salween (Nu), Mekong (Lancang), Yangtse (Jinsha), Yellow River (Huanghe), and Tarim (Dayan).

Source: Down To Earth

Syllabus

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, has indicated that the vision is to enhance seamless movement across India by including hotels, rail travel, and public places in the Digi Yatra system.

Background:

• A prototype of the procedure is ready, and discussions are ongoing with various government agencies, including the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Railways.

About DIGI YATRA

• Digi Yatra Initiative is a project by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to create a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel experience (BEST) using Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) for passengers at airports.
• The primary goal is to streamline the boarding process and enhance the airport experience by eliminating manual verification of tickets and IDs at various checkpoints.
• It provides a decentralized mobile wallet-based identity management platform which is cost effective and addresses privacy/data protection issues in implementation of Digi Yatra
• Digi Yatra aligns with the Digital India vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society.

Digi Yatra Foundation:

• It has been set up as a joint venture (JV) company in 2019 under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.
• The Foundation was formed, with the objective of creating the Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem (DYCE).

Source: Economic Times

Q1.) Consider the following statements:

1. Digi Yatra Initiative is a project by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to create a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel experience.
2. It provides a decentralized mobile wallet-based identity management platform.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q2.) With reference to the E. coli, consider the following statements:

1. coli is a type of bacteria that can be found in the intestines of humans and animals.
2. It can be transmitted to humans through contaminated food and water.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q3.) Consider the following rivers:

1. Indus
2. Ganga
3. Brahmaputra
4. Mekong

How many of the above given rivers are originating from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. Only three
4. All four

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  19th June 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – c

Q.2) – c

Q.3) – c